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Keith Tippett (1947-2020)


clifford_thornton

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Terrible news. He had heart problems in recent years but before recent events I saw mention of performances lined up in this part of the world and I was looking forward to catching at least one of them. 72 years is far too young; deepest condolences to the family. A gifted, grounded and most committed musician and one of the greatest things to ever come out of Bristol.

What a great recorded legacy though - the early albums, Centipede, King Crimson, Ovary Lodge, the Ogun years, Mujician plus his various small and larger groups of more recent years. An important musical legacy. Grateful to have caught him solo on a few occasions and with Mujician.

I think the favourite performance I saw has to be the solo recital at Bath Guildhall around 2003-4, using ‘prepared’ piano. 

Edited by sidewinder
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This is so sad. He was always the most humble of performers, invariably thanking the audience profusely for sitting and listening to an evening of spellbinding music. The most recent of his performances I saw help sum up his breadth - solo; with Julie and a string Quartet: in duo with Peter Brotzmann; with the Octet playing O'Gonogon.

This is a really sad way to start the week. The last news I'd read was that he was over his heart issues.

British and world Jazz has just become less bright. RIP

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5 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

original pressing copies of that are very, very difficult to find. Beautiful album!

There was an OK vinyl reissue of that one some years ago but I guess that one is hard to get now too.

16 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

The last news I'd read was that he was over his heart issues.

That’s what I’d heard too - was looking forward to that cancelled Bristol performance with Matthew Bourne being rescheduled.

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A good article on Tippett’s life and career here.

https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2019/06/16/keith-tippett-spontaneous-combustor/

I might even have seen that TOTP performance with Fripp and co and if my memory is right he did another TOTP appearance with Larry Stabbins in the early 80s !

King-Crimson-TOTP.-L-R-Peter-Giles-Keith

Edited by sidewinder
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5 hours ago, sidewinder said:

A good article on Tippett’s life and career here.

https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2019/06/16/keith-tippett-spontaneous-combustor/

I might even have seen that TOTP performance with Fripp and co and if my memory is right he did another TOTP appearance with Larry Stabbins in the early 80s !

King-Crimson-TOTP.-L-R-Peter-Giles-Keith

Working Week with Stabbins perhaps. My first Camden Jazz Festival gig was WW, always had a soft spot for the first album and the 12" singles

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7 hours ago, mjazzg said:

This is so sad. He was always the most humble of performers, invariably thanking the audience profusely for sitting and listening to an evening of spellbinding music. The most recent of his performances I saw help sum up his breadth - solo; with Julie and a string Quartet: in duo with Peter Brotzmann; with the Octet playing O'Gonogon.

This is a really sad way to start the week. The last news I'd read was that he was over his heart issues.

British and world Jazz has just become less bright. RIP

I recall listening to an interview with him and he seemed like the nicest guy imaginable; always hoped I'd get the chance to hear &/or interview him someday myself but it was not to be. Fucking sucks.

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Lost track of recent music but Mujician was a defining band for me maybe 20 years  ago. “Birdman” & “Colours Fulfilled” remain for me two of the ultimate fully improvised free jazz recordings with Tippett at the core of that incredible inventive beauty. As I once said about Mujician at it’s peak (and was mocked strongly) the greatest improvised music in the history of improvised music

RIP to one of the true great voices of this music 

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I saw Mujician at the Vortex in 2010, stage front and centre. The intensity of the playing and interaction amongst the players made me think at the time that this is what hearing the Coltrane Quartet must have been like.  I haven't felt that about any other band, before or since.

Awesome indeed. Half of them gone now.

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2 hours ago, mjazzg said:

Working Week with Stabbins perhaps. My first Camden Jazz Festival gig was WW, always had a soft spot for the first album and the 12" singles

I don’t think it was Working Week, likely that slightly earlier band ‘Weekend’. There’s a bit about it in Tippett’s interview on Jazz Britannia I think.

I caught Mujician too, on their home turf, but at a slightly earlier date. If I remember rightly ex forum member Bev Stapleton was also there but I never saw or met him !

This is pretty incredible !

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2egzr0

Edited by sidewinder
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8 hours ago, sidewinder said:
29 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

I don’t think it was Working Week, likely that slightly earlier band ‘Weekend’. There’s a bit about it in Tippett’s interview on Jazz Britannia I think.

I caught Mujician too, on their home turf, but at a slightly earlier date. If I remember rightly ex forum member Bev Stapleton was also there but I never saw or met him !

This is pretty incredible !

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2egzr0

Which reminds me I should email Bev. He's a big KT fan, I inherited some of his Ogun LPs

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"I close my eyes, say a little prayer, whether I'm playing preconceived or spontaneous compositions, and I give my all. !'m interested in moving an audience. That's my job:'

Did he ever. Every time in my experience.

KT from Wire interview with Julian Crowley, 2091

Edited by mjazzg
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