Biography
This project sees Nostalgia 77 collaborating with legends of contemporary jazz and experimental music, Keith and Julie Tippett (keith tippett & julie driscoll).
The resulting, self-titled album will be released in February 2009, and is an arrestingly beautiful collection of original material that spans blues, jazz and soul, with experimental flourishes that defy categorisation.
Ben ‘Nostalgia 77’ Lamdin’s introduction to Keith and Julie Tippett’s music was a dusty copy of their 1971 LP ‘Septober Energy’ (written for the 50-strong band Centipede), and the sheer wealth and freedom of creative endeavour enjoyed by that pioneering group of musicians resonated strongly with him.
The Tippetts’ oeuvre spans more than four decades at the forefront of musical creativity. Julie (formerly Julie Driscoll) was the voice of Brian Auger’s r’n’b group in the ‘60s, also releasing a host of solo hits that walked the line between soul and r’n’b, while Keith was the pianist at Ronnie Scott’s and had his own successful free jazz groups. Their work together includes such ensembles as Mujician and Centipede, and has seen them release records on Polygram and RCA among other world renowned labels.
Currently, while continuing to perform and compose (Keith has just performed at the London Jazz Festival, and recent commissions include a work for the BBC Singers) both Keith and Julie Tippett are committed to sharing their passion and experience with an emerging generation of musicians through educational projects; it was on one such teaching initiative that Riaan found himself working with Keith and the seed that grew into the ‘Nostalgia 77 Sessions…’ project was sown. The album finds the common ground between these four exceptional musicians; it is a heady mixture of more traditional song arrangements and the free improvisational work which has been at the core of the Tippetts’ music for all these years.
This album with the Tippetts is set to be the first in an ongoing of series of ‘Nostalgia 77 Sessions…’ collaborations with inspirational and experienced artists.
More biographical information on Keith and Julie Tippett can be found on www.mindyourownmusic.co.uk
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