From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brian Priestley
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Birth name
| Brian Priestley
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Born
| (
1940-07-10
)
10 July 1940
(age 83)
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Origin
| Manchester
, England
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Genres
| Jazz
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Occupation(s)
| Pianist,
musical arranger
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Instrument(s)
| piano
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Musical artist
Brian Priestley
(born 10 July 1940)
[1]
is an English
jazz
writer, pianist and arranger.
Biography
[
edit
]
He was born in
Manchester
, England.
[2]
Priestley began studying music at the age of eight. In the 1960s he gained a degree in modern languages from
Leeds University
, while playing in student bands.
[2]
In the mid-1960s, he began contributing to the jazz press and was responsible for entries in
Jazz on Record: A Critical Guide to the First Fifty Years, 1917?67
(1968), edited by Albert McCarthy.
In 1969, Priestley moved to London and began playing piano with bands led by Tony Faulkner and Alan Cohen. Priestley helped transcribe
Duke Ellington
's
Black, Brown and Beige
,
[2]
and
Creole Rhapsody
for Cohen, and formed his own Special Septet featuring
Digby Fairweather
and
Don Rendell
. His compositions include
Blooz For Dook
(published in his 1986 book Jazz Piano 4),
The Whole Thing
(recorded by the
National Youth Jazz Orchestra
in 1997) and
Jamming With Jools
(a 1998 examination piece for the Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music, based on a live broadcast with
Jools Holland
).
He is also known for broadcasting work on the
BBC
as well as
London Jazz FM
, and his weekly series for
BBC Radio London
,
[2]
influenced the renewed interest in jazz in the 1980s. Priestley taught
jazz piano
at
Goldsmiths College
from 1977 until 1993, and has taught jazz history for various other universities and conservatoires over the years. Priestley has also written biographies of
Charles Mingus
,
John Coltrane
and
Charlie Parker
,
[2]
as well as the book
Jazz on Record: A History
. He co-authored
The Rough Guide to Jazz
, as well as contributing to several other reference books, and has compiled and/or annotated more than a hundred reissue compilations.
Since 2006, Priestley has lived in
Tralee
, Ireland, where he continues playing the piano and presents a show on
Radio Kerry
.
Discography
[
edit
]
- Love You Gladly
(1988;
Cadillac
)
- You Taught My Heart to Sing
(1994; w/Don Rendell; Spirit of Jazz)
- Love You Madly
(1999; Louise Gibbs/Brian Priestley/
Tony Coe
; 33 Jazz)
- Who Knows
(2004; 33 Jazz)
Literature
[
edit
]
- Priestley.
Charlie Parker
, Hippocrene Books, Tunbridge Wells 1984,
ISBN
0-946771-00-6
- Priestley.
Chasin' the Bird ? The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker
, Oxford University Press 2007,
ISBN
0-19-532709-8
- Priestley.
Jazz on Record: A History
, Elm Tree Books, London 1988,
ISBN
0-241-12440-9
- Priestley.
Jazz Piano (Vols.) 1 - 6
, (transcribed solos by 53 pianists), IMP, London 1983?1990
- Priestley.
John Coltrane
, Apollo Press, London 1986,
ISBN
0-948820-02-0
- Priestley.
Mingus. A Critical Biography
, Da Capo Press, New York 1985,
ISBN
0-306-80217-1
- Priestley,
Digby Fairweather
,
Ian Carr
.
Jazz. The Rough Guide (The Essential Companion to Artists and Albums)
, 3rd edition, Rough Guides, 2004,
ISBN
1-84353-256-5
(formerly as
Jazz. The Essential Companion
, Grafton Books 1988)
- Priestley.
Digby Fairweather
,
Jazz: 100 Essential CDs. The Rough Guide
, London 2001,
ISBN
1-85828-732-4
- Priestley, Dave Gelly, Paul Trynka, Tony Bacon,
The Sax and Brass Book ? Saxophones, Trumpets and Trombones in Jazz, Rock and Pop
, Balafon Books, London 1998,
ISBN
1-871547-60-1
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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