Various Keeping Tempo - Classic British Modern Jazz (CD)

(Jasmine Records) 22 tracks 'Tempo' 1954-1960 (77:53)

When TEMPO began its life in 1946, its prime purpose was to make available rare Jazz and Blues to a war-staved British audience. It was not until 1955 that TEMPO began issuing its own Modern Jazz recordings, by which time the label had been acquired by the English arm of French VOGUE, which in turn had been acquired by DECCA.Apart from the 'Single' format, at both 78 & 45 rpm, by its demise in 1961 TEMPO had issued I I ten-inch LPs (the 'LAP' series), 32 twelve-inch LPs (the TAP' series) and around 100 EPs.

Much of this output, especially in the later years, was devoted to British Modern Jazz, recorded in London at DECCA's West Hampstead studio under the supervision of Tony Hall. These 'Modern' TEMPO issues were distinguished from the other genres by having purple labels instead of the standard peacock blue.

It has too often been a British 'disease' to compare unfavourably the prowess of our own jazzmen in relation to their American counterparts, especially back in the 1950s when TEMPO was in full swing. But what is perhaps not known is that a number of American musicians, who were either playing here or passing through Britain back then, had nothing but praise for a large proportion of the British guys who made up the TEMPO roster. Listening to the majority of the TEMPO output it is not too far out to think of the label as essentially the 'BLUE NOTE of British Jazz'.