I love drummers; I’m in awe of them. (The good and great ones, of course.) This week’s hour-long mix features some incredible drummers (and percussionists), kicking off with Atlas by the Robin Jones Seven from their groundbreaking 1972 Afro-Cuban/Afro-Brazilian album El Maja, which was reissued in 2020 by Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records. Drummer Jones, who passed away the year before that rerelease, was born in India to British and Brazilian parents and became a leading figure in the Brazilian music scene within the UK. There’s a fascinating obituary here if you like what you hear and want to find out more.
Next up is Clifford Jordan’s Eddie Harris, taken from 1974’s Glass Bead Games, which I constantly see popping up on my Instagram feed these days. Has this record ever been as popular as it seems to be today? (The drummer here, incidentally, is the great Billy Higgins, who recorded with many, many artists, including Ornette Coleman, Cedar Walton, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley and Dexter Gordon… but that’s just the tip of the iceberg).
Joe Chambers was equally in-demand as Higgins, particularly throughout the 60s and 70s, and he has a similarly bulging discography. He’s on McCoy Tyner’s Man From Tanganyika, off 1968’s Tender Moments. I particularly love the flute solo by James Spaulding on this one, before a restless Morgan takes over. His trumpet soloing on that is just as good, just as insistent, on drummer Elvin Jones’ Raynay, which also features Cándido on congas, among other greats.
The second half(ish) of the mix is largely focused on younger, modern acts (with one notable exception), and eventually things turn more jazz-ish or jazz-adjacent. There’s Naarm/Melbourne’s Temporary Blessings – finally picked up their album Sumbisori recently, which has been on my list for a while – and Your Brother’s Keeper with Gary Bartz, who have just released a superb collaboration on Brownswood.
I’ve also included a longer, 11-minute psychedelic swirl of a track by Brighton’s Ebi Soda, a band that has consistently put out excellent records for the best part of a decade now; this one is from their latest album Frank Dean and Andrew. Like the others, it’s well worth getting hold of. After that it’s the Tara Clerkin Trio and Silently, from their latest LP Somewhere Good. I have a ticket to see them in London later this year and I’m really looking forward to it. Got some strong Boards of Canada vibes upon hearing this track for the first time… I’m not sure whether it’s the synths, the sampled/looped vocal line or a combination of those, but anyway, it’s one of my favourites of the year to date.
This week ends on a slightly more Balearic vibe with Mile High Swinger, a track from the second album by Japanese duo Coastlines, and the beautiful, solemn Resting Place, which is on Daybreak by Sven Wunder. I could have selected any one of eight or ten tracks from that album to start or finish with. Pure sweeping, cinematic gold at the end!
There you go. If you have bothered to listen, or to read, then thanks very much!
Tracklist:
The Robin Jones Seven – Atlas
Clifford Jordan – Eddie Harris
McCoy Tyner – Man From Tanganyika
Elvin Jones – Raynay
Temporary Blessings – Michelin Star
Your Brother’s Keeper & Gary Bartz – Ground Loop
Ebi Soda – Insectoid Creatures Are Infesting The Land
Tara Clerkin Trio – Silently
Coastlines – Mile High Swinger
Sven Wunder – Resting Place
Lonesome Tonight 