Andrew Keeling

Biography

Andrew Keeling is a composer whose vocation only became fully apparent when he was 31. He has said, "I began to think that the musical and psychological pursuits of the first half of my life were insufficient to sustain into the second half of life. Composing presented itself as a solution to this dilemma." He had previously been a cathedral chorister, played as a multi-instrumentalist in various rock bands, and performed as a flute recitalist. Meeting such composers as Sir John Tavener, John Casken, Nicola LeFanu, Anthony Gilbert and Howard Skempton, and the result of embarking on a Jungian analysis in 1987, paved the way for his subsequent creative activities.

Since the late 1980's he has written music for the likes of Opus 20, Het Trio, The Hilliard Ensemble, The Apollo Saxophone Quartet, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Evelyn Glennie, The Goldberg Ensemble, Fretwork, Virelai, Gothic Voices, Jacob Heringman, Matthew Wadsworth, Catherine King, Steven Wray, Alison Wells, Ian Mitchell and many others. Some of this music has appeared on CD releases by the Discipline Global Mobile, Riverrun, Burning Shed, Metier and UHR labels, as well as being performed and broadcast worldwide. It has also been published by Faber, Fretwork Editions, Staunch Music and Alto Publications in the UK and PRB Productions in the USA. He has written that, "Both compositionally and analytically, I wanted to reconcile certain features of the rock music I knew and liked with the things I'd assimilated from contemporary classical music."

Since the late 1960's Keeling has been a keen advocate of the music of King Crimson, and in 1999 was invited to arrange new versions of the group's music, as well as the solo guitar Soundscapes, by Robert Fripp himself. Some of these have been performed, broadcast and recorded by The Metropole Orchestra of Amsterdam, the early music group Virelai and Contact Contemporary Music Ensemble. He has also written with former Fairport Convention vocalist Judy Dyble, former King Crimson/ELP lyricist Peter Sinfield and author/poet Alison Prince, and featured as an arranger for former Fairport Convention/Steeleye Span/ Albion Band founder member Ashley Hutchins, Ken Nicol (Steeleye Span and the Albion Band) and border-pipes player, Matt Seattle. In 2009 First Things, an album of his early acoustic songs, was recorded by Ken Nicol and released by MVS Recordings. Also as a flautist, together with former King Crimson violinist David Cross, he recorded and released English Sun, an album of nine improvisations, on Noisy Records.

Andrew Keeling is also co-author, together with Mark Graham, of A Musical Guide to King Crimson, a series of books exploring the music of King Crimson and published by Spaceward Publications.

In 1997 he was awarded the first PhD in Composition from the University of Manchester, and was subsequently a lecturer at the University of Liverpool and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

Where to find Andrew Keeling online

Books

Musical Guide to Lizard by King Crimson
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 34,250. Language: English. Published: November 1, 2019 . Categories: Nonfiction » Music » Rock music, Nonfiction » Reference » Study guides
An informative, insightful guide to the secret mechanics that power the mysterious music of King Crimson. It is generously illustrated with photographs and musical notation diagrams. This is a scholastic yet accessible work. Andrew Keeling's credentials as composer and academic are impeccable. He holds a PhD from the University of Manchester and has works published by Faber in UK and by PRB in US.
The Concise Musical Guide to King Crimson and Robert Fripp (1969 - 1984)
Series: Musical Guides to King Crimson, Book 1. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 27,000. Language: English. Published: April 30, 2013 . Categories: Nonfiction » Music » Rock music
This Musical Guide sets the musical innovations of Robert Fripp and King Crimson within the wider artistic and cultural landscape tied together through the author's relation to both.
In the Shadow - Vol 2, The FraKctured Zone Diaries (2006 - 2012)
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 83,750. Language: English. Published: April 1, 2013 . Categories: Nonfiction » Biography » Autobiographies & Memoirs, Nonfiction » Music » Individual Composer & Musician
How do composers compose? And why? Andrew Keeling's diaries at The FraKctured Zone offer insight into the secret mechanics that power the creative process by disclosing the intellectual concerns, emotional impulses and habitual actions that constitute the daily grind of a composer-musician in the 21st Century and reveal how the harmonies, counterpoint and rhythms of life fuel the creative act.
Catching the Light - Book 1 - Snapshots of Lakeland
Price: $9.99 USD. Words: 1,620. Language: English. Published: October 12, 2011 . Categories: Nonfiction » Art, Architecture, Photography » Photography - Photo books
Andrew Keeling is a composer whose works have been performed, broadcast and recorded throughout the world. Along with his wife, Sue, he's been a keen fellwalker for a number of years. Together they've roamed the hills of the English Lake District since the 1970's and have recently photographed the landscapes there. This book is a record of those moments caught on film.
In the Shadow - Glimpsing the Creative Unconscious
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 156,270. Language: English. Published: April 18, 2011 . Categories: Nonfiction » Computers & Internet » Blogging
Volume 1 - The DGM Diaries (1999 - 2002) by Andrew Keeling edited by Mark Graham
Musical Guide to In The Wake of Poseidon by King Crimson and McDonald and Giles by McDonald and Giles
Series: Musical Guides to King Crimson, Book 3. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 30,710. Language: English. Published: November 27, 2010 . Categories: Nonfiction » Music » Rock music
An informative, insightful guide to the secret mechanics that power the mysterious music of King Crimson. This guide takes you through all the complexities of the music, stripping away layer after layer to reveal the inner workings of the exquisite machinery of harmony, counterpoint and rhythm that, seemingly so effortlessly, go together to make: "In The Wake Of Poseidon".
Musical Guide to Larks' Tongues In Aspic by King Crimson
Series: Musical Guides to King Crimson, Book 4. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 23,340. Language: English. Published: November 12, 2010 . Categories: Nonfiction » Music » Rock music
An informative, insightful guide to the secret mechanics that power the mysterious music of King Crimson This is a scholastic yet accessible work. that takes you through all the complexities of the music, stripping away layer after layer to reveal the inner workings of the exquisite machinery of harmony, counterpoint and rhythm that go together to make: "Larks Tongues In Aspic"
Musical Guide to In The Court Of The Crimson King by King Crimson
Series: Musical Guides to King Crimson, Book 2. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 29,780. Language: English. Published: June 8, 2010 . Categories: Nonfiction » Music » Rock music
An informative, insightful guide to the secret mechanics that power the mysterious music of King Crimson. This guide takes you through all the complexities of the music, stripping away layer after layer to reveal the inner workings of the exquisite machinery of harmony, counterpoint and rhythm that, seemingly so effortlessly, go together to make: "In The Court Of The Crimson King".