Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
name	Imogen Heap
background	solo_singer
birth name	Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap
birth date	December 09, 1977
gender	Female
origin	Havering, London, England
instrument	Vocals, keyboards, array mbira, cello, clarinet, guitar, drums, keytar, nail violin, vocal percussion, synthesizer, sampler, organ, hang, vocoder
genre	Electronica, alternative, indie, synthpop, Folktronica, ambient, trip hop, rock, classical
occupation	Musician, singer, songwriter, visual artist
years active	1997–present
label	Almo Sounds (1998–2001)Megaphonic (2005–present)RCA Victor (2006–present)
associated acts	Frou FrouUrban SpeciesIAMXMIKA
website	imogenheap.com
notable instruments	}}

Imogen Jennifer Jane Heap () (born 9 December 1977 in the London Borough of Havering) is a Grammy Award-winning English singer, composer and songwriter from Romford, Havering. She is known for her work as part of the musical duo Frou Frou and her solo albums, which she writes, produces, and mixes. She has produced three solo albums, the latest of which is 2009's ''Ellipse'', which was a North American chart success and earned Heap two Grammy nominations, winning Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Musical and songwriting style

For her solo work (as well as her work with Frou Frou and Acacia), Heap plays heavily produced and arranged singer-songwriter pop incorporating elements of rock, dance and electronica. As a guest player and collaborator she has played rock (Jeff Beck), hip-hop (Urban Species) and theatre/film music. A skilled multi-instrumentalist, Heap extensively uses manipulated electronic sounds as an integral part of her music. She also mixes ambient sound into her music (such as the sound of a frying pan in use cooking food, in the background of her song "My Secret Friend") and has commented that "certain sounds give the music a width and a space, and that's important."

Heap states that her song lyrics come from personal experience, but are not straightforwardly confessional. She has stated "Most of the time, the lyrics are kind of like my secret messages to my friends or my boyfriend or my mum or my dad. I would never tell them that these songs are about them or which specific lyric is about somebody. Often, when I sit down to write a lyric, it is in the heat of the moment, and something has just happened."

Biography

Early life

Heap played music from an early age, becoming classically trained in several instruments including piano, cello and clarinet. She attended Friends School, a private, Quaker-run boarding school in Saffron Walden. Heap's mother (an art therapist) and her father (a construction rock retailer) separated when she was twelve. By age thirteen, she had begun writing songs.

Heap did not get along well with the music teacher at her boarding school, so she principally taught herself sequencing, music engineering, sampling and production (on Atari computers). She also taught herself to play the guitar and drums, and subsequently two percussion/idiophone instruments, the array mbira and the Hang. After school, she went on to study at the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon, South London.

Early work as musician (including work with Acacia)

After being introduced to Nik Kershaw by his manager Mickey Modern, Heap and Kershaw recorded four demos that Mickey Modern took to Rondor Music. Consequently, a few months later she signed her first record contract at 18 to independent record label Almo Sounds. Modern and Wood formed Modernwood Management, and managed Heap until 2006, when Modernwood was dissolved. Wood continues to manage the artist via his new company, Radius Music.

During 1996, Heap began working with an experimental pop band called Acacia, which featured her future collaborator Guy Sigsworth and was fronted by the singer Alexander Nilere. While never a full member of the band, Heap was a guest vocalist (as a counterpart to Nilere) and contributed to various Acacia single and album tracks. One Acacia song, "Maddening Shroud", would later be covered by Frou Frou.

Mickey Modern asked Dennis Arnold to place Imogen in the line up in the 1996 Prince's Trust Concert in Hyde Park, London organized by Harvey Goldsmith. Heap performed four songs between sets by The Who and Eric Clapton.

1998–2000: ''iMegaphone''

Heap's debut album, ''iMegaphone'' (an anagram of "Imogen Heap") was a mixture of self-penned and self-produced tracks, alongside tracks co-written and produced with established producers such as David Kahne, former Eurythmic Dave Stewart and Guy Sigsworth. The album was released in 1998 internationally via Almo Sounds, to favorable reviews comparing Heap's angst-filled songs to work by PJ Harvey, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox. Promotion for the record included a tour of America and performances around Europe. Three singles were commercially released in the UK: "Getting Scared", "Shine" and "Come Here Boy". "Oh Me, Oh My" was sent to US radio stations in place of "Shine".

Heap's early success was soon replaced by problems. Almo Sounds cut funding for UK promotion and gave Heap a deadline to deliver songs for her second album. Upon delivery of the songs, she was told that they lacked "hit potential". It was announced that the record label would be sold to Universal and its artists moved to other labels or released. Heap was one of the artists who was dropped from the label, leaving her without a record contract. ''iMegaphone'' had, however, been licensed from Almo Sounds to Aozora Records in Japan, who eventually re-released and re-promoted the album in January 2002, featuring "Blanket" and "Aeroplane" (a Frou Frou remix/remake of one of her B-sides, "Airplane" of the ''Shine'' single released in 1998). The album featured new packaging, all-new artwork, and a previously unavailable hidden track, entitled "Kidding", recorded live during her 1999 tour.

Copies of the original Almo Sounds release remain rare. A Brazilian label, Trama Records, currently claims to hold the license to the record and has started re-printing copies of the album in limited quantities. The album was released digitally on the U.S. iTunes Music Store in early 2006. After achieving commercial success with her work with Guy Sigsworth as the duo Frou Frou and her second solo album, ''Speak for Yourself''.

2001: Interim work

In the gap between the end of promotion for ''iMegaphone'' internationally and the re-promotion, Heap had also begun to think about her second solo album, and had started writing songs, both solo, as well as working with Guy Sigsworth; however, as she was without a record deal, the songs were shelved. During the time when she was unsigned, Heap appeared on two UK singles, "Meantime" (a track written by her former Acacia colleagues Guy Sigsworth and Alexander Nilere for the soundtrack to the independent British film, ''G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time'') and "Blanket" (a collaboration with Urban Species). In 2000, Heap sang on the album ''You Had It Coming'' by Jeff Beck.

2002–2003: Frou Frou

Heap had kept in contact with Guy Sigsworth (who had co-written and produced "Getting Scared" from ''iMegaphone'') and this led to the pair of them establishing the collaborative project Frou Frou.

The initial concept for Frou Frou was Sigsworth's, and the project was to have been an album written and produced by her with each track featuring a different singer, songwriter, poet or rapper. Heap explains that Sigsworth invited her over to his studio to write lyrics to a four-bar motif he had, with one condition – that she include the word "love" somewhere. The first line she came up with was "lung of love, leaves me breathless", and the ''Details'' album track, "Flicks" was born. A week later, Sigsworth phoned Heap up again, and together they wrote and recorded the future single "Breathe In".

Throughout the process, Frou Frou work was an equal partnership, with Heap and Sigsworth making equal contributions to writing, arrangement, production and instrumental performance and Heap handling all of the vocals.

