Ian Carr (Nucleus)

Scottish trumpeter Ian Carr had been working with saxophonist Don Rendell in the mid- and late-1960s, The Ian Carr-Don Rendell Quintet, when he got the idea for moving his jazz music into a more rock-infused direction. The result became his "Nucleus" project with experimental electric guitarist Chris Spedding, diverse keyboardist Karl Jenkins, bass player Jeff Clyne, drummer-extraordinaire John Marshall, and long-time collaborator, saxophonist Brian Smith. From 1969 to 1972 the original Nucleus lineup was able to pump out four stellar, trend-setting and standard-setting albums before things fell apart. Other than Brian Smith, Ian Carr was able to attract amazing musicians to his project for successive tours and studio sessions but, for whatever reason, he was unable (or unwilling?) to retain them for (usually) more than one album. Still, the number of Ian Carr/Nucleus albums churned out during the 1970s is at the absolute highest level of quality and marksmanship for that which we continue to call "jazz-rock fusion." I would, in fact, be happy to argue that perhaps no one occupied center mass for the classic definition of that which constitutes "Jazz-Rock Fusion" better than Ian Carr. 

NUCLEUS Elastic Rock (1970)

The debut studio album release from Ian Carr's Jazz-Rock Fusion brainchild. Recorded in January of 1970--before Miles Davis' Bitches Brew had been released and before (Ian claims) he or his band members had even heard In a Silent Way, the spirit of fusion expressed on this album is very much ahead of its time. The album presents a style of interweaving dynamic instrumental play coming from multiple electrified or electrically-effected instruments that was totally new and, in my opinion, genre-defining. Much of the compositions on this album and the next are attributed to keyboardist Karl Jenkins, resulting in a consistency of sound and style that would pervade the band's first two albums (and which would arise in The Soft Machine when Karl moved to that band in 1972). There are some quite iconic riffs and grooves on this album that many Jazz, Jazz-Rock Fusion, and even Prog lovers will, no doubt, recognize.   

Line-up / Musicians:
- Chris Spedding / guitars
- Karl Jenkins / piano, Hohner Electra-Piano, oboe, baritone saxophone
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxophones, flute
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Jeff Clyne / acoustic & electric bass
- John Marshall / drums, percussion

1. "1916 " (1:11) such an epic opening! Like a signature song for some radio or television show! Great display for John Marshall's talents. (5/5)

2. "Elastic Rock" (4:05) this laid back piece sounds and feels like something from Miles Davis' Kind of Blue 2.0--at least, it starts that way: it's the feel as, obviously, Miles' original had neither electric piano, electric bass, nor any type of guitars; it's all about the feel. But then as Chris Spedding takes on his solo the music plants itself firmly into the post-Post Bop world of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Great song with great use of accenting horn "section." (9.25/10)

3. "Striation" (2:15) a really enjoyable duet of fascinating interplay between Jeff Clyne and his bowed double bass and Chris Spedding's finger-picked electric guitar. (4.75/5) 

4. "Taranaki" (1:39) upper-register electric bass, gentle electric guitar and electric piano chord interplay driven by hi-hat & rimshot rhythm over which Ian and Brian also dance a beautiful duet with flugelhorn and tenor sax. Amazing! (5/5)

5. "Twisted Track" (5:15) gentle electric guitar picking carrying over from the previous song is soon joined by bass, cymbals, and breathy horns usher this into Jimmy Webb territory: if Burt Bacharach arranged Miles Davis to play a Jimmy Webb song! Pretty cool! Ian & co. were definitely creating some very sophisticated and beautifully woven tapestries! Somehow even Chris' bent C&W guitar notes work in the intricate mix of this song. (9.333/10)

6. "Crude Blues, Pt. 1" (0:54) Karl Jenkins' oboe and Chris' gentle jazz electric guitar make for strange but beautiful bedfellows as they introduce this one.… (4.5/5)
7. "Crude Blues, Pt. 2" (2:36) … which turns into a "cool" 1960s Beatnick-turned-Hippie tune as the full band joins in. More solos from Karl as Ian, Chris, and Brian, populate the middle-ground above this groovy keyboard-less rhythm track. (4.5/5)

8. "1916 - The Battle of Boogaloo" (3:04) take the opener of Side One and then turn it into a multi-track three- and four-part rondo and you might get an idea of the feel of this one. (9.25/10)

9. "Torrid Zone" (8:40) built over a bass-and-guitar earworm riff that keeps the listener engaged (more like hypnotized!) John Marshall and Ian really get to shine on this one: Ian in a very FREDDIE HUBBARD-like sound and style, John recorded with one mic?! Karl and Chris get a little more animated (on the left and right, respectively) as Ian plays on (just as Freddie would). Great groove; great performances! (18.25/20)

10. "Stonescape" (2:39) muted trumpet opening feels like something straight off of Kind of Blue but then electric piano joins in. Double bass and brushed drums join in later. Cool little late night BILL EVANS-like song. (4.625/5)

11. "Earth Mother" (5:15) repeating some previously-explored riffs and themes that were used in the "Crude Blues" suite (including the presence of Karl Jenkins' oboe)--performing variations on them like the restatements, inversions, and modulations that occur in the recapitulations of classical music movements. Nice work from Karl. (8.875/10)

12. "Speaking for Myself, Personally, in My Own" (0:54) a skillful John Marshall drum solo that bridges "Earth Mother" and "Persephone's Jive." (4.375/5)

13. "Persephones Jive" (2:15) great little jazzy-gem to finish things off. I love this (still a continuation of Side Two's tape-jam). Ian, (distant) Brian, Chris, and the rhythm section are all firing on all cylinders on this one. (4.625/5)

Total Time 36:18

It had been a long time since I'd heard this album and I'd completely forgotten how amazing it is. Though I have not yet tried to substantiate this, I have a feeling that the music on Side One was all recorded in one straight session as was the same for Side Two--the separations and song "breaks" thereby being artificially created in the engineering room. 

91.333 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion and a landmark album in the history and evolution of the burgeoning melieu. 

