If ever there was a golden period in British jazz it was the 1960s, with Don Rendell and Ian Carr, 2 of the most innovative musicians around, with the albums their quintet produced now legendary, and still fresh and stunning in their simplicity and power. This comes not only from the exquisite playing of Ian Carr on flugelhorn and trumpet, and Don Rendell's tough tenor and soprano excursions, but equally from the thought that had gone into the writing and arranging.
The dynamics of the quintet members are beautifully balanced, with the lyrical playing of pianist Michael Garrick an often wistful counter to the searching bass of Dave Green, and the ever changing, explosive patterns from drummer Trevor Tomkins. There had never been such concise small ensemble playing since Miles Davis and John Coltrane came together in the 1950s.
Don Rendell
Don Rendell was born in Plymouth in 1926 and learned to play the alto sax as a child (both his parents were musicians), before switching to tenor sax as a teenager. In1944 he managed to get a place in a couple of American USC ( United Services Organization) bands, before joining the Oscar Rabin Orchestra in 1948. In 1950 Don became a founding member of the Johnny Dankworth Seven. Throughout the 1950s Don had several groups of his own, and played with both the Stan Kenton and Woody Herman orchestras.
Ian Carr
Ian Carr was born in Dumfries in 1933, but it wasn't until he was seventeen (which is pretty old to learn an instrument) that he taught himself to play the trumpet. After University he joined his younger brother's band, The EmCee Five, before moving to London in 1962. It wasn't long before his exceptional playing abilities came to the attention of Don Rendell. Ian and Don soon became friends, and in 1963 formed the Quintet, a band that was to last for six years. Ian Carr later went on to create the jazz/rock group Nucleus.
Phase III
Perhaps one of the best albums the Quintet ever produced was Phase III which presents the group at the pinnacle of their powers, with Rendell's 'Bath Sheba', and Garrick's 'Black Marigolds' tunes that not only stay in your head forever, but are now part of the modern jazz repertoire.
There can be no doubt that the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet influenced jazz enormously, with such musicians as Don Ellis, and even Miles Davis, taking on board the very distinctive sound created by the Quintet.
All the Quintet albums, such as - Phase III, Shades of Blue, Dusk Fire, and Live - are now available on CD.
Sources:
Ian Carr and Charles Fox's original LP liner notes 1965 & 1969
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