a guitarist whose reputation amongst musicians is unquestionable, but whose lack of visibility with the larger listening public is nothing short of criminal.

Jazz In Britain JIB 74 S CD

Ray Russell (guitar); Roy Fry or Pete Lemer (piano); Dave Holland or Ron Mathewson (bass); Alan Rushton (drums)

CD 1
1. Mr P C 02:37 / 2. Falling In Love With Love 07:05 / 3. Ballad 06:20 / 4. Spontaneous Event 10:03 / 5. Spring Flower 04:42 / 6. Bonita 04:02 / 7. Peruvian Triangle 06:10 / 8. The Fry And I 04:19 / 9. A Day In The Life Of A Slave Of Lower Egypt 07:10 / 10. Fire Dance 06:27

CD2
1. Tarot 10:44 / 2. Sombrero Sam 02:59 / 3. Theme For Sue 06:43 / 4. Thespius 10:13 / 5. We Lie Naked In White Snow 07:30 / 6. Dragon Hill 08:21 / 7. Spinning Disc 08:12 / 8. Can I Have My Paper-back Back 05:50 / 9. Ballad 07:42 / 10. First Sighting 06:24

Ray Russell is arguably one of the most underappreciated jazz guitarists globally, which is ironic given his exceptional skill. His distinctive style sets him apart from other guitarists. Ray Russell has often been underappreciated. The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD stated: “Russell still awaits rediscovering his is a bright and unexpected talent and one that should have been more generously sponsored when it counted”.

The Penguin Guide was not alone, Cuneiform Records stated: “a guitarist whose reputation amongst musicians is unquestionable, but whose lack of visibility with the larger listening public is nothing short of criminal.” The website All About Jazz commented: “Russell is probably the most heinously undervalued jazz guitarist in the world, which is ironic because he is undoubtedly one of the best. His style is his own, sounding like no other guitarist.”

Ray Russell’s impact on British jazz started in the 1960s. He replaced John McLaughlin when McLaughlin left Georgie Fame to join Miles Davis. Russell worked with Mike Gibbs at the end of the sixties before working with Nucleus. He worked with the Gil Evans British Orchestra in the eighties. He has never confined himself to jazz: he has worked in R&B, fusion, soul and heavy metal as well as working as a session musician.

Ray recorded two albums for CBS, “Turn Circle” and “Dragon Hill” when the label discovered UK jazz for a brief time. The tracks on this album were recorded mainly for BBC Jazz Club These sessions included compositions from Ray’s CBS albums.

Six Tracks from these BBC sessions were previously released with the title “Spontaneous Event” on the Jazz In Britain label. The present CD album is a release of all the music from those BBC sessions as “The Complete Spontaneous Event”.

The tracks on this album were recorded between 1967 and 1969 and include all the tracks on the five sessions that Ray Russell’s Quartet recorded for BBC Jazz Club in that period. The tapes were transferred from the Ray Russell and Ron Mathewson archives. Those sessions included compositions from Ray’s first two albums that he made as leader for CBS.

The tracks “Can I Have My Paperback-Back Back”, “Peruvian Triangle”, “Spontaneous Event”, “Dragon Hill”, “Spring Flower”, “First Sighting” were released on vinyl in 2000. The remaining tracks have not been released before.

One of the most interesting tracks is the final one, “First Sighting”. Russell has rarely played safe. The depth of sound from Ron Mathewson’s bass is immediately apparent. Mathewson anchors the track with power and flexibility enabling Russell to soar. This is Russell in his avant-garde mode. If you want to know why Russell is still so highly rated, this is the track to start with. Russell loves the guitar. When so many guitarists were exploring the world of “shock and awe”, Russell was intent on discovering what the guitar could do without the playing descending into incoherence.

“Bonita” or “Ballad”, there are three versions on the two discs that show a different side of Russell. The highlight on track three of disc one is the recurring figure from Dave Holland, something that he would become familiar with when he joined Miles Davis. The melody is strong and shows the composing side of Russell’s gifts.

Roy Fry impresses whenever he is featured on the broadcasts. His creativity and skill are the surprise of the album. Fry was never given the recognition that he was entitled to for his quiet creativity. Fry opens “Spontaneous Event” and Holland and Russell impress with their improvisatory skills. The drumming from Alan Rushton shows his clear influences and his ability to go beyond them.

The playing of “Peruvian Triangle” should have alerted contemporary critics to the skills and the vision of the quartet, Rushton’s drums are at the heart of the creativity. There are remarkable improvisations from guitar and bass, going well beyond what was conventional for the period. Russell is driving the guitar well beyond limits without falling into creative noise.

“A Day In The Life Of A Slave Of Lower Egypt (part 111)”. It is about ambition, part of a longer piece that was included in the “Turn Circle” album. Ron Mathewson replaced Dave Holland and he plays solid, intriguing figures working with Pete Lemer.

There is a startling opening to “Theme for Sue”. Rushton percussively drives behind the solo for Russell who is exploring the limits of the conventional guitar. Roy Fry excels as he does throughout all his work on the broadcasts: rejecting the obvious and promoting the idiosyncratic.

Jazz in Britain has a continuing quest to highlight some of the remarkable music that has been created in the past and that deserves attention in the present.