It’s true! After a year away, I’m taking over the hosting duties of The Jazz Session again. Listen to the handover episode for the details.
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I sleep very deeply and rarely experience my dreams, but I had a dream just before I awoke today that I went to a music festival in England to do interviews for my show. I met the guest in a pub, along with another journalist. I didn’t have an adapter for my recorder because I’d forgotten about the electricity difference. I’d also forgotten to do any research and I wasn’t even sure of the name of the guest. His manager was with him and was disappointed to learn that the show wasn’t going to be streaming live on Facebook, which I don’t think is even a real thing. And there was a British journalist there and she said she’d also be asking questions during the interview. Right before that scene was a scene in a hotel where my roommates were two douchebros. Oh, and I spent the entire scene in the pub endlessly unwrapping mic and power cables.
I awoke unsettled and embarrassed.
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Tonight I interviewed saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa about his forthcoming album Bird Calls. The album comes out on Feb. 10. It features Matt Mitchell on piano, Francois Moutin on bass, Rudy Royston on drums and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet. You’ll hear the interview soon on The Jazz Session. On Wednesday I’m going to interview Peter Apfelbaum. And then Akua Dixon next week. And then…lots more people.
We did it! Thank you all so much!
In particular, I’d like to thank Josh Rutner and Patrick McCurry for their help with the planning and execution of this Kickstarter campaign. It would not have happened without them.
The Jazz Session’s new season starts October 1, 2013.
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Today is Miles Davis’s birthday. I was in a record store in Furukawa, Miyagi, Japan, when I learned that he’d died. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to interview several people who played with Miles.
- Ron Carter: Interview
- Jack DeJohnette: Interview
- Kenny Garrett: Interview
- Dave Liebman: Interview
- Sam Rivers: Interview
- Sonny Rollins: Interview 1 | Interview 2 | Interview 3
- Mike Stern: Interview
Jazz writer (and my online pal) David Adler picked his top 10 jazz shows for May. You can read his piece here. Here are the interviews I’ve done with the people David suggested:
Enjoy!
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Here’s a list of interviews I’ve conducted with people who’ve been nominated for Grammy awards this year. Click on the artist’s name to hear their appearance on The Jazz Session.
- Chris Brubeck (Best Instrumental Composition – with Dave Brubeck)
- Gary Burton (Best Improvised Jazz Solo, Best Jazz Instrumental Album)
- Kurt Elling (Best Jazz Vocal Album)
- Kenny Garrett (Best Improvised Jazz Solo, Best Jazz Instrumental Album)
- Robert Glasper (Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance)
- Hugh Masekela (Best World Music Album)
- Bobby Sanabria (Best Latin Jazz Album)
Today marks four years since I launched The Jazz Session, my jazz interview program. Grant Stewart, my guest on the first show, returns today for the fourth anniversary. Listen to today’s episode — and every episode — for free at http://thejazzsession.com.
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Several things happened today that reminded me how we’re all connected.
First, a poem I wrote ended up on a show I love, The Basketball Jones. The poem was inspired by a line one of the hosts said on the show and I Tweeted him about it. I certainly never expected it would be read on the show. The reading was hilarious, as were the hosts’ comments afterward.
Second, in the comments for that episode of the show, one of the viewers said that in addition to The Basketball Jones, his other favorite show is The Jazz Session. How crazy is that?
Finally, I went to a job counseling meeting yesterday that was part of the requirements for my unemployment benefits. Today I got an email from a guy saying that he was sitting behind me at the session yesterday and that he’s a fan of RocBike.com and follows me on Twitter.
Totally crazy.
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Show #150! Crazy, ain’t it?
Multi-instrumentalist Sadigursky just released Words Project III: Miniatures (New Amsterdam, 2010), the third in his series of releases combining contemporary poetry with improvised and through-composed music. In this interview, Sadigursky talks about his decision to use poems as an inspiration for composition; which texts lend themselves to his work and why; and what the various vocalists on his albums bring to the music. Learn more at samsadigursky.com.
