THE TYPIST SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
The Typist Soundtrack album - featuring world-renowned recording artists from Spain, Brazil and Scotland.
The album was recorded durationally in Madrid, London, and Córdoba and Kerieva began writing the album during a lengthy research period of ‘Los Niños de la Guerra 1937’ – the 4,000 children evacuated to the U.K during the Spanish Civil War.
The story of the show follows one of them- Esperanza, a typist, twenty years later in post-war 1950’s Britain- who decides to make the dangerous journey back to her past, and Franco’s Spain.
The Typist show, and the lyrical content of the album soundtrack, were inspired by Kerieva’s interviews with several of the surviving Niños, who were all in their nineties. It was a privilege to hear their stories.
The Artists:
Kerieva McCormick - Vocals, Violins, ‘Cello, Double Bass, Harp, Harmonium
Pablo Suárez - Piano flamenco
Javier Latorre - Taconeo, Palmas (footwork, clapping)
Andrew Robinson – Flamenco Guitar
Ayoze de Alejandro Lopez – Percussion
Mario Caribé - Double Bass
*Please see artists biogs below to learn more
The album was engineered and co-produced with Will Worsley at Coda Cola studios, London. With special thanks to Fernando Vacas at Eureka studios Córdoba and Santi at MG Studios Madrid.
The Typist project was endorsed by the International Brigades Memorial Trust and Association of Los Niños de la Guerra 1937. We are grateful to them, to you, and to the many people over the years internationally who have given love and support to us and to this project.
Like a snake, my heart
has shed its skin.
I hold it here in my hand,
full of honey and wounds.
Federico García Lorca
Artists biogs
Kerieva McCormick
Kerieva’s artistic work as a Theatre Director, choreographer, and trained practitioner in dance/theatre/musical composition plus 15+ years’ experience of Performance academic research and public speaking, has meant a continually interwoven interdisciplinary career; an artist who is able to utilise theoretical understandings and deep nuance in her creative work.
“Kerieva McCormick is an artist who brings a fierce intelligence to everything she touches.” The Metro.
From 2005 She engaged fully in her professional performing career as a composer/multi-instrumentalist, as a dancer/choreographer developing practice in Contemporary and Flamenco dance, and as a choreographer/director developing Dance Theatre in Scotland that interweaves the above elements with historical narrative, contemporary dance and film.
Her performance record is extensive having performed professionally at Sadlers Wells, the Royal Festival Hall, the National Portrait Gallery London, with National Theatre of Scotland, and internationally in her long career. She has also conducted and coordinated transnational projects with a number of simultaneous partners and donors, such as lead choreographer on a world dance project involving 14 dancers from Spain and India, performer and facilitator at AWID Brazil involving 2,000 participants, and producing for the British Council and Canada Hub on transatlantic projects for Edinburgh International Festival. Kerieva was previously with stadium band Asian Dub Foundation and session musician (multi-instrumentalist and vocalist) for many major labels and producers, including legendary producer Adrian Sherwood where she is part of the label ON-U Sound family. She maintains her connections in the record industry, in underground music scenes, and in music composition and recording.
Kerieva McCormick is the Artistic Director of KAM-RI Dance Theatre and Honorary Research Fellow of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.
Pablo Suárez
Pablo is a master pianist and composer living in Madrid, Spain. He is constantly in demand as a performer, composer and musical director for a number of important flamenco performers and companies, including: Adrián Galia, Eva Yerbabuena, Yoko Komatsubara, Rafael Amargo, Cristina Hoyos, Rafaela Carrasco, Andrés Marín and Carmen Linares.
He began his musical studies in Barcelona with Rosario Vilanova, before continuing his education at the Conservatoire of Barcelona. He later moved to Madrid, where he focused professionally on flamenco piano and developed his own unique and hauntingly emotive style.
