Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Saxophonist, Sonic Explorer Casey Benjamin Dies at 45
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
Keith Tippett (1947–2020)
(Photo: Facebook)Pianist/keyboardist Keith Tippett, a titan of the British music scene who worked in jazz, progressive rock, experimental and classical music, has died from undisclosed causes, according to The Guardian. He was 72.
A June 14 post on his Facebook page read, “We are very sad to learn that Keith Tippett passed away today. Details have not been released. Keith, a gentle loving, vivacious, incredible spirit will rest peacefully now.”
During a long career, Tippett performed with numerous groups, including Mujician, Symbiosis, Ark, Ovary Lodge and Centipede, an ambitious, 50-piece jazz ensemble that he founded. Among rock fans, Tippett is revered as a keyboardist who contributed to prog-rock band King Crimson’s albums In The Wake Of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970) and Islands (1971). He reportedly turned down an invitation to join the band.
Other Tippett collaborators included Louis Moholo-Moholo, Stan Tracey, Robert Wyatt and the singer Julie Driscoll, whom he wed in 1970. She changed her name to Julie Tippetts, using the original spelling of his family surname.
Born Keith Graham Tippetts on Aug. 25, 1947, in Bristol, England, he played jazz as a youngster. In 1967, he moved to London and formed the Keith Tippett Group, a jazz group that released You Are There ... I Am Here (1970) and Dedicated To You, But You Weren’t Listening (1971).
Later in his career, among the other settings in which he performed was a trio with his wife and the drummer Willi Kellers.
Tippett also was a jazz educator who taught workshops for young musicians, including mentoring members of the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra in 2016.
Tippett’s solo piano album Live in Triest, which was recorded in Italy in 2010, was released in 2018.
King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp—who produced the 1973 self-titled album by Ovary Lodge—posted a tribute to his late friend that included this message: “Fly well, Brother Keith! My gratitude to you.” DB
Benjamin possessed a fluid, round sound on the alto saxophone, and he was often most recognizable by the layers of electronic effects that he put onto the instrument.
Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
“He’s constructing intelligent musical sentences that connect seamlessly, which is the most important part of linear playing,” Charles McPherson said of alto saxophonist Sonny Red.
Feb 27, 2024 1:40 PM
“I might not have felt this way 30 to 40 years ago, but I’ve reached a point where I can hear value in what people…
Albert “Tootie” Heath (1935–2024) followed in the tradition of drummer Kenny Clarke, his idol.
Apr 5, 2024 10:28 AM
Albert “Tootie” Heath, a drummer of impeccable taste and time who was the youngest of three jazz-legend brothers…
“Both of us are quite grounded in the craft, the tradition and the harmonic sense,” Rosenwinkel said of his experience playing with Allen. “Yet I felt we shared something mystical as well.”
Mar 12, 2024 11:42 AM
“There are a few musicians you hear where, as somebody once said, the molecules in the room change. Geri was one of…
Henry Threadgill performs with Zooid at Big Ears in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Apr 9, 2024 11:30 AM
Big Ears, the annual four-day music celebration that first took place in 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee, could well be…
