Episodes

The Gnu’s Room is a bookstore, coffee shop and community center in Auburn, Alabama. In this interview, conducted on the Jazz Or Bust Tour, owner Tina Tatum talks about the incredible community support that kept the Gnu’s Room open; the expanding mission of the store; and why Tina chose to stay in Auburn and create her own scene. This episode really has nothing to do with jazz, but it’s inspiring all the same. Learn more at thegnusroom.com and follow them on Twitter at @thegnusroom.

Matthew Kaminski is a jazz organist with an interesting day job — he plays the organ for the Atlanta Braves. Kaminski’s debut album is Taking My Time (Chicken Coup Records, 2010). In this interview, recorded in the press box at Turner Field, Kaminski talks about the fun and fascinating world of playing organ for the Braves; the family of jazz organists; how he got his start playing organ and who turned him on to jazz. Learn more at matthewkaminski.com and follow him on Twitter at @bravesorganist...

The Jazz Session celebrates 400 episodes with pianist, educator and former Jazz Messenger Donald Brown. This interview was recorded at Brown’s home in Knoxville, TN, during the first part of the “Jazz Or Bust” Tour. In this interview, Brown talks about his early days in Memphis; why writing music has always been important to him; his R&B roots; the injuries he sustained through improper technique and how they’ve affected his career; and his forthcoming recording project. Note: Except for the fi...

Woodwind player Evan Cobb’s 2011 CD Falling Up was recorded in the town he calls home, Nashville. In this interview, Cobb talks about his unlikely move to Nashville; the city’s jazz scene; the importance of playing multiple horns; how he knew he was ready to put out a record; and the effect of Nashville itself on his writing. Learn more at evancobbjazz.com and follow him on Twitter at @evancobbjazz.

Nashville saxophonist Rahsaan Barber’s most recent album is Everyday Magic (Jazz Music City, 2011). In this interview, Barber talks about deciding to establish his career in his hometown, even after living in New York; the jazz scene in Nashville and how he sees it evolving; and why there was never a chance that he and his brother Roland would become accountants. Learn more at rahsaanbarber.com and follow him on Twitter at @rjbsax.

Named after a pioneering African-American musician and educator (that’s W.O. Smith playing bass on Coleman Hawkins’ original “Body And Soul” recording), Nashville’s W.O. Smith Music School “makes affordable, quality music instruction available to children from low-income families. We transform lives through music.” In this interview, Executive Director Jonah Rabinowitz talks about the school’s origins; the mission it serves and the unique way it affords to offer its services; and the ambitious f...

Woodwind player Denis Solee has been a mainstay in the Nashville Studio scene since the early 1970s, recording with everyone from Ray Charles and Stan Getz to Loretta Lynn and Garth Brooks. In this interview, Solee talks about how Nashville has changed since his arrival; what a lifetime in the studios has meant for his career as a jazz player; and why repairing horns reminds him of drag racing.

The Nashville Jazz Workshop is “a non-profit organization supporting jazz musicians, jazz fans, and the jazz community.” In this interview, co-founder and Director of Operations Roger Spencer talks about turning a decades-old unused industrial space into an oasis for jazz education and performance; why he’s unhappy with a lot of college jazz programs and how the Workshop’s approach is different; and the wide variety of amateurs and professionals who find a musical home at the Workshop. Learn mor...

Saxophonist Jeff Coffin’s forthcoming CD with his band the Mu’tet is Into The Air (Ear Up Records, available Sept. 4, 2012). Coffin has had an active career as a bandleader and educator, and also as a member of Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and now the Dave Matthews Band. In this interview, conducted at Coffin’s Nashville home, the saxophonist talks about revelatory experiences with the music of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman; what he learned from his early teachers and how he tries to pay that...

Robert Jospe is a drummer and educator based in Charlottesville, VA. In this interview, recorded on the “Jazz Or Bust” Tour, Jospe talks about his involvement in the New York loft scene in the 1970s; his decision to relocate to Charlottesville and what it meant for his career; his approach to teaching rhythm and his belief that anyone can groove. Learn more at robertjospe.com and follow him on Twitter at @rjospe. Note: The music in this episode comes from Jospe’s 2006 album Heart Beat.

Trumpeter John D’earth is a mainstay of the Charlottesville, VA, jazz scene. He’s been playing Thursday nights at Miller’s downtown for the past 30 years. He’s also a respected educator who teaches at the University of Virginia. In this interview, D’earth talks about how he and a group of musician friends chose to leave New York City behind and settle in Charlottesville; why lifelong learning is essential; how to bring more listeners into the jazz fold; and why he thinks music promotes better he...

Doug Richards is a professor of music at Virginia Commonwealth University. He also founded the school’s jazz program in 1980, one year after he started teaching there. Richards’ former students include Steve Wilson, James Genus, Nate Smith, Clarence Penn, Mark Shim, Alvester Garnett, Scott Clark and Darius Jones. In this interview, Richards talks about discovering his love for composing and arranging; how he started the VCU jazz program at a time when very few such programs existed anywhere; his...

