JAZZ PROG
Sid Smith rounds up the best releases from prog’s jazzier reaches.
When Ian Carr’s Belladonna (Mr Bongo) was first released in 1972 it came on Vertigo’s ‘swirl’ label. Long out of print and coveted by collectors, these days original pressings change hands for a king’s ransom. Good news, then, that this lovely vinyl reissue, a half-speed Abbey Road remaster, gives everyone else an opportunity to enjoy the swaggering pugnacious brilliance of Ian Carr’s trumpet blazing over razorsharp riffing and funky grooves in the medium it was intended. It’s hard to overstate this album’s accomplishments and importance in Carr’s development as a writer and bandleader. Essentially the fourth Nucleus album in all but name, Dave MacRae’s turbocharged Fender Rhodes, Roy Babbington’s probing bass, and Allan Holdsworth’s piquant guitar ensure the aural fireworks dazzle.