LISTEN: The Jazz Session #150: Sam Sadigursky
If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:
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I’m thrilled to announce the launch of a new partnership with All About Jazz, the world’s most visited jazz Web site. AAJ founder Michael Ricci and I have been working together for several years now, with AAJ hosting transcriptions of the interviews that appear on The Jazz Session.
Now we’ve decided to combine forces. That means The Jazz Session will be featured on the home page at allaboutjazz.com. We’ll also be working together to visit festivals on behalf the new TJS/AAJ partnership, starting this summer with the Tanglewood Jazz Festival and others. The idea is to conduct interviews right in front of the crowds who come to see the artists. Then we’ll bring these interviews to you after the festivals.
We’re also launching a widget for The Jazz Session that will allow you to display the latest episode right on your blog or Web site. I’ll be mentioning the blogs and sites that do this on episodes of the show, and also linking to them from this site. So if you decide to link to The Jazz Session, please let me know at jason@thejazzsession.com.
For more information on the new partnership, and for instructions on adding the widget to your site, please read the press release.
The Jazz Session hits 200,000 downloads
On the very same day that The Jazz Session announced its new partnership with All About Jazz, the show hit 200,000 downloads. I’m so proud of the show and grateful to all of you for supporting it. This is a true labor of love for me, and I hope it shows in the interviews.
PLUS:
Jason Crane interviews trumpeter Hugh Masekela about his 2009 album Phola (Times Square Records). The album finds Masekela in a quieter, more reflective mood — a decision he credits to producer Erik Paliani. Despite the more reserved surroundings, Masekela’s flugelhorn playing is as intense as ever. In the interview, Masekela discusses Miriam Makeba, music as a political force, and why he doesn’t play for fun.
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Jason Crane interviews saxophonist David Sanborn. Sanborn is one of the few jazz players whose name is known even outside the jazz world. It’s fitting, then, that he’s using his new album Here & Gone (Decca, 2008) to bring a lesser-known jazz saxophonist into wider awareness. Here & Gone celebrates the music of Hank Crawford, a saxophone player and the principal arranger for the Ray Charles “little big band” of the 50s and 60s. Crawford’s playing had a huge impact on Sanborn, and Sanborn repays the favor with this thoughtful and soulful tribute.
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Jason Crane interviews vibraphonist James Westfall, bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Jared Schonig, known collectively as The Wee Trio. Their first record, Capitol Diner Vol. 1 (Bionic Records, 2008) features original music, jazz standards … and Nirvana. The trio explores the music they love through the lens of collective improvisation, and the results are fresh, fun and worth repeated listening. Find out more at theweetrio.com.
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Jason Crane interviews the members of the trio Fly: bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Jeff Ballard and saxophonist Mark Turner. Fly is very much a collective effort — the group operates with a leaderless philosophy in which everyone contributes equally. As a result, the trio has come up with some fresh and exciting sounds as they try new combinations and new ways to balance their respective instruments. All three musicians are very much in demand as sidemen, too. A full transcript of this interview is available at AllAboutJazz.com.
Jason Crane interviews organist Barbara Dennerlein about her pipe organ recording Spiritual Movement No. 2 (Bebab Records, 2008). The album was recorded at one of Germany’s most famous churches in front of a very appreciative audience. In this interview, recorded before a concert in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Dennerlein discusses jazz on the pipe organ; why organists should use their feet; and how she adapts to the challenge of seldom having her own instrument on stage.
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THE JAZZ SESSION #52: MARILYN CRISPELL. Jason Crane interviews pianist Marilyn Crispell about her album of solo piano pieces, Vignettes (ECM, 2008). Crispell made an early name for herself with Anthony Braxton, and she’s since amassed an impressive list of recordings that include composed and freely improvised pieces. In this interview, Crispell talks about the nature of improvisation, the particular challenges of solo playing, and the joys of Woodstock, NY.
Listen to the show at thejazzsession.com.
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