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King Crimson: Download this sheet music and many more from our Library.
King Crimson are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968. King Crimson have been influential both on the early 1970s progressive rock movement and many contemporary artists.
Although the band has undergone numerous formations throughout its history, Robert Fripp is the only constant member of the group and is considered the band’s leader and driving force.
The band has earned a large cult following. They were ranked No. 87 on VH1‘s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.Although considered to be a seminal progressive rock band (a genre characterised by extended instrumental sections and complex song structures), they have often distanced themselves from the genre: as well as influencing several generations of progressive and psychedelic rock bands, they have also been an influence on subsequent alternative metal, hardcore and experimental/noise musicians.
Developed from the unsuccessful psychedelic pop trio Giles, Giles and Fripp, the initial King Crimson were key to the formation of early progressive rock, strongly influencing and altering the music of contemporaries such as Yes and Genesis. Their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), remains their most successful and influential release, with its elements of jazz, classical and experimental music. Their success increased following an opening act performance for the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park, London, in 1969.
Following In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) and the less successful chamber jazz-inspired Lizard (1970), and Islands (1971), the group reformatted and changed their instrumentation (swapping out saxophone in favour of violin and unusual percussion) in order to develop their own take on European rock improvisation, reaching a new creative peak on Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974) and Red (1974). Fripp disbanded the group in 1974.
In 1981, King Crimson reformed with another change in musical direction and instrumentation (incorporating, for the first time, a mixture of British and American personnel plus doubled guitar and influences taken from gamelan, post-punk and New York minimalism). This lasted for three years, resulting in the trio of albums Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984).
Following a decade-long hiatus, Fripp revived the group as an expanded “Double Trio” sextet in 1994, mingling its mid-‘70s and 1980s approaches with new creative options available via MIDI technology. This resulted in another three-year cycle of activity including the release of Thrak (1995). King Crimson reunited again in 2000 as a more alternative metal-oriented quartet (or “Double Duo”), releasing The Construkction of Light in 2000 and The Power to Believe in 2003: after further personnel shuffles, the band expanded to a double-drummer quintet for a 2008 tour celebrating their 40th anniversary.
Following another hiatus between 2009 and 2012, King Crimson reformed once again in 2013; this time as a septet (and, later, octet) with an unusual three-drumkit frontline and the return of saxophone/flute to the lineup for the first time since 1972. This current version of King Crimson has continued to tour and to release live albums, significantly rearranging and reinterpreting music from across the band’s career.
Since 1997, several musicians have pursued aspects of the band’s work and approaches through a series of related bands collectively referred to as ProjeKcts.
King Crimson – Starless (download the sheet music)
As those lucky enough to have seen it live will know, the opening chord of this song are often accompanied by an intake of breath. Like an incoming tide of realisation, all the variations on “I never thought I’d hear this live”, or “crikey, this is my favourite”, “OMG I’ve died and gone to heaven” and a few more sentiments besides.
The complexities behind capturing the seven-headed Crimson on video are described in David Singleton’s liner notes :
“It is something of a truism in the history of Crimson that any show that is filmed will not be one when heaven meets earth and the angels descend. The presence of cameras and cameramen iintroduces an intrusive element into the relationship between the artist, the music and the audience. Our solution was to return to the concept of “BootlegTV” and prioritise the music and the performance rather than the pictures. We embedded a single cameraman (the long-suffering Trevor Wilkins) on this tour, and he filmed every night with a a series of cameras hidden discreetly on the stage where they would intrude on neither artist nor audience. The compromise is thus in the visuals and not in the music.”
The set was recently described by John Kelman in “All about jazz” as “the definitive live Crimson release from the definitive live Crimson lineup; a landmark recording from a group whose discography is filled with them.”
King Crimson are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968. King Crimson have been influential both on the early 1970s progressive rock movement and many contemporary artists. Although the band has undergone numerous formations throughout its history, Robert Fripp is the only constant member of the group and is considered the band’s leader and driving force. The band has earned a large cult following. They were ranked No. 87 on VH1‘s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.Although considered to be a seminal progressive rock band (a genre characterised by extended instrumental sections and complex song structures), they have often distanced themselves from the genre: as well as influencing several generations of progressive and psychedelic rock bands, they have also been an influence on subsequent alternative metal, hardcore and experimental/noise musicians.
