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Sting

Born 2 October 1951, in Wallsend, north-east England, Gordon Sumner's life started to change the evening a fellow musician in the Phoenix Jazzmen caught sight of his black and yellow striped sweater and decided to re-christen him Sting. Sting paid his early dues playing bass with local outfits The Newcastle Big Band, The Phoenix Jazzmen, Earthrise and Last Exit, the latter of which featured his first efforts at song writing. Last Exit were big in the North East, but their jazz fusion was doomed to fail when punk rock exploded onto the music scene in 1976. Stewart Copeland, drummer with Curved Air, saw Last Exit on a visit to Newcastle and while the music did nothing for him he did recognise the potential and charisma of the bass player. The two hooked up shortly afterwards and within months, Sting had left his teaching job and moved to London.

Seeing punk as flag of convenience, Copeland and Sting - together with Corsican guitarist Henri Padovani - started rehearsing and looking for gigs. Ever the businessman, Copeland took the name The Police figuring it would be good publicity, and the three started gigging round landmark punk venues like The Roxy, Marquee, Vortex and Nashville in London. Replacing Padovani with the virtuoso talents of Andy Summers the band also enrolled Stewart's elder brother Miles as manager, wowing him with a Sting song called 'Roxanne'. Within days Copeland Senior had them a record deal. But the hip London music press saw through The Police's punk camouflage and did little to disguise their contempt, and the band's early releases had no chart success. So The Police did the unthinkable - they went to America.

The early tours are the stuff of legend - bargain flights to the USA courtesy of Freddie Laker's pioneering Skytrain; driving their own van and humping their own equipment from gig to gig; and playing to miniscule audiences at the likes of CBGB's in New York and The Rat Club in Boston. Their tenacity paid off though as they slowly built a loyal following, got some all important air-play, and won over their audiences with a combination of new wave toughness and reggae rhythms.

They certainly made an odd trio: guitarist Summers had a career dating back to the mid-60s, the hyper- kinetic Copeland was a former prog-rocker, and Sting's background was in trad jazz and fusion. The sound the trio made was unique though, and Sting's pin-up looks did them no harm at all. The band returned to the UK to find the reissued 'Roxanne' single charting, and played a sell-out tour of mid-size venues. The momentum had started. The debut album 'Outlandos d'Amour' (Oct 78) delivered three sizeable hits with 'Roxanne', 'Can't Stand Losing You' and 'So Lonely' which in turn led to a headlining slot at the '79 Reading Festival which won the band some fine reviews, but it was with 'Reggatta de Blanc' (Oct 79) that the band stepped up a gear.

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Radio & Podcasts

Sting: An English (Jazz-)Man in New York - Companion Mixtape

Read "Sting: An English (Jazz-)Man in New York - Companion Mixtape" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


More cuts from our exploration of the jazz side of Sting, featuring his own jazzier projects and renditions of his work by the likes of Kenny Barron, Regina Carter, Dominic Miller, Michela Lombardi, Andy Bey, Marc Copland and many more. Happy listening! Playlist Lucky Peterson “We'll Be Together" Lifetime (Verve) 0:00 Sting “Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)" Soul Cages (A&M) 3:30 Kenny Barron, Regina Carter “Fragile" Freefall (Verve) 8:18 Pierluigi Balducci Ensemble “La Belle Dame Sans Regrets" ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Sting: An English (Jazz-)Man In New York - Part 2

Read "Sting: An English (Jazz-)Man In New York - Part 2" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


Although Sting is mostly known for his solo career and, before that, for fronting one of the most epic band of all times, The Police, his love for jazz has been a common thread throughout his career. His jazz sensibility became more prominent when he started his solo career with the album The Dream of the Blue Turtles and a band of young heavy weights from the New York jazz scene of the time, Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Darryl Jones ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Sting: An English (Jazz-)Man in New York - Part 1

Read "Sting: An English (Jazz-)Man in New York - Part 1" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


From his early years as a bassist in the trad Phoenix Jazzmen, the straight-ahead Newcastle Big Band, and the fusion quintet Last Exit, to his collaborations with idols like Gil Evans and Miles Davis, jazz has been a constant in Sting's artistic path. This week, we feature music from his jazzier projects as a leader or side-man, and jazz renditions of his compositions by jazz legends and up and coming masters. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison ...

