Joe Harriott/John Mayer Indo-Jazz

[Michael Fitzgerald]

The recent thread here:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...topic=11241&hl=

got me thinking about Joe Harriott, and in examining the Indo-Jazz Suite album, I find there is contradictory information in various sources.

My Koch CD (8512) gives personnel as:

Joe Harriott (as); Kenny Wheeler (t); Pat Smythe (p); Coleridge Goode (b); Allan Ganley (d) and John Mayer (vn); Chris Taylor (f); Diwan Motihar (sit); Chandrahas Paigankar (tmb); Keshav Sathe (tbl) [actually they misspell a couple of names, but you get the idea]

Both the Lord and Bruyninckx CD-ROMs give this personnel:

Joe Harriott (as); Eddie Blair (t, fh); Pat Smythe (p); Rick Laird (b); Allan Ganley (d) and John Mayer (vn, hps); Chris Taylor (f); Diwan Motihar (sit); Chandrahas Paigankar (tmb); Keshav Sathe (tbl)

Bruyninckx notes that Atlantic issue has wrong date of March 14, 1966 and gives date as October 10, 1965. Lord notes the other date but doesn't pass any judgement. Neither discography mentions the personnel discrepancy.

Various other sources seem to vary depending on what issue was their source. Seems like the Atlantic issue is the source for the info on the CD. Does someone own the UK issue on Columbia?

At least one thing is certain: there is definitely harpsichord present on the album. This is mentioned in the liner notes as being played by Mayer (who actually only plays violin for one passage on the final track). None of the contradictory musicians are mentioned. The discographies list Goode as playing on the second and third Indo-Jazz records, and Wheeler as playing on the third. So it's possible that someone at Atlantic confused those with this first album.

Anyone have any info that might help clear up the confusion? I don't know Eddie Blair's playing at all, but it could be seen as odd that he would be on this as almost all of his other recorded output is big band stuff. I don't recognize the sound of later period Kenny Wheeler here, but I'm not so familiar with his earlier stuff. But that's all idle speculation.

http://www.indojazz.f9.co.uk/mayer2.htm seems to go with Blair/Laird and it looks like that site is somehow sanctioned by Mayer (who died 3/9/04).

Mike

[JohnS]

I have the original Columbia/Lansdowne issue of the first Indo-Jazz Suite, Columbia SX 6025. No recording date is given but the lineup is-

Joe Harriott (as); Eddie Blair (t, fh); Pat Smythe (p); Rick Laird (bass); Allan Ganley (d) and John Mayer (vn, hps); Chris Taylor (f); Diwan Motihar (sit); Chandrahas Paigankar (tmb); Keshav Sathe (tbl)

Edited June 29, 2004 by JohnS

[sidewinder]

The Joe Harriott 'Fire In His Soul' biography gives the date of the 'Indo-Jazz Suite' recording as 1965 but there is no further elaboration.

My EMI 'Double Up' 2LP set of the 'Fusions' sessions also confirms Keane on Fusions 1 and Wheeler on Fusions 2. Mayer is certainly credited on harpsichord on Fusions 1. Jackie Dougan also replaces Alan Ganley on drums for Fusions 2.

Edited June 29, 2004 by sidewinder

[Dmitry]

I think the answer may lay in the presence of 2 Indo-Jazz projects.

There was the Indo-Jazz Suite

Band Member

Harriott, Joe Alto Sax:

All tracks

Wheeler, Kenny Trumpet:

All tracks

Smythe, Pat Piano:

All tracks

Goode, Coleridge Bass:

All tracks

Ganley, Allan Drums:

All tracks

Mayer, John Violin:

All tracks

Taylor, Chris Flugelhorn:

All tracks

Motihar, Diwan Sitar:

All tracks

Paiganka, Chandrahas Tambura:

All tracks

Sathe, Keshan Tabla:

All tracks

and 2 Indo-Jazz Fusion albums that followed

Band Member

Harriott, Joe

Alto Sax:

All tracks

Keane, Shake

Trumpet:

All tracks

Wheeler, Kenny

Trumpet:

All tracks

Smythe, Pat

Piano:

All tracks

Goode, Coleridge

Bass:

All tracks

Ganley, Allan

Drums:

All tracks

Dougan, Jackie

Drums:

All tracks

Mayer, John

Viola:

All tracks

Motihar, Diwan

Sitar:

All tracks

Paiganka, Chandrahas

Tambura:

All tracks

Sathe, Keshan

Tabla:

All tracks

Taylor, Chris

Flute:

All tracks

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Ack! No answers here - this is just muddying the waters further.

There are simple errors (Chris Taylor plays flute, never flugelhorn; Mayer definitely plays harpsichord on the Suite; Paigankar is the correct spelling; Keshav is the correct spelling) and the first entry is simply the Atlantic licensed issue listing, which I tend to believe is incorrect. (Read the entire thread.)

The second entry does not make distinction between the Fusions 1 and Fusions 2 issues - of those two albums, Keane and Ganley are only on #1 and Wheeler and Dougan are only on #2. I strongly suspect that Mayer does not play viola, but rather violin, but I can't check that just now. And he still plays harpsichord.

Mike