HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK CHARIG
Posted by Sid Smith on Feb 22, 2006 - This post is archived and may no longer be relevant

Born in London in1944, the trumpet and cornet player Mark Charig is probably best known by Crimheads for his work on Lizard, Islands and Red. 

It was whilst a member Long John Baldry’s Bluesology he met sax player Elton Dean and both would team up with Keith Tippett and trombonist, Nick Evans at the Barry jazz summer school in Wales during 1968. 

Charig, Dean and Evans recorded with Soft Machine in 1969 and in 1970, under the umbrella of the Keith Tippett Group released two exemplary albums of the boisterous jazz of the day that was blending some of the dynamics of rock. 


Though there are many fine moments on Lizard, his most notable contribution to Crimson would be the valedictory solo on the title track of Islands and his surprise reappearance three years later during Fallen Angel from Red.  

A familiar face on the UK and European jazz circuit, in 1977 Charig recorded the hauntingly beautiful album Pipedream with Tippett and vocalist Ann Winter.  Recorded in St.Stephen’s church in Southmead, Bristol, the opening track, Bellophon features Charig’s sonorous playing against a tolling church bell and the deep undertow of Tippett at the church organ.  It’s a priceless Charig moment.  A year later he was one of the featured soloists on Keith Tippett’s Frames: Music For An Imaginary Film.

If you only know Charig from his work in Crimson and would like to get to know his playing a little better then I’d recommend you check out You Are Here…I Am There by the Keith Tippett Group.  It’s a belter of an album and a good place to start from. 

During the writing of my book on Crimson, Mark and I left messages on each other’s answering machines.  By now he was a long standing resident of Germany and though he’d agreed to do an interview for the book, we never made it back to each other in time. 

So, raise a glass, cup or whatever is to hand and wish Mark Charig all the birthday best today. 

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