A celebration of Keith Tippett

Bristol Beacon and St George’s, driven by individuals from his life, are delighted to announce a special weekend of music celebrating the inimitable musician Keith Tippett. 
 
Avant Garde jazz, contemporary classical, jazz-rock fusion and even pop, Tippett was an utterly unique musical character and one of the most creative figures of the European music scene. An extraordinary improviser, his solo concerts featured both lightning cascades, and the tenderest meditations. Yet he was also an arranger, educator, conductor and a hugely accomplished composer; a skill for which Tippett was regular commissioned by both jazz and classical artists and organisations alike. 

Image: Kevin Davy. 

This two-day event explores much of his incredible body of work, from small intimate duos to his penchant for large scale ensembles. It features many of the incredible musicians who were part of his life including – Paul Dunmall & Paul Rogers, Kevin Figes, Julie Tippetts, Theo May, Matthew Bourne – and spans so many of the genres that his talents touched on.
 
Starting off in Bristol Beacon’s foyer in homage to The Rare Music Club, the lineup features sets by Chris Wood, David Le Page & Philip Sheppard, Theo May and Paul Dunmall; a varied tapestry of talent that captures the diversity of the artists who inhabited the club over its various incarnations. 
 
Image: Oran Marshall

A packed programme on Saturday takes over St George’s from midday to late night. Starting with a duo double bill of Matthew Bourne & Glen Leach (the Tippett Bourne 2019 tour was to be Keith’s last) plus the vocal duo of Julie Tippetts & Maggie Nicols. The afternoon concert features Granite to Wind Septet with a stellar line up including Ben Waghorn, James Gardiner-Bateman, and Kevin Figes – all of whom played on the 2011 recording. Keith had been busy recruiting this line-up, with him as pianist, for a gig that was to be scheduled to play a benefit for Louis Moholo in Bath on 14 June 2020 – sadly to be the day on which he died. Paired with Dreamtime the concert reflects Keith’s strong international connections, not least with exiled musicians from South Africa. The closing concert opens with Keith’s long term Mujician collaborators; Paul Dunmall and Paul Rogers, and culminates in an extremely special tribute, The Keith Tippett Celebration Orchestra. 
 
Born in Bristol, and a key figure in the South West’s musical history, this event in Keith’s home city is a dazzling snapshot of a brilliant musician who made such an indelible mark on the international contemporary music scene.