To a certain extent, this fine compilation has had its thunder stolen by Proper's excellent 2011 release, The Joe Harriott Story. Yet for those not up to speed with one of the defining figures in the history of British jazz, the three albums spread over two discs are still worth investigating. They effectively chart how thrillingly the Jamaican alto saxophonist evolved in that vital period between the late 1950s and early 60s, moving from the hard swinging post-bop of Southern Horizons, where Harriott's and pianist Harry South's original compositions sit nicely with Duke and Silver staples (a beautifully languid down-tempo take on ‘Senor Blues’), to the structural complexities of Free Form and Abstract, album titles that make explicit the artistic mission statement. Fragmented, cryptic, tantalising with tempo and tonality, the music absolutely achieves the stated goal of ‘painting pictures with sound’. All of the finely shaded work is testimony not just to Harriott's singular vision but also to the brilliance of his collaborators.