Joe Harriott, who died in 1973, really was an artist ahead of his time. Arriving in Britain from Jamaica in 1951, aged 23, he was already a brilliant alto saxophonist in the Charlie Parker manner. He remained one of the brightest stars on the British jazz scene throughout the 50s, but became dissatisfied with modern jazz. He eventually hit upon a new and original free-form approach, which owed nothing to contemporary American developments. This four-CD set follows the growing intensity of his playing and the sudden, disconcerting jolt when everything changed.