In August 2002, they released the ''Details'' album and singles "Breathe In", "It's Good To Be In Love", and "Must Be Dreaming" (although the latter two were not commercially available). The album was critically acclaimed, but did not enjoy the commercial success that they had been hoping for.

In late 2003, after an extensive promotional tour of the UK, Europe and the U.S., the duo were told that their record label, Island Records would not be picking up the option for a second album.

Heap and Sigsworth remain firm friends, and have worked together since the project, including their temporary re-formation in late 2003, when they covered the Bonnie Tyler classic, "Holding Out for a Hero", which was featured during the credits of the movie ''Shrek 2'' after Jennifer Saunders version in the film. Frou Frou saw a resurgence in popularity in 2004, when their album track "Let Go" was featured in the film ''Garden State''.

In a 2005 interview Heap said of frou frou "(it) was really like a kind of little holiday from my own work. Guy and I, we have always worked together, and then over the years, it became clear that we wanted to do a whole album together. It was very organic and spontaneous - just one of those wonderful things that happens. But there was never a mention of a second record from either of us, and not uncomfortably. We're just both kind of free spirits. I love to work with a lot of different people, but I was also just gagging to see what I could do on my own. But I'm sure in the future, Guy and I will get back together to do another record, or to record a few songs together."

2004–2005: ''The O.C.'' and ''Speak for Yourself''

In December 2003, Heap announced on her Web site that she was going to write and produce her second solo album, using her site as a blog to publicise progress.

Heap set herself a deadline of one year to make the album, booking a session to master the album one year ahead in December 2004. She re-mortgaged her flat to fund production costs, including renting a studio at Atomic Studios, London (previously inhabited by UK grime artist, Dizzee Rascal), and purchasing instruments.

At the end of 2004, with the album completed, Heap premiered two album tracks online, selling them prior to the album's release – "Just for Now" and "Goodnight and Go".

In April 2005, ''The O.C.'' featured the vocoded-vocal track, "Hide and Seek" in the closing scenes of their season two finale. The track was released immediately to digital download services, such as iTunes, in the U.S., where it charted. The track was released to iTunes UK on 5 July 2005 (the same day as the UK airing of the season finale) and entered the official UK download chart.

Heap made a decision to put out the album on her own in the UK, starting her own record company, titled Megaphonic Records. The album was titled ''Speak for Yourself''.

''Speak for Yourself'' was released in the UK on 18 July 2005 on CD and iTunes UK, where it entered the top 10 chart. The initial 10,000 physical copies pressed sold out, distributed through large and independent record stores and Heap's own online shop.

In August 2005, Heap announced that she had licensed ''Speak for Yourself'' to Sony BMG imprint RCA Victor for the album release in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The album was released in November 2005 and debuted at #144 in the Billboard Top 200 album chart. In concert, Heap performed solo, controlling the sound through her Apple PowerBook laptop, as well as singing and playing the piano and array mbira.

She returned from the U.S., already having sold over 120,000 copies.

2006–2007: The year of the 'White Rabbit'

Heap also announced, on her return to the UK, that she had signed a deal for the album to be released internationally, as well as re-promoted in the UK, with a new imprint of Sony BMG, White Rabbit, run by former Sony BMG UK A&R; vice president Nick Raphael. The deal meant that the album could have the promotional backing provided by a respected major label, whilst Heap retained sole control and the team she established for Megaphonic Records.

''Speak for Yourself'' was re-released on the label on 24 April 2006, ahead of a full promotional push on 15 May, a week after the second single, "Goodnight and Go", was commercially released in the UK.

In August 2006, Heap performed a set at the V Festival, where it was announced that "Headlock" was to be the third single to be lifted from the album, and released on 16 October 2006 in the UK.

In late September and early October, Heap embarked on a tour of the UK, holding a competition on MySpace for different support acts for each venue, before touring throughout Canada and the USA in November and December. This was her first tour of North America that included a band, incorporating upright bass, percussion, and support acts Kid Beyond and Levi Weaver on beatbox and guitar, respectively. In December 2006, Heap was featured on the front page of ''The Green Room'' magazine.

On 7 December 2006, Heap received two Grammy nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, one for Best New Artist and the other for Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media for "Can't Take It In".

2007–2009: ''Ellipse''

Throughout the creation of her album Ellipse, Heap posted vlogs, or VBlogs as she called them, through YouTube. She used these to comment on the album as well as update on its release. The album's release was pushed back multiple times. These included Heap being asked to perform at the annual event PopTech in October 2008. During the event, she premiered one of her album's songs, "Wait it Out".

Heap announced on her Twitter page that ''Ellipse'''s first single would be "First Train Home". On 17 August 2009 Heap made the entire album ''Ellipse'' available for live streaming via her webpage.

''Ellipse'' was released in the United Kingdom on 24 August, and in the United States on 25 August.

2011: New "concept" album

On 14 March 2011 Heap officially started work on a new record as fans sent in nearly 900 "sound seeds", or samples of everyday sounds such as a "dishwasher door", a "bicycle" or a "burning match". Heap has stated that the concept for this record will be to record one track over a two week period every 3 months. Each song and video will be released immediately.

The first song, initially titled #heapsong1 and later retitled "Lifeline", premiered worldwide on 28 March 2011 via Ustream along with a live remix by Tim Exile. "Lifeline" was released on 30 March 2011 as a digital download from Imogen's website and via iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers. Released alongside this was a 12 page 3DiCD package (a 3D virtual CD) including crowd sourced (and paid for) images, the instrumental version of the song, the "seeds and solos only" version and "heap speaks seeds and solos" - an-18 minute commentary by Heap on how the sounds and solos were used in "Lifeline". The whole project can be viewed on the #heapsong1 / Lifeline mini site.

#heapsong2 is entitled "Propeller Seeds" and was released on 5 July 2011.

Recordings for television and film

Heap has recorded several songs for films, including a cover of the Classics IV hit "Spooky" for the soundtrack to the Reese Witherspoon film ''Just Like Heaven''. Her song "Hide and Seek" was featured in ''The Last Kiss'', starring Zach Braff (who used her former band Frou Frou's "Let Go" in his 2004 film ''Garden State''), and was also used in a 2007 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', hosted by Shia LaBeouf. "The Moment I Said It" was also used in the episode "Seven Seconds" of the CBS crime drama ''Criminal Minds''.

In 2004, while recording her second solo album, she was commissioned to record a cover of a short nursery rhyme for the HBO television series, ''Six Feet Under'', entitled "I'm A Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)".

In late 2005, Heap was asked to write a track for the soundtrack of ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' entitled "Can't Take It In", when a track that fellow Brit singer Dido submitted was deemed unfitting. Heap's track is played at the end of the film in an orchestral version produced by Heap and Harry Gregson Williams, who scored the movie. In addition, she composed a track for the film ''The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'', but it was deemed to be too dark in tone for the film. Instead, it was included in her album ''Ellipse'' as "2-1". 2-1 has also featured in ''CSI Miami'' (Season 8 Episode 9), as well as promotional trailers for the film The Lovely Bones.

