Jason Crane interviews the members of the Respect Sextet. Their new album, Sirius Respect (Mode, 2009), explores the music of composers Karlheinz Stockhausen and Sun Ra. Formed nearly a decade ago at the Eastman School of Music, the Respect Sextet combines freewheeling improvisation with driving rhythms and a sense of humor. The members of the band have wide-ranging musical tastes and a fearlessly collaborative aesthetic, which leads to one-of-a-kind performances. In this interview, the members of Respect talk about the formation of the band, how they approach performance, and the use of humor in their music. Find out more at RespectSextet.com.

 

 The Jazz Session #64: The Respect Sextet [48:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 The Jazz Session #64: The Respect Sextet [48:24m]: Download

Jason Crane interviews keyboardist Henry Hey, saxophonist Chris Cheek and bassist Tim Lefebvre, who, along with drummer Keith Carlock, make up the band Rudder. Rudder’s new album is called Matorning (Nineteen-Eight Records, 2009). These four musicians are incredibly busy in the jazz and pop worlds, but they’ve found the time to create a hip-shaking, brain-stimulating musical hybrid that some critics have said is in a genre all by itself. In this interview, the band talks about its history, the odd name of its new album, and the relative lack of crossover between the jazz and jam-band worlds.

 

 The Jazz Session #63: Rudder [27:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jason Crane interviews trombonist Jeff Albert about his new album, Similar In The Opposite Way (Fora Sound, 2009). Albert is one of the leaders of the creative music scene in New Orleans, and his Open Ears Music Series helps provide a home for experimental and free music in the Crescent City. In this interview, Albert talks about the Frenchman Street scene, his Chicago-New Orleans connection, and the cultural condition of post-Katrina New Orleans. Find out more at jeffalbert.com.

 

 The Jazz Session #62: Jeff Albert [31:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 The Jazz Session #62: Jeff Albert [31:23m]: Download

Jason Crane interviews vocalist and pianist Lisa Sokolov about her new album, A Quiet Thing. Sokolov is not like any singer you’ve ever heard before, but she is certainly one you need to hear. In this interview, Sokolov talks about what singing is and how she’s arrived at her unique approach to performance and arranging. She also talks about writing haiku in her sleep, and the song that resulted.

 

 The Jazz Session #61: Lisa Sokolov [29:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 The Jazz Session #61: Lisa Sokolov [29:18m]: Download

My latest article for All About Jazz is a review of the Respect Sextet’s CD release party at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC.

Jason Crane interviews drummer Mike Melito. While not a household name among jazz fans, Melito is well known to many jazz musicians, having played with everyone from James Moody and Benny Golson to Joe Locke and Rachel Z. Melito is based in Rochester, NY, and he made the decision early on to stay in his hometown and build his career there. His 2008 album, In The Tradition, features saxophonist Grant Stewart, trumpeter John Swana, bassist Neil Miner, and two fellow Rochesterians — pianist Paul Hofmann and guitarist Bob Sneider.

 The Jazz Session #60: Mike Melito [27:23m]: Download

 

 The Jazz Session #60: Mike Melito [27:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You may remember that last year I recorded several interviews at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in my hometown of Lenox, MA: Eddie Daniels, Jo Lawry and Spencer Day. This year I’m going back in a much bigger way. Here’s the press release that the Tanglewood Jazz Festival organizers put out today:

Tanglewood Jazz Festival and The Jazz Session Partner

For the first time, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival welcomes Jason Crane and The Jazz Session to the Jazz Shop Tent where Jason will conduct live interviews with artists, ticket holders and others that will be taped for broadcast on his popular interview program (thejazzsession.com).

What’s more, The Jazz Session just announced a new partnership with Allabout jazz.com that will feature the broadcasts on its home page. Allaboutjazz.com is the leading and longest running jazz music website, attracting both enthusiasts and industry professionals while reaching nearly one million unique visitors per month.

“Jason Crane and I have worked together for several years and closely aligning our two properties makes perfect sense as we move forward,” said Allaboutjazz founder and publisher, Michael Ricci. “AAJ already publishes weekly interviews and including The Jazz Session on our roster will raise the entertainment value at the website and further add to our already impressive coverage of jazz.”

Crane said “on The Jazz Session, we focus on the music and the stories behind the music and we let the musicians do most of the talking.” Crane has taped interviews for later broadcast at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in the past, but this is the first time he will have a dedicated spot in the Jazz Shop Tent and the public is invited to listen in.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to the Tanglewood Jazz Festival,” said Crane. “This is a top-notch festival in one of the most beautiful settings on the East Coast. It’s a very intimate festival, too, which is perfect for getting to know — and interact with — the artists.”

The Jazz Shop Tent is located near the Hawthorne Tent where the Jazz Café artists perform. Jason will be there throughout the day conducting interviews and there will be a small seating area for people to observe.

“I’m really looking forward to having The Jazz Session with us throughout the weekend,” said Dawn Singh, Senior Project Coordinator of the jazz festival. “Jason is a real professional, he’s great to work with, has enormous expertise and is well regarded by the musicians. It’s an excellent partnership all the way around.”

The Tanglewood Jazz Festival kicks off on Friday, September 4, at 6:30 with alto saxophonist, Benny Reid, followed at 8:00 by “An Evening with Paquito d’Rivera.” For more info, go to tanglewoodjazzfestival.org.

For tickets and information, visit the Tanglewood Web site. And here’s the link to my coverage of last year’s festival.

Jason Crane interviews vibraphonist Gary Burton. After three decades, Burton reunited with Pat Metheny and Steve Swallow — and added drummer Antonio Sanchez — to record Quartet Live! (Concord Jazz, 2009), an album celebrating the music of the original Gary Burton Quartet. Originally conceived as a one-time-only performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the band quickly realized that the music was worth exploring again. Burton talks about the new quartet, his projects with Chick Corea and Makoto Ozone, and his “semi-retirement.” And be sure to visit allaboutjazz.com for even more interviews and reviews about Burton’s new recording.

 

 The Jazz Session #59: Gary Burton [32:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 The Jazz Session #59: Gary Burton [32:54m]: Download

My latest article for All About Jazz is a transcription of my interview with vocalist Jo Lawry.

• Read the article.
• Listen to the interview.

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.