He is a member of live band Camerata Flamenco Project with the incredible musicianship of Jose Luis López, and Ramiro Obedman. For 15 years they have toured extensively playing at the largest world music festivals and approach music collaborations with diverse artists such as the Avanti Symphonic Orchestra of Finland, Jorge Pardo, in an avant-garde way from trio to full orchestra. They also give Flamenco Mastercourses throughout the year for professional musicians in Rotterdam, Dublin, Helsinki and Madrid.
Kerieva asked Pablo to write and play three of his own piano compositions for The Typist show and album. They are simultaneously harrowing and beautiful, and were an absolute joy to dance to.
Javier Latorre
Javier Latorre is a highly respected and awarded ‘Gran Maestro’ of Flamenco dance‐ as dancer, choreographer and master. Former soloist of the Ballet Nacional de España, under the direction of Antonio Gades and prima ballerina María Ávila, he went on to form his own company, Danza Javier Latorre who are permanently resident at the Gran Teatro de Córdoba, Spain. Having already won the National Dance Prize for his achievements in 2011 (Premio Nacional de Danza), he was awarded in 2013 the Spanish equivalent of a knighthood for his services to dance and excellence as a performer. It was an honour that he offered to mentor the overall choreography and staging of The Typist, and to record his lightning fast feet and clapping on the album soundtrack.
Andrew Robinson
Andrew Robinson is Scottish born and remarkably one of the most accomplished flamenco guitarist in the UK, with consecutive sell-out shows at Edinburgh festival. After graduating with a 1st Class Master in Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland he has toured with Scottish Ballet’s production of Carmen, performed Rodrigo’s ‘Concerto de Aranjuez’ with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra including tours of the concerto to Belgium, Switzerland and Italy and has won various accolades such as both the Orphee and Chanterelle Guitar prizes for excellence.
Ayoze de Alejandro Lopez
Ayoze de Alejandro Lopez is a Gran Canarian-born drummer/percussionist who has collaborated with international artists such as the Cuban trumpet player Yelfris Valdes, the Bengali sarod player Soumik Datta, the female duo Farafi with their West African influences, The Turbans band, the Peruvian guitarist Ernesto Hermosa (Susana Vaca), the Israeli songwriter Nani (Noam Vazana), the Colombian songwriter Marta Gomez, the Turkish artist Bariş Güney, Lokandes and Peyoti for President band. He is a highly skilled improviser and traverses with ease musically through Andalusian, Kurdish-Turkish, Mediterranean, Latin American and African music, playing a huge variety of percussion instruments common to these forms.
Mario Caribé
Mario Caribé is a Brazilian bassist, composer, and educator. He started learning guitar at the age of 13 and switched to bass a year later, beginning his career at the local jazz scene. He learnt bass with Brazilian musician Nico Assumpção before studying at Universidade Estadual de Campinas, and also studied double bass with Paulo Pugliese. In 1996, he moved to Scotland and has collaborated with many musicians such as Tommy Smith, Kenny Wheeler, Carol Kidd, Norma Winston, Louise Gibson, Suzanne Bonnar, Phil Bancroft, Andy Panaiy, Tom Bancroft, Jamie Anderson, Brian Kellock, Steve Hamilton, John Rae, Clark Tracey, Tom Gordon, Jason Rebello, Gene Calderazzo, Kevin McKenzie, Alex Yellowlees, Nigel Clark, Malcom MacFarlane, Paul Harrison, Paddy Flaherty, Dave Milligan, Guy Barker, Eddie Severn, Gerard Presencer, Colin Steele, Andor Jensen, Claude Deppa, Dominic Alldis and Adam Glasser. He has also played with leading North American artists such as Bobby Watson, Scott Hamilton, Joe Locke, Valery Ponomarev and Madeline Eastman. In Scotland, he is involved in Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and many other projects. He is now also a lecturer at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. His specialty is in Jazz, Brazilian, and Latin Music such as Bossa Nova, Samba, and Afro-Brazilian.
“Dwelling in this music is a tone poem of epic proportions”. Bernard O’Neill - Real World Records.