In March 2006, Heap completed a track about locusts, entitled "Glittering Cloud", for a CD of music about the plagues of Egypt entitled ''Plague Songs'', accompanying The Margate Exodus project, for musical director Brian Eno.

Heap recorded an a cappella version of the Leonard Cohen track "Hallelujah", for the season three finale of ''The O.C.'', and her "Not Now But Soon" was included on the original soundtrack for the NBC show, ''Heroes''.

Song usage

Imogen Heap and Frou Frou songs have been featured in various TV shows, movies, advertisements, and marching band productions, notably including ''CSI, The OC, SNL, Garden State'', and ''So You Think You Can Dance''.

Also notable is the sampling of Heap's song "Hide & Seek" in Jason DeRulo's single "Whatcha Say", which peaked at #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Collaborations

Heap has collaborated as a guest vocalist, co-writer, remixer or producer with many various artists throughout her career. Among them co-writing and producing ''By The Time'' for Mika and ''Now or Never'' for Josh Groban. The diverse range of other musicians Heap has worked with include IAMX, Jeff Beck, Temposhark, LHB, J. Peter Schwalm, Way Out West, Jon Bon Jovi, Mich Gerber, Sean Lennon, Urban Species, Matt Willis, Jon Hopkins, MIKA, Acacia, Britney Spears, Nik Kershaw, Blue October, Joshua Radin and Nitin Sawhney.

Use of technology

Heap is an outspoken advocate of using new technology to interact and collaborate with her fans. In August, 2009 she used Vokle, an online auditorium, to take questions from listeners over video chat.

Imogen also teamed up with Vokle to hold open cello auditions for her North American tour. She provided sheet music for “Aha” on her website and encouraged local fans to learn the part and audition live via Vokle. Imogen would then pick the cellist to accompany her for that particular city - sometimes with the help of viewers and her puppet Lion, Harold.

In 2010 Imogen opened her online auditions to singers and choirs and invited them to audition via submitted YouTube videos to accompany her on stage as she performed the song "Earth" from ''Ellipse''. The winner of each local show was also invited to do a 15 minute gig of their own. In the studio, the official album recording of "Earth" was made up entirely of numerous tracks of vocals.

July 2011 saw Imogen unveil a pair of high-tech musical gloves at the TED conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. The gloves which were created by Tom Mitchell, a lecturer in music systems at the University of the West of England, Bristol allow Imogen to manipulate sounds using nothing but hand gestures live on stage.

Charity

In 2008 she participated in a music album called ''Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace'', which is an initiative to support Tibet, Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso and to underline the human rights situation in Tibet. The album was issued on 5 August via iTunes and on 19 August in music stores around the world. On 12 October 2008, Heap also Participated in "Run 10k: Cancer Research UK," placing fifth of the women in the actual run and raising over £1000 for the cause with the help of her fans.

In 2008 Imogen was asked to perform at POP!Tech in Camden, Maine (USA). There she performed selections from her then forthcoming album ''Ellipse''. After her set and an encouraging plea for another performance later in the conference by the audience and organizers, Imogen agreed. Having nothing else prepared though, she decided to improvise a song on the spot with parameters (tempo, key) suggested by the audience. After the show, Imogen was asked by a Poptech attendee if she would give the newly created piece of music to his charity. A ‘lightbulb’ moment occurred in Heap’s head and she saw the potential in doing these improvised pieces for local charities at each show during the tour she would soon begin.

The first of these songs materialized at Imogen’s show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, in London on the 19th of February 2010. Using the same parameters and audience participation from POP!Tech, Imogen improvised a song titled, "The Shepherdess". After the show, Imogen made the song available worldwide as a digital download on her website asking for donations per download. All proceeds went to the Great Ormond Street Hospital where Imogen was diagnosed with osteomyelitis and underwent life-saving surgery as a little girl. Loving the concept, Imogen rolled this out for her North American Tour, donating all the proceeds for each song to a local charity from that city.

In 2011 Imogen was set to play a benefit concert in New Zealand's Christchurch city to help rebuild the Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti High School, following a severe 6.3 aftershock in February originating from the 7.1 earthquake that struck the Canterbury region in September 2010. The concert was held at the Burnside High Aurora Centre, also featuring performances from Roseanna Gamlen-Greene, and The Harbour Union including The Eastern, Lindon Puffin, Delaney Davidson and The Unfaithful Ways.

Live 4 X

In 2010, Imogen Heap partnered with Thomas Ermacora of Bubbletank to organize a series of online charitable events called ''Live 4 X''.

The initial event was inspired by the 2010 Pakistan floods. Triggered by monsoon rains, the floods left approximately one-fifth of the country of Pakistan underwater, affecting over 14 million people and damaging or destroying over 900,000 homes. Teaming up with Richard Branson’s Virgin Unite and Vokle.com, Heap and Ermacorda create an online webcast/fundraiser to raise awareness and money for the flood stricken. Hosted by comedian, creative, and internet personality Ze Frank, the webcast included a series of conversations with Cameron Sinclair of Architecture for Humanity, Mark Pearson, Gary Slutkin, and Anders Wilhelmson, (and later Richard Branson and Mary Robinson) with live performances by musicians Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Kate Havnevik, KT Tunstall, Josh Groban, Kaki King, Zoe Keating and Mark Isham.

The premise of ''Live 4 X'' thus established, Heap has since continued to refine the model, organize, host, and perform a number of charitable, streaming-live, concert events. By integrating live entertainment with educated discussion and technology, ''Live 4 X'' became an effective charitable outreach tool.

Following the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of 2011, Heap told Washington Times Communities journalist and recording artist Jennifer Grassman, that she intended to continue organizing ''Live 4 X'' events to benefit various charitable causes.

Catalog of ''Live 4 X'' events to date:

August 31, 2010 – ''Live 4 Pakistan'' raised funds for flood relief and recovery in that region. Musicians included Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Kate Havnevik, KT Tunstall, Josh Groban, and Zoe Keating. In an ironic turn of events, Heap, was kept from appearing on ''Live 4 Pakistan'' due to Hurricane Earl which at the time was progressing along the US eastern seaboard. Heap, stranded and unable to get an internet connection, later posted a video message as well as a performance of her song “Wait It Out” from ''Ellipse''. February 3, 2011 – ''Live 4 Capetown'' April 11, 2011 – ''Live 4 Sendai'' raised funds for Japanese tsunami recovery following the disastrous Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The event was also used to solicit rebuilding design ideas on behalf of Architecture for Humanity. Performers included Amanda Palmer, Ben Folds, KT Tunstall and Jamie Cullum and hosted by Ze Frank.

