Posted under Jazz Writing & Podcast & Site Updates
My year-in-review article for All About Jazz is now available online. It’s a look at some of the interesting places at which I recorded episodes of the show in 2009. These spots include:
Read: The Jazz Session: Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Posted under Podcast & Saxophonists
Saxophonist Eric Alexander has forged a multi-decade career out of one simple concept: “To thine own self be true.” In this interview, recorded before his September 2009 performance in Schenectady, NY, Alexander talks about his musical vision; his experience as a teacher at SUNY Purchase; and why he thinks it’s possible to point to one particular period of jazz as the greatest in the music’s history. Learn more at www.ericalexanderjazz.com.
The tunes in this interview come from Eric Alexander’s Nightlife In Tokyo CD. If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:
Posted under Podcast & Site Updates
What a way to end 2009! Thank you so much for your support. You make it all worthwhile.
Stay tuned in 2010 for many more interviews, including Sonny Rollins, Marty Ehrlich, Amy Cervini, Matthew Shipp, Lee Shaw, Tyshawn Sorey, Chad Taylor, James Wiedman, Mike Reed, Linda Oh, Hiromi, Jason Parker, Erik Deutsch, Harris Eisenstadt, Roger Kellaway, Sam Sadigursky and many more!
Posted under Podcast & Saxophonists
Saxophonist Sonny Simmons is the subject of a new documentary now in production called Just A Guy Who Knows. The filmmakers, Dan Scofield and Mike Ercolini, have so far produced a 20-minute trailer and are raising funds to finish a 45-minute short film on Simmons. The saxophonist has lived a remarkable life, moving from his days as a colleague of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins to near anonymity as a musician on the streets of San Francisco. He’s now back in action again, and his wisdom and intelligence shine through in the documentary. Learn more at www.justaguywhoknows.com.
Here’s the short trailer for the film. Visit the Web site to get access to the longer version.
JUST A GUY WHO KNOWS trailer from Blind Escrow Productions on Vimeo.
One of Sonny’s recent albums is Ancient Ritual. If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:
Posted under Drummers & Podcast
Drummer and percussionist James Shipp is making music without borders. With his band Nos Novo, Shipp has just released Strange Sweethearts In America (Shippwrite Music, 2009), a fascinating and fun mix of traditional Irish melodies and rhythms with Brazilian music and collective improvisation. In this interview, Shipp talks about the genesis of the band; provides a guide to the varying ingredients on the album; and talks about what makes each of these styles so special to him. Learn more at www.jamesshipp.com.
If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:
Posted under Harpists & Pianists & Podcast
Cooper-Moore is a musical renaissance man. He’s a pianist who also invents and builds his own instruments. He’s steeped in history and tradition, and refreshingly free from convention. In this interview, Cooper-Moore talks about his childhood days as the town musician; why he feels that playing music is far more than a profession; and how and why he began creating his own instruments. Learn more at www.hopscotchrecords.com/cooper.html.
Several of the tunes in this interview come from the new Digital Primitives album. If you’d like to buy this recording, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:
Posted under Bassists & Podcast
You’d think that helping to invent a new genre of music and being the first person to play your instrument in a jazz setting would be enough to get you some headlines in the jazz history books. You’d be wrong. Meet Harry Babasin, the bassist who played on the very first recordings of what became bossa nova, and then became the first person to play pizzicato cello in a jazz group. He’s now largely forgotten. In this interview, his son Von Babasin talks about Harry’s life and accomplishments, and Von’s mission to film a documentary that will restore his dad to his rightful place in jazz history. Learn more at www.jazzinhollywood.com/harrythebear.html.
Harry Babasin’s band The Jazz Pickers features Harry’s cello work. If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below.
