Jazz on the Beach 208: Dave McMurray, Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, daoud, Mark Kavuma, Pepper Adams, Knats, Eddie Harris, Larry Coryell, Peter Ehwald & Bill Elgart, Sinsuke Fujieda

This week's playlist, show notes and links

On this week’s playlist, there’s new music from the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards’ Jazz Ensemble of the Year winners Mark Kavuma & the Banger Factory. Trumpeter Kavuma leads saxophonists Mussinghi Brian Edwards and Theo Erskine, trombonist Wilf Diamond, guitarist Artie Zaitz, vibraphonist David Mrakpor, pianist Dechanel Gordon, double bassist Jack Garside and drummer Jack Thomas on The Diamond from Back to the Beginning (Banger Factory, 21st November). Here’s the video:

From the Motor City (Detroit, not Guangzhou), there’s bassist, producer and Blue Note president Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble with You Asked, I Came from Groove in the Face of Adversity (Mack Avenue, 12th October). The song was originally recorded for the Backbeat movie soundtrack in 1994, and this terrific new live version features Was on bass with tenor saxophonist Dave McMurray, keyboard player Luis Resto, guitarist Wayne Gerard, trombonist Vincent Chandler, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer Jeff Canady and percussionist Mahindi Masai, with special guest Terence Blanchard playing a sensational trumpet solo.

Dave McMurray has his own album too, and is joined by Canady and Masai plus keyboard player Maurice O’Neal, double bassist Ibrahim Jones and vocalist Kem on a great version of Al Jarreau’s We Got By from the album I LOVE LIFE even when I’m hurting (Blue Note, 14th November).

Dave McMurray - photo: Joe Vaughan

I wanted to play Knats’ One for Josh again as I just received the new black and white vinyl pressing of Knats (Gearbox, February). It sounds absolutely massive on my living room system, probably startling the neighbours although the cats were perfectly happy. Knats are bassist Stan Woodward, drummer King David Ike Elechi, trumpeter Ferg Kilsby, tenor saxophonist Cam Rossi and keyboard player Sandro Shar.

I’m a big fan of saxophone and drum duos and was delighted to discover Berlin based tenor saxophonist Peter Ehwald & the veteran American drummer Bill Elgart’s version of Charlie Parker’s Barbados from Meanwhile (self released, 28th November). As with the best duo lineups you don’t miss anything and hear everything.

Trumpeter daoud may revel in his enfant terrible of French jazz tag, but if it works for him, why not? I really like the simple repeating melody of dijon from his latest OK (ACT, August), recorded live with keyboard player Léo Colman, double bassist Louis Navarro, guitarist and bassist Jules Minck and drummer Silvan Strauss before some studio production and extra keyboards from Kuz. Here’s dijon filmed in Toulouse.

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Baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams leads his quintet of trumpeter Stu Williamson, pianist Carl Perkins, double bassist Leroy Vnnegar and drummer Mel Lewis on a blistering Baubles, Bangles and Beads from Pepper Adams Quintet, his debut as leader. The album was originally released on the short lived Mode label in 1957, and now gets a serious vinyl release with 45 rpm masters cut by Benrie Grundman for new hifi label Gammaut (24th October).

Two ‘60s classics, alto saxophonist Jackie McLean with Francisco from Capuchin Swing (Blue Note, 1960), with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Walter Bishop, Jr, double bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor. It’s not, as a major jazz radio station recently claimed, anything to do with coffee, steamed milk and foam. The second is tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris’ Cryin’ Blues from The In Sound (Atlantic, 1966), with trumpeter Ray Codrington, pianist Cedar Walton, double bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Higgins.

Another hot pair, this time ‘70s Japanese classics from saxophonist/flautist Jiro Inagaki and his Soul Media with Breeze from Funky Stuff (Nippon Columbia, 1975), featuring pianist Hiromasa Suzuki, guitarist Hiroshi Yasukawa, trombonist Takashi Imai, bassist Akira Okazawa and drummer Hajime Ishimatsu. And there’s pianist Masaru Imada Trio + 1 with Blue Road from the JOTB favourite Planets (First Planets on Blueroad) (Private Press, 1977), with bassist Kunimitsu Inaba, drummer Tetsujiro Obara and (possibly) percussionist Yuji Imamura.

For something more contemporary from Japan there’s the Sinsuke Fujieda Group with the title track from the terrific Fukushima (SoFa Records. April), featuring Fujieda’s tenor with violinist Fumiko Takeshita, pianist Shinichi Tsukamoto, bassist Shigeru Kato, drummer Kensaku Ohsumi and percussionist Daisuke Alkhaly. This is already down as one of my albums of the year.

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And finally, guitarist Larry Coryell’s The Funky Waltz from Introducing Eleventh House with Larry Coryell (Vanguard, 1974), featuring trumpeter Randy Brecker, keyboard player Mike Mandel, bassist Danny Trifan and drummer Alphonse Mouzon. This was such an important jazz fusion album for me, it’s right up there with Billy Cobham’s Spectrum, Stanley Clarke’s Stanley Clarke, Return To Forever’s Where Have I Known You Before and Weather Report’s Mysterious Traveller, which were all released that same year.

Here’s The Funky Waltz live on Norway’s NRK TV from 1975. Michael Lawrence is on for Randy Brecker and John Lee replaces Danny Trifan.

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To listen to this week’s Jazz on the Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:

Jazz On The Beach #208 22nd October 2025

• Eddie Harris - Cryin’ Blues

• Mark Kavuma & the Banger Factory - The Diamond

• Larry Coryell - The Funky Waltz

• Dave McMurray feat. Kem - We Got By

• Peter Ehwald & Bill Elgart - Barbados

• Pepper Adams Quintet - Baubles, Bangles and Beads

• Sinsuke Fujieda Group - Fukushima

• daoud - dijon

• Michael Stephenson, Alexander Claffy & Benny Benack III - Greenbacks

• Masaru Imada Trio + 1 - Blue Road

• Lophae - Imagine More

• Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble - You Asked, I Came

• Vanisha Gould - Get Out of My Way

• Knats - One for Josh

• Jackie McLean - Francisco

• Weather Report - Barbary Coast

• Jiro Inagaki and His Soul Media - Breeze

• Thelonious Monk Septet - Well You Needn’t

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