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Reviews

Keith Tippett — Friday the 13th
(La Cooka Ratcha LCVP136CD, 1997, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 2002-04-01

Friday the 13th Cover art

Keith Tippett's solo career can be viewed as one of constant transition of form. Beginning from a structured jazz quintet in the 60s (with Elton Dean) to his current projects with Mujician, the icon of English improvisational pianists has seen gigs as odd as those with King Crimson to those as natural as his duets with wife Julie. Friday the 13th can be seen as a deconstruction of the piano as an instrument of sonic qualities. Recorded live in Japan 1997, it was another in a handful of concerts from a man who can rivet a crowd by his ability to blur real time composition with the playing at hand. By pushing past the chordal references of restrictive keys, the performance can be heard as stark imagery gathering dark clouds and bursting with thunder and chaos. After years of living in the moment, Tippett has captured an ability to keep afloat as themes shudder and sway a course lead by a random compass on spin with no natural North in site. Subtle qualities surface in the form of quiet interludes to a sneaky inclusion of Thelonius Monk's classic "Good-bye Pork Pie Hat." The 45 minutes plus directly from the real time reflections of this craftsman can be quantified as aural exploration in search of an ambiguous goal; the end results can be assimilated as an isolated moment in openness that reveals a man and his personal, introspective calling.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 24, 1997 releases

Related artist(s): Keith Tippett

 

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