jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
saxophonist and composer. He has been awarded several prizes at the
British Jazz Awards
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, and has worked with some notable figures in contemporary jazz, including
Gil Evans
Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role i ...
Steve Swallow
Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar.
...
. In 2019 he was presented the degree of Doctor of Music ''honoris causa'' by the University of Bristol.
Biography
Sheppard was born in
Warminster
Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in south west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of about 17,000 in 2011. The 11th-c ...
,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, England, in 1957. At the age of 19 he emerged as a musician in the
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of ...
-based contemporary quartet Sphere in the late 1970s, gigging only three weeks after picking up the saxophone. He honed his skills in the wine bars and jazz clubs of the UK and Europe in the early 1980s. He also played with world music groups and with more established improvisers such as
Keith Tippett
Keith Graham Tippetts (25 August 1947 – 14 June 2020), known professionally as Keith Tippett, was a British jazz pianist and composer. According to AllMusic, Tippett's career "..spanned jazz-rock, progressive rock, improvised and contemporary ...
. While still with Sphere, Sheppard moved to Paris, working with French bands Lumière and Urban Sax. In the mid-1980s Sheppard returned to the UK, playing often on
Ki Longfellow-Stanshall
Ki Longfellow (born Baby Kelly, formerly Pamela Kelly; December 9, 1944 - June 12, 2022) was an American novelist, playwright, theatrical producer, theater director and entrepreneur with dual citizenship in Britain. She is best known in the Un ...
's and
Vivian Stanshall
Vivian Stanshall (born Victor Anthony Stanshall; 21 March 1943 – 5 March 1995) was an English singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his exploration of the British upper ...
Randy Brecker
Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B.
Early life
Brecker was born on No ...
and
Steve Swallow
Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar.
...
, who also produced the album. The record was well received and led to Sheppard being awarded the Best Newcomer prize at the 1987
British Jazz Awards
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, followed by the Best Instrumentalist Award in 1988. '87 also saw Sheppard join George Russell's
Living Time Orchestra
George Allen Russell (June 23, 1923 – July 27, 2009) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger and theorist. He is considered one of the first jazz musicians to contribute to general music theory with a theory of harmony based on jazz ...
and tour with
Gil Evans
Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role i ...
. His second solo album, ''Introductions in the Dark'', was released in 1989. Unusually for a jazz record, the album entered the UK pop charts. Off the back of this, Sheppard was awarded Best Album and Best Instrumentalist in 1989's British Jazz Awards, became the subject of television documentaries for both the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and HTV, and toured the world, taking the first Western jazz group to play in Outer Mongolia.
Sheppard formed his first
big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...
, the Soft on the Inside Band, in 1990 for an album of the same name. The band featured many notable players, including drummer
Han Bennick
Han Bennink (born 17 April 1942) is a Dutch drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured him playing soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, trombone, violin, banjo and piano.
Though perhaps best known as one of the pivotal fig ...
, trumpeter
Claude Deppa
Claude Deppa (born 10 May 1958) is a South African jazz trumpeter born in Cape Town, South Africa, probably best known for his work with the Brotherhood of Breath and Carla Bley.
Early life
Claude Deppa was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and ...
and trombonist
Gary Valente
Gary Valente (born June 26, 1953) is a jazz trombonist.
Early life
Valente was born on June 26, 1953, in Worcester, Massachusetts. He started playing the trombone as a young child, encouraged by his father, who played the same instrument. In the ...
. This band turned into In Co-Motion, which included keyboardist
Steve Lodder
Steve Lodder, born Stephen John Lodder (born 10 April 1951, St. Helier, Jersey), is a British keyboardist, composer, and organist. He played piano as a child and took up organ at age 14. He studied organ at Gonville and Caius College, and after c ...
and bassist
Sylvan Richardson
Sylvan Richardson is a British guitarist, composer, and masseur.
Music
Best known for being the one-time guitarist of Simply Red, after the second album '' Men and Women'' and a successful world tour, Richardson left the band after becoming d ...
, who released an eponymous album in 1991. After this Sheppard signed a deal with Blue Note Records, who issued ''Rhythm Method'' in 1993. The In Co-Motion band was expanded for this release and dubbed Big Co-Motion. Big Co-Motion recorded a live album at London jazz club
Ronnie Scott's
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959.
History
The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...
, ''Delivery Suite'', which was released by Blue Note in 1994.
The TV movie ''The Music Practice'', based on Andy Sheppard's music, took part in the contest The Golden Prague, presented by
Czech Television
Czech Television ( cs, Česká televize, italics=no ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting seven channels. Established after the Velvet Revolution in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslov ...
, in 1997 in Czech Republic.
Discography
As leader
* ''Andy Sheppard'' (Antilles, 1987)
* ''Introductions in the Dark'' (Antilles, 1989)
* ''Soft on the Inside'' (Antilles, 1990)
* ''66 Shades of Lipstick'' with
Keith Tippett
Keith Graham Tippetts (25 August 1947 – 14 June 2020), known professionally as Keith Tippett, was a British jazz pianist and composer. According to AllMusic, Tippett's career "..spanned jazz-rock, progressive rock, improvised and contemporary ...
