Jazz on the Beach 173, Blues Beach 68

Mu Quintet, Misha Mullov-Abbado, John Lamkin, War, Allexa Nava & Ron Affif

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Most of the new releases on this week’s playlist are by UK artists, starting with the Leeds-based Mu Quintet’s Heart of Sapphire from their second album Enos (Jazz Aggression, 14th February). MQ are tenor saxophonist/flautist Matt Cliffe, bass clarinetist/flautist Joel Stedman, pianist Hugh Vincent, double bassist Elliot Roffe and drummer Simon Henry, most of whom play with fellow Northern stalwarts Matthew Halsall, Ancient Infinity Orchestra and Yard Nule. Their preceding album, the excellent Summit (Dirth, 2022) had a similar free/modal direction, and on first listening this one may just have the edge.

Mu Quintet

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I’m really enjoying Bridge from the Brixton based double bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado’s fourth album, Effra (Ubuntu, 31st January), also featuring trumpeter James Davison, saxophonists Matthew Herd and Sam Rapley, pianist Liam Dunachie and drummer Scott Chapman. There’s an excellent post about Mullov-Abbado and this album by John Fordham at UK Jazz News.

Here’s a short album taster…

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There’s also something new from Allexa Nava, the Peruvian alto saxophonist now resident in London. Cycles/Circles is from her debut EP No Language (jazz re:freshed, 28th February), with keyboardist Li Sing Chi, bassist Asaph Kolakale and drummer Cassius Cobbson. Nava has played with the mighty 10 piece all girl brass extravaganza She’s Got Brass and with Colectiva, whose fiery How do You Like Your Ladies? was featured on the show.

Allexa Nava - photo: Kadeen-Mae Brown

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Pianist Alexander Bryson’s suitably urbane take on Jerome Kern’s The Way You Look Tonight from Live at Mikes! (MWR, 31st January). Bryson and his rhythm section - double bassist Matt Fishwick and drummer Jeremy Brown - recorded direct to tape from the desk at the intimate venue Mike’s in Hastings, East Sussex. Some may disagree, but I feel there’s always room for good piano trios playing Songbook standards - how else would one properly enjoy a Martini?

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From the archives there’s trumpeter John Lamkin’s hypersonic 722 from the extremely rare Hot (GMI Records, 1984), which is finally set for reissue by DJ Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room label on 7th March. It features bassist Tony Bunn, drummer George Gray, percussionists Carl Brown & Gaynell Colburn, guitarists Harlin Gray & Darryl Stokes, tenor saxophonist Gary Thomas and synth player Ronda Mellon. The album title is surely an understatement, this is positively scorching.

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The mighty War’s Five Spot from The Music Band - Jazz (MCA, 1983), was one of the leftovers from the 1979 sessions for The Music Band 1 & 2 records. The resulting album was compiled and released after the band had left the label, possibly without their input or approval. Judging by the publishing credits the lineup here is probably bassist B. B. Dickerson, flautist/saxophonist Charles Miller, drummer Harold Brown, guitarist Howard Scott, harmonica player Lee Oskar, keyboardist Lonnie Jordan, percussionist Papa Dee Allen and saxophonist Pat Rizzo. If anyone knows better, please let me know.

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And finally, the great guitarist Ron Affif with Oscar Pettiford’s Bohemia After Dark from 52nd Street (Pablo, 1996), with double bassist Essiet Essiet and drummer Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts.

One of my first posts on Substack four years ago was about seeing Affif at the Zinc Bar in New York with Martin Taylor and George Benson…

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To listen to this week’s Jazz on The Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:

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Blues Beach

The latest biweekly Blues Beach radio show playlist ranges from the smooth elegance of T-Bone Walker’s Tell Me What’s the Reason to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ histrionic I Put a Spell on You, and there are deeply cool guitar instrumentals from Cornell Dupree, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Lonnie Mack.

There’s Stax soul from Sam and Dave, the Texans Delbert McClinton, Lightnin’ Hopkins and ZZ Top as well as the hugely successful remakes that Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker made of Mannish Boy and Boom Boom. And there’s Johnny Otis’ Willie and the Hand Jive too.

To listen to this week’s Blues Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:

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Listen live on Deal Radio or Catch up on Mixcloud

• Jazz On The Beach broadcasts live every Wednesday evening from 10:00 PM to midnight (UK time), with a repeat on Monday mornings from 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM (UK time).

• Blues Beach broadcasts live every other Thursday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (UK time).