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Helter Skelter: Live, Rare and Previously Unreleased Recordings
Joe Harriott
Styles: Jazz
Catalogue Number: ACMCD4392
The legend of saxophonist Joe Harriott is full of stories of isolation and disenfranchisement, received wisdom being that both his music and personality were simply a shade too incendiary to ever fit comfortably within the conventions of the day. While there is no doubt that Harriott's 1960s experiments with free-form improvisation and his ground-breaking fusions with Indian music did set him apart from his colleagues, his was not a talent easily pigeon-holed. Nor was he always as far from the establishment of British Jazz as some histories maintain. Featuring several rare sessions, this new Acrobat CD finds the great altoist in a variety of settings, including a quartet set highlighting his ballad playing in the company of future doyen of British TV and film scores, pianist Max Harris, hitherto only available on a much sought after EP; a session combining a stellar line-up of Melody Maker poll winners – again long out of print; a previously unissued guest appearance with the German Kurt Edelhagen big band and, finally, another truly all-star session under the direction of John Dankworth, which finds Harriott alongside a dazzling list of other notable British jazz leaders including Kenny Ball, Chris Barber, Sandy Brown, Tubby Hayes and Humphrey Lyttelton. Complete with period photographs – several of them never before published - and an extensive booklet essay by award winning saxophonist and author Simon Spillett, this collection is a mandatory listening for all fans of the Golden Age of British Modern Jazz. |