Keith Tippett: The Dartington Concert

Late in 1995, Chris and Chris asked me if I was interested in going to see Keith Tippett playing in Nottingham. M came too, and we turned it into a combined shopping and entertainment day out — I've already mentioned what I bought. Earlier that day I played M this CD to let her know what she was in for. Happy, she was not. "Utter shite," or words to that effect, was her verdict. But the tickets had been booked weeks before and there was no way out. But in the dark autumn evening we got lost in the campus of Nottingham University looking for the venue, a university hall. As show time came and went, Chris, who was driving, started to get stressed. All through this, M refused to conceal her delight. "The more we miss, the better." The other three of us thought different, but by the time we found the building, and our seats, I think we had too much adrenaline coursing through our bodies to be able to attend properly.

Listening over the weekend, I think either M was way wrong, or else my memory of her comments was. I like it very much: it's the kind of album you think it would be good to listen to with a book and big mug of coffee, but when you get to the end of the album you find you've only read two pages. Well, that's what I did, because I kept breaking off to listen closer. Appropriately, I was just beginning Pat Kane's The Play Ethic, for Tippett's attitude is, among many other things, radically playful. I'm sure there are more nods and references than I have the knowledge to recognise, but I love the short break into boogie woogie as well as the quote from Satie that begins half way through the piece.

I think I bought this CD on the strength of a review. I would have bought much more Tippett, but it's difficult to know where to go next, given the variety of his work. It's not available on any of the on-demand services like Spotify, and, while I do hear it featured on Jazz on 3, I'm usually working when I do… which I realise kind of defeats the object because again I can't attend properly.

MusicBrainz entry for this album Wikipedia entry for this album Rate Your Music entry for this album Listen to this album in full at Last.fm

Comments

[Patrick]

Tippett for me has really only recorded one set of tunes, but he has recorded it many times...

His work in the early 90s with the Georgian Ensemble was my entry - I thought it was brilliant http://www.emusic.com/artist/Mujician-and-The-Georgian-Ensemble-MP3-Download/11626186.html

This CD with Louis Moholo-Moholo recroded fifteen years later has many of the same tracks, plus a couple by the Chris MacGregor - also very good! http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/keith_tippett___julie_tippetts___louis_moholo_moholo___canto_general

[David]

Thanks, Patrick! Useful links, and the one to Mujician is especially timely as my monthly emusic quota has just 'refreshed'. Downloading that as I type!