Posted under Composers & Podcast & Trumpeters
Composer and bandleader Gerald Wilson’s new CD is Legacy (Mack Avenue Records, 2011). This is part two of a two-part conversation. (Listen to Part 1.) In this part, Wilson talks about his time in the Navy during World War II; his subsequent work as an arranger for record labels and Hollywood studios; the development of his own band; and his new CD.
Posted under Composers & Podcast & Trumpeters
Composer and bandleader Gerald Wilson’s new CD is Legacy (Mack Avenue Records, 2011). This is part one of a two-part conversation. In this episode, Gerald Wilson talks about growing up in the South and listening to music with his brother; his move to Detroit to attend an arts high school; his early days as a professional musician; his time with Jimmie Lunceford and his first arrangements; and the beginning of his time in the Navy. Learn more at mackavenue.com/artists/detail/gerald_wilson/.
Posted under Composers & Podcast
Composer Maria Schneider’s most recent CD is Sky Blue (ArtistShare). Now Schneider has turned her attention to the classical world, composing music for soprano and orchestra. In this interview, Schneider talks about how a meeting with soprano Dawn Upshaw led to this new direction in her music; how she waded through oceans of poetry to find the text she wanted for her new pieces; and how a chance comment from a college professor led her to the world of jazz. Learn more at mariaschneider.com.
Tracks used in this episode: The Pretty Road; Aires de Lando; Rich’s Piece; How Are Things In Glocca Morra? (Bing Crosby); Sky Blue.
Posted under Composers & Podcast
Nicholas Urie’s new album, My Garden (Red Piano Records, 2011), features his settings of the poems of Charles Bukowski. In this interview, Urie talks about his identification with Bukowski, who, like Urie, spent much of his life in Los Angeles; the challenges of setting Bukowski’s non-lyrical poems; and the even greater challenge of getting the rights to use Bukowski’s work in the first place. Learn more at nicholasurie.com.
NOTE: Nicholas asked me to mention the members of the band because we didn’t name them during the interview. I said I’d put their names in the intro or the outro to the show, but of course I forgot. So here they are: Christine Correa (voice); Jeremy Udden, Douglas Yates, Kenny Pexton, Brian Landrus (woodwinds); Albert Leusink, Ben Holmes, John Carlson (trumpets); Alan Ferber, Max Siegel (trombones); Frank Carlberg (piano); John Hebert (bass); Michael Sarin (drums); Nicholas Urie (conductor).
Tracks used in this episode: Winter: My 44th Year; Round And Round; Lioness; My Garden; Slaughterhouse; Finality.
NOTE: Listen to Nicholas Urie’s 2009 appearance on The Jazz Session.
Posted under Composers & Pianists & Podcast
Grammy and Tony award winner Don Sebesky wrote and arranged music for many of the classic CTI recordings. You can hear his work on a new boxed set, CTI: The Cool Revolution (Sony Masterworks, 2010). In this interview, Sebesky talks about how CTI got started and how it developed its signature sound; his experience working with Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, Paul Desmond, Grover Washington, Jr. and many others; and why he still considers his time at CTI one of the best periods of his musical career. Learn more at www.donsebeskymusic.com.
CONTEST: Listen to the show to learn how to win a copy of the boxed set!
Posted under Composers & Podcast
Composer Darrell Katz leads an all-star ensemble of Boston’s finest through a program of his own compositions on A Wallflower In The Amazon (Accurate Records, 2010). In this interview, Katz talks about the album’s musical diversity; his use of poetry as text for some of his compositions; and his particular method of placing his own stamp on the works of others. Learn more at www.jazzcomposersalliance.org.
Posted under Composers & Drummers & Podcast
Roland Vazquez explores a series of historical and philosophical ideas through the medium of music on The Visitor (RVCD, 2010). In this interview, Vazquez talks about his former and current large ensembles; the programmatic elements underlying the compositions; and why he decided to do something — or rather not do something — for the first time on this album. Learn more at www.rolandvazquez.com.
Posted under Composers & Podcast
Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam Records, 2009), the debut CD from composer Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, is one of the most talked-about records of the year. In this interview, Argue reveals why he chose to write modern music using a big band as his musical vehicle; how he turned a simple blog into a social media juggernaut; and why the last thing he wants to be is nostalgic about music. Learn more at secretsociety.typepad.com.
If you’d like to buy this album, you can help support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:
Posted under Composers & Podcast
The Industrial Jazz Group is a 15-ish-piece large ensemble that plays the inventive, challenging and often hilarious music of composer Andrew Durkin. That sentence, though, doesn’t come close to doing them justice. The band, made up of musicians fluent in jazz, classical and rock — and inspired by the free-for-all spirit of Frank Zappa — is a force of nature, slinking, striding and crashing through Durkin’s charts with an obvious love for the group’s collective sound. In this interview, Durkin talks about how the band grew from its original trio formation; how comedy works to the group’s advantage; and how he’s used social networking sites to expand the band’s audience. The Industrial Jazz Group is on an East Coast tour through 10/24. Dates and locations are available at IndustrialJazzGroup.com.
For more on the IJG, head over to Popdose and read my review of their show in Pittsfield, MA.
If you’d like to buy their album, Leef (Evander, 2008), you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:
Posted under Composers & Podcast
Composer and bandleader Dave Rivello is a man on a mission. For nearly two decades, Rivello has been writing original music for his large ensemble and performing that music in clubs in and around Rochester, NY, where he teaches at the Eastman School of Music. The result? Facing The Mirror (Allora Records, 2009), a CD of Rivello’s music that highlights his inventive compositions, and the talented members of his unusual ensemble. In this interview, Rivello talks about how hearing one record changed his life; how he cold-called one of his musical heroes and started a lifelong relationship; and why he chose his own particular instrumentation for his band. Find out more at DaveRivello.com.
If you’d like to buy this album, you can help support The Jazz Session by buying it via the link below:
Posted under Composers & Podcast
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:
Read my poetry at jasoncrane.org.
