Red Head
Rachel’s fourth album is a further celebration of women in music – the singers, songwriters, muses, religious icons, lovers and dancers – all performed on what is arguably the only new chromatic and acoustic instrument of the 20th century. Appropriately titled after Lord Kitchener’s calypso “Red Head” the album includes songs by Lady Gaga, Jessie J, Pharrell Williams, Amy Winehouse and They Might Be Giants, as well as classic masterpieces by J.S. Bach and Handel. Two tracks (‘Happy’ and ‘Ave Maria’) feature the fabulous and unique vocal talents of Rachel’s long-term friend from their days in the Radcliffe Rollers Steel Band: Jo Servi.
Priestess of Pan
In this 2008 album Rachel follows in the footsteps of visionary Trinidadian musicians such as Anthony Williams and Neville Jules who saw the potential of pan to be able to play all types of music. She also pays tribute to the women have been involved with pan from its very inception – as players, lovers, flag-bearers, arrangers, promoters and adjudicators. From the vibrant exuberance of the calypsos ‘Carnival Is For Woman’ and ‘Margie’, to the delicacy of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’, Mika’s confident and quirky ‘Grace Kelly’ and the unusual haunting lilt of ‘Miranda’ (a calypso waltz) pan is able to express the widest possible gamut of genres and emotions.
Listen for on Spotify or purchase downloads from the Amazon or Apple Music. Physical CDs — featuring two tracks not available digitally — are available by mail order:
Collaborations
Over the years Rachel has collaborated on many projects with other musicians and composers.
Alien Love Triangle (1999) is a short film by Danny Boyle and John Hodge starring Kenneth Branagh, Alice Connor and Courteney Cox; it was initially concieved as part of a trilogy (read more here). The soundtrack was written by Simon Boswell and also featured as part of his Dead Music project. The pan parts were performed by Rachel and Simon Limbrick.
Alien Love Triangle – Title Music
Inkle and Yarico, Samuel Arnold and George Coleman the Younger; Roxanna Panufnik
Based on an 18th century semi-opera — which is set in Barbados— and recomposed for modern forces, Roxanna Panufnik felt this work demanded steel pans within the orchestral setting. Rachel performed this rescored version with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Holders Opera Festival, Barbados, 1996.
‘The Overture’
‘La Belle Catherine’
The Drummer, Boka Halat
Rachel worked with world music group Boka Halat on their 2004 cross-over album The Drummer which mixed English folk dance melodies with African and Middle Eastern dance rhythms. Here she is the featured artist on ‘Fred and the Dark Girl’.
‘Fred and the Dark Girl’
The Birmingham Spirituals, Patrick Larley
Composer Patrick Larley re-worked traditional texts with new musical material to create a through-composed series of modern Spirituals relevant to the urban setting of inner-city Birmingham. These recordings are from the world première in July 2014.
View the first part on Youtube
‘Ev’ry Time I Feel The Spirit’ (clip)
Rachel has collaborated and worked with
- Disney – The Little Mermaid soundtrack (2023)
- Channel Four – Mog’s Christmas soundtrack (2023)
- Euphoria Steel Band – founder and arranger (2011-2019)
- Pan Nectar Steel Band – Notting Hill Carnival performer (multiple years) and arranger (2015)
- Nostalgia Steel Band – Olympic Opening Ceremony performer (2012)
- Blue Steel (2010)
- Russell Henderson Trio (guest performer)
- Traditional Arts Projects (2003)
- Eclipse Steel Orchestra – European Steel Band Festival, arranger/conductor (2000)
- Danny Boyle and Simon Boswell – Alien Love Triangle soundtrack (1999)
- London Sinfonietta – Quatre Chants, London Premiere (1999)
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1997)
- Holder’s Opera Festival (1997)
- Steel Pan and Marimbas at the ICA (1997)
- Skiffle Steel Orchestra – Feeling the Classics Concerts, arranger/conductor (1997)
- Society for the Promotion of New Music (1997)
- Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (1997)
- Steel Bands North
- Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (consultant)
- Guildhall School of Music (consultant)
- Royal College of Music (guest tutor)
- City University, London (guest lecturer)
- Panyard Inc, Ohio