Developed from the unsuccessful psychedelic pop trio Giles, Giles and Fripp, the initial King Crimson were key to the formation of early progressive rock, strongly influencing and altering the music of contemporaries such as Yes and Genesis.Their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), remains their most successful and influential release, with its elements of jazz, classical and experimental music.Their success increased following an opening act performance for the Rolling Stones at Hyde Park, London, in 1969. Following In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) and the less successful chamber jazz-inspired Lizard (1970), and Islands (1971), the group reformatted and changed their instrumentation (swapping out saxophone in favour of violin and unusual percussion) in order to develop their own take on European rock improvisation, reaching a new creative peak on Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974) and Red (1974). Fripp disbanded the group in 1974.
In 1981, King Crimson reformed with another change in musical direction and instrumentation (incorporating, for the first time, a mixture of British and American personnel plus doubled guitar and influences taken from gamelan, post-punk and New York minimalism). This lasted for three years, resulting in the trio of albums Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984). Following a decade-long hiatus, Fripp revived the group as an expanded “Double Trio” sextet in 1994, mingling its mid-‘70s and 1980s approaches with new creative options available via MIDI technology. This resulted in another three-year cycle of activity including the release of Thrak (1995). King Crimson reunited again in 2000 as a more alternative metal-oriented quartet (or “Double Duo”), releasing The Construkction of Light in 2000 and The Power to Believe in 2003: after further personnel shuffles, the band expanded to a double-drummer quintet for a 2008 tour celebrating their 40th anniversary.
Following another hiatus between 2009 and 2012, King Crimson reformed once again in 2013; this time as a septet (and, later, octet) with an unusual three-drumkit frontline and the return of saxophone/flute to the lineup for the first time since 1972. This current version of King Crimson has continued to tour and to release live albums, significantly rearranging and reinterpreting music from across the band’s career.
Since 1997, several musicians have pursued aspects of the band’s work and approaches through a series of related bands collectively referred to as ProjeKcts.
Several King Crimson compositional approaches have remained constant from the earliest versions of the band to the present. These include:
The use of a gradually building rhythmic motif. These include “The Devil’s Triangle” (an adaptation and variation on the Gustav Holst piece Mars played by the original King Crimson, based on a complex pulse in 5 4 time over which a skirling melody is played on a Mellotron), 1973’s “The Talking Drum” (from Larks’ Tongues in Aspic), 1984’s “Industry” (from Three of a Perfect Pair) and 2003’s “Dangerous Curves” (from The Power to Believe).
An instrumental piece (often embedded as a break in a song) in which the band plays an ensemble passage of considerable rhythmic and polyrhythmic complexity. An early example is the band’s initial signature tune “21st Century Schizoid Man“, but the “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic” series of compositions (as well as pieces of similar intent such as “THRAK” and “Level Five”) go deeper into polyrhythmic complexity, delving into rhythms that wander into and out of general synchronisation with each other, but that all ‘finish’ together through polyrhythmic synchronisation. These polyrhythms were particularly abundant in the band’s 1980s work, which contained gamelan-like rhythmic layers and continual overlaid staccato patterns in counterpoint.
The composition of difficult solo passages for individual instruments, such as the guitar break on “Fracture” on Starless and Bible Black.
The juxtaposition of ornate tunes and ballads with unusual, often dissonant noises (such as “Cirkus” from Lizard, “Ladies of the Road” from Islands and “Eyes Wide Open” from The Power to Believe).
The use of improvisation.
Ascending note structure (e.g. “Facts of Life” and “THRAK”).
