The Jazz Session #373: Stranahan, Zaleski and Rosato [ 39:15 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Anticipation (Capri Records, 2012) is the new CD by drummer Colin Stranahan, pianist Glenn Zaleski and bassist Rick Rosato. In this interview, conducted before the trio’s recent live show at Small’s in NYC, the three talk about their mutual appreciation of one another; the shared taste in music that animates their collaboration; and their individual paths into jazz. Learn more at myspace.com/wwwcolinstranahancom, glennzaleski.com and myspace.com/rickrosato.

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The Jazz Session #359: Raya Brass Band [ 1:01:12 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Raya Brass Band’s new CD is Dancing On Roses, Dancing On Cinders (2012). In this interview, four of the five members of the band discuss its origins; the rhythmic underpinnings of Balkan music; the uses of improvisation in their performances; and how a movie caused one of the members of the band to quit his job and take up the accordion. Learn more at rayabrassband.com and follow them on Twitter at @RayaBrassBand.

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The Jazz Session #348: The Wee Trio [ 56:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Wee Trio is James Westfall (vibes), Dan Loomis (bass) and Jared Schonig (drums). Their new album is Ashes To Ashes: A David Bowie Intraspective. In this interview, the trio talks about why they chose David Bowie — and why they were initially reluctant to do so; how they managed an 8,000-mile tour across the United States; and what makes the trio work as a unit. Learn more at theweetrio.com and follow them on Twitter at @weetrois.

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The Jazz Session #309: The Respect Sextet [ 1:03:40 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Respect Sextet is celebrating 10 years together. In this interview, the band looks back on a decade of performing and recording since they formed at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. They take us on a tour through their recordings and give us a glimpse of what’s to come. Learn more at respectsextet.com.

Concert note: The Respect Sextet is playing two New York shows in the coming weeks. Tomorrow (9/16/11) at The Stone and then their 10th anniversary show at Le Poisson Rouge on October 11, 2011.

Special for The Jazz Session‘s listeners: Now through October 11, visit respectsextet.bandcamp.com and use the code “tjs” to get 50% off your purchase.

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The Jazz Session #300: Planetary Unknown [ 47:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For The Jazz Session’s 300th episode, a rare chance to sit down with four musical veterans: David S. Ware, William Parker, Cooper-Moore and Muhammad Ali. The four have just released Planetary Unknown (Aum Fidelity, 2011). This interview was recorded in the dressing room just after their performance at the 2011 Vision Festival. In this interview, they talk about the spiritual side of music; give advice to young musicians; and tell stories from their 100+ years as performers. Learn more at Aum Fidelity’s Planetary Unknown page.

NOTE: Today (August 11, 2011) is the final day of the “100 By 300″ membership campaign and I haven’t quite reached my goal. Please support the show by joining today for as little as $10 a month.

Tracks used in this episode: Passage Wudang; Shift; Duality Is One; Divination; Crystal Palace; Ancestry Supramental.

Three of the four members of this band have been on The Jazz Session before:

• Cooper-Moore
• William Parker
• David S. Ware

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The Jazz Session #275: Jooklo Duo [ 50:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Virginia Genta and drummer David Vanzan make up Italy’s Jooklo Duo. Their latest release is a 7″ vinyl single called The Warrior (Northern Spy Records, 2011). In this interview, Genta and Vanzan talk about how they met and why they jumped right into the world of free improvisation; the varied experiences they’ve had touring the world; and their DIY, vinyl-only aesthetic. Learn more at jooklo.altervista.org.

TOUR NOTE: Jooklo Duo is now touring the United States. Tour dates are here: http://jooklo.altervista.org/CONCERTI.htm.

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The Jazz Session #267: Slumgum [ 51:23 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Slumgum’s new album is Quardboard Flavored Fiber (Accretions, 2011). In this interview, the band’s Jon Armstrong talks about how the diverse backgrounds of the members lead to a fascinating array of compositional ideas; why the band chose its unique name; and how the use of humor and improvisational games leads the music down interesting paths. Oh, and we get kicked out of a place. Learn more at slumgum.com.

Tracks used in this episode: Hancho Pancho; Eshu’s Trick; Big Fun (Running In A Dream); Afternoon; Big Fun (Natural Liberation); Quardboard Flavored Fiber.

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The Jazz Session #240: No BS! Brass [ 36:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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!!; Representing; Bad Sake Drunk.

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The Jazz Session #238: Bizingas (Brian Drye) [ 38:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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.

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The Jazz Session #223: Gabriel Gloege [ 40:26 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Drummer Gabriel Gloege’s Dymaxion Quartet takes inspiration from Buckminster Fuller and photographer Asca S.R. Aull on the album Sympathetic Vibrations. In this interview, Gloege talks about those two sources of inspiration; how Fuller’s ideas and Aull’s photos inform the music on this album; and how he structures his compositions in the absence of a chordal instrument. Learn more at dymaxion4.com.

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The Jazz Session #219: Either/Orchestra (Russ Gershon) [ 42:43 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Either/Orchestra is celebrating 25 years of making music with their new CD, Mood Music For Time Travellers (Accurate Records, 2010). In this interview, founder and leader Russ Gershon talks about how the band got started; how it has survived for 25 years; and the music on the new album, which returns to the “classic” E/O sound after several years working with Ethiopian musicians. Learn more at either-orchestra.org.

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The Jazz Session #218: Tanglewood Jazz Festival Sampler [ 30:04 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A collection of short interviews recorded at the 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival in Lenox, MA. Featuring Regina Carter, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Nnenna Freelon and more. Learn more at www.tanglewoodjazzfestival.org.

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The Jazz Session #208: Blue Cranes [ 39:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Portland, Oregon-based band Blue Cranes have a new record called Observatories that continues their exploration of a wide variety of musical styles. In this interview, two members of Blue Crane discuss the band’s origin; its expansion from a quartet to a quintet; the use of the studio as an instrument; and their fan-funded upcoming national tour by train. Learn more at www.bluecranesmusic.com.

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The Jazz Session #194: Shane Endsley of Kneebody [ 46:52 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For more than a decade, Kneebody has been making music that’s hard to classify and harder to resist. Their new album is You Can Have Your Moment (Winter & Winter, 2010). In this interview, trumpeter Shane Endsley talks about the band’s different approach to recording the new album; the complex series of musical cues the band uses to arrange music live onstage; and how the combination of Theo Bleckmann and Charles Ives led to a recording relationship with the Winter & Winter label. Learn more at kneebody.com.

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The Jazz Session #184: Bryan Murray of Bryan And The Haggards [ 33:48 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When one thinks of free jazz, one of the first names that springs to mind is that of Merle Haggard. And so, it’s perfectly natural that saxophonist Bryan Murray would have assembled a band to play free versions of Haggard’s songs. The result is the very engaging Pretend It’s The End Of The World (Hot Cup, 2010). In this interview, Murray talks about the inspiration for the record and how the band made the songs work in such a different context. Learn more at www.myspace.com/bryanandthehaggards.

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