Track Listings

1	Overture
2	Contrasts
3	Raga Megha
4	Raga Gaud-Saranga

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Were there more justice in jazz history, alto saxophonist Joe Harriott would be acknowledged as a pioneer in the flowering of postbebop explorations in the early 1960s. A Jamaica native, Harriott made his biggest mark in the jazz world with his British quintet when they recorded Free Form and Abstract in the very-early 1960s. His brainy phrases accentuated lots of Caribbean elements (including tactical use of silence) as well as heaps of abstractions. Indo-Jazz Fusion catches Harriott in great form playing in a standard jazz quintet (with one of jazz trumpet's true greats, Kenny Wheeler) playing alongside a quintet of Indian musicians led by John Mayer. The droning sitars and raga structures, along with the ricochets of Indian hand percussion, make both great solid frames and sliding, dramatic backdrops for Harriott and Wheeler to blow, albeit in measured phrases rather than wide-open amounts. Harriott's pithy, sometimes piercing phrases are ideal when folded into Wheeler's wide-tone blowing. It's certainly a strange recording, but it's fantastically pulled together. --Andrew Bartlett

Product details

Language ‏ : ‎ English
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 4.94 x 0.45 inches; 3.68 Ounces
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Koch Records
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ February 11, 2007
Label ‏ : ‎ Koch Records
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00000J8P5
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #461,381 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- #4,215 in Jazz Fusion (CDs & Vinyl)
- #6,298 in Modern Postbebop (CDs & Vinyl)
- #9,538 in Bebop (CDs & Vinyl)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 29 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

29 global ratings

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Dr. Debra Jan Bibel

Scored and Improvised Modal Fusions

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2017

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This pioneering suite of Hindustanti modes (ragas) and jazz, released originally in 1966, is currently reissued as a remaster from Japan, and the package notes are in Japanese. Searching elsewhere, I learned that the band consists of pianist Pat Smythe, bassist Coleridge Goode, drummer Allan Ganley, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, flutist Chris Taylor, Diwan Mothar on sitar, Chandrahas Paiganka on tamboura, and Keshan Sathe on tabla. John Mayer composed the themes, scored arrangements, and played violin. Leader Joe Harriott's instrument is the alto saxophone. Under a layer of tabla and drum rhythms, tala, the soloists improvise within the modes, as Raga Megha, and Raga Gaud-Saranga. Thus, it is jazz fusion only in the sense of occasional Indian timbre added to meter and limited scale riffs. Nonetheless, the bright, cheerful sound works nicely. The third track does not develop much and fades at the end. The last track starts with 3 minutes of sitar quickly passing through alap, jor, with flute jugalbandi before other instruments take turn in their modal variations. The piece ends abruptly with repetition of the theme. This album is vastly superior to other Indo fusion that occurred in the 1960s, particularly in rock, and helped expand jazz into new world horizons, in the spirit of Yusef Lateef. Still, John Mayer was trained in Western classical music and was a member of the Royal Philharmonic. Thus, the album is in large sense, a classical-Indo-jazz fusion.

4 people found this helpful

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Douglas T Martin

Very innovative

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2001

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For its time, this was a very innovative recording. I enjoy listening to it but had the band tried to swing a little more I think the music would have been better. The music was composed by John Mayer and the musicians seem to be adhering too much to the written music. When Kenny Wheeler and Joe Harriott come in to solo their presence is a welcome change. Still, it's a good recording and has a lot of interesting ideas; give the band credit for successfully merging the two styles into a coherent whole - there will be time later to refine it.

2 people found this helpful

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Meless

NOSTALGIA TRIP

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2012

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Purchased CD of the Indo-Jazz Suite. We used to have an LP of this back in the 60's, but it was lost. So pleased to find it on Amazon and hear this great music again.

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2017

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also check out Indo-Jazz Suite both are great

One person found this helpful

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William S. Gilardon

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2017

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great album

One person found this helpful

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SeaWye

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2016

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Very good

One person found this helpful

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Adrian Gale

Indo-Jazz Suite

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2009

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Classic jazz album from late 1960's. Excellent reproduction on CD, great service from Euclid recrds/Amazon.

One person found this helpful

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AJL

Good Fusion of Indian and Jazz

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2006

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I thought the combining of the Indian and Easy-listening jazz was good. Some of the songs were better than others, in my opinion, but I liked them all.

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Top reviews from other countries

Slipper Tree

Far East, man...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2021

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Surprisingly, given the usual premium on Japanese CD issues, this little beauty was available very reasonably for a while. Other reviewers have more than covered the ground in terms of the content (and lack of English language in the inlay) and I would probably agree with those that suggest that this is the strongest of the three 'Indo-Jazz' albums from this source (though all are well worth investigating).
I would also add that, this being a Japanese issue (presumably for Japan?), the sound is really very nice indeed with a vinyl-like warmth which the Japanese seem to be able to produce on CD at will, and which particularly suits re-releases from the pre-CD era. Strongly recommended if you see a copy reasonably priced.

R. Bawden jazz fan

The combination of Indian classical music and modern jazz works!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2015

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The copy that I recently purchased is a Japanese package with no English except the track titles. Research indicates that it was recorded in 1966 and features ten musicians. Five are jazz men: Joe Harriott, Kenny Wheeler, Pat Smythe, Coleridge Goode and Allan Ganley. In addition there is a flute, violin (John Mayer, composer), tambura, tabla and sitar. Just four tracks with a running time of little over thirty minutes.
However don't be put off by the length. It's quality rather than quantity that matters.
This is the first of three (to my knowledge) indo-jazz fusion experiments conducted by West Indian alto player and Calcutta bred John Mayer. Since the essence of indian music is improvisation jazz has a great affinity with it. The experiment succeeds to produce music which is fascinating to listen to, rich in tone and rhythm. Well worth buying, and then investigate the other two indo-jazz fusion albums produced shortly afterwards.

6 people found this helpful

John McDermott

... offered in a sale so I bought it and like it very much

Reviewed in Canada on April 18, 2015

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This Indo-jazz fusion record featuring the Joe Harriott jazz group was new to me until I saw it offered in a sale so I bought it and like it very much. The sound is excellent and the beat gets to you with a momentum that carries the music forward. This is an unusual CD for me but apparently created quite a stir in the 1970s. If you like your jazz mixed with a sitar over top a driving beat, this might be your thing.

RCB

High level music of the 1960's

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is an innovative mixture of Jazz and Eastern sound that trascends both genres very well, without the patronising pretens assssoctaed with 1960,s music. I first brought this on vinyl and it souns just as great in CD format. I would recommend it highlly as a great intoroduction to the music of Joe Harriott or as an additionto his complete works. You will not be disappointed.

C. Lomas

Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

Great music - but was not aware I was buying a Japanese-issue cd with none of the sleeve notes in English!

One person found this helpful

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