King Crimson have incorporated improvisation into their performances and studio recordings from the beginning, some of which has been embedded into loosely composed pieces such as “Moonchild” or “THRaK”. Most of the band’s performances over the years have included at least one stand-alone improvisation where the band simply started playing and took the music wherever it went, sometimes including passages of restrained silence, as with Bill Bruford’s contribution to the improvised “Trio”. The earliest example of King Crimson unambiguously improvising is the spacious, oft-criticised extended coda of “Moonchild” from In the Court of the Crimson King.
Rather than using the standard jazz or blues “jamming” format for improvisation (in which one soloist at a time takes centre stage while the rest of the band lies back and plays along with established rhythm and chord changes), King Crimson improvisation is a group affair in which each member of the band is able to make creative decisions and contributions as the music is being played. Individual soloing is largely eschewed; each musician is to listen to each other and to the group sound, to be able to react creatively within the group dynamic. A slightly similar method of continuous improvisation (“everybody solos and nobody solos”) was initially used by King Crimson’s jazz-fusion contemporaries Weather Report. Fripp has used the metaphor of “white magic” to describe this process, in particular when the method works particularly well.
Similarly, King Crimson’s improvised music is rarely jazz or blues-based, and varies so much in sound that the band has been able to release several albums consisting entirely of improvised music, such as the Thrakattak album. Occasionally, particular improvised pieces will be recalled and reworked in different forms at different shows, becoming more and more refined and eventually appearing on official studio releases (the most recent example being “Power to Believe III”, which originally existed as the stage improvisation “Deception of the Thrush”, a piece played on stage for a long time before appearing on record).
Ben Webster meets Oscar Peterson – Live! Recorded in Hannover, 1972.
1) Poutin 0:00 2) Sunday 8:12 3) I Got It Bad and That Ain’t Good 15:30 4) Perdido 23:15 5) Come Sunday 31:21 6) For All We Know 39:01 7) Cottontail 49:43
A great recording of Ben Webster and Oscar Peterson. Good sound and one could hear the two of them knew each other well. Listening him playing it’s hard to believe Webster died nine months later, September 20, 1973. He gave his concerts that year in some Jazzclubs in Holland. In Dordrecht he seemed tired and stopped his playing telling stories about his experiences in Jazz. It was there I heard him saying “You’re young and you’re are growing. I’m old and I’m going. So have your fun…” A review by Mike Tarrani on Amazon has the headline “Last recording..” Probably meaning “Official last recording”, because a concert in Leiden on September 6, 1973 is recorded on a cassette-recorder and published as “Last concert”. But the quality of this recording is poor. So I should prefer to recommend the Hannoverconcert as The Official Last Recording.
Get Jazz sheet music transcriptions from our Sheet Music Library (PDF).
Dizzy Gillespie Quintet Jazz on BBC Jazz 625 (1966) with sheet music
Dizzy’s genius as a composer, bandleader and soloist come shining through in this beautifully-restored high-quality recording.
Trumpet – Dizzy Gillespie Saxaphone/Flute – James Moody Bass – Christopher White
Piano – Kenny Barron
Drums – Rudy Collins John Birks
“Dizzy” Gillespie (October 21, 1917–January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer.
02:07 “And then she stopped” 07:23 – “Tin tin deo” 13:16 – Band Introduction 16:10 – “Mmm Hmm” 21:41 – “No More Blues” (Chega de saudade) 32:54 – Outro
He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuoso style of Roy Eldridge but adding layers of harmonic and rhythmic complexity previously unheard in jazz. His combination of musicianship, showmanship, and wit made him a leading popularizer of the new music called bebop. His beret and horn-rimmed spectacles, his scat singing, his bent horn, pouched cheeks, and his light-hearted personality provided some of bebop’s most prominent symbols.
In the 1940s Gillespie, with Charlie Parker, became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis, Jon Faddis, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Morgan, Chuck Mangione, and balladeer Johnny Hartman.Scott Yanow wrote, “Dizzy Gillespie’s contributions to jazz were huge. One of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time, Gillespie was such a complex player that his contemporaries ended up being similar to those of Miles Davis and Fats Navarro instead, and it was not until Jon Faddis’s emergence in the 1970s that Dizzy’s style was successfully recreated [….] Gillespie is remembered, by both critics and fans alike, as one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time”.Gillespie has been described as the “sound of surprise”.
