by François CoutureRecorded after Keith Tippett's 50-piece orchestra project Centipede, Blueprint couldn't make a stronger contrast. This scaled-down session would become the starting point for the pianist's free improvisation career. His piano playing was still under a strong jazz influence and he had not started to use the instrument's bowels yet. Bassist Roy Babbington and vocalist Julie Tippetts accompany him almost throughout. Percussionists Frank Perry and Keith Bailey occasionally join in, providing mostly chimes and cymbals. The session, supervised by Robert Fripp, opens with "Song," a delicate jazzy number. With "Dance," things get more serious. Tippetts provides a steady rhythm guitar motif while everything around her breaks loose. Some numbers like "Glimpse" and "Woodcut" play more on silence than sound, exploring very quiet realms. At these points, the music is completely freed from any jazz references. Sound quality on the CD reissue is not fantastic (there is noticeable distortion in peaks), but the set remains engaging, even when one puts its historical significance aside. Oh, and by the way: those two "Blues," they aren't.