It’s the 21st day of September . . .
Throwback: Earth, Wind & Fire “September”
It’s the 21st day of September . . .
New Audio: Charles Mingus’ Tribute to Duke Ellington at Monterey Jazz Festival 1964
Charles Mingus was a towering giant of American music, known for his powerhouse sound and authoritative technique, irascible personality and most importantly, his original compositions, which featured a blend of jazz, European classic music, bebop, avant-garde, blues, gospel and more, a sound that he famously dubbed “Mingus Music.”
The legendary bassist and composer’s Sunday afternoon set at the seventh annual Monterey Jazz Festival in 1964 was met with breathless praise from the likes of the New York Herald, where legendary critic and Monterey Jazz Festival co-founder Ralph J. Gleason wrote, “Mingus erased the memory of any bass player in jazz” while the San Francisco Chronicle opened its review, “Monterey beyond to Charles Mingus this year. All the way.” Considering that year’s festival also featured sets from Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis that wasn’t an easy feat, y’all.
Initially released on Mingus’ own short-lived mail order Jazz Workshop label and out of print for more than 40 years, Mingus at Monterey captures the legend at the height of his creativity and musical prowess. Perhaps the most consistently requested reissue by Mingus fans across the world, Mingus at Monterey proved to be a sensation upon its sold-out limited edition run for Record Store Day 2025 earlier this year, ranking as Redeye Distribution’s top-selling Record Store Day release while reaching the Top 20 on Billboard‘s Traditional Jazz Albums and Jazz Albums charts, #82 on the overall Top Catalog Albums chart and #102 on the Independent Albums Chart.
Candid Records, in conjunction with Mingus’ Jazz Workshop, Inc. will celebrate the legend’s genius with the long-overdue and highly-anticipated reissue of Mingus at Monterey, which is slated for an October 10, 2025 release on CD, 2 LP vinyl and for the first time ever on all DSPs and streaming services.
The live album has been remastered by five-time Grammy Award-winning engineer Micheal Graves with vinyl mastering by renowned engineer Jeff Powell. The two LP vinyl set includes the album’s original gatefold jacket artwork, meticulously restored and reproduced.
The forthcoming wide release of Mingus at Monterey is heralded by a hard swinging, hard-charging rendition of the Billy Strayhorn-penned, Duke Ellington-performed jazz standard “Take the A Train,” that features some incredible solos from Charles McPherson (alto sax), Jaki Byard (piano), Lonnie Hilyer (trumpet), John Handy (tenor sax) and Dannie Richmond (drums) that’s performed as a medley dedicated to the legend’s musical hero, the equally legendary Duke Ellington.
Ellington was Mingus’ lodestar, the early influence, who showed the bassist and composer how music could simultaneously hold majesty, complexity and popular appeal. Mingus’ take on the classic, standard tune is deeply loving but in no means, straightforward. It seems to swing harder than the original, evoking the A train’s length run from 207th Street in Inwood to its final stop at Mott Avenue in Rockaway Beach — from its assorted characters and neighborhoods it passes through, to the pace of the train as it races between 125th Street and 59th Street. And while retaining the familiar melody, Mingus’ tribute to his hero is roomy enough to allow each member of the band to solo in a way that highlights their talents and sensibilities.
As Mingus said of the album at the time, “It’s taken me a long time to get to where I want musically. I just wish that I could give you that picture, that moment at Monterey along with this music. This is the sound that people heard at Monterey and the life of the music is there. That’s why I bring this record to the people. I give you the Monterey music as a token of love, as a memory.”
Throwback: Happy 57th Birthday, David Jolicouer, a.k.a. Dave, A.K.A. Trugoy the Dove, a.k.a. Plug Two
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 57th anniversary of the birth of De La Soul co-founder David Jolicoeur.
Throwback: Happy 91st Birthday, Leonard Cohen!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 91st anniversary of the birth of Leonard Cohen.
Throwback: Happy Belated 73rd Birthday, Nile Rodgers!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms belatedly celebrates Nile Rodgers’ 73rd birthday.
Live Concert Photography: Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival Day 2: 8/23/25 feat. Branford Marsalis Quartet with Nicholas Payton, Bertha Hope Quartet, Georgia Heers and DJ Kultured Child
Live concert photography of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage’s Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, Day 2 feat. Branford Marsalis Quartet, Nicholas Payton, Bertha Hope Quartet, Georgia Heers and DJ Kultured Child.
Photography: Black Is Beautiful, Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, NY 8/23/25
Black is beautiful all the time, y’all. Or portrait of a charming sister, who caught my attention while covering the Charlie Parker Festival last month.
News/Announcements: JOVM on Substack
This is a bit of an experiment here. But I know that folks are extremely busy with work, their significant others, their kids, running errands, and the country’s continued slide into technofeudalistic fascism. So if you can’t read everyday, my plan is to do a weekly recap of JOVM coverage over on Substack.
Right now, it’s completely free. Again, it’s an experiment. So, consider it an option if you’re a fan of JOVM and want to keep up on a weekly basis.
https://williamrubenhelms.substack.com/?utm_campaign=pub&utm_medium=web
News/Announcements: JOVM Is Back!
Yes, you’ve read that right. I’m back.
