Ian Carr (21 April 1933 – 25 February 2009) was a Scottish

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician, composer, writer, and educator. Carr performed and recorded with the Rendell-Carr quintet and jazz-fusion band

Nucleus Nucleus (: nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to: *Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom *Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA Nucleu ...

, and was an associate professor at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

in London. He also wrote biographies of musicians

Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also be ...

and

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

Early years

Ian Henry Randall Carr was born in

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

, Scotland, the elder brother of Mike Carr. From 1952 to 1956, Carr attended King's College, now

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick university and a mem ...

, where he read English Literature, followed by a diploma in education.

Musical career

At the age of 17, Carr started to teach himself trumpet. After university he joined his brother in a Newcastle band, the EmCee Five, from 1960 to 1962, before moving to London, where he played in a quintet co-lead by Don Rendell, with pianist

Michael Garrick Michael Garrick (30 May 1933 – 11 November 2011)Peter VacheObituary: Michael Garrick ''The Guardian'', 15 November 2011 was an English jazz pianist and composer, and a pioneer in mixing jazz with poetry recitations and in the use of jazz in ...

, bassist Dave Green, and drummer Trevor Tomkins. In its six years (1963–1969) the Rendell–Carr Quintet recorded five albums and performed internationally. All records originally issued by

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

have been re-released. During the 1960s he also played with the New Jazz Orchestra under the direction of

Neil Ardley Neil Richard Ardley (26 May 1937 – 23 February 2004) was a prominent English jazz composer and pianist, who also made his name as the author of more than 100 popular books on science and technology, and on music. Early years Neil Ardley ...

and recorded an album with altoist

Joe Harriott Joseph Arthurlin Harriott (15 July 1928 – 2 January 1973) was a Jamaican jazz musician and composer, whose principal instrument was the alto saxophone. According to George McKay in ''Circular Breathing: The Cultural Politics of Jazz in Britai ...

. After leaving the quintet, Carr went on to form the ground-breaking

jazz-rock Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music Music genre, genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, a ...

band

. Fordham, John (28 February 2009)
"Obituary: Ian Carr"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. Retrieved 19 June 2013. This led to the release of 12 albums (some under the band's name, some under Carr's), and a successful international career. In their first year Nucleus won first prize at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...

, released their first album, '' Elastic Rock'', and performed at both the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...

and the

Village Gate The Village Gate was a nightclub at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Streets in Greenwich Village, New York. Art D'Lugoff opened the club in 1958, on the ground floor and basement of 160 Bleecker Street. The large 1896 Chicago School structu ...

jazz club. Carr also played with the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble from 1975. Carr worked as a

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

in non-jazz contexts, with

Nico Christa Päffgen (; 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988), known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Nico had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini's '' La Dolce Vita'' (1960) and Andy Warhol's ...

No-Man No-Man are an English art pop duo, formed in 1987 as No Man Is an Island (Except the Isle of Man) by singer Tim Bowness and multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson. The band has so far produced seven studio albums and a number of singles/outtake ...

, Faultline, and others. He also doubled on

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

Writing and academic career

Apart from writing a regular column for the ''

BBC Music Magazine ''BBC Music Magazine'' is a British monthly magazine that focuses primarily on classical music. The first issue appeared in September 1992. BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC, was the original owner and publisher together with ...

'', Carr wrote biographies of the jazz musicians

and

. Carr 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 (e.g. '' Indo-Jazz Fusions'' by

and

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...

). In 1987, Carr was appointed associate professor at the

in London, where he taught composition and performance, especially improvisation. He was founder of the jazz workshop at the Interchange arts scheme, where pianist

Julian Joseph Julian Raphael Nathaniel Joseph OBE (born 11 May 1966) is a British jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and broadcaster. He has worked solo, in his big band, trio, quartet, forum project band or electric band. Biography Joseph was bo ...

, among others, was one of his students.

Death

Ian Carr died aged 75 on 25 February 2009, having suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. A memorial service was held at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £136,000 in 2021), ...

in London the following month. In addition to fellow Nucleus member Geoff Castle, speakers at the service included artist Gerald Laing, author, critic and broadcaster

Alyn Shipton Alyn Shipton (born 24 November 1953) is an English jazz author, presenter, critic, and jazz bassist. Early life Shipton became interested in jazz in his youth and formally studied cello, but also played double bass in a school jazz band. He pl ...

