Keith Tippett

Keith Tippett
Background information
Birth name	Keith Graham Tippetts
Born	25 August 1947 (1947-08-25) Bristol, United Kingdom
Genres	Jazz, Free Jazz, Free Improvisation
Occupations	Musician, Composer, Conductor, Film scorer
Instruments	Piano, Prepared Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Zither, Marimba, Harmonium, Harpsichord, etc.
Years active	1969–present
Labels	Ogun Records
Associated acts	The Keith Tippett Group, Julie Tippetts, Ovary Lodge, Centipede, King Crimson, Mujician, The Dedication Orchestra, etc.
Website	Mind Your Own Music

Keith Tippett (originally Keith Graham Tippetts, born 25 August 1947, in Bristol) is a British jazz pianist and composer.

Tippett, the son of a local police officer, went to Greenway Boys Secondary Modern school in Southmead, Bristol. 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 including Cat Food (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, duets with his wife Julie Tippetts, solo performances, and appeared on three King Crimson Albums.

Discography

with King Crimson:

• 1970 - In the Wake of Poseidon, as session musician (piano)
• 1970 - Lizard, as session musician (piano & electric piano)
• 1971 - Islands as session musician (piano)

other selected work (arranged by recording date):

• 1969 - 1970, Album (with Shelagh McDonald)
• 1970 - (January) The Keith Tippett Group - You Are Here... I Am There (recorded at Advision Studios, London)
• 1971 - The Keith Tippett Group - Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening (featuring Robert Wyatt on drums)
• 1971 - (June) Centipede - Septober Energy (recorded at Wessex Sound Studios, London, during three days, produced by Robert Fripp)
• 1972 - Keith Tippett, with Roy Babbington, Julie Tippetts, Frank Perry & Keith Bailey - Blueprint (produced by Robert Fripp)
• 1973 - Ovary Lodge (with Roy Babbington & Frank Perry)
• 1974 - (November 12) with Trevor Watts' Amalgam - Innovation (recorded at Chipping Norton Recording Studios, Oxfordshire, UK)
• 1974 - (December 21) piano duo with Stan Tracey - TNT (recorded live at the Wigmore Hall, London)
• 1975 - (May 19) with Elton Dean's Ninesense - Live at The BBC Radio 3
• 1975 - (August 6) Ovary Lodge (with Harry Miller, Julie Tippetts & Frank Perry) - Live at Nettlefold Hall, London
• 1975 - (November 20) with Harry Miller's Isipingo - Which Way Now? (recorded at Post-Aula, Bremen, Germany)
• 1975 - with Dudu Pukwana Group - Diamond Express (a.k.a. Ubagile)
• 1975 - with Gary Brooker, Bill Bruford, Phil Collins, Stephane Grappelli, Jack Lancaster, Jon Hiseman, Brian Eno, Alvin Lee, Gary Moore, Cozy Powell, Manfred Mann, Julie Tippetts, Viv Stanshall, etc. - The Rock Peter and the Wolf (an arrangement of songs of the classic Peter and the Wolf story)
• 1976 - with Elton Dean's Ninesense - Happy Daze
• 1976 - with Harry Miller's Isipingo for studio recording of a track named Family Affair, recorded in London, released on Miller's Isipingo album Full Steam Ahead (2009)
• 1976 - (August 15) with Harry Miller's Isipingo for concert recording of a track named Dancing Damon, recorded in London ICA, released on Miller's Isipingo album Full Steam Ahead (2009)
• 1976 - (October) with Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, Joe Gallivan - Cruel But Fair (recorded at The Basement, Oslo)
• 1976 - (December 20) with Harry Miller's Isipingo - Live at 100 Club (bootleg recording)