Drummer Scott Clark’s latest recording is A+B (2012) with the Scott Clark 4tet. In this interview, Clark talks about the robust music scene in Richmond, VA; how the book Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee is shaping his current composing; the makeup of the 4tet and its roots in the music of Ornette Coleman; and why he chooses to stay in Richmond rather than moving to a bigger city. Learn more at scottwclark.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter at @sclarkrva.

Saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh’s latest recording is Plugged In (Bee Jazz, 2012). In this interview, Sabbagh talks about making an electric record; why he chose to work with keyboardist and composer Jozef Dumoulin, who wrote half the tracks on the album; his first time at the Village Vanguard playing with Paul Motian; and why he still thinks making an album means something more than putting a bunch of tunes together. Learn more at jeromesabbagh.com and follow him on Twitter at @JeromeSabbagh.

Saxophonist Brad Linde is making a life for himself on the Washington, DC, jazz scene. In this interview, he talks about bringing jazz artists to DC to play at the Atlas performance space; the history of the Tristano school and why he gravitates toward it; the nature of the scene in DC; and his various ensembles and work as both an educator and player. Learn more at bradlinde.com and follow him on Twitter at @bradlinde.

Beach Of The War Gods (Glowing Realm Digital, 2011) is the latest CD from guitarist Scott Burton and his band Glows In The Dark. In this interview, Burton talks about his love of film and how it led to the source music for the album; the fertile music scene in Richmond, Virginia; and the way in which Anthony Braxton inspired the structure of Glows In The Dark. Learn more at glowsinthedark.wordpress.com. Follow Burton on Twitter at @scotttburton and follow the band at @glowsinthedark.

Saxophonist Brandon Wright’s new CD is Journeyman (Posi-Tone, 2012). In this interview, Wright talks about what he learned from playing with Chuck Mangione, Doc Severinsen and Fred Wesley; why he’s chosen to arrange tunes by Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam and Oasis; and how improv comedy classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York have made him a better jazz musician. Learn more at wrightjazz.com.

Drummer Pete Zimmer’s new album is Prime Of Life (Tippin’ Records, 2012). It features George Garzone on saxophone, Peter Bernstein on guitar and Peter Slavov on bass. In this interview, Zimmer talks about swing — what it means to him and how he approaches playing it; the primacy of sound in his selection of bandmates and in his own playing; and the differences between being a leader and a sideman. Learn more at petezimmer.com and follow him on Twitter at @PeteZimmer. NOTE:: This is Pete’s secon...

Washington, D.C. saxophonist Brian Settles’ most recent album is Secret Handshake (Engine Records, 2011). In this interview, recorded in Maryland, Settles talks about his decision to take a break from the jazz scene years ago to work on his craft; why he relocated from New York back to his native Washington; his working band; and what he hopes for the future of his music. Learn more at briansettles.com and follow him on Twitter on @briansettles.

Janel and Anthony’s new album is Where Is Home (Cuneiform, 2012). In this interview, cellist Janel Leppin and guitarist Anthony Pirog talk about how they found each other and realized they should start a band; the sonic landscapes they create live and in the studio; and how they move past just the sound of a guitar and a cello. Learn more at www.janelandanthony.com and follow them on Twitter at @janelandanthony.

Drummer Jeff Cosgrove’s debut album, featuring his band Motian Sickness, is For The Love Of Sarah (Grizzley Music, 2011). In this interview, recorded in Shepherdstown, WV, on the “Jazz Or Bust” Tour, Cosgrove talks about making a life in music when you’re not in a major metropolitan area; how he decided on the bluegrass sound that characterizes Motian Sickness; his relationship with Paul Motian; and how he uses grants to bring major artists to Shepherdstown. Learn more at jeffcosgrovemusic.com a...

Harris Eisenstadt’s two new records are Canada Day III (Songlines, 2012) and Canada Day Octet (482 Music, 2012). In this interview, Eisenstadt talks about expanding existing quintet music to octet form; the evolution of the Canada Day band and what its longevity allows him to do as a composer; and the life of a touring musician. Learn more at harriseisenstadt.com and follow him on Twittter at @HEisenstadt. Concert Note: Eisenstadt has two CD release parties this weekend in NYC. The Canada Day I...

Kernfeld on saxophone. (Photo: Pennsylvania Library Association) Barry Kernfeld is the author of Pop Song Piracy: Disobedient Music Distribution since 1929 (University of Chicago Press, 2011); The Story of Fake Books: Bootlegging Songs to Musicians (Scarecrow, 2006); and What To Listen For In Jazz (Yale University Press, 1995). He may be most well known as the editor of both editions of the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, a massive undertaking that sought to define the major players, instruments ...

Guitarist Vernon Reid’s new album with Jack Bruce, John Medeski and Cindy Blackman-Santana is called Spectrum Road (Palmetto Records, 2012). Reid is the founder of the band Living Colour and of the Black Rock Coalition. He’s a skilled improviser whose history with jazz goes back several decades to New York’s downtown music scene. He’s also the co-host, with comedian W. Kamau Bell, of the Field Negro Guide to Arts & Culture. In this interview, Reid talks about how John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Thi...