, Mike Dibb (with whom Carr collaborated on two films on

and

) Voce, Steve (27 February 2009)
"Ian Carr: Trumpeter and composer whose band Nucleus was at the forefront of the jazz-rock movement"
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''. and Carr's students

, Sara Dillon and Nikki Yeoh.

Discography

Rendell–Carr Quintet

As co-leader with Don Rendell * ''Shades of Blue'' (Columbia, 1964) * ''Dusk Fire'' (Columbia, 1966) * ''Phase III'' (Columbia, 1968) * ''Live'' (Columbia, 1969) – live * ''Change Is'' (Columbia, 1969) * ''Live in London'' (Harkit, 2003) – live rec. 1965 * ''Original 1964–68 Recordings / Live from the Antibes Jazz Festival'' (Spotlite, 2007) – live, compilation * ''Live at the Union 1966'' (Reel, 2010) – live rec. 1966 * ''Live at Klooks Kleek'' (Record Collector Magazine, 2017) LP– live rec. 1963

Nucleus

As leader of

* '' Elastic Rock'' (Vertigo, 1970) * ''We'll Talk about It Later'' (Vertigo, 1971) * ''Solar Plexus'' (Vertigo, 1971) – released as a "Ian Carr with Nucleus" album. * ''Labyrinth'' (Vertigo, 1973) – released as a "Ian Carr with Nucleus" album * ''Roots'' (Vertigo, 1973) – released as a "Ian Carr's Nucleus" album * ''Under the Sun'' (Vertigo, 1974) * ''Snakehips Etcetera'' (Vertigo, 1975) * ''Alleycat'' (Vertigo, 1975) * ''In Flagranti Delicto'' (Capitol, 1977) – released as a "Ian Carr's Nucleus" album * ''Out of the Long Dark'' (Capitol, 1979) – released as a "Ian Carr's Nucleus" album * ''Awakening'' (Mood, 1980) – released as a "Ian Carr's Nucleus" album * ''Jazz-London 29 / 30'' (BBC Transcription Service, 1983) – live,

split album A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "v ...

with The Brian Lemon Quartet. * ''Live at the Theaterhaus'' (Mood, 1985) – live, released as a "Ian Carr's Nucleus" album. * ''Live in Bremen'' (Cuneiform, 2003) CD– live rec. 1971 * ''The Pretty Redhead'' (Hux, 2003) – rec. 1971, 1982 * ''Hemispheres'' (Hux, 2006) – live rec. 1970–71 * ''UK Tour '76'' (Major League Productions, 2006) CD– live rec. 1976 at

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public university, public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university sinc ...

* ''Live in Europe 1970-71'' (Hux, 2009) – live rec. 1970–71 * ''Live 1970'' with

Leon Thomas Amos Leon Thomas Jr. (October 4, 1937 – May 8, 1999), known professionally as Leon Thomas, was an American jazz and blues vocalist, born in East St. Louis, Illinois, and known for his bellowing glottal-stop style of free jazz singing in the ...

(Gearbox, 2014) LP– live rec. 1970 at

Compilations * ''Direct Hits'' (Vertigo, 1976) – rec. 1970–74, released as a "Ian Carr's Nucleus" album. * ''Three of a Kind'' (Gonzo Multimedia, 2015) – rec. 1976–83

As leader

* ''Belladonna'' (Vertigo, 1972) * ''Old Heartland'' (MMC, 1988) * ''Sounds and Sweet Airs (That Give Delight and Hurt Not)'' (Celestial Harmonies, 1994) – rec. 1992

As co-leader or sideman

* Emcee Five – ''Take Five'' (Columbia, 1962) *

Roy Budd Roy Frederick Budd (14 March 1947 – 7 August 1993) was a British jazz pianist and composer known for his film scores, including ''Get Carter'' and ''The Wild Geese''. Early life Born in South Norwood, South London, Budd became interested in mu ...

