Harry Beckett

★★★★ Joy Unlimited CADILLAC. CD/DL/LP Long-awaited reissue of elegant jazz-rock LP, with Latin leanings. Arriving in London in the mid’50s, expressive Barbadian trumpeter Harry Beckett worked with Ambrose Campbell, Graham Collier and Jack Bruce, his solo albums issued by Philips and RCA. Beckett formed Joy Unlimited in 1974, and recorded this debut fusing open-ended jazz solos to a rock backbeat, underpinned by Latin percussion, as well as Caribbean and South African elements. The hefty extended jam of opener No Time For Hello sets the tone, with each musician soloing to spur on Beckett’s unfettered horn to greater heights. Glowing has a relaxed calypso lilt and Bracelets Of Sound edges towards township territory, while cratediggers will love the funky drum breaks on Ring Within Rings. Throughout, Ray Russell’s funk guitar tremolos are given melodic counterbalance by Daryl Runswick’s animated bass meanderings, as Martin David’s percussion invigorates, conjuring a joyful backdrop for Beckett’s explorations. David Katz