• 1977 - (January 14 & 15) with Mark Charig & Ann Winter - Pipedream (recorded at St. Stephen's Church, Southmead, Bristol, UK)
• 1977 - with Elton Dean's Ninesense - Oh For The Edge
• 1977 - (August 21) piano duo with Stan Tracey - Supernova (recorded live at the ICA, London)
• 1978 - (March 17) with Elton Dean's Ninesense - Live at The BBC Radio 3
• 1978 - (May 22 thru 24) Keith Tippett's Ark - Frames: Music For An Imaginary Film (recorded at Wessex Sound Studios, London)
• 1979 - (February 25) with Elton Dean's Quartet (K. Tippett/E. Dean/H. Miller/L. Moholo) - Live at Teatro Cristallo, Milan, Italy (bootleg recording)
• 1979 - (April 13 & 20 thru 22) The Unlonely Raindancer (his first solo tour)
• 1979 - (May 7) Live in Milan '79 (his first solo tour - bootleg recording)
• 1980 - (February) with Elton Dean Quintet (Dean, Tippett, Mark Charig, Louis Moholo & Marcio Mattos) - Boundaries (recorded at Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, Germany)
• 1981 - Mujician I (piano Solo)
• 1981 - (May 22) piano duo with Howard Riley - First Encounter (recorded live at Goldsmith's College, London)
• 1981 - (June 20) with Elton Dean's Ninesense - Suite (featuring Harry Beckett, Harry Miller, Louis Moholo and others) (recorded at Jazzwerkstatt Peitz No. 41 , Berlin, released for the first time in June 2011)
• 1982 - (June 29 thru July 3) with Company (Ursula Oppens, Fred Frith, George Lewis, Akio Suzuki, Julie Tippetts, Moto Yoshizawa, Anne Le Baron, Phil Wachsmann & Derek Bailey (recorded at ICA, London during Company Week)
• 1982 - (November 3 & 5) with Louis Moholo & Larry Stabbins - Tern (recorded during the Total Music Meeting, Quartier Latin, Berlin)
• 1983 - (July 5) with Peter Brötzmann, Harry Miller & Willi Kellers - Live at Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Munich, Germany (undocumented quartet - bootleg recording)
• 1984 - (June 13) piano duo with Howard Riley, In Focus (recorded live at The Tramshed, Woolwich, London, as part of the Greenwich Festival)
• 1984 - (October 25) Keith Tippett Septet (with Larry Stabbins, Elton Dean, Mark Charig, Nick Evans, Paul Rogers & Tony Levin) - A Loose Kite In A Gentle Wind Floating With Only My Will For An Anchor (Live at the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter, UK)
• 1985 - with Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, Joe Gallivan - Mercy Dash
• 1985 - with Hans Reichel - Duet Improvisation (Vand'Oeuvre #8501)
• 1986 - Mujician II (piano solo)
• 1986 - (June) with Dreamtime (Roberto Bellatalla, Gary Curson, Jim Dvorak, Nick Evans & Jim Lebaigue) - Cathanger '86 (recorded at Cathanger Studios, Somerset)
• 1987 - (June 25 & 26) Mujician III (August Air) (piano solo) (recorded live during the JUST MUSIC concert series at the FMP Studio, Berlin)
• 1987 - duet with Julie Tippetts - Couple in Spirit (mixed by Robert Fripp)
• 1987 - with David Cross, Dan Maurer & Jim Juhn - Low Flying Aircraft (a Rock/Fusion album)
• 1990 - (April 9 thru 11) 66 Shades of Lipstick (with Andy Sheppard)
• 1990 - (August 2) The Dartington Concert (piano solo) (recorded in The Great Hall, Dartington, during the Dartington International Summer School)
• 1990 - (September 25) with Elton Dean, Louis Moholo & Marcio Mattos for a track named Second Thoughts, released on Elton Dean's album The Vortex Tapes (recorded live at the Vortex Jazz Bar, London)
