Priestley, Brian
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Brian Priestley (born 10 July 1940)Many sources list Priestley's year of birth as 1946, but this is inaccurate. See Priestley's entry in ''The Rough Guide to Jazz'' an

on his revised Charlie Parker study. is an English
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 major ...
writer, pianist and arranger.


Biography

He was born in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, England. Priestley began studying music at the age of eight. In the 1960s he gained a degree in modern languages from
Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...
, while playing in student bands. In the mid-1960s, he began contributing to the jazz press and was responsible for entries in ''Jazz on Record: A Critical Guide to the First Fifty Years, 1917–67 '' (1968), edited by Albert McCarthy. In 1969, Priestley moved to London and began playing piano with bands led by Tony Faulkner and Alan Cohen. Priestley helped transcribe
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...
's ''Black, Brown and Beige'', and ''Creole Rhapsody'' for Cohen, and formed his own Special Septet featuring
Digby Fairweather Richard John Charles "Digby" Fairweather (born 25 April 1946) is a British jazz cornetist, author and broadcaster. Biography Before becoming a professional musician, Fairweather was a librarian and has retained an interest in jazz bibliograph ...
and
Don Rendell Donald Percy Rendell (4 March 1926 – 20 October 2015) was an English jazz musician and arranger. Mainly active as a tenor saxophonist, he also played soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet. Career Rendell was born in Plymouth, England, an ...
. His compositions include ''Blooz For Dook'' (published in his 1986 book Jazz Piano 4), ''The Whole Thing'' (recorded by the
National Youth Jazz Orchestra The National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) is a British jazz orchestra founded in 1965 by Bill Ashton. In 2010. Mark Armstrong took over as Music Director of the flagship performing band, and Artistic Director of the organisation; Bill Ashton becam ...
in 1997) and ''Jamming With Jools'' (a 1998 examination piece for the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music, based on a live broadcast with
Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland, (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Jayne County, Sting, Eric C ...
). He is also known for broadcasting work on 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. ...
...
as well as London Jazz FM, and his weekly series for
BBC Radio London BBC Radio London is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving Greater London and its surrounding areas. The station broadcasts across the area and beyond, on the 94.9 FM broadcasting, FM frequency, Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, ...
, influenced the renewed interest in jazz in the 1980s. Priestley taught
jazz piano Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...
at
Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
from 1977 until 1993, and has taught jazz history for various other universities and conservatoires over the years. Priestley has also written biographies of
Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and ...
,
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...
and
Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
, as well as the book ''Jazz on Record: A History''. He co-authored ''The Rough Guide to Jazz'', as well as contributing to several other reference books, and has compiled and/or annotated more than a hundred reissue compilations. Since 2006, Priestley has lived in
Tralee Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in County ...
, Ireland, where he continues playing the piano and presents a show on
Radio Kerry Radio Kerry is a full-service, licensed radio station that operates from the franchise area of County Kerry in Southwest Ireland. Radio Kerry was established in 1989 and began broadcasting on 14 July 1990. The station headquarters are in Tral ...
.


Discography

* ''Love You Gladly'' (1988;
Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
) * ''You Taught My Heart to Sing'' (1994; w/Don Rendell; Spirit of Jazz) * ''Love You Madly'' (1999; Louise Gibbs/Brian Priestley/
Tony Coe Anthony George Coe (born 29 November 1934) is an English jazz musician who plays clarinet, bass clarinet, flute as well as soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. Career Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, Coe started out on clarinet and was self- ...
; 33 Jazz) * ''Who Knows'' (2004; 33 Jazz)


Literature

*Priestley. ''Charlie Parker'', Hippocrene Books, Tunbridge Wells 1984, *Priestley. ''Chasin' the Bird – The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker'', Oxford University Press 2007, *Priestley. ''Jazz on Record: A History'', Elm Tree Books, London 1988, *Priestley. ''Jazz Piano (Vols.) 1 - 6'', (transcribed solos by 53 pianists), IMP, London 1983–1990 *Priestley. ''John Coltrane'', Apollo Press, London 1986, *Priestley. ''Mingus. A Critical Biography'', Da Capo Press, New York 1985, *Priestley,
Digby Fairweather Richard John Charles "Digby" Fairweather (born 25 April 1946) is a British jazz cornetist, author and broadcaster. Biography Before becoming a professional musician, Fairweather was a librarian and has retained an interest in jazz bibliograph ...
,
Ian Carr Ian Carr (21 April 1933 – 25 February 2009) was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator. Carr performed and recorded with the Rendell-Carr quintet and jazz-fusion band Nucleus, and was an associate professor at the Guildhall ...
. ''Jazz. The Rough Guide (The Essential Companion to Artists and Albums)'', 3rd edition, Rough Guides, 2004, (formerly as ''Jazz. The Essential Companion'', Grafton Books 1988) *Priestley.
Digby Fairweather Richard John Charles "Digby" Fairweather (born 25 April 1946) is a British jazz cornetist, author and broadcaster. Biography Before becoming a professional musician, Fairweather was a librarian and has retained an interest in jazz bibliograph ...
, ''Jazz: 100 Essential CDs. The Rough Guide'', London 2001, *Priestley, Dave Gelly, Paul Trynka, Tony Bacon, ''The Sax and Brass Book – Saxophones, Trumpets and Trombones in Jazz, Rock and Pop'', Balafon Books, London 1998,


References


External Links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Priestley, Brian 1940 births British music arrangers English jazz pianists English radio personalities Living people Musicians from Manchester English writers about music Radio Kerry presenters 21st-century pianists National Youth Jazz Orchestra members