NUCLEUS We'll Talk About It Later (1971)

Seasoned trumpeter Ian Carr had had his fill with co-leading a band and so branched out with his new band Nucleus. In 1970 the UK label Vertigo released the new band's debut album, Elastic Rock, to much acclaim and popular fervor. Next came an album from the same lineup--sans Ian--Songs Without Words, on which guitarist Chris Spedding received top billing. In September of 1970, Ian and the founding Nucleus lineup entered Trident Studios in London for the sessions that would become We'll Talk About It Later. The album was released early in 1971 (January or March). 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxes, flute
- Karl Jenkins / piano, Hohner Electra piano, oboe, baritone sax
- Chris Spedding / guitars, bouzouki, vocals (6)
- Jeff Clyne / acoustic & electric bass
- John Marshall / drums, percussion

1. "Song For The Bearded Lady" (7:25) upbeat, hard-drivin, great musical weave, great use of horns. At two minutes in the sound calms down to support Ian Carr's soloing. He sounds so much like American jazz great Freddie Hubbard it's uncanny! Background instrumentalists start getting a little frisky in the fourth minute (awesome!) but then Chris Spedding takes a turn in the lead as Karl Jenkins toys with him on the Hohner Electra piano in the opposite channel.  in the fifth. Nice contrasting styles. Everybody remerges together for the final minute--an outro to bookend the intro. Definitely an iconic/signatory song for the fledgeling musical medium--one that most obviously influenced and inspired the Milanese artists AREA who would soon be creating the landmark album Arbeit Macht Frei. (14.333/15)

2. "Sun Child" (5:19) opens with some saucy, spacious bass, drums and guitar over which a soprano sax teases seductively. The interplay intensifies insidiously over the first couple minutes until it feels as if each instrument is kind of in their own world. The arrival of Ian's trumpet kind of soothes and shifts the direction and intensity of the collective, creating more space but less "competitiveness." (8.875/10)

3. "Lullaby For A Lonely Child" (4:21) opens with delicate bass, cymbal and electric piano interplay before controlled yet emotional trumpet takes the lead. Support is joined by gently picked guitar and saxes before a little whole-group chorus spaces out the next section of trumpet and bouzouki solos. Intensifies slightly for the second chorus but then bouzouki takes us to the end. Pleasant but nothing very extraordinary worth writing home about. (8.75/10)

4. "We'll Talk About It Later" (6:19) opens with some raunchier guitar sound accompanied by subdued bass, hi-hat, and Hohner electric piano. Accompanying instruments shift into second gear as the song becomes fully blues. Guitars (Chris on multiple tracks--one heavily wah-wah-ed), Hohner, and drums all shift into third and fourth gears as bass and muted trumpet remain rock steady until the second half of the third minute when Ian's "wah-wah-ed" (sordino) trumpet play takes on a more prominent roll. This has a very DOORS-like "The End" quality and sound. Chris Spedding's free-wailing guitar really stands out on this one. Cool exploration and experimentation thought not a great song. (8.875/10)

5. "Oasis" (9:49) opens as if all instrumentalists are in their own world, expressing their own moods, until around 1:50 the keys' chord selection become steady, guitar strums, bass line and cymbal play support this. Horns too, before trumpet goes off on a solo. Guitars, drums and keys start amping up their inputs as Ian continues to solo into the fifth minute. At the end of the fifth minute, Ian goes a little freestyle but then everybody else softens and backs down, making room for a prominent muted soprano sax solo in the sixth, seventh and eighth minutes. Drums begin to go rogue in the seventh and eighth before a calm appears in which Brian Smith continues playing his sax as Chris Spedding and Jeff Clyne's bass take more foreground prominence. Horn section enters to bring everybody together just before the end. (18/20)

6. "Ballad of Joe Pimp" (3:48) Vocals! Sounds like it could come off of an early SOFT MACHINE album. Horns take over after the first verse. A very Philly R&B/Soul feel to this one. (8.875/10)

7. "Easter 1916" (8:47) Sounds like a classic experimental late 1960s experimental jazz fusion song as BRAINTKICKET-like vocals and keys are driven along by blues-rock bass, guitar and drums play. Its a great groove, despite it's odd meter. Melodic jazz sax solo in the third and fourth minutes becomes more free form in the fifth and sixth. Support instrumentation disappear in the seventh minute as drums solo while sax continues it's spitting and spouting. Awesome drum play! Ends with a familiar "Love Supreme" sound and drum solo. (18.75/20)

Total Time: 45:48

Over all I'd call this an exceptionally good collection of experimental jazz-rock fusion songs with the artists all sounding like they are coming from the jazz world trying to cross over into rock. Though not all of it stands up as being "fresh" since so much J-R Fusion has come since this album's 1971 release, most times it works very well. Definitely a wonderful accomplishment for it's time.

91.01 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music from the early era of jazz-rock fusion experimentation. Though Ian Carr would continue to use the Nucleus name for almost two decades, from here out it was well understood that this was his band and they were to play music his way: thus the consistently (almost absurdly) high turnover rate among band membership. In fact, three of Ian's major finds would soon become fairly steady members and compositional contributors to another of England's new Jazz-Rock Fusion bands: drummer John Marshall, multi-instrumentalist Karl Jenkins, and John Babbington will settle for some time with Mike Ratledge's The Soft Machine. 

NUCLEUS Solar Plexus (1971)

Recorded in December of 1970, this was Ian Carr's relatively-new "jazz-rock fusion" project's third album release (though many cite Chris Spedding's Ian-Carr-less album from 1970, Songs Without Words as another Nucleus album, which would make Solar Plexus the band's fourth release). Here we see the final appearance on Nucleus/Ian Carr albums of Karl Jenkins, Chris Spedding, Jeff Clyne, and drummer John Marshall while at the same time we see the significant contributions of a number of hired guests to thicken and give variety to Ian's band's sound. The album was released by Vertigo Records in the middle of 1971, only a few months after they'd released We'll Talk About it Later. Apparently, Ian had composed all of this music himself with the intention of recording it with a new lineup of musicians but soon realized that his Nucleus collaborators were the only musicians capable of rendering it with any veracity to his original intentions, thus the use of Ian Carr's name in the group title.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn (solo 6)
- Karl Jenkins / oboe (solo 3), baritone sax, electric piano
- Brian Smith / tenor (solo 6) & soprano (solo 5) saxophones, flute
- Chris Spedding / guitar
- Jeff Clyne / bass, double bass (solo 3)
- John Marshall / drums (solo 5), percussion
With:
- Keith Winter / VCS3 synthesizer
- Kenny Wheeler / trumpet & flugelhorn (1,2 solo,5,6)
- Harry Beckett / trumpet & flugelhorn (solo 3,4)
- Tony Roberts / tenor saxophone (solo 2), bass clarinet (solo 4)
- Ron Matthewson / bass (solo 4)
- Chris Karan / percussion

1. Elements I & II (2:12) full-on experimentation with the latest advances/offerings from the world of electronics: here a VCS3 synthesizer, courtesy of Keith Winter, joined by bowed double bass, flanged electric guitar notes, and metallic percussion noises. Interesting and, actually, rather structured! (4.5/5)

