Jazz legend Sonny Rollins gets 24-hour birthday salute from WKCR on Sept 7th

WKCR-FM honours the late saxophone great Sonny Rollins with a special broadcast from midnight to midnight on Monday. 

Here's the scoop...

WKCR is very pleased to announce a special broadcast celebrating the life and work of the renowned saxophonist Sonny Rollins. This special broadcast will run from midnight to midnight on September 7th on FM and HD radio and online, preempting all regularly scheduled Monday programming. Visit the WKCR site for info about the broadcast and other upcoming shows including a John Cage 24-hour birthday broadcast on September 5th. 

Hailing from Sugar Hill, Harlem, Rollins was immersed in the budding scene of hard bop right out of high school, collaborating with J.J. Johnson, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, and Miles Davis. In his autobiography, Davis writes,  “People loved Sonny Rollins up in Harlem and everywhere else. He was a legend, almost a god, to a lot of the younger musicians. Some thought he was playing the saxophone on the level of Bird. I know one thing–he was close. He was an aggressive, innovative player who always had fresh musical ideas. I loved him back then as a player, and he could also write his ass off…”

Over his many years and broad influence, Rollins became a defining voice in his craft through landmark recordings such as Saxophone Colossus (1956), Way Out West (1957), and The Bridge (1962). Beyond his legendary improvisation and lasting compositions such as “Oleo,” “St. Thomas”, and “Tenor Madness”, his dedication to this music manifested in pauses from the scene. Most famously, his two-year hiatus, during which he practiced on the Williamsburg Bridge to avoid disturbing his neighbors.

We invite you all to join us in celebrating the enduring legacy of Sonny Rollins through 24 hours of programming from one of the most transformative voices in the tradition of jazz. Listeners can tune in to our Sonny Rollins Birthday Broadcast on 89.9 FM or stream it live on our website, wkcr.org. Follow WKCR on Instagram (WKCR) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for updates about this special broadcast and future events. As always, online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org via our web stream.

Dollar Bin Delights: Alf Newman

Here's a nutty one-off 45 by German Elvis-impersonator Oliver Hardt born Wolfgang Neumann aka "Alf Newman" released in '66.

LINKS
Memory Radio Oliver Hardt: Bankruptcy after success

Jimbo Mathus talks about his "Songs for Rosetta" album being reissued

Back in 1997, Jimbo Mathus recorded at tribute to his childhood nanny, Rosetta Patton, which is finally being reissued on vinyl! 

Here's the scoop... 

Way back in 1997, Squirrel Nut Zippers' singer/songwriter Jimbo Mathus and his Knock-Down Society recorded a heartfelt tribute to his beloved childhood babysitter Rosetta Patton, the daughter of hugely influential blues legend Charlie Patton. The resulting album "Plays Songs For Rosetta" – recorded with Luther & Cody Dickinson pre-North Mississippi All Stars, Andrew Bird, Pat Sansone (Wilco) and Glenn Graham (Blind Melon) – was a victim of the CD-era and never issued on vinyl. 

To mark the 30th anniversary of its release, Near Miss Records is rectifying the situation by reissuing "Plays Songs For Rosetta" as a double-LP in a limited pressing of 500 copies. The deluxe 30th anniversary edition features the entire original album with a second LP of bonus material including an "on the record" portion in which Jimbo tells his own story of how the recording project came together.  You can pre-order a 2LP copy of "Plays Songs For Rosetta" 30th Anniversary Edition directly from Near Miss Records right here. Those interested in getting a digital copy of the original album should check the Bandcamp link below.

Listen to Jimbo's WWOZ-FM interview with David Kunian from September 1 right here: http://www.wwoz.org/listen/archive/show.php?date=2026-09-01&time=10PM

Jimbo Mathus & His Knock-Down Society – Plays Songs For Rosetta

Mathus, one of the masterminds behind the Squirrel Nut Zippers, here cuts it Clarksdale style for the sake of bluesman Charlie Patton's daughter, Rosetta. Not surprisingly, Rosetta doesn't see a dime from the sale of Patton's music, and Mathus saw an opportunity to give back. Give back to the music? Well, yes, but also to Rosetta herself, who helped raise Mathus from knee-pants. And the result is a righteous paella of roots music: rattling Delta style, jug band and parlor jazz with Dixieland and country-blues to boot. It's all so fresh and lively you may wonder how you lived your life without it. Dig the winking ragtime cover of Leadbelly's "Keep Your Hand's Off Her" or the country scrawl of Mathus' "Turkey Buzzard in a Pork Pie Hat." -Tim Sheridan

You can listen to Jimbo's "Plays Songs For Rosetta" and get a digital copy via Bandcamp right here. Check out the lead track "I Got Mine" below. 

