Ian Carr
Encyclopedia
Ian Carr was a Scottish
jazz
musician
, composer
, writer, and educator.
, Scotland, the elder brother of Mike Carr
. From 1952 to 1956, he went to King's College, now Newcastle University, where he read English Literature, followed by a diploma in education.
. After university he joined his brother in a 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 album
s 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
.
, 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 (e.g. Indo-Jazz Fusions by Joe Harriott
and 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.
, Sara Dillon and Nikki Yeoh.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, writer, and educator.
Early years
Carr was born in DumfriesDumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, Scotland, the elder brother of Mike Carr
Mike Carr (musician)
Mike Carr, born Michael Anthony Carr in South Shields, County Durham, England is a jazz organist, pianist and vibraphonist...
. From 1952 to 1956, he went to King's College, now Newcastle University, where he read English Literature, followed by a diploma in education.
Musical career
At the age of seventeen Carr started to teach himself trumpetTrumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
. After university he joined his brother in a Newcastle band, the EmCee Five, from 1960 to 1962, before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he became co-leader with Don Rendell
Don Rendell
Donald Percy 'Don' Rendell is an English jazz musician and arranger, specialising on tenor saxophone, but also playing soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet....
of the Rendell–Carr quintet (1963–1969). In its six years, the group (including pianist Michael Garrick
Michael Garrick
Michael Garrick MBE was an English jazz pianist and composer, and a pioneer in mixing jazz with poetry recitations.-Biography:...
, bassist Dave Green, and drummer Trevor Tomkins
Trevor Tomkins
Trevor Ramsey Tomkins is an English jazz drummer best known for his work in a number of British bands in the 1970s, including Gilgamesh.His recorded several albums with pianist Michael Garrick in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
) made five album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s for EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
– 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
Nucleus (band)
Nucleus were a pioneering jazz-rock band from Britain who continued in different forms from 1969 to 1989. In their first year they won first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival, released the album Elastic Rock, and performed both at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Village Gate jazz club.They were...
. 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
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
, released their first album (Elastic Rock), and performed at both the Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
and the Village Gate jazz club. He also played with the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble
United Jazz and Rock Ensemble
350px|right|United Jazz + Rock Ensemble Farewell Tour 2002The United Jazz + Rock Ensemble developed from a group of jazz musicians that was formed for a 1974 to 1975 television show of Süddeutscher Rundfunk...
since 1975.
Carr worked as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
in non-jazz contexts, with Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
, No-Man
No-Man
No-Man are a British art-pop duo formed in 1987 as No Man Is An Island by singer Tim Bowness and multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson . The band has so far produced six studio albums and a number of singles/outtakes collections...
, Faultline, and others. He also doubled up on flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
.
Writing and academic career
Apart from writing a regular column for the BBC Music MagazineBBC music magazine
BBC Music Magazine is a magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom by BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Reflecting the broadcast output of BBC Radio 3, the magazine is devoted primarily to classical music, though with sections on jazz and world music. Each edition comes...
, Carr wrote biographies of the jazz musicians Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music.Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey, moving on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music; as...
and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
. 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 (e.g. Indo-Jazz Fusions by Joe Harriott
Joe Harriott
Joseph Arthurlin 'Joe' Harriott was a Jamaican jazz musician and composer, whose principal instrument was the alto saxophone....
and John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
).
In 1987, he was appointed associate professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
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
Julian Joseph
Julian Joseph is a jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger and broadcaster. Joseph has worked solo, in his all-star big band, trio, quartet, forum project band or electric band....
, amongst others, was one of his students.
Death
Carr died on February 25, 2009, having suffered from Alzheimer's disease. A memorial service was held at Golders Green Crematorium 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, Mike Dibb and Carr's students Julian JosephJulian Joseph
Julian Joseph is a jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger and broadcaster. Joseph has worked solo, in his all-star big band, trio, quartet, forum project band or electric band....
, Sara Dillon and Nikki Yeoh.