(EG, 1990)
* ''In Co-Motion'' (Antilles, 1991)
* ''Inclassificable'' with
Nana Vasconcelos
Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name
* Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname
* Nana ...
&
Steve Lodder
Steve Lodder, born Stephen John Lodder (born 10 April 1951, St. Helier, Jersey), is a British keyboardist, composer, and organist. He played piano as a child and took up organ at age 14. He studied organ at Gonville and Caius College, and after c ...
(Label Bleu, 1994)
* ''Delivery Suite'' (Blue Note, 1994)
* ''Moving Image'' with Steve Lodder (Verve, 1996)
* ''Learning to Wave'' (Provocateur, 1998)
* ''Dancing Man & Woman'' (Provocateur, 2000)
* ''Nocturnal Tourist'' (Provocateur, 2001)
* ''Music for a New Crossing'' with
Kathryn Tickell
Kathryn Tickell, OBE, DL (born 8 June 1967) is an English musician, noted for playing the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle.
Music career Early life
Kathryn Tickell was born in Walsall, then in Staffordshire, to parents who originated fro ...
(Provocateur, 2001)
* ''P.S.'' with
John Parricelli
John Parricelli (born 5 April 1959 in Evesham, Wychavon, Worcestershire, England) is a jazz guitarist who has worked mainly in the United Kingdom.
Parricelli began his career as a guitarist in 1982. He was one of the founding members of the Brit ...
Romaria
Romaria is a Brazilian municipality located in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2020 was 3,520 people living in a total area of 402 km². The city belongs to the mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Para ...
Steve Swallow
Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar.
...
Big Band Theory
''Big Band Theory'' is an album by the American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley, recorded and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1993.
'' (Watt, 1993)
* ''
The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church
''The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church'' is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in Perugia, Italy as part of the Umbria Jazz Festival and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1996.4 x 4'' (WATT/ECM, 2000)
* '' Looking for America'' ''Looking for America'' (WATT/ECM, 2003)
* '' The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu'' (WATT/ECM, 2007)
* ''
Appearing Nightly
''Appearing Nightly'' is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley, recorded in Paris in 2006 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 2008.
Track listing
All compositions by Carla Bley.
# "Greasy Gravy" - 8:50
# ...
'' (WATT, 2008)
With
Rita Marcotulli
Rita Marcotulli (born 10 March 1959) is an Italian jazz pianist and composer.
Career
Born in Rome, Marcotulli is the daughter of a sound engineer who collaborated with Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone, among others. She started playing piano a ...
* ''Koine'' (Storie Di Note 2002)
* ''On the Edge of a Perfect Moment'' (Incipit, 2005)
* ''Us and Them'' (Casa Del Jazz 2008)
* ''Basilicata Coast to Coast'' (Alice, 2011)
With
John Martyn
Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), known professionally as John Martyn, was a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a 40-year career, he released 23 studio albums, and received frequent critical acclaim. ...
* ''
The Apprentice
''The Apprentice'' is a reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States.
Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with various professional backg ...
'' (Permanent, 1990)
* ''
Cooltide
''Cooltide'' is an album by John Martyn. Recorded at CaVa Sound Workshops, Glasgow, Scotland. Originally released on CD by Permanent Records, catalogue number PERM CD 4.
The album marks the handover by longtime Martyn keyboard collaborator Foste ...
'' (Permanent, 1991)
* ''Couldn't Love You More'' (Gala, 1992)
* ''No Little Boy'' (Gala, 1993)
* ''Live at Bristol 1991 Official Bootleg'' (One World, 1998)
* ''On the Cobbles'' (Independiente, 2004)
With George Russell
* ''New York'' (Electric Bird, 1988)
* '' The London Concert'' (Label Bleu, 1989)
* ''
The 80th Birthday Concert
''The 80th Birthday Concert'' is a two-CD live album by George Russell (composer), George Russell released on the Concept label in 2005, featuring a performance by Russell with his Living Time Orchestra recorded in 2003.
Despite having been named ...
'' (Concept, 2005)
With Sphere
* ''Sphere'' (1981)
* ''Present Tense'' (1985)
With
Judie Tzuke
Judie Tzuke ( ; born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956) is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1979 hit " Stay with Me till Dawn", which reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.
Life and career Early life
Tzuke's family relocated ...
Ketil Bjornstad
Ketil is a Norwegian masculine given name, and may refer to:
* Ketil Askildt (1900-1978), Norwegian discus thrower
* Ketil Bjørnstad (born 1952), Norwegian pianist
* Ketil Flatnose (9th century), Norwegian hersir
* Ketil Haugsand (21st century) ...
, ''
La Notte
''La Notte'' (; en, "The Night") is a 1961 drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau and Monica Vitti (with Umberto Eco appearing in a cameo). Filmed on location in Milan, the film is the r ...
'' (ECM, 2013)
*
The Blue Aeroplanes
The Blue Aeroplanes are an English rock band from Bristol, the mainstays of which have been Gerard Langley, brother John Langley, and dancer Wojtek Dmochowski. All three had previously been members of the new wave "art band" Art Objects from ...
