Jazz on the Beach 200 & Blues Beach 81: Sultan Stevenson, Charlie Parker, Henry Franklin, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley, Charles Owens, Pete La Roca, George Benson
Double century on the scoreboard
Hello, it’s been suggested that I ought to mark the 200th Jazz on the Beach with something special, but I’d much rather just carry on doing what I always do. If it ain’t broke, well, you know…
One of the finest albums of the year so far is pianist Sultan Stevenson’s magnificent El Roi (Edition, 28th March). Here’s another chance to play Unspeakable Happiness featuring his rhythm section of drummer Joel Waters and double bassist Jacob Gryn, with trumpeter Josh Short and tenor saxophonist Soweto Kinch. Sultan even makes his own merch, his snappy bucket hats are for sale here.
Sometimes it’s easy to overlook certain tracks because they’re so well known, but listening back reminds you why they deserve to be heard and enjoyed more often. That’s certainly true of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet’s Mercy, Mercy, Mercy from Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at The Club’ (Capitol, 1967), with alto saxophonist Julian, brother Nat Adderley on cornet, pianist and song’s composer Joe Zawinul, double bassist Victor Gaskin and drummer Roy McCurdy.
The same can be said of the Bill Evans Trio’s My Foolish Heart from Waltz for Debby (Riverside, 1962),recorded at the Village Vanguard with the pianist at his peak alongside double bassist Scott LaFaro (who would die in a car crash ten days later) and drummer Paul Motian.
Recorded in ‘63 but not released until ‘66 is the Wes Montgomery Trio’s hard swinging version of Miles Davis’ Freddie Freeloader from Portrait of Wes (Riverside, 1966), the guitarist in brilliant form with organist Melvin Rhyne and drummer George Brown.
There’s drummer Pete La Roca’s title track from Basra (Blue Note, 1965), with a lineup of tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Steve Kuhn and double bassist Steve Swallow. This really is one of the best of the mid ‘60s Blue Notes.
From the ‘70s there’s bassist Henry Franklin’s soaring Beauty and the Electric Tub from The Skipper (Black Jazz Records, 1972), with trumpeter Oscar Brasheer, saxophonist Charles Owens, pianist Bill Henderson, guitarist Kenny Climax, drummer Mike Marvin and percussionists Fred Lido and Tip Jones. The drum groove reminds me of looser take on Miles Davis’ Black Satin from On the Corner, released the same year, although it probably goes back to James Brown.
There are two tracks from the following year. Guitarist George Benson is positively flying on Dance from Body Talk (CT1, 1973), joined by guitarist Earl Klugh, electric pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Jack DeJohnette and percussionist Mobutu. Possibly the best album of Benson’s CTI catalogue? It wins my vote.
Also from ‘73, The Fabulous Rhinestones, led by keyboard player and saxophonist Marty Grebb, guitarist Kal David and bassist Harvey Brooks play Whitecaps from their second album Freewheelin’ (Just Sunshine, 1973). With two drummers, Greg Thomas and Denis Whitted, panned left and right, some fabulous alto saxophone by David Sanborn and strings by Jerry Ragavoy, this little gem from the Woodstock based band has long been a favourite since I first heard it in the short lived Virgin Imports record store just off Sloane Square.
There’s a second track from tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse’s Cinnamon Flower (Resonance, 19th September), originally released in 1977 on Alan Douglas’ label. This version of A New Dawn is the original Douglas mix which may or may not have some additional overdubs (mists of time and all that), but the 11 piece lineup on the album features trumpeter Claudio Roditi, guitarist Amaury Tristao, pianist Dom Salvador and double bassist Ron Carter. Whatever, it’s gorgeous.
I’m really enjoying the Brummie born, London based tenor saxophonist Fraser Smith’s atmospheric Soho Stroll from his second album Lifeline! (Lejazzetal Records, September). He leads a tight quartet featuring pianist Rob Barron, double bassist Simon Reed and drummer Steve Brown. You can almost taste the coffee at Bar Italia.
