Music / British jazz
Review: A Celebration of Keith Tippett, Bristol Beacon Foyer & St George’s Hall
It was early in the 2020 pandemic when we sadly heard of the death of Bristol-born musical innovator Keith Tippett. As a result of lockdown restrictions no gathering could mark the passing of someone so well-loved and respected within the musical community and beyond. This mini-festival reflecting diverse aspects of his musical legacy was thus more emotionally charged than most, both for the audience and for the players – some 38 musicians almost all of whom had worked with and been inspired by Keith over his fifty year career as pianist, bandleader, composer and educator. With funding scratched together by crowdfunding and calling in all kinds of favours it was the kind of unfeasible project Tippett himself would have relished and, like so many of his own projects, amazingly it worked.
David le Page (violin) and Philip Sheppard (cello) Picture: Tony Benjamin
The Rare Music Clubs that Keith organized brought together classical, roots and improvised music in a series of triple-headed events in Bristol and beyond from the 90s onwards. The Celebration opened with a lively recreation of the RMC, launched by impassioned young violin virtuoso Theo May’s folk-classical Odd Unit, followed by the intricacies of post-classical string duo David le Page and Philip Sheppard.
Chris Wood (Picture: Tony Benjamin)
In a pleasing swerve of genre they were followed by folk musician Chris Wood’s deftly acerbic songs (with impromptu bass clarinet embellishments) and then a fiery improvisational quartet led by Paul Dunmall finished things off. Rare treats, indeed, and a wonderfully contrasting mix of top quality music amounting to the perfect rebuttal Keith would make to those ‘if you like this then …’ algorithmic echo chambers.
is needed now More than ever
From Granite To Wind: Jim Blomfield (piano), Kevin Figes (alto flute), James Gardner-Bateman (alto sax), Al Swainger (bass), Jake McMurchie (tenor sax), Tony Orrell (drums), Ben Waghorn (baritone sax). (Picture: Tony Benjamin)
The Saturday programme explored Keith’s compositional work, with saxophonist Kevin Figes leading both the From Granite to Wind Septet and a 17-piece Celebration Orchestra. The latter’s brave and gutsy evocation of Centipede’s Septober Energy drew singer Julie Tippetts up from the audience, while pianist Jim Blomfield distinguished himself in Tippett’s complex and beautiful introduction to the former.
Double Dreamtime (Picture: Tony Benjamin)
A sprawling 10-strong Double Dreamtime revisited Billy Goes To Town, Tippett’s fusion of Ellingtonian swing and fiery solo work, with unshakeable intensity. The line-up, a veritable who’s who of improvisational royalty, included Jim Dvorak and Kevin Davey (trumpets), Roger Bellatella (bass) and the formidable twin drums of Jim le Baigue and Mark Sanders.
Matthew Bourne and Glen Leach (Picture: Tony Benjamin)
And, of course, there was improvisation aplenty starting with Matthew Bourne and Glen Leach exploring the reflective give and take of the double piano format that Bourne and Tippett had been working on before Keith’s death.
Paul Dunmall Quartet: Liam Noble (piano), Paul Dunmall (sax), Paul Rogers (bass), Mark Sanders (drums). (Picture: Tony Benjamin)
Contrastingly, a second Paul Dunmall Quartet (featuring bassist Paul Rogers, Liam Noble on piano and Mark Sanders drumming), unleashed a series of breathtaking pyrotechnic moments with Rogers especially assertive throughout.
Maggie Nicols (left) and Julie Tippetts. (Picture: Tony Benjamin)
Most subtle and yet most compelling, however, the vocal duo of Julie Tippets and Maggie Nicols explored the infinite possibilities of the human voice from ambient atmospherics to jibbering banter and sounds summoned from spiritual depths. Their astonishing empathy took them effortlessly from sublime sadness to broad comedy and ended in perfect peace.
The Keith Tippett Celebration Orchestra. (Picture: Tony Benjamin)
As a music festival this had been a rich and varied treat and as a tribute event it never lost sight of the reason both audience and performers were gathered. Of course it could only scratch the surface of Keith Tippett’s enormous legacy but the organisers should be justly proud of their achievement in evoking the spirit of a much-loved innovator and inspirational musician.
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