Hilary Jeffery
Green Prism
2026
music composed by Keith Tippett, arranged by Hilary Jeffery
lyrics by Julie Tippetts
performed by:
Julie Tippetts, Tobias Delius, Paul Dunmall, Hilary Jeffery, Eleni Poulou
multi-track brass played and recorded at Berlintune Studio by Hilary Jeffery (2021 – 2024)
Julie Tippetts, Paul Dunmall, Eleni Poulou, Hilary Jeffery recorded at J&J Studio, Bristol by Jim Barr (2024)
Tobias Delius, Eleni Poulou recorded at Lowswing Studio, Berlin by Guy Sternberg (2025)
mixed at Berlintune Studio by Hilary Jeffery (2024 – 2025)
final mix and master by Guy Sternberg at Lowswing Studio (2025)
produced by Hilary Jeffery
to be released on Discus Music (UK) in 2026
AUDIO PREVIEW ↓
Notes
Personal notes about the music on this album, referring to the various compositions and improvisations. Ideally a writer can turn these notes into proper liner notes for the album.
Background info:
The original compositions featured on this album are arrangements drawn mostly from a jazz suite composed by Keith Tippett entitled “Winter’s Welcome” in 2018 and 2019 for the Berlin brass ensemble Zinc & Copper.
Keith played in Berlin with Louis Moholo-Moholo in 2017. I met him again there for first time after many years and asked him if he would be interested to compose music for the brass ensemble Zinc & Copper. Keith agreed and the result was the suite “Winter’s Welcome” – consisting of the pieces “Winters Welcome”, “Eyes Ahead”, “Green Prism”, “Dance To This Trumpy Boy” and “The Sigh”. The latter piece is a ballad in which Keith encoded the message “I love you Julie”, it was one of his last ever compositions, perhaps even the last piece he wrote.
The multi-track brass recordings which were started in 2021 explore Keith’s music from different angles, like the “prism” of the title, diving into the rich harmonies which often sound like distant bells and a far-out brass ensemble. This music forms a frame and springboard for improvisations and songs by Julie Tippetts, Paul Dunmall, Tobias Delius, Hilary Jeffery and Eleni Poulou, recorded between August 2024 and August 2025.
Tracks
[1] “A Song About Gloves”
ISRC: GBV5F2619701
K.Tippett, J.Tippetts, arr H.Jeffery
Julie Tippetts – voice
Paul Dunmall – tenor saxophone
Hilary Jeffery – brass
This piece starts with a brass band rendition of Keith Tippett’s composition “A Song”, one of several pieces which Kevin Figes shared with me. As the piece evolves it transforms into an accompaniment to Julie singing her poem about gloves. The brass plays themes which Keith wrote for “Winter’s Welcome” and Paul Dunmall plays through-around-above-below the harmonies on his tenor sax, in the way which only he can do!
[2] “Dancing”
ISRC: GBV5F2619702
K.Tippett, J.Tippetts, arr H.Jeffery
Julie Tippetts – voice
Tobias Delius – tenor saxopohone
Paul Dunmall – C soprano saxophone
Hilary Jeffery – trombones, computer
This is a combination of a dance like piece composed for the original suite and a poem by Julie, which is loosely based on a previously recorded piece “Dancing On Air” from the Julie Tippetts / Martin Archer album “Illusion” Discus 131CD, with improvised saxophone from Tobias Delius and Paul Dunmall.
[3] “Green Prism Parthers”
K.Tippett, J.Tippetts arr H.Jeffery
ISRC: GBV5F2619703
Tobias Delius – clarinet
Hilary Jeffery – brass
Eleni Poulou – synthesizer, music box
The original composition “Green Prism” evokes a journey into a twilight forest, with pealing bells heard in the distance. A dense brass ensemble provides the space for sparse clarinet and synthesizer improvisations played by Tobias Delius and Eleni Poulou. It is a path into unknown territory. The path is shared by “parthers” (a term coined by Eleni Poulou) – people who make paths, people on the same path who show the path, animals on the path. The music box composition at the end was hand punched on a cardboard roll by Julie Tippetts, during the Bristol recording session.
[4] “In Breath”
ISRC: GBV5F2619704
K.Tippett, J.Tippetts, arr H.Jeffery
Julie Tippetts – voice
Paul Dunmall – tenor saxophone
Hilary Jeffery – brass
An extended version of “The Sigh” for brass band, with Julie’s poetry-song (title?) and Paul’s soulful saxophone.
