Nick Fraser's Special Topics @ The Tranzac Club, Monday

Drummer deluxe Nick Fraser gets down improv-style with Max Stover, Kae Murphy & Josh Cole at the Tranzac tonight at 9:30 pm

Nick returns to the Tranzac with Drumheller featuring Brodie West & Eric Chenaux on Wednesday (May 13) at 7 pm. PWYC!

Remembering pianist/composer Mary Lou Williams on her birthday

Remembering jazz pianist/composer and mentor Mary Lou Williams with a 1976 interview, a 1978 performance in Nice and more. 

Remembering sax blaster Willis "Gator Tail" Jackson on his birthday

Remembering crossover saxophone great Willis Jackson with his namesake tune and his '64 floor filler "Nuther'n Like Thuther'n."

Remembering saxophone great Dexter Gordon on his birthday

Celebrating the birthday of tenor titan Dexter Gordon with Don McGlynn's documentary "More Than You Know," and much more.  

Remembering influential percussionist/composer Chano Pozo on his birthday

Raising a glass to Cuban conguero Chano Pozo – a key player in the evolution of Afro-Cuban jazz – with a few recordings and more.

Remembering trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr. on his birthday

Remembering free jazz trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr. (who passed away in 2014) with some rare performance footage. 

Whaddya mean you don't know Tõnu Naissoo

Listen to a few tracks from Estonian keyboard ace Tõnu Naissoo's Shapes and Colours album and some earlier work. 

Tõnu Naissoo's Shapes and Colours LP

Embark on a musical journey with “Shapes and Colours,” the first album produced at Jazzaggression’s Pelto Studio in Siuntio, Finland. The creative team at Pelto Studio had the privilege of collaborating with the highly acclaimed Estonian composer and musician, Tõnu Naissoo, for their first recording session. Tõnu’s reputation as a talented composer and performer precedes him, with a large following in Estonia and Japan.

Recorded during the Summer of 2022, Tõnu showcased his musical prowess with the classic electric piano Rhodes MK2, and an impresssive array of vintage synthesizers. Backed up by the in-house studio group of Aleksi Heinola on drums, Teemu Åkerblom on acoustic and electric bass, and Markus Holkko on reeds and flute. This collaborative effort resulted in a unique blend of pre-composed material and spontaneous compositions, capturing the joyous energy of the season.

With the dynamic soundscape of the late 70’s/early 80’s era, “Shapes and Colours” is a testament to the vitality of library/mood music with a touch of jazz and funk. Get ready to be transported to a summery vibe, as the vibrant compositions showcase the sheer talent of Tõnu Naissoo and the Pelto Studio team.

This is the first album in our New Library Series, celebrating the library music legacy with newly recorded material from musicians of all ages. In a genre beding, creative and experimental setting.

Get a copy of Tõnu Naissoo's Shapes and Colours limited edition 180 gram vinyl with obi, insert inside and digital download included via JazzAggression Records right here. Check out a few tracks below. 

 

LINKS

JazzAggression Records Tonu Naissoo's Shapes and Colours LP

R.I.P. jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan, 1928-2025

Sadly, legendary jazz singer and educator Sheila Jordan has passed away at the age of 96. She'll be greatly missed.

Alex Goodman & Reg Schwager @ Hirut Café, Tuesday

Ace guitarists Alex Goodman and Reg Schwager get together at Hirut Café (2050 Danforth) tonight from 8pm to 10pm. $15 cover. 

Remembering Argentine jazz pianist Rubén López Furst on his birthday

Remembering jazz pianist Rubén López Furst on his birthday with a performance and a few brilliant recordings. 

Whaddya mean you don't know Galapagos Duck

Australian jazz crew Galapagos Duck originally came together a ski resort in 1969. Check out The Removalists OST from 1974.  

Happy Birthday Sheila Jordan!

Raising a glass to jazz singer extraordinaire Sheila Jordan on her birthday, still going strong at 96! Here's an interview and more.

One For The Weekend: ILL CONSIDERED

Here's UK improvisational combo ILL CONSIDERED sharing a taste of their slammin' new recording Precipice. Check it out. 

Get a copy of ILL CONSIDERED's new Precipice album via Bandcamp right here.

The strange story of Brazilian piano marvel Tenório Jr. explored in animated film

Fernando Trueba's They Shot The Piano Player – feat. the voice of Jeff Goldblum – is a stylish music doc turned murder mystery. 

