Biography
Keith Christie's admiration centered on American players, extending from trombonists such as Jack Teagarden to the bandleaders alongside whom they performed, and reaching past the prophets of swing and New Orleans jazz to embrace Charlie Parker and his command of the bebop saxophone. Only British jazz listeners regularly encountered the trombonist's reflections on these sources, although he did travel through both the United States and Canada in the late 1950s while a member of Ted Heath's orchestra. Heath ranks among the most respected figures to emerge from the British jazz world, and Christie performed alongside nearly every comparable leader, beginning in the closing years of the 1940s with Humphrey Lyttelton.
The musician entered the world as Ronald Christie yet consistently favored his middle name. Sharing that preference with fellow trombonist George Chisholm, he delighted in the relaxed exchanges between Louis Armstrong and Teagarden, consistently choosing the earlier jazz styles over later developments that emphasized bold experimentation or forceful attack. During the opening years of the 1950s he appeared with the Christie Brothers Stompers alongside his sibling, clarinetist Ian Christie. Between 1953 and 1955 he held a position in Johnny Dankworth's group, after which he moved among various freelance settings until securing a more permanent role with Heath. Numerous sessions from the 1970s document his work beyond jazz contexts, among them the original cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar.
The musician entered the world as Ronald Christie yet consistently favored his middle name. Sharing that preference with fellow trombonist George Chisholm, he delighted in the relaxed exchanges between Louis Armstrong and Teagarden, consistently choosing the earlier jazz styles over later developments that emphasized bold experimentation or forceful attack. During the opening years of the 1950s he appeared with the Christie Brothers Stompers alongside his sibling, clarinetist Ian Christie. Between 1953 and 1955 he held a position in Johnny Dankworth's group, after which he moved among various freelance settings until securing a more permanent role with Heath. Numerous sessions from the 1970s document his work beyond jazz contexts, among them the original cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar.