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Julie Tippetts & Martin Archer

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Julie Tippetts is one of the foremost European vocalists in the field of contemporary jazz and improvised music. Her recording and performing career has taken her from the early years of soul/jazz/R&B with Brian Auger in the 1960s to working with some of the world’s leading improvising musicians today. Julie’s extended use of the voice as an instrument has led her to develop a vocal technique beyond the boundaries of a conventional singer. During the 1970s she explored the range of vocal possibilities in groups such as the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Centipede, Ovary Lodge, Voice and the Ark. In the 1980s she was to be found working in a myriad of duos, trios and small ensembles. Much of this work has been documented on vinyl and CD. The 1990s brought the opportunity once more to work in several large ensembles including Mujician and The Georgian Ensemble, The Dedication Orchestra (in memory of the exiled South African musicians the Blue Notes) and Keith Tippett’s Tapestry. Since his move in the early 1990s from free jazz saxophonist to studio based composer, Martin Archer has produced a series of highly acclaimed CDs on his Discus label which combine electronics-based structures with written and improvised parts for brass, woodwind, strings and voices. Elements from jazz, free improvisation, contemporary classical music, electronica, and cutting edge rock music are all present within his work. As a performer, Archer seeks to avoid the inert and inexpressive performance style inherent in much live electronic music. Archer acknowledges groups such as Faust, Henry Cow, Soft Machine and Magma as being highly influential in his work alongside Cage, Stockhausen, Feldman, and of course the everpresent forces of AACM jazz, 1970's British jazz and European free improvisation. This combination of sources makes him a unique inhabitant of the school of English maverick composer / improvisers. Together, Tippetts & Archer have produced 5 CDs since 2009, beginning with the poetry and abstraction of Ghosts of Gold, but quickly discovering a taste for songform, occasionally conventional, across subsequent releases and thereby providing a platform for Tippetts to express the full range of her music journey and interests. The live Ensemble aspect of their collaboration brings interpretations for live band into the hands of a group of highly regarded, versatile and experienced musicians each of whom is considered to be a composer and band leader of substance in their own right.

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Julie Tippetts & Martin Archer band/orchestra

This double album (Vestigium) feels genuinely experimental. And it's often an exhilarating listen, the singer and the multi-instrumentalist (and their 12 excellent fellow musicians) attempting to explore genuinely new ground. Tippetts has a remarkable voice, of course, her melodies are appealingly serpentine, to borrow a title of one of their previous collaborations. - Marcus O'Dair, JAZZWISE Tippett's organic fluidity contrasts with Archer's digitised dreamscapes. - Stewart Lee, SUNDAY TIMES This album pushes the boundaries of many genres. Not only do we hear the traditions of jazz, whether it is influences of swing, extended techniques, or free playing. We also have the challenge of traditional R&B beats sounding away from the usual rap, or head nodding vibe we’re used to. Tippetts and Archer have done as they set out to do. They’ve delivered a work that could sit well with all ages and could possibly influence single-minded listeners to open their ears to a new genre.– Harriet Syndercombe-Court - www.sandybrownjazz.co.uk Vestigium is the latest collaboration between Martin and vocalist Julie Tippetts. Every release in their series of works seems to magically rise above the previous set. This is no mean feat as each of their projects are quite wonderful affairs. This latest set is no exception as the individual works often vary drastically in their sound but manage to create a bigger picture which holds all of them together. Sonic backdrops can be minimal and shimmering with the vocal lines drifting through the landscape. Other times, a steady bassline and percussion beat bring the funk to the fore. Listening to these works, it seems like both Martin and Julie were destined to lock their creative energies together. Julie's dexterous vocalizations meld perfectly with the music. Martin's ear for detail and the ability to create subtle layers for the vocals makes for a tapestry of aural delights. The final work in the set - Stalking the Vision - is a fine example of this sonic synergy in action. - CHRIS MELOCHE - Wired For Sound

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