Film

After touring for nearly two years straight for her album Speak For Yourself Imogen continued her travels, this time with only a laptop and video camera on hand as she began her writing trip for her next album. Nine weeks later she returned to the UK with the beginnings of the award-winning ''Ellipse'' and footage (as requested by a fan to film the making of the album) from its quiet beginning. Back in Essex, Imogen sought the talents of long-time friend and film maker Justine Pearsall to continue documenting the creation of the album. The film documents every moment of joy, excitement, frustration, and even the renovation of the Imogen’s childhood home including turning her old playroom into her new home studio. ''Everything In-Between: The Story of Ellipse'' is scheduled to be released in November 2010.

On November 5, 2010 at the Royal Albert Hall, Heap conducted an orchestra (including friends and family) as they performed an original composition by Imogen herself orchestrated by Andrew Skeet. It was the score to the concept film Love The Earth - in creative partnership and co-production with Thomas Ermacora again for another Bubbletank production - in which fans were invited to submit video footage highlighting all of the breathtaking qualities of nature to be selected and edited into a film. This performance was broadcasted live worldwide.

In March for the Birds' Eye Festival at the BFi Imogen composed in collaboration with Andrew Skeet an a cappella choral score to the first ever surrealist film ‘The Seashell and the Clergyman’ (Germaine Dulac, 1927) with the Holst Singers.

Heap also performed in the Film and Music Arena at Latitude Festival in 2011.

Discography

1998: ''iMegaphone''

2005: ''Speak For Yourself''

2009: ''Ellipse''

Frou Frou

''Details'' (2002 • Island Records/MCA/Universal) (UK: #128)

"Breathe In" (single) (2002 • Island Records/Universal) (UK: #44)

"Its Good To Be In Love" (single) (2002 • Island Records/Universal)

"Must Be Dreaming" (single) (2002 • Island Records/Universal)

"Let Go" (Promotional single)

Guest appearances

''Hate'' EP by Acacia (1996 • Radar Records)

''Sway'' EP by Acacia (1996 • Radar Records)

''Maddening Shroud'' EP by Acacia (1997 • WEA)

''Cradle'' by Acacia – all tracks except "Wire" (1997 • WEA)

''Blanket'' by Urban Species – "Blanket" and "Predictably Unpredictable" (1998)

''Amor Fati'' by Mich Gerber – "Embers of Love", "Sirens Call (Qishm)" and "Mare" (2000)

''¡Viva Nueva!'' by Rustic Overtones – "Valentine's Day Massacre" (2001 • Tommy Boy Records)

''You Had It Coming'' by Jeff Beck – "Dirty Mind" and "Rollin' and Tumblin'" (2001 • Sony Music)

''Tell 'Em Who We Are'' by LHB – "Coming Up For Air" (2003 • Telstar TV)

''Contact Note'' by Jon Hopkins – "Second Sense" (2004 • Just Music)

''It's Better To Have Loved EP'' by Temposhark – "Not That Big (Metronomy Remix)" (2005 • Paper & Glue)

''Foiled'' by Blue October – "Congratulations" (2006 • Universal Records)

''Musikain'' by J. Peter Schwalm – "P.I.N." (2006 • Musikain Records)

''The Invisible Line'' by Temposhark – "Not That Big" (2007 • Paper & Glue)

''London Undersound'' by Nitin Sawhney – "Bring It Home" (2008 • Cooking Vinyl)

''Kingdom of Welcome Addiction'' by IAMX – "My Secret Friend" (2009 • Metropolis Records)

''The Boy Who Knew Too Much'' by Mika – "By The Time" (2009 • Casablanca Records)

''Live at Ronnie Scott's - Jeff Beck - (2008 • Eagle Records) - (2009 • DVD)

Compilation appearances

''New Dawn (Class of '94)'' – "Missing You" – (1994)

''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer'' soundtrack – "Getting Scared" – (1998 • Warner Music Group)

''Virtual Sexuality'' soundtrack – "Come Here Boy" – (1998 • EMI)

''G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time'' soundtrack – "Mean Time" (with GMT) – (1999 • Island Records/Universal)

''Serve Chilled'' – "Blanket" (with Urban Species) – (1999 • Hed Kandi)

''Women Talking Dirty'' soundtrack – "Getting Scared" – (2001 • Polygram International)

''American Psycho 2: All American Girl'' soundtrack – "Angry Angel" – (2002 • Rondor Music (London) Ltd)

''Garden State'' – "Let Go" – (2004 • Epic Records/Sony BMG)

''Nearing Grace'' Soundtrack – "The Walk" – (2005 • Sony BMG)

''Music from the OC: Mix 4'' – "Goodnight and Go" – (2005 • Warner Music Group)

''Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends'' – "I'm A Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)" – (2005 • Astralwerks/EMI)

''Just Like Heaven'' Soundtrack – "Spooky" – (2005 • Sony BMG)

''Music from the OC: Mix 5'' – "Hide and Seek" – (2005 • Warner Music Group)

''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' – "Can't Take It In" – (2005 • Disney Records/EMI)

''The Last Kiss'' soundtrack – "Hide and Seek" – (2005 • Lakeshore Pictures)

''Plague Songs'' – "Glittering Clouds (Locusts)" – (2006 • 4AD)

''So You Think You Can Dance (US)'' – "Hide and Seek" – (2006)

''So You Think You Can Dance (US)'' – "Let Go" – (2006)

''The Black Donnellys'' – "The Moment I Said It" – (2007)

''In Search of Sunrise 6'' – "Hide and Seek" (Tiëstos' In Search Of Sunrise Remix) – (2007)

''The Holiday'' – "Just For Now" and "Let Go" (Under 'Frou Frou') – (2006)

''So You Think You Can Dance'' – "The Moment I Said It" – (2007)

''Heroes'' Original Soundtrack – "Not Now, But Soon" – (2008 • NBC Records)

''Criminal Minds'' – "The Moment I Said It" – (2008)

''Songs For Tibet – The Art of Peace''' – "Hide & Seek 2" – (2008)

''Greys Anatomy'' – "Bad Body Double" – (2009)

''So You Think You Can Dance (US)'' - "Aha!" - (2009)

''The Vampire Diaries'' - "Wait it Out" - (2009)

''Melrose Place - "Aha!" - (2009)

''Powder Blue'' - "Blanket" - (2009)

''Chuck'' – "Wait it Out" – (2010)

''CSI: NY'' - "Wait it Out" - (2010)

References

External links

Official website

Imogen Heap, french website.

Imogen Heap's New Music Business Model

Bob Lefsetz on Imogen Heap

Auralgasms Interview From January 2006

Imogen Heap video interview on TiFFcast, November 2006

Portrait of Imogen Heap on 365portraits.com

Imogen Heap plays the Array mbira on numerous recordings and in concert

Review of First Train Home at Daily Music Guide

Interview with Jessica Lewis at "Exclaim!"