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Radio & Podcasts

The (Jazz) Police

Read "The (Jazz) Police" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


September 2019 will mark the 40th anniversary of “Message in a Bottle," an auspicious opportunity to look back at the seminal work of The Police, through a jazz lens. With both Sting and Andy Summers coming to The Police with jazz in their background and Stewart Copeland being a master of polyrhythmic drumming it's not a surprise that their compositions would sound very good in the hands of jazz players. These two hours will feature some ...

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Live Review

Sting at the City Stadium in Macedonia

Read "Sting at the City Stadium in Macedonia" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski


Sting City Stadium Skopje, Macedonia June 2, 2019 It seems that singer Sting's concerts here in this part of the world border on the miraculous. Just a few days since he kicked out his new world tour in support of his new album My Songs he visited Skopje for a stadium concert. When scheduling a summer concert one would expect great summer weather in June and not a monsoon season with heavy rainfalls and thunders. ...

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Live Review

Sting at Boris Trajkovski Sports Hall in Skopje, Macedonia

Read "Sting at Boris Trajkovski Sports Hall in Skopje, Macedonia" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski


Sting Boris Trajkovski Sports Hall Skopje, Macedonia October 15, 2017 The “Boris Trajkovski" sports hall in Skopje witnessed a show as great as any in his illustrious career from the legendary musician and songwriter. Nevertheless, the attentive, full-capacity crowd who turned out witnessed something special. The gig in Skopje was next to last in Sting's world tour which began back in February. There was a tension building in the air with a ...

Live Review

Sting a Mantova

Read "Sting a Mantova" reviewed by Luca Muchetti


Sting Piazza Sordello Mantova 28.07.2017 Se non lo vogliamo definire un ritorno alle radici, davvero poco ci manca. Sting e la sua band--in una Piazza Sordello di Mantova che si farà ricordare (anche) per lo splendido colpo d'occhio -ha regalato un concerto senza passi falsi e all'insegna dello spirito più originale che spinse il giovane Sumner a imbracciare il basso elettrico. L'assetto scelto per questa nuova uscita italiana, infatti, è squisitamente rock: Dominic Miller e ...

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Performance / Tour

Off Tour With Sting, Laila Biali Is In Residency At Subculture May 10, 24 & 31 With Guests John Ellis, Jo Lawry And Zach Brock / The Requestomatic Audience Challenge

Off Tour With Sting, Laila Biali Is In Residency At Subculture May 10, 24 & 31 With Guests John Ellis, Jo Lawry And Zach Brock / The Requestomatic Audience Challenge

Source: Claudia Artzer

Award-winning Canadian pianist, vocalist and songwriter Laila Biali has toured with Grammy award-winners Suzanne Vega, Chris Botti and Paula Cole and has recorded with and supported pop icon Sting. Laila has an acute awareness and appreciation for pop and rock that she combines with her jazz training to create thrilling arrangements. Her recent CD, Live in Concert, captures the intimacy and excitement she generates on stage and the range of music she makes her own from Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, ...

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Technology

Sting Spends More Than $1million on Free Ipad App

Sting Spends More Than $1million on Free Ipad App

Source: HypeBot

When I first saw the news that Sting had an iPad app as part of his activities celebrating 25 years of solo performance, it didn't strike me as particularly startling, given that it's only a matter of time before such products will become a normal aspect of major artist releases. But when I was informed that it cost over a million dollars and found out it was being given away for free, I have to admit to being rather startled. ...

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Performance / Tour

Sting: Back to Bass Tour North America 2011

Sting: Back to Bass Tour North America 2011

Source: Universal Music Group

Live Nation is pleased to announce that this fall, Sting will embark on the Back to Bass Tour throughout North America as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of his solo career by taking it back to bass...all of the hits, stripped down, as they haven't been played in years. Tickets go on sale beginning September 19th at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

In support of his forthcoming box set collection Sting: 25 Years, slated for release on September 27, the tour features ...

