Theo Trio
Author: Edwin Pouncey
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Musicians: |
Julie Tippetts (v, Sri Lankan hand drums, bel |
Label: |
South West Music School |
Magazine Review Date: |
April/2012 |
Catalogue Number: |
SWMS004 |
RecordDate: |
2011 |
It is always a joy to hear the inventive partnership of vocalist Julie Tippetts and piano player Keith Tippett reunited on record. Here they are accompanied by talented 13-year-old Theo May whose violin playing adds an extra dimension to the duo's searching improvisational work. May's almost Paganini styled flourishes of excitable strings prove to be the perfect foil for Tippetts' languorous vocals and self accompanied percussion, and Tippett's continually evolving keyboard and prepared piano explorations, all of which bond seamlessly together to produce a rich and flowing series of miniature sound paintings. Theo Trio's sonic gallery is mostly filled with examples of abstract and action, the most ambitious being ‘Unsettled Shapes’ where all three players hurl themselves into a freeform whirlpool of creative depth and power. This mood dramatically changes on ‘Meandering Moonlight’ with Tippett's worldly vocal and throat singing softly crooning over a subdued piano and May's atmospherically charged violin plucking. Equally arresting is ‘Ten Things You Should Know’, a spontaneous group action piece that concludes this impressive first set. Hopefully, it won't be their last.

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