Jazz on the Beach 211: John Coltrane, Julian Lage, Terumasa Hino, Matters Unknown, BobbI Humphrey, Emmet Cohen, Brian Jackson, Archie Shepp
This week's radio playlist and show notes
I’d like to think it was like this every week, but the latest playlist features some truly amazing music. There’s John Coltrane’s Like Sonny, the moving tribute to his friend and fellow jazz pioneer Sonny Rollins taken from Coltrane Jazz (Atlantic, 1961). He plays tenor on this track from a December 1959 session alongside pianist Cedar Walton, double bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Lex Humphries. A reminder that if you haven’t yet read fellow substacker Bret Primack’s excellent memoir How John Coltrane Changed Me you can try a sample chapter here.
Coltrane’s protégé Archie Shepp interprets the master’s Syeeda’s Song Flute from the Atlantic years on Four for Trane (Impulse! 1965). It was Shepp’s debut for Bob Thiele’s label and he’s playing tenor with alto saxophonist John Tchicai, flugelhorn player Alan Shorter, trombonist and arranger Roswell Rudd, double bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Charles Moffett.
It would have been fitting to have included a track featuring Pharoah Sanders, and I had planned to, by picking something from drummer Idris Muhammad’s Kabsha (Theresa, 1980). But I decided to go with the incredible title track which only features tenor saxophonist George Coleman instead, and double bassist Ray Drummond. If you don’t know it, I’m sure you’ll like it.
Opening the playlist is flautist Bobbi Humphrey’s conga powered version of trumpeter Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder from her debut Flute-In (Blue Note, 1971). Morgan guests with tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, vibraphonist George Devens, pianist Frank Owens, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, bassist Gordon Edwards, drummer Jimmy Johnson and conguero Ray Armando. It’s a lighter feel than Morgan’s hugely successful original, but swings just as hard.
There’s the Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino’s sensational Free Land from his album May Dance (Flying Disc, 1977). Recorded in New York, it features some outrageous playing from guitarist John Scofield, double bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams, all pushing Hino to greater heights. This sounds as fresh and exciting as when I first heard it.
I was late picking up on pianist Brian Jackson’s terrific version of Is That Jazz?, a song originally recorded by Gil Scott-Heron on Reflections (Arista, 1981), the second album he recorded after the split with Jackson. The new Masters At Work production features vocals by Rahsaan Patterson and was released as a single in June, and is included on the upcoming album Now More Than Ever (BBE, January). There are backing vocals from Cindy Mizelle and Lisa Fischer, guitars from Binky Brice and Sherrod Barnes plus double bassist John Benitez, organist Axel Tosca, tenor saxophonist Ivan Renta and trumpeter Alex Norris.
New releases include Deepings Pt. 2: When a Love is Pure by trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist and composer Jonathan Enser’s otherworldly Matters Unknown. It’s the second part of the seven minute ode to love Deepings: A Song of Spirit (Def Pressé, 13th November). Enser plays trumpet, synths and sings with trombonist Rosie Turton, vocalist Nathan Laurence, violinist Matthew Holborn, viola player Julia Dos Reis, pianist Lyle Barton, double bassist Alec Hewes and drummer Matt Davies.
There’s guitarist Julian Lage’s beautiful Opal from Scenes From Above (Blue Note, 23rd January), with Hammond organist John Medeski, double bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Kenny Wollesen. Here’s the video:
The trumpeter and educator Ian Shawcross has been an East Kent jazz legend for over half a century. He’s 88 now and still regularly swims from the beach in Deal, and only recently retired from playing (for the umpteenth time). There’s his composition Samba Shawbones recorded somewhere in Walmer 30 years ago with electric pianist Steve Cameron, guitarist Roger Betts, bassist Adrian Brown and drummer Mick Jacques.
I’ve picked a second track from The Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet with Mr Anderson from Introducing: the Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet (TQM, 25th September), featuring trumpeter Macklem, alto saxophonist Kasan Belgrave, pianist Jordan Anderson, double bassist Noah Jackson and drummer Louis Jones III. It’s streamable now and available to buy from TQM in Canada.
And there’s more too from Manchester keyboard player and producer Matt Wilde’s recent album Find a Way (Hello World, 10th October) with the uplifting Smile Today, featuring trumpeter Aaron Wood and bassist Stan Scott, with extra drum assistance from Oscar Ogden.
And finally… I was completely blown away (as was the rest of the audience) by the Emmet Cohen Trio’s performance at the Wigmore Hall in London last Sunday. I was a guest of my friend Sebastian Scotney who was reviewing for UK Jazz News. I wish I could share some of what pianist Cohen, drummer Joe Farnsworth and double bassist Joey Ranieri played, but here’s a track from Cohen’s most recent album Vibe Provider (Mack Ave, 2024), with If This Isn’t Love featuring Farnsworth and double bassist Philip Norris.
To listen to this week’s Jazz on the Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Jazz On The Beach #211 19th November 2025
Bobbi Humphrey - The Sidewinder
Gábor Szabó - Gypsy Queen
Brian Jackson & Masters At Work feat. Rahsaan Patterson - Is That Jazz?
The Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet - Mr Anderson
Julian Lage - Opal
Terumasa Hino - Free Land
Matters Unknown - Deepings Pt. 2: When a Love Is Pure
Matt Wilde - Smile Today
John Coltrane - Like Sonny
Idris Muhammad - Kabsha
Emmet Cohen - If This Isn’t Love
Archie Shepp - Syeeda’s Song Flute
Ian Shawcross - Samba Shawbones
Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap - Beginning to See the Light
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Eighty One
Ramon Morris - Sweet Sister Funk
Ben Webster Quintet - Late Date
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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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Thanks for this list. Im very glad you included the Julian Lage recording. I recently saw him play solo and it was absolutely astounding. One of the best concerts I’ve seen.