Roger Farbey

A new double CD by Ian Carr's Nucleus of a 1976 live concert entitled "UK Tour '76" is out now on MLP and very good it is too, perhaps the best live Nucleus album I've heard and of a very under-documented period in the band's history. MLP website is here: http://www.mlplive.com/

And they include a double Harry Beckett (Warm Smiles/Themes for Fega); New Jazz Orchestra (Western Reunion - 1st ever issue in stereo) and Michael Garrick (Home Stretch Blues). There's also a John Surman (How Many Clouds) but that was reissued previously about 5-6 yrs ago by Universal (when they were still Polygram)

Saw Kenny play at the 100 Club benefit gig for Ian Carr last week. He's beginning to look his age a little now but he certainly still plays wonderfully and his band played three KW compositions. Sheer magic. Awesome.

I've reviewed a new Nucleus double CD release which is of a live concert from 1976, aptly titled UK Tour '76. The review is here: http://www.geocities.com/icnucleus/Reviews...ur76Review.html and the album will be released in the middle of next month.

I love TCB too but it was only reissued on CD in Japan - a true crime! However, Dankworth and Wheeler's (let's not forget it's Kenny's material here) 'Tilter' is fantastic. Easily the best jazz album made in the UK (oh oh, I can feel the flames even now!). Seriously it is excellent and anyone who likes Kenny or John Dankworth will appreciate this album I don't find it lightweight either - a very considered and well-balanced album. It is due out next Spring which I imagine is to coincide with Dankworth's 80th birthday. By the way, his quartet of albums from the sixties have been issued on CD but not distributed outside of his own company (QNote) and they don't publicise this fact. They are all excellent albums too and very very underrated. Dankworth's arrangements have certainly influenced the likes of Wheeler and Mike Gibbs to name but two. Incidentally, and as we're talking Brit reissues you may be interested to learn that Ogun have just reissued for the first time on CD the Skidmore/Osborne/Surman classic 'SOS'. Lovely digipack product too.

Hi Ian has not been in the best of health for some while now and is looking a little frail. He is now not able to play the trumpet and I believe (perforce) has given up practising. This is extremely sad as he was one of the greatest trumpet players the UK produced and he led two of its most important jazz groups. There isn't currently anywhere you can send money tobut attendance at the benefit gig would be appreciated particularly as I have just learned that both Kenny Wheeler and Stan Sulzman will be playing in the final set! http://www.geocities.com/icnucleus

26 Sep 2006 7.30pm - 11pm IAN CARR BENEFIT GIG - 100 Club, London. FIRST SET - Norma Winstone with Don Rendell, Henry Lowther, Mike Garrick, Dave Green & Trevor Tomkins - SECOND SET - Jacqui Dankworth with John Etheridge, Alec Dankworth et al - FINAL SET - Members of Michael Garrick Quartet and Big Band Mem £10 adv & door / £8 conc. Non-mem £10 adv & door / £8 conc.

Yesterday: Peter King 'New Beginning' (Spotlite), Today: Appletree Theatre 'Playback' (Verve) with Larry Coryell, Chuck Rainey and others.

Thanks Herb for the input Roger F

I bought an archtop electric yesterday that looked and played so good I couldn't resist. However, it's difficult to identify, despite the fact it has a 'Blueridge' transfer on the headstock. It has no other identifiable markings such as a serial number and no label visible inside the guitar. Having a quick look on the web I have a suspicion that this is a Chinese guitar that is meant to look like a Wes or Tal Gibson but they chickened out and labelled it Blueridge, who incidentally seem only to make dreadnought guitars. It is brown/gold sunburst with twin gold plated humbuckers and four volume/tone controls over the lower f hole. The single cutaway horn is rounded as opposed to the sharp cutaways of the Gibson ES series as favoured by Pat Metheny et al. I think if it had been a real Gibson is would have cost me around $4,000 but this only cost me approx $300 including part exchanging my Fender acoustic. Any ideas, comments? The photo of a Tal Farlow Gibson below is near enough to mine in looks albeit Tal's is slightly fancier (painted scroll etc)

Haven't bought this yet but on the strenth of the few seconds' worth of samples on the (UK) HMV website will definitely be buying this. Scofield sounds great - nice to hear him playing with some attack. The thing about Emergency is that it suffered major technical recording problems hence the raw sound (see sleevenotes for the recent-ish Lifetime Anthology CD). Indeed it's a miracle it was produced at all. No one can come anywhere near to the sheer electricity that Lifetime generated, but the Trio Beyond have a good stab at it and I think it will probably stand up on its own merits. Now I must shut up and BUY the damned thing!

My word - Isipingo on Radio 2? Those were the days indeed (I'm too young)! What I wouldn't give for that now... and Peter Clayton! Oh and I think that one was introduced by Humph.

I really liked this release. I have a BBC radio broadcast of Isipingo which had different tunes but was perforce shorter, as was each tune. This is much better and I would unhesitatingly recommend it. Two comments though, Tippett seems a tiny bit down in the mix (though this doesn't spoil the overall effect) and I would dearly love to know what was happening to Ozzie's alto - it sounds as if he is either playing a wooden one or his reed has split, but as a non-horn player I have no idea what I'm talking about here! Would still appreciate other opinions on it though.

thanks for this - something for the one-eared folk amongst us I fear

Do you know if it's a stereo vinyl version or mono? I go caught out by the Japanese (and UK) CD reissue in mono of Tubbs' '100% Proof' so I don't want to get fooled again (as they keep singing on CSI).

I very much go along with all of this but would add that as far as the IMF was concerned this was a paradigm shift for jazz perhaps even more than Miles' BB and Lifetime. Trouble is once the floodgates opened for this a lot of stuff that succeeded IMF and not just from JM was more parody than paradigm. Some of it was just awful. The sampler album 'Fusion 101' is an example of utter headache-inducing jazzrockfusion blah blah. Oh, and I like jazz rock fusion by the way (when it's good).

Sidewinder - anything would be good - many thanks for looking!

If anyone has any photos or memorabilia (eg tickets, cuttings, press releases) of Ian Carr's Nucleus between 1974 and 1976 please could they email me at icnucleus@yahoo.com as these items are desperately needed to enhance the production of an exciting live recording of Nucleus which was made by a radio station around this period and which, it is hoped, will be released as a double CD later in the year on the MLP label. The tapes of this forthcoming CD were rescued from a skip where they were found by an engineer who fortunately realised their value. The tracks are of superb quality but MLP has found it very difficult to source any photos or anything else from this period. Reviews, articles etc would also be useful. Sources will be acknowledged and copyright permissions sought. (I am not connected with MLP but have been approached by them as they are not really a jazz label - they mainly deal with Prog - and I edit the Ian Carr and Nucleus Website: http://www.geocities.com/icnucleus ) Incidentally, the tapes sound great and word has it that there are more jazz treaures they have recently acquired and I want to encourage these to be released. Many thanks!