One of the many new release highlights on this week’s Jazz On The Beach playlist comes from the London double bassist, producer and composer Daniel Casimir’s wonderful new album Balance (jazz re:freshed, July 26th) featuring his 15 piece big band and the 8 member London Contemporary Orchestra led by Uéle Lamore.
The first single, the immersive I’ll Take My Chances, features a fine vocal from Ria Moran and a typically terrific tenor saxophone solo from Binker Golding, while the rest of the musicians are a who’s who of who’s hot in British jazz: trumpeters James Copus, Jay Phelps, Shelia Maurice-Grey and Andy Davis, trombonists Kevin McLeod, Rosie Turton, Joe Bristow and Tom Dunnet, saxophonists Chris Maddock, Cassie Kinoshi and Nubya Garcia, pianist James Beckwith and drummer Jamie Murray. This album carries on from where his debut Boxed In left off almost three years ago, it’s ambitious, well put together and succeeds quite brilliantly.
Also new this week, the Danish duo Svaneborg Kardyb - that’s keyboardist Nikolaj Svaneborg and drummer Joanas Kardyb - release Cycles, the gently melodic first single from their upcoming Superkilen (Gondwana, October 18th). And a great piano trio cut from Luther Allison with I Didn’t Know What Time It Was from his second album I Owe It All To You (Posi-Tone, July 19th), which expands Donald Brown’s solo piano arrangement of the old show tune for double bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Zach Adelman.
There’s the extraordinary and quite mesmerising Do You Like by tap dancer Melinda Sullivan and keyboardist Larry Goldings from Big Foot (Colorfield Records, August 28th) that also features drummer Steve Gadd playing hand and foot percussion on a cardboard box. Just listen to this, and you’ll be dusting off your tap shoes too.
There’s something very special indeed this week from Norma Winstone MBE, our finest singer and esteemed local resident, and pianist Kit Downes, with the beautiful Fly The Wind (written by Winstone’s former husband John Taylor) from their album Outpost Of Dreams (ECM, July 5th) that was recorded last year in Udine, Italy. The whole album is quite magical, let’s hope there’s much more to come from this inspired collaboration that came about almost by accident, when Winstone booked Downes for a gig that regular pianist Nikki Illes couldn't make.
I interviewed Norma Winstone for Deal Music and Arts in 2020, just like her singing she’s a wonderful story teller.
Thanks to Syd Schwartz’s Jazz and Coffee for his Instagram post reminding me about saxophonist and flautist Buddy Terry’s Pure Dynamite (Mainstream, 1972), his fourth album as leader and a spiritual jazz masterpiece. I hadn’t realised that Stanley Clarke’s composition Quiet Afternoon was the opening track (later to appear on Clarke’s School Days and I Wanna To Play For You), so here it is with Clarke playing double bass, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, electric pianist Joanne Brackeen, drummer Lenny White, percussionist Airto Moreira and Terry playing flute and soprano saxophone.
From just up the coast in Ramsgate comes singer Dulcie May Moreno with the excellent Humility Blues from her new EP For Your Listening Pleasure (self, July 24th), co-written with guitarist Stephen Bridgeland that features the outstanding saxophonist Paul Booth, pianist Frances Knight and double bassist Jerome Davies. It’s beautifully recorded by Booth and is a fine showcase for Dulcie’s talents, you can catch her and many other fine local (and not so local) artists at this summer’s major East Kent jazz event the Herne Bay Jazz & Swing Festival coming up from August 15th-18th.
Also new this week, the sensational vocalist Emma Smith with a wonderful version of the ‘50s Patti Page hit Old Cape Cod that sounds just right for the holiday season. It’s from her upcoming EP You Go To My Head (G2, 16th August) with her trio: pianist Samuel Watts, double bassist Joseph Lee and drummer Luke Tomlinson. A third generation jazz artist, she’s paying homage to her trombonist grandfather Chris Smith, who played with just about everybody including over 20 years in Frank Sinatra’s band.
And finally, there’s a second track this week from double bassist and bandleader Shane Allessio’s terrific New York nonet Tripp City (self, August 2nd) with the deeply swinging Canon featuring baritone saxophonist Jason Marshall and trumpeter Noah Halpern that’s described by Allessio as ‘Row Your Boat on steroids’. Among the superb lineup is tenor saxophonist and big J.O.T.B. favourite Ruben Fox, who I saw at Foyles in London last Friday leading the 15-17 year old Tomorrow’s Warriors group he mentors, who were just terrific.
Here’s the complete playlist, just click on the link below…
Coming next week…
Just a heads up that next week Blues Beach takes a summer break and hands over for a one week only country music special with artists including Waylon Jennings, Gram Parsons, Asleep At The Wheel, Dwight Yokum, Steve Young, Cowboy Copas, Rose Maddox and Merle Haggard.
So put your Tony Lamas on and get the pickup truck washed because ‘we got both kinds - we got country and western!’
Listen live…
You can listen live to Jazz On The Beach every Wednesday evening from 10.00pm - midnight* and to Blues Beach every other Thursday from 6.00pm - 7.00pm* on DealRadio.co.uk or via the TuneIn Radio app. (*UK time). Or you can ask your smart device to ‘Play Deal Radio’.
Both shows are broadcast live from the Deal Radio Studio at 69a High Street, Deal, Kent CT14 6EH, a stone’s throw from the beach.
Catch up on Mixcloud
If you can’t join in live, listen anytime via Mixcloud: just click here.
Jazz On the Beach and Blues Beach radio shows are sponsored by our good friends at 6 Park Avenue Coffeehouse & Bar, Deal and Wellingtons Coffeehouse & Bistro, Dover.
If you’ve just visiting (olá!) or perhaps forgot why you subscribed in the first place, here’s a reminder of what this newsletter is trying to achieve:
Distribute the playlists and playback links for my two radio shows avoiding social media platforms
Make those shows more enjoyable by offering background on the music played
Share music and whatever knowledge I have
Appreciate and grow the listener community
You can get back to me by replying to this post or at jazzonthebeach@icloud.com