Episodes

Pianist Matthew Shipp and saxophonist Darius Jones have a new duo CD called Cosmic Lieder (AUM Fidelity, 2011). In this wide-ranging interview, Shipp and Jones discuss intergenerational collaboration; the “x factor” that caused Shipp to ask Jones to work together; and how Jones views Shipp’s musical language and career. Learn more at www.matthewshipp.com and www.myspace.com/blackdajones. Tracks used in this episode: Bleed; Ultima Thule; Zillo Valla; Multiverse; Mandrakk; Ged-Jedollah. CONCERT ...

Saxophonist Noah Preminger’s new CD is Before The Rain (Palmetto, 2011). In this interview, Preminger talks about his musical upbringing; why he spend a lot of time planning the order of the songs in a performance; and the important of being respectful. Learn more at www.noahpreminger.com. Tracks used in this episode: Where or When; Quickening; Before The Rain; Abreaction; Until The Real Thing Comes Along; Jamie.

Guitarist Adam Rogers’ most recent album is Sight (Criss Cross, 2009). In this interview, Rogers talks about the band he put together for his recent run at the Village Vanguard; why he enjoys using a broad range of guitar sounds — and guitars; and how he melds the music he writes with the need for improvisational space. Learn more at www.adamrogersmusic.com. Tracks used in this episode: Sight; Kaleidoscope; Yesterdays; Memory’s Translucence; Let’s Cool One.

Vocalist Fay Victor explores her Trinidadian roots in the company of Other Dimensions In Music on Kaiso Stories (Silkheart, 2011). In this interview, Victor talks about the chance meeting that led to the new CD; how she melded the calypso music of Trinidad with the experimental jazz she’s known for; and the many projects with which she’s currently involved. Learn more at www.fayvictor.com. Tracks used in this episode: Maryanne; John Gilman Wants Tobacco; Three Friends’ Advice; Nora; Saltfish; W...

Drummer Marc Miralta’s most recent CD is Dreams (Fresh Sound, 2007). In this interview, recorded while Miralta was in New York to play with Alexis Cuadrado, Miralta talks about his lifelong love of jazz; how he became known for his flamenco/jazz hybrid music; and why a life as an artist was a natural choice in his family. Learn more at www.marcmiralta.com. Tracks used in this episode: Dreams; Way Out Willy; Cami del Bosc; Epistrophy and Segment (both from the New York Flamenco Reunion album); E...

Pianist Bruce Barth’s latest record is Live At Smalls (Smalls Live, 2011) with Vicente Archer and Rudy Royston. In this interview, Barth talks about the equal partnership and openness he looks for in his bandmates; what he learned from his early work with Stanley Turrentine and Terence Blanchard; and the difficulties of studying at a jazz school in a place where there isn’t a jazz scene. Learn more at brucebarth.com. Tracks used in this episode: Oh Yes I Will; Sunday; Yama; Almost Blues; Peacef...

Brian Lynch celebrates some of his fellow trumpeters whom he feels deserve more notice on Unsung Heroes (Hollistic MusicWorks, 2010). In this interview, Lynch talks about his very real connection to the generations before him; why he feels a grounding in the tradition of jazz is important; and the idea that “bebop is the music of the future.” Learn more at brianlynchjazz.com. Tracks used in this episode: Terra Firma Irma; I Could Never Forget You; Further Arrivals; Saturday Afternoon At Four; W...

Guitarist Nico Soffiato’s new album is Just Add Water (nBn Records, 2011). In this interview, Soffiato talks about his decision to become a guitarist rather than a philosopher; his thoughts on improvisation and structure in his music; and why he enjoys playing with new people. Learn more at www.reverbnation.com/nicosoffiato. Tracks used in this episode: Alexander; Tens Of Us; Just Add Water; Fanfare; View Askew; Oh, What A Beautiful Morning.

Bassist Ben Allison delivers an original and exciting take on tunes by everyone from Samuel Barber to Neil Young to Thelonious Monk on his new CD, Action-Refraction (Palmetto, 2011). In this interview, Allison talks about an iPhone app that changed the sound palette on his new record; two musicians who’ve joined him for the first time on this CD; and how he deals with the lyrical content of these songs in his instrumental arrangements. Ben’s workshop series continues every Tuesday night at Kush,...

Fred Hersch is back with another solo piano recording, Alone At The Vanguard (Palmetto, 2011). In this interview, Hersch talks about finding the interior resources to play an entire week of solo piano at one of the world’s most famous jazz clubs; his new multimedia piece “My Coma Dreams” and the near-death saga that led to it; and why he feels he has a purpose to his life. Learn more at www.fredhersch.com. Tracks used in this episode: In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning; Down Home; Echoes; Do...

Accordion player Rob Curto takes us on a tour of Brazilian choro music. In this interview, Curto explains the origins of choro and demonstrates its rhythms; talks about his own introduction to the accordion and to the music of Brazil; and plays several choro tunes in performances available only in this episode. Learn more at robcurto.com. Tracks used in this episode: Biruta, Seu Ze E Os Pifs, 03 – Uma, Duas, Tres….Xote!; Estrada do Sol. Plus several live solo performances recorded during the in...

Bassist Alexis Cuadrado has just released an ambitious nonet album, Noneto Iberico (bjurecords, 2011), inspired by the flamenco music of his native Spain. In this interview, Cuadrado talks about the genesis of the record; how having kids changed his focus as a musician; and how the Brooklyn Jazz Underground fosters creative music. Learn more at http://www.alexiscuadrado.com/. Tracks used in this episode: Very Well; Tocar Y Parar; Te Sigo; Solo El Sol Sale Siempre Solo; Los Panchitos.

