The Jazz Session #343: Noah Kaplan [ 54:45 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Noah Kaplan’s new CD is Descendants (Hat Hut, 2011) with Joe Morris on guitar, Giacomo Merega on bass and Jason Nazary on drums. In this interview, Kaplan talks about his life-changing studies with Joe Maneri; why classical music theory was important to his musical development; and how he approaches collective improvisation. Learn more at noah-kaplan.com.

CONCERT NOTE: The Noah Kaplan Quartet performs Friday, February 3, 2012 at Douglass Street Music Collective (295 Douglass St. Brooklyn, NY) at 8 p.m.

No Comments »

The Jazz Session #341: Bob Reynolds [ 1:10:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Bob Reynolds’ most recent album is A Live Life (2011) and he’s currently working on his forthcoming studio album. Reynolds is perhaps best known for his work with rock musician John Mayer. In this interview, Reynolds talks about the importance of good time (in the musical sense); how he’s learned to bring an audience along for the ride; and about his video lesson service. Learn more at bobreynoldsmusic.com and follow him on Twitter at @Bob_Reynolds.

1 Comment »

The Jazz Session #335: Pete Robbins [ 53:19 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Pete Robbins’ new CD is Live In Basel (Hate Laugh Music, 2011) with his Transatlantic Quartet. In this interview, Robbins talks about the benefits of a working band; why his last three recordings have been live albums; and why his next project will find him traveling down yet another new musical road. Learn more at peterobbins.com and follow him on Twitter at @peterobbins.

No Comments »

The Jazz Session #334: Michael Pedicin [ 1:14:03 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Michael Pedicin’s new album is Ballads …searching for peace (Jazz Hut, 2011). In this interview, Pedicin talks about this influence of his father on his career; why he feels he had to work his way up to a ballads album; and how he came to terms with his place in the worlds of both jazz and medicine. Learn more at michaelpedicin.com and follow him on Twitter at @mpedicin.

No Comments »

The Jazz Session #333: Sam Rivers (1923-2011) [ 33:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

NOTE: I’m reposting this 2009 interview with Sam Rivers to commemorate his passing on Dec. 26, 2011. Nate Chinen has collected many of the remembrances of Rivers on his blog.

Sam Rivers is a musical renaissance man. He’s performed in big bands, bop bands, R&B groups, blues bands and free-jazz ensembles. Rivers is currently composing adventurous large-ensemble music (such as is found on his 2006 CD Aurora) in an unlikely location: Orlando, Florida. In this interview, Rivers talks about his early days in Boston; how he was recruited by Jimi Hendrix while playing with Cecil Taylor; and how a tour with Dizzy Gillespie led to his relocation to Florida. Learn more at rivbea.com.

No Comments »

The Jazz Session #329: Adam Schatz [ 51:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Adam Schatz is the founder of Search & Restore, which opened its doors in late 2007 and has since become a 501(c)3 non-profit committed to bringing the artists and audiences of new jazz and improvised music together in new ways. In this interview, Schatz talks about the musical components of the organization’s mission and his own pursuits as a performing musician. Learn more about Search & Restore at searchandrestore.com and about their current fundraising efforts at jazz2012.com. The fundraiser runs through Dec. 19, 2011.

NOTE: This interview is a companion piece to my video conversation with Schatz, which you’ll find at JazzDIY’s site, JazzDIY.com.

4 Comments »

The Jazz Session #314: Marcus Strickland [ 1:07:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Marcus Strickland’s latest recording is Triumph of the Heavy (Strick Muzik, 2011), a 2-CD set that features a live trio performance and a studio session by his new quartet. In this interview, Strickland talks about why he added piano to his band; his awareness that he’s playing for other people; and the difference between the tunes he writes in the fall and the tunes he writes in the spring. Learn more at marcusstrickland.com and follow him on Twitter at @marcustrickland.

No Comments »

The Jazz Session #311: Avram Fefer [ 58:10 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Avram Fefer’s new album is Eliyahu (Not Two, 2011). In this interview, Fefer talks about why this is his happiest sounding album yet; how the loss of his father changed the way he views the music on the album; and the influences of the music of a variety of cultures on his compositions. Learn more at www.avramfefer.com.

No Comments »

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

No Comments »

The Jazz Session #298: Ingrid Laubrock [ 38:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock’s most recent album is The Madness Of Crowds (Intakt, 2011) with the band Sleepthief. She’s also part of the trio Paradoxical Frog with Kris Davis and Tyshawn Sorey. In this interview, Laubrock talks about her self-taught entry into improvised music; her collaborations with a variety of musicians; and why she went back to study standards even though she doesn’t often play them. Learn more at www.ingridlaubrock.com/pages/home.htm.

Programming note: Due to a technical problem, I lost part of this interview. My apologies to Ingrid. I’ll have her back on the show for a longer conversation.

Tracks used in this episode: Entraordinary Popular Delusions; You Never Know What’s In The Next Room; The Slow Poisoners; There She Goes With Her Eye Out; Hindsight Is Always 20-20.

3 Comments »

The Jazz Session #289: Jim Snidero [ 55:28 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Jim Snidero’s new CD is Interface (Savant, 2011). In this interview, Snidero talks about the use of acoustic guitar on this record; his concept of “warm jazz”; and what makes music appealing to him both intellectually and emotionally. Learn more at jimsnidero.com.

Tracks used in this episode: Interface; Fallout; Silhouette; Viper; One By One; Expectations.

No Comments »

The Jazz Session #288: Jane Bunnett and Hilario Duran [ 46:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Cuban Rhapsody (Alma Records, 2011) is a duet CD by saxophonist and flautist Jane Bunnett and pianist Hilario Duran. In this interview, Bunnett and Duran talk about the joys and challenges of duet playing; the deep history of the album’s repertoire; and the idea of music without boundaries. Learn more at www.janebunnett.com and www.hilarioduran.com.

Tracks used in this episode: Lagrimas Negras; Almendra; Sherezad; Contradanzas; Longina; Son de la Loma.

1 Comment »

The Jazz Session #286: Matana Roberts [ 57:11 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Matana Roberts has released two albums recently: Live In London (Central Control, 2011) and Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens De Couleurs Libre (Constellation, 2011). In this interview, Roberts talks about her Chicago roots and the mentorship of Fred Anderson; how she combined her musical practice with her passion for genealogy; and why working on your sound means being willing to take the slow road. Learn more at matanaroberts.com.

Tracks used in this episode: (from Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens De Couleur Libres) Rise; Pov Piti; Song For Eulalie; Kersaia; Libation for Mr. Brown – Bid Em In; (from Live In London) My Sister; Exchange.

No Comments »

The Jazz Session #280: Craig Handy [ 1:06:55 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist Craig Handy is a member of The Cookers, whose latest CD is Cast The First Stone (Plus Loin, 2011). In this interview, Handy talks about playing with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roy Haynes and other jazz luminaries; about his youthful experiences learning the craft of section playing and how to perform in service to the music; and about how he’s matured as a player over his decades on the professional scene. Learn more at www.craighandy.com.

No Comments »

The Jazz Session #278: James Carter [ 1:00:24 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Saxophonist James Carter is back with an ambitious new album, Caribbean Rhapsody (Emarcy, 2011), featuring the compositions of Roberto Sierra. In this interview, Carter talks about finding ways to connect with an audience; his collaboration with Sierra on the new compositions; and his view of an artist’s responsibility to the listener and vice versa. Learn more at jamescarterlive.com.

No Comments »