The Rough Guide to Jazz describes his musical style: The whole essence of a Gillespie solo was cliff-hanging suspense: the phrases and the angle of the approach were perpetually varied, breakneck runs were followed by pauses, by huge interval leaps, by long, immensely high notes, by slurs and smears and bluesy phrases; he always took listeners by surprise, always shocking them with a new thought. His lightning reflexes and superb ear meant his instrumental execution matched his thoughts in its power and speed. And he was concerned at all times with swing—even taking the most daring liberties with pulse or beat, his phrases never failed to swing. Gillespie’s magnificent sense of time and emotional intensity of his playing came from childhood roots. His parents were Methodists, but as a boy he used to sneak off every Sunday to the uninhibited Sanctified Church. He said later, “The Sanctified Church had deep significance for me musically. I first learned the significance of rhythm there and all about how music can transport people spiritually.”In Gillespie’s obituary, Peter Watrous describes his performance style: In the naturally effervescent Mr. Gillespie, opposites existed.
His playing—and he performed constantly until nearly the end of his life—was meteoric, full of virtuosic invention and deadly serious. But with his endlessly funny asides, his huge variety of facial expressions and his natural comic gifts, he was as much a pure entertainer as an accomplished artist.Wynton Marsalis summarized Gillespie as a player and teacher: His playing showcases the importance of intelligence. His rhythmic sophistication was unequaled. He was a master of harmony—and fascinated with studying it. He took in all the music of his youth—from Roy Eldridge to Duke Ellington—and developed a unique style built on complex rhythm and harmony balanced by wit. Gillespie was so quick-minded, he could create an endless flow of ideas at unusually fast tempo. Nobody had ever even considered playing a trumpet that way, let alone had actually tried.
All the musicians respected him because, in addition to outplaying everyone, he knew so much and was so generous with that knowledge…Gillespie’s trademark trumpet featured a bell which bent upward at a 45-degree angle rather than pointing straight ahead as in the conventional design. According to Gillespie’s autobiography, this was originally the result of accidental damage caused by the dancers Stump and Stumpy falling onto the instrument while it was on a trumpet stand on stage at Snookie’s in Manhattan on January 6, 1953, during a birthday party for Gillespie’s wife Lorraine. The constriction caused by the bending altered the tone of the instrument, and Gillespie liked the effect. He had the trumpet straightened out the next day, but he could not forget the tone. Gillespie sent a request to Martin to make him a “bent” trumpet from a sketch produced by Lorraine, and from that time forward played a trumpet with an upturned bell.
In April 1995, Gillespie’s Martin trumpet was auctioned at Christie’s in New York City with instruments used by Coleman Hawkins, Jimi Hendrix, and Elvis Presley. The battered instrument was sold to Manhattan builder Jeffery Brown for $63,000, the proceeds benefiting jazz musicians with cancer.
Journey of a thousand miles – my story – Lang, Lang, (1982) Book is availabe in our online Library.
As from 01:22 Lang Lang perfoms the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 and the Chopin Grande Valse Brillante (encore) with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with conductor Mei-Ann Chen (LIVE Sept. 26, 2018).
“Number One” was a phrase my father—and, for that matter, my mother—repeated time and time again. It was a phrase spoken by my parents’ friends and by their friends’ children. Whenever adults discussed the great Chinese painters and sculptors from the ancient dynasties, there was always a single artist named as Number One. There was the Number One leader of a manufacturing plant, the Number One worker, the Number One scientist, the Number One car mechanic. In the culture of my childhood, being best was everything. It was the goal that drove us, the motivation that gave life meaning. And if, by chance or fate or the blessings of the generous universe, you were a child in whom talent was evident, Number One became your mantra. It became mine. I never begged my parents to take off the pressure. I accepted it; I even enjoyed it. It was a game, this contest among aspiring pianists, and although I may have been shy, I was bold, even at age five, when faced with a field of rivals.
