Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Don Rendell Ian Carr Quintet: Live at the Union 1966
Don Rendell Ian Carr Quintet: Live at the Union 1966
Ian Carr
trumpet1933 - 2009
Allan Holdsworth
guitar, electric1948 - 2017
John Marshall
drumsb.1952
Karl Jenkins
keyboardsb.1944
Soft Machine
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1966
Like the quintet's commercial release Live (Columbia, 1968), the recently unearthed Live at the Union 1966 demonstrates that the Don Rendell Ian Carr Quintet may have been more polite in its studio outings, but live possessed no shortage of firepower. The mono tape—rescued by its original recorder, George Foster, from a box under Carr's bed when, in 2007, the Alzheimer's suffering trumpeter was sadly moved to a care home, passing two years later—is an earlier date and could, some might suggest, suffer from the departure of regular bassist Dave Green after the first two of its six songs, replaced by dep Tony Reeves. But that would be a mistake. This somewhat lo-fi (though certainly clear) recording—made at the relatively intimate and informal Student's Union Bar at University College London—finds the group in a particularly loose and unfettered mood.
The quintet also benefited from stable personnel, with pianist Michael Garrick joining Rendell, Carr, Green and drummer Trevor Tomkins following Shades of Blue. By the time of Dusk Fire (Columbia, 1966), the quintet had become a hard-working group, and the results are in clear evidence on this set of original compositions, largely written by Garrick, with the exception of one collaboration with Carr and "On"—the up-tempo opener that sets the stage for this largely high-powered set and the only song previously recorded by the quintet, attributed to Carr in its studio version on Phase III (Columbia, 1968) but credited here to Rendell.
The quintet was heavily rooted in the American tradition, as titles like the (not surprisingly) modal workout of "Trane's Mood" and more relaxed blues of "Webster's Mood" would suggest. But the waltz-time swing of "Carolling" and, in particular, the Garrick/Carr closer, "Hot Rod," demonstrate unexpected hints of European classicism, even as the latter brings the house down with some of the intense frontline interaction that made the quintet such an exciting part of the UK scene.
The 70-minute set also demonstrates why longstanding groups are most often the best ones. Given time to get to know each others' strengths, foibles and peccadilloes, the Don Rendell Ian Carr Quintet turned from a relatively well-mannered group into one that, despite its obvious straight-ahead touchstones, wasn't missing the free bop of
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
Track Listing
On; Ursula; Trane's Mood; Webster's Mood; Carolling; Hot Rod.
Personnel
Don Rendell
saxophoneDon Rendell: flute, tenor and soprano saxophones; Ian Carr: trumpet, flugelhorn; Michael Garrick: piano; Dave Green: bass (1, 2); Tony Reeves: bass (3-6); Trevor Tomkins: drums.
Album information
Title: Live at the Union 1966 | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Reel Recordings
Tags
Don Rendell Ian Carr Quintet
CD/LP/Track Review
Don Rendell
John Kelman
Reel Recordings
Ian Carr
Allan Holdsworth
John Marshall
Karl Jenkins
Soft Machine
Miles Davis
Live at the Union 1966
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