2. Changing Times (4:44) so many elements here that refer to other songs, other artists--like HERB ALPERT, OLATUNDE BABATUNJI, HUGH MASAKELA, BURT BACHARACH, and so many others An absolutely brilliant blend of so many styles and sounds: like a brief history of Jazz-Rock music! I'm glad! If anyone in the early Fusion world had a grip on where Jazz-Rock Fusion was coming from and the many, many arms and tentacles it could reach into, it was Ian Carr. A complete visionary! (9/10)

3. Bedrock Deadlock (6:52) opens sounding like a song from mediæval church music with oboe and bowed double bass dancing around one another in a kind of pre-tango pairs dance. Quite lovely--and brilliant! At 1:49, then, the classical music intro ends, there is a pause, and then a full band jumps into a weird motif that forces enters the listener to enter into a mish-mash of early-Beatles psychedelia. At 3:48 a horn section of saxes starts up a new expression of the main melodies--which is then countered by Ian Carr's own competing melody presentation from a horn section that he leads. Mix into the weave Chris Spedding and Jeff Clyne's own competing thread and we have a really cool, really beautiful weave of doubled up melodies--all supported by the rhythm play of John Marshall's drums paired up with Chris Karan's conga play. Cool mathematical exercise! (9.5/10)  

4. Spirit Level (9:20) opening with another anachronistic weave of multiple "old" instruments that lasts about 60 seconds before turning into a little sprite-like dance between guests Tony Roberts' bass clarinet and Ron Matthewson's bass--which goes on for about two and a half minutes while late-night jazz brushed drums eventually join in as well as harmonically-arranged horn section. The bass clarinet and bass continue on well into the sixth minute before the band slides into a slightly more substantial jazz motif with sticks being used on the drum kit and Ian stepping up into the lead position while Chris Spedding, Ron Matthewson, Chris Karan, and the other horn players all fall into interestingly creative support roles. Another interesting song that sounds and feels like a journey through several time periods and styles. (18/20)

5. Torso (6:12) a song that feels somewhat rooted in the popular "beach rock" that became popular in the 1960s. There is also a Spanish hue to the song--quite like the Animals version of the classic tune, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (and the later version by Santa Esmeralda) as well as The Mamas And The Papas' chords from "California Dreamin'" and future [June of 1971] hit, "One Fine Morning" by Canadian band Skylark. A real rousing, rollicking, and engaging tune that makes you want to get up and move! (9.5/10)

6. Snakehips Dream (15:16) a song that starts out as if borrowing an old James Brown R&B motif to ge t started: bass, drums, two rhythm guitar tracks (on the left: more rhythm-oriented with lots of strumming of fast-changing chords; on the right with more jazz sounds and intonations. I'm guessing that Eumir Deodato and his guitarist John Tropea had this in mind when playing/recording for "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)"). Weird to just be noticing how there are virtually no keyboards on this album! The first four minutes of this are just as described: all R&B exploration of a theme, but then horns enter and start to fill some spaces and accent others until Brian Smith branches off into the sunlight to posit a smooth tenor sax solo over the hep R&B jam. At the 8:00 mark two different horn groups break off to perform a call-and-response passage that serves as a bridge to Ian's turn to solo--this time on a flugelhorn.
Meanwhile, Chris Spedding's two guitar tracks continue to improvise, exploring and entertaining just beneath the lead and rhythm sections. (27/30)

 
Total Time: 44:36

As suggested above, Ian Carr's vision for Jazz-Rock Fusion's potential is about as complete as anyone's that I've encountered: where others are imitators or simply jumping on a bandwagon with the other "cool kids" (like Miles, Freddie Hubbard, Art Farmer, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Mann, Jack DeJohnette, Donald Byrd and even Herbie Hancock (who was really more into exploring the latest and greatest technologies), Ian is actually totally committed, invested, and immersed in the movement--which I really admire. On Solar Plexus one can see Ian growing: spanning two worlds at the same time, with one foot still drawing from all that was fresh and innovative in the pop-jazz world of the 1960s while the other is in the forward-thinking, potential-realizing of his own imagination. 

91.18 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; another minor masterpiece of cutting-edge, exploratory Jazz-Rock Fusion from one of the true leaders and apostles of the movement. 

IAN CARR Belladonna (1972)

Belladonna was released by Universal Records in July of 1972. It is, in effect, a NUCLEUS album, however, I can see how and why Ian Carr dropped that moniker for this album in that only one musician (Brian Smith) (other than himself) remains from the original Nucleus albums (Elastic Rock and We'll Talk about it Later). (Apparently, Ian had long ago conceived of starting fresh--starting a new band--separating himself from the Nucleus ensemble.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn
With:
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxophones, alto & bamboo flutes
- Allan Holdsworth / guitar
- Dave MacRae / Fender electric piano
- Gordon Beck / Hohner electric piano (1,4-6)
- Roy Babbington / bass
- Clive Thacker / drums, percussion
- Trevor Tomkins / percussion (1,3,4)

1. "Belladonna" (13:42) an album that sounds very much as if it is taking its cues and inspiration from the post-Bitches Brew work of Joe Zawinul & Wayne Shorter (who had just launched their WEATHER REPORT project with both the self-titles debut and 1972 release, I Sing the Body Electric, both having been released prior to Belladonna's July recording sessions) and especially, Herbie Hancock, whose Mwandishi and Crossings albums had also both been released prior to Belladonna's recording sessions. (In case you were wondering, Chick Corea's Return to Forever album had its European release in September of 1972, two months after, Belladonna came out.) While Brian Smith's soprano sax is the real start of this show, Gordon Beck's peaceful Hohner electric piano is a key component to its success. While Brian's play and melodies are quite pleasing, even enjoyable, the song never gets elevated into anything but a long late night contemplative--and, perhaps a fitting inspiration for Vangelis Papathanassiou for the spacey "New Age" music that would occupy his attention for the rest of his life. (26.333/30)

2. "Summer Rain" (6:13) after a 90-second slow and deliberated intro in which Ian's trumpet and Brian's tenor sax set the melodic groundwork, this song is blessed by a dynamic breakout performance on the "dirty" Fender Rhodes by a Kiwi age-mate of Ian's, Dave MacRae (who would stay with Ian for the next three Ian Carr/Nucleus albums). I find myself not only absolutely mesmerized by this piece, but actually loving both the sound and melodies created by Dave and his Fender Rhodes. (It's the same sound that French downtempo chillout band AIR used so successfully on their massively-popular 1998 debut album, Moon Safari.) Bass, jazz guitar (mixed far-left into the background) and chill drums progress throughout the length of the song. Weird to hear Allan Holdsworth--the Allan Holdsworth--relegated to playing rhythm/background jazz guitar using neither his own trademark scales nor his own "trademark" sound.(9.6667/10)

