Originally released in 1970, and now much sought after by collectors and connoisseurs, original copies sell for upwards of £600.
Considered one of Neil Ardley’s best compositions, 'Greek Variations & Other Aegean Exercises' ranks as not only one of the finest expressions of British progressive modern jazz but also one of the very best recordings to emerge from Denis Preston’s celebrated Lansdowne Studios, home to some of the most highly-regarded British modern jazz of the era. It’s also an important junction point in the careers of the Ardley, Carr and Rendell, showing three distinct pathways that British jazz would follow in the subsequent years: Ardley’s orchestrated and expanded explorations; Carr’s jazz rock, and Rendell’s more orthodox acoustic approach.
Recorded in October 1969, 'Greek Variations...' was released as part of the Lansdowne Series, overseen by the influential Denis Preston, one of the UK's first independent record producers, and engineered by John Mackswith.
The first side of the album consists of six ‘variations’, written by Ardley, each linked by the string section and given the name of a location in Greece. When the album was first released the august Gramophone magazine remarked on its "unpretentious use of classical writing techniques. It is, however, jazz all the way... Generous solo space has been left for some really inspired playing by Don Rendell (tenor and soprano principally) and Ian Carr (trumpet and flugelhorn)." The second side of the album features three tracks written by Carr, and four by Rendell.
Other notable contributors include Barbara Thompson on saxophone and flute, Karl Jenkins on saxophone and oboe, Chris Spedding on guitar, and Jack Bruce on bass.
In 2007, The Guardian included 'Greek Variations...' on their list of "1,000 Albums to Hear Before You Die", though we return to Gramophone for the last word, who summed up their review with, "Needless to say, the entire LP is strongly recommended."