– "'Roy Budd" (Pye, 1965) "* New Jazz Orchestra – ''Western Reunion'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, 1965) * with Jeff Clyne – ''Springboard'' (Polydor, 1969) – rec. 1966 * New Jazz Orchestra – ''Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

, 1969) * The

Amancio D'Silva Amancio D'Silva (19 March 1936 – 17 July 1996) was an Indian jazz guitarist and composer, known for his own recordings and his collaborations with other musicians in Britain, notably Joe Harriott and Stan Tracey. Life He was born in Bombay (n ...

Quartet – ''Hum-Dono'' (Columbia, 1969) * with

& Don Rendell – ''Variations & Other Aegean Exercises'' (Columbia, 1970) * with Neil Ardley, Mike Gibbs, and

Stan Tracey Stanley William Tracey (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British jazz pianist and composer, whose most important influences were Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Tracey's best known recording is the 1965 album '' Jazz Suite Insp ...

– ''Power'' (Argo, 1974) LP* with the Algemona Quartetto – ''Jazz 80'' (Mia, 1980) * Emcee Five – ''Bebop 61: Bebop from the East Coast 1960/1962'' (Birdland, 1987) – rec. 1961–67 * George Russell's Living Time Orchestra, '' The London Concert'' (Label Bleu, 1990) – live rec. 1989 * Zyklus – ''Virtual Realities'' (AMP, 1991) * Don Rendell, ''Reunion'' (Spotlite Jazz, 2002) * with

Jon Hiseman Philip John Albert "Jon" Hiseman (21 June 1944 – 12 June 2018) was an English drummer, audio engineer, recording engineer, record producer, and Music publisher (popular music), music publisher. He played with the Graham Bond Organisation, wi ...

, Barbara Thompson and others, ''Mike Taylor Remembered'' (Trunk, 2007) – rec. 1973, a tribute to Mike Taylor * New Jazz Orchestra – ''On the Radio: BBC Sessions 1971'' (Dusk Fire, 2017)

Publications

* 1973: ''Music Outside: Contemporary Jazz in Britain.'' Latimer New Dimensions, . ** 2008: 2nd edn., with new postscript and photographs. London: Northway Publications, . *1982: ''Miles Davis.'' Quartet / William Morrow & Co, / . *1988: ''Jazz: The Essential Companion,'' with

Digby Fairweather Richard John Charles "Digby" Fairweather (born 25 April 1946) is a British jazz trumpeter, author and broadcaster. Biography Before becoming a professional musician, Fairweather was a librarian and has retained an interest in jazz bibliography ...

& Brian Priestley. Paladin Books, *1991: ''Keith Jarrett: The Man and His Music.'' Grafton Books, . *1999: ''Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography.'' Thunder's Mouth Press, . *2004: ''The Rough Guide to Jazz'' with Digby Fairweather & Brian Priestley. 3rd ed., Rough Guides Limited, .

References

Bibliography

* Alyn Shipton, ''Out of the Long Dark: The Life of Ian Carr'', 2006. * Roger Farbey, ''The Music of Ian Carr – A Critical Discography'', 2010. ** ''Elastic Dream: The Music of Ian Carr – A Critical Discography, 2nd revised edition'', 2015. ** ''Elastic Dream: The Music of Ian Carr – An Annotated Discography, 3rd revised edition'', 2023.

External links

The Ian Carr and Nucleus WebsiteIan Carr

The Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet

Nucleus
discographies at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

*Roger Farbey,
Ian Carr: The Maestro and His Music
' – AllAboutJazz.com 7 July 2005 *John Kelman,
Ian Carr and Nucleus: '70s British Jazz Rock Progenitors
', 19 January 2004 – AllAboutJazz.com

– European Jazz Network * – Jazzscript * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Ian 20th-century Scottish male musicians 20th-century British jazz composers 20th-century British trumpeters 1933 births 2009 deaths Academics of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Alumni of Newcastle University Centipede (band) members Jazz-rock trumpeters British male jazz composers British male trumpeters New Jazz Orchestra members Nucleus (band) members People educated at Barnard Castle School Musicians from Dumfries Scottish jazz composers Scottish jazz trumpeters United Jazz + Rock Ensemble members