Keith Tippett has been a key figure of the European jazz and musical avant-garde since he burst onto the London jazz scene in the late 1960s. Since then he has been involved in a myriad of solo, duo, small and large group settings, both as catalyst and leader. In addition he has found time to be a committed and revered musical educator. He remains one of the most consistently inventive and uncompromising pianists and composers, creating exciting and passionate music of visionary beauty and intelligence that will provide inspiration and joy to new music lovers for generations to come.

… his basic language is undetermined by any organizing principle except his unfailing sense of beauty– Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (5th ed., 2000)

Every Tippett solo improvisation is special, with the piano language truly opened up to orchestral proportions. He uses what might be called an unprepared piano, with woodblocks, pebbles, chimes and music boxes ready to be used inside the piano as the mood suggests itself. This technical mastery and virtuosity is all secondary to the beauty of the music he creates, every performance unique.

It may turn out that the three albums made for FMP during the 1980s will be regarded as the most self-consistent and beautiful solo improvisations of the decade and a significant reprogramming of the language of piano–Penguin Guide to Jazz

Presented with distinctive warmth, Tippett’s wholly improvised duo performances with vocalist wife Julie Tippetts (who is likely to play thumb piano, wind chimes, recorder, poetry, etc., as the mood suits) bear evidence of how a longstanding artistic chemistry can create a special musical magic.

We never rehearse together or talk about what we’re going to do. You’re living on your nerve ends. It’s like being in a dream and yet awake at the same time because you have to respond as well as to instigate and your whole body is tuned to going for the magic–Julie Tippetts

The great strength of a musician like Peter Fairclough [British drummer, percussionist and composer] is that he never sounds as though he’s hitting anything, even when he is playing forcefully. Keith Tippett is, in this regard, a perfect partner and foil. How many times have reviewers attempted to describe his piano playing as ‘percussive but lyrical’, or words to that effect? Often, on Wild Silk, Fairclough sounds to be playing a melody line to one of Tippett’s flowing, multi-layered accompaniments. In addition to keyboard, Tippett also leans deep into the piano interior, using his favoured woodblocks and pebbles on the strings, always sounding fresh and spontaneous never ‘prepared’–Review of Wild Silk, their only collaboration, in Penguin Guide to Jazz

Wild Silk is a classic of 90s free Improv–The Wire

Keith Tippett piano; Paul Dunmall reeds, pipes; Paul Rogers double bass; Tony Levin drums

A true collective, this outstanding and peerless quartet formed in 1988 has performed at many major European Festivals and has just recorded its fifth album for Cuneiform. Devoted to free improvisation with no predetermined structures or architecture listeners may hear folk, classical, blues or jazz roots glistening from within any piece. Quiet and reflective or loud and proud, Mujician create mesmerising spontaneous compositions that bristle with excitement and energy.

…stands alongside the finest free music being played on either side of the Atlantic–Penguin Guide to Jazz

Janinka Lalomia and Chris Albury, Mind Your Own Music

Keith Tippett piano; David Le Page violin; Christopher George violin; Malcolm Allison viola; Philip Sheppard cello

Originally commissioned by the Kreutzer Quartet this has been given a new lease of life with a stunning performance as part of the Rare Music Club and a subsequent, very successful, UK tour in a double bill with Mujician. Full of melodies and compositional invention this piece has all the intensity and lyricism of Bartok and Janacek, coupled with live improvisation and Tippett genius.

This is contemporary music at its broadest, richest, inclusive best. Labels are even more irrelevant than usual–JazzReview

This really is a fully integrated quintet rather than piano plus quartet, five players conceived as a single organism. Composed music it may be, but it’s fundamentally continuous with Tippett’s years of spontaneous interaction with diverse highly accomplished yet idiosyncratic musicians …Linuckea is unequivocally another landmark work from the mujician–The Wire

Linuckea stands at an important point in the music’s history for what Tippett is creating here is surely a ‘future chamber music’ and something that cries out to be performed, live, created ‘in the moment’–Jazzwise

This is the latest in a long line of Tippett’s big band projects that have included Centipede and Ark, and, like them, Tapestry is utterly original and unique. Containing a phenomenal ‘A’ list of twenty-one British and Italian jazz musicians and improvisers this band has performed to great acclaim at Festivals in Ruvo (Italy), Le Mans (France) and Bath (England). As yet unrecorded on CD this piece First Weaving is a dynamic full throttle affair, burning with electricity, swing and passion.

Keith Tippett’s First Weaving, directed by the composer with

Tenor saxophones: Paul Dunmall, Simon Picard, Larry Stabbins

Alto saxophones: Gianluigi Trovesi, Elton Dean, Lee Goodall

Trumpets: Pino Minafra, Jim Dvorak, Mark Charig, Gethin Liddington

Trombones: Paul Rutherford, Malcolm Griffiths, Dave Amis

Tuba: Oren Marshall

Voices: Julie Tippetts, Maggie Nichols, Vivien Ellis

Piano: Keith Tippett

Double bass: Paul Rogers

Drums: Louis Moholo, Tony Levin

Keith Tippett’s legendary music club in Bristol was founded in the early 1990s and relaunched to great acclaim with the four-day Way Out West Festival in February 2001. Consisting of triple bills of Contemporary Jazz/Free Improvisation with Contemporary Classical and Roots/Ethnic/Folk the emphasis is on top quality performers, artistic freedom and audience development. Performers at the Festival included Keith and Julie Tippett, Paul Dunmall, Philip Sheppard, Simon Picard, Tony Marsh, John Edwards, Nina Burmi and Group, Balu Raghuraman and musicians from the Bhavan Centre, The Dufay Collective, David Bedford, Andrew Ball, Susanne Stanzeleit and Maggie Nichols. The first evening’s performance at St George’s Bristol was broadcast by BBC Radio 3’s Jazz on 3.

Janinka Lalomia and Chris Albury, Mind Your Own Music