Listen to R.Crumb spinning some dusty dance band 78s

Take a trip back in time with the "Everybody Dance" episode of R. Crumb's Record Room.

Listen to R.Crumb's Record Room Part 76: "Everybody Dance" on John's Old Time Record Show right here. 

R.I.P. Cassandra Wilson, 1955-2026

Sadly, jazz singer Cassandra Wilson has passed away at her home in Jackson, Mississippi at the age of 70. She'll be greatly missed.

LINKS

WLBT.com Jackson-born Grammy winner Cassandra Wilson dies at home at age 70.

Jenny Whiteley & Joey Wright @ The Cameron House, Wednesday

Joey Wright and Jenny Whiteley swing by the Cameron House for a rare Toronto show tonight from 6 pm to 8 pm. Don't miss it!  

Jaymz Bee's feature film "MagicLand" screens @ Paradise Theatre, Sept 14

Jaymz Bee's epic feature film debut MagicLand stars Toronto singer/songwriter Irene Torres and a cast of local music scene celebs

Here's the scoop from Jaymz Bee...

"I will screen my first feature film, an hour and a half Myth-illogical musical comedy called “MagicLand”. Starring Irene Torres and featuring: Jef Faqhuarson, Robert Priest, Barbra Lica, Denielle Bassels and me, Jaymz Bee." – Jaymz Bee

MagicLand screens at the Paradise Theatre on September 14 at 3:45 pm. Tickets are $20 and available here. Boffo movie poster designed by Jason Brown. Read Jaymz's discussion about making a feature-length film on his Substack page right here.  For more information on what Jaymz Bee is up to, visit his site: https://jaymzbee.com/news/. 

MagicLand, Dinner and a Showcase: 

Vesuvius Music turns A Monday into an event

TORONTO, ON — Who says Mondays have to be boring? On September 14, Vesuvius Music Inc. is turning Toronto's historic Paradise Theatre into a one stop shop for film, food, and live music, and yes, you can do all three in one night.

Curated by filmmaker, broadcaster and Vesuvius Music co-founder Jaymz Bee, the day kicks off at 4pm with a screening of MagicLand, a feature film from Bee and co-director Jason J. Brown starring a cavalcade of Toronto's own musicians, comics and actors in cameo roles you'll be pointing at the screen for. Runtime is a tight ninety minutes, no filler. There's no post-show Q&A this time around, and that's by design: you've got a concert at 8pm, which means you've got just enough time to grab dinner, maybe brag to your table about who you spotted in the movie, and get back for the main event.

That main event is the annual Vesuvius Music Showcase, and it is, without exaggeration, the best two hours of live music you'll get on a Monday anywhere in this city. The lineup features label artists Denielle Bassels, Jocelyn Barth, Irene Torres, Taylor Abrahamse, Robert Priest and Serafin LaRiviere, backed by a house band that reads like a "who's who" of Canadian music: George Koller, Eric St-Laurent, Ewen Farncombe, Richard Underhill, Ben Wittman, Great Bob Scott and Jono Grant. 

Tickets are $30 advance  (www.vesuviusmusic.com) or $40 at the door. 

This show sells out every single year. We are not being modest about that, we are warning you. If you're planning the full night, film, dinner, concert, don't leave your tickets or your restaurant reservation to chance.

THE LINEUP

4:00 PM — MagicLand (feature film screening) https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1078

Film ends by 5:45pm - you have time to go out and eat and come back - make dinner reservations to be safe!

7:00 PM — Doors Open

8:00 PM — Vesuvius Music Showcase https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1081

Tickets and info: all links from Jaymz Bee's site: https://jaymzbee.com/movies/