Interview with Imogen Heap for www.4ortherecord.com

Photo Report @ Milano (2010)

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:English female singers Category:Female rock singers Category:People from Havering (district) Category:English singer-songwriters Category:People educated at the BRIT School Category:Ableton Live users Category:Grammy Award winners Category:English electronic musicians Category:People educated at Friends School Saffron Walden

ca:Imogen Heap cs:Imogen Heap da:Imogen Heap de:Imogen Heap fr:Imogen Heap ko:이모전 힙 it:Imogen Heap hu:Imogen Heap nl:Imogen Heap no:Imogen Heap pl:Imogen Heap pt:Imogen Heap simple:Imogen Heap fi:Imogen Heap sv:Imogen Heap th:อิโมเก็น ฮีป tr:Imogen Heap

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
background	solo_singer
birth name	Geoffrey Arnold Beck
born	June 24, 1944Wallington, England
instrument	Guitar, bass, talk box, vocals, trumpet, drums, flute, contrabass
genre	Blues rock, jazz fusion, instrumental rock, hard rock, electronica, progressive rock
occupation	Musician, songwriter, actor
years active	1964-present
label	EMI, Epic (punch)
associated acts	The Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group, The Honeydrippers, Beck, Bogert & Appice, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Big Town Playboys, Upp, Eric Clapton, Duff McKagan
website
notable instruments	Fender Jeff Beck Signature Model StratocasterJeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood }}

Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists, to have played with The Yardbirds. (Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page are the other two.) Beck also formed The Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice.

Much of Beck's recorded output has been instrumental, with a focus on innovative sound and his releases have spanned genres ranging from blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and most recently, an additional blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Although he recorded two hit albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck has not established or maintained a broad following or the sustained commercial success of many of his collaborators and bandmates. Beck appears on albums by Mick Jagger, Kate Bush, Roger Waters, Stevie Wonder, Les Paul, Zucchero, Cyndi Lauper, Brian May and ZZ Top. In 1988, he made a cameo appearance in the movie ''Twins''.

He was ranked 14th in ''Rolling Stone's'' list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and the magazine has described him as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock". He was also ranked second greatest rock guitarist of all time in Digital Dream Door, a site that ranks movies and music. MSNBC has called him a "guitarist's guitarist". Beck has earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a member of The Yardbirds (1992) and as a solo artist (2009).

Biography

Early life

}} Beck was born in 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck at 206 Demesne Road, Wallington, England. As a ten year old Beck sang in a church choir. As a teenager he learned to play a borrowed guitar and made several attempts to build his own instrument, first by gluing and bolting together cigar boxes for the body and an unsanded fence-post for the neck with model aircraft control-lines and frets simply painted on. When fabricating a neck for his next try he attempted to use measurements for a bass guitar.

Beck has cited Les Paul as the first electric guitar player who impressed him. Cliff Gallup, lead guitarist with Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps was an early musical influence, followed by B.B. King and Steve Cropper.

Upon leaving school he attended Wimbledon College of Art, after which he was briefly employed as a painter and decorator, a groundsman on a golf course and a car paint-sprayer. Beck's sister introduced him to Jimmy Page when both were teenagers.

Early career

Beck began his career in the 1960s. He joined "The Rumbles" a Croydon band in 1963 for a short period as lead guitarist, playing Gene Vincent and Buddy Holly songs, displaying a talent for mimicking guitar styles. His first appearance on vinyl was as a session guitarist on a 1964 Parlophone single by The Fitz and Startz entitled 'I'm Not Running Away' c/w 'So Sweet'.

In March 1965 Beck was recruited by The Yardbirds to replace Eric Clapton on the recommendation of fellow session man Jimmy Page, who had been their initial choice. The Yardbirds recorded most of their Top 40 hit songs during Beck's time with the band, which was short (but significant), allowing him only one full album, ''Yardbirds'' which became known as ''Roger the Engineer'', released in 1966. From September to November 1966 he shared lead guitar duties with Page, who initially joined as bass player in June of that year.

In February 1967, after recording the one-off "Beck's Bolero" (with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Nicky Hopkins and Keith Moon) and two solo hit singles in the UK, "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and "Tallyman", Beck formed The Jeff Beck Group, which featured Rod Stewart on vocals, Ronnie Wood on bass, Nicky Hopkins on piano and, after a series of drummers, eventually Micky Waller.

The group produced two albums for Columbia Records (Epic in the US): ''Truth'' (August 1968) and ''Beck-Ola'' (July 1969). ''Truth'', released five months before the first Led Zeppelin album, features "You Shook Me", a song written and first recorded by Willie Dixon that was also covered on the Led Zeppelin debut. It sold well (reaching number 15 on the ''Billboard'' charts). ''Beck-Ola'', while well-received, saw drummer Micky Waller replaced by Tony Newman, and was less successful both commercially and critically. Resentment, coupled with touring incidents, led the group to dissolve in July 1969.

Nick Mason recalls in his autobiography that during 1967 Pink Floyd had wanted to recruit Beck to be their guitarist after the departure of Syd Barrett but "None of us had the nerve to ask him".

After the break-up of his group Beck took part in the ''Music From Free Creek'' "super session" project, billed as "A.N. Other" and contributed lead guitar on four songs, including one co-written by him. Next he teamed up with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, the rhythm section of Vanilla Fudge in September 1969, when Bogert and Appice came to England to resolve contractual issues, but when Beck fractured his skull in a car accident near Maidstone in December the plan was postponed for two-and-a-half years, during which time Bogert and Appice formed Cactus. Beck later remarked on the 1960s period of his life: "Everyone thinks of the 1960s as something they really weren't. It was the frustration period of my life. The electronic equipment just wasn't up to the sounds I had in my head.''

In 1970, when Beck had regained his health, he set about forming a band with drummer Cozy Powell. Beck, Powell and producer Mickie Most flew to the US and recorded several tracks at Motown Studios with Motown session men, but the results remained unreleased. By April 1971 Beck had completed the line-up of this new group with guitarist/vocalist Bobby Tench, keyboard player Max Middleton and bassist Clive Chaman. The new band performed as the "Jeff Beck Group" but had a substantially different sound from the first line-up. ''Rough and Ready'' (October 1971), the first album they recorded, on which Beck wrote or co-wrote six of the album's seven tracks (the exception being written by Middleton), included elements of soul, rhythm-and-blues and jazz, foreshadowing the direction Beck's music would take later in the decade.

A second album ''Jeff Beck Group'' (July 1972) was recorded at TMI studios in Memphis, Tennessee with the same personnel. Beck employed Steve Cropper as producer and the album displayed a strong soul influence, five of the nine tracks being covers of songs by American artists. One, "I Got To Have A Song", was the first of four Stevie Wonder compositions covered by Beck. Shortly after the release of the ''Jeff Beck Group'' album the band was dissolved and Beck's management put out the statement that: "The fusion of the musical styles of the various members has been successful within the terms of individual musicians, but they didn't feel it had led to the creation of a new musical style with the strength they had originally sought."