3. "Remadione" (3:48) flutes take up a full two minutes of this song's opening while dirty Fender Rhodes electric piano (L) and more rock/proggy lead electric guitar gently support. The third and fourth minutes see the full band engage in another AIR-like downtempo motif while Dave and Allan ramp up considerably their "duel." (9/10)

4. "Mayday" (5:41) opening with the "Shaft"-like cymbal play and over all sound of Bitches Brew and Mwandishi/Crossings, Allan is strumming away wildly in the background while Dave MacRae and Gordon Beck. At 3:35 the band's rhythm section feels as if it finally "falls into" the song's main motif--which is an awesome jazz-rock groove while Brian continues soloing. The finish is tailed off with a coordinated horn section riff and poof! It's over! I'm not so great a fan of Brian's sax solo (most of the time I don't even hear it) but the bass and double keyboard play are awesome. (9.125/10)

5. "Suspension" (6:15) opening tracks dedicated to bamboo flutes, electric pianos, and percussion sounds is kind of cool--definitely evoking garden and/or Japanese/Asian images/feelings. Roy Babbington's bass enters around 1:15, soloing on its own as if trying to find its place in the mix, but then suddenly at 1:55 he "falls into" a steady riff that becomes the foundation for the rest of the song--and which Allan Holdsworth doubles up with his own lowest octave strings. Meanwhile the bamboo flute and Gordon Beck's dreamy Hohner electric piano continue to explore the background but now we add Ian's trumpet up front left and, soon, Dave MacRae's dirty Fender Rhodes in the right channel. The bamboo flutes disappear as Ian and the two electric pianos continue to explore their passions on their own tracks with their own separately effected instruments (Dave's Rhodes getting particularly wild--sounding like a wile organ or heavily-treated lead guitar). Despite a rather mundane and pastoral opening, this one became something quite interesting--especially with that cool Fender Rhodes sound flailing aggressively away in the final third. (9.125/10)

6. "Hector's House" (4:33) though definitely firmly rooted in the rock traditions, this one has one of the more convincing jazz-rock feels to it--all built on a riff and motif that is not so far from the opening song, "Song for the Bearded Lady" from We'll Talk about it Later. Brian Smith really tears an awesomely-smooth high-speed performance on his soprano sax in the second and third minutes while Allan Holdworth really rips up the soundwaves in the fourth with his jazz-rock guitar shredding. Once again there are such highs in this song to offset the lows/deficiencies. (9.125/10)

Total Time: 40:12

One of the most significant outcomes of the making of this album is the meeting of young Allan Holdsworth and elder statesman Gordon Beck as the two would forge a life-long friendship that would result in their collaboration on no less than four albums over the next few decades.

90.47 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of highly-creative First or Second Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion. 

IAN CARR with NUCLEUS Labyrinth (1973)

Here Ian is leading and orchestrating a rather animated expanded lineup of musicians through some pretty dynamic music.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn, composer & arranger, co-producer
- Tony Coe / tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxophones, flute
- Kenny Wheeler / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Gordon Beck / Hohner electric piano
- David MacRae / Fender electric piano
- Paddy Kingsland / VCS3 Synth
- Roy Babbington / bass
- Tony Levin / drums
- Clive Thacker / drums
- Trevor Tomkins / percussion
- Norma Winstone / vocals

1. "Origins" (2:56) opens like another experiment with electric technology noises (and bass clarinet), but then turns kind of Canterbury/avant garde with the joinder of NORTHETTES-like vocalist Norma Winstone singing her wordless vocalese track counter to the rest of the weave's clarinet, bass, electric piano, percussion, trumpet blasts, and saxophone. Then there is the solo drum (tom-toms) finish. Interesting but I'm certainly glad this is not the direction Ian has chosen for the whole album. (4.375/5)

 

2. "Dance" (8:17) thought the bass and drums remain fixed in the current of funkified Jazz-Rock Fusion, the rest of this song's musicianship (and, especially, melody-selection) shows drifting over into the less-pleasing and more harmonic- and mathematical world of Avant Garde music. It's still a great song, it just doesn't have the warm, friendly melodies that we've become spoiled by in the radio-friendly pop world. (18.5/20) 

3. "Ariadne" (7:47) opens with a prolonged Hohner electric piano introductory section from Gordon Beck: over three minutes worth! What an odd-sounding instrument was the Hohner! Finally, at the very end of the third minute, Gordon directs his keyboard play into establishing a chord progression that the rest of the band (drum and bass) can join to launch the fabric over which the winsome voice of Norma Winstone can sing. Norma has a voice and style that seems to meld Dusty Springfield and Barbara Gaskin together (though the most fitting doppleganger to my ears is KOOP's 2003 guest vocalist, Yukimi Nagano). There is a lot of feeling of bluesy lounge music coming from Gordon Beck's keys, which feels dated to me, but the vocals elevate the song to a classier level. (13.25/15)

4. "Arena Part 1" (1:42) free jazz from Ian, Gordon, and Brian. (4.25/5)
5. "Arena Part 2" (5:13) rising out of the chaos of "Part 1" comes a sunrise of insidious power as Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Tony Coe, two drummers plus Trevor Tomkins, Paddy Kingsland and Roy Babbington join in. I like this! The song then closes with 45 seconds of more-organized "chaos" from the opening trio. (9.25/10)

6. "Exultation" (6:01) trumpet and two saxes lead the way over a thick rhythm section and Norma Winstone's constant wordless vocalese woven thickly into one. In the third minute David MacRae gets the first real solo on a very "dirty" Fender Rhodes over a funky groove that eventually melts away into something a little more chaotic in the fourth minute before reconstituting into a pretty awesome groove for the fifth minute. Dave's Rhodes rampage continues while the two drummers duke it out beneath (which eventually gets cut off by the bleed into the next song). Weirdly wonderful. (9/10)

7. "Naxos" (12:17) pensive and disciplined with a lot of potential energy being pent up like the wild animals that populate Miles Davis studio recording sessions. As a matter of fact, the similarities of this song to the musics that came out of those 1969 sessions of Miles' are quite striking. It seems as if the entire cast is on the prowl, even Norma: the two drummers and bass seem particularly eery in their skulkiness, while keys players bounce and pounce around and the horn players run sometimes frantic though youthful circles around one another like playful lion cubs. Overall, there is not a lot of meat or grist here, just a lot of pent up energy seeping away, never really finding satisfaction or resolution to their hunger-rooted hunt. I do, however, give Ian and crew big credit for establishing and maintaining a mood with far greater interest and allure than any of those Miles albums that Teo Macero created. Also, big praise to Norma Winstone for holding her own while prowling around with the trumpets! (22.5/25)   

Total Time 44:13

There is definitely a new, angular, less-Western, pop-oriented component to the music on this album than on Ian's previous releases. It's as if he's lifted his foot that was imbedded in the fecund world of cute 1960s jazz-pop melodies and moved it into a boggy turf of Avant Garde chromaticism while at the same time loosing his collaborators into greater freedoms for individual expression (within the parameters of his direction, of course).  

