Dave MacRae

Dave MacRae ( born April 2, 1940 in Auckland as David Scott MacRae ) is a native of New Zealand pianist and keyboard player of jazz and fusion and modern jazz.

Life and work

Apart from a brief study at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, Dave MacRae learned his musical skills self-taught. In the 1960s he worked in Australia as an arranger for the record label Festival Records and played with Graeme Lyall, Don Burrows and John Sangster. In 1969 he moved to the U.S. and played with experimental bands in Los Angeles before he was a member of the Big Band Buddy Rich in 1970. In 1971 he settled in London and worked in the jazz scene at the club Ronnie Scott with musicians such as Clark Terry, Chet Baker, Jon Hendricks and Gil Evans.

In 1971 he briefly played with a band called Caparius and was then a member of the jazz rock band Nucleus by Ian Carr, in which he remained until 1973. He also was involved in recordings and tours of the band Matching Mole of Robert Wyatt and the formations Just Us by Elton Dean and has performed with Michael Gibbs and Mike Westbrook. With Gary Windo, Ron Mathewson and Wyatt he formed the group WMMW. In 1974 he was involved in sessions of Colin Hodgkinson's jazz-rock trio Back Door; then he dedicated himself, together with his wife, singer Joy Yates, until 1979 mainly his band project Pacific Eardrum. He also worked with musicians from the Canterbury scene as Robert Wyatt and Richard Sinclair / Lol Coxhill, but also with Mike Gibbs; He was also responsible for the music of the TV comedian series The Goodies. In the 1980s, MacRae played briefly with the band False Alarm, then in 1984 in the revitalized lineup Soft Machine. In that year he returned to Australia and played in the Sydney area with Bernie McGann and Ronnie Scott. In 1998 he joined again on with his wife in London jazz club Ronnie Scott's and since then limited to appearances in Australia.

After Ian Carr ranging musical influences MacRaes of Art Tatum, Monk, Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans to Herbie Hancock and Joe Zawinul.

Discography (selection)

  • Matching Mole (CBS, 1972)
  • Matching Mole: Matching Mole 's Little Red Record ( CBS, 1972)
  • Ian Carr: Belladonna (Core, 1972)
  • Ian Carr's Nucleus Roots ( Vertigo, 1973)
  • Ian Carr's Nucleus: Labyrinth ( Vertigo, 1973)
  • Mike Westbrook: Citadel; Room 315
  • Mike Westbrook: Love / Dream and Variations (Transatlantic, 1976)

Own Projects

  • Pacific Eardrum ( Charisma, 1977)
  • Pacific Eardrum: Beyond Panic ( Charisma, 1978)
  • Pacific Eardrum (CBS, 1980)
  • Dave MacRae: Southern Roots ( Emanem, 1988)

As musical director and producer

  • The Walker Brothers: Lines (GTO, 1976)
  • The Walker Brothers: Nite Flights (GTO, 1979)
  • The Goodies, British comedy group
Electronic keyboard Jazz fusion Nucleus (Band) Michael Gibbs (composer) Back Door (jazz trio) Thelonious Monk Digby Fairweather Brian Priestley
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