Jazz on the Beach 212 & Blues Beach 87: Larry Coryell, Henry Franklin, Eduardo Belo, Five Corners Quintet, Samara Joy, Satoko Fujii Quartet, Jimmy McGriff, Blue Notes
Jazz and blues radio from Deal on the Kent coast
After playing Gábor Szabó’s bewitching Gypsy Queen from Spellbinder (Impulse! 1966), last week, I reached for my copy of guitarist Larry Coryell’s supercharged version that opens Barefoot Boy (Flying Dutchman, 1971). Recorded at Electric Lady Studios as an impromptu jam at the start of the second evening’s session while waiting for bassist Mervin Bronson, Coryell and soprano saxophonist Steve Marcus absolutely wail over a phenomenal groove from drummer Roy Haynes, conguero Lawrence Killian and Coryell’s drummer Harry Wilkinson on percussion.
I’m sure Jimi Hendrix would have been delighted that his dream studio helped create the vibe for this fusion masterpiece, possibly pushing Coryell to go further with his use of feedback and wah-wah and for mix engineer Eddie Kramer’s Electric Ladylandish stereo panning.
New this week is the avant jazz fusion of Satoko Fujii Quartet with Solar Orbit from the album Burning Wick (Libra Records, 21st November), led by pianist and composer Fujii with trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, bassist Hayakawa Takeharu and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. It took me a few listens, but I think your patience will be rewarded.
There’s also a second track from guitarist John Scofield and double bassist Dave Holland’s reflective Memories of Home (ECM, 21st November), with the gorgeous Easy For You, a song first recorded on Scofield’s second quartet album What We Do (Blue Note, 1993). It’s even better here.
I really like double bassist Eduardo Belo’s new album Trios (La Reserve, September), where he plays with friends from the close knit community of fellow Brazilian musicians in New York. Here’s a great version of João Donato’s Café com Pão, featuring the brilliant guitarist Chico Pinheiro and drummer Dennis Bulhões.
I completely missed the release of the sensational singer Samara Joy’s Three Little Words, an unreleased track from the Portrait album sessions (Verve, 2024). I can understand why it didn’t make the cut, but that’s probably more about the song than the impeccable (as always) performance and arrangement, which features trumpeter Jason Charos, alto saxophonist David Mason, tenor saxophonist Kendric McCallister, trombonist Donavan Austin, pianist Connor Rohrer, double bassist Felix Moseholm and drummer Evan Sherman.
Nothing quite so new about Finnish legends The Five Corners Quintet, but their infectious jazz tailored for the dance floor debut Chasin’ the Jazz Gone By (Ricky Tick, 2005), was recently reissued on vinyl by We Jazz. I’ve gone with Straight Up featuring trumpeter Jukka Eskola, tenor saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen, pianist Kim Rantala, double bassist Antti Lötjönen, drummer Teppo Mäkynen and percussionist Abdissa Assefa. Saxophonist Timo Lassy was also a key member and played on half of the tracks, but not this one.
It’s hard to believe in four years of Jazz on the Beach I’ve never got around to playing double bassist Henry Franklin’s magnificent Soft Spirit from The Skipper at Home (Black Jazz, 1974). The rest of the line up is trumpeter Oscar Brashear, trombonist Al Hall Jr., soprano saxophonist Bill Henderson, tenor saxophonist Charles Owens, pianist and flautist Kirk Lightsey, guitarist Kenny Climas and drummer Leon Chancler.
I got carried away with selecting classic Blue Notes. So, in chronological order:
Pianist Horace Silver’s impeccable Señor Blues from 6 Pieces of Silver (Blue Note, 1956), with trumpeter Donald Byrd, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, double bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Louis Hayes.
Tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine & the Three Sounds’ late night hot chocolate smooth Since I Fell for You from Blue Hour (Blue Note 1961), with pianist Gene Harris, double bassist Andrew Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy.
Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon’s hard boppin’ Love for Sale from Go (Blue Note, 1962), with pianist Sonny Clark, double bassist Butch Warren and drummer Billy Higgins.
