A Celebration of Keith Tippett
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This ticket covers both the Friday event at Bristol Beacon, and the Saturday event here at St George’s Bristol.
In October 2021 join us for a special weekend of music celebrating the inimitable pianist Keith Tippett presented at Bristol Beacon and St George’s Bristol and driven by individuals from his life.
This two-day event explores much of his incredible body of work that crosses genres from Avant Garde jazz to contemporary classical, jazz-rock fusion to pop and made Tippett into one of the most creative figures of the UK’s music scene.
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 contemporary music scene.
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 UK’s music scene.
An extraordinary improviser, Tippett’s solo concerts featured both lightening cascades, and the tenderest meditations. Yet he was also a hugely accomplished composer; a skill for which Tippett was regular commissioned by both jazz and classical artists and organisations alike.
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, Theo May, Matthew Bourne – and spans so many of the genres that his talents touched on.
Friday
Starting off in Bristol Beacon’s foyer in homage to The Rare Music Club, the line 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.
Saturday
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 Julie Tippetts & Maggie Nicolls. 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.
Saturday Ticket
You can book to see all of Saturday’s daytime and evening events under one ticket
