At The BBC - CD

Controversial, creative and captivating, Joe Harriott's music was among the finest to emerge from the dynamic British jazz scene of the early to late '60s. Freeform and Abstract, the two albums the Jamaican saxophonist recorded in that period are recognized as landmarks, and these sessions from 1961, 1964 and 1966, which see him lead bands that include fellow prime movers such as trumpeters Ian Carr and Shake Keane, and pianists Pat Smythe and Michael Garrick are an invaluable record of the development of an artist who found his own innovative path way ahead of his time. Sleeve notes by Kevin Le Gendre.