Saxophonist Sarah Manning brings her personal approach to the sound of the saxophone to her newest recording, Dandelion Clock (Posi-Tone, 2010). In this interview, Manning talks about how she focuses on sound in her playing; the way she assembled her band; and why she’s happy she took risks on this record. Learn more at sarahmanningmusic.com. Tracks used in this episode: The Peacocks; Marble; The Owls (Are On The March); Through The Keyhole; Habersham Street; Dandelion Clock; Windmills Of Your ...

Drummer Scott McLemore and the ASA Trio just released a new album of the music of Thelonious Monk, a follow-up to last year’s daring take on Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. In this interview, McLemore tells the story of how he ended up playing jazz in Iceland; talks about the ASA Trio’s chemistry and origins; and explains how the band came to play the music of Monk and Coltrane. Learn more at www.asa-trio.com. Tracks used in this interview: Bemsha Swing; San Francisco Holiday; Ask Me Now; Acknowledg...

Anthony Brown’s Asian American Orchestra uses instruments from around the world to put a unique spin on two Coltrane classics on their new album, India & Africa (Water Baby Records, 2010). In this interview, Brown gives an overview of the Asian-American jazz movement and its origins in Bay-area protests; discusses the challenges and opportunities of using non-Western instruments in a jazz setting; and talks about what inspired him to focus on John Coltrane’s music for this album. Learn more at w...

Nicholas Urie’s new album, My Garden (Red Piano Records, 2011), features his settings of the poems of Charles Bukowski. In this interview, Urie talks about his identification with Bukowski, who, like Urie, spent much of his life in Los Angeles; the challenges of setting Bukowski’s non-lyrical poems; and the even greater challenge of getting the rights to use Bukowski’s work in the first place. Learn more at nicholasurie.com. NOTE: Nicholas asked me to mention the members of the band because we ...

The Jazz Session started four years ago today with episode #1 — an interview with saxophonist Grant Stewart. Four years, 243 episodes and 930,000 downloads later, The Jazz Session is still going strong. In the introduction to this show, I take a moment to thank all the people who’ve made it possible, before welcoming my guest… Grant Stewart returns to help celebrate the fourth anniversary, and to talk about his new record, Around The Corner (Sharp Nine, 2010). In this interview, Stewart discuss...

Saxophonist Ralph Bowen returns with Power Play (Posi-Tone, 2011), his third CD in as many years. In this interview, Bowen talks about why he enjoys writing his own music; the importance of his bandmates in creating the right studio environment; and the lessons he learned from his time with Horace Silver. Learn more at ralphbowen.com. Tracks used in this episode: K.D.’s Blues; Drumheller Valley; My One And Only Love; Two-Line Pass; The Good Sheppard; Bella Firenze.

Music writer and musician Hank Shteamer talks about Mosaic’s new Henry Threadgill boxed set, The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air, for which Shteamer wrote the liner notes. In this interview, Shteamer talks about the two-decade period covered by the set; the amazing variety of Threadgill’s bands and compositions; Threadgill’s infectious humor; and how Threadgill differs from other musical iconoclasts. Get the boxed set at Mosaic’s site, and read more of Hank Shteame...

No BS! Brass hails from Richmond, VA, and they don’t sound like any brass band you’ve ever heard. Their new album, No BS! (2010), features their special blend on horns, funk and metal attitude. In this interview, co-founder Reggie Pace talks about the birth of the band; his own growth as an arranger and writer over the course of the band’s three albums; and the burgeoning music scene in Richmond. Learn more at nobsbrass.com. Tracks used in this episode: Brass Scene Kidz; Dr. Wily; Khan!!; Repre...

Saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh teams with guitarist Ben Monder and drummer Daniel Humair on I Will Follow You (Bee Jazz, 2010). In this interview, Sabbagh talks about the formation of this trio; his varying approaches to composition; and how his diverse musical choices make him difficult to label but more content as a player. Learn more at jeromesabbagh.com. Tracks used in this episode: I Will Follow You; Monolith; The Clown; Comptine; Rahan; Come With Me; More; La Fee Morgane; Saloon.

Trombonist Brian Drye leads a band of first-call New York players on the album Bizingas (NCM East, 2010). In this interview, Drye talks about the mischievous origins of the band’s name; his free-form approach to structuring the music on the album; and why he gravitates toward non-standard instrumentation. Learn more at bizingas.com. Tracks used in this episode: Tagger; Money Market; Sifting; TMT; Iluminum; Untitled Moog Anthem.

Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado’s new album, Searching For Adam (Not Two, 2010), features Taylor Ho Bynum, John Hebert and Gerald Cleaver. In this interview, Amado describes how he chose his bandmates without having played with them before; talks about his decision to record freely improvised music; and tells the story of the amazing transformation of the jazz scene in Lisbon and Portugal. Learn more at www.rodrigoamado.com. Tracks used in this episode: Newman’s Informer; Waiting For Andy;...

Trombonist Ray Anderson teams up with longtime friend Marty Ehrlich for the new live record, Hear You Say (Challenge Records, 2010). In this interview, Anderson talks about his friendship with Ehrlich, which goes back to their days with Anthony Braxton; how he came to have such an open musical mind; and some breaking news regarding another new CD coming out this spring. Learn more at www.rayanderson.org. Tunes in this episode: Portrait of Leroy Jenkins; Hot Crab Pot; My Wish; The Lion’s Tanz; A...