Kenny Wheeler and Don Rendell titles head up long-awaited British Jazz Explosion vinyl reissue series

Reasons to be cheerful come with the long-awaited news that Decca Records has announced the start of a major high-end vinyl reissue series of ground-breaking British jazz from 1965-1972 covering rare and highly collectible titles first released on the EMI/Lansdowne, Decca, Deram, Argo and Fontana labels. Increasingly recognised worldwide as a hugely creative time in modern and progressive Brit-jazz, the series has been compiled by jazz historian/producer Tony Higgins, who compiled the Impressed re-pressed series of Brit jazz titles for Universal in 2004.

The British Jazz Explosion will launch on 16 July with a 2LP, 2CD and download compilation, Journeys in Modern Jazz: Britain (1965-1972), which will feature tracks by Kenny Wheeler and the John Dankworth Orchestra, Don Rendell Quintet, Colin Bates Trio, John Surman and John Warren, Michael Garrick Septet, Mike Westbrook Concert Big Band, Stan Tracey, Harry Beckett, Neil Ardley, The New Jazz Orchestra, Alan Skidmore Qnt, Dick Morrisey Qt, Mike Taylor Qt and Michael Gibbs with tracks from impossible to find original titles, many of which have sold on eBay/Discogs for £500 to £1000+. None of the tracks crossover with the earlier Impressed repressed compilations.

Journeys In Modern Jazz kicks-off the Originals Re-Cut series of reissues on 16 July with Don Rendell Quintet Space Walk, first released in 1972 and here with the tracks named in the correct sequence for the first time; Kenny Wheeler & the John Dankworth Orchestra Windmill Tilter -The Story of Don Quixote (1969) out on 13 August and the New Jazz Orchestra Le Dejeuner Sur L’Herbe (1969) out on 10 September. All titles in this series have been transferred and remastered from the original tapes using an all-analogue signal path by vinyl specialists Gearbox and are pressed on 180gram vinyl with replica flip-back sleeves, laminated front covers and additional new sleeve notes on 12” x 12” printed inserts. All releases are also available on download.

Further yinyl reissues in the Re-Cuts series are planned for next year so expect the full release of other titles highlighted on the Journeys In Modern Jazz compilation. Eagle-eyed observers will note the track ‘To Segovia’ from the Mike Taylor Quartet’s Pendelum, one of the most wanted and rarest of the EMI/Lansdowne Series titles. Hopefully 2022 will finally see this 1966 gem finally reappear on vinyl. 

See the August issue of Jazzwise for a major feature on these hugely important albums