Anything which is to do with song, harmonically rich and structurally sound: a) English church music (Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons, H. Purcell et al); b) British rock music (King Crimson, Nick Drake, T2, Humble Pie [especially Steve Marriott], John Foxx, Comsat Angels); c) some British contemporary classical (John Tavener, Nicola LeFanu, Howard Skempton, Gavin Bryars); d) classical (Vaughan Williams, Warlock, Holst, Delius, Debussy, Ravel); e) some American West Coast notably Judee Sill and Jimmy Webb; f) some alternative: Henry Cow, Art Bears; g) Landscape (mainly the English Lake District) and Jungian psychology have also have also been influential.
Andrew Keeling is a composer whose vocation only became fully apparent when he was 31. He has said, "I began to think that the musical and psychological pursuits of the first half of my life were insufficient to sustain into the second half of life. Composing presented itself as a solution to this dilemma." He had previously been a cathedral chorister, played as a multi-instrumentalist in various rock bands, and performed as a flute recitalist. Meeting such composers as Sir John Tavener, John Casken, Nicola LeFanu, Anthony Gilbert and Howard Skempton, and the result of embarking on a Jungian analysis in 1987, paved the way for his subsequent creative activities.
Since the late 1980's he has written music for the likes of Opus 20, Het Trio, The Hilliard Ensemble, The Apollo Saxophone Quartet, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Evelyn Glennie, The Goldberg Ensemble, Fretwork, Virelai, Gothic Voices, Jacob Heringman, Matthew Wadsworth, Catherine King, Steven Wray and many others. Some of this music has appeared on CD releases by the Discipline Global Mobile, Riverrun, Burning Shed and Metier labels, as well as being performed and broadcast worldwide. It has also been published by Faber, Fretwork Editions and Staunch Music in the UK and PRB Productions in the USA.
He has written that, "Both compositionally and analytically, I wanted to reconcile certain features of the rock music I knew and liked with the things I'd assimilated from contemporary classical music." Since the late 1960's Keeling has been a keen advocate of the music of King Crimson, and in 1999 was invited to arrange new versions of the group's music, as well as the solo guitar Soundscapes, by Robert Fripp himself. Some of these have been performed, broadcast and recorded by The Metropole Orchestra of Amsterdam with plans for a CD release. He has also written with former Fairport Convention vocalist Judy Dyble, former King Crimson/ELP lyricist Peter Sinfield and author/poet Alison Prince, and featured as an arranger for former Fairport Convention/Steeleye Span/ Albion Band founder member Ashley Hutchins, Ken Nicol (Steeleye Span and the Albion Band) and Matt Seattle. More recently, he has recorded an album of improvisations with former King Crimson violinist, David Cross. Andrew Keeling is also co-author, together with Mark Graham, of A Musical Guide to King Crimson, a series of interactive CDs to be published from late 2002, and written cd sleeve-notes.
In 1997 he was awarded the first PhD in Composition from the University of Manchester, and was subsequently a lecturer at the University of Liverpool and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, as well as working with Operahouse Projects.
"Blue Dawn" is now available from Burning Shed in both deluxe cdr and download formats, it includes performances by Matthew Wadsworth, Steven Wray, 3-Orm and TripleSec. The title track is the 30 minute plus cycle of seven pieces for solo piano which includes the full version of Forget-me-Not. Other pieces are Distant Skies, Mountains and Shadows for flute/alto flute/bass flute, clarinet/bass clarinet and piano; MirAre for theorbo and Petit Requiem pour Basil for narrator, flute and piano.
Hi, Andrew. You're a very special and dear friend to me. Very near to top friends, where I tend to have representatives of literally everything. Cheers.
Hi Andrew, yes, I've been enjoying very much ES album, here we've been having quite chilly but sunny days. Hope you're keeping well, cheers to "English Sun"! T
I made my first video slideshow and wanted to share it with you. The musician (Elizabeth Ann Middleton) is one I found through MySpace, and she generously let me use her music to set to my images. Visit her MySpace page here - http://www.myspace.com/pianorama - she's fantastic! :-)
Hello! I heard the album is out through Tomoko :) She brings her news with her on facebook :) I bet it sounds great :) Maybe I'll be able to afford it soon :) Thanks for stopping by.Its always a pleasure hearing from you :) Yes,things are ok at this end.Thanks.. Sylvie
After you've finished here, you may like to hear this poem sung on myspace...
Poem 162 of 230, WalkaboutsVerse (please see my blog): TEES TO TYNE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS - SUMMER 2001
Where traditions are not so rare; Sea, country and works scent the air; A multitude of monuments, Planted tubs and patterned pavements.
The longish pedestrian malls; The remnants of defensive walls; Historic buildings are a gauge Of the respect for heritage.
Wheat, rape and pines in the fields; Estuaries guarded by shields; Long sandy beaches and wide scenes; Romantic-ruin go-betweens.
Rivers in parts licked by trees, Or fringed by boat clubs, wharfs, gantries, And crossed by practical delights - Varied spans, forming pleasing sights.
Fine churches headed at Durham; Football kits ad infinitum; Kept castles - one for study; Masonry behind masonry.
And, with moulding-works out that way, It’s somewhere for a longer stay..?
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