90.14 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion. I love how Ian is still forming, pushing, experimenting: he has yet to settle into a groove, yet to allow himself or his music to become pigeon-holed. 

NUCLEUS Under the Sun (1974)

Brian Smith is gone! Carrying over from Ian's Roots release from the previous year are guitarist Jocelyn Pitchen and bassist Roger Sutton, while blues-rock pianist Gordon Beck returns after a one-album hiatus. But Ian's long-time collaborator and partner in crime, Brian Smith, has moved on.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Bob Bertles / alto & baritone saxophones, flute, bass clarinet
- Gordon Beck / electric piano, percussion
- Geoff Castle / electric piano, synthesizer
- Jocelyn Pitchen / electric & acoustic guitars
- Ken Shaw / guitar
- Roger Sutton / bass
- Bryan Spring / drums, percussion, timpani
With:
- Keiran White / voice (2)

1. "In Procession" (2:54) opens with a cool groove: a variation of sorts of an early Herbie or Mahavishnu riff (one that will also be borrowed and mutated by Weather Report in the next few years). This one has multiple expressions of the main melody coming from several sources--including two horn players! (9.333/10)

2. "The Addison Trip" (3:58) another cool motif in which the keys and bass are following one melodic theme while the horns and drums and percussion seem to be on a different course--but the two woven together work! But this is short-lived as the song quickly devolves into a bass and drum show (with some support from keyboards and horns. The very sudden ending--as if the tape were just cut at some random point in the players' play--is quite disconcerting. Wish the opening 30-seconds could've continued . . . forever. (9/10)

3. "Pastoral Graffiti" (3:33) a flute-led piece that feels quite . . . pastoral. I love hearing the spinet/harpsichord sound among the support instrument for this rondo weave--and the joinder of Ian's smooth flugelhorn and everybody else's gentle contributions. (9.25/10) 

4. "New Life" (7:07) my favorite song on the album for the sake of its powerful bass-driven motif and great trumpet and sax performances (and arrangements!). Nice drumming, too. I could have done without the major tempo and motif shifts at the halfway point but am happy to have been treated thereafter to some of my favorite Ian Carr trumpet soloing: great melodies, accented by electric piano and wah-wah-ed electric guitar. (If I'm not mistaken, Ian, himself, plays with some wah-wah effects in this historic trumpet solo.) (14.125/15)

5. "A Taste Of Sarsaparilla" (0:44) solo trumpet with chorused electric piano in support. Pretty melody--played with Freddie Hubbard-like sensitivity! (4.5/5)

6. "Theme 1: Sarsaparilla" (6:47) building, of course, on the brief melody introduced in the "A Taste of ..." predecessor but quickly becoming something like a Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass motif that's been elevated to the next highest level (thereby disqualifying it for game show theme song honors but keeping it well within the realms of highest-level Jazz-Rock Fusion). An odd pause in the third minute results in a return to the main theme (with all its power and vigor) while Gordon Beck takes us on a ride with his electric piano. At the end of the fourth minute there is another slow down where the band seems to get lost--discombobulated--while Bob Bertles solos on an alto sax, but then everything turns right again as Roger and Bryan zip back into the fast lane. It's pretty cool when Ian joins Bob in the soloing department to kind of challenge one another but actually do their own thing, and then they come together for a recapitulation of the main theme before extraneously flying into their awesome ending flourishes. Cool! (13.75/15)  

7. "Theme 2: Feast Alfresco" (6:02) slowed down, the band joins Roger and Bryan with a slowed-down "choral" recitation of the Sarsaparilla main theme for a minute or so. Then everybody but guitar, bass, and drums clears out to give Bob Bertles room to lay into his baritone sax, keys and percussion providing some support accents. Then one of the guitarists is given the spotlight while Gordon and Geoff riff and run between he and the rhythm section. Weird to hear no horns for such a long patch of an Ian Carr/Nucleus song, but they reappear as a horn section to remind us of the main themes toward the end of the guitar and Fender Rhodes duel soloing that occurs in the song's final two minutes. (9/10) 

8. "Theme 3: Rites Of Man" (10:00) wandering, meandering electric pianos with distant horn blasts--some echoed, some spewed--are eventually joined by bass, drums and percussion--coercing the keys to step in line. Long notes from the horn section are accented by the two Rhodes and by wah-wah-ed electric guitar riffs and rhythms. Settling into a pensive, repetitive vamp-like mode, over which the trumpet and saxes solo while drummer Bryan Spring and Gordon Beck as percussionist ramp up their inputs. Sounds very Miles Davis-like. Bryan is given some clear solo time in the seventh and eight minutes, the result being more impressive than I expected: he has a bit of the ability to make his solo drumming melodic like Billy Cobham does. Bass and electric piano return toward its end with horn section doing its Miles melody/theme reminders before sax and electric guitar (I believe this one is Jocelyn Pitchen) get some solo time (at the same time--briefly, just before the end). Weird ending as it feels as if the musicians just walk away from the song . . . and studio--and just leave it empty. Weird. What has all this to do with Sarsaparilla? Still, quite a well-formed, well-performed, if weird song. (18/20) 

Total Time: 41:05

I feel as if I connected to Ian & Company's highly-skilled yet intermittently loose renderings of some very mature compositions on a deep yet easy level. For once it feels as if Ian himself was the one musician that reigned supreme even when he wasn't the spotlight performer. (I still wonder why so few musicians stay with Ian for very long.)

91.54 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a most excellent, most mature display of top-quality rendering of top-quality compositions. 

The next six years of Ian and Brian's journey include the formation of a new, relatively-stable lineup of collaborating musicians, however, the music turned away from what we would call Jazz-Rock Fusion--especially the rather pure and centrist J-R F that defined the Ian Carr/Nucleus output to this point. The music of the next five albums would be considered Funk-Jazz or AVERAGE WHITE BAND-like Pop-/Pulp-oriented Jazz-Pop. Inspired by the growth and adventurousness of giants like Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, Ian & Company continue to take everything they touch to the highest levels with the greatest of professionality and ease! 