LINKS

Latin Jazz Net Spanish director Fernando Trueba talks about his new film They Shot The Piano Player

Above The Line They Shot The Piano Player co-director Fernando Trueba on exploring a mystery within the South American music scene 

The Wrap Magazine How 'They Shot The Piano Player' made the journey from "stupid idea" to Oscar contender

Animation Scoop Discovering 'They Shot The Piano Player'

R.I.P. Eleanor Collins, Canada's First Lady of Jazz

Sadly Canadian jazz icon Eleanor Collins has passed at the age of 104. She'll be missed. Where's all the Eleanor show footage? 

LINKS 

Washington Post Eleanor Collins, Canada's first lady of jazz, dies at 104

South African jazz pianist Tete Mbambisa's "lost" African Day 2LP due April 5th

South African pianist Tete Mbambisa's "lost" recordings from 1976 are being released as African Day by As-Shams/The Sun.

 

Here's the scoop from As-Shams/The Sun Records...

Awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town in 2023, pianist Tete Mbambisa (84) is a legendary figure in South African jazz. Supported by the cream of the local scene, his albums from the 1970s are among the most cherished vinyl artifacts from this golden era. A monumental archival undertaking, African Day compiles unreleased recordings from 1976 to resurrect a "lost" Tete Mbambisa double album that falls between his seminal works Tete's Big Sound (1975) and Did You Tell Your Mother (1979).

Overseen by producer Rashid Vally as well as Tete Mbambisa himself, African Day is one of the most highly anticipated and deeply meaningful projects undertaken by As-Shams Archive to date. A portrait of Mbambisa by artist Zulu Bidi, the cover artwork was commissioned for the release at the time of the recording. Among a host of unique Mbambisa originals, the set features a 1976 rendering of the classic “Umsenge” (first recorded a decade earlier with the Four Yanks).

2LP vinyl with photo gatefold in a first edition of 500 copies. Album drops on 5 April 2024. We’ll be announcing a Cape Town launch with special guest Bra Tete shortly.

Happy Birthday Aura Rully!

Celebrating the birthday of Bucharest-born jazz singer Aura Rully (né Urziceanu) with a few vintage performances. 

Mankunku Ngozi's 1975 South African soul-jazz LP with The Cliffs gets reissued

Toronto's We Are Busy Bodies are recirculating the Alex Express album by The Cliffs feat. saxophone great Mankunku Ngozi.

Here's the scoop...

Hailing from Cape Town, tenor saxophonist Winston Mankunku Ngozi (1943-2009) is a venerated figure in the pantheon of South African jazz. Inspired by Coltrane while rooted in indigenous folklore, he released the classic album Yakhal’ Inkomo at the outset of his career with the Mankunku Quartet in 1969. Backed by the Cliffs, Alex Express documents Mankunku’s return to the studio in 1975 with a handful of new and original compositions and his inimitable tone on full display. Shaking off the burden of Yakhal’ Inkomo, which was heralded as an earnest manifesto for modern South African jazz, the album is a carefree affair that leans into township grooves with joyful exuberance. In addition to a collaborative project with Mike Makhalemele entitled The Bull and the Lion, Alex Express is the first of just two rare snapshots of Mankunku in the 1970s. Disillusioned by the recording industry, it would take until his resurgence in the 1990s for Mankunku to flesh out his recorded legacy. 

Get a copy from We Are Busy Bodies via Bandcamp right here. Listen to the album following the credits below. 

The Cliffs featuring Mankunku Ngozi - Alex Express

1. Alex Express 3:39

2. Over The Cliff 6:16

3. Gu Gu Lethu 4:07

4. Ever Green 5:13

5. Revelation 6:40

Credits:

Alto saxophone – Winston Mankunku Ngozi 

Trumpet – Stompie Manana 

Trumpet – George Tyefumani 

Organ – Roger Khoza 

Guitar – Allen Kwela 

Bass – Philip Kiti 

Drums – Peter Jackson 

Originally issued in South Africa by The Record and Tape Company in 1975. 

Remastered by Noah Mintz at Lacquer Channel Mastering. 

Artwork Restoration by Steve Lewin.

 

Watch Sheila Jordan live at Mezzrow Jazz Club

Toasting jazz singer extraordinaire Sheila Jordan on her 95th birthday with a recent performance backed by Alan Broadbent. 

Here's Sheila Jordan celebrating 95 with her birthday cake. 

That time poet Kenneth Patchen cut an album with a Vancouver jazz quartet

Check out Kenneth Patchen's 1959 session with Al Neil's band featuring future Lighthouse saxophonist Dale Hillary.  

LINKS

Folkways Kenneth Patchen Reads With Jazz In Canada

The Poetry Foundation Kenneth Patchen

British Columbia Review Al Neil (1924-2017)