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A near-perfect album from the great John Surman – recorded at the crossroads of the British jazz scene as it stepped into the 70s, and done with a fullness and focus that Surman hardly matched again! As with some of the other Deram sessions of the time, the album's overflowing with great players from the cream of the British new wave of jazz – including Barre Phillips on bass, Tony Oxley on drums, Alan Skidmore on tenor, Harry Beckett on trumpet, and John Taylor on piano – but despite strong work from the entire ensemble, Surman's work on baritone, soprano, and bass clarinet are a tremendous highlight here – poised between some of Eric Dolphy's most inventive modes on the instruments, and some of the greater changes to come in the European free scene of the 70s! There's a cohesiveness here that's really wonderful – a sound that's never too free, nor too overindulgent – but also not as tightly arranged as on work by some of Surman's contemporaries. Titles include "Caractacus", "Galata Bridge", "Premonition", and the long suite "Event".

An essential lost bit of British jazz – and the first record ever released by avant reed player John Surman! The album's an interesting mix of styles, with a split that runs right down the middle. The first 4 tracks on the record reflect a distinct Carribean style, and are a good indication of the strong West Indian influence on the British jazz tradition. Surman's playing pretty straight on those tracks, and he's joined by Mike Osborne on alto, Harry Miller on bass, and Russell Henderson on piano. The other 3 tracks on the album comprise one long suite, and the style is a much better indication of Surman's avant garde leanings, and of the larger ensemble style of the Brit jazz scene of the late 60's. He plays on those with Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, Harry Beckett, Paul Rutherford, and others – and the titles include "Incantation", "Episode", and "Dance".

Beautiful sounds from reedman John Surman – played solo, but on a variety of different instruments – all in tones and textures that aptly demonstrate that Surman's style is as sonic as it is musical! The record does a great job of avoiding some of the colder elements that sometimes hold back Surman in such a setting – and really recreates that special warmth when he hit some of his moodier, more spacious modes in the 70s – spun out here on soprano, tenor, and baritone sax – plus alto, bass, and contrabass clarinets – as well as harmonica and synthesizer too! Most tracks are shortish, but very evocative – with titles that include "Glass Flower", "Whistman's Wood", "Saltash Bells", "Sailing Westwards", "The Crooked Inn", and "Dark Reflections".

A beautiful lost slice of British jazz, recorded during the crucial period before some of the scene's players went too far off the deep end! John Surman partners here with composer/leader John Warren, for a large group recording that sounds similar to some of the best early Mike Westbrook recordings. The album's comprised of a suite of 5 tracks, all played by a large group in a style that shows the best British modernist tradition of the 60's. The ensemble playing is dark and moody – but always tight at all moments. The group's soloists – like Surman, Mike Osborne, Barre Phillips, Kenny Wheeler, and others – soar out of the arrangements in tightly constructed, brilliantly realized solos that stand as some of their best work. Titles include "With Terry's Help", "We'll Make It", "The Dandelion", "The Picture Tree", and the "Tales Of The Algonquin" suite.

Pretty incredible work from the team of Stu Martin and John Surman – sounding a lot fuller than you'd expect from a two-musician set of duets like this! Martin's not only playing drums, but also some EMS synthesizers – creating wild effects on the best tracks, matched nicely with Surman's work on sax. And although the set's live, it's got an up-close intensity that's really great – and really feels a bit more like a studio album than you'd think. Titles include "Harry Lovett – Man Without A Country", "Are You Positive You're Negative", "Wrested In Mustard", "Master Of Disaster", and "Professor Goodly's Implosion Machine".

2 landmark albums from British maestro Michael Gibbs – a key link between the jazz and rock scenes of late 60s London, and one of the few artists of that crowd to really work in a large group mode! Gibbs' albums from the time are a bit like those of Mike Westbrook – in that they take an older big band mode, and infuse it with youthful energy – bringing in modern horn passages, unusual rhythms, and often a rock-based approach to the tunes that makes for some freshly grooving numbers. On both albums, Gibbs is working with the cream of the crop of the Brit crossover scene – and soloists include Chris Spedding on guitar, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, John Surman on saxes, Frank Ricotti on vibes, and Gordon Beck on electric piano. The tunes are all originals, which adds to the fresh and free-thinking nature of the set – and titles include "Feelings & Things", "Sweet Rain", "Throb", "Nowhere", "Tanglewood 63", "Canticle", "Five For England", and "Sojurn".

Groundbreaking work from one of the most unsung heroes of British jazz – tenorist Alan Skidmore, a player with a tone and a talent that took him through many settings in his day! This 1970 album is one of Skidmore's greatest moments in the studio – a blend of jazz styles that includes some of the freer-thinking ideas that were coming out of England at the end of the 60s – styles influenced by European modal jazz, American avant garde, and some of the jazz/rock crossover that many of Skidmore's contemporaries were helping to forge at the time. The group's a quintet with John Taylor on piano and electric piano, Chris Lawrence on bass, Malcolm Griffiths on trombone, and Tony Levin on drums – and on about half the tracks, they're joined by Mike Osborne and John Surman, who expand the group's power for a few full-on "out there" numbers. Titles include "Jack Knife", "Lantern Wood", "TCB", "One On One Off", and "Walk In & Dance Out".

