{"title":"The Joe Harriott Quintet","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Joe Harriott Quintet was a pioneering jazz group formed in the 1960s. Led by Jamaican-born saxophonist Joe Harriott, the quintet pushed boundaries with their innovative blend of bebop and free jazz. Their unique sound captivated audiences and critics alike, earning them a reputation as one of the most exciting and influential jazz groups of their time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHarriott's virtuosic saxophone playing combined with the talents of his bandmates created a dynamic and energetic live experience. The quintet's performances were known for their improvisational prowess and intricate compositions, showcasing the individual talents of each member while maintaining a cohesive group sound.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith albums like \"Abstract\" and \"Free Form,\" The Joe Harriott Quintet challenged traditional notions of jazz, embracing experimentation and pushing the boundaries of what was possible within the genre. Their music continues to inspire musicians today, cementing their legacy as true innovators in the world of jazz.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"swings-high","title":"Swings High","description":"\u003cp\u003eNewly remastered from the original vinyl at Gearbox Studio with extended liner notes and new information, \u003cstrong\u003eThe Joe Harriott Quintet's\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eSwings High\u003c\/em\u003e, recorded in 1967, saw \u003cstrong\u003eJoe Harriott\u003c\/strong\u003e returning to his hard bop roots on a set that burns with a rare light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA top band of British jazz players, including the UK’s greatest drummer, \u003cstrong\u003ePhil Seamen\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the sensitive and less-known-than-it-should-be trumpet playing of \u003cstrong\u003eStu Hamer\u003c\/strong\u003e, create a session that transcends the difficulties of its recording to create a timeless session, and from the point of view of pure playing, one of Joe’s very best.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cadillac Records","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50458651427147,"sku":"1167182","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50458652344651,"sku":"1167180","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/49e8d9b4-6c1e-451d-a53d-1f902865152b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727212627"},{"product_id":"free-form-2","title":"Free Form","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe West Indian-born alto saxophonist Joe Harriott was one of the most convincing boppers outside of the USA, though by the end of the 1950s he was exploring freer musical pastures, and the quintet with which he undertook the exploration was an outgrowth of the hard bop band with which he'd made a name on the British scene. Often in the past the group's music, in which trumpet and flugelhorn player Shake Keane figured alongside Harriott in the front line, has been compared with that of the early Ornette Coleman quartets, but here it's far more interactive, a fact borne out most obviously by the lack of soloists. Here on \u003ci\u003eFree Form\u003c\/i\u003e (1961) is where the rhythm of that indigenously West Indian form is extraordinarily maintained in the midst of characteristic group exchanges.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Destination Moon","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50489739477323,"sku":"2029448","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/8055515234428_3769f281_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727643498"},{"product_id":"movement-3","title":"Movement","description":"\u003cp\u003eUniversal Music Recordings and Decca Records make Jamaican \/ British jazz saxophonist Joe Harriott’s album \u003ci\u003eMovement\u003c\/i\u003e available again for the first time since it was released in 1964. Long sought after by collectors and connoisseurs, original copies now sell for upwards of £1,000. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis new edition was mastered at Abbey Road using high definition 24bit\/192kHz audio files, copied directly from the original stereo analogue master tapes (previously only the mono version has been on vinyl). Images of those tapes are included in the package alongside new sleeve notes written by noted author, compiler and documentary maker Tony Higgins, who also acts as Executive Producer for Decca’s ‘British Jazz Explosion’ series. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecorded in 1963, \u003ci\u003eMovement\u003c\/i\u003e was released as part of the Lansdowne Series, overseen by the influential Denis Preston, one of the UK’s first independent record producers, and engineered by Adrian Kerridge. Of the nine tracks, seven are Harriott originals, whilst the other two were written by another pioneer of British Jazz, Michael Garrick. Playing alongside Joe were bassist Coleridge Goode (b. 1914 Jamaica, d. 2015 London), drummer Bobby Orr (b. Scotland 1928, d. 2020), pianist Pat Smythe (b. Scotland 1923, d. 1983), and trumpet\/flugelhorn player Ellsworth ‘Shake’ Keane (b. St. Vincent 1927, d. 1997). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Jamaica in 1928, Joseph Arthurlin Harriott was a pupil at the Alpha Boys School (alma mater to Harold McNair, Dizzy Reece, and a myriad of Ska greats). He arrived in Britain in the early ’50s, initially touring with the Ozzie Da Costa Band, followed by a brief spell with the Ronnie Scott Big Band, and sessions backing the likes of  George Chisholm, and Lita Roza. