The Keith Tippett Group: Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening
The Keith Tippett Group
Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening
Repertoire 1971
Keith Tippett, piano, Hohner electric piano;
Elton Dean, alto saxophone, saxello;
Marc Charig, cornet;
Nick Evans, trombone;
Robert Wyatt, drums;
Bryan Spring, drums;
Phil Howard, drums;
Tony Uta, conga drums, cow bell;
Roy Babbington, bass, bass guitar;
Neville Whitehead, bass;
Gary Boyle, guitar
Tracklist:
1. This Is What Happens — 4:57
2. Thoughts to Geoff — 10:15
3. Green and Orange Night Park — 8:07
4. Gridal Suite — 6:09
5. Five After Dawn — 5:16
6. Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening — 0:33
7. Black Horse — 5:54
total time 41:33
All compositions by Keith Tippett. Recorded in London, England in 1971.
Originally issued in 1971 by Vertigo, reissued by Disconforme in 2000.
Pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Keith Tippett's first album, You Are Here...I Am There, was issued in 1969, and received some notice as the work of an ambitious composer looking for a voice. Apparently, by the time he recorded Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening, which was released in 1971, he'd found it in spades. Tippett has become one of the great lights of the British free jazz movement, and for more than 30 years he has led groups of improvising musicians, from two to 40 in number, on some of the most exploratory and revelatory harmonic adventures in musical history — whether those in America know it or not. The band here is comprised of 11 pieces, including Elton Dean, Robert Wyatt, Nick Evans, Roy Babbington, Gary Boyle, Neville Whitehead, and others. The commitment to jazz here is total, as Tippett grafts the dynamic sensibilities of George Russell, the textural and chromatic palettes of Gil Evans, and the sheer force of Oliver Nelson onto his own palette. The interplay between soloists and ensembles is dazzling — check "Thoughts for Geoff," with blazing solos by Nick Evans, cornetist Marc Charig, and Tippett himself in a series of angular arpeggios interspersed with chordal elocution. Wyatt's drumming, which opens the record with a bang on "This Is What Happens," is easily the most inspired of his career on record. The nod to Mingus on "Green and Orange Night Park" is more than formal; it's an engagement with some of the same melodic constructs Mingus was working out in New Tijuana Moods. In sum, this is an adventurous kind of jazz that still swings very hard despite its dissonance and regards a written chart as something more than a constraint to creative expression. Brilliant. The CD reissue by Disconforme is fantastic in sound and in package. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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The Keith Tippett Group
Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening
Repertoire (4449)
UK 1971
Keith Tippett is a British avant-garde jazz pianist and bandleader who rubbed elbows with some significant players in the British progressive rock community during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He played a large role on King Crimson's Lizard, and impressed Robert Fripp enough to receive an invitation to join the band permanently (he declined). Despite his affiliations with progressive rock, Tippett's output as a bandleader is much closer to jazz, albeit of the experimental variety. Less than half of Tippett's catalog is currently available on CD, however, making a comprehensive survey of his body of work impossible at this time.
Perhaps because of the personnel, Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening is the best-known and most easily available item in Tippett's back catalog. Of the eleven musicians assembled for this recording, six either had been or would be members of Soft Machine (Robert Wyatt, Elton Dean, Phil Howard, Roy Babbington, Nick Evans, Mark Charig). These men had experience with experimental jazz and the record bounces from the structured and riff-oriented to the formless and free. The album bristles with energy; the drums and the bass are over-amplified by the standards of jazz recording, giving the music a thick, aggressive sound that is especially noticeable on the more accessible tunes. Two of these — "This Is What Happens" and "Black Horse" — start and end the album, respectively. "This Is What Happens" reminds me some of what Don Ellis was doing at roughly the same time with his big bands, although this could be residual of Tippett's interest in Ellis' mentor George Russell more than anything else. "Black Horse" is the track that gives the most serious nod to fusion and it makes the most of it. Guitarist Gary Boyle (later of Isotope) gets a chance to shine here as the band makes its way through a funky, Santana-like groove.
"Thoughts to Geoff" and "Green and Orange Night Park" weren't as immediately appealing to me, but they may well be the tracks that provide the most lasting interest. I've seen both of these pieces described as having Charles Mingus influences and indeed they do flit between cacophony and hard-hitting riffs in the manner of some of Mingus' early '60s recordings. Angular and difficult, they are really the heart and soul of this album and the time spent with them should be rewarded. "Gridal Suite" and "Five After Dawn" are the free-form blowouts. This is not my favorite style of jazz, although I've come to like "Five After Dawn."
Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening is hurt a little bit by casting so wide a net of styles; it presumes that its audience is familiar enough with experimental jazz to handle what amounts to a sampler platter. But despite not settling on a particular style, the band does have a unique sound and the music is mostly excellent. I'd easily recommend this album to anyone with an interest in Soft Machine or experimental jazz.
review by Matt P. — 6-14-05
Source: http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=tktg-ded
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THE KEITH TIPPETT GROUP Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening (2009 UK strictly limited edition 7-track digitally remastered CD album, originally released on the legendary Vertigo label in 1971 [original copies now fetch a small fortune onthe collectors market]; avant-garde jazz pianist Tippett assembled a powerful band for this album which offers a challenging mixture of fusion and free jazz, representing a turning point in the story of jazz fusion. Among the seven diverse tracks are tangible tunes and jazzy themes embellished with fiery improvised solos by saxophonist Elton Dean, cornet player Marc Charig and trombone virtuoso Nick Evans. Tippett’s own explosive piano playing is driven by a battery of top drummers, including Soft Machine’s Robert Wyatt and powerhouse percussionist Bryan Spring. Guitarist Gary Boyle is featured on ‘Black Horse’, adding the electric element that brought acoustic jazz into the rock era; presented in sealed & stickered gatefold card sleeve with detailed, extensive liner notes by respected author and journalist Chris Welch) ** Limited to 3000 copies **.
Source: http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=463288
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