Roger Farbey

Agreed. A true innovator and a very nice guy. I'm currently listening to two of his two albums, recorded for CBS, Angle and The Day Will Come. Like other British jazz musicians, the opportunity to record for major labels was a fleeting opportunity (I'm thinking also of his occasional co-collaborator, the late Tony Oxley). But I treasure those albums not for their rareity but for their sheer brilliance. RIP Howard.

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 Mike 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.

Only available from outside UK, so around $50+

Re: Never Let It End, what a fabulous album. Never heard of it until now, so thanks for that. Just purchased on iTunes for a remarkably reasonable price. I wish MPS would make more of their back catalogue available in physical formats.

Tangentially, but related to HB, the recent Soft Machine 7" single features an excellent version of Harry's composition The Dew At Dawn. He was as good a composer as he was a trumpeter, and is very much missed.

Yes, and of course he played with Soft Machine too! A true Canterburyan.

Saxophonist/Flautist Jimmy Hastings has died aged 85. For anyone unfamiliar with his work, he played an important role on the Progressive scene playing on early albums by Caravan and Hatfield And The North's The Rotters Club where he infused the albums with proper jazz solos thus inspiring a whole Prog rock generation to the joys of jazz. Jimmy was a fine and respected player on the British mainstream scene and had of course been a member of Humphrey Lyttelton's bands. RIP Jimmy.

Yes, Ichnos is given a double page spread in Labyrinth. I agree it really needs to be reissued just as Oxley's two albums for CBS were reissued on CD some years ago.

Not for nothing he won top place in the drummer section of the Melody Maker Jazz Polls for four years running (1969-1972). I witnessed him playing with Gordon Beck at the Barry Jazz Summer School. He was phenomenal and electrifying. IMO he was the best drummer the UK has produced. Apparently John McLaughlin employed him on Extrapolation because there wasn't another drummer available who could handle the complex time signatures. He will be sorely missed. RIP Tony.

A new magnus opus by Richard Morton Jack is published in January and looks a fantastic read for those interested in the "Golden Age" of British jazz. Labyrinth - British Jazz On Record 1960-75 more details from the elvinyl website here: www.elvinyl.com

Brian Godding passed on 26 November aged 78. His guitar work was crucial on Mike Westbrook's major albums, Citadel/Room 315, The Cortege and London Bridge Is Broken Down. He started his career playing in Blossom Toes and BB Blunder. He then backed Julie Driscoll followed by contributing to her husband Keith Tippett's Centipede album. He played on one of Westbrook's Solid Gold Cadillac albums, Brain Damage and then played with French prog band Magma and other bands including his long stint with Mike Westbrook. He was a very talented guitarist and will be greatly missed. R.I.P. Brian.