The Jazz Session #116: Wayne Wallace [37:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Trombonist Wayne Wallace brings a lifetime of jazz, R&B and latin playing together on his new latin jazz CD, ¡Bien, Bien! (Patois Records, 2009). In this interview, Wallace talks about his introduction to latin music and why it spoke to him; his years as a semi-pro soccer player and how that helped him navigate the communities in which latin music is played; and why he may just have the greatest wedding band in history. Learn more at walacomusic.com.

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 Standard Podcast [25:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Paquito D’Rivera is equally at home in the jazz and classical worlds, a fact he showcased during his performance at the 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival. In this interview, D’Rivera talks about several of the pieces he performed that night: “Conversations With Cachao” and “The Panamericana Suite.” He also discusses “Fiddle Dreams,” a rare commission from the Library of Congress; and why he thinks the jazz and classical worlds can learn from one another. The music in this program is taken from his album Jazz Clazz (Termidor Music, 2009). Learn more at paquitodrivera.com.

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

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 The Jazz Session #114: Edmar Casteneda [23:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Harpist Edmar Castaneda combines folkloric music from his native Colombia with jazz and other latin influences on his new album, Entre Cuerdas (ArtistShare, 2009). In this interview, Castaneda talks about his discovery of jazz as a teenager; his first attempts to sit in at descarga jam session … on the harp; and how he ended up with what is probably the only harp-trombone-percussion trio in the world. Learn more at edmarcastaneda.com.

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

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My newest column for Popdose.com is titled, “Dr. Flügel, or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Chuck Mangione.” Here’s the first paragraph:

The first album I ever bought with my own money (earned, I think, by babysitting for one of the neighborhood kids) was a two-cassette version of Chuck Mangione’s 1978 concert recording An Evening Of Magic: Live At The Hollywood Bowl. This album, if you’ll forgive my salty language, kicks ass.

You can read the rest at Popdose.com.

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 The Jazz Session #113: benny Reid [24:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

On his second album, Escaping Shadows (Concord, 2009), saxophonist Benny Reid continues to explore the musical path first laid down by Pat Metheny. In this interview, recorded just after Reid’s performance at the 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival, Reid talks about the influence of Metheny; why he chooses to compose everything from the melodies to the bass lines of his tunes; and how he navigates both the artistic and business sides of music. Learn more at bennyreid.com.

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

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 The Jazz Session #112: Martin Urbach [33:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Drummer Martin Urbach is a citizen of the world. His travels have taken him from his native Bolivia to New Orleans and then New York. His experiences along the way are expressed musically on Free Will (self-produced, 2008). In this interview, Urbach talks about his musical and cultural upbringing; his flight from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina; and why after so many years playing instrumental music, he’s now writing songs with words. Learn more at martinurbach.com.

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

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 The Jazz Session #111: Diverse [29:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The band Diverse consists of students from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. They all study with saxophonist Bobby Watson. They won a contest that included a recording contract with Origin Records, and the result is Diverse (Origin, 2009), a well-crafted selection of original music. In this interview, trumpeter Hermon Mehari talks about how the band got started; why they ended up playing some tunes in the contest that were written the same day as the performance; and what comes next now that they’ve made a record and opened for Roy Haynes. Learn more at diversejazz.com.

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

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