Biography
Although scarcely heard in contemporary times, alto saxophonist Joe Harriott shaped the emergence of free jazz in England through his commanding presence. Born and raised in Jamaica, he performed alongside fellow islanders trumpeter Dizzy Reece and tenor saxophonist Wilton "Bogey" Gaynair prior to settling in England during 1951. Once in London, he took freelance engagements and joined the group led by trumpeter Pete Pitterson. By 1954 an opportunity arose with drummer Tony Kinsey, followed the subsequent year by membership in saxophonist Ronnie Scott's large ensemble. Southern Horizon, issued in 1959, marked his debut recording under his own name. Having begun as a bop-focused musician, Harriott steadily distanced himself from the idiom's established patterns. While hospitalized in 1960 he conceived an alternative approach to improvisation that echoed, in certain respects, the advances introduced by Ornette Coleman. Early assessments cast him simply as Coleman's copyist, yet attentive comparison discloses clear divergences between the two. Harriott maintained a more overt philosophical allegiance to bebop, and his work placed greater emphasis on collective interplay than Coleman's initial efforts had done. The 1960 release Free Form demonstrated these methods with the participation of trumpeter Shake Keane, pianist Pat Smythe, bassist Coleridge Goode, and drummer Phil Seaman. From 1965 onward he pursued a synthesis of jazz and diverse global folk traditions. Working with Indian musician John Mayer, he produced 1967's Indo-Jazz Suite, which incorporated modal and free-jazz methods. The conventional jazz quintet lineup on that album was expanded by violin, sitar, tambura, and tabla. Few recordings document Harriott's career, and almost none remain commercially available.
Albums
