Lykke Li vs. Lill Lindfors

Lykke Li covered Lill Lindfors' Du är den ende for the Swedish thriller Tommy. She's at the Kool Haus tonight.

Shovels & Rope @ The Phoenix, Tuesday

Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst's third album Swimmin' Time is out now on Dualtone. 

Whaddya mean you don't know Braz Gonsalves?

Goan saxophonist Braz Gonsalves, an early Indo-jazz innovator, is featured on Spiritual Jazz 5: The World.

Strut continues South African jazz dig with Julian Bahula retrospective

The fourth chapter in Strut's excellent Next Stop Soweto series is Spirit of Malombo due October 21.

Spirit of Malombo: Malombo, Jabula, Jazz Afrika 1966-84 (Strut)

Disc 1
01 Malombo Jazz Makers Plus 2 - Bahula Dithabeng
02 Malombo Jazz Men - Abie's Mood
03 Malombo Jazz Makers - Hleziphi
04 Malombo - Malombo Workshop
05 Malombo Jazz Makers - Matshenyogo
06 Malombo Jazz Makers - Bababelo
07 Malombo - Bird Meets Elephant
08 Malombo Jazz Makers - Abbey's Body
09 Malombo Jazz Makers Plus 2 - Away From Malombo's
10 Malombo Jazz Makers - Jikeleza
11 Malombo Jazz Makers - Sefuralong
12 Malombo Jazz Makers - Sibathathu

Disc 2
01 Jabula - Sorrows (extract)
02 Jabula - Let Us Be Free
03 Jabula - Thunder Into Our Hearts
04 Jabula - Journey To Africa
05 Jabula - Mathome
06 Jabula - All For One
07 Julian Bahula's Jazz Afrika - Woza Cindi
08 Jabula - Siakala
09 Julian Bahula's Jazz Afrika - Tlhompho
10 Jabula Happiness
11 Ithumeleng Ba Mamelodi
12 Botlokwa
13 Julian Bahula - Heita Cindi

Happy Birthday Gary Bartz!

Here's a live rip through Juju Man from Bremen, Germany November 1979. 

Neil Young records new Storeytone album with 92-piece orchestra

Neil Young's epic Storeytone album is reportedly set for release on November 4. It'll sound like this...

Two For The Weekend: Mark Lanegan

"I Am The Wolf" & "Harvest Home" are from Mark Lanegan's Phantom Radio album out Oct. 21 on Heavenly.

Nostalgia 77 gets dubwise overhaul from Prince Fatty

Prince Fatty Meets Nostalgia 77 in the Kingdom of Dub is out now on Tru Thoughts.

In the words of Ben Lamdin aka Nostalgia 77...

"I met Mike Pelanconi via a mutual acquaintance in the spring of 2005. Our friend dealt in rare ideas on subjects ranging from the occult to the ephemeral. A self made man, his passion for the heady pursuits of the mind fascinated, engaged and united us. Afternoons were often spent in his central Brighton office discussing politics, film, and not least music, and that gilded palace’s fading empire.

"I myself was still a novice and could only claim to be learning the craft of music making, while Mike, though still a young man, was already a veteran of the industry and had taken refuge in Brighton to recover from the gruelling demands of running his own premises in Wood Green. In the Brighton mix room, the snapshot of the Neve control room at Wood Green took pride of place on the wall, Pultec equalizers flanking Mike like grey-blue henchmen. He confronts the camera like an audiophile Neal Cassidy.

"As I had just formed the first live incarnation of Nostalgia 77 I recruited Mike to do our first live recording. Live at the Jazz Cafe was the band’s second gig. We were full of enthusiasm for the music and, although rough, the recording has a great energy. The dub of Zombie Dance comes from this session... It showed us the worlds of dub and jazz could clash with powerful results. 

"From this point it seemed like a door had opened into the world of recording, on one side of me powerful musicians and on the other an eccentric and talented engineer; and we set about organising a residential trip to a barn in Wales. Returning to Brighton with the hard disks full, we assembled some classic tools, EMT plate reverb, Pultecs, Fairchild and a Studer 2 track machine for mixdown. The resulting album, Borderlands – released under the Nostalgia 77 Octet name - set me clearly on a new path, leaving the 1210s and samples on one side in favour of manuscripts and microphones. The hit was strong and the high enduring.

"Pelanconi's alter ego Prince Fatty, long in gestation, was gaining more and more strength. During this time Mike was still working for the industry, 'flipping burgers', as he used to say. But it was clear that it was the dub that kept the studio ticking and the spirit of rebellion that powered Fatty's soundsystem-distressing productions. Legends started appearing at the villa studio. Coffee on the step would now be taken with reggae greats like Little Roy, Alcapone, Winston Francis. 

