Dollar Bin Delights: Xavier Cugat's Mambo at the Waldorf

Check out three tracks from bandleader Xavier Cugat's "Mambo at the Waldorf" 10" from 1952 with snazzy Art Seiden sleeve art. 

Peter Case shares video for a dying democracy "Somebody Told The Truth"

Watch "Somebody Told The Truth" off Peter Case's forthcoming album My Life To Live - Live At McCabe's out April 24.

If you can't find Peter Case's new album My Life To Live at a record shop near you, get it digitally via Apple Music here. 

Happy Birthday Antonio Adolfo!

Celebrating the birthday of Brazilian pianist Antonio Adolfo with a few of his timeless recordings along with a performance. 

B-Side Wins Again: Bobby & The Denos

Smith, Arkansas' Bobby & The Denos do a fine version of "Fever" but the B-side rockabilly ripper "Just Like Me" takes the cake.

Remembering innovative saxophonist/clarinetist Joe Maneri on his birthday

Raising a glass to microtonal saxophone master and educator Joe Maneri with a couple of stellar performances. 

LINKS 

The Cleopatra Record Listen to an interview with Joe Maneri from Oct 21, 1997 right here

Resonance releasing unissued live recordings by Joe Henderson, Yusef Lateef, Mal Waldron

Joe Henderson's Consonance 3LP set kicks off a series of Resonance releases from Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase club archives.

Here's the scoop...

UNISSUED JOE HENDERSON LIVE at JOE SEGAL'S JAZZ SHOWCASE in 1978! This is a major announcement for Resonance. Producer and Resonance co-president, Zev Feldman, began going through the massive tape archives of the legendary jazz impresario of Chicago, Joe Segal, back in 2011. Now, 15 years later, Resonance Records is launching a series of releases from Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase for Record Store Day (April 18, 2026) starting with Joe Henderson "Consonance: Live at the Jazz Showcase."

This is the first-ever release of saxophone titan Joe Henderson and his quartet featuring pianist Joanne Brackeen, bassist Steve Rodby and drummer Danny Spencer captured live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase in Chicago, IL in February of 1978. The limited-edition 180-gram 3-LP (and 2-CD, out April 24th) set was mastered from the original tapes by engineer and Resonance founder George Klabin and Resonance general counsel and co-producer of this album, John Koenig, with lacquers cut by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab in Salina, KS, and pressed at Quebec's boutique audiophile pressing plant Le Vinylist.

This is part of Resonance's debut launch of releases from Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase, marking the beginning of what will hopefully be a long line of incredible releases from the club's archives. The deluxe package includes newly curated liner notes by John Koenig, plus interviews with Joanne Brackeen, Steve Rodby, Danny Spencer, Joe Segal's son Wayne Segal and more. The striking cover photo was taken by Raymond Ross (CTSIMAGES), with design by Burton Yount.

JOE HENDERSON - CONSONANCE: LIVE AT THE JAZZ SHOWCASE

A1 - Mr. P. C. (24:00)

B1 - Inner Urge (26:46)

C1 - Invitation (22:15)

C2 - Relaxin' at Camarillo (7:41)

D1 - Recorda Me (23:33)

E1 - 'Round Midnight (16:10)

E2 - Good Morning Heartache (9:30)

F1 - Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (23:39)

F2 - Isotope (6:37)

• Resonance’s First Release from Joe Segal’s Extensive Archives Captures a Master at Full Stretch
• Limited-Edition 180 gram 3-LP package with liner notes by John Koenig, reflections by musicians on the album: Joanne Brackeen, Steve Rodby, Danny Spencer, plus Jazz Showcase owner Joe Segal’s son Wayne Segal
• Available Exclusively for Record Store Day on April 18, 2026
• 2000 vinyl copies

Some nights don’t just fade away after the last note has dissipated. They linger in the marrow, waiting for the right moment to be heard again. Consonance: Live at the Jazz Showcase is one of those nights. Recorded in February of 1978 at Joe Segal’s storied Jazz Showcase in Chicago, this newly unearthed performance captures saxophone titan Joe Henderson in bracing communion with a quartet that knew how to listen as hard as it played. Nearly five decades later, the music arrives as a revelation. It feels alive, active, and fiercely contemporary.

This limited-edition, 180-gram 3-LP set marks Resonance’s first-ever release from the Jazz Showcase archives, inaugurating a new chapter in producer Zev Feldman’s archival mission.

