Jazz on the Beach 205: Sam Dillon & Andrew Gould, Weldon Irvine, Nicole Zuraitis, Freddie Redd, Grover Washington Jr, Emma Rawicz, John Shannon, Yusef Lateef, Seodophy
Four years of live jazz radio
This week marks the fourth anniversary of the Jazz on the Beach radio show, so instead of any special celebration let’s just keep things the way they are. I hope you continue to enjoy the music as much as I do.
On to the playlist, let’s start in New York with tenor and alto saxophonists Sam Dillon and Andrew Gould with the terrific Delusion from their upcoming album Trade Off (Pinch Records/La Reserve, 12th December). It’s their second album recording together as co-leaders and features pianist Steven Feifke, double bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Otis Brown III.
Here’s the studio video:
Something new from Manchester pianist and producer Matt Wilde with Everyday Words from Find a Way (Hello World Records, 19th September), described as a future-facing jazz record rooted in Northern energy, which sounds about right. Also contributing are trumpeter Aaron Wood and bassist Stan Scott, with additional drum elements by Oscar Ogden.
Down to Southern Spain (for inspiration only) and the heat haze groove of A Day in Tarifa from guitarist and jazz club owner John Shannon’s On A Day in Tarifa (Jazzbook Records, 3rd October), with Hammond organist Cliff Barnes (Dallas anyone?) and drummer James Johnson III. Shannon is the founder of jazz club and bar Con Alma in Pittsburgh, PA, which looks fabulous online. If you’ve been, please send back a report.
I’m really enjoying the relaxed style of Easy Living (definitely not the Uriah Heep song) by pianist Sam Davies, double bassist Asaph Tal and drummer Louie North. It’s from their six track album Live at the Mildmay (Salt House Recordings, 17th September), available from Bandcamp as a digital download and extremely limited edition cassette.
I completely missed this summer’s release of All Stars Lead to You by singer and pianist Nicole Zuraitis & Friends from Live at Vic’s, Las Vegas (La Reserve, 6th August). Zuraitis and her band of guitarist Idan Morim, double bassist Sam Weber and drummer Dan Pugach are joined by tenor saxophonist (and album co-producer) Tom Scott, trumpeter Keyon Harold and organist Rachel Eckroth for some fine soloing and vocal pyrotechnics. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always have to stay there.
I first heard saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr’s composition Loran’s Dance on drummer Idris Muhammad’s Power of Soul (CTI, 1974). Here’s Washington’s own definitive version from Reed Seed (Motown, 1978), where he’s playing tenor with pianist James ‘Sid’ Simmons, synth player John Blake Jr, guitarist Richard Lee Steacker, bassist Tyrone Brown, drummer Millard ‘Pete’ Vinson and percussionist Leonard ‘Doc’ Gibbs. Incidentally, Jason Miles produced a great version of this song with Michael and Randy Brecker on the To Grover, With Love album in 2001.
There’s pianist Weldon Irvine’s Deja Vu from his masterpiece Time Capsule (Nodlew Music, 1973), where he shares the vocals with Emerson Cain, along with bassist Alex Blake, drummer Lenny White, percussionist Napoleon Reeves, conguero Tony Wiles, with flugelhorns by Jimmy Owens & Preston Williams and an opening recitation from Charlotte Cook. I only recently discovered that Irvine wrote the lyrics for Nina Simone’s To Be Young, Gifted and Black, how did I miss that?
A few artists return with a second track, starting with the mighty Trio Of Bloom - keyboard player Craig Taborn, drummer Marcus Gilmore and guitarist Nels Cline - with their version of Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society’s Nightwhistlers from Trio of Bloom (Pyroclastic Records, 26th September).
There’s drummer Domo Branch and Big Moves from Hand of Gifts (Albina Music Trust, 31st October). And saxophonist Emma Rawicz with the brilliant jazz fusion of Particles of Change, from her upcoming album Inkyra (ACT, 31st October).
Coming back for the third time with Horning’ In is saxophonist Dayna Stephens’ hugely enjoyable Monk D (Contagious Music, 10th October), where he switches to double bass and hands the tenor saxophone role to Stephen Riley, with pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer Eric McPherson.
Two bassist led tracks, the first is the phenomenal Adam Ben Ezra with Play It Cool from Heavy Drops (February 2025), where he plays double bass, keyboards and flute with drummer Michael Olivera Garcia and guitarist Omer Mor.
The second is Lithuanian bassist and producer Seodophy, aka Teodoras Balčiauskis, with Longing (single, 3rd October), also featuring drummer Dovydas Grižas and keyboard player Aniket ‘Lytmus’ Thyagarajan.
Back to the ‘50s for multi instrumentalist Yusef Lateef’s debut as a leader with Midday from Jazz for the Thinker (Savoy, 1957). Lateef plays tenor saxophone alongside trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Hugh Lawson, double bassist Ernie Farrow and drummer Louis Hayes. It’s a wonderful cover photo (no prizes for guessing the city).
And finally, we’re hard boppin’ (how could we not) with opening and closing tracks from two newly reissued Blue Notes by pianists Freddie Redd and Sonny Clark. Melanie comes from Shades of Redd (Blue Note, 1961), also featuring alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks, double bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Louis Hayes. While Clark’s title track from Sonny’s Crib (Blue Note, 1958), features the equally impressive line up of trumpeter Donald Byrd, trombonist Curtis Fuller, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, double bassist Paul Chambers (again) and drummer Art Taylor.
To listen to this week’s Jazz on the Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Jazz On The Beach #205 - 24th September 2025
Freddie Redd Quintet - Melanie
Sam Dillon & Andrew Gould - Delusion
Matt Wilde - Everyday Words
John Shannon - A Day in Tarifa
Trio of Bloom - Nightwhistlers
Weldon Irvine - Deja Vu
Domo Branch - Big Moves
Nicole Zuraitis & Friends - All Stars Lead to You
Dayna Stephens - Hornin’ In
Adam Ben Ezra - Play It Cool
Emma Rawicz - Particles of Change
Seodophy - Longing
Yusef Lateef - Midday
Sam Davies, Asaph Tal & Louie North - Easy Living
Grover Washington, Jr - Loran’s Dance
Sonny Clark - Sonny’s Crib
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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).
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