• 1990 - (November 3 & 4) Keith conducts track #9, Sun-the Living Son, on Mary Wiegold's Songbook (The Composers Ensemble)(recorded at All Saints' Church, Petersham)
• 1991 - (June 1) Mujician & The Georgian Ensemble - The Bristol Concert (recorded live at St. George's concert hall, Brandon Hill, Bristol, UK, for BBC)
• 1992 - (January 2 & 3) The Dedication Orchestra - Spirits Rejoice (recorded at Gateway Studios, Kingston, Surrey, UK)
• 1993 - (October 23) with Willi Kellers & Julie Tippetts - Twilight Etchings (recorded at the Podewil in Berlin during the Total Music Meeting)
• 1993 - (December 8) piano duo with Howard Riley, Interchange (a.k.a. The Bern Concert) (recorded at Studio Bern Swiss Radio DRS)
• 1994 - January 3 thru 5) The Dedication Orchestra - Ixesha (Time) (recorded at Gateway Studios, Kingston, Surrey, UK)
• 1994 - (February 5) Mujician - Poem About The Hero (recorded live at The Michael Tippett Centre, Bath, England)
• 1994 - (May 21) Une Croix Dans L'Océan (solo piano) (recorded live at Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville)
• 1995 - (May 6) Mujician - Birdman (recorded at The Michael Tippett Centre, Bath, England)
• 1995 - (August 31) with Stefano Maltese, Evan Parker & Antonio Moncada - Double Mirror (recorded live at the Noto Jazz Festival, Noto, Sicily, Italy)
• 1995 - (September) with Louis Moholo-Moholo, Mervyn Africa & Pule Pheto - Mpumi (recorded at Gateway Studios, Kingston, Surrey, UK)
• 1996 - with Dennis González Dallas-London Sextet (featuring Elton Dean, Louis Moholo-Moholo, et al.) - Catechism (The Names We Are Known By) (recorded at The Boathouse Studio, London)
• 1996 - (September) with Francine Luce - Bo Kay La Vi-a (Next To The House of Life) (recorded at Gateway Studio, Kingston, Surrey, UK)
• 1996 - (October 28) with Elton Dean, Paul Dunmall, Tony Levin, Paul Rogers, & Roswell Rudd - Bladik (recorded at Protocol Studios, London)
• 1996 - (November 19) with Paul Dunmall Octet - Desire and Liberation (recorded at The Arnolfini Arts Centre, Bristol, UK, by BBC Radio 3)
• 1996 - duet with Julie Tippetts - Couple In Spirit II (recorded live at The Stadtgarten, Cologne)
• 1997 - (May 18) Mujician - Colours Fulfilled (recorded at Gateway Studio, Kingston, Surrey, UK)
• 1997 - (June 13) Friday the 13th (solo piano) (recorded on Friday the 13th, in Sendai, Japan)
• 1997 - (June 22) with Paul Dunmall Octet - Bebop Starburst (recorded at Gateway Studio, Kingston, Surrey, UK)
• 1998 - (February) with Dreamtime - Zen Fish (recorded at Gateway Studios, Kingston, Surrey, UK)
• 1998 - (February 6 & April 30) with RoTToR (Paul Rutherford, Julie & Keith Tippett, Paul Rogers) - The First Full Turn (recorded various locations)
• 1998 - (May 3) Keith Tippett Tapestry Orchestra - First Weaving: Live at Le Mans Jazz Festival
• 1999 - (July 27) with Daryl Runswick - Set of 5 (2 pianos) (recorded live at Dartington Great Hall, UK)
• 2000 - (March 26) with Paul Dunmall Octet - The Great Divide (recorded at Gateway Studio, Kingston, Surrey, UK)
• 2000 - (March) Linuckea (Let The Music Speak) (recorded at Gateway Studios, Kingston, Surrey, UK)
• 2000 - (November 15) with Paul Dunmall, Peter Fairlough & Philip Gibbs - Onosante (recorded at Victoria Rooms Studio, Bristol, UK)
• 2001 - (February 24) Mujician - Spacetime (recorded at Victoria Rooms, Bristol, UK)
• 2001 - (October 7) with Paul Dunmall, Peter Fairlough, Philip Gibbs & Roberto Bellatalla - Kanikazu (recorded at Victoria Rooms, Bristol, UK)
