Ian Carr

Ian Carr (21 April 1933 – 25 February 2009) was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator. Carr performed and recorded with the Rendell-Carr quintet and jazz-fusion band Nucleus, and was an associate professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He also wrote biographies of musicians Keith Jarrett and Miles Davis.

Early years
Ian Henry Randall Carr was born in Dumfries, Scotland, the elder brother of Mike Carr. From 1952 to 1956, Carr attended King's College, now Newcastle University, 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 became co-leader with Don Rendell of the Rendell–Carr quintet (1963–69). 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. During the 1960s he also played with the New Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Neil Ardley and recorded an album with altoist Joe Harriott.

After leaving the quintet, Carr went on to form the ground-breaking jazz-rock band Nucleus. 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, released their first album, Elastic Rock, and performed at both the Newport Jazz Festival and the Village Gate jazz club. Carr also played with the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble from 1975.

Carr worked as a session musician in non-jazz contexts, with Nico, No-Man, Faultline, and others. He also doubled 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. 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 Joe Harriott and John Mayer).

In 1987, Carr was appointed associate professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 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, among others, was one of his students.

Death
Ian Carr died aged 75 on 25 February 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 (with whom Carr collaborated on two films on Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett) and Carr's students Julian Joseph, Sara Dillon and Nikki Yeoh.

Emcee Five
(With John O'Carroll and Mike Carr)
 * Let's Take Five (Columbia, 1962)
 * Bebop 61: Bebop From The East Coast 1960/1962 (Birdland, 1987) – rec. 1961–67

Rendell–Carr Quintet
(As co-leader with Don Rendell) Compilation
 * 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
 * Live at the Union 1966 (Reel, 2010) – live rec. 1966
 * Live at Klooks Kleek (Record Collector Magazine, 2017)[2LP] – live rec. 1963
 * Original 1964-68 Recordings / Live From The Antibes Jazz Festival (Spotlite, 2007) – live

Nucleus
(As leader of Nucleus)
 * Elastic Rock (Vertigo, 1970)
 * We'll Talk about It Later (Vertigo, 1971) – rec. 1970
 * Solar Plexus (Vertigo, 1971) – rec. 1970. 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 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)[2CD] – 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)[2CD] – live rec. 1976 at Loughborough University
 * Live in Europe 1970-71 (Hux, 2009) – live rec. 1970–71
 * Live 1970 with Leon Thomas (Gearbox, 2014)[2LP] – live rec. 1970 at Montreux Jazz Festival

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 with others

 * Springboard with Jeff Clyne (Polydor, 1969) – rec. 1966
 * Greek Variations & Other Aegean Exercises with Neil Ardley & Don Rendell (Columbia, 1970)
 * Will Power with Neil Ardley, Mike Gibbs, and Stan Tracey (Argo, 1974)[2LP]
 * Collana Jazz 80" with the Algemona Quartetto (Mia, 1980)

As a member
The New Jazz Orchestra
 * Western Reunion (Decca, 1965)
 * Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe (Verve, 1969)
 * On The Radio: BBC Sessions 1971 (Dusk Fire, 2017)

Zyklus
 * Virtual Realities (AMP, 1991)

Others
 * V.A., Mike Taylor Remembered (Trunk, 2007) – rec. 1973. a tribute to Mike Taylor with Jon Hiseman, Ian Carr, Barbara Thompson, and others.

As sideman

 * Roy Budd, "'Roy Budd" (pye, 1965)[7"]
 * The Joe Harriott / Amancio D'Silva Quartet, Hum-Dono (Columbia, 1969)
 * George Russell's Living Time Orchestra, The London Concert (Label Bleu, 1990) – live rec. 1989
 * Don Rendell, Reunion (Spotlite Jazz, 2002)

Publications

 * 1982: Miles Davis (Quartet / William Morrow & Co.) ISBN 0-704-32273-0 / 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 and photographs (London: Northway Publications). ISBN 978-0-9550908-6-8 (1st edn published 1973 by Latimer New Dimensions. ISBN 0-901539-25-2).