Jazz /
The Endangered Species
In 1980 Bobby Wellins was commissioned to write a suite of music, which he called ‘The Endangered Species’ because, in his words: “Some years ago there was an oil spillage which washed ashore in Bognar Regis where I live. The guillemots were being pulled out in a dreadful state. One reads about such things, but to see for oneself a bird's life being taken away from it is quite horrific. Their lives are short enough anyway. It brought home to me very directly the damage we are inflicting on ourse…
A Symphony of Amaranths
**2025 Repress. Clear Vinyl. Limited to only 150 copies in textured art paper. Included inner sheet with liner notes and pictures. Newly mastered sound from the original tapes and will include one bonus track recorded in the same sessions.** First ever vinyl reissue of this 1972 masterpiece by another of the big names in UK Jazz. Neil Ardley was offered the leadership of the seminal New Jazz Orchestra in 1964. Under his direction the Orchestra moved though different styles and changes of personn…
Off Centre
Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, 180g. on British Jazz Explosion series. Off Centre, the 1969 debut from The John Cameron Quartet, stands as a vivid and essential snapshot of late 60s British jazz, now reissued on vinyl for the first time in decades by Decca. Led by renowned pianist, arranger, and composer John Cameron, the quartet features an all-star lineup: Harold McNair (flute, tenor sax), Danny Thompson (bass), and Tony Carr (percussion). Originally released on Decca’s progressive Deram imprint…
Live at BBC 1970
Live at BBC 1970 captures the raw energy and innovation of Nucleus in their formative year, presenting a selection of live sessions recorded for the BBC just as the group was redefining British jazz-rock. Founded by trumpeter Ian Carr, Nucleus emerged from London’s vibrant late-60s scene and quickly established themselves at the forefront of jazz fusion, inspired by the electric revolution of Miles Davis.
This LP features standout performances of key tracks from their groundbreaking debut Elasti…
Antibes '62
Jazz in Britain are pleased to announce the forthcoming release of a stunning previously unissued live recording of the legendary saxophonist Tubby Hayes and his quintet live at the Antibes Jazz Festival in July 1962. Hayes' band including trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar, pianist Gordon Beck, bassist Freddy Logan and drummer Allan Ganley were the UK's representative on a starry festival bill also featuring US stars Jimmy Smith, Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Domino, drawing rave press reviews and the admirati…
The Kenny Wheeler Big Band & Friends, Vol. 2
Previously unreleased. Stereophonic sound.
1-4 recorded 11th November 1973.5-8 recorded 22nd December 1974.
Lineup:Kenny Wheeler - flugelhornGreg Bowen, Ian Hamer, Dave Hancock (1-4), Alan Downey (5-8), Henry Lowther - trumpetsBobby Lamb (1-4), Keith Christie (1-4), Dave Horler (1-4), Chris Pyne, Malcolm Griffith, Cliff Hardy (5-8), Jim Wilson (5-8), Pete Smith (5-8) - trombonesAlfie Reece (1-4), Cliff Bevan (5-8) - tubaDuncan Lamont (1-4), Stan Sulzmann (5-8) - tenor/soprano saxophoneNorma Wins…
Le Déjeuner Sur L'Herbe
Tip! By the 1960s, the popularity of big bands had waned considerably. The heyday of the 30s and 40s big bands had been superseded in the 1950s by smaller modern and traditional jazz units, skif e and, ultimately, rock and roll, and the prominence they once enjoyed were a fading memory. Although there were still several very ne big bands playing and recording during this time, the economics of the big band in the age of the pop group always put it at a disadvantage. There was, of course, the lea…
The Buds of Time
This is the first ‘lost’ album Jazz In Britain has discovered. We’ve released albums that were only previously released on vinyl, or even cassette tape, ie never on CD, or albums produced from sessions by groups that never made a record, or we’ve included unreleased tracks that never made it only albums… but this is a real first for us. In 1979 Tony Coe and Bob Cornford composed pieces for an unusual, and unrepeated, combination of a six-piece jazz ensemble (two reeds, bass trombone, piano, perc…
Greek Variations & Other Aegean Exercises
*2025 much needed repress!!!* Recorded in '69, Greek Variations & Other Aegean Exercises is irresistible on two counts. First, for its daringly conceived and brilliantly performed music, inspired by Greek folk songs and instrumental textures and deep enough to reveal all its treasures only after many repeated listenings. Second, for being recorded at the moment when the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet, a major force in British straight-ahead jazz since '62, had broken up and Carr's equally influent…
Near And Far East
*2025 repress* Made with the intention of exploring and experiencing the various musical and cultural perspectives of a territory as vast as that of Persia, "Near And Far East" is a significant historical document that transcends the restrictive concept of territory but rather inhabits a space of absolute time. The album's content is not just window into faraway places, but a leap into the times and cultures that have now been swallowed up by the incessant movement of globalization and capitalis…
How Many Clouds Can You See?
