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Jason Crane Posts

The Jazz Session: Francis Jacob & Toru Dodo

Published 27 March 2007 by Jason Crane

Show #4: Jason Crane interviews French guitarist Francis Jacob. Jacob’s career has taken him around the world: France, Switzerland, Boston, Brazil, Paris and now New York. Along the way, he’s picked up a gift for improvisation and a taste for West African music. On his new CD, Side By Side (2006), he combines his many influences and creates two albums in one — the same tunes, played by two wonderfully different bands. Listen to the show.

Show #5: Jason Crane interviews Japanese pianist Toru Dodo. Born in Tokyo, Dodo started playing piano at age 4, then gave up his dream of concert piano for the economics department at Tokyo’s Meiji University. He found jazz at Meiji, and eventually came to the United States to study at Berklee College of Music. Since moving to New York City in 1998, Dodo has released three CDs and performed with Kenny Garret, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Ruth Brown and Terumasa Hino. His new album is Dodo 3 (Jazzcity, 2006). Listen to the show.

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My return to The Island Packet

Published 23 March 2007 by Jason Crane

In 1999, I worked for about 15 minutes at The Island Packet, the newspaper that serves Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and its environs. I left soon after I started, but the association with the paper led to one really good thing: a lifelong friendship with music writer Jeff Vrabel and his wife Leeann and son Jake. Jeff is now in charge of The Guide, the weekly entertainment magazine put out by the Packet. My first article for The Guide appears this week as part of their coverage of the Savannah Music Festival.

Read my article on the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, featuring an interview with trumpeter Marcus Printup.

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MadTV brings you the iRack

Published 20 March 2007 by Jason Crane

If you’ve ever seen a press conference by Steve Jobs or George Bush…

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My new AAJ article: Joe Vella and the Traneumentary

Published 16 March 2007 by Jason Crane

Joe Vella has been merging jazz and technology for decades, starting with early Internet bulletin boards, founding JazzOnline.com, and then moving into the world of podcasting. As a podcaster, he’s produced series on everyone from The Beach Boys, for the fortieth anniversary of Pet Sounds (Capitol, 1966) to Pat Metheny. Now he’s turned his attention to one of the towering musical figures of all time—saxophonist John Coltrane. Vella’s Traneumentary is a multi-episode exploration of Coltrane’s music and influence. It features a who’s who of jazz luminaries, from musicians such as McCoy Tyner, Billy Taylor and Jimmy Cobb to writers and producers such as Joel Dorn and Ashley Kahn.

You can read my interview with Joe at All About Jazz.

Then check out the Traneumentary.

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Two new episodes of The Jazz Session

Published 12 March 2007 by Jason Crane

Show #2: Luis Perdomo
Since coming to New York from his native Venezuela, Perdomo has blossomed as a player. As a student at the Manhattan School of Music and at Queens College, he studied with pianists Harold Danko and Sir Roland Hanna. As a professional musician, he’s played with Ray Baretto, Ravi Coltrane, Miguel Zenon, Dafnis Prieto, and Timbalaye, to name a few. Perdomo’s adventurous new record is Awareness (RKM Music, 2006). It features his working trio of Hans Glawischnig on bass and Eric McPherson on drums, and on several tracks, an expanded group with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Nasheet Waits.

Show #3: John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie’s forthcoming record is The Third Quartet (ECM, 2007). Abercrombie has been on more than 50 ECM recordings as a leader or sideman, including sessions with Charles Lloyd, Kenny Wheeler, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Liebman and Dave Holland. This interview features several excerpts from the new CD in advance of its April 3 release. You’ll also hear Abercrombie’s moving remembrace of lifelong friend Michael Brecker.

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Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Published 2 March 2007 by Jason Crane

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Monk

Several years ago, I celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday on my radio show by combining his talents with those of another singular American genius, pianist Thelonious Monk. Today is the good doctor’s birthday, so I bring you my version of his classic Green Eggs And Ham mashed up with Monk’s Blue Monk. Enjoy!

Listen: Green Eggs And Ham (mp3)

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My new podcast: The Jazz Session

Published 28 February 2007 by Jason Crane

jazz session

It’s here — the first episode of The Jazz Session, my new jazz interview podcast. On the first show, I interview tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart. Stewart has been in New York for the past 16 years, since moving there from his native Toronto. He’s played with quite a roster of jazz artists, from Curtis Fuller, John Hendricks and Clark Terry to Brad Mehldau, Larry Goldings and Jimmy Cobb. Stewart’s new album on Sharp Nine Records is In The Still Of The Night.

You can listen to The Jazz Session at thejazzsession.com, or better yet:

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NewsTalk 950 in Rochester strengthens its lineup

Published 15 February 2007 by Jason Crane

NewsTalk 950 WROC, former home of the original The Jason Crane Show, is Rochester’s progressive talk station. With the departure of Al Franken from Air America yesterday, WROC took the opportunity to revamp its lineup. The new version is much, much stronger. Here it is:

  • 12 a.m. — Politically Direct (hosted by David Bender, sponsored by People for the American Way)
  • 1 a.m. — Joey Reynolds (old-school variety talk show from WOR in NYC)
  • 6 a.m. — The Bill Press Show
  • 9 a.m. — Stephanie Miller
  • 12 p.m. — Ed Schultz (live instead of taped, as it had been until now)
  • 3 p.m. — Randi Rhodes (also live now instead of taped)
  • 6 p.m. — News 8 (audio of local TV newscast)
  • 6:30 p.m. — Rachel Maddow (for my money, the brightest light to come out of the whole Air America adventure)
  • 8 p.m. — Democracy Now! (finally, a local station dares to air this daily progressive news program from Pacifica)
  • 9 p.m. — Lionel (in my opinion, this show is the low point of the schedule, but you can’t have it all…)
  • 11 p.m. — News 8 (audio of local TV newscast)
  • 11:30 p.m. — Lionel (again)

I’ve got to say that I’m really impressed with this new lineup. Sounds like the program director has a vision for what to do with this station. Kudos!

The full schedule and links to the shows are at the NewsTalk 950 Web site.

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A union remembers

Published 14 February 2007 by Jason Crane

ILWU photo

My mom and dad took this picture in San Francisco this summer, in front of a union headquarters. My guess is the ILWU. Does anyone know for sure?

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My interview with Steve Swallow at All About Jazz

Published 13 February 2007 by Jason Crane

Bassist Steve Swallow and poet Robert Creeley were friends for 30 years. Swallow first read Creeley’s work in the 1950s, and instantly fell in love with what Creeley had to say and the way he said it. Twenty years later, a chance meeting with Creeley led to a personal and professional relationship. Creeley’s work inspired two of Swallow’s albums — Home (ECM, 1980) and his most recent recording, So There (XtraWATT/ECM, 2006).

I talked with Swallow about So There and his relationship with Creeley. Swallow proved himself to be as consummate an appreciator of poetry and life as he is a master of the electric bass. You can read the interview at All About Jazz.

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