Atlantis Jazz Ensemble's brilliant Oceanic Suite gets vinyl reissue!

Ottawa's Atlantis Jazz Ensemble's Oceanic Suite has been out of print on vinyl since 2017, so this 170g repress is welcome news!

Peter Case shares video for "Have You Ever Been In Trouble"

Peter Case's new piano-based album Dr. Moan is out March 31 – get it here. Check out "Have You Ever Been In Trouble"

R.I.P. saxophonist Wayne Shorter, 1933-2023

Sadly, saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter has passed away. We're remembering Wayne with a Joe Lovano interview and more.

Brix Smith shares "Fast Net" from new album, Valley Of The Dolls

The Fall's Brix Smith teamed up with Youth from Killing Joke for her new album Valley Of The Dolls. Check out "Fast Net" below.

Dave "Robbo" Robinson talks about Stiff Records and much more

Listen to Stiff Records mainman Dave Robinson talk about working as a photographer, band manager and label honcho. 

You can catch Dave Robinson on his UK speaking tour. Read an interview with Dave Schulps right here.

New book Saxophone Colossus reveals the untold story of Sonny Rollins

Check out author Aidan Levy's discussion about his 772-page Sonny Rollins biography with jazz critic Gary Giddins below.  

Here's the scoop...

The long-awaited first full biography of legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins, chronicling the gripping story of a freedom fighter and spiritual seeker whose life has been as much of a thematic improvisation as his music.

Sonny Rollins has long been considered an enigma. Known as the “Saxophone Colossus,” he is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz improvisers of all time, winning Grammys, the Austrian Cross of Honor, Sweden’s Polar Music Prize and a National Medal of Arts. A bridge from bebop to the avant-garde, he is a lasting link to the golden age of jazz, pictured in the iconic “Great Day in Harlem” portrait. His seven-decade career has been well documented, but the backstage life of the man once called “the only jazz recluse” has gone largely untold—until now.

Based on more than 200 interviews with Rollins himself, family members, friends, and collaborators, as well as Rollins’ extensive personal archive,Saxophone Colossusis the comprehensive portrait of this legendary saxophonist and composer, civil rights activist and environmentalist. A child of the Harlem Renaissance, Rollins’ precocious talent landed him on the bandstand and in the recording studio with Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, or playing opposite Billie Holiday. An icon in his own right, he recordedTenor Madness ;Freedom Suite ; and the 1956 classic Saxophone Colossus.

Yet his meteoric rise to fame was not without its challenges. He served two sentences on Rikers Island and won his battle with heroin addiction. In 1959, Rollins took a two-year sabbatical from recording and performing, practicing up to 16 hours a day on the Williamsburg Bridge. In 1968, he left again to study at an ashram in India. He returned to performing from 1971 until his retirement in 2012.

The story of Sonny Rollins—innovative, unpredictable, larger than life—is the story of jazz itself, and Sonny’s own narrative is as timeless and timely as the art form he represents. Part jazz oral history told in the musicians’ own words, part chronicle of one man’s quest for social justice and spiritual enlightenment, this is the definitive biography of one of the most enduring and influential artists in jazz and American history. 

Get a copy from Aidan Levy's site right here. Watch Aidan Levy's chat with Gary Giddins below.

Midweek Mixdown: Mr. Fine Wine's Mardi Gras Hangover Mix

Check out Mr. Fine Wine's Downtown Soulville selection of New Orleans R&B gems right here. Check the track list below. 

PLAYLIST

The Upsetters, The Strip (Falcon)

Danny Barker & His Creole Cats, Chocko Mo Feendo Hey (King Zulu)

Nookie Boy, I’ll Make a Bet (A.F.O.)

Li’l Millet & His Creoles, Rich Woman (Specialty)

Fats Domino, When I See You (Imperial)

Bobby Marchan & the Clowns, You Can’t Stop Her (Ace)

Arthur Johnson, Tootie Pie (Marathon)

Willie Tee, I Found Out (You Are My Cousin) (A.F.O.)

Betty Taylor, I’m Going Home (Nola)

Eddie Bo, Shake, Rock and Soul (Cinderella)

Earl King, We Are Just Friends (Imperial)

Eldridge Holmes, I’ve Got to Keep On Trying (Alon)

Smokey Johnson, Dirty Red (Nola)

Maria Elena & the Sunglows, Sick and Tired (Sunglow)

Chuck Johnson, I Got It Bad (Alon)

Betty Harris, Bad Luck (Sansu)

Marty Lewis, I Can’t Do Without You (Big Deal)

Sonny Jones, Suffering (Tune-Kel)

Allen Toussaint, Blue Drag (Nonesuch)

Diamond Joe, The ABC Song (Deesu)

Senator Jones, The Fat Man (Shagg)

Dr. John, Big Chief (Atco)

Porgy Jones, Catch Joe Potato (Great Southern)