"Our collaboration continued; I would take my projects to mix at Mike’s:  Nostalgia 77, The Broken Keys, the Konkoma record for Soundway... jazz for Jamie Cullum and so on. Meanwhile Prince Fatty productions for Hollie Cook, Mutant HiFi and Little Roy, and his own projects and dub LPs, continued apace. The rhythms piled up - probably there is already more recorded than can ever be released.

"This record is a snapshot of the worlds of jazz and dub colliding. Not for the faint hearted, these tracks, bastards as they are of two estranged parents. Two such different styles in many ways, or so they have become, but jazz and dub share so many roots as is plain to hear in the swing of New Orleans, the Jamaican mento or ska, the prophesies of Sun Ra or the praises of the Nyabinghi. But perhaps what truly unites lovers of these two musical dynasties is the spirit of rebellion that lies at the heart of both. 

"As the music industry slowly becomes more and more a pale shadow of the industrial complex it serves, true characters become fewer and farther between and the character of rebellion harder to ignite. If old musical styles are to continue to sound relevant they must capture the true spirit of the form, not just ape the sound and tropes of the style. In all walks the people are there, working for an alternative sound, propelled by a creative imperative rather than motivated by profit, cache or kudos. Be it the rockers, retro rastas, soul boys or electronic pioneers, it is precisely at times such as this that we need the non-conformist spirit, the righteous and rebellious, the eccentric and the freaky. We need less Bruce Bannerman more Hulk, less Jekyll more Mr Hyde, less semi-skimmed more FAT."

Terry Malts vs The Chills

Listen to San Francisco's Terry Malts take on The Chills' B-side Hidden Bay from 1984.

Happy Birthday John Coltrane!

Celebrating the great jazz innovator on his day with the documentary The World According To John Coltrane.

Midweek Mixdown: DJ Sheep

Nick Cave's 20,000 Days On Earth opens @ TIFF Bell Lightbox, Friday

Nick Cave and longtime pal Kylie Minogue blur the boundries between narrative and documentary film. 

The acclaimed film from UK visual artists Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard, 20,000 Days On Earth weaves drama and reality in a fictionalized 24 hours in the life of musician, author and actor Nick Cave.

Cave’s story is both extraordinary and strikingly universal. It takes us deep into the heart of how myth, memory, love and loss, shape each and every one of our lives, every single day.

The genre-defying film explores the creative process, encounters collaborators from Cave’s past and bears witness to startlingly frank insights from this icon of modern culture. It reveals what makes us who we are and what influences who we want to become – ultimately, it is a love letter to the transformative power of the human spirit. Watch the trailer below followed by a stage reunion of Cave and Kylie Minogue.




"During the making of 20,000 Days on Earth, we asked Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds to play an intimate club show at Koko in London, a beautiful old Victorian music hall. We wanted to do something special for the fans, so while we were filming the scenes with Nick and Kylie in Brighton he asked her if she'd like to come and sing their infamous duet.

Kylie jumped at the chance, and a few weeks later walked out on stage and performed Where The Wild Roses Grow live with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds for the first time in 15 years. This moment was such a highlight for everyone who was there that we wanted to share it with everyone." 

Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard 

The Black Lips w/King Khan & BBQ Show @ The Phoenix, Thursday

The Black Lips and King Khan & BBQ's unholy tour alliance rolls into T.O. Thursday. 

Hiss Golden Messenger @ The Horseshoe, tonight

Hiss Golden Messenger's fifth studio album Lateness Of Dancers is out now on Merge.

Happy 80th Birthday Leonard Cohen!

Toasting the Canuck icon on his day with the choir! choir! choir! version of Hallelujah.

Watch Elizabeth Shepherd's Willow video

Elizabeth Shepherd's new album The Signal is out September 30.  She's playing the Music Gallery Nov 15. 

One For The Weekend: Tory Lanez

 "Mama Told Me" is off the Lost Cause album from fast-rising Toronto MC Tory Lanez coming to The Drake.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES
10/02 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
10/04 El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
10/08 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
10/09 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
10/10 Dallas, TX @ Trees
10/12 Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
10/13 Boston, MA @ Middle East Upstairs
10/15 New York, NY @ The Studio at Webster Hall
10/16 Burlington, VT @ Signal Kitchen
10/17 Buffalo, NY @ Waiting Room
10/19 Toronto, ON @ The Drake Underground

RIP Kenny Wheeler, 1930-2014

The Toronto-born jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader passed away in London today. He'll be missed.