Beck then started collaborating with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, who became available following the demise of Cactus but continued touring as Jeff Beck Group in August 1972, to fulfil contractual obligations with his promoter, with a line-up including Bogert, Appice, Max Middleton and vocalist Kim Milford. After six appearances Milford was replaced by Bobby Tench, who was flown in from the UK for the ''Arie Crown Theatre'' Chicago performance and the rest of the tour, which concluded at the Paramount North West Theatre, Seattle. After the tour Tench and Middleton left the band and the power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice appeared: Appice took on the role of vocalist with Bogert and Beck contributing occasionally. They were included on the bill for ''Rock at The Oval'' in September 1972, still as the "Jeff Beck Group", which marked the start of a tour schedule of UK, the Netherlands and Germany. Another US tour began in October 1972, starting at the Hollywood Sportatorium Florida and concluding on 11 November 1972 at The Warehouse, New Orleans. In April 1973 the album ''Beck, Bogert & Appice'' was released (on Epic Records). While critics acknowledged the band's instrumental prowess the album was not commercially well received except for its cover of Stevie Wonder's hit "Superstition".

On 3 July 1973 Beck joined David Bowie on-stage to perform "The Jean Genie"/"Love Me Do" and "Around and Around". The show was recorded and filmed but none of the released editions included Beck. During October 1973 Beck recorded tracks for Michael Fennelly's album ''Lane Changer'' and attended sessions with Hummingbird, a band derived from The Jeff Beck Group, but did not to contribute to their eponymous first album

Early in January 1974 the band played at the Rainbow Theatre, as part of a European tour. The concert was broadcast in full on the US show ''Rock Around the World'' in September of the same year. This last recorded work by the band previewed material intended for a second studio album, included on the bootleg ''At Last Rainbow''. The tracks ''Blues Deluxe'' and ''BBA Boogie'' from this concert were later included on the Jeff Beck compilation ''Beckology'' (1991). Beck, Bogert & Appice dissolved in April 1974 before their second studio album (produced by Jimmy Miller) was finished. Their live album ''Beck, Bogert & Appice Live in Japan'', recorded during their 1973 tour of Japan, was not released until February 1975 by Epic/Sony.

After a few months Beck entered Underhill Studio and met with the group Upp, whom he recruited as backing band for his appearance on the BBC TV programme ''Guitar Workshop'' in August 1974. Beck produced and played on their self-titled debut album and their second album ''This Way Upp'', though his contributions to the second album went uncredited. In October Beck began to record instrumentals at AIR Studios with Max Middleton, bassist Phil Chen and drummer Richard Bailey, using George Martin as producer and arranger. ''Blow by Blow'' (March 1975) evolved from these sessions and showcased Beck's technical prowess in jazz-rock. The album reached number four in the charts and is Beck's most commercially-successful release. Beck, fastidious about overdubs and often dissatisfied with his solos, often returned to AIR Studios until he was satisfied. A couple of months after the sessions had finished Martin received a telephone call from Beck, who wanted to record a solo section again. Bemused, Martin replied: "I'm sorry, Jeff, but the record is in the shops!"

Beck put together a live band for a US tour, preceded by a small and unannounced gig at The Newlands Tavern in Peckham, London. He toured through April and May 1975, mostly supporting the Mahavishnu Orchestra, retaining Max Middleton on keyboards but with the new rhythm section of Wilbur Bascomb (bass) and noted session drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. In a May 1975 show in Cleveland, Ohio (Music Hall), he became frustrated with an early version of a "talk box" he used on his arrangement of The Beatles "She's A Woman," and after breaking a string, tossed his legendary Yardbirds-era Stratocaster off the stage. He did the same with the talk box and finished the show playing a Les Paul and without the box. During this tour he performed at Yuya Uchida's "World Rock Festival," playing a total of eight songs with Purdie. In addition he performed a guitar and drum instrumental with Johnny Yoshinaga and, at the end of the festival, joined in a live jam with bassist Felix Pappalardi of Mountain and vocalist Akira "Joe" Yamanaka from the Flower Travellin' Band. Only his set with Purdie was recorded and released.

He returned to the studio and recorded ''Wired'' (1976), which paired the drummer and composer Narada Michael Walden and keyboardist Jan Hammer. The album used a jazz-rock fusion style which sounded similar to the work of his two collaborators. To promote the album, Beck joined forces with the Jan Hammer Group, playing a show supporting Alvin Lee at The Roundhouse in May 1976, before embarking on a seven-month long world tour. This resulted in the live album ''Jeff Beck with The Jan Hammer Group - Live'' (1977).

At this point, Beck was a tax exile and took up residency in the US, remaining there until his return to the UK in the autumn of 1977. In the spring of 1978, he began rehearsing with bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Gerry Brown towards a projected appearance at the Knebworth Festival, but this was cancelled after Brown dropped out. Beck toured Japan for three weeks in November 1978 with an ad-hoc group consisting of Clarke and newcomers Tony Hymas (keyboards) and Simon Phillips (drums) from Jack Bruce's band. Work then began on a new studio album at The Who's Ramport Studios in London and continued sporadically throughout 1979, resulting in ''There and Back'' in June 1980. It featured three tracks composed and recorded with Jan Hammer, while five were written with Hymas. Stanley Clarke was replaced by Mo Foster on bass, both on the album and the subsequent tours. Its release was followed by extensive touring in the USA, Japan and the UK.

1980s

In 1981 Beck made a series of historic live appearances with his Yardbirds predecessor Eric Clapton at the Amnesty International-sponsored benefit concerts dubbed ''The Secret Policeman's Other Ball'' shows. He appeared with Clapton on "Crossroads", "Further On Up The Road", and his own arrangement of Stevie Wonder's "Cause We've Ended As Lovers". Beck also featured prominently in an all-star band finale performance of "I Shall Be Released" with Clapton, Sting, Phil Collins, Donovan and Bob Geldof. Beck's contributions were seen and heard in the resulting album and film, both of which achieved worldwide success in 1982. Another benefit show, the ARMS Concert for Multiple Sclerosis featured a jam with Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. They performed "Tulsa Time" and "Layla". This is the only time all of the Yardbirds lead guitarists appeared on stage together.

In 1985 Beck released ''Flash'', featurng a variety of vocalists, but most notably former bandmate Rod Stewart on a rendition of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready".

After a four year break, Jeff made a return to instrumental music with the album ''Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop'' (1989), the first album to feature Beck as a fingerstyle guitarist, leaving the plectrum playing style. It was only his 3rd album to be released in the 1980s. Much of Beck's sparse and sporadic recording schedule was due in part to a long battle with noise-induced tinnitus.

1990s

In the 1990s, Beck had a higher musical output. He is featured on lead guitar on Roger Waters' 1992 concept album ''Amused to Death'', and on Kate Bush's 1993 album ''The Red Shoes''.

He recorded the instrumental soundtrack album Frankie's House (1992), as well as Crazy Legs (1993), a tribute album to 50's rockabilly group Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and their influential guitarist Cliff Gallup.

