Ian Carr

Ian Carr (21 April 1933 – 25 February 2009) was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator.

Early years
Carr was born in Dumfries, 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.

Musical career
At the age of seventeen 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 (1963–1969). 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 (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.

Emcee Five

 * 1961: Let's Take Five
 * 1962: Bebop from the East Coast

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"

Springboard

 * 1969: Springboard (recorded in 1966)

With Don Rendell

 * 2001: Reunion

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 Ardley & Don Rendell)
 * 1974: Will Power (with Neil Ardley, Mike Gibbs, and Stan Tracey)
 * 1980: Collana Jazz 80" (with the Algemona Quartetto)
 * 1989: Old Heartland
 * 1991: Virtual Realities (Zyklus, with Warren Greveson, Neil Ardley and John L. Walters)
 * 1993: Sounds and Sweet Airs (That Give Delight and Hurt Not) (with John Taylor)

Various

 * 1965: Roy Budd (Roy Budd, piano; Dick Morrissey, tenor sax; Trevor Tomkins, drums; Ian Carr, trumpet and Harry South, 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 Discogs
 * [ Ian Carr] at AllMusic
 * Craig Harris [ Ian Carr biography] &mdash; 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 &mdash; AllAboutJazz.com 7 July 2005
 * John Kelman Ian Carr and Nucleus: '70s British Jazz Rock Progenitors, 19 January 2004 &mdash; AllAboutJazz.com
 * Ian Carr biographical sketch &mdash; European Jazz Network
 * Ian Carr &mdash; Jazzscript
 * Obituary by John Fordham, The Guardian, dated 28 February 2009

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