Watch the debut video from Montréal's Heat

Here's the Jimmi Francoeur-shot clip for "Rooms" from Heat's 5-track EP. No Toronto dates scheduled.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES 
20/09/14 Brooklyn Bazaar, BROOKLYN, NY w/ Those Darlins
23/09/14 Cabaret du Mile End, MONTREAL, QC w/ The Drums
02/10/14 Starlight, WATERLOO, ON w/ Alvvays
04/10/14 Call The Office, LONDON, ON w/ Alvvays
05/10/14 Casbah, HAMILTON, ON w/ Alvvays
12/10/14 Le National, MONTREAL, QC w/ Foxygen
21/10/14 Pianos, NEW YORK, NY w/ Casual Sex, Baby In Vain
22/10/14 Union Pool - yvynyl showcase - BROOKLYN, NY
23/10/14 Mercury Lounge, NEW YORK, NY
24/10/14 Arlenes Grocery, NEW YORK, NY w/ Lydia Ainsworth, Solids
24/10/14 Shea Stadium, BROOKLYN, NY w/ Paws, Solids
08/11/14 Bistro Mouton Noir, VAL-DAVID, QC w/ Solids
29/11/14 Brasseurs Dunham, DUNHAM, QC w/ Chocolat
07/02/15 Trou du diable, SHAWINIGAN, QC w/ Chocolat

Toronto's Das Rad opening for Wand @ Smiling Buddha, Friday

Das Rad's krautishly raging debut album Radiation is available through Pleasence Records.

Watch Public Animal's High Pony video

High Pony is off Public Animal's rip-snortin' new Habitat Animal album available here.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES:

Oct 3  Toucan – Kingston, ON
Oct 4  The Windsor Tavern – Vankleek Hill*, ON
Nov 1 This Ain't Hollywood – Hamilton, ON w/ Catl 
Nov 2 Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON
Nov 14  This Ain't Hollywood, Hamilton, ON w/ BAJohnston 
Nov 15 Windsor – The Fish Market 
Nov 29 Montreal – L'Esco

* The Gingerbread Capital of Ontario

Happy Birthday Hank Williams!

Morgan Neville's Honky Tonk Blues doc offers an unvarnished view of Hank Williams' life. 

Nick Waterhouse w/PEP @ The Mod Club, Wednesday

The fab new Nick Waterhouse album Holly is out now on Innovative Leisure. 

LINKS: 
Site http://nickwaterhouse.com/
Label http://www.innovativeleisure.net/artists/nick-waterhouse/
Read the unexpectedly entertaining Ottawa Citizen Q&A O9/13/2014

Happy Birthday Israel "Cachao" Lopéz!

Remembering innovative Cuban bassist/composer Cachao with a peak period cooker.

Catl vs. Abner Jay

Don't miss Catl with Bradleyboy at the Dakota Tavern tonight.

Live from New York, it's the Sun Ra Arkestra!

Here's proof that Saturday Night Live once presented adventurous music – back in 1978. 

Nite Jewel opening for How To Dress Well @ The Mod Club, tonight

Don't miss Nite Jewel open the show at the Mod Club tonight at 7 pm. 

RIP Cosimo Matassa, 1926-2014

Iconic New Orleans studio owner and engineer Cosimo Matassa died Thursday at the age of 88.

The Dirty Nil record release party @ The Horseshoe, tonight!

John Cameron vs. Geoff Barrow vs. Phantogram

Geoff Barrow's inspiration for Charlie's Theme came from John Cameron's Psychomania OST.

Unissued & unheard 1970 album by The JBs with Bootsy Collins due November 28

The "lost" album by James Brown's JBs backing group featuring Bootsy Collins is being issued by Now Again.

In 1970 James Brown perfectly captured a definitive moment in modern music when he called Bootsy Collins into the studio to record the tracks that would be These Are The J.B.’s, a title given to a King Records test-press LP that was never released, and only rumored to exist.

This album is the epitome of funk music, Brown’s innovation that influenced everything that came after it, from Afro-beat to disco to hip-hop. And if there is any funk ensemble as influential as Brown’s in the post-“Cold Sweat” musical landscape, it’s the Bootsy Collins/Parliament/Funkadelic contingent. Those two streams, as Grammy-winning James Brown historian Alan Leeds details in this album’s liner notes, converged for the first time here, making this a Rosetta Stone of funk’s dominant idioms.

