Nucleus

Nucleus were formed by Ian Carr in 1969 and continued in various forms until1989. This incredible collection spans the entire 20 years over a 13CD boxset and give more than a flavour of this important British Jazz outfit.

Musically, they spanned the Pure Jazz/Jazz/Rock Fusion/Psychedelic Jazz and even R&B genres but predominantly they are best described as horn driven and bass heavy but through the years they also featured some of the greats of British Jazz and Rock.

Aside from the music, some of the introductions by various BBC presenters are quite hilarious (incredibly stilted and ‘intellectual’) but musically, Nucleus were not afraid of adding some humour into either song titles or, where lyrics are to be found, the presentation itself and it makes listening to 13 CDs of music easier.

Following the development of the outfit through 20 years proves a fascinating insight into the changes in British musical styles over the years. The early material is tightly constructed, with heavy horns carrying the melody and individual solos riffing on them, bass and drums alternating in rhythmic duties and a loose sense of structure.
Moving into the mid-seventies and there is a change towards the fusion styles of Miles Davis with a a soulful sound to the music, soloing looser and the horn section reduced in scale, more of an emphasis on guitar but still, through Ian Carr’s trumpet sound, very noticeably Nucleus.
As the band developed there was more of the contemporary progressive rock feel to theit music and towards the end, they have developed the funk side of the rhythm to become a very different band to where they started.

Personally, I always found Nucleus to be a better live band than studio and this captures their entire existence through live recordings at the BBC – quality recordings without the fluctuations of the normal live ‘stuff’.

It is a mammoth set but if you are a fan of Nucleus or of bands such as Soft Machine then it is a worthwhile trail. Some of the music borders on magnificent and it never drops below excellent.

Nucleus were an important band and this collection really shows them in all their glory.