Joy review — reissued album captures melting pot of 1970s London jazz

The reactivated Cadillac label continues its series of releases from its British jazz archive with this fascinating, and indeed joyous, recording from March 1976. The horns-and-rhythm quintet Joy delved deep into the spiritual jazz, funky rhythms and Latin grooves that were being worked on contemporaneously in New York. Strong musical personalities, brash commitment and London’s melting pot of free jazz, international connections and UK blues and soul added a distinctly British slant.

This self-titled album starts with the declamatory brass of “Martini Sweet” supported by a bustle of back beats and testy double bass, and continues with the spiritual “Koko-v-Dank” unfolding over a two-chord vamp. “Do You Know the Way” is soulful, “Spirals” ups the tempo and “PM” is intense. Chris Francis on alto sax, Jim Dvorak — an American who relocated to the UK to escape the Vietnam draft — on trumpet and pianist Frank Roberts all follow the form and play to the edge.

Each composition delivers harmonic shifts and changes of mood, drawing the listener in. Roberts’ rampage of dancing motifs on “Hidden Spirits”, Dvorak sailing over the fast walking bass of “Jak’s Travels” and Francis capturing resilience and loss on “Tribute” all stand out.

But it is the strength of the rhythm section’s playing that balances the quintet and marks the band’s sound. Drummer Keith Bailey’s rhythmic discipline and fiery edge push soloists to greater heights, and South-African bassist Ernest Mothle is an underpinning rock with a full-bodied sound.

Two tracks that were edited for the original vinyl release are presented in full here. The addition of the previously unreleased “You” and three alternative takes complete the session with no loss of form. Joy were beating a new path at the time of the recording and their album sounds remarkably fresh today. The single-day studio session was subsidised by the Greater London Arts Association, making the reissue a testament to grassroots funding as well as a great working band.

★★★★☆

‘Joy’ is released by