I’m taking The Jazz Session on the road across North America … and then maybe the rest of the world, too!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1. Donate to the tour.
2. Suggest a place to go or a musician to interview.
3. Give me a place to stay.
4. Host a house party (any size) so I can read my poetry and maybe sell a book or two.
5. Suggest a venue (bookstore, performance space) in your town where I could do a poetry reading.

To do any of the above (other than donate) send me an email at jason@thejazzsession.com. To learn more, and to donate, visit http://thejazzsession.com/tour.

UPDATE: NPR’s A Blog Supreme did a story on the tour! “Crashing On Couches To Talk To Musicians”

UPDATE 2: I’ve reached my initial fundraising goal so I can buy my Greyhound tickets. But I’m still asking for donations. The more I raise, the more extensive the tour will be. You’ll get the thank-you gifts no matter when you donate. Even once the tour has started. Thank you.

DONORS

Carlos Ibanez, Daryl Shawn, Eric Hofbauer, Brian Wall, John Mason, Brian Davis, Devin Gray, Aaron Staebell, Ann Braithwaite, Patrick McCurry, Richard Kamins, Peter Varshavsky, James Osborne, Miles Okazaki, Kent Petersen, Eli Asher, Terri Hinte, Glenn Zaleski, Geoffrey Keezer, Michael Feinberg, Vicky Johnson, Ron Weinstock, Pete Zimmer, Steve Titmus, Chris Monsen, Jeff Albert, David Budbill, Brett Porter, Amy Cervini, Matt Wilson, David Winston, Marisa Leva, Nicky Schrire, Michael Falcon, Sunna Gunnlaugs, Tony Micelli, Ted Poor, Derick Dickens, Kim Santo, Jason Linnell, Mark Rini, Danny McCormick.

“The Jazz Session is the best independent jazz podcast out there.” — Darcy James Argue

“Jason Crane is a hipster of the highest order. A super sonic solid sender cat daddy perched upon the monumental peak of groovy. Dig?” — Matt Wilson

The Jazz Session is a member-supported online interview show focusing on in-depth conversations with jazz musicians. The show is hosted by Jason Crane.

Since its inception in 2007, there have been more than 1.7 million downloads of The Jazz Session‘s 300+ episodes. The Jazz Session focuses on in-depth interviews with jazz musicians, along with occasional interviews with producers, authors and others in the jazz world. The show’s mission is to chronicle the lives and opinions of musicians who make creative improvised music, without regard to artificial genres or labels.

Every episode of the show is available here at thejazzsession.com for free. You’ll find the guests listed alphabetically along the left side of the page. You can also search by instrument using the category menu immediately below the list of names. And you can subscribe for free via iTunes or an RSS reader.

To get started, choose a musician from the menu on the left or simply scroll down on this page to see the latest episodes.

The Jazz Session only survives because of the support of its members. Please become a member today.

We made the goal just before 2 p.m. ET. What can I say? I’m humbled and amazed. These last 24 hours have seen such a huge outpouring of support for this program. Here they are: The Jazz Session 100.

Thank you.

Jason Crane

P.S. — I can always use more members, so please keep spreading the word. You can join here.

Kyoko Kitamura, jazz musician: “I see the Jazz Session as something that might represent the future of music journalism: a versatile internet downloadable program which combines audio, the musician’s interview, great questions, great editing. I feel that it is very important to have an outlet where the music and the musicians can speak for themselves. Rather than bemoan the current state of the music industry and journalism, I find it more satisfying to support what I believe is a great format that truly works.”

Jonathan Matz, student: “I made a one-time donation of $30 in April, and here’s another $80 to make it to the $110 annual donation. As a full-time student, this is a stretch for me, but as a former WKCR DJ, I know the value of what you’re doing.”

Thanks, Jonathan and Kyoko. If you’d like to support the show, please become a member for as little as $10 a month.

