The Jazz Session #77: Kurt Elling [26:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jason Crane interviews vocalist Kurt Elling. Known for his affinity for the music of John Coltrane, Elling’s new album, Dedicated To You (Concord, 2009), is his most explicit tribute yet. The album features the music of the classic Impulse recording John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, performed here with saxophonist Ernie Watts, the Laurence Hobgood trio, and a string quartet. Elling discusses the genesis of the project, how he adapted this famous repertoire, and his role as an interpreter of the music.

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 The Jazz Session #76: Steve Kuhn [51:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jason Crane interviews pianist Steve Kuhn. Kuhn’s new album, Mostly Coltrane (ECM, 2009), pays tribute to John Coltrane, with whom Kuhn worked for several weeks in the early 60s. In this interview, Kuhn talks about Coltrane, the Lenox School of Jazz, his composing methods, and the support he received early on from Bill Evans. He also discusses the sacrifices he made in pursuit of his musical vision.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can help support The Jazz Session by buying it via the link below:

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 The Jazz Session #75: Avery Sharpe [42:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 The Jazz Session #75: Avery Sharpe [42:11m]: Download

Jason Crane interviews bassist Avery Sharpe. Sharpe’s album, Autumn Moonlight (JKNM, 2009) is an exploration of the piano trio by a man who played bass in one of the most famous such trios in recent memory, that of McCoy Tyner. In this interview, Sharpe talks about why he likes to perform in the trio format, how he chose between insurance adjusting and the bass, and the night he left Art Blakey for McCoy Tyner. Find out more at AverySharpe.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can help support The Jazz Session by buying it via the link below:

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 The Jazz Session #74: Nicholas Urie [32:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 The Jazz Session #74: Nicholas Urie [32:11m]: Download

Jason Crane interviews composer Nicholas Urie. Urie’s fascinating album, Excerpts From An Online Dating Service (Red Piano, 2009) combines lyrics taken from online dating sites with complex and creative music for a large band. Citing Kurt Weill as a major influence, Urie has made an album that explores what Weill might have been like if he’d had a Facebook account. Find out more at NicholasUrie.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can help support The Jazz Session by buying it via the link below:

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I’m happy to announce a big gang o’ winners from various contests. Congrats to all!

Meet The Stricklands

Ken from Albany won the Meet The Stricklands package for his donation to my Livestrong Challenge Ride. The package includes tickets to the double-CD release party this Friday featuring Marcus and E.J. Strickland, two autographed CDs, and a meet-and-greet after the show. (Because Ken can’t make the show, his fellow jazzhead Scott will attend. Ken, though, will be enjoying the signed CDs.)

Gary Burton “Past and Present”

The following folks won a copy of Gary Burton’s new CD, Quartet Live, along with a copy of the recently reissued ECM recording, Dreams So Real:

• Brian in Albany, NY
• Foluwaso in Lagos, Nigeria
• Devon in Denver, CO
• Dano in Boulder, CO
• Scott in Newington, CT

Tony Bennett/Bill Evans CD giveaway

The following folks won a copy of The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Reordings:

• Marisa in Glen Mills, PA
• John in Syracuse, NY
• Eddie in Cudahy, WI
• Eric in Charenton-le-Pont, France
• Rick in State College, PA

Stay tuned for more free music!

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 The Jazz Session #73: Bill Anschell and Brent Jensen [40:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 The Jazz Session #73: Bill Anschell and Brent Jensen [40:35m]: Download

Jason Crane interviews pianist Bill Anschell and saxophonist Brent Jensen. Their new album, We Couldn’t Agree More (Origin, 2009) is a duet session. In this interview, Anschell and Jensen talk about how the album came to be, the particular qualities of duet playing, and the question of standards versus new music.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can help support The Jazz Session by buying it via the link below:

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 The Jazz Session #72: Gene Ludwig [37:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 The Jazz Session #72: Gene Ludwig [37:27m]: Download

Jason Crane interviews organist Gene Ludwig. He tossed a coin to decide whether to be an engineer or a musician. With that out of the way, Ludwig came on the scene in the late 1950s and has made a living playing the organ ever since. He’s been in the bands of Sonny Stitt and Arthur Prysock, and has played opposite everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Cannonball Adderley. The musical samples in this interview are from Ludwig’s recording Hands On (Blue Leaf Records, 2003). Learn more at GeneLudwig.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can help support The Jazz Session by buying it via the link below:

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