Guitarist Kenny Burrell’s signature title track from Midnight Blue (Blue Note, 1963), with double bassist Major Holley Jr, drummer Bill English and especially, conguero Ray Barretto.
Three more classics from the same era on other labels:
Miles Davis’ Fran-Dance from Jazz Track (Columbia 1959), which resurfaced earlier this year on Birth of the Blue (Analogue Productions, January). It’s the Kind of Blue lineup of Miles, Cannonball Adderley, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Bill Evans, double bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb.
Double bassist Charles Mingus’ exuberant Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting from Blues and Roots (Atlantic, 1960), with alto saxophonists John Handy and Jackie McLean, tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin, baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, trombonists Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis, drummer Dannie Richmond and pianist Horace Parlan.
Also, alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley Quintet’s Hippodelphia from Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at ‘The Club’ (Capitol, 1967), with cornettist Nat Adderley, pianist (and song composer) Joe Zawinul, double bassist Victor Gaskin and drummer Roy McCurdy.
And finally… at the top of the playlist is hard grooving Hammond organist Jimmy McGriff and his chart topping title track from I’ve Got A Woman (Sue, 1962), with guitarist Morris Dow and drummer Jackie Mills. It was a favourite of Barry Jenkins, formerly drummer of the Nashville Teens (Tobacco Road) and Eric Burdon and the New Animals (San Franciscan Nights, Good Times), who died last year aged 79. Barry ran Lukes Guitars in nearby Ramsgate for many years and gave my Fender Telecaster the sweetest of setups.
To listen to this week’s Jazz on the Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Jazz On The Beach #212 26th November 2025
Jimmy McGriff - I’ve Got a Woman
Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Hippodelphia
Eduardo Belo & Chico Pinheiro - Café com Pão
Horace Silver Quintet - Señor Blues
Larry Coryell - Gypsy Queen
John Scofield & Dave Holland - Easy for You
The Five Corners Quintet - Straight Up
Henry Franklin - Soft Spirit
Samara Joy - Three Little Words
Charles Mingus - Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting
Satoko Fujii Quartet - Solar Orbit
Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue
Miles Davis - Fran-Dance
Dexter Gordon - Love for Sale
Stanley Turrentine & the Three Sounds - Since I Fell for You
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - I Don’t Know
Blues Beach
On this week’s Blues Beach playlist there are two out of the three Luther Johnsons: Luther ‘Snake Boy’ (or ‘Georgia Boy’) Johnson and Luther ‘Guitar Junior’ Johnson. The third is Luther ‘Houserocker’ Johnson, and although none are related, ‘Snake Boy’ and ‘Guitar Junior’ both played with Muddy Waters at different times.
In among the classics like Sonny Boy Williamson II’s Your Funeral and My Trial, Bukka White’s Parchman Farm Blues and Junior Wells’ Ships on the Ocean, there’s Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters’ instrumental Chili Ba Hugh, The Allman Brothers Band’s slidewinding Done Somebody Wrong and Gary Clark Jr’s live version of Our Love. Also, there are a couple of favourites, Jerry McCain’s She’s Tough and Jesse Fortune’s Fortune Tellin’ Man. I hope you enjoy this playlist, I know I certainly did.
To listen to this week’s Blues Beach on Mixcloud, just click below:
Blues Beach #87 27th November 2025
Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters - Chili Ba Hugh
Luther ‘Snake Boy’ Johnson - Born in Georgia
Sunnyland Slim - The Devil Is a Busy Man
Sonny Boy Williamson II - Your Funeral and My Trial
Bukka White - Parchman Farm Blues
Luther ‘Guitar Junior’ Johnson & the Magic Rockers - Get On the Floor
Junior Wells’ Chicago Blues Band - Ships on the Ocean
Jesse Fortune - Fortune Tellin’ Man
Blind Willie McTell - Dying Crapshooter’s Blues
The Allman Brothers Band - Done Somebody Wrong
Gary Clark Jr - Our Love
Lazy Lester - The Sun Is Shining
Jerry McCain - She’s Tough
Lynn August - Let the Good Times Roll
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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).
Whoa! Lotta listening to do this weekend! Love the Blues on the Beach spins, too! Thanks, Adam!