Jazz on the Beach 199: Horace Silver, Gary Bartz, Sheila Jordan, Art Blakey, Chris Ingham, Miles Davis, Jerome Sabbagh
Fourth Heatwave of the Summer
Hello, hope you’re all enjoying the summer wherever you are. We’re into our fourth blast of hot air from the Med and North Africa and it’s a fine time to be living near the beach. If you’re one of the many new subscribers, just a reminder that this is where I share notes about some of the music played in each week’s radio show.
On the latest Jazz on the Beach radio playlist there are previously unreleased live recordings from two of jazz’s most important artists, starting with pianist Horace Silver’s No Smokin’ from Silver in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse (Blue Note, 24th October). A Silver favourite, the tune was the opening track on The Stylings of Silver (Blue Note 1957). This live version was recorded in August 1965 with tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, trumpeter Woody Shaw, double bassist Teddy Smith and drummer Roger Humphries.
The second comes from Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers with Fuller Love from Strasbourg 82 (Gearbox, 11th October). It was recorded on 1st April of that year with drummer Blakey, pianist Johnny O’Neal, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, tenor saxophonist Billy Pierce and double bassist Charles Fambrough. Confusingly, this Bobby Watson tune is also known as In Case You Missed It.
I’ve been enjoying pianist/vocalist Chris Ingham’s Walter, Donald - A Becker and Fagen Songbook Vol. 1 (Downhome Records, September), with fine quintet arrangements of Dan repertoire played by saxophonist/guitarist Harry Greene, trumpeter Paul Higgs, bassist Geoff Gascoyne and drummer George Double. I’ve picked Katy Lied’s Black Friday, but every track is terrific, vocally and instrumentally.
Another major new release this week is from 83 year old alto saxophonist Gary Bartz & NTU with Damage Control (OYO Records, 26th September), the first release in his Eternal Tenure of Sound trilogy. I’ve picked McCoy Tyner’s In Search of My Heart / Love Surrounds Us featuring Bartz’s core trio of keyboardist Barney McAll and drummer Kassa Overall, plus an incredible line up of producer/drummer Om’mas Keith, trumpeter Theo Croker, tenor saxophonists Miles Kahli and Kamasi Washington, alto saxophonist Terrace Martin, guitarist Nile Rogers, bassist Dominique Sanders and organist Corey Henry.
I’m also loving tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh’s High Falls from Stand Up! (Analog Tone Factory, 17th October), with guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Nasheet Waits. Analog Tone Factory is a new label founded by Sabbagh with engineer Pete Rende. As with their debut release, Chris Cheek’s Keepers of the East Door, the sessions are recorded live to tape, with all the musicians playing together in the same room. The albums are available in every format, including reel-to-reel tape.
Two sad goodbyes this week, to the marvellous singer Sheila Jordan who died on Monday at 96, with Let’s Face the Music and Dance from Portrait of Sheila (Blue Note, 1963), featuring guitarist Barry Galbraith, double bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Denzil Best.
And we celebrate the life of pianist and bandleader Eddie Palmieri, who died last week aged 88, with a generous serving of Helado de Chocolate (Chocolate Ice Cream) - a descarga from Superimposition (Tico, 1970) featuring trumpeter Alfredo ‘Chocolate’ Armenteros, trombonists José Rodrigues and Lewis Kahn, and percussionists Nicky Marrero, Eladio Pérez and Tommy ‘Choki’ López.
I’ve been listening back to the ‘80s Miles Davis ‘comeback’ albums on Columbia, and while they’re nowhere near the heights of his earlier work, one or two deserve more respect than they received at the time. I’ve chosen Fat Time from The Man With the Horn (Columbia, 1981). The track takes its name from guitarist Mike Stern’s nickname and features soprano saxophonist Bill Evans, bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Al Foster and percussionist Sammy Figueroa.
Stern told Rob Garratt for WeJazz’s Cosmos magazine:
‘I was a nervous wreck when we did Fat Time and I wanted to do it again. And Miles said, ‘Fat Time, when you're at a party, you gotta know when to leave.’ Wasn't that a beautiful way to put it? Like, that's done. He knew that it had the right attitude, he didn't care about a couple of funky notes.’
Here’s Fat Time from the Jazzhouse Montmartre in Copenhagen, 1982.
And finally….If you happen to be in Deal and walking along the seafront, take a look at Tom Burnham’s artwork at his Gallery on the Beach. It’s located on Walmer Green close to the Memorial Bandstand. Just look for Tom’s enormous classic Dodge Charger parked outside.
To listen to this week’s Jazz on the Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Jazz On The Beach #199 - 13th August 2025
Gato Barbieri - Fiesta
Sheila Jordan - Let’s Face the Music and Dance
Horace Silver - No Smokin’
Ineza - Another Time
Mark Isham - That Beautiful Sadness
Miles Davis - Fat Time
Chris Ingham Quintet - Black Friday
Gary Bartz & NTU - In Search of My Heart / Love Surrounds Us
Eddie Palmieri - Helado de Chocolate
Bobby Hutcherson - Yuyo
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Fuller Love
Les McCann - Poo Pye McGoochie (And His Friends)
Chester Thompson - Powerhouse
Jerome Sabbagh - High Falls
Sonny Fortune - There’s Nothing Smart About Being Stupid
Herbie Hancock - ‘Round Midnight
Listen live to Deal Radio - click here
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).