Courtney Pine

From Vero - Wikipedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox musical artist

Courtney Pine, Template:Post-nominals (born 18 March 1964)<ref name="AMG">Template:Cite web</ref> is a British jazz musician, who was the principal founder in the 1980s of the black British band the Jazz Warriors.<ref name="Larkin">Template:Cite book</ref> Although known primarily for his saxophone playing, Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing the flute, clarinet, bass clarinet and keyboards. On his 2011 album, Europa, he plays almost exclusively bass clarinet.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Background

Pine's parents were Jamaican immigrants,<ref name="bbcweb">Template:Cite news</ref> his father a carpenter and his mother a housing manager. As a child, Pine wanted to be an astronaut. Born in London,<ref name="AMG"/> Pine lived in the "Avenues" area of Kensal Green in north-west London, before moving to Wembley and attending Kingsbury High School, where he studied classical clarinet, teaching himself the saxophone from the age of 14.<ref name=Jaggi>Maya Jaggi, "Fusion visionary", The Guardian, 30 September 2000</ref> He began his music career playing reggae, touring in 1981 with Clint Eastwood & General Saint.<ref>"Courtney Pine: The Cosmic Dread", BBC World Service, 8 March 2001</ref>

Career

File:Courtney Pine 1988.jpg
Courtney Pine at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay, California; November 20, 1988

In 1986, Pine's debut album Journey to the Urge Within entered the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart.<ref>Courtney Pine interview by Pete Lewis, Blues & Soul, May 2008</ref> One of his early bands was Grand Union Orchestra and he featured on their 1986 album The Song of Many Tongues, written by Tony Haynes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Pine is the principal founder of the seminal black British big band the Jazz Warriors, which he established in 1985 through the community organisation "The Abibi Jazz Arts" (TAJA).<ref>Jazz Warriors (1987). Out of Many, One People, Antilles Records AN8712</ref> The Jazz Warriors developed out of the Abibi All-Stars community band that did a series of performances at London's Royal Festival Hall foyer during the summer of the International Youth Year 1985. The Jazz Warriors recorded two albums under Pine's leadership: Out of Many, One People, which was released on the Antilles division of the Island Records label in 1987, and Afropeans, which was released on Pine's own label, Destin-e Records, for their 20th anniversary in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Jazz Warriors Afropeans project was commissioned by the Arts Council of England to commemorate the bicentennary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Thirty years after Pine planted his idea to start the Jazz Warriors, he put together the "Venus Warriors" all-female jazz band for a charity performance<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to raise awareness of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which was established to erect a statue of the British-Jamaican Crimean War business woman and nurse outside of London's St Thomas' Hospital.

In the early 2000s his music integrated modern British music like drum and bass and UK garage with contemporary jazz styles. He had his own band and included many contemporary musicians in his performances. He presented Jazz Crusade on BBC Radio 2, the seventh series of which was broadcast during spring 2007.

In 1988 he appeared as himself in a jazz quartet in the Doctor Who serial Silver Nemesis.

After losing his record contract, in 1989 Pine appeared on stage with the Pet Shop Boys at Wembley Arena.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He played saxophone on the closing portion of their single, "Nothing Has Been Proved".

Pine was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to jazz music.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Westminster on 6 December 2004. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Southampton on 15 July 2010.

Pine appeared in August 2008 as an advocate for Pierre Boulez, on the BBC World News classical music programme Visionaries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On Christmas Day 2018, Pine appeared on BBC Two's Merry Christmas Baby – with Gregory Porter & Friends.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Pine lives in London with his wife and their four children.<ref name="indy">Template:Cite news</ref>

Discography

Albums

As leader

As sideman

Singles

  • "Children of the Ghetto" (1986) (Courtney Pine, featuring the vocal of Susaye Greene)
  • "Like Dreamers Do" (1988) – UK No. 26 (Mica Paris, featuring Courtney Pine)
  • "I'm Still Waiting" (1990) – UK No. 66 (Courtney Pine, featuring Carroll Thompson)<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/>
  • "Get Busy" (1992), produced by Gussie Clarke – 12" vinyl, CD single
  • "Too Much To Lose" (1999) – Elkie Brooks, featuring Courtney Pine
  • "Lady Day (& John Coltrane)" (2000) – Courtney Pine, featuring Lynden David Hall

EPs

  • Traditions Beckoning – 10" limited edition (1988)

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Courtney_Pine&oldid=408716"