“Joe's archives comprise one of the greatest libraries of previously unissued jazz recordings in existence and we're very lucky that these documents were made and preserved,” says Feldman, who first discovered the treasure trove of recordings when he was introduced to Segal in 2011. The vinyl will be available for Record Store Day, April 18, 2026 with a 2-CD set to follow on April 24, what would have been Joe Segal’s 100th birthday.

Mastered from the original tapes by George Klabin and John Koenig, with lacquers cut by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab in Salina, Kansas, and pressed at Quebec’s boutique audiophile plant Le Vinylist, Consonance brings Henderson’s sound into the room with startling presence.

By 1978, Henderson had long since secured his place in the pantheon of jazz royalty. But categorizing him by era misses the point. His greatness wasn’t static, and he had the rare ability to be of his time without being trapped by it, to absorb the currents around him and redirect them through a singular voice. On Consonance, Henderson stands at a crossroads — post-bop wisdom in one hand, a restless future in the other — testing the strength of melody and rhythm in real time.

The quartet is essential to that alchemy. Pianist Joanne Brackeen brings a crystalline intelligence to the music, her lines darting and doubling back with a logic that’s as emotional as it is analytical. Bassist Steve Rodby — years before his work with Pat Metheny would bring him wider acclaim — anchors the band with a deep, elastic pulse. Drummer Danny Spencer rounds out the group with propulsion and nuance, never crowding the space Henderson leaves open, but never letting it cool either. Together, they form a unit that thrives on risk, the kind of ensemble that understands the weight of the music.

Joe Segal’s Jazz Showcase, the setting for this encounter, was no mere backdrop. It was a proving ground and a listening room where seriousness was a prerequisite and flash alone wouldn’t save you. Segal, a tireless advocate for the music, built a sanctuary for artists to stretch out and work through ideas in front of an audience that knew how to hold silence. The room’s intimacy sharpened the exchange between band and crowd, a feedback loop of concentration and release that’s palpable on tape.

Consonance is the sound of Henderson responding to that environment — probing, pressing, then laying back just enough to let the music breathe. His tenor carries that unmistakable mix of muscle and mercy: a burnished tone that can cut through steel, then soften into a whisper without losing authority. He phrases like someone telling the truth slowly, not leaving room for interruption. There’s urgency here, but also patience, and confidence that will give you everything.

The deluxe package deepens that story with newly curated liner notes by co-producer John Koenig, alongside interviews with Brackeen, Rodby, Spencer, and Wayne Segal, son of Joe Segal. Their reflections sketch a fuller portrait of the night and the ecosystem that made it possible: the trust between musicians, the discipline of the room, and the sense that something important could happen if everyone stayed present long enough.

For Brackeen, the date stands as a testament to Henderson’s generosity as a bandleader; his willingness to invite ideas rather than dictate them. Rodby recalls the elasticity of the set, how the music seemed to lengthen and contract in response to the moment. Spencer speaks to the balance required to drive the band without overwhelming it. And Wayne Segal situates the performance within his father’s lifelong commitment to creating space for artists to be fully themselves. These voices don’t annotate the music so much as echo it, extending the conversation across time.

Consonance feels especially vital now as it reframes Henderson as both a monument and collaborator. It reminds us that Henderson’s brilliance wasn’t just in his compositions or his résumé, but in his capacity to meet musicians where they were, and then push them somewhere new.

The sound quality honours the performance as well. Klabin and Koenig’s mastering preserves the dynamic range and tonal depth of the original tapes, while Lutthans’ lacquers translate that fidelity into a vinyl experience that rewards close listening. Le Vinylist’s pressing completes the chain with quiet surfaces and weighty presence, the kind that invites you to drop the needle and stay awhile.

As Resonance’s first release from the Jazz Showcase archives, Consonance sets a high bar and signals a future rich with possibility. These recordings are dispatched from rooms where the music was still being figured out, night by night. And to hear Henderson in that context is to understand jazz as a living practice that resists closure even as it accumulates history.

In the end, Consonance: Live at the Jazz Showcase isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about the kind of continuity that resonates long after the last note fades. Through his work, Henderson asked questions with rigor and grace, and on this Chicago night in 1978, he found answers that still ring true. For listeners willing to meet the music on its own terms, the reward is profound: a front-row seat to a master at work, listening forward.

