Not Fade Away
KEITH TIPPETT
Jazz and prog voyager (1947-2020)
IN 1970, pianist Keith Tippett brought together over 50 young players from the British rock and jazz scene under the aegis of Centipede. The fluid ensemble – which included members of King Crimson, Soft Machine and Nucleus, plus students from the London School Of Music – was devised to present Tippett’s “Septober Energy”, an open-ended composition in four movements, in a live format. Having premiered at London’s Lyceum Theatre that November, Centipede (described by member Robert Wyatt as “this insane travelling circus”) set a new standard for the porous possibilities of free jazz, prog and classical music.
The resulting studio album, 1971’s Septober Energy, was produced by another Centipede contributor, Robert Fripp. A huge admirer of Tippett’s virtuosity and adventurism, Fripp recruited him for King Crimson’s In The Wake Of Poseidon, Lizard and Islands. Invited to join full-time, Tippett politely turned Fripp down.
Tippett arrived in London from Bristol in, signalled the start of a long, voyaging career that saw him tour and record as an improvisatory solo pianist or at the head of numerous groups. Prominent among the latter were ’70s fusionists Ovary Lodge (featuring his wife Julie Tippetts, née Driscoll) and, from the late ’80s onwards, Mujician. The sought-after Tippett also formed duos with Stan Tracey and South African drummer Louis Moholo, recorded with Derek Bailey’s Company and played on albums by David Sylvian, Ian Matthews and many more.
