The Rolling Stones are already back in the studio again, according to saxophonist Courtney Pine.
The jazz musician has revealed that he recorded with Mick Jagger just weeks ago, only three months after the Stones released their 25th studio album ‘Foreign Tongues’.
Speaking on BBC Radio 3’s Private Passions, in an episode due to air this Sunday (October 11), Pine said: “I’ve just done another session a couple of weeks ago with him [Jagger] for The Rolling Stones.”
“Mick’s an amazing artist,” he added. “That whole pop world is completely different to anything that I know.”
Pine has worked with Jagger before, playing saxophone on his 1993 solo album ‘Wandering Spirit’. Recalling those sessions, he said: “I played on one version of Mick Jagger’s solo album and they threw it away and then I get a call, ‘Can I come out to LA tomorrow and play on another version of the same album?’ Mick Jagger? Of course!”
There has been no official confirmation that the latest session is intended for the next Stones album, but the news follows Jagger revealing to NME in June that he had already begun writing again before ‘Foreign Tongues’ had even been released.
Asked whether the album could become the middle instalment of a run of three Stones records, he replied: “Yeah, it could be a trio [of records]… I’ve already started writing songs anyway.”
He added: “They could be for other people though. When you write a song, you sometimes decide, ‘That’s not for me, but it could be for the Chili Peppers’ or whatever.
“I’m very open-minded to it. I’ve got a lot of stuff, and not all of it’s suitable for The Rolling Stones. It shouldn’t stop me writing them, you know. If you get an idea, just write it.”
Keith Richards also said earlier this year that Jagger “won’t bloody stop” making new music, explaining that the momentum generated while making ‘Foreign Tongues’ had encouraged them to keep working.
‘Foreign Tongues’ was released on July 10 and went on to become The Rolling Stones’ 15th UK Number One album, drawing them level with The Beatles on the all-time list.
In a three-and-a-half-star review, NME described the record as “fresh and refined”, adding: “Mick, Keith and Ronnie have hit a surprising purple patch – and if you believe the eternally energetic entertainer’s claim that he’s already writing the follow-up to ‘Foreign Tongues’, there’s plenty more left in the tank.”
The question of when the Stones will take their recent material on the road remains less clear. The band scrapped plans for a UK and European stadium tour in 2026 after Richards was unable to “commit”, although Jagger has repeatedly said he is keen to return to the stage.
Speaking to NME this summer, he said: “I don’t think there’ll be shows this year, but I hope to do some next year for the Stones.”
He also left the door open to another Glastonbury appearance in 2027. Despite recalling some of the practical difficulties of the Stones’ 2013 headline set, he said: “Do I wanna do it again? Oh, I’ll say yes.”
Ronnie Wood offered a similarly enthusiastic view when he spoke to NME earlier this month.
“When my compadres say, ‘Let’s go’, I’ll be ready,” he said, while acknowledging that the three members were not yet equally keen. “I know Mick is busting to go, and Keith is not busting to go. And you’ve got to have everybody’s enthusiasm to do it.”
Asked specifically about the prospect of returning to Glastonbury, Wood added: “I would play that in the drop of a hat, but everybody doesn’t think like that. I think we should do a gig, just like you do. And I think we should do a tour, but it’s easier said than done.”