• 2001 - (October 11) with Peter Fairclough - Imago (recorded at the Bluecoat Arts Centre, Liverpool)
• 2002 - (Augusr 8) with Paul Dunmall Octet - Bridging: The Great Divide Live (recorded at Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation's "open air theatre" during the Jazz em Agosto Festival, Lisbon, Portugal)
• 2002 - (August 12) with Howard Riley & John Tilbury - Another Part of The Story (recorded at Gateway Studios, Richmond, London)
• 2003 - (March 29) with Paul Dunmall Moksha Big Band - I Wish You Peace (recorded at Gateway Studios, Richmond, London)
• 2003 - (October 28) with Howard Riley, Stephen Grew & Pat Thomas - Pianoforte (recorded at Sheffield University, First Hall)
• 2003 - The Dartington Trio (with Julie Tippetts & Paul Dunmall) - Live at The BBC & Live at The Vortex
• 2004 - (August 8) Dartington Improvising Trio (with Julie Tippetts & Paul Dunmall) - Live at The Priory (recorded live at Priory Park, 3rd Southend International Jazz Festival)
• 2004 - (September 5) with Julie Tippetts, Louis Moholo-Moholo & Canto General - Viva La Black: Live at Ruvo Jazz Festival, in Ruvo di Puglia, Bari, Puglia, Italy
• 2005 - (March) with George Burt/Raymond McDonald Sextet - A Day for A Reason (recorded at An Tobar Arts Centre, Tobermory, Mull, Scotland)
• 2005 - (April 24) with Paul Dunmall, Philip Gibbs & Julie Tippetts - Mahogany Rain (recorded at Victoria Rooms, Bristol, UK)
• 2005 - (May 5) RoToR (Paul Rutherford, Keith Tippett & Paul Roegrs) - RoToR (recorded live at Jazz Atelier, Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon, Austria -bootleg recording)
• 2005 - (June 12) Mujician - There's No Going Back Now (recorded at Voctoria Rooms, Bristol, UK)
• 2005 - (July 19 & 20) with The Number (Gary Curson, John Edwards & Mark Sanders) - The Making of Quiet Things
• 2006 - (March) with George Burt/Raymond McDonald Sextet - Boohoo Fever (recorded at An Tobar Arts Centre, Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland)
• 2007 - (September 24 & 25) with Stefano Maltese - The Lion Is Dreaming (recorded at Sonoria Studio, Scordia, Sicily, Italy)
• 2007 - (November 8) Mujician - The Wise Sage (recorded live in Gateshead, UK) (BBC Radio 3 broadcast in 11 January 2008)
• 2008 - (September 2) with Julie Tippetts, Louis Moholo-Moholo & Minafric Orchestra - Viva La Black (recorded live at Piazza del Nuraghe, in Sant'Anna Arresi, Cagliari, Italy - bootleg recording)
• 2008 - Nostalgia 77 Sessions featuring Keith & Julie Tippett (recorded at Red Kite Studios, Wales, released in 2009)
• 2008 - (November 14) duet with Julie Tippetts, Couple In Spirit - Live at the Purcell Room (recorded at the Purcell Room, London, as part of the 2008 London Jazz Festival)
• 2011 - (January 30 & 31) Keith Tippett Octet (with Paul Dunmall, James Gardiner-Bateman, Peter Fairclough, Kevin Figes, Thad Kelly, Julie Tippetts & Ben Waghorn) - From Granite To Wind (recorded at Real World Studios, Box, Wiltshire, UK)
• 2011 - with Michael Giles MAD BAND - In The Moment (recorded at Real World Studios, Box, Wiltshire, UK)

See external links for his complete discography.

External links

• Mind Your Own Music, the Keith Tippett/Julie Tippetts website.
• Free Music Production, Tippetts FMP releases
• Keith Tippett Discography
• Keith Tippett at Allmusic
• Keith Tippett at Calyx
• Interview with Keith Tippett