Yusef Lateef – Alight Upon The Lake: Live at The Jazz Showcase

A1 - The Untitled (28:04)

B1- Mutually Exclusive (14:20)

B2 - Eboness (13:02)

C1- Inside Atlantis (19:40)

C2 - I Remember Webster (8:18)

D1- Dunia (10:21)

D2 - Opus 1 & 2 (17:09)

E1 - Golden Goddess (13:44)

E2 - Straighten Up & Fly Right (13:37)

F1- Yusef's Mood (24:00)

• Limited-Edition 180 gram 3-LP package with liner notes by Lateef biographer Herb Boyd plus an interview with Bennie Maupin 
• Available Exclusively for Record Store Day on April 18, 2026
• 1800 vinyl copies

Alight Upon the Lake: Live at the Jazz Showcase is a previously unissued recording of woodwind multi-instrumentalist icon Yusef Lateef featuring pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Bob Cunningham and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath captured live at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase in Chicago, IL in June of 1975. The limited-edition 180g, 3-LP set was mastered from the original tapes by engineer Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab in Salina, KS, and pressed at Quebec's boutique audiophile pressing plant Le Vinylist. The deluxe package includes newly curated liner notes by Lateef biographer Herb Boyd, plus interviews with woodwind master and Lateef mentee, Bennie Maupin, Joe Segal's son Wayne Segal and more.

Remembering blues great Eddie "Guitar" Burns on his birthday

Raising a glass to guitar and harmonica ace Eddie Burns with a few overlooked gems cut for J-V-B, Harvey and DeLuxe.

LINKS

The Country Blues The Eddie Burns Story

Paul Burch discusses his novel Meridian Rising based on the life of Jimmie Rodgers

Paul Burch recently sat down to discuss his new novel Meridian Rising with Peter Guralnick. 

Nashville singer/songwriter Paul Burch recently wrote a historical novel, Meridian Rising, based on his research into the life of legendary country music wellspring Jimmie Rodgers, who inspired Robert Johnson, Mississippi Sheiks, Hank Williams, Howlin' Wolf, Ernest Tubb, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan. 

Although Rodgers died of tuberculosis at the age of 35 on May 26, 1933, he remains to this day, the only artist ever voted into the country, blues, songwriters and rock 'n' roll halls of fame. The crafty Burch skillfully weaves together known fact and plausible fiction – blurring the line between myth and reality – to convincingly bring the reader into Rodgers' dangerous world of the travelling musician during the depression era. If you're not careful, you just might get lost in it.      

“What if all the stories about Jimmie Rodgers were true and someone could make you believe them? The result—from days at Coney Island to Rodgers asking Delta blues king Charley Patton to preach his funeral–is ‘Meridian Rising,’ a book of wonders.” — Greil Marcus, “Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock ‘n’ Roll Music”

If I was expecting anything from this mad, mad book, it was a straightforward rendering of Jimmie Rodgers' short, familiar life—not an action-packed noir, complete with gangsters and gun battles, a traveling nurse​ with a satchel of narcotics, the thoughtful voices of sadly forgotten bluesmen, beautiful automobiles, an indictment of the recording industry, lost, grieving children, and a meditation on family. All in 247 pages. The result is a crazy-in-the-best way, long-overdue corrective: it saves Jimmie Rodgers from his own legend. --Tony Early, author of Jim the Boy

We'll never know what it was really like inside Jimmie Rodgers's rambling mind, but now that I've read Paul Burch's take on it in Meridian Rising,, I can't hobo my way back to reality. See ya 'round the watertank. – Robert Gordon, author of Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion

Jimmie Rodgers comes a-yodelin' out of Paul Burch's novel as if he were with us today. This is a tour de force of musical imagination. - Roy Blount Jr, author of Save Room for Pie

Paul Burch has made up the truth of Jimmie Rodgers's life better than any mere "facts" could ever convey—even though you'd have to be in possession of a million biographical facts to pull off this kind of vernacular Huck Finn sleight-of-hand prose magic. I suspect the sleight-of-hand has something to do with the fact that Burch is a musician himself. He played his tune in the key of rollicky, mixed in with all the sadness. From start to end, I didn't hear a false note on the page. From start to end, this felt like such an authentic American story, in sore need of a new telling -- Paul Hendrickson, National Book Award finalist and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award 

Grab a copy of Paul Burch's novel Meridian Rising from University Of Georgia Press right here. Listen to a music companion to the book via Spotify right here. Check out Paul Burch's chat with Peter Guralnick followed by a couple of tunes from Paul Burch's 2016 song-cycle Meridian Rising (Plowboy Records).  

The Troggs vs. Ricky Nelson

In 1978, The Troggs put their own punk rock spin on Ricky Nelson's version of Johnny Burnette's "Just A Little Too Much"

Jamie Oliver, The Country Crooner w/ Steve Briggs & pals @ The Cameron House, Saturday

Jamie Oliver will be joined by guiarist Steve Briggs along with Matt Coldwell, Galen Pelley & Mike Eckert starting at 10 pm.

Remembering J Dilla on his birthday

Raising a glass to hip hop producer extraordinaire James Yancey aka J Dilla on his birthday with a interviews and more. 

R.I.P. Fred "Tonic" Smith of Television, Blondie, Fleshtones

Sadly, bassist Fred Smith – who played with Television, Blondie & The Fleshtones – has passed away at 77. He'll be greatly missed.

LINKS

Stereogum Television bassist Fred Smith dead at 77

Before They Were Famous: Dave Van Ronk

NYC folk legend Dave Van Ronk cut "Skiffle In Stereo" with pals Sam & Ann Charters and Spivey's Len Kunstadt in 1958. 

Orange Blossom Jug Five

Dave Van Ronk - Guitar

Sam Charters - cornet and guitar

Len "Kazoo Papa" Kunstadt - kazoo

Russell Glynn - jug

Ann Danberg aka Ann Charters - washboard

Bob Marley "King of Reggae" Birthday Celebration @ Lee's Palace, Saturday

The Pressure Drop & Bless Up selectas will be spinning reggae gems on vinyl in Bob Marley's honour at Lee's Palace on Saturday.

The 20th Anniversary of "King Of Reggae" Birthday Bash – Toronto’s longest-running Bob Marley birthday tribute takes place on Saturday, February 7th at Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor St. West), featuring Reggaddiction, Kairo McLean & Friendlyness, Pressure Drop & Bless Up selectas and more starting at 9 pm!

NuFunk Concerts proudly presents the city’s largest and longest-standing celebration of Bob Marley’s legacy. This iconic annual event showcases top-tier reggae talent while giving back to the community through food donations in support of the Parkdale Food Bank.

Join us at Lee’s Palace for an unforgettable night of live reggae. Enjoy a full set from the 10-piece powerhouse Reggaddiction, along with special surprise guests. The event also features exciting prize giveaways and a vibrant craft market. Tickets are $23.53 advance and available right here.

Hail up to Pressure Drop Selectors — DJs Guv’nor General and Chuck Boom. True legends of the Toronto reggae scene, from their early days at The Embassy in Kensington Market to their long-running annual Boxing Day Fundraiser. Over the years, they’ve shared stages with icons like Sister Nancy, Junior Cat, Stranger Cole, Carol Brown, Dub Connection Sound System, Jah Tubby’s, and Deadly Dragon Sound System featuring Screechy Dan.

No strangers to the Bob Marley Birthday Tribute, we’re blessed to welcome them back once again—spinning strictly 45s: roots reggae, rub-a-dub, dancehall, dub, rocksteady, and ska—fully powered by the 15,000-watt Bless Up Sound System. 

Check out the event preview clip along with some vintage Bob Marley footage.

Canadian hip hop pioneers Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee, Muzion get stamps!

Believe it or not, Canada Post has just issued a new series of stamps celebrating Canuck MC's Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee & Muzion!

Here's the scoop from Canada Post...

Our newest commemorative stamps pay tribute to three groundbreaking Canadian hip-hop artists Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee and Muzion. Each of these MCs pioneered a uniquely Canadian identity, with a sound influenced largely by musical styles and rhythms from Jamaica, Trinidad and Haiti. 

Maestro Fresh Wes  propelled Canadian hip-hop into the mainstream with groundbreaking hits that set new industry milestones. 

Michie Mee combined rap with dancehall and reggae to create an iconic sound that captivated fans. 

Montréal-based group Muzion layered French, English and Haitian Creole into their music, injecting the ever-evolving genre with a fresh new vibe. 

Learn more about our Hip-hop in Canada stamps here and pick up a set of today right here. 

Stamp designers: Noël Nanton, Nadia Molinari | typotherapy 

Stamp photographers:  

Maestro Fresh Wes: Wellington Williams; background by Edward James Rissling 

Michie Mee: Getty Images; background by Rick McGinnis (Rick McGinnis Photography) 

Muzion: Brigitte Henry; background by Marie-Michèle Bouchard

One For The Weekend: Duke Of Iron

Check out the swingin' "Calypso Invasion" by Duke Of Iron (center) and his Calypso Troubadors on Apollo Records. 