Born in China to parents whose musical careers were interrupted by the Cultural Revolution, Lang Lang has emerged as one of the greatest pianists of our time. Yet despite his fame, few in the West know of the heart-wrenching journey from his early childhood as a prodigy in an industrial city in northern China to his difficult years in Beijing to his success today. Journey of a Thousand Miles documents the remarkable, dramatic story of a family who sacrificed almost everything—his parents’ marriage, financial security, Lang Lang’s childhood, and their reputation in China’s insular classical music world—for the belief in a young boy’s talent. And it reveals the devastating and intense relationship between a boy and his father, who was willing to go to any length to make his son a star. An engaging, informative cultural commentator who bridges East and West, Lang Lang has written more than an autobiography: his book opens a door to China, where Lang Lang is a cultural icon, at a time when the world’s attention will be on Beijing. Written with David Ritz, the coauthor of many bestselling autobiographies, Journey of a Thousand Miles is an inspiring story that will give readers an appreciation for the courage and sacrifice it takes to achieve greatness.
Fans all over the world are in awe of the Chinese pianist Lang Lang’s magnificent talent and won over by his immense charm. The excitement his performances evoke is well documented in the legions of reviews and profiles about him. What is less known, however, is the heart-wrenching story of his journey from a young prodigy in an industrial city in northern China to one of the greatest pianists of our time. Journey of a Thousand Miles documents the remarkable story of a boy and his father who sacrificed almost everything–family, financial security, Lang Lang’s childhood, and their reputation in China’s insular classical music world–for the belief in a young boy’s talent. An engaging, informative cultural commentator who bridges east and west, Lang Lang has written more than an autobiography; his story opens a door to Chinese culture at a time when the world’s attention will be on Beijing. Written with David Ritz, the coauthor of many bestselling autobiographies, Journey of a Thousand Miles is an inspiring story that will give readers new insight into China and classical music, and appreciation for the courage and sacrifice it takes to achieve artistic greatness.
The 25-year-old Chinese piano prodigy chronicles his coming of age.
Preston was one of five musicians credited on a Beatles recording other than the group’s four members. Preston continued to record and perform with other artists, notably George Harrison after the Beatles’ breakup, and Eric Clapton, and he played keyboards for the Rolling Stones on many of the group’s albums and tours during the 1970s.
Early life
Preston was born September 2, 1946, in Houston and moved to Los Angeles as a child with his mother, Robbie Lee Williams. Noted as a child prodigy, Preston was entirely self-taught and never had a music lesson. By the age of ten, he was playing organ onstage backing several gospel singers such as Mahalia Jackson. At 11, Preston appeared on an episode of Nat King Cole‘s NBC TV show singing the Fats Domino hit “Blueberry Hill” with Cole. He also appeared in St. Louis Blues, the 1958 W. C. Handy biopic starring Nat King Cole; Preston played Handy at a younger age.
In 1962, Preston joined Little Richard‘s band as an organist, and it was while performing in Hamburg that he met the Beatles. In 1963, he played the organ on Sam Cooke‘s Night Beat album and released his own debut album, 16 Yr Old Soul, for Cooke’s SAR label. In 1965, he released the album The Most Exciting Organ Ever and performed on the rock and roll show Shindig! In 1967, he joined Ray Charles‘ band. Following this exposure, several musicians began asking Preston to contribute to their sessions.
Relationship with the Beatles
Preston first met the Beatles as a 16-year-old in 1962, while part of Little Richard’s touring band, when their manager Brian Epstein organized a Liverpool show, at which the Beatles opened. The Washington Post explained their subsequent meeting:
They’d hook up again in 1969, when the Beatles were about to break up while recording the last album they released, Let It Be (they would later record Abbey Road, which was released prior to Let It Be). George Harrison, a friend of Preston, had quit, walked out of the studio and gone to a Ray Charles concert in London, where Preston was playing organ. Harrison brought Preston back to the studio, where his keen musicianship and gregarious personality temporarily calmed the tension.