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Performance / Tour

Sting: Back to Bass Tour North America 2011

Sting: Back to Bass Tour North America 2011

Source: JamBase

PERFORMING HIS GREATEST HITS, STRIPPED DOWN AND RAW IN THEATRES ACROSS THE US AND CANADA Live Nation is pleased to announce that this fall, Sting will embark on the “Back to Bass Tour" throughout North America as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of his solo career by taking it back to bass: all of the hits, stripped down, as they haven't been played in years. Tickets go on sale beginning September 19 at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. In support of his ...

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Recording

Deep Cuts: Sting, "Island of Souls" (1991)

Deep Cuts: Sting, "Island of Souls" (1991)

Source: Something Else!

By Nick DeRiso “The Soul Cages," a Sting album about boyhood grief, remains this strangely powerful if demanding narrative, one with textured song structures and densely emotional themes. Its triumph comes right away, though, on the opener “Island of Souls"—a compellingly dark, perfectly conceived tale of a riveter's son whose dream of the open sea only grows more intense when he becomes an orphan after a shipyard accident. “Island of Souls," like much of this album, takes on life and ...

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Performance / Tour

Robert and Clara and Sting and Trudie

Robert and Clara and Sting and Trudie

Source: Michael Ricci

Crossover projects in classical music have traditionally been matters of opera singers or big-ticket instrumentalists performing jazz, pop or folk music, usually not as well as the musicians who perform this material full time.

But since the late 1980s, crossover has moved in the other direction too. Stewart Copeland and Roger Waters have written operas; Paul McCartney has written a stream of orchestral, choral and piano works; Elvis Costello has composed a ballet; and Sting--Mr. Copeland's onetime colleague in the ...

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Performance / Tour

Sting's Classical Effect

Sting's Classical Effect

Source: Michael Ricci

The former Police front man is touring with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Unlike his former band's reunion tour, he is enjoying himself.

As the afternoon sun poured through the living room window of his grand apartment overlooking Central Park, Sting was calmly reflecting on his trying reunion with the Police, and anticipating, with genuine excitement, his current tour with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, performing imaginative new versions of his solo and Police hits. Sitting on a stately sofa ...

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Performance / Tour

Jorge Calandrelli Tapped to Arrange Music for Sting's Summer Tour

Jorge Calandrelli Tapped to Arrange Music for Sting's Summer Tour

Source: Michael Ricci

Arranger and composer Jorge Calandrelli was recently tapped by Sting to arrange several songs for his upcoming world tour this summer.

Accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, the tour will find Sting performing his most celebrated songs re-imagined for symphonic arrangement. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will be conducted by Maestro Steven Mercurio (Pavarotti, Bocelli).

Drawing from a diverse and illustrious career that has produced numerous multi-platinum albums, a staggering list of number one songs, countless accolades and worldwide ...

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Recording

"Sting Like A Bee" By Mike Longo

"Sting Like A Bee" By Mike Longo

Source: Michael Ricci

After more than a half-century as a jazz pianist, and having learned valuable lessons early on from studying with Oscar Peterson and playing with Dizzy Gillespie, Mike Longo delivers an incredible repertoire of in-depth musical exploration on his latest trio recording, Sting Like a Bee. This new album, also featuring jazz stalwarts Bob Cranshaw on bass and Lewis Nash on drums, showcases Longo's always-evolutionary playing on a dozen tunes recorded 'live in the studio, mostly first takes with the absolute ...

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Recording

Sting Announces 'Winter' Album for Fall

Sting Announces 'Winter' Album for Fall

Source: Billboard Magazine

Summer is just around the corner, but Sting has another season on his mind. The singer announced today (June 17) that his next album, If On a Winter's Night..., will be inspired by his favorite time of year and feature two original compositions as well as traditional songs, carols and lullabies from the British Isles. The album is slated for release October 27 on Deutsche Grammophon. “The theme of winter is rich in inspiration and material," Sting said in a ...

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Concerts

Jan 26 Sun
Feb 8 Sat
Feb 16 Sun
Sting
Parque Ibirapuera
São Paulo, Brazil
Feb 21 Fri
Sting
Movistar Arena
Santiago, Chile

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Duets

A&M Records
2021

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57th & 9th

A&M Records
2016

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If on a Winter’s...

Deutsche Grammophon
2010

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If on a Winter's...

Deutsche Grammophon
2009

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Videos

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