Frémeaux can lay claim to being one of the most accomplished of ‘legacy’ labels for its vast catalogue of releases that comprehensively chronicles a given subject, be it an artist, style, or in this case a genre in a given country. If Gary Crosby's Jazz Jamaica keeps alive the heritage of the great improvisers who brought such verve to the island's pop movements such as ska and rocksteady, then there is a deep symbolism in the fact that Jamaica Jazz features some of the earliest recorded work by Crosby's uncle who is arguably one of the greatest of all West Indian soloists – guitarist Ernest Ranglin. The tracks by the Cecil Lloyd Group showcase him and other fine improvisers such as Roland Alphonso and Don Drummond of the legendary Skatalites. While their blend of jazz, mento and calypso is superb what is equally fascinating is the abundance of excellent Jamaican jazz musicians who could play ‘straightahead’, chief among them the players who made their names in pre and post-war Britain, from Leslie ‘Jiver’ Hutchinson and Yorke De Souza to Wilton ‘Bogey’ Gaynair, Dizzy Reece and Joe Harriott. To hear these musicians play a blues with such swagger, or slalom through the chord changes of a standard like ‘Cherokee’ with real assurance lends credence to Harriott's oft quoted claim that he could play a ‘few aces’ to match those of a certain Mr Parker.