Jazz on the Beach 164
The Fury, Awen Ensemble, Webster Lewis, The Bad Plus
One of the most exciting new releases on this week’s Jazz on the Beach radio playlist comes from The Fury, a quartet of outstanding New York musicians featuring tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, guitarist Lage Lund, double bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. Jimbo is from their debut Live in Brooklyn (Giant Step Arts, December 6th), and was recorded at the small but perfectly formed Ornithology Jazz Club over two nights in August 2023.
Also new is the captivating Rover by the Leeds based alternative folk jazz collective Awen Ensemble from their Dùthchas EP (New Soil, November 22nd). Awen (meaning Poetic Inspiration) are vocalist Amy Clark, trumpeter Emyr Penry Dance, tenor saxophonist Saul Duff, vibraphonist Samantha Binotti, guitarist Ruari Graham, pianist Glen Leach, double bassist Joe Wilkes and drummer Eddie Bowes. (The keen eyed among you will spot only seven people in the picture below). They’re deep into Celtic mystique but mix things up with flair and originality.
From the vaults there’s organist Webster Lewis and his wonderfully named Post-Pop, Space Rock, Be-Bop, Gospel Tabernacle Chorus and Orchestra BABY! with the deeply funky Mr Knots from Live at Club7 (Sonet, 1972), which was recorded in Oslo over two nights in July 1971. Alongside Lewis on this soulful jazz with a killer backbone masterpiece are alto saxophonist Bobby Greene, tenor saxophonist Stan Strickland, drummer Jimmy Hopps and vocalist/organist Judd Watkins.
The news is that this album and the 2007 release Club7 Live Tapes have just been reissued together as a 4 LP box set limited to 500 copies by the Finnish based Norwegian jazz label Jazzaggression Records to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
There’s more Hammond organ powered goodness as Chicago guitarist Bobby Broom gets down with his Oragani-Sation of organist Ben Paterson and drummer Kobie Watkins on Stevie Wonder’s Superstition from the live album Jamalot (Steele Records, March 2024). Broom is a monster player and this organ trio has to be one the very finest.
The Bad Plus have a new record out called Complex Emotions (Mack Avenue, November 8th), and Reid Anderson’s terrific composition Carrier is on this week’s playlist. The band have been through some major upheavals - Ethan Iverson moved on a few years ago and after a brief period with pianist Orrin Evans, the lineup has now settled down as a quartet, with guitarist Ben Monder and tenor saxophonist Chris Speed joining founders bassist Anderson and drummer Dave King.
I wrote a while ago about flying them over to do BBC2’s Later…with Jools Holland and have been trying to remember the name of the Indian restaurant in King Street we all went to afterwards. But it did remind me of the time I took Angélique Kidjo to the wonderful Vijay in Willesden Lane after she had performed on another Later show. I also remember some not so great meals, not sure if Branford Marsalis will ever forgive me for a dodgy Thai dinner in Fitzrovia…
Taking a beat with two piano-less quartets, the first from tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins with one of his finest ballads, Where Are You from The Bridge (RCA Victor, 1962), featuring guitarist Jim Hall, double bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Ben Riley. The second is alto saxophonist Paul Desmond’s version of Django Reinhardt’s Nuages from Pure Desmond (CTI, 1975), with guitarist Ed Bickert, double bassist Ron Carter and drummer Connie Kay.
There’s bassist Teruo Nakamura’s sensational Derrick’s Dance from Unicorn (Three Blind Mice, 1973), with pianist George Cables, drummer Lenny White, tenor saxophonist Steve Grossman, trumpeter Charles Sullivan, conguero Alvern Bunn and percussionist Keiji Kishida. My thanks to the London Jazz Collector for reminding me just how great this record is, and I just discovered that this album is being reissued in March 2025.
And finally…we’re still hard boppin’ with Blue Notes from pianist Horace Silver and alto saxophonist Jackie McLean. There’s Silver’s title track from Song for My Father (Blue Note, 1965), with trumpeter Carmell Jones, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, double bassist Teddy Smith and drummer Roger Humphries, plus McLean’s Christel’s Time from Right Now! (Blue Note, 1966), with pianist Larry Willis, double bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Clifford Jarvis.
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