Rendell–Carr Quintet
- 1964: Shades of Blue
- 1965: Live in London
- 1966: Dusk Fire
- 1968: Live from the Antibes Jazz Festival (plus 1964 recordings by the Don Rendell Four and Five)
- 1968: Phase III
- 1969: Change Is
- 1969: "Live"
Nucleus
- 1970: Elastic Rock
- 1971: We'll Talk about It Later
- 1971: Solar Plexus
- 1972: Belladonna
- 1973: Labyrinth
- 1973: Roots
- 1974: Under the Sun
- 1975: Snakehips Etcetera
- 1975: Alleycat
- 1976: Direct Hits
- 1977: In Flagranti Delicto
- 1979: Out of the Long Dark
- 1980: Awakening
- 1985: Live at the Theaterhaus
- 2003: Live in Bremen
- 2003: The Pretty Redhead
- 2006: Hemispheres
- 2006: UK Tour '76
As leader and co-leader
- 1971: Greek Variations & Other Aegean Exercises (with Neil ArdleyNeil ArdleyNeil Richard Ardley was a prominent English jazz pianist and composer, who also made a name as the author of more than 100 popular books on science and technology, and on music.-Brief biography:...
& Don RendellDon RendellDonald Percy 'Don' Rendell is an English jazz musician and arranger, specialising on tenor saxophone, but also playing soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet....
) - 1974: Will Power (with Neil Ardley, Mike Gibbs, and Stan TraceyStan TraceyStanley William Tracey CBE is a British jazz pianist and composer, most influenced by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk.-Early career:...
) - 1980: Collana Jazz 80" (with the Algemona Quartetto)
- 1989: Old Heartland
- 1991: Virtual Realities (Zyklus, with Warren Greveson, Neil ArdleyNeil ArdleyNeil Richard Ardley was a prominent English jazz pianist and composer, who also made a name as the author of more than 100 popular books on science and technology, and on music.-Brief biography:...
and John L. WaltersJohn L. WaltersJohn L. Walters is a British editor, critic and composer. He was a founding member of the band Landscape, best known for the 1981 hit ‘Einstein A Go-Go’ which reached no. 5 in the UK charts...
) - 1993: Sounds and Sweet Airs (That Give Delight and Hurt Not) (with John TaylorJohn Taylor (jazz)John Taylor is a British jazz pianist; he has occasionally performed on the organ and the synthesiser. He is one of Europe's most celebrated jazz pianists and composers.-Performing career:...
)
Various
- 1965: Roy Budd (Roy BuddRoy BuddRoy Frederick Budd , was a British jazz musician and composer, known for his film scores.Born in Mitcham, Surrey, Budd became interested in music from an early age and had built up a vast musical repertoire by the age of eight...
, piano; Dick MorrisseyDick MorrisseyRichard Edwin "Dick" Morrissey was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor sax, soprano sax and flute.- Background :...
, tenor sax; Trevor TomkinsTrevor TomkinsTrevor Ramsey Tomkins is an English jazz drummer best known for his work in a number of British bands in the 1970s, including Gilgamesh.His recorded several albums with pianist Michael Garrick in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
, drums; Ian Carr, trumpet and Harry SouthHarry SouthHarry South was an English jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, who later moved into work for film and television....
, arranger)
Carr's bibliography
- 1982: Miles Davis (William Morrow & Co.) ISBN 0-688-01321-X
- 1988: Jazz: The Essential Companion with Digby Fairweather & Brian Priestley (Paladin Books) ISBN 0-586-08530-0
- 1991: Keith Jarrett: The Man and His Music (Grafton Books) ISBN 0-246-13434-8
- 1999: Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography (Thunder's Mouth Press) ISBN 1-56025-241-3
- 2004: The Rough Guide to Jazz with Digby Fairweather & Brian Priestley (3rd edn.) Rough Guides Limited. ISBN 1-84353-256-5
- 2008: Music Outside: Contemporary Jazz in Britain, 2nd edn., with new postscript (London: Northway Publications). ISBN 978-0955090868 (1st edn., published 1973, by Latimer New Dimensions. ISBN 0-901539-25-2).
Sources and external links
- The Ian Carr and Nucleus Website
- Ian Carr / The Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet / Nucleus discographies at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- [ Ian Carr] at AllMusic
- Craig Harris [ Ian Carr biography] — Allmusic
- Ian Carr, et al. Jazz: the Rough Guide (2nd edition). The Rough Guides, 2000. ISBN 1-85828-528-3
- 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
- Ian Carr biographical sketch — European Jazz Network
- Ian Carr — Jazzscript
- Obituary by John Fordham, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, dated 28 February 2009