One of the legendary sets of avant garde jazz by the British alto genius Joe Harriott – an artist who was sometimes billed as the British Ornette Coleman – a reputation he definitely earns with the groundbreaking quality of this album! The conception is bold right from the start – strongly rhythmic, but at a level that's different from Coleman's music – with some deeply emotional undertones to the solos (which also include work from Shake Keane on trumpet!) – and occasional modal elements that also bring in some spiritual elements to work perfect with the breakout solos. The group also features crack rhythm work from Pat Smythe on piano, Coleridge Goode on bass, and Phil Seaman on drums – and the track list includes "Subject", "Shadows", "Tonal", "Oleo", "Pictures", "Idiom", "Compound" and "Modal". CD

Essential! This is the landmark album that forever put saxophonist Joe Harriott on the map, and it's a brilliant batch of tracks that prove that Harriott was advancing the jazz avant garde in England as much as players like Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor were advancing it in America. Despite the "free form" of the title, the tracks are more "new thing" – somewhat structured, with a rhythmic approach that's still a little straight, but solos that go nice and outside. Joe's overall conception is a beautiful mix of angular thinking with freely expressed soulful emotion – and the record's one that ranks up there with the 10 most groundbreaking of the 60s! The group's about as fantastic as you could ever expect from England at the time – with Shake Keane on trumpet, Pat Smythe on piano, Coleridge Goode on bass, and Phil Seamen on drums – and titles include "Formation", "Coda", "Abstract", "Straight Lines", and "Impression". CD

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One of the most compelling albums ever recorded by British alto genius Joe Harriott – a very unusual record that has him working with guitarist Amanico D'Silva, in a style that's got some wonderful modal undertones! The feel here is a bit like Harriott's work with Michael Garrick – minus piano, of course – as he and D'Silva work through some tunes that are long, filled with complicated rhythms, yet still have a magically dancing sound. The mood shifts a bit from track to track – as Norma Winstone comes in for wordless vocals on two numbers, and Ian Carr blows a bit on one tune – and there's one short track on the record that only features Harriott's alto next to a bit of drums. Great stuff all around – with titles that include "NNNT", "Hum Donon", "Jaipur", "Stephano's Dance", and "Ballad For Goa". CD

A brilliant meeting of the minds! Tenorist Ken Vandermark pays tribute to the great Joe Harriott – the British modernist sax player, who's finally been getting some attention these days. Harriott was not only a fantastic player, but he also was an incredible writer – and the compositions left behind on albums like Free Form and Abstract stand as some of the highest (and first) modernist moments in British jazz. Vandermark more than does justice to the entire body of work here, and the album features his quartet with Jeb Bishop, Kent Kessler, and Tim Mulvenna – all performing Harriott compositions like "Tonal", "Shadows", "Abstract", "Straight Lines", and "Pictures". CD

Beautiful work from the legendary late 60s run of British pianist Michael Garrick – and two of his best records of the mid 60s to early 70s! A few of the numbers on Black Marigolds are in a septet mode – with Garrick leading a group that includes Ian Carr on trumpet, Joe Harriott on alto, Don Rendell on soprano sax, and Tony Coe on tenor – all shading in some beautiful tones on the straight numbers "Good Times" and "Webster's Mood" – and really going to town on the modal number "Ursula", a rolling groover that's simply fantastic! 2 other tracks – "Jazz For Five" and "A Jazz Nativity" – have the group joined by poet John Smith, who's recitation beautifully matches the horn work of Coe and Harriott. Remaining tracks are even more unusual – and feature Garrick in trio formation on either celeste or harpsichord – really hitting beautiful notes that have a slightly exotic feel, on titles that include "What Are Little Girls", "Spiders", "Black Marigolds", and "Carolling". The Heart Is A Lotus is one of the key recordings by the team of Garrick and Norma Winstone! Winstone's vocals here rank right up there with those of Karin Krog or Monica Zetterlund – creating a whole new style for the voice in jazz, as they dance along with the freely searching work of Garrick's sextet on the record. There's a sense of lyrical poetry to the album that's really beautiful – but rhythm is also a key aspect of the session – and most tunes dance along in a flurry of bass and drum interplay, hitting that warm modal groove! Titles include "The Heart Is A Lotus", "Torrent", "Temple Dancer", "Blues On Blues", "Voices", and "Beautiful Thing". CD

Extremely beautiful work from the trio of British pianist Michael Garrick – recorded in the years after Garrick's better-known quintet and sextet recordings with Joe Harriott, but done with an equally inventive sound! The pianist is nicely unfettered here – working alongside bassist Dave Green and drummer Trevor Tomkins – in a session of all original material that sparkles with lyrical beauty and nice undercurrents of soul. Despite the relative freedoms of the time, Garrick holds things nicely inside throughout – avoiding the overdone modes of some of his British contemporaries, and echoing out with a mode that's full of color and light! Most tunes have some strongly rhythmic undercurrents, as in the best work of Steve Kuhn – and titles include "Thanksgiving Dance", "Proclamation", "First Born", "Prayer", "Annunciation", and "Miranda Sleeping". CD

A classic album of Latin grooves from the UK scene – a musical world that wasn't always a hotbed of styles in the Afro-Cuban mode, but which did have the benefit of the mighty percussionist Robin Jones! Jones was born in India, but moved to London during the same post-colonial jazz migration that brought the city key talents from the West Indies – and like Joe Harriott, Shake Keane, and others, Robin's contributions to the scene were crucial during the years he worked in a variety of different groups! This set is Jones' second as a leader – a very hip set that's all jazz all the way through – with plenty of percussion from Robin, and a combo that includes trumpet, saxes, keyboards, and vibes – all used in ways that take off from the best jazz descarga styles into a range of other modes. Titles include "El Maja", "The Wailer", "Batucada Da Vida", "Carica Papaya", "El Lobo", "Chant Afrique", and "Atlas". (Latin, Jazz) CD