So, let me address the enormous white elephant in the room. Last month, I announced on Threads and Facebook that JOVM was going to go on an indefinite hiatus. Financially, I couldn’t manage the fees to keep things to keep the site going as I had been. Over the last two months before the hiatus, the site actually broke. Over a decade worth of coverage was lost in the ether — seemingly forever.
Admittedly, I went through a bunch of emotions with all the unexpected free time I had without JOVM. For the first days, I was extremely depressed. Getting out of bed, showering and putting on clothes was difficult. I quickly realized that I needed to get out of my apartment — or I’d fall into a deep hole.
I went on several long walks with my Canon R6 Mark II in hand. It kept me busy. Hell, it kept my mind busy on something else. And initially at least, it didn’t matter if the photos would be shared anywhere or not. But I did wind up sharing them on Instagram — because that’s what you do, right?
Remember, JOVM had been a daily part of my life for 15 years and a couple of months. In 2011, my estranged father died and the first major and lengthy relationship of my life blew up in my face. How did I get through that? I threw myself wholly into my work — both full-time and JOVM.
In early 2020, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. And then a couple of months later, the world ground to a halt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. My days and nights were full of anxiety and worry. Sleep was hard to come by. So, I’d work until I was exhausted. I’d pass out in front of the MacBook with the lights on. But I also recognized that you, dear reader would most likely be afraid, isolated, fearful and JOVM could be a moment of escape, connection and beauty, a lifeline in exceedingly difficult and unusual times. And believe me, it was for me!
There are some folks I need to thank.
First, the Patreon Patrons, who have supported me through monthly donations for the past handful of years:
Sash
Alice Northover
Bella Fox
Jenny MacRostie
Janene Otten
I must thank my pal and colleague Adam Bernard for chatting with me about JOVM and the site’s hiatus last month. You can check out the interview, in which I talk about how important it is to support independent journalists here: https://adambernard.blogspot.com/2025/09/saving-one-mans-movement-convo-with.html
I have to thank the helpful, hardworking and dedicated folks at Creatives Rebuild New York. I’m proud, gratified and humbled to have been included in their 18-month Guaranteed Income for Artists program. Understandably, being included was also deeply vindicating. Someone out there thought my work — this very work! — was worth supporting financially. Obviously, the funds from it have managed to keep this labor of love going during one of the most uncertain periods in recent human history, while lessening some of the normal financial pressures of being an American artist, creator and journalist.
I also found out about Asian Arts Initiative’s Sound Type Workshop through Creatives Rebuild New York. So, I just can’t thank those folks enough. And I’ll forever be in their debt.
I must thank the folks at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia for selecting me for the Sound Type Music Writer Workshop. Being a part of the inaugural cohort was an honor.
I also have to thank my man John Morrison, Philly’s preeminent music journalist for the support and encouragement.
Last but not least, I have to thank a friend, who will remain anonymous upon their request for their generosity and support.
Long live, The Joy of Violent Movement! Long live, The Joy of Violent Movement!
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The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have.
To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work.
I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.
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Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all.
I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work.
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As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.
New Video: Québec City’s David Emme Shares a Melancholy Yet Breezy Bop
Québec City-based singer/songwriter and musician David Emme is a self-described “sensitive courtier of melancholy,” whose sound frequently sees him making a delicate balance between New Wave, coldwave and post punk. Rather than choosing between light and shadow, Emme weaves light and shadow together in a way that expresses a deep, lived-in vulnerability.
“Encore” marks a new chapter for the Québec City-based artist. Anchored around glistening, reverb-drenched, New Order-like guitars paired with a breakneck, motorik-like groove and Emme’s plaintive delivery, “Encore” is a deceptively upbeat, almost anthemic song that manages to evoke a swooning, lived-in melancholy and longing. The new single channels classic New Order and contemporary bedroom pop while showcasing an artist, who can craft an earnest song with remarkably catchy hooks. “I decided to return to my first loves in terms of sound. It feels like a song I should haver eleased 10 years ago, but I wanted to wait until I had the experience and maturity to do it justice,” Emme says.
Directed by Ara3, the accompanying video follows Emme as he enters in a Québécois cafe/bar with a handful of roses. Shot in one, languorous and extended take, we see the Québec City-based artist handing out roses to a bored bartender, a romantic couple on the brink and pals having a bitter argument. And for a moment, all of these folks had remembered the joy and caring of their connection to that other person — thanks to our intrepid, Cupid-like protagonist.
New Audio: The Womack Sisters Share Soulful Ballad “I Just Don’t Want You (To Say Goodbye)”
Los Angeles-based soul and R&B trio The Womack Sisters — BG, Zeimani and Kucha — are proudly carrying on their family’s legendary musical legacy. The trio’s Daptone Records debut, “I Just Don’t Want You (To Say Goodbye)” is an old-school soul-styled ballad featuring a slow-burning Motown Records-meets-Staxx Records-like groove serving as a lush bed for Kucha and Zeimani’s plaintive vocals and BG’s soulful lead to effortlessly harmonize throughout the song.
At its core, the song tells a tale of someone coming to terms with the pain of being in love with Mr. Wrong when they know they deserve Mr. Right — and in order to get to Mr. Right, they’ll have to make an uneasy, life altering decision.