Beck rehearsed with Guns N' Roses for their concert in Paris in 1992, but did not play in the actual concert due to ear damage caused by a Matt Sorum cymbal crash, causing Beck to become temporarily deaf. The Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. In Beck's acceptance speech he humorously noted that:

}} He accompanied Paul Rodgers of Bad Company on the album ''Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters'' in 1993. Jeff's next release would not be until 1999, his first foray into guitar based electronica, ''Who Else!'' The album also marked Beck's first collaboration with a female musician, Jennifer Batten, in touring, writing, and recording as well as the first time he had worked with another guitarist on his own material since playing in The Yardbirds. Beck continued to work with Batten through the post-release tour of ''You Had It Coming'' in 2001.

2000s

Jeff Beck won his third Grammy Award, this one for 'Best Rock Instrumental Performance' for the track "Dirty Mind" from ''You Had It Coming'' (2001).

The song "Plan B," from the 2003 release ''Jeff,'' earned Beck his fourth Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, and was proof that the new electro-guitar style he used for the two earlier albums would continue to dominate. Jeff Beck was the opening act for B.B. King in the summer of 2003 and appeared at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004.

In 2007, he accompanied Kelly Clarkson for her cover of Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)", during the Idol Gives Back episode of ''American Idol''. The performance was recorded live and afterwards was immediately released for sale. In the same year, he appeared once again at Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, performing with Vinnie Colaiuta, Jason Rebello, and the then 21-year-old bassist Tal Wilkenfeld.

Beck announced a world tour in early 2009 and remained faithful to the same lineup of musicians as in his tour two years before, playing and recording at Ronnie Scott's in London to a sold out audience. Beck played on the song "Black Cloud" on the 2009 Morrissey album ''Years of Refusal'' and later that year, Harvey Goldsmith became Beck's Manager.

Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 4 April 2009, as a solo artist. The award was presented by Jimmy Page. On 4 July 2009, David Gilmour joined Beck onstage at the Albert Hall. Beck and Gilmour traded solos on "Jerusalem" and closed the show with "Hi Ho Silver Lining".

Beck's latest album, ''Emotion & Commotion'', was released in April 2010. It features a mixture of original songs and covers such as "Over the Rainbow" and "Nessun Dorma". Joss Stone provides some of the guest vocals. Two tracks from ''Emotion & Commotion'' won Grammys in 2011: "Nessun Dorms" won the Best Pop Instrumental Performance and "Hammerhead" won the Best Rock Instrumental Performance".

Beck's 2010 World Tour band features Grammy winning musician Narada Michael Walden on drums, Rhonda Smith on bass and Jason Rebello on keyboards. Beck collaborated on "Imagine" for the 2010 Herbie Hancock album, ''The Imagine Project'' along with Seal, P!nk, India.Arie, Konono N°1, Oumou Sangare and others. He has also released a live album titled Live and Exclusive from the Grammy Museum on October 25, 2010.

In 2011, Beck received two honorary degrees from British universities. On 18 July 2011, he was honoured with a fellowship from University of the Arts London in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to the field of Music". He was also presented with an honorary doctorate from University of Sussex by Sanjeev Bhaskar, the university's chancellor for “an outstanding musical career and celebrated the relationship between the university and the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM)" on 21 July 2011.

Influences

One of the most influential guitarists in the history of rock music, Jeff Beck has cited his major influences as Les Paul, The Shadows, Cliff Gallup, Ravi Shankar, Roy Buchanan, Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Steve Cropper and Lonnie Mack. Of John McLaughlin, he said: "he has given us so many different facets of the guitar and introduced thousands of us to world music, by blending Indian music with jazz and classical. I'd say he was the best guitarist alive."

While Beck was not the first rock guitarist to experiment with electronic distortion, he nonetheless helped to redefine the sound and role of the electric guitar in rock music. Beck's work with The Yardbirds and The Jeff Beck Group's 1968 album ''Truth'' were seminal influences on heavy metal music, which emerged in full force in the early 1970s.

Technique and equipment

Beck stopped regular use of a pick (plectrum) in the 1980s. He produces a wide variety of sounds by using his fingers and the vibrato bar on his signature Fender Stratocaster, although he frequently uses a wah-wah pedal both live and in the studio. As Eric Clapton once said, "With Jeff, it’s all in his hands". Along with Fender Stratocasters, Beck occasionally plays Fender Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul models as well. His amplifiers are primarily Fender and Marshall. In his earlier days with the Yardbirds, Beck also used a 1954 Fender Esquire guitar (now owned by Seymour W. Duncan, and housed in the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) through Vox AC30s. He has also played through a variety of fuzz pedals and echo-units along with this set-up and has used the Pro Co RAT distortion pedal.

He is noted for changes of musical style and direction throughout his career. Ritchie Blackmore once praised this aspect of Jeff in an interview to Martin K. Webb, when the interviewer asked him what he means by "chance music", he replied:

During the ARMS Charity Concerts in 1983 Beck used his battered Fender Esquire along with a 1954 Fender Stratocaster and a Jackson Soloist. On the Crazy Legs (1993) he played a Gretsch Duo Jet, his signature Fender Stratocaster and various other guitars. Recently Fender created a Custom Shop Tribute series version of his beat-up Fender Esquire as well as his Artist Signature series Stratocaster.

Personal life

Beck has been married to Sandra Cash since 2005. Beck describes himself as a vegetarian. He has an interest in classic Ford hot rods, performing much of the work on the exteriors and engines of the cars by himself.

Discography

See also

List of rock instrumentals

Bibliography

Carson, Annette. ''Jeff Beck: Crazy Fingers''. Backbeat books (2002). ISBN 0-87930-632-7

Horjt, Chris and Hinman, Doug. ''Jeff's book : A chronology of Jeff Beck's career 1965-1980 : from the Yardbirds to Jazz-Rock''. Rock 'n' Roll Research Press, (2000). ISBN 0-9641005-3-3

Foster, Mo.''17 watts?: The Birth of British Rock Guitar''. Sanctuary (1997 and 2000). ISBN 978-1-86074-267-5

References

External links

Press conference and master class by Jeff Beck in Moscow 2010

Jeff Beck Official Site

''Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame: Jeff Beck'' FuseTV

Jeff Beck at Epic Records

Jeff Beck 1954 Les Paul Oxblood

Jeff Beck unofficial website

Category:English blues guitarists Category:English songwriters Category:English rock guitarists Category:Lead guitarists Category:English vegetarians Category:Musicians from London Category:People from Wallington, London Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:The Yardbirds members Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Fingerstyle guitarists Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:Blues rock musicians Category:Musicians from Tunbridge Wells Category:British rhythm and blues boom musicians

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Ronnie Scott (28 January 1927 – 23 December 1996) was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.

