Courtney Pine
@ the PizzaExpress JazzClub & Barbican Centre
26 July 2010 / 20 November 2008

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Desert Island Discs

Which 2 albums would you take with you to a desert island?

Bob Marley - Exodus
Earth Wind & Fire - Gratitude

Biography

Courtney Pine heads a new generation of exciting and innovative musicians who have chosen to turn their talents to the demanding requirements of jazz music, in all its shapes and forms. His debut album, “Journey To The Urge Within” released in 1987, was the first serious jazz album ever to make the British Top 40.

Pine’s follow-up to this in 1988, was the acclaimed “Destiny Song” produced by Delfeayo Marsalis, again making its way into the British Top 40, but also cracking the American jazz charts, establishing the start of his international reputation. It was this year he also performed at Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday concert at Wembley.
His international growth continued with the release of his third album in 1989, “The Vision Tale”, recorded in America and produced again by Delfeayo Marsalis.

March 1990 saw a change of direction in the shape of “Closer To Home”, a collection of reggae tunes taking Courtney back to his musical roots. Recorded in Jamaica with contemporary reggae producer Gussie Clarke and released on Island Record’s Mango label, the compilation included the single “I'm Still Waiting” (featuring vocalist Carroll Thompson. Pine continued to release successful albums on the Island record label which featured the likes of Charnett Moffet, Jeff Watts and Kenny Kirkland.

Pine signed to PolyGram in 1995 where he released the critically acclaimed album “Modern Day Jazz Stories” for Verve, with US jazz giants, Charnett Moffett (Bass), Geri Allen (Piano) and Ronnie Burrage (Drums) as well as DJ’s Pogo and Sparki from the UK Hip-Hop scene.

“Modern Day Jazz Stories” won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize – ‘1996 Albums Of The Year’ and Pine was honoured with a MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) Award for ‘Best Jazz Act’ for two years in a row (96 and 97). Further success followed in 1997 with the follow-up release of the album “Underground”. Further acclaimed albums would follow as well as project collaborations with artists such as Beverley Knight, Lynden David Hall, David McAlmont and Kele Le Roc.

Pine was awarded an OBE in 2000. He continues to tour extensively, compose, explore and fuse many musical genres. In addition to his recording career, Pine is now a renowned presenter and broadcaster, with his long running radio show for BBC Radio 2, ‘Jazz Crusade’. He also presented a weekly show The Courtney Pine Xperience for the jazz in 2007/2008 and is a regularly heads up profile television projects. In 2000 he travelled to South Africa to make a documentary for the BBC on the local musicians whose stories and music revealed a hidden chapter of apartheid.

Pine made his debut as musical director on the Windrush Gala Concert for the BBC and led his own band performing these arrangements with an all-star line-up at the televised ceremony in London and composed and performed the soundtrack to the BBC’s definitive 2 part documentary on Nelson Mandela: ‘Mandela - A Living Legend’. As well as his flagship concert Jazz Britannia from The Barbican which was televised as part of the BBC series of the same name. In the same year he presented a special live concert of the music he composed to the Paul Robeson film Borderline at The Turbine Hall, Tate Modern. Pulling together a new line-up of musicians to accompany the screening of the film as part of The Tate’s Long Weekend event. The film with his music has been released on dvd Worldwide. He also composed, arranged and produced the soundtrack for a feature film. ‘History Is Made At Night’ for Stephen Wooley’s (Mona Lisa, Absolute Beginners) Scala Productions and was nominated for an award for his score of ‘It Was An Accident’ for Pathe Films.

Pine was also the subject of the prestigious South Bank Show, with an hour-long programme, documenting his career so far, shot in London, New York and Jamaica. Broadcast in November 2000 on LWT.