Sun Ra: Do The Impossible documentary airs on PBS, February 20

Christine Turner's new documentary "Sun Ra: Do The Impossible" screens as part of the American Masters series on PBS.  

Sun Ra: Do The Impossible

A kaleidoscopic portrait of the visionary jazz musician, composer, and poet known as Sun Ra and the musical, historical, and philosophical currents that shaped him.

Poet, philosopher, Egyptologist, bandleader. Jazz visionary Sun Ra was all of these—and more. With his ever-evolving band the Sun Ra Arkestra, he produced more than 200 albums, stretching the boundaries of free-form jazz while weaving ancient Egypt, interstellar metaphors, and scientific musings into a singular musical and spiritual vision of Afrofuturism that continues to reverberate across generations. Director Christine Turner takes us on an illuminating journey through the life of this multi-faceted artist, gracefully balancing recollections from the Arkestra’s still-devout band members and dancers with insightful interviews from music scholars, and unforgettable film and performance footage of Sun Ra himself. The result is a portrait—informative, inspiring, and mind-bending—of a man whose audacious vision, otherworldly imagination, and uncompromising artistry helped shape not only the sound of jazz, but the cultural landscape of the 20th century and beyond.

‍

ABOUT SUN RA 

Herman Poole Blount was born on May 22, 1914, in Birmingham, Alabama, and departed this earth on May 30, 1993, as Sun Ra. Along the way he became a conscientious objector, legally changed his name to Le Sony’r Ra, forged a vision of a Black Space Age future, created a big band that toured the world and continues to this day, wrote over 1000 jazz compositions, issued more than 200 self-produced records, pioneered the use of electronic keyboards,

and published volumes of broadsheets and poetry. Sun Ra reached back in time to ancient Egypt to claim civilization as Black and fused it with the dawn of the Space Age to assert Blackness as the very nature of the “omniverse. ” Compelling and strange, he claimed to have been “teleported” to Saturn, where he was told that the world would descend into chaos and that he must speak through music. Though his “Earth departure day” may have occurred more than three decades ago, his influence continues to grow with each successive generation.

‍

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

Christine Turner is a filmmaker whose portraits of artists, activists, and everyday people capture the beauty and struggle of life. Previously, her short documentary, The Barber of Little Rock (The New Yorker), about a local barber’s fight for a just economy, was nominated for Best Short Documentary at the 2024 Academy Awards. Her film J’Nai Bridges: Unamplified, released in 2023, follows the titular opera singer as she takes the stage in “A Knee on the Neck,” a tribute to George Floyd (PBS/American Masters). Other notable work includes: Lynching Postcards: ‘Token of a Great Day’ (Paramount+), which was nominated for a Peabody and won an NAACP Image Award; Homegoings (PBS/POV), a critically-acclaimed portrait of a renowned Harlem funeral director; and the two artist profiles Betye Saar: Taking Care of Business (New York Times Op-Docs) and Paint & Pitchfork (The New Yorker). Learn more at christineturner.com.

Watch a red carpet interview with Sun Ra: Do The Impossible director Christine Turner at the Tribeca Film Festival followed by the documentary trailer. 

 

Happy Birthday Ann Sexton!

Raising a glass to South Carolina-born soul diva Ann Sexton on her birthday with a couple of smokin' performances. 

Whaddya mean you don't know Munetaka Inoue and his Sharp Five

Check out drummer Munetaka Inoue and his Sharp Five crew ripping through a few of their faves Eleki-style. 

Lori Yates with Derek Downham @ Friar's Music Museum, Thursday

If you're near Shopper's Drug Mart (283 Yonge) on Thursday at 12:30 pm, swing by for Lori's set with Derek on the 2nd floor. 

Midweek Mixdown: HonkyTonk Jukebox: Crackpot Country

Dallas DJ Bryan C takes some of his fave offbeat country 45s for a spin on his HonkyTonk Jukebox podcast.  

Here's the scoop... 

Straight outta Dallas, DJ Bryan C spins classic juke joint, outlaw and Texas country on vinyl 45s for his HonkyTonk Jukebox podcast in a bid to save country music seven inches at a time. For show #161, he takes a crooked path less travelled through the oddball terrain of what he calls "Crackpot Country" which includes Hank Penny singing about his love for Molasses, Lois Williams crooning about her obsession with a certain Hee-Haw cast member, Faron Young wacky exploration of Dingaka and much more. 

