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Courtney Pine
In the 80’s he was one of the first black British jazz artists to make a serious mark on the jazz scene when his first album “Journey To The Urge Within” charted and some 30 years on (now with an OBE and CBE for services to music) he continues to break new ground with a string of highly acclaimed recordings and numerous prestigious Industry awards. His album “Modern Day Jazz Stories” was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2000 and he was the recipient of the Gold Badge award in 2002.
He has released 16 studio albums to date and continues to tour Worldwide with his award winning band playing clubs, concert halls and festivals from Glastonbury to Fuji Rock, Montreux to Cape Town.
His numerous TV and radio presenting credits include “Mandela Living Legend” for the BBC and the Sony Award winning long running specialist jazz show – Courtney Pine’s Jazz Crusade for BBC Radio 2. He was most recently commissioned by The Tate to compose and perform a unique piece inspired by the work of artist Henri Matisse, as part of Tate’s ‘Matisse Live’ broadcast in cinemas across the UK.
In 1986 a 22 year old Courtney Pine appeared on the front cover of the iconic British music publication NME, he is the only Black British jazz artist to do so – the last quote in a two page interview read “You know I’m doing this for a reason” – some 30 years later he still is…
“I believe in letting the musicians decide what is and what isn’t jazz. And for me, not to open my heart and play everything that is in my head or reflects my experiences, is just wrong.” ==Courtney Pine
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Courtney Pine: Spirituality
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by Chris May
In the 1980s, as a co-founder of the band Jazz Warriors and with his debut album Journey To The Urge Within (Island, 1986), reed player Courtney Pine inspired a generation young black British musicians, and not a few white ones, too. On Spirituality, Pine teams up with pianist Zoe Rahman, herself an influential figure, for a reprise of their album Song (The Ballad Book) (Destin-E, 2015). Both albums feature Pine on bass clarinet and Rahman in a ...
read moreMusic From Out There, In Here: 25 Years Of The London Jazz Festival
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by Ian Patterson
Music From Out There, In Here: 25 Years Of The London Jazz Festival Emma Webster, George McKay 136 Pages University Of East Anglia 2017 There was a time when London had more jazz festivals than you could shake a stick at. Most, however, have disappeared, leaving the London Jazz Festival, founded in 1993, as the flagship. Twenty five years is not old in jazz festival terms--the wonderful trad jazz festival that is the Australian ...
read moreCourtney Pine: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
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by David Burke
Courtney Pine didn't pick up his beloved tenor saxophone for more than a decade, until an album exploring the black British experience demanded it. The multi-instrumentalist eschewed the horn on the likes of Europa, House of Legends and Song (The Ballad Book), his two-hander with pianist Zoe Rahman. I spoke to Sonny Rollins about five years ago at a concert, and I asked him, 'Why don't you play loads of instruments, like John Coltrane?' What he said was, ...
read moreCourtney Pine: House of Legends
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by Ian Patterson
Though multi-reedist Courtney Pine has been playing soprano for almost 30 years, this is the first occasion he's recorded an entire album with the instrument. Following his bass clarinet adventures on the European roots album Europa (Destin-E, 2011) it's clear that the modern British jazz legend doesn't tire of setting himself new challenges. Taking as his inspiration the roots of the British Afro-Caribbean community, Pine visits calypso, soca, zouk, reggae and South African rhythms in a joyous dance party that's ...
read moreCourtney Pine: Suffolk, UK, September 20, 2012
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by Sammy Stein
Courtney PineSuffolk, UKSeptember 20, 2012Courtney Pine is not so much a musician as an experience. The event was the opening night of the Ipswich Music Festival and the venue was the grand hall of Ipswich High School-grander than most school halls granted but not the sort of venue Pine would normally be associated with. The last time I saw him in action was just over a year ago at Snape Music Festival, where he ...
read moreCourtney Pine: Transition In Tradition
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by Chris May
British reed player Courtney Pine began his professional life in reggae bands, and reggae's conscious" music tradition has since been a defining feature of his work. Pine plays conscious jazz, in that many of his compositions and recording projects have held a focus on social rights and justice as seen through the prism of the black experience. Sometimes the story has been told with the aid of vocalists; sometimes, as on the exuberant Transition In Tradition, instrumentally--through track titles, liner ...
read moreCourtney Pine: Devotion
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by Woodrow Wilkins
It's not the instrument; it's how you play it.Considering the commercial aspects of contemporary music, it would be easy to dismiss any solo artist who plays soprano saxophone as being among the hordes of sax players who try to emulate Kenny G, but wind up falling far short of their goal. Don't make that mistake with Courtney Pine. His music isn't trite enough to be lumped into that category, and it's too innovative for even a fair comparison ...
read moreBrecon Jazz 2013 Hosts Best Of Contemporary Jazz
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Source:
All About Jazz
The stunning Brecon Beacons in the heart of Wales will resonate to the sound of some of the very best in contemporary jazz as Brecon Jazz returns on the weekend of the 9th-11th August with a stellar line-up to suit a broad range of tastes. Saxophonist Courtney Pine presents his House of Legends band at the Market Hall on Friday evening while another unique talent, saxophonist/author/agent provocateur Gilad Atzmon leads The Orient House Ensemble on the Chapter Stage at Brecon ...
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Courtney Pine Brings His Visionary Music to Festival
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Source:
All About Jazz
ONE of the headliners at Scarborough Jazz Festival is the world-famous saxophonist Courtney Pine, a leading figure on the UK jazz scene for more than 20 years. He spoke to the festival's programme organiser Mike Gordon. MG: It’s going to be great having you at our festival Courtney. Everybody is commenting on the cover of our programme – there you are on the beach ready to play. What do you think of it? CP: Sax on the beach – very ...
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Courtney Pine's Inspiration
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Source:
All About Jazz
The jazz musician reveals the cultural milestones in his life
Courtney Pine's debut album Journey to the Urge Within (1986) was the first British jazz album to make the top 40 in more than a decade. Smart-suited and prodigiously talented, the young saxophonist became a poster boy for British jazz, despite the fact that he was still playing predominantly American music.
Then something happened. At the beginning of the '90s, I was doing the American set list," says Pine. It ...
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