Harry Beckett was a Barbadian jazzman. Trumpet and flugelhorn were his instruments of choice. Having emigrated in the mid-1950s, over the course of the next decade he became a fixture on the UK scene, performing and recording alongside other legends like Ian Carr, Graham Collier, Chris McGregor and John Surman. Beckett also managed to squeeze in sessions with bands such as The Small Faces.

Later, in the `80s, Beckett appeared in the credits for albums by Carmel, The Raincoats, David Sylvian, The The, and Robert Wyatt. He worked closely with Weekend / Working Week, and for years frequently collaborated with Jah Wobble. Perhaps the latter is how he came into contact with On-U Sound.

In 1995 Beckett contributed to 2 Bad Card’s Hustling Ability – a project headed by Adrian Sherwood and keyboardist Carlton “Bubblers” Ogilvie. In 2003, Beckett was one of the singers and players on Sherwood’s debut solo LP, Never Trust A Hippy. Then in 2008, On-U released The Modern Sound Of Harry Beckett. Now pressed onto vinyl for the first time, the album contains ten tracks, which find Beckett, fairly late into his career, still experimenting (1).

On the opening Something Special, he blasts in between heavy hip hop beats and snaking synth drones. Duetting with flute and then saxophone, both from Dave “Flash” Wright. The duo also duel on The Storyteller, where the woodwind feels more modal and the fluttering brass parts pay tribute to the dread sonics of a `70s late night lock-in at King Tubby’s Waterhouse / Firehouse studio.

The following track, Facing It, was written by Mark Stewart, and features tabla and digidub bass. Skip McDonald’s guitar jumping from itchy chicken scratch to sudden squalls, walls of feedback and shredding (2).

Ultimate Tribute is based on a rhythm that originally backed Shara Nelson’s Nobody Else. Programmed by Paul “Jazzwad” Yebuah it now accompanies Junior Delgado’s poem to the power of Harry’s mighty horn. A warning to sound boys and heathens who might try to stand in its path. Fantastic Things – coproduced by Nick “Mutant Hi-Fi” Coplowe – pits boisterous speaker blowing bogle against Beckett’s bugle, Bubblers’ tinkling ivories and Deji Bakari’s steel pans. Rise & Shine is a great go-go-like groove. A mix of organ grind, machines and hand percussion. Switch Up! also makes muscular Tackhead-esque moves. Alan Glen’s harmonica lends Out Of The Blue’s skanking a spaghetti western, Sergio Leone / Ennio Morricone vibe – like Once Upon A Time In Jamaica rather than America.

On many of the tracks Beckett feels more like a band-leader than a soloist. Often content to stick to just short phrases. However, on tunes such as The Forgotten Man there’s still space for his talent to truly shine. Blowing all around, inside and out, the funky block-rocking bionic drum patterns.

The Modern Sound Of Beckett can be ordered directly from On-U Sound.

(1) Beckett was 73 in 2008, and would sadly pass away two years later.
(2) This rhythm first appeared on Ghetto Priest’s Masters Of Deception. A handful of the rhythms on the album previously popped up in the early 2000s on singles released by On-U sub-label Soundboy: sides by Junior Delgado, Alan Glen, Little Roy, Mutabaruka, and Shara Nelson.