Nucleus (band)

British progressive jazz-fusion band

Nucleus
Origin	Britain
Genres	Jazz fusion, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, funk
Years active	1969–1989; 2005, 2007, 2009 (one-off shows)
Labels	Vertigo

Musical artist

Nucleus was a British jazz-fusion band, which continued in different forms from 1969 to 1989.^[1] In 1970, the band won first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival, released the album Elastic Rock, and performed both at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Village Gate jazz club.^[2]

The band was established by Ian Carr,^[3]^[4] who had been in the Rendell–Carr Quintet during the middle and late 1960s.^[4] Nucleus's debut album, Elastic Rock (1970), and the next two collections, We'll Talk About It Later and Solar Plexus (1971), were all released on Vertigo Records, and music journalist Colin Larkin noted were "vital in any comprehensive rock or jazz collection".^[1]

In August 2005, a reincarnation of Nucleus with old and new members performed at Cargo in London.^[5] This was followed on 30 March 2007 by a Nucleus Revisited concert at London's PizzaExpress Jazz Club as part of a series of concerts to mark the tenth anniversary of Jazzwise magazine. Nucleus Revisited included Geoff Castle, Mark Wood, and Tim Whitehead and on trumpet, as at the 2005 Cargo concert, Chris Batchelor. Although Ian Carr did not play due to ill health, he was present at the concert and received a standing ovation. On 4 August 2009, Nucleus Revisited appeared at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London with Michael Garrick's Quartet as part of their two-week-long Brit Jazz Fest.

Members

Ian Carr – trumpet
Chris Batchelor – trumpet
Harry Beckett – trumpet
Kenny Wheeler – trumpet
Bob Bertles – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
Brian Smith – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
Phil Todd – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
Tim Whitehead – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
Karl Jenkins – baritone saxophone, oboe, piano, electric piano
Tony Coe – clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
Tony Roberts – clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
Geoff Castle – piano, electric piano, synthesizer
Gordon Beck – piano, electric piano
Dave MacRae – piano, electric piano
John Taylor – organ
Paddy Kingsland – synthesizer
Keith Winter – synthesizer
Allan Holdsworth – guitar
Jocelyn Pitchen – guitar
Ray Russell – guitar^[6]
Chris Spedding – guitar
Mark Wood – guitar
Roy Babbington – bass guitar
Rob Burns – bass guitar
Jeff Clyne – bass guitar
Mo Foster – bass guitar
Joe Hubbard – bass guitar
Billy Kristian – bass guitar
Dill Katz – bass guitar
Rob Statham – bass guitar
Roger Sutton – bass guitar
Ron Mathewson – bass guitar
Neil Ardley – drums
Tony Levin – drums
Roger Sellers – drums
Bryan Spring – drums
John Marshall – drums
Clive Thacker – drums

Richard Burgess – percussion
Chris Fletcher – percussion
Chris Karan – percussion
Aureo de Souza – percussion
Trevor Tomkins – percussion
Kieran White – vocals
Norma Winstone – vocals
Joy Yates – vocals

Discography

Elastic Rock (Vertigo, 1970) (UK No. 46)^[7]
We'll Talk About It Later (Vertigo, 1970)^[8]
Solar Plexus with Ian Carr (Vertigo, 1971)
Belladonna (Vertigo 1972, CD CD Linam Records)
Labyrinth with Ian Carr (Vertigo, 1973)
Roots (Vertigo, 1973)
Under the Sun (Vertigo, 1974)
Snakehips Etcetera (Vertigo, 1975)
Alleycat (Vertigo, 1975)
In Flagranti Delicto (Contemp, 1977)
Out of the Long Dark (Capitol, 1979)
Awakening (Mood, 1980)
Jazz London 29/30 with Brian Lemon (BBC, 1983)
Live at the Theaterhaus (Mood, 1985)
Live in Bremen (Cuneiform, 2003)
The Pretty Redhead (Hux, 2003)
Hemispheres (Hux, 2006)
UK Tour '76 (Major League 2006)
Live 1970 with Leon Thomas (Gearbox, 2014)
Three of a Kind with Ian Carr (Gonzo, 2015)
Bracknell Sunshine with Ian Carr (Gonzo, 2016)
Live At The BBC 13-CD box-set (Repertoire, 2021)

References

^ ^a ^b Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 908. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
^ Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Brian, Priestley (2004). The Rough Guide to Jazz. Rough Guides. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-1-84353-256-9. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
^ Torreano, Bradley. "Nucleus". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (2007). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-19-507418-1.
^ Fordham, John (1 September 2005). "Ian Carr's Nucleus, Cargo, London". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
^ Farbey, Roger (March 2003). "Nucleus Live in Bremen". Ian Carr + Nucleus Website. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 398. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ "We'll Talk About It Later - Nucleus | Releases". AllMusic.