Labyrinth Ian Carr With Nucleus SKU: BEWITH103LP Barcode: 4251804125383 25.00 £25.00 Genre: Jazz Dance / Fusion Label: Be With Records Released Date: 16th September 2022 Buying Format: 1LP Gatefold Sleeve Out of stock Back Order Add to your Wishlist Description Product Info Labyrinth is dark, brooding, beat-heavy, melancholic mood music courtesy of Ian Carr and the Nucleus crew. A favourite of Madlib, it goes without saying that this is one magnificent record. Originally released on Vertigo in 1973, Labyrinth was never re-pressed and of course those original copies are now very tricky to score. Like all the Nucleus records, it’s aged ridiculously well and this Be With re-issue, re-mastered from the original analogue tapes, shows off just why this deserves to be back in press. Genius trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr was one of the most respected British musicians of his era. He was a true pioneer and saw the potential in fusing the worlds of jazz with rock, just as Miles Davis and The Tony Williams Lifetime did in the US. In late 1969, following the demise of the Rendell-Carr quintet, and tiring of British jazz, Carr assembled the legendary Nucleus. Regarding music as a continuous process, Nucleus refused to “recognise rigid boundaries” and worked on delivering what they saw as a “total musical experience”. We can get behind that. Under bandleader Carr, Nucleus existed as a fluid line-up of inventive, skilled musicians. This constant evolution and revolution was all part of the continuous musical exploration and discovery that took jazz to new levels. And the music has kept relevant. To steal a line from a recent review of our re-issue of Roots, when it comes to anything Nucleus “it’s basically already hip-hop”. At this point Carr had parted ways with guitarist Alan Holdsworth and as a result the Nucleus sound found itself returning to the core elements of groove and melody. Carr had become bolder and more self-confident in his compositions and it shows in the sheer ambition of Labyrinth. Composed by Carr, and with lyrics written by his wife Sandy, Labyrinth was the result of a commission from the Park Lane Group and funded by the Arts Council of Great Britain. Originally a live performance by an augmented Nucleus, some of the expanded cast were brought back for the recording sessions, including vocalist Norma Winstone. So as the front cover of the finished album says, this is literally “Nucleus Plus”. Labyrinth is presented as a suite, based on the ancient Greek legend of the Minotaur with musical instruments representing the various elements of the mythology. According to the LP’s original sleeve notes, the bass clarinet represents the tragic element, the trumpet represents the heroic element and the voice represents the human element. The rest of the musicians represent the two societies of Athens and Crete and their comments on the story as it unfolds. The album opens with the experimental, sumptuously dissonant “Origins”. Teasing strands of atmospheric bass clarinet introduce the first theme before swiftly fading out with a startling blast of staccato fanfares and big drums. Heavy. The album soon finds its rhythm as it alights on the spell-binding and groove-friendly “Bull-Dance”, showing off the best Nucleus has to offer: subtle trumpet melodies, compelling rhythms, a psych-rock vibe and tight soloing. And of course there’s Norma Winstone’s stunning wordless vocals, that also take the lead in the next track “Ariadne”, a spacey-jazz song with beautiful piano, flute and clarinet, and the only recognisable lyrics on the album. You might recognise a snatch of it being looped by Madlib on Quasimoto’s “Astro Travellin”. The first part of the improvised “Arena” closes out the first side of the album, a short experimental piece with piano and horns. Over on the flip-side, the powerful second part of “Arena” introduces a new theme. It swiftly builds, with vocal melodies, piano and horns all pronounced over the thick drums snapping your neck. It comes on like an alternate take on “Bull-Dance”, noisier, with a looser rhythm. The triumphant, shuffling Latin-jam “Exultation” leans on more scintillating vocals from Winstone, and a chunky counter melody from the rhythm section. It’ll get you moving. The final track, the haunting, twelve minute “Naxos”, is an incredible way to close out this remarkable record. A circling bass guitar loop inspiring the group to a meditative psychedelic jazz rock improvisation in a silent, Miles kind of way, with a great flugelhorn solo from Carr and an ace synth climax. This Be With edition of Labyrinth has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Pete Norman’s cut to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. Another great Keith Davis sleeve has been restored in all its airbrushed Golden Age of comics, gatefold splendour. Complete with Minotaur of course. Artist Ian Carr With Nucleus Genre Jazz Dance / Fusion Label Be With Records Buying Options 1LP Gatefold Sleeve Format 1LP , Gatefold Sleeve Condition New Country UK Track Listings Origins (2:57) Bull Dance (8:17) Ariadne (7:47) Arena Part I (1:49) Arena Part II (5:12) Exultation (6:02) Naxos (12:22 Share this On Facebook On Twitter Via Email More from Jazz Dance / Fusion View Product Quick View Nucleus Under The Sun Jazz Dance / Fusion | Be With Records | 1LP Released 16th September 2022 £22.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Nucleus Under The Sun £22.00 Genre: Jazz Dance / Fusion Label: Be With Records SKU: BEWITH104LP Formats: 1LP Released Date: 16th September 2022 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Herbie Hancock Directstep (Black Friday RSD) Jazz Dance / Fusion | Get On Down | 1LP, Gatefold Sleeve Released 2nd December 2019 £29.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Herbie Hancock Directstep (Black Friday RSD) £29.00 Genre: Jazz Dance / Fusion Label: Get On Down SKU: GET51332-LP Formats: 1LP, Gatefold Sleeve Released Date: 2nd December 2019 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Nearly New View Product Quick View Harvey Mandel Electronic Progress Electronica | Bellaphon | 1LP Released 20th September 2022 £12.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations Harvey Mandel Electronic Progress £12.00 Genre: Electronica Label: Bellaphon SKU: nn249934 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 20th September 2022 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket Nearly New View Product Quick View Michael Franks Objects Of Desire Jazz | Warner Bros | 1LP Released 31st January 2023 £8.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations Michael Franks Objects Of Desire £8.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Warner Bros SKU: nn257126 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 31st January 2023 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket View Product Quick View Comet Is Coming, The Afterlife Jazz Dance / Fusion | Impulse | 1LP Released 6th December 2019 £22.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Comet Is Coming, The Afterlife £22.00 Genre: Jazz Dance / Fusion Label: Impulse SKU: 00602508151972 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 6th December 2019 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View The Live New Departures Jazz Poetry Septet Blues For The Hitchhiking Dead Box Set Jazz Dance / Fusion | Gearbox | 2LP Released 23rd February 2018 £43.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders The Live New Departures Jazz Poetry Septet Blues For The Hitchhiking Dead Box Set £43.00 Genre: Jazz Dance / Fusion Label: Gearbox SKU: GB1518 Formats: 2LP Released Date: 23rd February 2018 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Nearly New View Product Quick View Ronnie Foster Two Headed Freap (Scorpio Pressing) Jazz | Blue Note | 1LP Released 26th October 2022 £20.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations Ronnie Foster Two Headed Freap (Scorpio Pressing) £20.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Blue Note SKU: nn252247 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 26th October 2022 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket View Product Quick View George Benson Irreplaceable Jazz Dance / Fusion | Universal Play 33 1/3 Series | 180g, 1LP Released 11th September 2017 £34.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders George Benson Irreplaceable £34.00 Genre: Jazz Dance / Fusion Label: Universal Play 33 1/3 Series SKU: LP43033 Formats: 180g, 1LP Released Date: 11th September 2017 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Nearly New View Product Quick View Michael Franks Passionfruit Jazz | Warner Bros | 1LP Released 31st January 2023 £10.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations Michael Franks Passionfruit £10.00 Genre: Jazz Label: Warner Bros SKU: nn257134 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 31st January 2023 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket Nearly New View Product Quick View Bruce Palmer The Cycle Is Complete Jazz Dance / Fusion | Akarma | 1LP, Gatefold Sleeve Released 2nd June 2020 £22.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations Bruce Palmer The Cycle Is Complete £22.00 Genre: Jazz Dance / Fusion Label: Akarma SKU: nn204595 Formats: 1LP, Gatefold Sleeve Released Date: 2nd June 2020 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket See more in Jazz Dance / Fusion Start again
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