# RIP: Mike Carr was the most compelling of British jazz organists: Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2017/10/03/rip-mike-carr-compelling-british-jazz-organists-video/
- Published: 2017-10-03T19:23:08+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Mike Carr, who died aged 79, was arguably the most compelling of British jazz 
organists, notable for his enthusiasm and for his unerring ability to generate powerful,
swinging improvisations. In person, the style was the man, for Mike was excitable,
always passionate on matters musical and invariably upbeat.**

Calling on him at his London home was an adventure for Mike lived amid a multitude
of cats, surrounded by a formidable array of Hammond B3 organs and their accompanying
Leslie speakers, plus sundry special finds from car boot sales. Ever the optimist,
Mike firmly believed that any one of these precious artefacts was about to make 
his fortune. Mike was from South Shields and first made his name as the instigator
of the EmCee Four which became the EmCee Five once his trumpeter brother Ian had
joined the group. Moving to London in the 1960s their impact was immediate for their
grasp of the hard-bop idiom made them a formidable force. Powered by drummer Ronnie
Stephenson and featuring Mike on piano and vibes they earned every plaudit going.
Eventually the brothers Carr went their separate ways and Mike moved over to the
B3, drawn to its funky strut and growling power, touring widely with Ronnie Scott.
He then fronted any number of combos of his own, often appearing with Jim Mullen
and Dick Morrissey and working with visiting US stars including the bluesy vocalist
Irene Reid. His final Blue Note Band with the Fishwick brothers and Steve Kaldestad
was one of the best groups around and a genuine festival favourite.

Loquacious, hugely talented and a paragon of swing, Mike’s last years were dimmed
by the onset of dementia, a cruel outcome for so engaging a character. RIP Mike.

Michael Anthony Carr born in 7 December 1937, South Shields, Co. Durham, England.
The brother of trumpet player Ian Carr, Mike taught himself the organ, piano, and
vibes, and gained a reputation in the Newcastle-based EmCee Five. By the late 60s,
he was running a trio that included John McLaughlin and accompanied distinguished
visiting musicians. He toured with Ronnie Scott’s group between 1971 and 1975, appearing
with them at Carnegie Hall in 1974. Since then his own quartet has toured Europe,
and he has established Cargo – a jazz rock group who recorded a successful album
in 1985. The Mike Carr Trio continues to appear around the country, playing a hard-
swinging, dynamic music rooted in bebop.

![That's Entertainment Jazz At Greville Lodge, Vol. 2](https://i0.wp.com/cps-static.
rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0003/608/MI0003608973.jpg?w=640)

### _Related_