A masterpiece of British jazz from the end of the 60s – a set that doesn't need to answer at all to any of the jazz styles coming from America at the time – as it's sound and vision is so bold, so unique, it's a completely massive statement on its own! The set may well represent the pinnacle of this creative combo – as pianist Michael Garrick seems to be taking an even stronger role than before, and certainly gets some great space for expression on the longer live tracks within – shading things with that amazing sense of tone and timing that made his own albums of the 60s so important to British jazz, but maybe even more incredible here in the company of Carr's trumpet and flugelhorn, and Rendell's work on tenor, soprano sax, clarinet, and flute. As before, the bass of Dave Green and drums of Trevor Tompkins are a key element of the music – the amazing energy at the core – on titles that include "Pavanne", "Nimjam", "Voices", "You've Said It", "Vignette", and "On Track". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the greatest British jazz of the 60s – two early albums by the groundbreaking Ian Carr/Don Rendell quintet! Shades Of Blue is the debut of a legendary British jazz group – one who not only gave that nation's scene a fresh voice in music, but who also really set the tone for many other acts to come! After a stretch when the London scene was doing a great job of matching American efforts in bop and swing, players like Don Rendell and Ian Carr found a way to really carve out some bold space of their own – here, by matching their own strong sense of writing and arranging, always filled with beautiful tone and color, with some of the more modern phrasing and styles that were just creeping up around town. The set's not nearly as experimental as the work of Joe Harriott, but has all the hallmarks of that generation's openness to new ways of expression – often given a surprisingly soulful swing, and captured perfectly as one of the early entries in the famous Lansdowne Series recordings. The rest of the group is equally great – and in addition to Rendell on tenor and soprano sax, and Carr on trumpet and flugelhorn – the combo includes Colin Purbrook on piano, Dave Green on bass, and Trevor Tompkin on drums. Titles include "Garrison 64", "Blue Mosque", "Just Blue", "Latin Blue", "Sailin", and "Big City Strut". Dusk Fire has a great group getting even better – as the legendary pairing of tenorist Don Rendell and trumpeter Ian Carr is joined by pianist Michael Garrick – who was really helping to shape the sound of British jazz at the time! The album's only the second from the Rendell/Carr Quintet, but it's already moving strongly forward – with this sense of composition and focus that's really amazing – served up in original tunes by all three creative forces in the lead – often with this great balance between soulful swing and modern ideas that makes the whole thing a dream all the way through! Don plays tenor, soprano sax, flute, and clarinet; Carr plays trumpet and flugelhorn; Garrick is on piano, Dave Green is on bass, and Trevor Tomkin is on drums – on titles that include "Prayer", "Dusk Fire", "Hot Rod", "Spooks", "Jubal", and "Tan Samfu". CD

The third legendary album from the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet – and a set that really has the combo stretching out in the new kind of freedoms offered by the Landsowne series at the time! The group had already made fantastic waves on their previous two albums – but here, the songs are longer, the ideas more expansive, and the overall sound is more intense – as the tenor, soprano sax, and flute of Rendell is balanced with both trumpet and flugelhorn from Carr – then driven even more strongly than before by the piano of Michael Garrick, who's really at his creative peak at this point! The rest of the group features very strong work from Dave Green on bass and Trevor Tomkin on drums – cementing a rock-solid unit – and titles include "Les Nieges D'Antan", "Black Marigolds", "Bath Sheba", and "Crazy Jane". LP, Vinyl record album

The debut of a legendary British jazz group – one who not only gave that nation's scene a fresh voice in music, but who also really set the tone for many other acts to come! After a stretch when the London scene was doing a great job of matching American efforts in bop and swing, players like Don Rendell and Ian Carr found a way to really carve out some bold space of their own – here, by matching their own strong sense of writing and arranging, always filled with beautiful tone and color, with some of the more modern phrasing and styles that were just creeping up around town. The set's not nearly as experimental as the work of Joe Harriott, but has all the hallmarks of that generation's openness to new ways of expression – often given a surprisingly soulful swing, and captured perfectly as one of the early entries in the famous Lansdowne Series recordings. The rest of the group is equally great – and in addition to Rendell on tenor and soprano sax, and Carr on trumpet and flugelhorn – the combo includes Colin Purbrook on piano, Dave Green on bass, and Trevor Tompkin on drums. Titles include "Garrison 64", "Blue Mosque", "Just Blue", "Latin Blue", "Sailin", and "Big City Strut". LP, Vinyl record album

Change is certainly in the air for the famous group of tenorist Don Rendell and trumpeter Ian Carr – partly because this final set has some slight shifts in personnel, and partly because a few elements point the way towards new directions that Carr would take in the 70s! The core energy of the group is still beautifully intact – and most tunes still feature strong piano work from Michael Garrick, alongside the fantastic drums of Trevor Tompkins and bass of Dave Green – but there's also a point when Jeff Clyne comes in for a second bass, Guy Warren adds some percussion, and Stan Robinson brings in both added tenor and clarinet! None of the music is as electric as Carr's later Nucleus group, but you can definitely hear the door opening for new ideas – while the duo still continue that fantastic blend of modern moments and soulful swing that mark their seminal late 60s albums in the Lansdowne Series. Titles include "Elastic Dream", "Boy Dog & Carrot", "One Green Eye", "Cold Mountain", and "Black Hair". CD

A great group gets even better – as the legendary pairing of tenorist Don Rendell and trumpeter Ian Carr is joined by pianist Michael Garrick – who was really helping to shape the sound of British jazz at the time! The album's only the second from the Rendell/Carr Quintet, but it's already moving strongly forward – with this sense of composition and focus that's really amazing – served up in original tunes by all three creative forces in the lead – often with this great balance between soulful swing and modern ideas that makes the whole thing a dream all the way through! Don plays tenor, soprano sax, flute, and clarinet; Carr plays trumpet and flugelhorn; Garrick is on piano, Dave Green is on bass, and Trevor Tomkin is on drums – on titles that include "Prayer", "Dusk Fire", "Hot Rod", "Spooks", "Jubal", and "Tan Samfu". LP, Vinyl record album

The third legendary album from the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet – and a set that really has the combo stretching out in the new kind of freedoms offered by the Landsowne series at the time! The group had already made fantastic waves on their previous two albums – but here, the songs are longer, the ideas more expansive, and the overall sound is more intense – as the tenor, soprano sax, and flute of Rendell is balanced with both trumpet and flugelhorn from Carr – then driven even more strongly than before by the piano of Michael Garrick, who's really at his creative peak at this point! The rest of the group features very strong work from Dave Green on bass and Trevor Tomkin on drums – cementing a rock-solid unit – and titles include "Les Nieges D'Antan", "Black Marigolds", "Bath Sheba", and "Crazy Jane". CD

A great group gets even better – as the legendary pairing of tenorist Don Rendell and trumpeter Ian Carr is joined by pianist Michael Garrick – who was really helping to shape the sound of British jazz at the time! The album's only the second from the Rendell/Carr Quintet, but it's already moving strongly forward – with this sense of composition and focus that's really amazing – served up in original tunes by all three creative forces in the lead – often with this great balance between soulful swing and modern ideas that makes the whole thing a dream all the way through! Don plays tenor, soprano sax, flute, and clarinet; Carr plays trumpet and flugelhorn; Garrick is on piano, Dave Green is on bass, and Trevor Tomkin is on drums – on titles that include "Prayer", "Dusk Fire", "Hot Rod", "Spooks", "Jubal", and "Tan Samfu". CD

A rare slice of work from the quintet of reedman Don Rendell and trumpeter Ian Carr – a mid-60s live performance that's released here for the first time ever! The group was one of the most important in England at the time, and hardly recorded many studio records, so a live date like this is a crucial opportunity to hear their amazingly influential sound! Plus, the recording here is a lot more unbridled than most other material we've heard from the combo – a really far-reaching blend of Carr's trumpet with Rendell's flute, tenor, and soprano sax – blowing out in these complex lines on some tracks, showing a bit of influence from Ornette Coleman at points, while heading in warmer, more lyrical directions at others. The rest of the group is great too – the legendary Michael Garrick on piano, adding some nice modal touches – plus Dave Green or Tony Reeves on bass, and Trevor Tompkins on drums. Titles include "On", "Ursula", "Trane's Mood", "Webster's Mood", "Carolling", and "Hot Rod". CD

A legendary group from the British modern jazz scene of the 60s – captured here in all their young brilliance, in a double-length live date recorded between the space of their first two albums! We've raved about the partnership of trumpeter Ian Carr and saxophonist Don Rendell many times before, so they likely need no introduction here – yet there's also something special in this live date too – as it's got the group still working very much with their own music and new ideas, but in a way that's got maybe a slightly more down to earth quality too, maybe from the setting of the club. The whole lineup is great – and pianist Michael Garrick is a key member on both his instrument, and his contributions of key songs to the date – working alongside Carr on trumpet and flugelhorn, Rendell on tenor, soprano, and flute – and Dave Green on bass and Trevor Tomkins on drums. The package features a huge amount of notes, really giving background on all aspects of the recording – on titles that include "Ursula", "Promises", "Blues By Five", "Jonah & The Whale", "The Sixth Seal", "Shades Of Blue", "Hot Rod", and "No Blues". CD

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. CD