This link between Brown’s funk and all that followed features Bootsy and his young band running through twelve-minute instrumental take of Marva Whitney’s “It’s My Thing,” replete with blues chord changes, alongside interpretations of the Meters, Kool and the Gang and none other than Jimi Hendrix. This is a young band’s James Brown-turned-on-his-head style of funk that they nail in a one-minute vamp that embodies the essence of the psychedelic-flavored music that would propel them into the orbit of George Clinton’s mothership.

This is the first commercial issue of this 4-song album, overseen by Now Again’s Eothen “Egon” Alapatt alongside Leeds and Universal Music Group’s resident James Brown expert Harry Weinger. It was mastered specifically for vinyl by Elysian Master’s Dave Cooley, from the original two-track stereo master that James Brown and his engineer Ron Lenhoff delivered to production forty-four years ago. It’s packaged in a thick, “tip-on” jacket, with a booklet with liner notes by Leeds and Alapatt and unpublished photographs.

These Are The J.B.'s, the previously unreleased and unheard 1970 album by James Brown’s backing band the JB’s featuring Bootsy Collins will be released on November 28, 2014. 

Limited to 3000 pieces – VINYL ONLY.  Pre-order your copy right here.

Lee Fields & The Expressions @ The Horseshoe, tonight

Whaddya mean you don't know the Como Mamas

Angela Taylor, Della Daniels and Ester Mae Smith are back with a smokin' new Como Mamas 45.

Brooklyn's Ikebe Shakedown opens for Lee Fields @ The Horseshoe, Tuesday

Check out Ikebe Shakedown's latest Ubiquity album "Stone By Stone" right here. 

The Five Dollars vs The Orchids

Andre Williams and his Five Dollars crew destroyed the Orchids version of I Can't Refuse in 1955.

Dr. John plays Louis Armstrong's piano

Dr. John's salute to Louis Armstrong, Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit Of Satch, is out now.  

The Blasters rock the Horseshoe, tonight

Daptone drops rare Relatives' gospel-psych gem on their Ever-Soul subsidiary

Relatives drummer Earnest Tarkington holds the limited version of Don't Let Me Fall.

Rev. Gean West had been leading Gospel groups for almost 20 years when he formed The Relatives in 1970. While dedicated to spreading The Word, the new band had what West called a "street sound" in keeping with the increasingly funky music of black America. Two younger members of The Relatives, Rev. West's brother Tommie and guitarist Charles Ray Mitchell, we're very much under the influence of Eddie Hazel and Funkadelic when they cut the psychedelic gospel burner, "Don't Let Me Fall."  Self-released as a tiny batch of 45's in the early 1970's – and nearly impossible to find today outside of The Relatives' Don't Let Me Fall album reissue from 2009 on Heavy Light Records – this is the first time the song "Don't Let Me Fall" has been reissued on 7-inch.

In 1975, The Relatives went into the studio of legendary Texas engineer Phil York with a reinvigorated line-up and a new set of songs. From this inspired recording session came "Leave Something Worthwhile." Featuring a powerful group vocal soaring over Earnest Tarkington's funky drums and Zebbie Thomas' guitar licks, it's hard to believe this track sat unreleased for over 30 years. After years of requests that "Worthwhile" be pressed as a 45,  Ever-Soul is proud to release it for the first time on 7-inch which you can mailorder from the Daptone online store right here.

Note: The limited edition lime green version is now sold out.

Happy Birthday Joki Freund

Remembering the late great Frankfurt saxophonist Joki Freund with a 1963 swinger off Yogi Jazz.

The 9th Annual Patsy Cline Birthday Show @ Lula Lounge, tonight!

Here are a few rare Patsy Cline performances to get you in the swing of this evening's big event. 

The 9th Annual Patsy Cline Birthday Show 
@ Lula Lounge (1585 Dundas St. West) 
Doors: 7 pm, Showtime: 8:30 pm. 
Admission: $15. Reservations: 416-588-0307.

Performers:
Heather Morgan – host
Alex Pangman
Russell deCarle (Prairie Oyster)
Kathryn Rose
Blair Packham
Gill Deacon (CBC's Here & Now)
Danny Marks
Ori Dagan
Sarah Butler (The Millwinders)
Cindy Diore (Scarlet Jane)
Ginger St James
Melanie Brulee
Julie Michels
Helen Stewart
Kim Doolittle
Samantha Windover
Jamie Browning
Angie Gunn
Margaret Stowe

Band members:
Steve Briggs of the Bebop Cowboys (bandleader guitarist)
Nichol Robertson – guitar
Denis Keldie – keyboards
Dennis Pendrith – upright bass
Cam Giroux – drums
Ted Hawkins – harmony vocals

Happy Birthday Emil Richards!

Master percussionist Emil Richards has played on nearly 2000 film and television soundtracks.