Corrie Dick is a Scottish musician (drums, percussion, vocals) and composer based in London. He is recognised for his fluency, gritty sound and euphoric abandon on the drum kit and for his poignant and earthy compositional style.[1]
Early life
Born in Glasgow, Corrie comes from a small family with musical and artistic parents. His younger brother Garry Dick is an accomplished chef living in Melbourne.[2]
His upcoming duo project Norman&Corrie[16] with Shetland saxophonist Norman Willmore will explore the two Scots' shared heritage with unconventional instrumentation of drum kit, saxophone, electronics and organ pedals.[17]
Education
Dick graduated as the gold medal student[18] for the jazz programme at TrinityLaban (2010–14) where he studied composition with present-day bandmate Mark Lockheart, rhythm with Barak Schmool and musicianship with Simon Purcell. He has studied drums privately with Mark Guiliana and Kendrick Scott, traditional drumming in Morocco and kpanlogo drumming in Ghana with Saddiq Addy, nephew of legendary kpanlogo drummer Mustapha Tettey Addy. He also practices traditional world music regularly with guitarist Rob Luft, a close musical peer.[19]
Having been named as 'Up And Coming Artist' in the 2012 Scottish Jazz Awards,[21] Dick won the BBC Radio Scotland Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year Competition in 2013[22] resulting in cash prizes as well as concert performances at London, Glasgow and Skye Jazz Festivals.[23]
Corrie was listed as 'One To Watch' in Jazzwise Magazine's forecasts for 2012 and 2016 and has twice been shortlisted for 'Newcomer of the Year' in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards - in 2015 as part of Blue-Eyed Hawk[24] and in 2017 as a solo artist up against Ezra Collective, Jacob Collier and winners Nerija.[25][26]
Impossible Things,[28] Dick's debut album as bandleader, was released in November 2015 on the Chaos Collective label, which he co-founded alongside close collaborators Laura Jurd and Elliot Galvin. The album, featuring 9 young stars of the British jazz scene including vocalist/violinist Alice Zawadzki, trumpeter Laura Jurd and percussionist Felix Higginbottom and produced by Finn Peters, was lauded by numerous international reviewers including the Irish Times who said "By turns folksy, rootsy, bluesy and indy, Impossible Things announces the arrival of a new and compelling voice in contemporary European jazz."[29]
Corrie has recently teamed up with fellow Scot, saxophonist Norman Willmore to form Norman&Corrie, a duo dedicated to breathing new life into ancient melodies.[31] 2024 sees the duo take residence in Shetland where they are learning ancient melodies from tradition bearers and reimagining them for their unique instrumentation of drum kit, saxophone, electronics and the electronic foot pedals of an organ. The resulting album and accompanying documentary is due for release later in the year.
"It is a rare and wonderful thing to encounter genuinely original music, the salt-bite of the North Isles is thrust head-first into a brave new experimental world. Here we have two musicians transcending both jazz and folk; utterly in control, and creating a singular voice like no other".[32]
Sun Swells
Corrie's own ensemble often billed simply as Corrie Dick performs a style Corrie has dubbed "Outsider Jazz"[33] toured extensively in the UK in 2023 and continues to tour in 2024. The lineup changes frequently with band members including Rob Luft (guitar), Laura Jurd (trumpet), Elina Duni (vocals), Elliot Galvin (piano), Tom Herbert (bass), Calum Gourlay (bass), Midori Jaeger (cello, vocals) and Huw Warren (piano).[34][35]
