Formed in 1984 with Tim Dalling and Dave Mynne.

A musical comedy act playing 30s and 40s hits.

Film soundtrack. Winner of the Celtic Film Festival 1997

1997 KHT co production with Nottingham Playhouse. Composition and performance.

1999 a unique music act with Giles King and Stu Barker. Spring and summer tour.

2000/02 Miracle Theatre Soundtrack.

Inside Eden

Three Islands Project

2003 Site Specific performance in Malta presented by Kneehigh Theatre and Wild Works in collaboration with THOC, State Theatre of Cyprus and St James Cavalier, Malta . Musical Direction and composition. In collaboration with Etnika and the National Orchestra of Malta.

2004 Production audio CD of music from Miracle Theatre Company shows.

2004 North Cornwall Arts commission Tintagel

2004/05 Musical Direction for An event at the Eden Project Cornwall spanning a period of three months, which includes performances of the First Breath project, also pieces composed for a procession band and “Anthem”.

MUSIC CLIPS:
A New Day Will Come

2005 arranging and recording some of Mick Bennett's new songs.

MUSIC CLIPS:
Spanish Island
Survivors Rejoice
The Main Attraction

2005 Unveiling. Music for the opening of Eden Projects' education building.

MUSIC CLIPS:
River of Fire
The Core
Fanfare, Water and Air

2005 Composing with Adrian and the creation of a new band for Eden Projects' winter season. The band originally known as the Everyday Heroes and eventually to become Bombrassa.

MUSIC CLIPS:
Champions

2006 Soundtrack made with Adrian for Hall for Cornwall touring show.

MUSIC CLIPS:
Journey
Palace
The Beast

2006 Soundtrack with a Mediterranean flavour for Miracle Theatre.

2006. BOMBRASSA is a high-energy, foot stomping band consisting of brass, reeds and percussion led by composers Jim Carey and Adrian Freedman. An essential part of any celebration our bold and brassy adventurers bring an exciting mix of new, hypnotic, evocative triumphant fanfares and world folk rhythmical magic.

MUSIC CLIPS:
Gori Gori

06/07 Eden music co-ordinator.

History

Above: Jim (centre) with Mahale All Stars during the Three Islands project at Hayle, Cornwall 'A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings', 2005.

Jim Carey composes, directs, produces, records and performs music for events, theatre, TV, radio and film. He has long been closely associated with the stage as a Musical Director and performer, including over a decade with Cornwall 's Kneehigh Theatre and in recent years has written the music for Miracle Theatre's shows.

At the same time he has produced haunting soundtracks for film makers and radio productions and has created inspirational music for the likes of the Eden Project, The Hall for Cornwall , and The National Theatre. One of Jim's ongoing projects is “ Bombrassa” which, (in Cornish, bombraza) roughly means “a big wind.” This is a high-energy foot stomping band consisting of brass, reeds and percussion. The repertoire consists mostly of new compositions by Carey and Adrian Freedman with world music influences ranging from celtic cultures to India .

Jim has toured nationally and Internationally, from the streets of Scotland to the streets of Soweto.

Chronology

I grew up in the West of Scotland and went to Glasgow School of Art between 1978 and 1981, where I studied painting. I had played in bands since the age of sixteen and was writing and singing my own songs from an early age. I went travelling in Europe singing and playing guitar. In Greece I was joined by good friend Tim Dalling,(of Old Rope String Band fame and now New Rope String Band fame) where we did some fairly outrageous performances. We met Dave Mynne and developed a street act in Germany and Switzerland .

We arrived in Cornwall in 1982 and joined forces with Mike Shepherd and the recently founded Kneehigh Theatre.

“Kneehigh now finds itself celebrated as one of Britain 's most innovative theatre companies. For 25 years the company has created vigorous, popular and challenging theatre for audiences throughout the UK and beyond. Using a multi-talented team of performers, directors, designers, sculptors, administrators, engineers, musicians and writers, Kneehigh perform with the joyful anarchy that audiences have come to expect from this groundbreaking theatre company.”

In the early days we made theatre in village halls, in streets, on harbours, in fields at festivals, in quarries, eventually touring Britain and Europe in theatres and a variety of outdoor venues. Although I always enjoyed performing with Kneehigh as an actor, my great delight has always been making music and so I became the musical director. Making music for theatre is a great way to learn about music from other cultures. A show might be set somewhere in the Mediterranean, or 19 th century Paris or have images from South America and sometimes the music will reflect these images, or help with location by use of instrumentation or by emulating a particular style.

There have been many musical ventures besides the theatre work. For example, Tim and Dave and myself started the Jolly Suave Trio playing 30's and 40's hits. I worked with Mick Bennett (of COB) and together with the wonderful guitarist Steve Turner, founded the inspirational but short lived Atlantic Swells. Incidentally, we got together recently to record some of Mick's new songs. It was the first time we had played together in 20 years.

Jim Carey is one of Cornwall 's greatest assets. He has written music for countless films and theatre shows over the past few years and worked with the best of Cornwall 's writers, actors, musicians and directors. His setting of Nick Darke's Lobster Song is a modern Cornish classic (and was even one of Tim Smit's Desert Island Discs). You can't quantify what Jim's contribution is to the projects he works on - ask anyone he works with and they'll tell you that the power and the beauty (and often the humour) of Jim's music is simply an inspiration. It's never just a soundtrack - it adds a fresh, new dramatic dimension and, while it always complements and strengthens the work as a whole, Jim's music brings its own passion, its own soul, its own wonderful magic.

Colin Rogers, Director, Cornwall Film Fund

Jim uses music to create and describe emotional narratives more accurately than words ever could. He combines traditional, contemporary and world influences yet manages to be completely unique.

Sue Hill Artistic Director The Eden Project

Jim composes and performs emotionally searing, epic, haunting music. His pieces can be almost operatic and choral, or intimate ballads that tell a story.

His pieces are eclectic and extraordinary. As a writer, it is a joy to hear your words in such music, as song is perhaps the most accessible of all ways to hear poetry.

Annamaria Murphy Writer and Poet

Jim has been a major force in the recent renaissance of Celtic music culture and draws on instrumentation and rhythm from around the world in his work.

He composes, directs, produces, records and performs music for events, theatre, radio and film.