How Many Clouds Can You See? is the second album by English saxophonist John Surman featuring Alto Saxophone – Mike Osborne; Baritone Saxophone, Flute – John Warren; Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – John Surman; Bass – Barre Phillips, Harry Miller; Drums – Alan Jackson, Tony Oxley; Piano – John Taylor; Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Alan Skidmore; Trombone – Chris Pyne, Malcolm Griffiths; Trumpet – Dave Holdsworth; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Harold Beckett; Tuba – George Smith. John …
Flashpoints and Undercurrents
Recently celebrating his 80th birthday and one of Europe’s foremost jazz musicians, John Surman is a masterful improvisor, composer, and multi-instrumentalist (baritone and soprano sax, bass clarinet, and synthesizers/electronics). For nearly 60 years, he has been a major force, producing a prodigious and creative body of work that expands beyond jazz. Surman’s extensive discography as a leader and a side man numbers more than 100 recordings to date and has featured dozens of prominent artists w…
Progress
On download, streaming and CD for the first time ever, the only Gyroscope album ‘One, Two, Three… Go!’ ever released, expanded with live and studio recordings from the archives plus a wealth of first-hand information about the band and many previously unseen images. Produced with the support of Gordon Beck’s sister Jude and the approval of the band members or their families.
Compiled from studio, live and rehearsal session recordings, made in 1973 and 1974, from the tape archives of Ron Mathewso…
Tubby The Tenor
2024 Stock The arrival of English tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes in New York during the autumn of 1961 caused a sensation in American jazz circles. The first British jazz soloist to ever make a guest appearance in a US club, his opening night at the Half Note was attended by figures including Miles Davis, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, with Metronome describing Hayes as a swinging ambassador from Britain who definitely can hold his own in fast company. At the end of his visit Hayes recorded the album Tu…
Prayer for peace
** 2024 restock, long out of print - few copies avaialble ** Reissue of the legendary Amalgam recording with Trevor Watts, Jeff Clyne, John Stevens and Barry Guy. This recording received the highest rating by The Penguin Guide to Jazz. It was re-mastered from the original reel to reel tapes. : In the late 60s, British jazz was in a state of flux, pulling itself into strange new shapes influenced by the U.S. avant garde, European improvisation and rock and giving birth to bands such as Keith Tip…
Seven For Lee Variations: On Italian Roads, Vol. 2
Recorded live on 25th February 1979, Teatro Cristallo, Milan, Italy. Second of two performances. Previously unreleased. Stereophonic sound. Elton Dean - saxophones, Keith Tippett - piano, Harry Miller - double bass, Louis Moholo-Moholo - drums. All tracks composed by Elton Dean.
Original event organised by Riccardo Bergerone. Very special thanks to: Marino Dean, Roberto Ottaviano, Sergio Balletti, Carlo Verri, Aymeric Leroy.
Executive producer: Riccardo Bergerone.
Restored and produced by Matt…
Fragment
In 1975, the lead album "Fragment" by the acclaimed UK jazz pianist John Taylor, which was previously only released on cassette tape and hailed as a gem of UK jazz.
Camden '70
2024 stock. The Coliseum and the New Jazz Orchestra led by Neil Ardlay originally had John Heisman and Dick Hextall Smith in the NJO, and the NJO participated in the ‘Valentine Suite’, but this album was released the year after the ‘Valentine Suite’, in ‘ This is a rare live album from when they toured as a combined band in 1970, the year after ‘Valentine Suite’. The album features songs from the Coliseum and NJO albums, as well as songs by Jack Bruce and John Coltrane, and is a rare live record…
Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows
Third solo album released in 1976 by Neil Ardley, a British jazz pianist and arranger who led the ‘New Jazz Orchestra’, featuring top British jazz musicians such as Ian Kerr and Brian Smith of Necleus, as well as Third Ear Band's Paul Buckmaster of Third Ear Band, Dave Krahe of Matching Mole and others also participated. As the album title suggests, the dazzling sonic universe is a brilliant crossover of diverse musical genres. Paper jacket, SHM-CD, latest remastering, definitive release!
Smoke-Blackened Walls & Curlews
‘Surprisingly enough, program music is not all that common in jazz. For example, unlike their classical counterparts, not many jazz composers have set out to evoke particular places. Duke Ellington’s 'Tone Parallel To Harlem' is one of the great exceptions. Britain has been even more neglected, unless you count Billy Strayhorn’s 'Chelsea Bridge', and that was about Whistler's painting rather than the actual bridge itself. But the British jazz composer Graham Collier is one who is doing something…