Flare Up is the debut album by Caribbean trumpet player
Harry Beckett. It remains an occasion to celebrate decades after its initial release during the golden age of British jazz.
Beckett had been a member of the various big bands of the era, such as
Graham Collier's,
Mike Westbrook's, and
John Surman's, preparing him well for this first date as a leader. It does take some cues from the late
Miles Davis Quintet sides like
Filles de Kilimanjaro and
Directions, but it's also funkier, brighter, and freer simultaneously, owing to the great explorations in improvisation taking place in Great Britain and in Europe in general, as well as the late-era modal jazz of
Miles. The lineup on this session is quite impressive: the triple-sax front line is comprised of
Surman,
Alan Skidmore, and
Mike Osborne, with
Chris Laurence and
John Webb on bass and drums alternately,
Frank Ricotti on vibes and congas, and
John Taylor's uncredited Fender Rhodes piano.
Beckett composed four of these pieces,
Collier another four, and
Surman (who had been flown in from Belgium for the date) one. The feel is brash in places, but there are grooves even in the more abstract spaces of tunes such as
"Go West" and
"The Other Side." With a three-sax front line,
Beckett is uncaged to roam throughout the arrangement and accent the gritty and gruff, making his horn both a seductively mysterious element as well as a more elaborate extension of the rhythm section -- and
Webb's drumming in places is absolutely unhinged (check the
Beckett pieces like the title track and
"Flow Stream Flow," as well as
Surman's signature piece,
"When Fortune Smiles"). This date was reissued by
Jazzprint in 2005, and contains brilliant liner notes by noted British critic
Richard Williams. This is essential for anyone interested in British jazz from its most creative period. ~ Thom Jurek
