Jazz on the Beach 183 & Blues Beach 73: Pharoah Sanders, Kokoroko, Frank Morgan, Amina Claudine Myers, Martin Taylor and Buddy Guy
Good things happen in pairs
Whilst putting together this week’s radio playlist, I somehow randomly managed to choose two tracks with nearly identical titles. There’s the pianist Hampton Hawes’ Hip from For Real! (Contemporary, 1961), with tenor saxophonist Harold Land, double bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Frank Butler, and organist Don Patterson’s Hip Trip from Oh Happy Day (Prestige, 1969), with trumpeter Virgil Jones, tenor saxophonist George Coleman and drummer Frankie Jones. They’re both undoubtedly hip too.
This pairing up of song titles was becoming a thing, as I then realised I’d also chosen guitarist Martin Taylor’s terrific Makin’ the Move from Freternity (The Guitar Label, 2007), with pianist David Newton, trumpeter Guy Barker, double bassist Ewan Vernal and drummer Steve Brown, and San Diego’s Sure Fire Soul Ensemble’s deeply funky Makin’ Moves from Gemini (Colemine, 28th March), featuring keyboardist Tim Felten, drummer Jake Najor, bassist Omar Lopez, percussionists Kiko Cornejo Jr & Sheryll Felten, guitarist Aquiles “Lito” Magana, trombonist Wili Fleming and saxophone and flautists Jesse Audelo & Travis Klein. Maybe my subconscious knew what it was doing, but I didn’t.
Here’s Martin Taylor and the Makin’ the Move video.
Then things shifted into subtler territory, with alto saxophonist Frank Morgan’s exquisite title track duet with guitarist Kenny Burrell from Listen to the Dawn (Antilles, 1994), and Ornette Coleman’s Eos from the seriously underrated Ornette on Tenor (Atlantic, 1961), with (pocket) trumpeter Don Cherry, double bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Ed Blackwell. As students of Greek mythology will know, Eos is the goddess and personification of the dawn.
I love Frank Morgan’s playing, if it hadn’t been for the drugs, and all that went with them, he would surely have been a major jazz star. Here’s the trailer of the documentary of his extraordinary story.
Also, depending on the time of year or where in the world you happen to be, we can reasonably also include Herbie Hancock’s 4 A.M. from Mr. Hands (Columbia, 1980), featuring bassist Jaco Pastorius, drummer Harvey Mason, and percussionist Bill Summers.
There was yet another title pairing this week, but I was aware of this one, with saxophonist/flautist Pharoah Sanders’ joyful Prince of Peace from Izipho Zam (My Gifts) (Strata-East 1973), featuring vocalist Leon Thomas, pianist Lonnie Liston Smith, guitarist Sonny Sharrock, tubist Howard Johnson, bassist Sirone, drummer Billy Hart and percussionist Chief Bey, Nat Bettis & Tony Wiles, and pianist Gerald Clayton’s For Peace from Ones and Twos (Blue Note, 11th April), with flautist Elena Pinderhughes, vibraphonist Joel Hill, trumpeter Marquis Hill, drummer Kendrick Scott and post-producer Kassa Overall.
I picked up both the Pharoah and the Freddie Hubbard On Fire: Live from the Blue Morocco albums on Record Store Day last weekend at Smugglers Records in Deal. They sound wonderful, both Mack Ave/Strata East (Pharoah) and Resonance (Freddie) did excellent work on these two incredible records.
You may find yourselves leaping around the room to the irresistible salute to West African disco on Sweetie, the first single from Kokoroko’s Tuff Times Never Last (Brownswood, 11th July), with trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey, trombonist Anoushka Nanguy, saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael, guitarist Tobi Adenaike-Johnson, keyboardist Yohan Kebede, bassist Duane Atherley, percussionist Onome Edgeworth and drummer Ayo Salawu.
I’m also enjoying Phi-Psonics’ New Pyramid from Expanding to One (Gondwana, 23 May), recorded last Spring at wonderfully named Healing Force Of The Universe Records in Pasadena, California. There are over a dozen participating musicians, but on this track it’s double bassist and leader Seth Ford-Young with flautist Sylvain Carton, tenor saxophonist Randal Fisher, electric pianist Mitchell Yoshida and drummer Josh Collazo.
There’s an early taster of Amina Claudine Myers’ album Solace of the Mind (Red Hook, 20th June), that follows last year’s marvellous duo album Central Park's Mosaic of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens, with Wadada Leo Smith. On the playlist is a wonderful new solo version of her African Blues, first recorded on the album Salutes Bessie Smith (Leo Records, 1980).
And finally, there’s a snappy version of On Green Dolphin Street from pianist Greg Murphy’s upcoming Snap Happy (Whaling City Sound, 6th June), with double bassist Obasi Akoto and drummer Steve Johns. Murphy will be playing a trio gig at the Pizza Express in Soho, at lunchtime on Sunday 4th May. So if you fancy some lunchtime piano jazz and an American Hot or a Fiorentina (the one with egg and spinach, my favourite), get tickets here.
To listen to this week’s Jazz on The Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Blues Beach
This week’s Blues Beach continues to mix things up with Albert King’s version of Tommy McLennan’s double-entendre laden Crosscut Saw, Maria Muldaur’s take on Memphis Minnie’s Me and My Chauffeur Blues, Homesick James’ Chicago slidewinding Somebody Been Talkin’, Taj Mahal’s strutting Cakewalk Into Town and Buddy Guy’s electrifying live version of Things I Used to Do.
There’s Reverend Julius Cheeks’ gospel preaching Somebody Left on That Morning Train, Annie & the Caldwells deeply soulful I Made It, Stefan Grossman & Duck Baker’s fingerstyling Diddie Wa Diddie and Otis Rush’s Chicago Southsider It Takes Time. The full playlist is below. Hit play, sit back and enjoy.
To listen to this week’s Blues Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
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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).