Keith Tippett (originally Keith
Graham Tippetts, born August 25, 1947 in Bristol) is a British
jazz pianist and composer.
Tippett went to Greenway Boys Secondary Modern school in Southmead, Bristol. The son
of a local police officer, he was the solo soprano singer
in a school production of Tom Sawyer. He formed his first jazz band called The
KT7 whilst still at school and they performed numbers popular at the
time by The Temperance Seven.
In the late 1960s, he led a sextet featuring Elton Dean
on saxophone, Mark Charig on trumpet and Nick Evans on trombone.
Tippett married singer Julie
Driscoll and wrote scores for TV.
In the early 1970s, his big band Centipede
brought together much of a generation of young British jazz and rock
musicians. As well as performing some concerts (limited economically by
the size of the band), they recorded one double-album, Septober
Energy. He formed, with Harry Miller and Louis
Moholo a formidable rhythm section at the centre of some the most
exciting combinations in the country, Including the Elton Dean
quartet, and Elton Dean's Ninesense. Around the same
time, he was also in the vicinity of King
Crimson, contributing piano to several of their records (and
even appearing with them on Top
of the Pops). His own groups, such as Ovary
Lodge tended towards a more contemplative form of European free
improvisation. He continues to perform with the improvising ensemble Mujician and more recently (2006) Work in
Progress.
Tippett has appeared and recorded in a wide variety of
settings, including a duet with Stan Tracey.
Discography
- 1969 - You Are Here... I Am There
- 1970 - Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening
- 1971 - Septober Energy
- 1972 - Blueprint
- 1973 - Ovary Lodge
- 1974 - TNT
- 1975 - Ovary Lodge
- 1978 - Frames
- 1979 - The Unlonely Raindancer
- 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
- 1985 - The Supergrass
- 1986 - Mr Invisible
- 1986 - Mujician II
- 1987 - Mujician III
- 1987 - Couple In Spirit
- 1990 - The Journey
- 1990 - The Dartington Concert
- 1990 - 66 Shades Of Lipstick
- 1991 - Mujician and The Gregorian Ensemble: Bristol concert
- (released 2001, re-released 2005 as CD 1 of "Best of Keith
& Julie Tippetts")
- 1993 - The Bern Concert
- 1993 - Twilight Etchings
- 1994 - Poem About The Hero
- 1994 - Une Croix Dans L'Océan
- 1995 - Birdman
- 1996 - Couple In Spirit II
- (re-released 2005 as CD 2 of "Best of Keith & Julie
Tippetts")
- 1996 - Bladik
- 1997 - Colours Fulfilled
- 1997 - Friday The Thirteenth
External links