, ''Rough Music'' (Beggars Banquet, 1994)
* The Blue Aeroplanes, ''Cavaliers'' (Swarffinger, 2000)
*
& Maj-Britt Kramer, ''Who Calls the Tune'' (Stunt, 2002)
*
Curtis Clark
Curtis Clark (born 23 April 1950) is a jazz pianist from Chicago, United States.
Clark was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1950, but moved to Los Angeles where he spent his student years and started composing and playing the piano. After Clark grad ...
, ''Live at the Bimhuis'' (Nimbus West)
*
Barbara Dennerlein
Barbara Dennerlein (born 25 September 1964 in Munich) is a German jazz organist. She has achieved particular critical acclaim for using the bass pedalboard on a Hammond organ and for integrating synthesizer sounds onto the instrument, and was de ...
Peter Erskine
Peter Erskine (born June 5, 1954) is an American jazz drummer who was a member of the jazz fusion groups Weather Report and Steps Ahead.
Early life and education
Erskine was born in Somers Point, New Jersey, U.S. He began playing the dru ...
Gil Evans
Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role i ...
&
Laurent Cugny
Laurent Cugny (born 14 April 1955 in La Garenne-Colombes) is a French jazz musician (pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger), jazz critic and musicologist. In 1987, he recorded two albums with his big band Lumière and Gil Evans.
Awards
*Djan ...
Freur
Freur was a Welsh new wave and synth-pop band featuring Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, who went on to form the electronic band Underworld. It was their second band, following their art school collaboration, the Screen Gemz. Their best known song ...
, ''Doot-Doot'' (CBS, 1983)
* Freur, ''Get Us Out of Here'' (CBS, 1986)
*
John Harle
John Harle (born 20 September 1956) is an English saxophonist, composer, educator and record producer. He is an Ivor Novello Award winner and has been the recipient of two Royal Television Society awards.
Biography
Harle was born in Newcastl ...
, ''Terror and Magnificence'' (Argo, 1996)
* John Harle, '' The Ship'' (BBC, 2002)
*
Andy Hamilton
Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 28 May 1954) is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter, radio dramatist, novelist and actor.
Early life and education
Hamilton was born in Fulham, southwest London. He ...
, ''Silvershine'' (World Circuit, 1991)
* Billy Jenkins, ''Motorway at Night'' (De Core Music 1988)
* Tore Johansen, ''Earth Stills'' (Inner Ear, 2015)
* Trevor Jones, ''
CrissCross
''CrissCross'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by Chris Menges and written by Scott Sommer, based on his homonymous novel. It stars Goldie Hawn, Arliss Howard, Keith Carradine, Steve Buscemi, and David Arnott.
Plot
Divorced mom T ...
'' (Intrada 1992)
*
John Law
John Law may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* John Law (artist) (born 1958), American artist
* John Law (comics), comic-book character created by Will Eisner
* John Law (film director), Hong Kong film director
* John Law (musician) (born 1961) ...
, ''Out of the Darkness'' (Slam, 2006)
*
Tony Levin
Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 1 ...
, ''Live in Viersen'' (Rare Music, 2011)
*
Baaba Maal
Baaba Maal ( ff, 𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤦𞤢 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤, italics=no, born 13 June 1953) is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several al ...
, ''Firin' in Fouta'' (Mango, 1994)
*
Joanna MacGregor
Joanna Clare MacGregor (born 16 July 1959) is a British concert pianist, conductor, composer, and festival curator. She is Head of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music and a professor of the University of London. She is currently artistic direc ...
Lee Morgan
Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.
One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...
, ''Cage of Eyes'' (Lakeland, 1985)
*
Nato
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
Thierry Pastor
Thierry Pastor (born 4 March 1960, in French Algeria) is a French singer and composer known for his 1980s hits "Le Coup de folie" and "Sur des Musiques Noires" (#12 in France)."Sur des Musiques Noires", French Singles CharLescharts.com(Retrieve ...
, ''Le Coup de Folie'' (Flarenasch, 1982)
*
Runrig
Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included songwriters Rory Macdonald and Calum Macdonald. The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s (the band's most succe ...
, ''Mara'' (Chrysalis, 1995)
*
Surinder Sandhu
Surinder Sandhu is a sarangi player and composer. He is a student of Sabri Khan of the Senia Rampur Moradabad gharana.
Sandhu composes in multiple genres. His compositions combine jazz, western classical and Asian fusion music. Guests performe ...
, ''Saurang Orchestra'' (Resonator 2003)
*
Sylvain Sylvain
Sylvain Mizrahi (February 14, 1951 – January 13, 2021), known professionally as Sylvain Sylvain, was an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.
Early years
Sylvain was born in Cairo, Egypt, to a Jewish ...
, ''Paper, Pencil & Glue'' (Munster 2000)
*
Steve Tilston
Steve Tilston (born 26 March 1950) is an English folk singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Early life
Steve Tilston was born in Liverpool and brought up in Leicestershire. A graphic designer before taking up music in 1971, Tilston lived in Bristol ...