And while we’re on Frith Street, the last show I saw at Ronnie Scott’s was the pianist, vocalist and philosopher poet Ben Sidran. He played this, the hopeful and deeply grooving Someday Baby from last year’s Rainmaker (Unlimited Media, 2024), recorded in Paris with son Leo on drums, double bassist Billy Peterson, tenor saxophonist Rick Margitza and percussionist Denis Benarrosh.
Every year, Leo hosts a conversation with Ben on his The Third Story platform, and the latest one is terrific, you can hear it here.
We’re beboppin’ with alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie on Bloomdido, recorded in 1950 and released on Bird and Diz (Verve, 1952), with pianist Thelonious Monk, double bassist Curley Russell and drummer Buddy Rich. That’s followed by some scattin’ with vocalist Babs Gonzales, reprising his former Babs’ Three Bips and A Bop 1947 hit Oop-Pop-A-Da on Sunday Afternoon with Babs Gonzales at Small’s Paradise (Dauntless, 1963). The lineup is trumpeter Clark Terry, tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, pianist Horace Parlan, double bassist Buddy Catlett and drummer Ben Riley.
There’s tenor saxophonist Charles Owens with a joyous Body and Soul from The Music Tells Us (La Reserve, 2024), featuring double bassist Cameron Ralston and drummer Kofi Shepsu. Not to be confused with the Charles Owens on the Henry Franklin track above, this one is alive and well and living in Charlottesville after many years on the New York scene. He has just released the first of six live albums, recorded in 2003 at Smalls Jazz Club during his weekly 2:30am Saturday slot, with the rest to follow over the next six months. Here’s Norwegian Wood from 24th January of that year.
And finally…my thanks to Joel Condemi down in Melbourne, Australia, who writes the excellent and always entertaining Undercurrent on Substack. I was invited to contribute to his new series One Record I Wish More People Knew About. I chose the eponymous Full Moon album, which I’ve often played on the show, and you can read the piece here.
To listen to this week’s Jazz on the Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Jazz On The Beach #200 - 20th August 2025
Sultan Stevenson - Unspeakable Happiness
Wes Montgomery Trio - Freddie Freeloader
Ben Sidran - Someday Baby
Charlie Rouse Band - A New Dawn
Fraser-Smith Quartet - Soho Stroll
Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Bloomdido
Babs Gonzales - Oop-Pop-A-Da
Henry Franklin - Beauty and the Electric Tub
Bill Evans Trio - My Foolish Heart
Charles Owens Trio - Body and Soul
Pete La Roca - Basra
George Benson - Dance
The Fabulous Rhinestones - Whitecaps
Mike Taylor Trio - Just a Blues
Bobby Rodriguez - Simply Macrame
Blues Beach
Although the artists on the latest edition of Blues Beach will be familiar to you, surprisingly few of the tracks have been played on the show before, such as Muddy Waters’ Got My Mojo Working from 1957, Bo Diddley’s Diddy Wah Diddy from 1956 and Elmore James’ Stranger Blues from 1962. There’s Otis Rush’s Working Man from 1969’s Mourning in the Morning on Cotillion, recorded at FAME in Muscle Shoals with Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites producing. And John Lee Hooker’s Thelma from 1962’s Burnin’ on Detroit’s Vee-Jay, where he’s supported by Tamla Motown’s Funk Brothers.
It all kicks off with Lightnin’ Hopkins’ Shake That Thing recored for Bobby Robinson’s Fire Records in 1960, and I hope you have as much fun at this beach blues party as I certainly did.
To listen to this week’s Blues Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Blues Beach #81 - 21st August 2025
Lightnin’ Hopkins - Shake that Thing
Magic Sam - I Just Want a Little Bit
Muddy Waters - Got My Mojo Working
Chuck Berry - Too Much Monkey Business
John Lee Hooker - Thelma
Howlin’ Wolf - Smokestack Lightnin’
Albert King - Cold Feet
Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland - That Did It
Johnny Taylor - Steal Away
Bo Diddley - Diddy Wah Diddy
Hound Dog Taylor & the HouseRockers - She’s Gone
Junior Wells - Stop Breaking Down
Elmore James - Stranger Blues
Otis Rush - Working Man
Otis Redding - Rock Me Baby
Slim Harpo - Baby Scratch My Back
Jimmy Reed - Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby
Mississippi John Hurt - Pay Day
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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).