One of the greatest albums ever from vocalist Norma Winstone – a set that really helps bring her talents into sharp focus! Like Karin Krog, Annette Peacock, Sheila Jordan, and other female jazz singers of her generation, Winstone was always pushing the boundaries of her craft – taking a style that began with a simple jazz-based approach, and turning it into a whole new array of sounds and voicings! This landmark album from 1972, one of Winstone's first on her own (although she'd sung to great strength on some of Mike Westbrook's Deram sessions), features the singer moving into territory that has distinct touches of progressive jazz rock, but which also retains a mellow sense of melody – despite an easy temptation to get too overblown. Arrangements are handled by Neil Ardley, John Surman, and John Taylor – and titles include "Song Of Love", "Erebus", "Shadows", "Perkins Landing", and "Edge Of Time".

One of the most far-reaching sets of UK jazz we've heard from the mid 60s – the recording debut of pianist Peter Lemer, working here in a quintet that also features a young John Surman! The leadoff track is a version of Carla Bley's great "Ictus" – and the style of the work definitely echoes that early 60s generation that Bley was a part of – a darker, more angular approach to modernism than previous years – yet still without the completely unbridled freedoms to come. Most titles are fairly elliptical – circling around a specific territory of tones and rhythms at the core, while some of the other players open up in freer solos – and other players in the group include Nisar Ahmad Khan on tenor, Tony Reeves on bass, and John Hiseman on drums. Surman plays baritone, soprano sax, and bass clarinet – and titles include "Carmen", "In The Out", "Enahenado", "Flowville", "City", and "Ictus".

One of the few albums cut as a leader by trumpeter Henry Lowther – a great player on the British scene of the end of the 60s, but one who mostly labored in the service of other groups at the time! Lowther emerges here as an extremely visionary leader – one with a scope of expression and embellishment to match the work of some of his Deram labelmates at the time – especially Mike Westbrook and John Surman. For the album, Lowther plays both trumpet and violin – working in a group that includes tenor, bass clarinet, percussion, and some sparing, but beautiful use of electric piano – just enough to tipple along with the tunes in a lyrical way, and never too much to over-electrify things past the gentler notes of the acoustic instruments. The keyboardist for the set is the lesser-known Mike McNaught, and his work on the session is really wonderful – and the whole album has a gentle approach that's really great, and proof of the depth that was going on in the younger side of the British scene of the time. Titles include "Puppet Song", "Between", "Trav'lling Song", and "Plaything".

A landmark French avant session from the start of the 70s – and one of the most bracingly brilliant albums ever recorded by saxophonist Michel Portal! Portal's paired here with British reedman John Surman – and the duo play some amazingly complex lines on the date – very freewheeling, but not entirely without structure – as Portal handles alto sax and bass clarinet, and Surman blows soprano, baritone, and bass clarinet as well. Other group members include Barre Phillips on bass, Stu Martin on drums, and Jean-Pierre Drouet on percussion – and the use of two percussion players, without piano, makes for a very unique quality to the record. Titles include "Oo Bam Ba Deep", "Ca Boom?", "Undercurrent", "Yes, Oh Yes, You Wonderful Sun Kissed Maiden", and "Y En A Marre".

Way more than the trad jazz and bebop you might guess from the title – as the set's an incredible compilation of unreleased British jazz treasures – mostly from the 60s, and showing the London scene in the grip of some very formative years! In the immediate postwar years, UK jazz was a pretty straight and tight thing – but as the 60s approached, the sound of London really opened up – not just because of a huge influx of key post-colonial players, but also because the locals were really gaining confidence, and trying out a wealth of new styles on their own – styles that explode wonderfully here, in a mix of 60s modern styles that's really incredible. All tracks here are pulled from the archives of the artists, and many capture key players at periods we haven't heard this strongly before – with work by a quintet with Mike Taylor on piano and Dave Tomlin on tenor; a quintet with Henry Lowther on trumpet, Lyn Dobson on tenor, Tony Hymas on piano, and Harry Miller on bass; a septet with John Stevens on drums, Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn, Alan Skidmore on tenor, and Ray Warleigh on alto; a quintet with Joe Harriott on alto and Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn; a quartet with Mike Osborne on alto and John Surman on baritone; Amancio D'Silva on guitar with the quintet of Don Rendell and Ian Carr; a quartet with Lol Coxhill on soprano sax and Steve Miller on piano, and work by groups that include Elton Dean's Just Us, Gary Windo's Symbiosis, and Graham Collier Music.