Preston is one of several people referred to as the “Fifth Beatle“. At one point during the Get Back sessions, John Lennon proposed the idea of having him join the band (to which Paul McCartney countered that it was difficult enough reaching agreements with four). Preston played organ and electric piano for the Beatles during several of the Get Back sessions; some of these sessions appeared in the film Let It Be and on its companion album. Preston also accompanied the band on electric piano for its rooftop concert, the group’s final public appearance. In April 1969, their single “Get Back” was credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston”, the only time such a joint credit had been given on an official Beatles-sanctioned release (as distinct from an unsanctioned reissue of some Hamburg-era recordings on which they were the backing group for Tony Sheridan). The credit was bestowed by the Beatles to reflect the extent of Preston’s presence on the track; his electric piano is prominent throughout and he plays an extended solo. Preston also worked, in a more limited role, on the Abbey Road album, contributing organ to the tracks “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and “Something“.
Signed to the Beatles’ Apple label, in 1969, Preston released the album That’s the Way God Planned It, produced by Harrison, the title song from which was a hit single in Britain. His relationship with Harrison continued after the Beatles’ break-up in 1970; Preston was the first artist to record Harrison’s subsequent international hit “My Sweet Lord“, on his 1970 album Encouraging Words, which Harrison co-produced with him. He appeared on several of Harrison’s 1970s solo albums, starting with All Things Must Pass; made a notable contribution to the Concert for Bangladesh, the Harrison-organized 1971 charity benefit; performed with the ex-Beatle on his 1974 tour of North America; and played at the 2002 Concert for George tribute, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Preston also worked on solo releases by Lennon and Ringo Starr.
In 1971, Preston left Apple and signed with Herb Alpert‘s A&M Records. The previous year, he contributed to another hit single when Stephen Stills asked to use Preston’s phrase “if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with“, a song on Stills’ self-titled debut solo album.
Over the next two years, Preston followed up with the US chart-topping singles “Will It Go Round in Circles” (which displaced Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” at the top on 7 July 1973) and “Nothing from Nothing“, and the number 4 hit “Space Race“. Each of the three singles sold in excess of 1 million copies American Bandstand host and executive producer Dick Clark enjoyed “Space Race” so much that he used the instrumental for the mid-show break for virtually the remainder of its run.
Preston (seated behind grand piano in foreground) performing with the Rolling Stones in 1975
From 1970, Preston played keyboards (including piano, organ, clavinet and various synthesizers) for the Rolling Stones, sometimes alongside pianists Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart, on their albums Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., Goats Head Soup, It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll and Black and Blue. As the band’s primary touring keyboardist from 1973 to 1977, he also performed as a support act with his own band (including Mick Taylor on guitar) on their 1973 European tour. A Munich performance from this tour was documented on Preston’s album Live European Tour 1973. In 1974, along with Bruce Fisher, one of his regular songwriting collaborators in the 1970s, he composed one of Joe Cocker’s biggest hits, “You Are So Beautiful“. On October 11, 1975, he was the first musical guest on Saturday Night Live‘s series premiere episode. Preston’s 1973 song “Do You Love Me” was the basis for the Rolling Stones’ track “Melody”, released on Black and Blue in 1976. Although two of his songs were included in the band’s 1975 and 1976 live sets, the Stones and Preston parted company in 1977, mainly due to a disagreement over money. He continued to play on solo records by Stones members like Mick Jagger‘s Wandering Spirit, and made appearances on the band’s Tattoo You and Bridges to Babylon.
After seven years with A&M, he signed with Motown. In 1979, he duetted with Syreeta Wright on the ballad “With You I’m Born Again“, which reached number 4 on the charts in the US. Preston’s career lost momentum in the 1980s due to his cocaine and alcohol addictions. He left Motown in 1984 and focused on session work, contributing to works by artists such as Luther Vandross (his organ solos were included on Vandross’ 1985 hit “Til My Baby Comes Home”), Whitney Houston and Patti LaBelle, among others. He served as musical director for Nightlife, a late-night talk show hosted by David Brenner that lasted one season from 1986 to 1987.