Listen to HonkyTonk Jukebox show #161: Crackpot Country via Mixcloud right here. 

Check out the complete tracklist below.   

HonkyTonk Jukebox #161 – Crackpot Country

Hank Penny- I Like Molasses (RCA Victor)

Cal Smith - It Takes Me All Night Long (Kapp)

Lois Williams - I Fell In Love With A Feller On The Hee Haw Show ( Starday)

Faron Young - Dingaka (Mercury)

Ernest Tubb & Red Foley Dr Ketchum (Decca)

Jay Gardner - Big Mouth Woman (EIm)

Walt Wilder - I Love What's In My Arms (Homa)

Johnny Free - Lusty Lady (Pageboy)

Billy Gray & The Cowtowners - How Would She Look In A Kitchen (CMR)

Rudy Preston - Goat Ropers Need Love Too (Showman)

Jethro Burns - Dolly Parton's Sweet On Me (RCA)

Carl Dobkins Jr - Linda The Motel Maid (Chalet)

Tony Burris - White Lines And Dirty Minds (Tony Burris Music)

Kirk Hansard - Nudist Colony (Chart)

BJ Wright - JR (Soundwave)

JIm Furst - The Milkman's Get Your Wife (KDR)

Chuck Penny - Don't Forget To Feed The Cat (TIM)

Mark Grothier - Fore In The Morning (Stop)

Cal Cavendish - U-Haul Trailer (Westmount)

Chuck Wagon & The Wheels - The Gas Song (Let's Drop The Neutron) (Wagontracks) 

JG Thirlwell releases the final Foetus studio album "Halt"

JG Thirlwell's last Foetus album HALT is out now on double vinyl, digipak CD and digital download. Get it on wax while you can. 

Here's the scoop...

The long awaited and highly acclaimed final Foetus album HALT is available NOW on double coloured vinyl, deluxe digipak CD and digital. Both physical versions are close to being sold out and are being repressed. The second pressing of the vinyl will come in a slightly different colour, Habernero Red blend for the first vinyl and Grey Matter blend for the second vinyl.

HALT has been variously hailed by Foetus followers as “JG’s best work”, “so freaking good”, “this album is PERFECT” and “a masterpiece”. You can order the album from JG's own Foetus site here or Bandcamp here. 

What the media is saying...

“The end of the Foetus project has been on Thirlwell’s own terms – controlled, deliberate, and uncompromising to the last….It’s a reflection of Thirlwell as a writer, creator, composer, and also as a human being. From pre-boy to man – Foetus has left the building.” - Wesley Doyle, The Quietus

“Despite its overwhelmingly dark themes, the album is refreshing in its singular approach and an artist’s willingness to use his platform to explore humanity’s collective dysfunction.” - Mike, Avant Music News

Check out a couple of podcast interviews with JG Thirlwell, some performance footage along with "Succulence" off Halt. 

Happy 70th Birthday Lee Ranaldo!

Celebrating 70th birthday of Sonic Youth co-founder Lee Ranaldo with a few old faves performed with his pals in Yo La Tengo. 

R.I.P. Stick Men With Ray Guns bassist Bobby Beeman

Sadly, bassist Bobby Beeman of Texas punk crew Stick Men With Ray Guns has passed away after a lengthy illness. 

Writes SMWRG mainman Clarke Blacker...

As many of you already know, Stick Men With Ray Guns bassist Bobby Beeman has passed away after a long illness. Although Bobby was the last to join the band, he instantly became an integral part of everything. I always trusted his judgement above my own in all things concerning the band. He was a terrific partner and I will miss him always. My thoughts go out to his family in this difficult time. 

I feel broken knowing that he's not there, and won't ever be there again. I hope that Scott is aware of what has happened, but we haven't spoken in probably 25 years and he wanted to disassociate himself from the band. I've honored his wishes. If anyone out there can reach him, please let him know about Bobby. Despite the estrangement, I think that he might want to know. 

Goodbye Bobby.

Charles Hackbarth shows his Mercury Blues drawings @ Mercury Espresso Café, Feb 2-28

Toronto artist Charles Hackbarth has his boffo new drawings on display in Leslieville at Mercury Espresso Café (915 Queen St. E). 

