Courtney Pine

Courtney Pine

Courtney Pine is a London-born jazz musician, born in 1964, best known as a saxophonist and clarinetist who brings reggae, electronica, hip-hop, funk and Eastern sounds into his work. He begins performing professionally as a teenager and develops a reputation for an eclectic approach that sits within contemporary jazz while drawing on a wide range of other styles.

Early work and associations

Pine first forms the hard-bop group Dwarf Steps. He also tours and records with reggae artists General Saint and Clint Eastwood. Early in his career he takes part in jazz workshops with drummer John Stevens, and then joins the jazz ensemble led by Charlie Watts, the drummer of the Rolling Stones. He later tours with pianist George Russell and drummers Elvin Jones and Art Blakey.

Black British jazz and the Jazz Warriors

Pine focuses on promoting black British jazz musicians and forms Abibi Jazz Arts in 1986. That workshop leads to the Jazz Warriors, an all-black big band that includes Pine. The verified membership line also identifies him with Courtney Pine & Underground, the Jazz Warriors and Charlie Watt’s All-Star Jazz Orchestra.

Recordings and musical direction

Pine releases his first album, Journey to the Urge Within, on Antilles in 1986. It becomes one of the best-selling British jazz albums of all time. He stays with Antilles until 1992 and records four more albums for the label. Several of these records are produced by Delfeayo Marsalis, and Ellis Marsalis appears on 1989’s Vision’s Tale. On his final Antilles release, Closer to Home, Pine turns towards reggae and works with Jamaican reggae artists, with production by Gussie Clark.

He continues to move between styles on later releases. To the Eyes of Creation, issued on 4th and Broadway in 1992, draws on African and West Indian influences. Island releases the live album Eyes of Creation in 1995. That same year he issues Modern Day Stories on Verve, a more orthodox jazz album featuring Gerri Allen, Cassandra Wilson, Mark Whitfield, Eddie Henderson and Ronnie Burrage, with DJ Pogo also appearing. Pine then releases Underground on Verve in 1997, a record that combines American jazz musicians such as Cyrus Chestnut, Reginald Veal and Jeff Watts with scratching, vocals and drum and bass beats.

Later projects and collaborators

In 1998 he issues the remix album Another Story on Talkin’ Loud. For Back in the Day, released on Verve in 2000, he assembles a British line-up that includes Kele Le Roc, Beverly Knight, Eska Mtungwezi, Gary Crosby, Tony Remi and MC Mello. He releases Devotion on Telarc in 2004, playing several instruments and programming loops across a mix of styles that revisits his interest in Eastern sounds. The album also features musicians from Transglobal Underground and Young Disciples, along with tabla player Yousuf Ali Khan.

Recognition

Pine receives appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2000. Throughout his career he presents jazz as a broad and flexible form, extending beyond saxophone-led tradition into hip-hop, reggae and other influences.