Life and career

Ronnie Scott(originally Ronald Schatt) was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of sixteen. he toured with Johnny Claes, the trumpeter, from 1944 to 1945 and with Ted Heath in 1946, as well as working with Ambrose, Cab Kaye, and Tito Burns. He was involved in the short-lived musicians' co-operative Club Eleven band and club (1948–1950), with Johnny Dankworth and others, and was a member of the generation of British musicians who worked on the Cunard liner ''Queen Mary'' (intermittently 1946–c. 1950) in order to visit New York and hear the new music directly. Scott was among the earliest British musicians to be influenced in his playing style by Charlie Parker and other bebop musicians.

In 1952 Scott joined Jack Parnell's orchestra, then led his own nine-piece group and quintet featuring among others, Pete King, with whom he would later open his jazz club, Victor Feldman, Hank Shaw and Phil Seamen from 1953 to 1956. He co-led The Jazz Couriers with Tubby Hayes from 1957 to 1959, and was leader of a quartet including Stan Tracey (1960–1967).

During this period he also did occasional session work; his best-known work here is the solo on The Beatles' "Lady Madonna". He was said to be upset at the amount of his saxophone that made the final cut on the original record . He also played on film scores, including "Fear Is the Key", composed by Roy Budd.

From 1967–69, Scott was a member of The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band which toured Europe extensively and which also featured fellow tenor players Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, at the same time running his own octet including John Surman and Kenny Wheeler (1968–1969), and a trio with Mike Carr on keyboards and Bobby Gien on drums (1971–1975). He then went on to lead various groups, most of which included John Critchinson on keyboards and Martin Drew on drums.

Ronnie Scott's playing was much admired on both sides of the Atlantic. Charles Mingus said of him in 1961: "Of the white boys, Ronnie Scott gets closer to the negro blues feeling, the way Zoot Sims does." Despite his central position in the British jazz scene, Scott recorded infrequently during the last few decades of his career. He suffered periods of depression and, while recovering slowly from surgery for tooth implants, died at age 69 from an accidental overdose of barbiturates prescribed by his dentist.

He was cremated at the Golders Green Crematorium.

The author Joel Lane is Scott's nephew.

==Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club== Scott is perhaps best remembered for co-founding, with former tenor sax player Pete King, the Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, which opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district, with the debut of a young alto sax player named Peter King (no relation), before later moving to a larger venue nearby at 47 Frith Street in 1965. The original venue continued in operation as the "Old Place" until the lease ran out in 1967, and was used for performances by the up and coming generation of domestic musicians.

Scott regularly acted as the club's genial Master of Ceremonies, and was (in)famous for his repertoire of jokes, asides and one-liners. A typical introduction might go: "Our next guest is one of the finest musicians in the country. In the city, he's crap".

After Scott's death, King continued to run the club for a further nine years, before selling the club to theatre impresario Sally Greene in June 2005.

Selected band line-ups

As well as participating in name orchestras, Scott led or co-led numerous bands featuring some of Britain's most prominent jazz musicians of the day.

;Alan Dean's Beboppers:1949 :Ronnie Scott (ts), Johnny Dankworth (as), Hank Shaw (tp), Tommy Pollard (p), Pete Chilver (g), Joe Muddel (b), Laurie Morgan (d), Alan Dean (vocal). ;Ronnie Scott Orchestra: - 1954, 1955 :Ronnie Scott (ts), Derek Humble (as), Pete King (ts), Hank Shaw (tp), Ken Wray (tb), Benny Green (bs), Victor Feldman (p), Lennie Bush (b), Phil Seamen (d). ;Ronnie Scott Quintet: - 1955 :Ronnie Scott (ts), Hank Shaw (tp), Victor Feldman (p), Sammy Stokes/Lennie Bush (b), Phil Seamen (d). ;Ronnie Scott Big Band: - 1955 :Ronnie Scott, Pete King, (ts), Joe Harriott, Doug Robinson (as), Benny Green (bs), Stan Palmer, Hank Shaw, Dave Usden, Jimmy Watson, (tp) Jack Botterill, Robin Kaye, Mac Minshull, Ken Wray (tb), Norman Stenfalt (p), Eric Peter (b), Phil Seamen (d). ;The Jazz Couriers :Ronnie Scott (ts), Tubby Hayes (ts, vib), Terry Shannon (p), Phil Bates (b), Bill Eyden (d). :(On 7 April 1957, The Jazz Couriers co-led by Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott, debuted at the new Flamingo Club in Wardour Street, Soho. The group lasted until 30 August 1959). ;Ronnie Scott Quartet: (1964) :Ronnie Scott (ts), Stan Tracey (p), Malcolm Cecil (b), Jackie Dougan (d). ;Ronnie Scott Quintet: (1990) :Dick Pearce (tp), Ronnie Scott (ts), John Critchinson (p), Ron Mathewson (b), Martin Drew (d).

Selected discography

1948: ''Boppin' at Esquire'' (indigo)

1958: ''The Couriers of Jazz!'' (Carlton/Fresh Sounds)

1965: ''The Night Is Scott and You're So Swingable'' (Redial)

1965: ''When I Want Your Opinion, I'll Give it to You'' (Jazz House)

1969: ''Live at Ronnie Scott's'' (Columbia)

1977: ''Serious Gold'' (Pye)

1990: ''Never Pat a Burning Dog'' (Jazz House)

1997: ''If I Want Your Opinion'' (Jazz House)

1997: ''The Night Has a Thousand Eyes'' (Jazz House)

2000: ''Boppin' at Esquire'' (Indigo)

2002: ''Ronnie Scott Live at the Jazz Club'' (Time Music)

See also

List of jazz clubs

References

Clarke, Donald (Ed.). ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Viking, 1989.

Kernfeld, Barry Dean (Ed.). ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', Macmillan Press, 1988.

Kington, Miles; Gelly, Dave. ''The Giants of Jazz'', Schirmer Books, 1986.

Larkin, Colin. ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', 3rd edition, Macmillan, 1998.

Ruppli, Michel; Novitsky, Ed. ''The Mercury Labels. A discography'', Vol. V., Record and Artist Indexes, Greenwood Press, 1993.

Ronnie Scott with Mike Hennessey. ''Some of My Best Friends are Blues'' (autobiography). London: Northway Books, 2002. ISBN 978 0955090837

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Farrago compilation of best features from Jazz At Ronnie Scott's magazine, Hampstead Press, 2008, ISBN 9780955762802,

Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, & Brian Priestley. ''Jazz: The Rough Guide''. ISBN 1-85828-528-3

Richard Cook & Brian Morton. ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD'' 6th edition. ISBN 0-14-051521-6

External links

[ Ronnie Scott] — biography by Jason Ankeny for Allmusic

Ronnie Scott discography

Pete King - Daily Telegraph obituary

Category:1927 births Category:1996 deaths Category:Post-bop saxophonists Category:Bebop saxophonists Category:English jazz musicians Category:People associated with The Beatles Category:Accidental deaths in England Category:Drug-related deaths in England Category:English session musicians Category:English Jews Category:Jewish musicians

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