Jazz on the Beach 194: David Sancious, Jason Miles, Dexter Gordon, Smokin' the Jazz, Artie Zaitz
Beachside jazz radio all the way from Sandown Castle to St Margaret's Bay
On this week’s Jazz on the Beach radio playlist is a track I first heard 49 years ago, in a record shop at the bottom end of Kensington Church Street, a few doors down from the glorious Pierre Pechon Patisserie Française. It’s Sky Church Hymn #9 by David Sancious & Tone from their second album Transformation (The Speed of Love) (Epic, 1976), and although the record shop and the patisserie are long gone, I still vividly remember the thrill of listening to this jazz rock fusion monster of an album.
Sancious had been the keyboard player in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and was also an astonishing guitar player. Drummer Ernest ‘Boom’ Carter had a short run as an E Streeter but played on the title track of Born to Run. Together with bassist Gerald Carboy, they positively explode on Sky Church Hymn #9, dedicated to Jimi Hendrix and ‘Daddy E’ (the Spirit of the Blues). Sancious was only 23 at the time, and went on to perform and record with rock royalty. But to these ears, this will always be his finest hour.
Keyboardist, producer, synth maestro and Alfacinha Jason Miles just dropped The Rising Sun Band Live at 7th Avenue South (Bootleg) - 1.20. 1981, (27th June), where he’s joined by bassist Teruo Nakamura, keyboardist Mark Gray, guitarist Bill Washer, saxophonist Gerry Niewood, percussionist Chuggy Carter and drummer Brian Brake.
I’ve picked the killer groove of Avenida Funk, with the outstanding musicians playing their socks off at the legendary Greenwich Village jazz club founded by Randy and Michael Brecker. The less than pristine ‘bootleg’ recording quality only adds to the vibe, think The Night of the Cookers for the ‘80s.
Speaking of New York, I’m really enjoying Email by NYC saxophonist Jed Levy from his recent album Faces and Places (A Life in Music, April), with pianist Luis Perdomo, double bassist Peter Slavov and drummer Alvester Garnett. Levy says the song’s title was inspired by the fact that the first two notes of the A-section are the same as his AOL inbox chime.
It’s sophisticated and beautifully performed, which is also the case with Vancouver’s Brad Turner Trio Plus One’s Mr Charles from It’s All So (Cellar Music, 30th May). Turner plays piano (he’s also a fine trumpeter) with double bassist Darren Radtke and drummer Bernie Arai, while the plus one of the title is percussionist Jack Duncan.
This week’s playlist opens with two of my favourite Blue Notes that both feature incredible lineups. First comes Wayne Shorter’s Witch Hunt from Speak No Evil (Blue Note 1966), where Shorter plays tenor with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie Hancock, double bassist Ron Carter and drummer Elvin Jones. It’s followed by tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon’s Soy Califa (he was an Angeleno after all), from A Swingin’ Affair (Blue Note, 1964), with pianist Sonny Clark, double bassist Butch Warren and drummer Billy Higgins. It was recorded on 29th August 1962, just 2 days after the session for his album Go and with the same lineup. Although some feel it pales by comparison, it’s still a far better album than most artists could ever dream of making.
Tailing this week’s playlist is trumpeter Lee Morgan’s tremendous Aon, recorded in 1970 and first released on the Live at the Lighthouse 3CD box set (Blue Note, 1996), Alongside Morgan is tenor saxophonist Bennie Maupin, pianist Harold Mabern, electric upright bassist Jymie Merritt and drummer Mickey Roker.
There’s a second track from London tuba player Theon Cross’ Affirmations: Live at Blue Note New York (New Soil and Division 81, 11th July), with a terrific version of Candace of Meroe with saxophonist Isaiah Collier, guitarist Nikos Ziarkas and drummer James Russell Sims. I always loved the studio version Cross recorded for Gearbox 6 years ago with drummer Moses Boyd, tenor saxophonist Ahnansé, percussionist Tim Doyle and especially, the guitarist Artie Zaitz, who finally launches his excellent album The Regulator (Banger Factory, 2024) on 22nd July at the Pizza Express Soho. Here’s Some Extent with Hammond organist Ross Stanley, conguero David Pattman and drummer Steve Brown.
In a similar guitar/organ combo vein, there’s Ed Cherry’s deeply grooving take on Freddie Hubbard’s Little Sunflower from Soul Tree (Posi-Tone, 2016), featuring Hammond organist Kyle Koehler and drummer Anwar Marshall.
There are repeat visits from recent or about-to-be releases from the James Brandon Lewis Quartet with Per 7 from Abstraction Is Deliverance (Intakt, 30th May), the brilliant guitarist Pasquale Grasso with Manhattan from Solo Be-Bop (Sony Masterworks, 13th June), Lafyette Gilchrist & New Volcanoes with the title track from Move With Love (Morphius Records, 25th July) recorded live at Baltimore’s Club Car and the marvellous vocalist Vanisha Gould with Lovers from She’s Not Shiny, She’s Not Smooth (Cellar Music/La Reserve, November 2024).
There’s another play for New Jazz Underground’s take on Nicholas Peyton’s Jazz is a 4 Letter Word from their 2022 video that came out as a 7” single (Ordinary Tones, August 2024), featuring soprano saxophonist Abdias Armenteros, double bassist Sebastian Rios and drummer TJ Reddick. Here’s that video:
I’ve been picking up a number of 7” singles again, the latest is Japanese hip-hop trio SMOKIN’ the JAZZ’s Gypsy Woman from the album Stories (Loud Minority/Disk Union, 2021), that’s now been released as a 7” single in a limited edition of 400 by Nik Weston’s Mukatsuku. Smokin’ are keyboardist Sugames Japon, guitarist Shu Fujiyama, turntablist Nobu da Dread plus double bassist Katsuhiro Mafune and trumpeter Yusuke Shima, and as the label says: Records are our friends!
So saying, I’ve been keeping my friends dust and crackle free with Vinyl Elixir, Groove Glide and Stylus Putty from Sound Blokes Audio. They’re all excellent products and are highly recommended, even their high density microfibre cloth is a cut above.
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