"The world is a great place to live in if you can throw off the blues every so often. It is with this thought in mind that we have set out to create joyful music using styles of jazz rock and Latin American rhytms and voicings to help us achieve our aim. We have enjoyed creating this music. We hope it has the desired effect and that you, the listener, are that bit happier for hearing it." So said Harry Beckett in the sleeve notes to "Memories of Bacares".
"A generous and open-hearted man and one of the most popular characters on the British jazz scene, you get the impression that if it hadn't occured to Harry Beckett to call his band "Joy Unlimited", his fans would have come up with the idea anyway. It has the atmosphere of a steel band, or a calypso group or something that happened along at a Mexican wedding; an infectious chuckle, like the sound of Harry's trumpet". Those are the words of UK jazz critic John Fordham in the liner notes to "Got It Made."
The above quotations might have given you an idea about what these two albums are about: Groovable, memorable tunes with a fat layer of jazz expertise on top to give you that uplifting vibe. For this project, Beckett recruited a solid bunch of fellows; Ray Russell, Roy Babbington, Alan Jackson and others with one foot in jazz and beyond and the other in rock and musicals. The result is accessible, but never facile, slick or cliched. "Memories" is live, "Got it made" is studio, so the live one gives the crew a chance to go a little further while the studio one is sharp, tightly arranged and executed, yet never sterile. These are not your typical Ogun releases, to the extent that term applies at all to that exquisite record label. The non-applicability of the word "typical" is a definite plus in my book.
Basic facts:
Harry Beckett's Joy Unlimited - Memories of Bacares
Ogun OG 800
Side One
The Dew At Dawn
Dreams Come And Go
Side Two
Crystals
Can't Think About Now
Harry Beckett - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Ray Russell - Guitar
Brian Miller - Electric Piano
Daryl Runswick - Bass Guitar
Robin Jones - Percussion
John Webb - Drums
Recorded at a Hackney Jazz date at the Sussex, Culford Road, London, N.1 on 25 November 1975 by Keith Beal
All music composed by Harry Beckett
Harry Beckett's Joy Unlimited - Got It Made
Ogun OG 020
Side one
Got It Made
Moon Dancer
Time Again
Side Two
Jungle wild
Spiral Image
Getting It Right
Harry Beckett - trumpet, flugelhorn
Ray Russell - guitar
Pete Lemer - Keyboards
Roy Babbington - bass, bass guitar
Martyn David - percussion
Alan Jackson - drums
Recorded 13 July 1977
All music composed by Harry Beckett
To be enjoyed standing up or leaping about in an approximately rhythmic manner.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for these!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward especially to hearing that live date.
cheers
PS I agree, rapidshare is rubbish right now.
Multishare direct download? Yay, that's the way to go!
Good to hear. Please let me hear from other users whether they find this multiupload option satisfactory. If so, I'll stick to it for the future.
ReplyDeleteNice discover for me and great share . Love those joyful sounds . Thank you
ReplyDeletePeace
Many thanks for these! And yes, I at least appreciate the multiupload. Cheers, MB
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting these. A few years ago I looked for some of Beckett's work and "Flare Up" was the only one in the shops (under his name, anyway). Ogun vinyl is really pretty much all out of print and it will be a while before they get to re-issue his work. Ogun does about 2-3 discs a year now. So, readers this is a your lucky day! Thanks, again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great music!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for multiupload, I have always had problems with RS.
Thank Kin! Yes, MU is the way to go. A pity I cannot enjoy anything here uploaded to RS. They are shit. Why not do MU and let everyone choose their own provider link? It's just as easy as using RS. Thanks,Bill
ReplyDeleteThanks for these, really looking forward to hearing them. Re multiupload, fine with me as long as it works. I have used RS for years and never had a single problem, maybe I'm unique but RS has been absolutely 100% reliable for me. But whatever works for everyone is fine with me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with RS being reliable and fast, certainly for those of us with a paid account. Multiupload does upload to RS as well as to several others, so those satisfied with RS can of course continue to use it.
ReplyDeleteI don't suppose there's any possibility of re-uploading these, is there? I love "Flare Up" and have been wanting to explore more Beckett, especially after listening to this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqznpfxs3RE
Strange looking back at these comments to think that we actually recommended Multiupload. MU now is gone, RS is still about. I still have the files, so with a little patience, we should it right back here.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, kinabalu! I look forward to listening to these tonight.
ReplyDeleteJust a quick follow-up: These are great! Joy Unlimited is right - the Latin influence works really well, and it sounds like everyone had a blast playing the music. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteI just love the "a solid bunch of fellows" to describe this ....I agree and it is "Top Hole" as well...and if......
ReplyDeleteNew links:
ReplyDeleteMemories of Bacares:
Mega
Adrive
Got it Made:
Mega
Adrive
thank you VERY much for the re-post!!
ReplyDeleteall the best for you guys
So nice to have a re-up. Thank you, kinabalu!
ReplyDeletethanks for the share.hopefully ogun will re-release these.
ReplyDeleteBig Thanks for these !!!
ReplyDeletethanks so much!
ReplyDeletefantastic re-up!
ReplyDeletethanks kinabalu
A.Nimus
Cadillac Records recently reissued the first Joy Unlimited record. I picked it up last week, and it's excellent! Definitely worth checking out:
ReplyDeletehttps://cadillacrecords77.bandcamp.com/album/joy-unlimited
Priceless Beckett. Thans, kinabalu.
ReplyDelete