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SWIMMING HAT & GOGGLES
[Hat and goggles from Warrender Baths, Edinburgh, where I swim regularly]

CD Compilations, Tour Management, Djing; AND things I Like To Do When Not Working

CD Compilations
I have compiled a number of CDs and written liner notes

2010 Creole Choir of Cuba, Real World Records
2010 Rough Guide to Flamenco Dance for World Music Network
2008 Paco Peña for Nascente
2007 Rough Guide to Flamenco for World Music Network
2006 Beginner's Guide to Flamenco, 3CD set Nascente NSBox 016
2004 Argentina: Chango Spasiuk: Tarefero de mis pagos [Argentine chamame], Piranha Records, Berlin
2004 Brazil: Vinicius de Moraes: Favourites, WRASS 121; Tom Jobim: Sun, Sea and Sand, WRASS 120; Elis Regina: Little Pepper (Definitive Collection), WRASS 118.
2003 Cuba: Pablo Milanés: The Definitive Collection, WRASS102
2003 Cuba: Danae: Pido, TUMI 115
2003 Spain: Radio Tarifa: “Fiebre”: World Circuit WCD 066
2003 Flamenco: ‘Paco Peña Flamenco Master’, Essential Flamenco Recordings,
Manteca, MANTCD038 (compilation and liner notes)
2003 Maria Bethania, The Soul of Brazil : The Definitive Collection, WRASS104
2002 Cuba: Yusa, Tumi LC 3885
2002 Cuba: David Alvarez y Juego de manos, Son demasiado, Tumi 114
2001 GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ALBUM - Peru: Susana Baca, Lamento Negro,
Tumi 104
2001 Peru - Familia Pillco, Violins from the Andes, Tumi 101
2001 Cuba - Cachaíto, WCD061: notes for the release of this first record of bassist Cachaíto López of Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club based on extensive interviews with him in Havana, Cuba and touring to Mexico with the group.
2000 Cuba/New York – On Fire: The Essential Celia Cruz, Manteca CDMANTCD007

Tour Management

In the 1908s and 90s I did tour management for various groups of world musicians visiting the UK for the first time with Arts Worldwide including Ayllu Sulca (Peru) and Grupo Moncada (Cuba).

DJing

I have club DJ-ed since the 1980s, starting out with Club Sandino in Edinburgh and latterly at the bar Cuba Norte, Edinburgh

Things I Like To Do When I Am Not Working

I sing with the 85+plus strong all female acapella barbershop Forth Valley Chorus, a member of Sweet Adeline's International. We won European Gold Medal in May 2009 at Gateshead, Newcastle; and in October 2010 we will sing at the annual Sweet Adeline's Convention, Seattle, USA.

I love to dance tango, salsa and flamenco. I sing. I walk (two eight day Easter pilgrimages to Holy Island, Northumberland in 2002 and 2003). I do Taoist Tai Chi weekly. I swim several times a week at either Edinburgh’s Warrender Baths, the Royal Comonwealth Pool or Portobello’s Turkish Baths. I often do yoga and pilates. I love going to the cinema. I love taking photographs and have a fine collection of pics taken on my Canon camera over many years.

I love acting. I acted in school plays and sang lead roles in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas. At University I took a lead role in The Real Inspector Hound. In August 2001 I played Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria (both singing roles) in Teatro Botanicum's 'The Spice Trail' for one month at the Botanic Gardens as part of the Edinburgh International Fringe. Directed by Toby Gough most of the cast were actors and dancers from Calcutta, India. The play won various awards. People I know who did not know I was in the play and who came to see it did not recognise me... many thought Queen Elizabeth was a man in drag ... exactly what was intended. It was my best festival ever, far more thrilling that daily reviewing which I love to do and have done every August for The Scotsman on and off since 1987 (also for The Guardian and The Independent). Thanks to The Scotsman, to Arts Editor Andrew Eaton and before him Robert Dawson Scott. I was also music consultant for Toby Gough's music theatre play 'Lady Salsa' which is now touring the world.

Web site written by Jan Fairley | Designed by Tonka and Jan Fairley | Photos by Pascal Saenz