Jazz on the Beach 189, Blues Beach 76: Emma Johnson, Sam Rivers, Yoni Mayraz, Isaiah J. Thompson, Hector Costita
Jazz and blues radio to tickle your auditory nerves
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There are some particular fine new releases on the radio playlist this week. Leading the charge is the excellent Bounding by the Leeds based multi instrumentalist, composer and arranger Emma Johnson's Gravy Boat (Women in Jazz/New Soil, 15th May). It’s the fifth of twelve singles to be released this year by Louise Paley and Nina Fine’s Year of Women in Jazz project, and probably the best so far.
Johnson writes a memorable tune and plays tenor saxophone with pianist Richard Jones, double bassist Angus Milne, guitarist Fergus Vickers and drummer Steve Hanley. Full marks for the band name too, sadly the merch item below from her 2023 album Northern Flame album is no longer available. A repress, or should that be a reglaze?
Also hailing from up the A1 is the sensational 12 piece Orchestra Mambo International with Mi Mambo (Loft Recordings, 25th May). This is classic mambo and salsa from West Yorkshire, co-led by Leeds’ scenemaker DJ Lubi Jovanovic and trombonist Jonny Enright. You’ll be dancing too.
From Berlin comes the Matti Klein Soul Trio with their solid grooving New Frontiers, a first taster from the evocatively named Soul Trio Bouncin’ in Bubbleverse (Shuffle Shack Records, September). Klein plays Wurlitzer piano and Fender Rhodes piano bass along with tenor saxophonist Lars Zander and drummer André Seidel.
I’m really enjoying the London based Israeli pianist and producer Yoni Mayraz’s Rooftops, featuring bassist Tom Driessler with incredible drumming from Zoe Pascal and strings by Nicole Petrus Barracks. It’s the first single from an album due later this summer on PPK Records, land I’m really looking forward to hearing more of this.
The remarkable young pianist Isaiah J. Thompson’s VIII. The Prophet is from his album The Book of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry (Mack Ave, 6th June), which is described as an 8-song autobiographical musical statement exploring faith, musicianship, race and humanity. It really swings and features a great band in tenor saxophonist Julian Lee, double bassist Marty Jaffe, drummer Miguel Russell, with the esteemed drummer Herlin Riley guesting on tambourine and vocals along with Kaitlin Obien-Thompson.
I’m always happy to play anything by the consistently great tenor saxophonist Diego Rivera. Here’s The Maze from his latest West Circle (Posi-Tone, 25th April), with the regular Posi-Toners crew of pianist Art Hirahara, double bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston. It was actually recorded in 2023, the year before his last album Ofrenda was recorded and released, and well worth the wait.
Going back to the ‘60s with tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers and his great version of the standard When I Fall in Love from his album of covers A New Conception (Blue Note, 1967), with pianist Hal Galper, double bassist Herbie Lewis and drummer Steve Ellington.
Three years later comes The Jazz Crusaders with Jazz! from their vastly underrated Old Socks, New Shoes (Chisa, 1970), featuring the core lineup of pianist Joe Sample, tenor saxophonist and electric bassist Wilton Felder, trombonist Wayne Henderson and drummer Stix Hooper. It was their last album before they shortened their name to The Crusaders, although Wayne Henderson & Wilton Felder did revert to Jazz Crusaders (without the ‘The’) in 1994. Now you’re prepared if the question ever arises at a pub music quiz.
There are second plays from three really strong new albums by Coventry based tenor saxophonist Mark Millington, Ausssie-in-NYC guitarist Leo Larratt and South East Londoner alto saxophonist Donovan Haffner.
The Middleton track is the elegant Matilda’s Dance from Picture This (Albert’s Records, 18th April), with flautist Ruta Sipola, guitarist Jackson Potter, pianist Addison Frei, double bassist Yoshi Waki, drummer Brian Fishler and percussion from Ernesto Marichales and Adam Scrimshire. Larratt’s back with the deeply swinging Rahim’s Blues from Casa Roxa (Bandstand Presents/La Reserve, 25th July), featuring pianist Emmet Cohen, double bassist Russell Hall and drummer Aaron Kimmel. While Haffner returns with The Writer from his solid debut Alleviate (16th April), featuring guitarist Francisco Garcia De-Paredes, pianist Jay Verma, double bassist Harry Pearce and drummer Harry Ling.
A few weeks ago I included a link to this wonderful 13 minute film about the saxophonist David S. Ware, directed by Amine Kouider in association with David Lynch Foundation Television. On this week’s playlist there’s Ware’s version of Charles Lloyd’s Sweet Georgia Bright from the album Surrendered (Columbia, 2000), with pianist Matthew Shipp, double bassist William Parker and drummer Guillermo E. Brown.
And finally, big thanks to Caspar Sutton-Jones at Gearbox Mastering for hipping me to Dynamite Cuts’ sensational 7” vinyl of Hector Costita’s Divagação 6/8 taken from the album 1981 (Som Da Gente, 1981). Costita plays soprano saxophone with electric pianist Roberto Bomlicar, electric bassist Roberto Azevedo, drummer Dirceu and percussionist Paulo Falanga. This 7” was actually reissued in 2021 (with Avessos on the other side) but there are still copies on Bandcamp for this gatefold edition with insert and liner notes. It’s a beautiful thing!
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Blues Beach
Most people associate The Thrill Is Gone with B.B. King, who turned it into a major hit in 1969 and made it his signature song. But it actually dates back 18 years earlier, when it was first released as a single by its co-writer, Roy Hawkins. This week’s Blues Beach playlist features Aretha Franklin’s powerful rendition of The Thrill Is Gone from her Spirit in the Dark album (Atlantic, 1970), where she’s backed by the Dixie Flyers, the stellar session house band at Criteria Studios in Florida featuring pianist Jim Dickinson, guitarist Charlie Freeman, pianist Mike Utley, bassist Tommy McClure and drummer Sammy Creason. The Flyers also appear on Esther Phillips’ magnificent version of Van Morrison’s Brand New Day, released on the B side of Set Me Free by Atlantic in 1969.
Also this week, three tracks by Chicago blues royalty that were covered on Jeff Beck’s blues rock defining Truth album in the Summer of ‘68: B.B. King’s Rock Me Baby, Muddy Waters’ You Shook Me and Howlin’ Wolf’s I Ain’t Superstitious. There’s also Otis Rush’s I Can’t Quit You Baby which was covered on the first Led Zeppelin album in January 1969, and after hearing what Beck had done, they did You Shook Me too.
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Jazz On The Beach broadcasts every Wednesday evening from 10:00 PM to midnight (UK time), repeating on Monday morning from 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM (UK time).
Blues Beach broadcasts every other Thursday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM (UK time).
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