[5] “Thoughts”
ISRC: GBV5F2619705
K.Tippett, arr H.Jeffery
Tobias Delius – clarinet, tenor saxophone
Paul Dunmall – melodica
Hilary Jeffery – brass, melodica
Eleni Poulou – synthesizer, melodica
Julie Tippetts – voice
This piece starts with an arrangement of Keith’s composition “Thoughts To Geoff” played together with Tobias Delius on tenor sax and clarinet. This was the first piece by Keith which I played at his jazz workshop at the Dartington summer school in 1991. The journey then expands in multiple directions with themes from the composition “Green Prism” and other riffs and figures composed by Keith for the original suite. This is a multi-dimensional collision of riffs, backings, themes, “Green Prism” played at a fast tempo, outer space synthesizer, many solo’s taking place simultaneously, frenetic melodica playing and Julie’s voice at the centre. This all evokes the feeling of multiple worlds and times moving together, which is something Keith conjured up in his big band work with large ensemble collective improvisations – celebratory, ecstatic and transcendent!
[6] “Green Prism – The Rock”
ISRC: GBV5F2619706
K.Tippett, J.Tippetts, arr H.Jeffery
Julie Tippetts – voice
Paul Dunmall – tenor saxophone
Hilary Jeffery – trombone, brass
Eleni Poulou – synthesizer
Another rendition of the original composition “Green Prism”, where the musicians dance their improvisations in a more active way through, behind, above and between the complex labyrinthine harmonies, with Julie’s poem (title?) creating a reflective narrative.
[7] “One Year On”
K.Tippett, J.Tippetts, arr H.Jeffery
Julie Tippetts – voice
Hilary Jeffery – brass
ISRC: GBV5F2619707
The melodies and chords for this piece come from the original suite, with Julie’s poem “One Year On”. As in all the vocal performances on this record, Julie responded directly in the moment to the music, everything sung in one take.
[8] “The Sigh”
ISRC: GBV5F2619708
Hilary Jeffery – trombones
This is a ballad in which Keith encoded the message “I love you Julie”, it is one of his last ever compositions, perhaps even the last piece he wrote.
More Background Info
I first came across the music of Keith Tippett in my late teens, at that time I also did my first concert with Paul Dunmall in Worcester organised by Bruce Coates, also including the drummer Miles Levin (son of Tony Levin from Mujician). I got to know Keith and Julie at a music workshop they gave at Dartington College of Arts in 1991, followed by participation in Keith’s jazz workshop at the Dartington Summer School, where I met and heard Paul Dunmall again. All of these encounters were revolutionary and my musical horizons expanded in all directions. Unforgettable and life changing!
Keith, Julie and Paul were very encouraging to me as I was starting out to live and work in the musical multiverse. In many ways they were role models, for how to live musically in an uncompromising and authenitc way which was deeply inspiring and motivating. I played in many recordings and gigs with Paul, plus Keith invited me to play in his Tapestry Big Band in 2002 for the Victoriaville Festival.
My last meeting with Keith was on 28th September 2017 at the Exploratorium in Berlin, where he did a duo concert with Louis Moholo-Moholo. After the gig I asked Keith if he would be interested to write music for the Berlin based brass group – Zinc & Copper. He agreed to this idea and I managed to get funding to commission him and pay for a sextet of four brass + bass and drums. We started work in 2018, and the music became a jazz suite entitled “Winter’s Welcome” which was premiered in Berlin on 17th February 2019. The original plan was for Keith and Julie to play the second set of this concert in their trio with Willi Kellers, and that we would have final rehearsals with him before the premiere. Keith’s health sadly took a turn for the worse at this time, so he and Julie did not make it for the gig. It was a a blow for the project not to be able to rehearse with Keith. I knew from my past experience that he would have brought the music to life in ways that only he could do. The concert was very well attended and received, but not what it could have been.
After Keith passed away in 2020, I resolved to take the music he had written for us and record it anew for multi-track brass. The first piece I recorded in this way was the beautiful ballad entitled “The Sigh”, dedicated to Julie, probably one of the last pieces Keith wrote. It was first broadcast on the BBC as part of the 2021 Tectonics online festival. I sent this recording to Martin Archer of Discus Music and he was keen to help realise this project, bringing in Julie and Paul for the album.
In parallel to all of this I started working and living together with Eleni Poulou in 2022 where we created a radio programme and then a band called Organza Ray. Our music moves from abstract sparse improvisations for brass and synthesizer, to fully produced pop songs, travelling via many routes featuring Eleni’s unique approach to poetry and spontaneous story telling. In 2024 we released an album for Discus Music entitled “Circle of Kiono” with contributions from the saxophonists Hayden Chisholm and Simon Rose. Later in the year we met at Jim Barr’s J & J Studio in Bristol, to record with Julie and Paul for “Green Prism” – this title is one of the main compositions which Keith originally wrote for Zinc & Copper.
artwork / design
original concert flyer (based on a photo by Julie)
album cover gallery – ideas + inspiration
Bristol session photos