A totally cool little record – and one that more than lives up to the Eastern promise of its cover! The album's a real stunner from Australian reedman Charlie Munro – a beautiful mix of jazz and exotic elements, at a level that puts it up there with a rare few records that work this well – like the Indo-Jazz experiments of Joe Harriott, the earlier recordings of Ahmed Abdul Malik, and maybe the legendary Jazz Meets World series on MPS! Munro's range of influences is nicely varied here – with some elements of Indian music, others borrowed from Japan, and even some from points that are a bit more Mid-East – mostly delivered on familiar jazz instrumentation, but with very dramatic results. Charlie plays tenor, alto, soprano sax, and bass clarinet – plus a bit of flute and cello too – and the rest of the group includes Mark Bowden on drums and vibes, Neville Whitehead on bass, and Bob McIvor on trombone – an instrument that's often used in these dark, bassy tones with the rhythms. Titles include "Islamic Suite", "Arch's Groove", "Malahari Raga", "David", "Japanese Love Song", "Minimum", "When I Look At You", and "Raised Eyebrows". CD

An insanely fantastic collection of rare jazz groovers – picked from the cream of England's late 60s underground, compiled together by Gilles "golden ears" Peterson! Peterson's tireless work as a promoter of new groups is well known to fans of his international radio show, countless live gigs, and many compilations – but he's also got a heck of a talent for picking great older tunes, which is where he initially got his start. This set is like unlocking a lost treasure chest – as it features a stellar batch of never or barely-reissued tunes from England's ultra-hip late 60s scene, a post-colonial jazz underground that recorded some of the most revolutionary albums of the time, most of which sadly died a quick death because audiences were not open-minded enough to appreciate them. The operative word with these tunes is "rhythm" – as the grooves stretch through a modal universe that includes Indian, African, and Carribean influences – all tied together in the coolness of mod London in the 60s. Tracks are all long, they groove mightily, and they will blow your jazz-loving mind – trust us! We've been waiting for this one for sooooo long, and we're ultra ultra happy it finally got released! Titles include "Cleopatra's Needle" by Ronnie Ross, "Rolli's Tune" by Harry Beckett, "Jaipur" by Joe Harriott & Amanico D'Silva, "First Born" by The Michael Garrick Trio, "Lullaby For A Lonely Child" by Graham Collier, "Dusk Fire" and "Black Marigolds" by the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet, and "Down In The Village" by Tubby Hayes. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

A great collection of a side of British jazz that hardly made it to our American shores – the mid 50s mainstream movement, perfectly summed up here in a massive 3CD package of work from the legendary Nixa label! At one level, the mainstream sound was a post-swing style that used bits of bop, but still had a relatively straight ahead feel – but despite its somewhat pandering tag, the movement also had a lot of modern influences pushing it along underneath, as you'll hear in some of the set's work by players that include Joe Harriott, Don Rendell, Dick Heckstall-Smith, and Tony Coe! The tunes on the set are mostly short, but in that way, they have a sense of economy that seems to make the best of the brash, bright moments that burst out as the set moves on – and there's also some wonderful numbers that dabble in the post-colonial criss-crossing of sounds that were brewing in London during the postwar years. A good part of the work is by trumpeter Kenny Baker, but the set also features some key recordings from the groundbreaking Kenny Graham Afro Cubists – a Latin jazz combo that rivalled the best American experiments in the genre at the time. The 3CD box features 56 tracks in all – with titles that include "Go Ghana" by Sandy Brown, "Star Eyes" by Don Rendell, "Time's A Wastin" by Kenny Graham's Afro Cubists, "Carolina Shout" by Dill Jones Trio, "Russian Lullaby" by Dick Heckstall-Smith, "Just Friends" by Joe Harriott, "Rush Job" by Don Rendell, "Indian Summer" by Cleo Laine, "How's This" by Kenny Baker, "Blues In Threes" by Jazz Today Unit, and "The Wind & The Rain In Your Hair" by Vic Ash Quartet. CD

Way more than the trad jazz and bebop you might guess from the title – as the set's an incredible compilation of unreleased British jazz treasures – mostly from the 60s, and showing the London scene in the grip of some very formative years! In the immediate postwar years, UK jazz was a pretty straight and tight thing – but as the 60s approached, the sound of London really opened up – not just because of a huge influx of key post-colonial players, but also because the locals were really gaining confidence, and trying out a wealth of new styles on their own – styles that explode wonderfully here, in a mix of 60s modern styles that's really incredible. All tracks here are pulled from the archives of the artists, and many capture key players at periods we haven't heard this strongly before – with work by a quintet with Mike Taylor on piano and Dave Tomlin on tenor; a quintet with Henry Lowther on trumpet, Lyn Dobson on tenor, Tony Hymas on piano, and Harry Miller on bass; a septet with John Stevens on drums, Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn, Alan Skidmore on tenor, and Ray Warleigh on alto; a quintet with Joe Harriott on alto and Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn; a quartet with Mike Osborne on alto and John Surman on baritone; Amancio D'Silva on guitar with the quintet of Don Rendell and Ian Carr; a quartet with Lol Coxhill on soprano sax and Steve Miller on piano, and work by groups that include Elton Dean's Just Us, Gary Windo's Symbiosis, and Graham Collier Music. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD