Joy Unlimited

Trumpeter and flugelhornist Harry Beckett was a Barbados-born British emigre whose gorgeous tone almost always put him in historic company. He played with Mingus and the leading lights of the 60s, 70s, and 80s British jazz scene, including Graham Collier, Mike Westbrook, John Surman, Stan Tracey, Courtney Pine, and Django Bates. He also worked with rock musicians and electronic, dub, and reggae producer Adrian Sherwood, who helmed Becketts final album in 2008. 1975s Joy Unlimited is Becketts classic. Once a forgotten collectors holy grail, its rediscovery ranks it as one of the finest jazz outings of the 70s. Like saxophonist and fellow Caribbean emigre Joe Harriott, Beckett pioneered a distinct brand of Caribbean- and African-infused jazz. Their recordings deeply influenced a new generation of London jazz players including Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Binker Golding, and Yazz Ahmed. Produced by John Jack for Cadillac Records, Joy Unlimiteds title aptly reflects its creators always cheerful persona. Its six Beckett-composed tracks offer an indelible portrait of his hearing and playing of jazz, as well as where he wanted to take it. Hes backed by a quintet that includes guitarist Ray Russell, bassist Daryl Runswick, pianist/synthesist Brian Miller, drummer Nigel Morris, and conguero Martin David. No Time for Hello kicks off with a fleet pizzicato run from Runswicks upright, establishing a bluesy, minor mode that draws heavily on rock and Latin rhythms. Becketts solo reaches for high notes immediately atop fat Rhodes piano chords and crisp, accelerated interplay from the drummers. Russells scorching wah-wah guitar break underscores Becketts own solo before Runswick moves his bass into arco territory, meeting the band in the outro. Becketts Caribbean roots account for Glowing, with soaring runs and a sprightly, happy, calypso-flavored groove appended with funky asides. If there is an African cousin for this tune, its Hugh Masekelas Grazing in the Grass. Changes Are Still Happening is brief, elegiac ballad, with Russell playing acoustic guitar and Becketts warm, expressive horn. Bracelets of Sound, with its spooky, spacy, electric guitar introduces the band, who erase the vibe with a midtempo funk vamp. Russells soulful solo trades fours with Millers punchy Rhodes. Calypso reappears in Rings Within Rings. The band channel syncopated soul, funk, and swinging post-bop, all illumined by Becketts infectiously happy, bright tone, polyrhythmic phrasing, and peerless Caribbean lyricism. Closer Not Just Tomorrow begins as a ballad with Beckett drawing out the melody atop a stately groove. His extended solo is intimate, intricate, and the picture of tonal economy. Russell adds drama with fuzz and wah-wah pedals, filling and coloring the harmony while adding an exotic, bluesy edge. The tune evolves yet never loses its lyric center; the players freely exchange fills and short solo breaks in canny, seductive interplay that drifts toward a blissed-out fade nine minutes later. Joy Unlimited is peerless; its near perfect balance of sounds, rhythms, and simpatico musicianship present a masterful blueprint for the array of creative possibilities in electric jazz. ~ Thom Jurek