More Info
• 48-track box set celebrating an exciting, revolutionary time in British jazz when musical boundaries were stretched or ignored and new identities forged.
• With British jazz back in the news through genre stretching artists such as Ezra Collective and Shabaka Hutchings it’s a perfect time to rediscover this influential period in British jazz history.
• Featuring celebrated jazz figures such as Dick Morrissey, Tubby Hayes, Don Rendell, Ian Carr, Joe Harriott and Graham Collier alongside bands such as Colosseum, Satisfaction and Keef Hartley Band that merged jazz and rock.
This box set tells a story of British Jazz at a time of cultural change, a period of experimentation and transformation in music, from the swinging hard bop of The Dick Morrissey Quartet to the pioneering jazz rock fusion of Nucleus (featuring Ian Carr), If (who included Dick Morrissey) and Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express.
Key artists include The Dick Morrissey Quartet, The Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet, The Joe Harriott Double Quintet, The John Dankworth Orchestra, The Graham Bond Organization, The Mike Westbrook Concert Band, The Tubby Hayes Quartet, The Graham Collier Sextet, John McLaughlin, Nucleus, Brian Auger, Jack Bruce, If and Julie Driscoll.
British jaaz established its own distinct identity and this compilation shows the interaction between jazz and rock during the period covered. Fusions weren’t just made with rock though, the Indo-Jazz of The Joe Harriott Double Quintet with John Mayer blended Western jazz with Indian music and Georgie Fame mixed vocal jazz, R&B and pop, bringing him popularity in both clubs such as London’s The Flamingo and the pop charts. Progressive rock bands Jethro Tull and Spooky Tooth used single B sides to explore jazz, Tull’s ‘One For John Gee’ being named in tribute to The Marquee club’s jazz loving manager. Brian Auger and The Trinity, who made the charts in 1968 with Julie Driscoll, were rooted in jazz and their brilliant take on Herbie Hancock’s ‘Maiden Voyage’ is included here, while Affinity are captured live at legendary jazz club Ronnie Scott’s, with a take on The Beatles’ ‘A Day In The Life’.
Includes an introductory essay by Duncan Heining, Graham Collier biographer and author of Trad Dads, Dirty Boppers And Free Fusioneers: British Jazz 1960-1975, plus artist biogs provided by MOJO magazine’s Lois Wilson.
Tracklist
DISC ONE
1 The Dick Morrissey Quartet – Storm Warning
2 Davy Graham – Watermelon Man
3 The Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet – Tan Samfu
4 The Joe Harriott Double Quintet Under The Direction Of John Mayer – Overture
5 The John Dankworth Orchestra – Return From The Ashes (from the film Return From The Ashes)
6 The Graham Bond Organization – Wade In The Water (US B side Version)
7 Georgie Fame – No Thanks
8 The Mike Taylor Trio – Two Autumns
9 The Mike Westbrook Concert Band – A Greeting
10 The Joe Harriott Quintet – Shepherd’s Serenade
11 Michael Garrick Septet – Ursula
12 The Tubby Hayes Quartet – Dear Johnny B
13 Pentangle – In Time
14 Harold McNair – The Hipster
15 Jethro Tull – One For John Gee
16 Spooky Tooth – Luger’s Groove
DISC TWO
1 The John Cameron Quartet – Troublemaker
2 The Graham Collier Sextet – Down Another Road
3 John McLaughlin – Binky’s Beam
4 The Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet – One Green Eye
5 The New Jazz Orchestra – Angle
6 Ken Wheeler And The John Dankworth Orchestra – Sweet Dulcinea Blue
7 Michael Gibbs – Some Echoes, Some Shadows (For John Dankworth)
8 Wynder K. Frog – Harpsicord Shuffle
9 Jasper – The Beard
10 Manfred Mann Chapter Three – Where Am I Going 11 Colosseum – Those About To Die
12 Keef Hartley Band – Premonition
13 Nucleus – Elastic Rock
14 Brian Auger & The Trinity – Maiden Voyage
15 Affinity – A Day In The Life (Live At Ronnie Scott’s, 1969) 16 The Johnny Almond Music Machine – Voodoo Forest
17 Jack Bruce With John McLaughlin, Dick Heckstall- Smith, Jon Hiseman – Over The Cliff
DISC THREE
1 Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express – Dragon Song
2 The Ray Russell Quartet – Can I Have My Paperback Back (Live At The Playhouse Theatre, 1969)
3 If – What Did I Say About The Box, Jack?
4 Chris Spedding – The Forest Of Fables
5 The Trio (featuring John Surman) – Joachim
6 Satisfaction – Sharing
7 Julie Driscoll – A New Awakening
8 Bob Downes Open Music – Keep Off The Grass
9 Trifle – Is It Loud?
10 Garrick’s Fairground With Norma Winstone – Epiphany 11 Nucleus – Song For The Bearded Lady
12 John McLaughlin, John Surman, Karl Berger, Stu Martin, Dave Holland – Earth Bound Hearts
13 If – Seldom Seen Sam
14 John Taylor – And Think Again
15 Mike Osborne – So It Is (Edit)