Remembering saxophone great Sonny Stitt on his birthday

Raising a glass to Sonny Stitt – born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. in Boston – with a few stellar performances. 

Ottawa's Atlantis Jazz Ensemble preview "Mystic Suite" album with "Damocles"

Pierre Chrétien and his Atlantis Jazz Ensemble return with Mystic Suite, another amazing spiritual jazz gem out February 27th. 

ATLANTIS JAZZ ENSEMBLE – MYSTIC SUITE

Let us take you back. Waaay back. According to early Greek mythology, the three powerful sons of the god Kronos divided up the cosmos after overthrowing their father: Poseidon ruled the sea, Zeus commanded the heavens, and Hades reigned over the underworld. Conversely, this latest offering from the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble completes the group’s corresponding trilogy – "Oceanic Suite" (2016), "Celestial Suite" (2023), and now "Mystic Suite" (2026).

As you might expect, this "Mystic Suite", inspired by Hades’ supernatural realm, is perhaps the most intense, unusual and sublime of the three albums. It channels the energy of the spiritual jazz offered back in the 1970s by labels such as Strata-East, Tribe and Black Jazz, mixed with the urgency presented by the best of today’s jazz underground, fiercely struggling and searching for meaning within this era of global tumult. This is a meaningful record, driven by human connection, the kind that is only possible when like-minded musicians interact face-to-face within the same room.

The set flows as smoothly as the mythical River Styx. The Fender Rhodes electric piano starts things off slowly by churning an ominous brew during the intro to “Damocles”, before the full band drops a dark Elvin Jones-style mambo, set in a menacing Phrygian mode. The Coltranian vibes continue on the spiritually-charged “Spirits Unseen”, a fast-paced jazz waltz exploring the possibilities of polymodality, before settling into the softer contemplative sonorities of “Persephone”. Side A closes off with the sinuous bossa-tinged “As the River Flows”, before Side B picks things up again with the otherworldly harmonies of “Elysian Fields”. The 12/8 polyrhythms of “Asphodel Meadows” and the highlife jazz of “Gates of the Sun” bring in percussion-heavy Afro sounds into the mix, before things wind down with the horn-drenched melancholy soul-jazz of “Broken Dreams”.

It’s also worth mentioning that the core quintet of the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble is joined here by brilliant tenor saxophonist Petr Cancura, an alum of bassist Cecil McBee’s group, relocated to Canada after a long stint in New York City, as well as versatile percussionist Marielle Rivard, best known for her work as member of the Souljazz Orchestra. Engineer and co-producer Jason Jaknunas recorded the album live off-the-floor at his Metropolitan Studios location, subsequently mastering it to his beloved 1965 Studer Revox G36 all-tube 2-track tape machine. Cover artwork is based on a late 19th century water-colour sketch by Norwegian artist and explorer Fridtjof Nansen.

"Mystic Suite" is the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble’s 3rd album and is released by Marlow Records in vinyl LP, CD, and digital formats on February 27th 2026. LP format was meticulously cut, plated and pressed in Canada at Precision Record Pressing's state-of-the-art facility. Vinyl copies of Mystic Suite will be available at The Record Centre (1099 Wellington St., Ottawa) after the February 27th release date.

Personnel:

Ed Lister - trumpet, flugelhorn

Zakari Frantz - alto saxophone, percussion

Pierre Chrétien - electric piano, percussion

Chris Pond - bass

Mike Essoudry - drums

with:

Petr Cancura - tenor saxophone, percussion

Marielle Rivard - percussion

R.I.P. Billy Bass Nelson, 1951-2026

Sadly, founding Funkadelic bassist "Billy Bass" Nelson has passed away days after his 75th birthday. Billy played on many more recordings than you know. 

Session bassist Bob Babbitt shared his memories of Billy Bass...

Story Time: Billy Nelson recruited Eddie Hazel to join the Parliaments rhythm section on August of 1967. About a month later they picked up Tiki Fulwood at the Uptown in Philly. A few months after that those three decided to become their own group Funkadelic. But a year later they all left Detroit. Tiki went to work for Tyrone Davis. Eddie & Billy tried a thing called Sparky & the Pimpadelics (with Brad Innis & Herb Sparkman) that didn't work-out. Billy went to work for Bill Doggett. And Eddie went back to Detroit to put a live "Funkadelic" band together while studio musicians (Babbitt, Monette, Coffey, Hunter, Van Dyke & Andrew Smith) played on the the sessions for 6 of the albums 7 tracks (Music for My Mother was already done). Tracks like What is Soul & Mommy What's a Funkadelic were jams Billy & Eddie put together in rehearsals during the summer of '68. GC took the entire writing credit for both!

