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Composer and performer Elvis Costello -- born Declan MacManus -- first performed in public in 1969, and began his recording career in 1977 with the making of the album My Aim Is True. |
Since then, he has made more than a dozen albums, as a solo artist and with the group The Attractions.
After making a name for himself in the world of pop music, Costello began branching out, experimenting with other genres and collaborating with a wide variety of artists. In 1992, Costello began his collaboration with the classical string quarter, the Brodsky Quartet. The Juliet Letters was released and followed by a highly successful world tour. In 1994, he was guest vocalist on the Grammy Award-winning record MTV Unplugged by Tony Bennett. Later that year he was commissioned to write for the viol group, Fretwork and the counter tenor, Michael Chance, for a project in commemoration of the tercentenary of Henry Purcell's death.
The year 1996 began with Costello performing in Stockholm alongside Anne Sofie von Otter with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. That year he also premiered a new composition for Anne Sofie von Otter and The Brodsky Quartet entitled "Three Distracted Women."
A stylistically diverse group of performers have recorded many of Costello's 300-plus songs. The list includes Chet Baker, Johnny Cash, June Tabor, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield, Charles Brown and George Jones, among others. In addition, Costello has written with Paul McCartney and Bill Frisell.
As a guest vocalist, Costello contributed to Hal Wilner's Weird Nightmare, a celebration of the music of Charles Mingus. He wrote lyrics for the Mingus composition "This Subdues My Passion," which was performed with the Mingus Big Band at the Free Jazz festival in Brazil in 1997. Costello once again appeared in two live performances with the Mingus Band in 2001 and again in 2003. Costello has recorded and appeared with, among others, Sam Moore, Bob Dylan, The Jazz Passengers, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Dan Hicks, The Chieftains, The Count Basie Orchestra, The Mingus Orchestra and with the gospel group, The Fairfield Four.
Following their successful collaboration on the Grammy-nominated song God Give Me Strength, which was specially composed for the film Grace of My Heart, Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach once again joined forces, this time for the acclaimed album Painted From Memory. Costello and Bacharach won a Grammy Award in 1998 for Best Collaboration with Vocals for the album track "I Still Have That Other Girl."
Costello has received several prestigious awards, including two Q Magazine Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, the coveted Nordoff-Robbins Silver Clef Award and a Grammy for his collaboration with Burt Bacharach in 1998. In 2003 he was nominated for three Grammys for When I Was Cruel and was also inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. In May 2003 Costello was awarded ASCAP's prestigious Founders Award.
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Set List for Elvis Costello on Piano Jazz:At Last (Mack, Warren)
My Funny Valentine (Rodgers, Hart)
Almost Blue (E. Costello)
The Very Thought of You (R. Noble)
Gloomy Sunday (Javor, Lewis, Seress)
You Don't Know What Love Is (DePaul, Raye)
With You In Mind (McPartland)
They'll Never Believe Me (Kern)
I'm In the Mood Again (E. Costello)
After making a name for himself in the world of pop music, Costello began branching out, experimenting with other genres and collaborating with a wide variety of artists. In 1992, Costello began his collaboration with the classical string quarter, the Brodsky Quartet. The Juliet Letters was released and followed by a highly successful world tour. In 1994, he was guest vocalist on the Grammy Award-winning record MTV Unplugged by Tony Bennett. Later that year he was commissioned to write for the viol group, Fretwork and the counter tenor, Michael Chance, for a project in commemoration of the tercentenary of Henry Purcell's death.
The year 1996 began with Costello performing in Stockholm alongside Anne Sofie von Otter with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. That year he also premiered a new composition for Anne Sofie von Otter and The Brodsky Quartet entitled "Three Distracted Women."
A stylistically diverse group of performers have recorded many of Costello's 300-plus songs. The list includes Chet Baker, Johnny Cash, June Tabor, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield, Charles Brown and George Jones, among others. In addition, Costello has written with Paul McCartney and Bill Frisell.
As a guest vocalist, Costello contributed to Hal Wilner's Weird Nightmare, a celebration of the music of Charles Mingus. He wrote lyrics for the Mingus composition "This Subdues My Passion," which was performed with the Mingus Big Band at the Free Jazz festival in Brazil in 1997. Costello once again appeared in two live performances with the Mingus Band in 2001 and again in 2003. Costello has recorded and appeared with, among others, Sam Moore, Bob Dylan, The Jazz Passengers, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Dan Hicks, The Chieftains, The Count Basie Orchestra, The Mingus Orchestra and with the gospel group, The Fairfield Four.
Following their successful collaboration on the Grammy-nominated song God Give Me Strength, which was specially composed for the film Grace of My Heart, Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach once again joined forces, this time for the acclaimed album Painted From Memory. Costello and Bacharach won a Grammy Award in 1998 for Best Collaboration with Vocals for the album track "I Still Have That Other Girl."
Costello has received several prestigious awards, including two Q Magazine Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, the coveted Nordoff-Robbins Silver Clef Award and a Grammy for his collaboration with Burt Bacharach in 1998. In 2003 he was nominated for three Grammys for When I Was Cruel and was also inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. In May 2003 Costello was awarded ASCAP's prestigious Founders Award.
Check out this week's Piano Jazz Shorts: the Piano Jazz podcast.
Subscribe!
Set List for Elvis Costello on Piano Jazz: