DON RENDELL — Shades Of Blue (as Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet) (review)

DON RENDELL — Shades Of Blue (as Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet) album cover Album · 1965 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Although the present album is the quintet’s debut, it could maybe be seen as their second one, since the band evolved out of the formation that had recorded Rendell’s Roarin’ album four years previously. Featuring the amazing Ian Carr on trumpet and the well-travelled Trevor Tomkins on drums, the quintet being completed by a usual-suspect of Green on bass and Purbrook on piano, although the latter’s departure would be the only line-up change in the quintet’s history. Some of these members were also involved in the cross-town rivals, The New Jazz Orchestra, and together, these two groups will carry more or less the who’s who of the next 15 or 20 years of the country’s jazz scene. Recorded in the fall of 64, and released on the Columbia UK label the following year, the evocative blue artwork is reminiscent of the US Blue Note label’s sleeves (not mentioning a reference to Miles' KoB album's title), and sonically-speaking, it’s fairly similar as well.

Opening on the Purbrook composition (one of two) of Blue Mosque, the album soldiers on in the well-beaten path of early-60’s standard jazz, because Rendell’s own compositions (4 of them) do not fare much farther, while the two Carr-penned tracks (well one of them is by brother Mike) do not sway much from the album’s general musical direction, although they’re a tad faster and feature muffled horns. Indeed, only the Neil Ardley-penned title track (then-member of the “rival” NJO) does feature a different sensibility, somewhat having more depth and soul despite its very-slow pace; but it’s not like you’ve changed of planets either.

Don’t get your hopes too high, you won’t find much of the typical British jazz of the late 60’s and 70’s on the present album. Indeed, the jazz is fairly straight forward and doesn’t challenge the listener – I doubt it did back then as well – and SoB is just content on being the UK’s answer of the BN product from across the pond, a far cry from the Impulse! Label.. Hardly essential, unless you like early AH, HH, MD and DB albums, I’d advise you to try Dusk Fire or Phase III first, even if the BGO label reissues will not make it easy.
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