Jazz on the Beach 198 & Blues Beach 80: Sonny Rollins, Ruby Rushton, Nadav Schneerson, Luis Gasca, Joe Farnsworth
Dog days of summer
Welcome to the latest Jazz on the Beach newsletter, where I can share notes about some of the music played on each week’s radio show.
Some exciting new releases…the first is Ruby Rushton’s deeply cinematic Walk to Regio’s, a salute to Isaac Hayes’ Shaft soundtrack (‘the coolest movie ever made’), transposing the energy of ‘70s Harlem to contemporary South London. It comes from the band’s fifth album Legacy (22a, 10th October), and features leader, saxophonist and flautist Tenderlonious (aka Ed Cawthorne), trumpeter Nick Walters, keyboard player Aidan Shepherd and drummer Tim Carnegie.
There’s also the latest Lophae (lo-fi) single, the excellent Another You from Imagine More (self released, 3rd October), with guitarist Greg Sanders, tenor saxophonist Sam Rapley, bassist Tom Herbert and drummer Ben Brown.
I’m also really enjoying Ancient Infinity Orchestra’s Chant for Don Cherry, from their upcoming It's Always About Love (Gondwana, 26th September), featuring the Leeds-based 15 member jazz ensemble led by double bassist and composer Ozzy Moysey.
Over in the US, double bassist Russell Hall sings a terrific vocal on the Gershwin’s Embraceable You, the third single from his Dragon of the South (La Reserve, 12th September), featuring the Australian guitarist Leo Larratt, trumpeter Mike Troy, pianist Esteban Castro and drummer Matt Lee.
Just released a couple of weeks ago is drummer Joe Farnsworth’s The Big Room (Smoke Sessions Records, 25th July), and I was blown away with the thrilling high tempo playing on You Already Know by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist (and the composer) Emmet Cohen and double bassist Yasushi Nakamura.
Going back to the ‘60s, there’s tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins’ John S. from The Bridge (RCA, 1962), with guitarist Jim Hall, double bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Ben Riley. The title is code for John (Coltrane) and Sonny, and it’s a favourite on Rollins’ first album following a two year break spent practising each day on the Williamsburg Bridge, which coincidentally, my grandfather William Ross helped build. And with great timing, here’s Bret Primack’s Substack post Like Sonny which is essential reading.
From a few years later there’s the Hammond master Jimmy Smith and Oh No, Baby from Organ Grinder Swing (Verve, 1965), with guitarist Kenny Burrell (who celebrated his 94th birthday last week), and drummer Grady Tate.
Leading into the next decade is the great alto saxophonist Charles McPherson with Explorations from McPherson’s Mood (Prestige, 1970), with pianist Barry Harris, double bassist Buster Williams and drummer Roy Brooks.
Here’s an instagram post of McPherson playing at his 86th birthday celebration at Dizzy’s Club in New York three weeks ago.
On the Latin tip (do they still say things like that?) there’s trumpeter Luis Gasca’s scorching La Raza (The People) from For Those Who Chant (Blue Thumb, 1972), which someone described recently as ‘Latin Jazz’s Bitches Brew’. It features some tremendous tenor playing from Joe Henderson, a trio of pianists in George Cables, Richard Kermode and Mark Levine, double bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White and a wealth of percussionists including Victor Pantoja and Mike Carabello on congas and Carmelo Garcia and Coke Escovedo on timbales. Here’s an excellent post on Gasca (who’s now 85) by the Woodstock Whisperer.
There’s the Brazilian saxophonist Hector Costita with the cracking Avessos from the album 1981 (Som da Gente, 1981), where Costitia plays bass clarinet and tenor saxophone with electric pianist Roberto Bomlicar, electric bassist Roberto Azevedo, drummer Dirceu and percussionist Paulo Falanga.
There are three tracks from Israeli artists this week, starting with the London-based drummer Nadav Schneerson’s rousing Yalla (let’s go) from his excellent Sheva (Kadema Music, April), with trumpeter Sam Warner, trombonist Will Heaton, tenor saxophonist James Akers, pianist Sultan Stevenson, double bassist George Richardson and oud player Ekin Öykener.
There’s guitarist Ron Magril’s deeply swinging Minor Blues from Inspired (GleAM Records, 7th March), with Hammond organist Yonatan Riklis and drummer Ofri Nehemya. And the brilliant trumpeter Itamar Borochov with the moving Farewell from Arba (Greenleaf Music, 2023), with pianist Rob Clearfield, double bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Jay Sawyer.
And finally, a sad goodbye to the great flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione who died last week at 84 with the extended title track from Feels So Good (A&M, 1977), featuring saxophonist Chris Vadala, guitarist Grant Geissman, bassist Charles Meeks and drummer James Bradley, Jr.
I couldn’t resist this compilation of his animated character (which he voiced himself) from the TV show King of the Hill from 1997-09. It’s hard to imagine the Prince of Darkness being this self-deprecating!
To listen to this week’s Jazz on the Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Jazz On The Beach #198 - 6th August 2025
Nadav Schneerson - Yalla
Ancient Infinity Orchestra - Chant for Don Cherry
Ruby Rushton - Walk to Regio’s
Russell Hall - Embraceable You
Matti Klein Soul Trio - Capetown After Dark
Joe Farnsworth - You Already Know
Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good
Ryo Fukui - It Could Happen to You
Lophae - Another You
Chip Wickham - Drifting
Sonny Rollins - John S.
Luis Gasca - La Raza
Ron Magril - Minor Blues
Itamar Borochov - Farewell
Hector Costita - Avessos
Jimmy Smith - Oh No, Baby
Charles McPherson - Explorations
Ill Considered - Blue Dreams
Blues Beach
The latest Blues Beach playlist spreads the mix a little wider than usual with more contemporary and classic Southern soul from St Paul & the Broken Bones, James Carr and Eddie Hinton, alongside Chicago blues from Son Seals, Muddy Waters and Andrew (Bunky) ‘Big Voice’ Odum, and zydeco from Clifton Chenier and his son C.J.
There are some great new releases from Buddy Guy, the North Mississippi Allstars, John Primer and the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Leon Russell too, so hope you enjoy it… let me know.
To listen to this week’s Blues Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Blues Beach #80 - 7th August 2025
The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Down at Antones
C.J. Chenier - Can’t Sit Down
Buddy Guy - Been There, Done That
Son Seals - Mother-In-Law Blues
Muddy Waters - Champagne and Reefer
Jimmie Vaughan - Don’t Cha Know
North Mississippi Allstars - Stay All Night
Eddie Hinton - My Searching Is Over
St Paul & the Broken Bones - Sushi and Coca-Cola
John Primer - Baby Please Don’t Go
Clifton Chenier - One Step at a Time
Andrew Odum - Bad Feeling
Ray Charles - Don’t You Know
James Carr - Pouring Water on a Drowning Man
Tedeschi Trucks Band & Leon Russell - The Letter
Alabama Shakes - Hold On
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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).