Preston toured with Eric Clapton, recorded with Gary Walker, one of the vocalists in his Los Angeles-based band, and worked with a wide range of other artists. He also toured with Ringo Starr, appearing on his 1990 live album. He was invited to become a member of The Band in 1991, after the death of piano player Stan Szelest. He performed on tour with the group, but the sentencing from his cocaine and sexual assault charges in 1991 ended the collaboration.
Later work
In 1997, Billy Preston recorded the album You and I, in Italy, with Italian band Novecento. The album was produced by Vaughn De Spenza and Novecento members Lino and Pino Nicolosi. In 1998, Preston played organ during the choir numbers on the UPN comedy show Good News. The same year he sang and played synthesizer in the film Blues Brothers 2000, as part of the Louisiana Gator Boys supergroup.
On November 29, 2001, while touring and fighting his own health problems, Preston received the news that George Harrison had died, having long suffered from throat cancer. Preston, among many of Harrison’s longtime friends, performed in the 2002 Concert for George at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Preston’s performance of “My Sweet Lord” received critical acclaim. Additionally, he sang “Isn’t It a Pity“, provided backing vocals on most of the other songs, and played the Hammond organ for the show.
In 2004, Preston toured with the Funk Brothers and Steve Winwood in Europe, and then with Clapton in Europe and North America. After the Clapton tours, he went to France, where he was featured in one episode of the Legends Rock TV Show. His performance included a duet with Sam Moore on “You Are So Beautiful”; this was Preston’s last filmed concert.
Preston played clavinet on the song “Warlocks” for the Red Hot Chili Peppers album Stadium Arcadium (2006). Although very ill by this point, he jumped out of his bed after hearing a tape of the song given to him by the band, recorded his part, and went back to bed. Preston’s final recorded contributions were the gospel-tinged organ on the Neil Diamond album 12 Songs (2005), and his keyboard work on The Road to Escondido (2006) by Eric Clapton and J. J. Cale.
In late 2005, Preston made his last public performance, in Los Angeles, to publicize the re-release of the 1972 documentary film The Concert for Bangladesh. He played a set of three Harrison songs – “Give Me Love”, “My Sweet Lord” and “Isn’t It a Pity” – with Dhani Harrison and Starr joining on guitar and drums, respectively, for the last song.
Moscow City Symphony – Russian Philharmonic Conductor — Fabio Mastrangelo (Italy) Soloist — Boris Berezovsky (piano) Grand Hall of the Conservatory March 4, 2014 A. Khachaturian. Concerto for piano and orchestra. Movement 1
Симфонический оркестр Москвы «Русская филармония» Дирижер — Фабио Мастранджело (Италия) Солист — Борис Березовский (фортепиано) Большой зал консерватории 04.03.2014 А. Хачатурян. Концерт для фортепиано с оркестром, часть 1
Aram Khachaturian‘s Piano Concerto in D-flat major, Op. 38, was composed in 1936. It was his first work to bring him recognition in the West, and it immediately entered the repertoire of many notable pianists.
The Piano Concerto was the first of three concertos Khachaturian wrote for the individual members of a renowned Soviet piano trio that performed together from 1941 until 1963. The others were the Violin Concerto for David Oistrakh (1940) and the Cello Concerto for Sviatoslav Knushevitsky (1946).
The Piano Concerto in D-flat was written for Lev Oborin, who premiered it in Moscow on 12 July 1937, with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra under Lev Steinberg. The only piano available for the premiere was an upright piano, and the orchestra had just one rehearsal. The venue was an open-air stage in Sokolniki Park, and during the performance a strong wind blew Steinberg’s glasses off, so that he could no longer see the score and had to conduct the remainder from memory. The British premiere was on 13 April 1940, at the Queen’s Hall, London, with pianist Moura Lympany (who was approached after Clifford Curzon had declined), conducted by Alan Bush. It received its American debut on 14 March 1942, by Maro Ajemian at the Juilliard School in New York, conducted by Albert Stoessel.
