Jazz On The Beach

And some Chicago blues slide guitar too

I realise that I haven't written anything since the Summer, the weeks seem to have flown by. Some of you may be aware that I’ve started presenting a new jazz radio show for the local internet radio platform in my home town on the South East Kent coast. Jazz On The Beach has been running for the past six weeks and goes out live every Wednesday evening from 10pm to midnight.

It seems to be going well, although it’s still early days. There are already a number of regular listeners who contribute via a facebook group and the show is being picked up in various countries around the world. How people are discovering it I have no idea, maybe searching ‘jazz radio’ on an appropriate app is enough, although there seem to be thousands that fit that description. The shows are also uploaded to Mixcloud for anyone who missed listening live or might want to listen again.

Although Deal Radios’s studio is only a couple of hundred yards from the shore, it’s not quite a Dave Garver in Carmel-by-the-sea situation, although I’m locked in to the studio which is located in a converted church and it can feel a little spooky being in there alone, particularly when locking up in the dark having switched the lights off before setting the alarm. No Evelyns thankfully, at least no messages yet…

You can listen live on Wednesdays from 10.00pm - 12 midnight on Deal Radio (there’s a new website coming soon)

Or you can listen to all the shows on Mixcloud anytime

Here’s Jazz On The Beach on Instagram

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I’ve been listening to even more jazz music than usual while choosing tracks to play for the show, so when I do listen to anything else I try and make it count. I’ve rediscovered my deep love of electric Chicago blues slide guitar players like J.B. Hutto, Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, Hound Dog Taylor and the daddy of them all, Elmore James, of whom Frank Zappa once said: ‘Elmore James only knew one lick, but you had the feeling that he meant it.’

Another favourite was Homesick James, Elmore’s cousin, who showed a healthy disregard for song structure or chord changes, he just did things when they felt right. Hey, it’s the blues, that’s fine with me!

Here are a few slidewinders for your listening pleasure: