VA - A New Awakening (Adventures In British Jazz 1966-1971) (2025)

Genre: Jazz, R&B, Jazz-Rock
Media: 3 x CD, Compilation
Country of disc (release): Europe
Year of publication: 2025
Publisher (label): Strawberry
Catalog number: CR3JAMBX35
Country of artist (group): England
Audio codec: FLAC (*.flac)
Rip type: tracks+.cue
Total duration: 03:58:42

Tracklist:
CD1 01:19:01
01. The Dick Morrissey Quartet – Storm Warning
02. Davy Graham – Watermelon Man
03. The Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet – Tan Samfu
04. The Joe Harriott Double Quintet Under The Direction Of John Mayer – Overture
05. The John Dankworth Orchestra – Return From The Ashes (from the film Return From The Ashes)
06. The Graham Bond Organization – Wade In The Water (US B side Version)
07. Georgie Fame – No Thanks
08. The Mike Taylor Trio – Two Autumns
09. The Mike Westbrook Concert Band – A Greeting
10. The Joe Harriott Quintet – Shepherd’s Serenade
11. Michael Garrick Septet – Ursula
12. The Tubby Hayes Quartet – Dear Johnny B
13. Pentangle – In Time
14. Harold McNair – The Hipster
15. Jethro Tull – One For John Gee
16. Spooky Tooth – Luger’s Groove

CD2 01:19:50
01. The John Cameron Quartet – Troublemaker
02. The Graham Collier Sextet – Down Another Road
03. John McLaughlin – Binky’s Beam
04. The Don Rendell / Ian Carr Quintet – One Green Eye
05. The New Jazz Orchestra – Angle
06. Ken Wheeler And The John Dankworth Orchestra – Sweet Dulcinea Blue
07. Michael Gibbs – Some Echoes, Some Shadows (For John Dankworth)
08. Wynder K. Frog – Harpsicord Shuffle
09. Jasper – The Beard
10. Manfred Mann Chapter Three – Where Am I Going
11. Colosseum – Those About To Die
12. Keef Hartley Band – Premonition
13. Nucleus – Elastic Rock
14. Brian Auger & The Trinity – Maiden Voyage
15. Affinity – A Day In The Life (Live At Ronnie Scott’s, 1969)
16. The Johnny Almond Music Machine – Voodoo Forest
17. Jack Bruce With John McLaughlin, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Jon Hiseman – Over The Cliff

CD3 01:19:51
01. Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express – Dragon Song
02. The Ray Russell Quartet – Can I Have My Paperback Back (Live At The Playhouse Theatre, 1969)
03. If – What Did I Say About The Box, Jack?
04. Chris Spedding – The Forest Of Fables
05. The Trio (featuring John Surman) – Joachim
06. Satisfaction – Sharing
07. Julie Driscoll – A New Awakening
08. Bob Downes Open Music – Keep Off The Grass
09. Trifle – Is It Loud?
10. Garrick’s Fairground With Norma Winstone – Epiphany
11. Nucleus – Song For The Bearded Lady
12. John McLaughlin, John Surman, Karl Berger, Stu Martin, Dave Holland – Earth Bound Hearts
13. If – Seldom Seen Sam
14. John Taylor – And Think Again
15. Mike Osborne – So It Is (Edit)

Slide into the smoky corners of late-’60s London with A New Awakening: Adventures in British Jazz 1966-1971, a compilation that swings, stings, and sparkles with the kind of restless energy only that era could produce. Released in 2025 by Strawberry Records, this three-disc box isn’t just a nod to the British jazz scene, t’s a full-blown love letter to its wild side.

From the modal meditations of Don Rendell and Ian Carr to the soul-jazz grit of Wynder K. Frog’s “Harpsichord Shuffle,” this set captures a sound in motion blurring lines between jazz, rock, psychedelia, and cinematic funk. John Cameron’s “Troublemaker” stirs in big band swagger with spy-movie cool, while Affinity’s electric live take on “A Day in the Life” cut at Ronnie Scott’s is a deliciously off-kilter detour into jazz-rock surrealism.

Every disc spills over with crate-digger gold and cult cuts, the kind of tracks that once filled basement clubs and BBC late-night sessions, now dusted off and sparkling with fresh remasters. You can hear the scene stretching its legs, from Indo-jazz and freeform experimentation to Hammond-heavy grooves that wouldn’t be out of place on a lost library LP.

The lineup reads like an all-star jam across genres: Joe Harriott, Michael Garrick, Tubby Hayes, Kenny Wheeler, John McLaughlin, even the likes of Jethro Tull and Spooky Tooth dipping in with a brass flourish or a sideways solo. It's bold. It's beautifully unpredictable. And most importantly-it grooves.

Tucked away in the set are some absolute curveballs: Ray Russell Quartet’s “Can I Have My Paperback Back”, captured live at The Playhouse Theatre, delivers a fiery performance that’s been elusive for years. And Mike Osborne’s “So It Is (Edit)” rounds out the collection with a jagged, avant-garde edge that leaves a lasting impression. Dig a little deeper and you’ll uncover B-side beauties like Georgie Fame’s slick and sly “No Thanks” and Graham Bond’s stormy “Wade in the Water,” a rare U.S. flip that oozes atmosphere and attitude. These aren’t just fillerthey’re flashes of a scene pushing boundaries in real time.

This isn’t jazz with its pinky raised—it’s jazz with one foot on the fuzz pedal and the other in the dancehall. A cultural crossroads where London cool met improvisational fire and lit up the skyline.

Perfect for soundtracking deep listening sessions or weaving into a narrative about British music’s most creative fringe, A New Awakening is the kind of set that doesn’t just sit on a shelf. It lingers, pulses, and moves. Just like the scene it came from