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy the mid ’50s Joe was a big enough draw to release records under his own name, and whilst these early recordings conform to the then popular bop style, the following decade would see him release albums whose titles chart his development; Free Form in 1960, and \u003ci\u003eAbstract\u003c\/i\u003e in 1963. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMovement\u003c\/i\u003e is a testament to Joe Harriott’s visionary approach to jazz. It blends structure with freedom, tradition with innovation, and individual expression with collective creativity. His development of free-form jazz represents a significant contribution to the genre, paralleling yet distinct from the work of Ornette Coleman and other American free jazz artists. It is an essential listen, not only for fans of British jazz, but jazz fans in general.  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is perhaps best summed up by the epitaph that now adorns Joe’s gravestone; “Parker? There’s them over here can play a few aces too.” \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"UMR","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50512342647115,"sku":"2225530","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Unknown_8430e2ce_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727900179"},{"product_id":"high-spirits-british-jazz-explosion","title":"High Spirits (British Jazz Explosion)","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAvailable on vinyl for the first time in over 60 years. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMastered from the original stereo analogue tapes. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePackage includes images of the original master tapes and new sleeve notes written by noted author, Tony Higgins, Executive Producer for Decca's 'British Jazz Explosion' series.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFontana Records are making Jamaican\/British jazz saxophonist Joe Harriott's album \u003cem\u003eHigh Spirits\u003c\/em\u003e available again for the first time since it was released in 1965.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis new edition was mastered at Abbey Road using high definition 24bit\/192kHz audio files, copied directly from the original stereo analogue master tapes (previously only the mono version has been on vinyl). Images of those tapes are included in the package alongside new sleeve notes written by author, compiler, and documentary maker Tony Higgins, who also acts as Executive Producer for Universal Music's 'British Jazz Explosion' series.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRecorded in September 1964, High Spirits was originally released as part of the Lansdowne Series, overseen by the influential Denis Preston, one of the UK's first independent record producers. In a departure from the radical concepts Harriott explored across his most recent albums, High Spirits features eight arrangements of songs originally written for the musical High Spirits, composed by Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray, and based on Noël Coward’s 1941 play Blithe Spirit.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAll the pieces were arranged by pianist Pat Smythe (b. Scotland 1923, d. 1983), a leading force behind several innovative shifts in British jazz in the '60s and '70s, appearing not just on Harriott's more typical output, but also on the ground breaking Indo-Jazz Fusion projects.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCompleting the quintet were bassist Coleridge Goode (b. 1914 Jamaica, d. 2015 London), drummer Bobby Orr (b. Scotland 1928, d. 2020), and trumpet\/flugelhorn player Ellsworth 'Shake' Keane (b. Saint Vincent 1927, d. 1997).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReviews from the time focused on the skill of this ensemble, with Melody Maker describing Harriott's quintet as \"probably the finest group of the British scene at the moment\", while Record Mirror offered, \"That it works at all is surprising; that it works so well is astonishing.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBorn in Jamaica in 1928, Joseph Arthurlin Harriott was a pupil at the Alpha Boys School (alma mater to Harold McNair, Dizzy Reece, and a myriad of Ska greats). He arrived in Britain in the early '50s, initially touring with the Ozzie Da Costa Band, followed by a brief spell with the Ronnie Scott Big Band, and sessions backing the likes of George Chisholm, and Lita Roza.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBy the mid '50s Joe was a big enough draw to release records under his own name, and whilst these early recordings conform to the then popular bop style, the following decade would see him release albums whose titles chart his development; 'Free Form' in 1960, 'Abstract' in 1963, and 'Movement' in 1964.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eInitial sales of High Spirits were disappointing, and Harriott would return to his more innovative work, on albums like Michael Garrick's 1966 'Black Marigolds', and the landmark 'Hum Dono' album in 1969, with Goan guitarist Amancio D’Silva. However, with its inventive arrangements and accomplished playing, High Spirits has stood the test of time, and remains an essential listen, not only for fans of British jazz, but jazz fans in general.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fontana","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":58358023323979,"sku":"R5261-3562","price":33.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0199957804219_Sticker.jpg?v=1788521025"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_baf5e15a_thumbnail_4096_733215e1-5707-4e44-b3fa-89d34020b5dd.jpg?v=1727212597","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/collections\/the-joe-harriott-quintet.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}