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

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

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