NUCLEUS Snakehips Etcetera (1975)

Ian Carr continues onward in his relentless pursuit of expanding the horizons of all that is possible from his grand idea of fusing elements and styles of various musics into the jazz-rock idiom. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, Moog, percussion
- Bob Bertles / soprano, alto & baritone saxophones, flute, voice, percussion
- Ken Shaw / electric & 12-string guitars, percussion
- Geoff Castle / keyboards, Moog, percussion
- Roger Sutton / bass, percussion
- Roger Sellers / drums, percussion

1. "Rat's Bag" (5:51) a little "Space Race" blended with a little Cosby Kids funk into an Average White Band form. Great funk tune. (9.125/10)

2. "Alive And Kicking" (9:30) percussion play, saxophone play, with Moog bass and wordless vocalese coming from Bob Bertles provides two minutes of entertainment as Ian and the band "warm up." In the third minute the band emerges from the chaos and fog of the intro into a Marvin Gaye-like motif with horns, wah-wah rhythm guitar, congas and full-fretboard electric bass play all contributing to the dance-and-work-it pace and drive of this engaging tune. In the fifth minute, Ken Shaw is given the green light to launch into a solo that starts out kind of jazzy but becomes, over time, quite searing and soaring in its rock nature: Ken is really flying--urged on by the excellent support of bass, drums, percussion, Fender Rhodes and accenting horn section. The band moves back to the main theme in the eighth minute before a wild crash/crescendo of cacophonic choas is unleashed by all instruments, all at once, at the 8:00 mark. Out of this slowly, gradually, emerges a kind of minimalistic arpeggio weave from Ken with Ian soloing alone above it. A great tune. (18/20)

3. "Rachel's Tune" (7:05) a song with DEODATO-like charm and earworm grooves and riffs that sink in and won't let go, the funk, the jazz, the fusion, the radio-friendly AWB sound--they're all here. Bob Bertles gets the first solo on his soprano sax,  (13.5/15)

4. "Snakehips Etcetera" (10:32) a great, melodic bass line is accompanied by congas and simple drum play to help found that which will become a Bitches Brew-like motif. The level of creative inputs into this song by each musician is off-the-charts virtuosic. (17.75/20)

5. "Pussyfoot" (4:06) flute in the lead over the rollicking Jazz-funk-fest offered by this one. It sounds quite Freddie Hubbard or Laws Family-ish. Bob can really play the flute! And the full-band support is great (if less creative than that which will emerge on this lineup's next album, Alleycat.) (9.125/10)

6. "Heyday" (7:45) down-home country 12-string guitar play opens this one sounding like something from one of Britain's early Folk Rock musicians is joined in the second minute by folk-jazz traps, multi-octave bass and Fender Rhodes lines. At 2:12 Ian and Bob join in (using multiple tracks) to form another thread made up of two different horn section lines. Meanwhile, Ken continues his 12-string legato until 4:25 when the horns break up the song's momentum and everybody switches to a new, more New-Wave/R&B motif over which Bob Bertles solos on his alto sax. A very pleasant, almost Brian Auger-laid-back-like motif that also harkens back to the blues rockers and jazz-rockers of the 1960s (Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, the Memphis horns, Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears). Fun tune. (13.5/15)

Total Time: 44:49

Whilst a great album of individual performances and tons of creative experimentation, the band has yet to really gel into cohesive union; that would come with the next year's Alleycat. What I like best about this album is the comprehensive consistency from the rhythm section--especially Roger Sutton's excellent funk grooves, but the way they are all supported and enhanced by Roger Seller's drums, Geoff Castle's keys, and the ensemble's percussion contributions. It's a very consistent, high-level funk fest from opening note to the end of the penultimate song, "Pussyfoot." The two Rogers make one heck of a duo!

90.56 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of funky Jazz-Rock Fusion and a clear indicator of things that are to come.

NUCLEUS Alleycat (1976)

Great Herbie Hancock- and Miles Davis-inspired Jazz-Funk. I tell you: Ian Carr is one of THE least appreciated/most under-credited contributors to that which we call "Jazz-Rock Fusion"; the man consistently takes the genre into dimensions not-yet-imagined--and does so with bands that express a level of skill and virtuosity that is, in my opinion, unequalled and unparalleled in the world of J-R Fusion! 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn, synth
- Bob Bertles / soprano, alto & baritone saxophones, flute
- Geoff Castle / keyboards, Moog
- Ken Shaw / guitar
- Roger Sutton / bass
- Roger Sellers / drums, percussion, timpani
With:
- Trevor Tomkins / percussion (1-3)

1. "Phaideaux Corner" (6:20) bass-master Roger Sellers has perfect control of all that is The Funk. Funk Jazz does not get much better than this! Not even from The AVERAGE WHITE BAND! (9.5/10)

2. "Alleycat" (14:05) for the first couple of minutes of this song I find myself thinking that Ian & Company had been studying Herbie Hancock's transition to funk-infused Headhunters music as well as some Steely Dan, but then it devolves into more of an exhibition of studies of Miles and Freddie Hubbard peppered with a few forays into pop-familiar styles and riffs. The musicians are having a ball: each exploring their own melody and accent lines as they feel drawn--especially guitarist Ken Shaw (both on rhythm and lead). The simple pop-rock-oriented motif that fills the final four minutes is great for Shaw to shine but rather schlocky for jazz-rock fusionists. (27.5/30)

3. "Splat" (11:40) another song that definitely unfolds as if it were a copy/imitation of Herbie Hancock's new Headhunters funk style, but then at the 1:30 mark we are treated to an odd and unexpected space-interlude for about 45 seconds before the band jumps right back into the funk. The accent work of the horn section and the animated conversations between Roger Sutton's bass, Ken Shaw's guitar, and Geoff Castle's Fender Rhodes are quite entertaining, even humorous. And did I mention the great drumming and percussion play from Roger Sellers and Trevor Tomkins? A great composition that is made even better by the wonderfully-engaged contributions of every single one of the musicians. A song that again reminds me of Ian Carr's genius at taking a style and making it better--taking it to unforeseen results--with the highest caliber of confidence, sophistication, and virtuosity. Not even Herbie ever took his funk as far or as high as this! (20/20)

4. "You Can't Be Sure" (4:10) Ken Shaw's 12-string acoustic guitar played country-pickin' style (to sound almost like a mandolin--quite like the "Heyday" song from the band's previous album) with Ian's muted trumpet and Roger Sutton's baritone bass lines interplaying with him come across as a great field conversation from the cotton fields of the American South. Not my favorite style of music, and not necessarily a song worth copying, learning, or emulating, it is definitely a display of creative virtuosity. (8.75/10)

5. "Nosegay" (4:40) a racing Fender Rhodes-led display of amazing funk/R&B dexterity and virtuosity. Brian is on fire, but then, so are Roger Sellers, Roger Sutton, Geoff Castle, and Ken Shaw's amazing rhythm guitar work on the wah-wah. Jazz, rock, Fusion, music doesn't get much better than this--nor musicianship get more impressive. I'm not one to wax rhapsodic about keyboard work very often, but Geoff Castle's work both leading the way and in the soloist's spotlight are attention-commanding--worthy of high, high praises. (10/10)

Total time 40:55

94.69 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion: Ian has once again taken the ideas spawned by others (Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis) and expanded upon them in ways that leave the progenitors IN THE DUST!!  

