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Joe Harriott: Free Form & Abstract Revisited
ByHarriott was born in Jamaica in 1928. His career blossomed in the London scene and, like almost every other musician, he was influenced by the revolution of Charlie Parker's bebop sound. His alto saxophone, though, would go on to explore 'free form' music much like Ornette Coleman. He differs from Coleman here in that, although Ornette parted ways with pianist Paul Bley in the late 50s, Harriott embraced the chordal instrument. We hear pianist Pat Smythe on both of these revisited releases. But like Ornette with Don Cherry, Harriott's music is partnered by trumpeter Shake Kane. The music heard here is bebop without barlines. Like early Coleman, Harriott was freeing not only himself, but his entire quintet. We hear flavors of hard bop in "Formation" and "Abstract," West Coast coolness in "Coda" and the 'islands sound' associated with Sonny Rollins on "Calypso." Harriott was a musical omnivore and, while 15 of the 16 tracks were penned by him, perhaps his cover of Rollins' "Oleo" is evidence that he was as hip and forward-thinking as the tenor titan. Playing with lissome and nimble fingers, Harriott and crew hurtle themselves through the changes like a speeding automobile. Changing pace, "Modal" is a slow-drag blues featuring Kane's trumpet plus his well-placed rhythm tapping on a brandy glass. Whether you discovered Harriott from Ken Vandermark's Joe Harriott Project release Straight Lines (Atavistic, 1999) or have never before heard of this jazz icon, Free Form & Abstract Revisited is an excellent place to start.
Track Listing
Formation; Coda; Abstract; Impression; Straight Lines; Calypso; Tempo; Subject; Shadows; Oleo; Modal; Tonal; Pictures; Idiom; Compound.
Personnel
Joe Harriott
saxophoneShake Keane
trumpetPat Smythe
pianoColeridge Goode
bassBobby Orr
drumsPhil Seaman
drumsFrank Holder
bongosAdditional Instrumentation
Shake Keane: flugelhorn; Phil Seaman: drums (1-8, 13-16); Bobby Orr: drums (9-12); Frank Holder: bongos (9, 10).
Album information
Title: Free Form & Abstract Revisited | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Ezz-thetics