British composer Dee Palmer, formerly known as David Palmer, a key figure in the sound of Jethro Tull, has died at the age of 88 in Shropshire, England.
As Ian Anderson himself explained, she’d been dealing with a string of health problems in recent years.
Her work with Jethro Tull goes all the way back to the band’s first album. Back then she was credited as David Palmer, writing and conducting the woodwind arrangements on »Move On Alone«, a song written by Mick Abrahams and included on the album »This Was«, released in 1968.
That same year she did the string quartet arrangement for »A Christmas Song«, which originally came out as the B-side of the single »Love Story«. From then on, Palmer became a regular collaborator, in charge of weaving strings, brass and woodwinds into the special blend of rock, folk, classical music and progressive experimentation that Jethro Tull developed.
In the first half of the ’70s she worked mainly as an arranger and conductor. In 1976 she started touring with the band regularly as a second keyboardist, using synthesizers on stage to recreate the orchestral parts heard on the records.
Her first album as an official member was »Songs from the Wood« from 1977. She went on to play on »Heavy Horses« (1978), the live album »Bursting Out« (1978) and »Stormwatch« (1979), closing out a period that was especially celebrated for its combination of rock
After leaving the band in 1980, Palmer carried on working in composing, arranging and orchestral music. Among her best-known works is »A Classic Case«, a symphonic take on the music of Jethro Tull, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, with some members of the band also joining in on instruments.
She also put together orchestral versions of songs by Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and Queen, carrying the progressive and classic rock repertoire over into the language of big symphonic ensembles.
In 2018 she released her solo album »Through Darkened Glass«, bringing back to life and reworking some of the musical ideas that came out of her years with Jethro Tull.
In recent years she also performed alongside guitarist Martin Barre’s band in the United States and Latin America.
At the time of her death, the two of them were still toying with the idea of recording a new orchestral version of »The Water’s Edge«, music that she and Martin Barre wrote together for a Scottish Ballet production, which premiered in 1979.