IAN CARR'S NUCLEUS In Flagrante Delicto (1977)

Recorded live in Düren, Germany, 6 February 1977, therefore, not eligible for one of my reviews. The significant news here is that Brian Smith returns!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, flugelhorn, RMI electric piano, co-producer
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxes, percussion
- Geoff Castle / Mini Moog, Fender electric piano
- Billy Kristian / bass
- Roger Sellers / drums

1. Gestalt (11:55) (/25)
2. Mysteries (12:42) (/25)
3. Jeyday (6:15) (/10)
4. In Flagrante Delicto (16:13) (/30)

Total Time: 47:05

No disrespect to either of Ian's woodwind collaborators (Brian or Bob Bertles) but I actually think that I like Bob's instincts and diversity a bit better than Brian's though, more importantly, they both make great complementary figures to Ian in the Nucleus "horn section" 

IAN CARR'S NUCLEUS Out of the Long Dark (1979)

The studio album return of Ian's long-time collaborator, saxophonist Brian Smith. Also, gone from the fold is wonderful bass player Roger Sutton, but watch out: here comes the funky fretless play of New Zealander Billy Kristian.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / trumpet, amplified trumpet, flugelhorn, RMI electric piano, co-producer
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxes, flute, alto flute, percussion
- Geoff Castle / Fender Rhodes & Yamaha electric pianos, synthesizers
- Billy Kristian / bass guitar
- Roger Sellers / drums, percussion
With:
- Neil Ardley / ARP & Odyssey synthesizers
- Richard Burgess / percussion
- Chris Fletcher / percussion (3)

1. "Gone With the Weed" (3:25) great "smooth" Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion of the Herbie/Donald Byrd kind with some cool electric piano stuff underneath and some great trumpet play and trumpet and sax interplay up top. Billy Kristian's adept bass play is obviously being doubled up by guitar and keys while an uncredited rhythm guitar (could this possibly be a wah-wah-ed keyboard?) fills the spaces during the rhythm section's frequent stops and restarts, moving toward an unexpected Disco finish. Excellent energy: so vivacious and fun. (9.333/10)

2. "Lady Bountiful" (9:17) smooth, rolling bass and keyboard foundation provides the safety net for Brian and Ian to take turns up front--Brian using his soprano sax in a very satisfying (not annoying) way with those rich keyboard chords buoying him from beneath. You know I'm not a sax fan but this is quite nice. Piano is next, creating a pond of lullness while everyone steps back to watch for a few seconds. The band returns to support more of Brian and Ian's tandem interplay for a while before another break gives Billy Kristian the spotlight for a bit. Piano and trumpet join in while Billy continues holding down the groove (with embellishments), now playing off of one another, taking the song like this (sans drums) to the end.  I like and appreciate this but it's not a very memorable song. (17.5/20)

3. "Solar Wind" (7:33) I love the long, drawn out development of notes, chords, themes, and motifs on this song. There are even some smoothed-over sounds and themes that feel as if they'd come from a Return to Forever album or Jan Hammer's concurrent output. Though everyone performing on this one hits all the stellar highs, I want to give a special shout out to the very satisfying contributions of the percussionists. I love how the rhythmatists of the final run present a motif that sounds like Talking Heads' "The Great Curve" while Brian and Ian play their smooth melodies. (14/15)

4. "Selina" (4:06) the main theme presents a lot like Miles Davis' classic tune from 1959's Kind of Blue, "All Blues," the big difference is a kind of Steely Dan feel and attitude from the keys and sax. The horn section definitely fit right in with the horn melodies of Cannoball Adderley, 'Trane, and Miles on "All Blues." Even Ian's solo with his muted trumpet in the third minute totally conjures up Miles' play on the song in question. The biggest difference here is Billy Kristian's explosive bass lines: they're very different from those of Paul Chambers. Plus the Latin percussion from Richard Burgess. Still, this is a very fun, highly-nostalgic and winning emulation of a great old tune by some great, very capable next-gen players. And great sound engineering! (9.25/10)

5. "Out of the Long Dark (Conception)" (7:29) another long, slow moving mood piece that sees Ian using a mute over his trumpet--and he's occupying the spotlight for the vast majority of this one. Brian is playing a mellifluous flute over the tropical night mood music of the rest of the island cabana band: he's part of the mood but also making his ethereal commentaries/mimicry of Ian's cool muted horn (which reminds me of a lot of Mark Isham's work in the 1980s). Nice melody making, nice trumpet playing with very solid support from the late night cast--especially Neil Ardley's subtle Lyle Mays-like underscoring of Brian's flute and Ian's trumpet. Quite lovely--and perfectly arranged and recorded. Noteworthy. (14.125/15)

6. "Sassy (American Girl)" (5:13) coming across like a Steely Dan number--like a cross between "Peg," "Josie," and "I Got the News"--there are a lot of quirky, happy elements congealing into one funky tune. The Tony Banks Duke electric piano is especially prominent. (9.25/10)

7. "Simply This (The Human Condition)" (4:28) Billy Kristian is locked into a funky groove with Roger Sellers right there with him as Neil Ardley's synthesizer riffs, Geoff Castle's Fender Rhodes, and the horns fill in some of the spaces over the top. Again, I feel the need to bring light to the amazing sound engineering: the imaging makes one feel as if one is sitting on stage with the band playing around you, for you. (9.25/10)

8. "Black Ballad (Ecce Domino)" (6:56) wandering and meandering, stopping and stutter-starting, this jazz song still has more of a Bob James/Freddie Hubbard/Steely Dan Smooth Jazz feel to it than any of the other songs on the album. The riffs that make up the main motif are rather pop-oriented (Steely Dan), the solos pretty and melodic with very little dynamic surprises, and the drumming fairly Steve Gadd-like. It's nice--it's pretty--it's just not as jazzy as I like from my J-R Fusion artists. (13.25/15)

9. "For Liam" (0:58) solo flugelhorn from Ian that sounds like a day- or life-closing homage--a gentle, peaceful bugle call like "Taps."

Total Time: 49:25

A lot more tendresse and emotion-provocative melodie than I'm used to hearing from Ian & Co. but not enough to make it sound syrupy or maudlin--this is not Ian's concession to the trend to create money-making Smooth Jazz or Yacht Rock: the arrangements are still quite sophisticated and jazzy, fully-challenging his wonderful cast of virtuoso contributors 

91.389 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of sophisticated pre-Smooth Jazz Jazz-Rock Fusion. It happens to be one of the greatest albums from the very end of the 1970s that I've heard . . . ever!

