Roger Farbey

He was voted top organist for four years (1971-1974) in the Melody Maker Jazz Polls British Section. During part of that period Soft Machine were voted top small group (toppling Nucleus for that position) and Soft Machine Six top album. But Mime Ratledge was a true innovator and his compositions, especially on Third, are timeless classics. RIP Mike.

Same here - looking forward to this one

VARIOUS ARTISTS: A NEW AWAKENING - ADVENTURES IN BRITISH JAZZ 1966-1971, 3CD BOX SET This is a forthcoming box set from Cherry Red (due end Feb 2025). I think I probably have around 90% of the tracks and imagine that Brit Jazz fans would probably have around the same. A few I don't know eg Satisfaction (the band) but almost all the tracks have been found on albums reissued in the past 10-15 years. Much as I love this stuff I don't have room for another box set that duplicates most of my collection, even with liner notes by Duncan Heining. However, for anyone not familiar with this ouevre, this probably represent a good primer for the "Golden Age" of British Jazz.

I can only guess that the earlier one was taken from the mono television session as on the DVD and they then went back and recorded tracks in a proper recording studio in stereo. But I agree that some kind of explanation would have been helpful especially with the line-up/date coincidence. It certainly confused me.

Further update(!)... Steve at Cuneiform bas confirmed that Flashpoint (2011) and Flashpoints & Undercurrents are two completely different sessions, hence F & U being in stereo. I'll stop with the updates now.

Update: on checking my copy of Flashpoint (2011) this seems to my ears to be in mono, however the teaser track One Upon A Time on Cuneiform's Bandcamp site of the new release is in glorious stereo! (it is advertised as stereo). Let joy be unconfined!

noted and corrected, thank you.

Flashpoints and Undercurrents is a forthcoming double CD archival release from a 1969 session released by Cuneiform Records January 31 and details on Bandcamp. From the track/personnel/rec. date it would appear that 5 of the 15 tracks were released on Flashpoint (Cuneiform, 2011). This is a good session with the cream of UK jazz participating plus some Austrian musicians and highlights Surman's virtuoso playing and excellent compositional skills.

This is a very good album indeed and the medley So What/Impressions is masterly. She was an amazing guitarist and criminally underrated.

Yeh, same for me (<500) so only a "small" collection.

I had several online conversations with John when I was involved in AAJ. He was a great writer and often championed British jazz artists such as Ian Carr. I knew he had been in poor health for some years but his sudden passing is a shock. RIP John.

There are indeed quite a few vinyl copies on eBay in the UK. I just bought one in pristine condition despite already having the CD. The perils of "completeism". In fairness, I don't think it's Ardley's best album but anything that he was involved in was imo significant. He was, like Ian Carr, a true innovator.

Neil Ardley's Harmony Of The Spheres (with Ian Carr, Barbara Thompson, Tony Coe et al) is receiving a limited vinyl reissue in November. Details here: https://www.analogueoctober.com/product/neil-ardley-harmony-of-the-spheres/

Grachan Moncur III - Evolution

I think this is the reason. It became irksome to license - each track individually - and UMG has very slowly been reissuing some of the British Jazz golden era material on vinyl. Some on CD and DL too. I think there may be more in the pipeline but heard nothing concrete and anyway things move at a glacial pace with these albums. However, on a slightly less downbeat note, at least three Nucleus albums have been reissue this year on CD by the French company Musea. I realise this doesn't help folk eager to have older stuff reissued but it will happen,eventually (he said, optimistically). Meanwhile ECM has reissued the wonderful Azimuth (Taylor, Winstone and Wheeler) debut album on vinyl.