Brian Priestley
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Brian Priestley | |
|---|---|
musical arranger | |
| Instrument(s) | piano |
Brian Priestley (born 10 July 1940)[1] is an English jazz writer, pianist and arranger.
Biography
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
Since 2006, Priestley has lived in Tralee, Ireland, where he continues playing the piano and presents a show on Radio Kerry.
Discography
- 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
- 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, ISBN 1-84353-256-5(formerly as Jazz. The Essential Companion, Grafton Books 1988)
- Priestley. 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
- ^ Many sources list Priestley's year of birth as 1946, but this is inaccurate. See Priestley's entry in The Rough Guide to Jazz and this interview on his revised Charlie Parker study.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
External links
- Brian Priestley discography at Discogs
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