IAN CARR'S NUCLEUS Awakening (1980)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ian Carr / Yamaha custom trumpet, flugelhorn, co-producer
- Brian Smith / tenor & soprano saxes, percussion
- Geoff Castle / Fender Rhodes & Yamaha electric pianos, MiniMoog, Korg Polysynth
- Chucho Merchan / bass
- Nic France / drums, percussion

1. "Awakening" (10:05) gentle flugelhorn harmonizing with Brian Smith's tenor sax and Chucho Merchan's fretless bass opens this tune as Nic Faance and Geoff Castle add their nuanced notes and chords. Nice melodies but no "permanent" structure is revealed until the band backs off to let Chucho solo on his Eberhard-Weber-sounding bass, then everybody slowly starts to congeal around a city-cruising drum-and-bass track. Switching to trumpet, Ian takes the first solo (in the third minute) while Geoff supports and Nic really shows his chops. Geoff's electric piano chord progressions really give life to Ian's trumpet, and then continue to do so in the stripped down, spacious sixth minute in which Brian gets his solo. This is the way the song plays out for the next few minutes, even when Brian relinquishes the spotlight to Chucho (great solo)--though Nic's drumming begins to come back to life during this same period. By the middle of the eighth minute the band has come back to the city-cruising motif in order to back Geoff's synth solos. This is great stuff since it is quite smooth and beautiful yet not nearly anywhere like the "Smooth Jazz" that had already started to dominate the J-R F world; no, this is still full-on Jazz-Rock Fusion! (18.5/20)

2. "Midnight Oil" (6:25) this song opens up with a slow intro from Geoff Castle and Chucho Merchan with Nic France's simple hi-hat notes accompanying and reinforcing the synth and fretless notes. Gradually Ian and Brian join in with some rather wonderful harmonized threads (on multiple tracks, each). The song starts "moving"--the train slowly rolling--as Chucho continues to keep us moving and Geoff providing the bluesy melody lines through accented and intermittent riff-play. In the fourth minute there is finally a Weather Report-like feeling that the music might gain momentum as Geoff's synth lead starts to become continuous and Ian and Brian become more consistently engaged. Again, though this is slow, gentle, and fairly spacious music, it bucks the tide of artists heading for the Smooth Jazz checkout lanes.     (8.875/10)

3. "Mutatis Mutandis" (5:40) A hard-driving Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion motif is set up more in the RTF vein than Weather Report--and it's not just the horns and horn section work that keeps it out of either domain, it's the busy, sophisticated playing of both Nic France and Chucho Merchan. What a great (and creative) rhythm section they make! Then bring in Geoff Castle's excellent "glue" with his electric piano work and Brian's soprano sax and you have all the makings of a great J-R F song. I mean: this rhythm section alone is worth every penny of the price of admission! (Who were these guys?!) Too bad for the fade out finish. (9.333/10)

4. "White City Blues" (7:00) rich and pensive Yamaha electric piano play opens this before Chucho and Nic join in. Just into the second minute Chucho steps up into a upper-register solo on his fretless which sounds quite a bit like the work of Eberhard Weber. So far no horns; just the work of the trio--and just slow-development and carrying forward of the same spacious opening motif. Harmonizing horns enter at 3:00 to accent the song's gentle chorus. Then Ian stays on to solo with his "distant" flugelhorn while the rest of the band seems to thicken and enliven the motif a bit (and then not). This cycle of build and then back down continues a couple more times beneath Ian's flugelhorn solo, and again with Brian's solo (which starts at the very end of the sixth minute). A sudden key change from Geoff beneath Brian's play occurs early in the seventh minute--I love the effect: it's exciting--but then everything returns to slow and spacious for 30 seconds but then there is one more build up before Brian relinquishes the spotlight and the full band joins into a strong weave of beautiful power and winning melody. Awesome songwriting, Mr. Geoff Castle! (14/15)

5. "Thing Past" (10:00) a quick fade in reveals a dynamic fast-moving, drum-driven motif with full band (including horn section) fully engaged and present, everybody contributing with great vim and vigor (and creativity--even Nic's near-disco drumming). Brian's alto sax is a bit lackluster in terms of originality but it fits: it works. In the fourth minute the band shifts direction, sliding into a bluesy swing pattern as Geoff solos with an organ keyboard as Nic continues to impress (Chucho merely holding down the rhythm section almost single-handedly.) Ian takes the next turn, his play feeling/sounding much more engaged and focused. (17.75/20)

6. "You Can't Be Serious / You Must Be Joking" (6:10) something latin-lively with a little Brasilian flare to it on which all the musicians are really showing off--often all at once, which can be both interesting and confusing. Well-disciplined rendering of a complex composition. (9/10)

Total Time: 45:20

91.13 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; yet another album of the highest-quality Jazz-Rock Fusion you're likely to find from the end of the 70s/beginning of the 80s; while everybody else is jumping ship to join the commercially-lucrative Adult Contemporary/Smooth Jazz movement, Ian remains steadfast in his focus and commitment to the genre that he helped imagine and pioneer. Mega kudos to him! 

My Favorite Ian Carr/Nucleus Albums from the "Classic Era" of Jazz-Rock Fusion:

1. NUCLEUS Alleycat (1976) - 94.69

2. NUCLEUS Under the Sun (1974) - 91.54

3. IAN CARR'S NUCLEUS Out of the Long Dark (1979) - 91.389

4. NUCLEUS Elastic Rock (1970) - 91.33

5. NUCLEUS Solar Plexus (1971) - 91.18

6. IAN CARR'S NUCLEUS Awakening (1980) - 91.13

7. NUCLEUS We'll Talk About It Later (1971) - 91.01

8. NUCLEUS Snakehips Etcetera (1975) - 90.56

9. IAN CARR Belladonna (1972) - 90.47

10. IAN CARR with NUCLEUS Labyrinth (1973) - 90.14

I consider it a testament to Ian Carr's unwavering focus on the potential, the future of this new musical medium that he helped found, pioneer, and continuously pushed the envelope for, that all ten of the studio albums that he produced for the "Classic Era" of Jazz-Rock Fusion earned "masterpiece" grades. There are very few bands out there that can say they'd achieved the same level with the same consistency as Nucleus: in Prog World, perhaps Gentle Giant, Van Der Graaf Generator, Premiata Forneria Marconi, and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso are some of the other bands occupying the same rarefied air; in the Jazz-Rock Fusion medium, perhaps Chick Corea, Lonnie Liston Smith, Michal Urbaniak, Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, and Freddie Hubbard can say they've breathed some of the same air. Again, full respect to Ian for not only his vision but his strong, unwavering commitment to that vision.