The piece is in three movements: the first movement, Allegro ma non troppo e maestoso, makes extensive use of the three-note theme of F, B, and A♭, illustrated above. Although the term “flexatone” is used, the second movement, Andante con anima, is one of the few classical pieces to make use of a musical saw, although this instrument is often omitted in performances and recordings of the concerto. The third movement, Allegro brillante, caps the piece in an exciting manner.
Moscow City Symphony – Russian Philharmonic Conductor — Fabio Mastrangelo (Italy) Soloist — Boris Berezovsky (piano) Grand Hall of the Conservatory March 4, 2014 A. Khachaturian. Concerto for piano and orchestra. Movements 2 & 3
Симфонический оркестр Москвы «Русская филармония» Дирижер — Фабио Мастранджело (Италия) Солист — Борис Березовский (фортепиано) Большой зал консерватории 04.03.2014 А. Хачатурян. Концерт для фортепиано с оркестром, части 2 и 3
Nobuyuki Tsujii – Elegy for the victims of the Tsunami of March 11, 2011
Nobuyuki Tsujii (辻井 伸行, Tsujii Nobuyuki) (also known as Nobu Tsujii) is a Japanese pianist and composer. He was born blind due to microphthalmia, and his exceptional musical talent has propelled him to become a world renowned artist. Tsujii performs extensively, with a large number of conductors and orchestras, and has received critical acclaims as well as notices for his unique techniques for learning music and performing with an orchestra while being unable to see.
Tsujii learns new musical works strictly by ear. A 2009 Time article explains: “Certainly, being blind hasn’t made it easy. Tsujii can use Braille music scores to learn new pieces, but this kind of translation is usually done by volunteers. Because demand is so low, the variety of scores available does not meet the needs of a professional performer, so Tsujii has devised his own method. A team of pianists records scores along with specific codes and instructions written by composers, which Tsujii listens to and practices until he learns and perfects each piece.”.
Tsujii said in a 2011 interview, “I learn pieces by listening, but it doesn’t mean I’m copying CDs or another person’s interpretation. I ask my assistants to make a special cassette tape for me. They split the piece into small sections, such as several bars, and record it (one hand at a time). I call these tapes ‘music sheets for ears.’ It takes me a few days to complete a short piece, but it takes one month to complete a big sonata or concerto.”
Tsujii has performed successfully with numerous orchestras under the baton of many conductors, both in Japan and abroad.
In 2017, a reporter from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Monique Schafter, asked Tsujii “How do you stay in time when you can’t see the conductor?” The pianist replied: ” By listening to the conductor’s breath and also sensing what’s happening around me.” Conductor Bramwell Tovey commented: “He must have very acute hearing, I’m sure.”
In addition to being a pianist, Tsujii is a composer.
At age 12, he performed his own composition “Street Corner of Vienna.”
In 2010-2011, he composed the theme music for a Japanese film ‘神様のカルテ (In His Chart)’,[34] for which he was named the 2011 Film Music Artist by the Japan Film Critics Award. That same year, he also composed the theme music for a Japanese TV drama ‘それでも、生きてゆく (Still We Live On)’.
In June 2011, Japanese figure skating champion Midori Ito performed in a world event (Master Elite Oberstdorf 2011) to the music of “Whisper of the River,” composed by Tsujii when he was in high school to express his love for his father after the two took a walk on the Kanda River in Tokyo.
Tsujii was the music director and composed the theme music for the Japanese film はやぶさ 遥かなる帰還 The Return of the Hayabusa released in February 2012. In 2014, he composed the ending theme for the film ‘マエストロ(Maestro!)’.
In 2016, Tsujii created and performed the background music for a series of three animation of Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga scrolls produced by Studio Ghibli for Marubeni Corporation.
Tsujii’s 2011 performance of his own composition, “Elegy for the Victims of the Tsunami of March 11, 2011 in Japan”, is widely viewed on the Internet.
Tsujii has an extensive discography. His recordings are now available worldwide.
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