Studio musicians were used because there was NO band at the time, not because they couldn't play. Anyhow, when Eddie Hazel returned to Detroit in early '69 he brought Tawl Ross with him from Plainfield to play bass. They picked up Mickey Atkins (organ) and drummer Zachary Frazier (or Slater) from the 20 Grand Lounge house band. But the band never really clicked like before. GC begged Billy to come back and sort out the band as the album was being completed. Billy took bass, Tawl moved over to rhythm, Tiki agreed to come back and Billy recruited Bernie Worrell from Plainfield. Billy, Eddie, Tiki, Tawl & Bernie became the band. Those are the five pictured on the back of the first album even though they played on little of it. Frazier-Slater was free to go join McKinley Jackson's Politicians where he was the drummer on a number of H-D-H & Motown sessions through the mid-70's. I've never heard any more about Mickey Atkins.

Funkadelic stayed intact for about two years recording Free Your Mind & Maggot Brain as well as Parliament's Osmium album & their singles Red Hot Mama & Breakdown for Invictus (uncredited until a few years back), they were also recorded on most of the sessions for Ruth Copeland's two Invictus albums, although others did participate. Again uncredited until just a couple of years ago. Its often claimed that the Parliaments sang on Free Your Mind & Maggot Brain but Funkadelic did their own lead vocals. In the fall of '71 it ended, period! Tawl left the group, Tiki Left the group. Billy & Eddie quit to go work for Motown. Eddie was there for about seven years, Billy over 10. Funkadelic's '72 follow-up "America Eats its Young" was in part recorded from rehearsal tapes by the made original band.

Billy Bass & George Clinton with Chairmen Of The Board

While at Motown Billy & Eddie can be heard on the "finished" recordings by so many well known artists and on so many hit records. Norman Whitfield loved Funkadelic especially Billy and used him on tons of sessions from '71 - '83. Norman never saw fit to give Billy a single credit until the Tempts Back to the Basics LP in '83!! 12 Years!! The only proof we have that Billy played Bass on Car Wash is that his name is listed at the end of the movie. But he plays bass on nearly every Rose Royce track from the film. Norman used Billy & Eddie on Undisputed Truth & Temptations albums all the time. But it wasn't until the Jeffrey Bowen produced A Song for You & Wings of Love LPs (as well as Bonnie Pointer's '78 solo LP) when they got FINALLY got credit. Billy got that bass sound on Happy People & Shakey Ground by plugging directly into the mixing board. The sound was so out-front that they had to give him credit. Billy is all over the Commodores stuff. He had to play a majority of the bass lines on their first three albums (Machine Gun, Caught in the Act & Mobvin On). After that, Billy had to often teach Ron LaPread the bass-lines to songs like Brick House note for note, and Ron gets a writing credit!! LaPread even went as far as to go out and get himself a BC Rich bass like Billy's to try to copy "his own" sound. They either recorded or re-recorded the bass & guitar parts on so many sessions.

Yet, so many think that the only thing they played on was A Song for You. Of course who'd believe they're on Love Machine, Eddie Kendricks, Smokey Robinson, Rose Banks, Jackson 5ive, Willie Hutch, etc. Same thing at Invictus after the earlier studio guys went either east or west. Guys like Billy, Eddie, Bernie & Donald Baldwin stepped-in and played on a lot of sessions recorded for Invictus during '73 & '74 including the Chairman of the Board's Skin I'm In LP which features the hit Finder's Keepers. Again, no credit. I spoke to Billy about 10 days ago, and the bruh is still working and struggling. We have a very good mutual friend who was present at many of the sessions that Billy played on including just about all of the Commodores sessions. (professionally speaking) I've been asked to look into a few "financial" matters and I KNOW EXACTLY how much Billy has made from residuals & Royalties for all his contributions to P-Funk, Invictus & Motown.

So I got nothing but empathy for Bob Babbitt & so many other musicians who've added so much to the enjoyment of our lives because, other than a band salary while on tour and the session fees they were paid 25-30-35 years ago MOST of these players NEVER got paid anything else. And they don't have the face or name recognition to trade-on, like singers or vocal groups. They only have their resume's, which appear to be a "pack of lies" on the surface because there's no credit to be found hardly anywhere.