Keith Tippett
Keith Tippett (aka Keith Graham Tippetts ; born August 25, 1947 in Bristol , Great Britain ; † June 14, 2020 ) was one of the most important pianists on the British jazz scene.
His innovative style has not only shaped jazz since the 1960s, his distinctive playing can also be found in rock music , among others. a. on records from King Crimson or Working Week .
biography
As a teenager, Keith Tippett began playing traditional jazz and bop . In 1967 he went to London as a professional musician, where in the beginning he didn't even have the money for his own piano . Gradually he made the acquaintance of various musicians, including members of Chris McGregor's expatriate South African Ensemble and the Blue Notes such as Louis Moholo , Mongezi Feza and Dudu Pukwana .
At the end of 1967 Tippett formed his own sextet , of which Elton Dean , Mark Charig and Nick Evans had been permanent members since 1968 as wind players . The rhythm section, however, changed: Jeff Clyne , Roy Babbington , Harry Miller and Neville Whitehead as bassists, and Phil Howard , John Marshall , Bryan Spring and Alan Jackson on drums. Around this time, Tippett also began to remove the "s" from Tippetts , his actual name, as "Keith Tippett Sextet" was easier to pronounce.
The year 1969 also saw the collaboration with the British band Soft Machine , which stylistically moved between art rock and jazz. The saxophonist Elton Dean from Tippett's Sextet became a main member of this group between 1969 and 1972. The Keith Tippett Group's first two albums were created: You Are Here… I Am There (1970) and Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening ( 1971) .
At the end of 1970 he formed a 50-piece orchestra called Centipede with musicians from jazz, rock and classical music. The group played a few concerts. The double album Septober Energy was produced by Robert Fripp , the band leader of King Crimson . Tippett also appeared on three King Crimson albums: In The Wake Of Poseidon , Lizard (both 1970) and Islands (1971). His characteristic, cluster-rich playing is an important part of these albums.
In the mid-1970s, Keith Tippett and his wife Julie, who had already worked as a singer under her maiden name Julie Driscoll , and percussionist Frank Perry formed the core of the improvisational ensemble Ovary Lodge . He returned to freely improvised jazz and played in a duo called T'n'T with Stan Tracey and in groups from Trevor Watts (Amalgam), Elton Dean (Ninesense), Harry Miller, Dudu Pukwana, Louis Moholo and Howard Riley .
In the late 1970s he formed a 22-piece ensemble called Ark , with whom he released the double album Frames .
In the 1980s, Tippett worked mostly in duos or solo. His style became more meditative compared to the "wild" beginnings. Towards the end of the 80s he founded a group again: Mujician with Paul Dunmall (sax), Paul Rogers (bass) and Tony Levin (drums); their work has been documented on several CDs since the 1990s (partly with musicians from Georgia to perform his Septober Energy again ). In the early 1990s he was a member of the Dedication Orchestra .
In 1997 he formed a 21-piece band called Tapestry for the Bath Festival in England , with whom he later performed.
In his last years he taught a. a. at the Music Department of the University of Bristol , co-director of the jazz courses at Dartington International Summer School , received honorary membership at Dartington College of Arts and at Welsh College of Music and Drama , where he taught the college jazz ensemble. He also held (music) courses for school children and workshops for up-and-coming jazz musicians and performed repeatedly both solo and in a wide variety of formations.
Tippett died in June 2020 at the age of 72.
Discographic notes
- 1969 - You Are Here… I Am There
- 1970 - Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening
- 1971 - September Energy
- 1972 - Blueprint
- 1974 - TNT (with Stan Tracey)
- 1975 - Ovary Lodge
- 1977 Cruel But Fair (with Hugh Hopper , Elton Dean, and Joe Gallivan )
- 1978 - frames
- 1980 - No Gossip
- 1981 - Mujician
- 1981 - First Encounter
- 1982 - Tern
- 1984 - A Loose Kite In a Gentle Wind Floating With Only My Will For an Anchor
- 1984 - On Focus
- 1985 - Solo Improvisation / Duet Improvisation (with Hans Reichel )
- 1986 - Mujician II
- 1987 - Mujician III
- 1987 - Couple in Spirit (with J. Tippetts)
- 1990 - The Dartington Concert (solo)
- 1990 - 66 Shades of Lipstick (with Andy Sheppard )
- 1991 - Mujician and The Gregorian Ensemble: Bristol Concert
- 1993 - The Bern Concert (with H. Riley)
- 1993 - Twilight Etchings (with J. Tippetts and Willi Kellers )
- 1994 - Poem About the Hero (with Mujician)
- 1994 - Une Croix dans l'Océan
- 1995 - Birdman
- 1996 - Couple in Spirit II
- 1998 - Keith Tippett Tapestry Orchestra - Live at Le Mans
- 2001 - Spacetime (with Mujician)
- 2004 - Viva La Black Live at Ruvo (with J. Tippetts, L. Moholo and Canto General)
- 2005 - There's No Going Back Now (with Mujician)
- 2011 - From Granite to Wind
- 2016 - The Nine Dances of Patrick O'Gonogon
Remarks
- ↑ Official Facebook page
- ↑ See his work as arranger and pianist on their album "1969"
- ↑ published 2001, republished in 2005 as CD 1 by Best of Keith & Julie Tippetts
- ↑ republished in 2005 as CD 2 by Best of Keith & Julie Tippetts
Web links
- Biography and extensive discography
- Tippett's FMP releases
- Keith Tippett at Allmusic (English)
- Keith Tippett in the Internet Movie Database (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tippett, Keith |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tippetts, Keith Graham |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British jazz pianist and composer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 25, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bristol , UK |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 14, 2020 |