(21 April 1933 - 25 February 2009)
was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator.
Musical career
At the age of seventeen Carr started to teach himself trumpet. After university he joined his brother in the Newcastle band, the EmCee Five from 1960 to 1962, before moving to London, where he became co-leader with Don Rendell of the Rendell–Carr quintet (1963–1969). In its six years, the group (including pianist Michael Garrick, bassist Dave Green, and drummer Trevor Tomkins) made five albums for EMI – all of which have been re-issued – and performed internationally.
After leaving the quintet, Carr went on to form the ground-breaking jazz-rock band Nucleus. This led to the release of twelve albums (some under the band's name, some under Carr's), and a successful international career. In their first year they won first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival, released their first album (Elastic Rock), and performed at both the Newport Jazz Festival and the Village Gate jazz club. He also played with the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble since 1975.
Carr worked as a session musician in non-jazz contexts, with Nico, No-Man, Faultline, and others. He also doubled up on flugelhorn.
Writing and academic career
Apart from writing a regular column for the BBC Music Magazine, Carr wrote biographies of the jazz musicians Keith Jarrett and Miles Davis. He was also the co-author of the reference work The Rough Guide to Jazz which has passed through four editions from 1994 (originally Jazz, The Essential Companion, 1988). In addition he contributed sleeve notes for the albums of other musicians (eg "Indo-Jazz Fusions" by Joe Harriott/John Mayer).
In 1987, he was appointed associate professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he taught composition and performance, especially improvisation and was founder of the jazz workshop at the Interchange arts scheme, where pianist Julian Joseph, amongst others, was one of his students.
NUCLEUS
LABYRINTH (1973)
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Apparently, Labyrinth is a concept piece based around the Greek mythological character the Minotaur. Of course had Carr put his figure on the cover in a pair of pimp style flares, holding a gun instead of a knife and his bitch was wearing an afro then the story may have been a bit cooler and fitting to the music. The music does nothing to remind the listener about Greek mythology but it could have been an artful concept if he had placed his character in San Fransisco somewhere in the early seventies. With a brace of wailing trumpets and some tidy electric piano work this album is surely a product of its time. It is cool fusion of the seventies cop show car chase kind but interspersed with noodling and a little more. Chris Spedding's replacement Allan Holdsworth had a quick departed after the Belladona album, probably to join Soft Machine like all the other former Nucleus departed including drummer John Marshall and the multi instrumental Karl Jenkins. And though I jest a little he in fact did join Soft Machine around the time of the Bundles album. With his guitarist now gone Carr decided to not to fill that void with a replacement guitarist, but the absence of guitar adds to a depth rather than a void as that hole is quickly filled by the surrounding musicians including electric piano player Gordon Beck and the dependable Brian Smith sharing saxophone duties with Tony Coe who also adds clarinet. These horns, and not forgetting the trumpets, work in a fantastic harmony making light of Holdsworth's departure despite his obvious talent. And not to forget Roy Babbington and Tony Levin who keep a solid time with bass and drums respectively. Kenny Wheeler and Ian Carr are soaring through the mood with their trumpets often in tandem, often floating freely, giving the music a looser and broader mix than any other Nucleus album, though the previous album, Belladonna, does share those traits. "Adriadne" also offers a new dimension to the Nucleus sound. Singer Norma Winstone adds some dreamy and very jazzy vocals to this track and while on first listen they sound irrelevant and needless they do add some colour to the tune, surrounded by some neat flute work which carries the album forward to the excellent work out within "Arena PT 1" and Arena PT 2" where Labyrinth takes off with some clean and sexy funky fusion sounds based around rock rhythms like much of Nucleus work, but even though the album can range a little wild it still cuts across as one of Carr's better efforts. If the concept of the album is loose and even pointless the music plays on that to great effect. This big band feel version of Ian Carr's Nucleus works a treat here. Cheesy as they come, Labyrinth does not take itself as seriously as the early Nucleus albums.
1. Orgins
2. Dance
3. Ariadne
4. Arena Part 1
5. Arena Part 2
6. Exultation
7. Naxos
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