The 16th edition of the Vision Festival has begun here in New York. The following are all the Vision Festival artists who’ve appeared on The Jazz Session:

• Taylor Ho Bynum
• Gerald Cleaver
• Cooper-Moore
• Garrison Fewell
• Tomas Fujiwara
• Stephen Haynes
• Dom Minasi
• Joe Morris
• Miles Okazaki
• William Parker
• Matthew Shipp: 2010 & 2011 (with Darius Jones)
• Fay Victor: 2009 & 2011
• David S. Ware

Wow. Just … wow. Within the last few minutes, The Jazz Session hit one million downloads.

I’m just blown away. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And if you’d like to keep the show going for another million downloads, please become a member.

The Jazz Session just passed 900,000 downloads! Thank you all very much for listening to — and supporting — the show.

And oh, by the way, if you haven’t become a member yet, please consider giving your financial support to The Jazz Session to ensure that it will keep going for 900,000 more downloads!

Again, thank you all very much!

For a long time now, I’ve included Amazon.com links to the albums I talk about on the show as part of the show notes for each episode. I did this because if you clicked on those links and bought the records that way, a little bit of your purchase price would come back to The Jazz Session. Many of you did that and helped fund the show, for which I’m grateful.

I’ve decided to stop including those links from now on, for two reasons:

1. I was disturbed by Amazon’s actions regarding Wikileaks in the wake of Joe Lieberman’s threat. I think this is a fairly complex issue, but I was disappointed by Amazon’s response.
2. I think the best way for you to support the artists who appear on The Jazz Session is to visit their sites and buy the music in whatever way they suggest. When you purchase an album through Amazon, the artist receives a very tiny cut of that purchase. That may be OK for people selling millions of records, but no jazz artist is selling millions of records. I’ve always provided a link to the artist’s Web site in my show notes, so just click those links and buy the record using whatever means the artist suggests.

One additional note: I could still use your financial support. The most direct way to keep The Jazz Session going is to become a member, which you can do via the Join page. Thank you.

The Jazz Session just passed 800,000 downloads! Huzzah!

If you’d like the show to be around long enough for 800,000 more downloads, please become a member. And thanks to all of you for listening and for supporting the show.

The Jazz Session is launching a new membership campaign — “100 By 300″ — with the goal of reaching 100 members by the 300th show. For the cost of a couple cups of (admittedly expensive) coffee each month, you can keep The Jazz Session going for years to come. Visit the Join page and become a member for as little as $10 a month or $110 a year. Thank you for your support! And thanks especially to the people who have already joined.

The Jazz Session just hit 600,000 downloads! Thanks for all your support. If you’d like to help keep the show going, please consider donating using the button on the left side of this site.

Sometime in the past hour or so, The Jazz Session passed 500,000 downloads! Can you believe it? Half a million! Huzzah!

Thanks to all of you for your support. Tell a friend, OK?

Today is the third anniversary of The Jazz Session, which started back on Feb. 24, 2007 with TJS #1: Grant Stewart. Here were are, 460,000+ downloads later and still going strong — thanks to YOU!

I found out Tuesday night that FootHills Publishing, an independent poetry press celebrating its 25th year, is going to publish a collection of my work. I really can’t believe it. Huzzah!

Watch jasoncrane.org for more details…

Here are the responses to the survey question, “If you could book one artist for The Jazz Session, who would it be?” These are in the order received, and there are certainly duplicates. If the person has already been a guest on the show, I’ve noted that in bold type with the show number after their name. And for everyone else: I’m workin’ on ‘em!

(Two notes: 1. This post has a “Continue Reading” link partway through. Click on that link for the full list. 2. If you’re reading this at thejazzsession.com, you’ll see an alphabetical list of all the past guests on the left side of the page. Click on any name to hear the interview.)

• Tom Harrell
• Kurt Rosenwinkel
• Pat Metheny
• Miles Davis! Hehe … seriously, though … I can’t think of anyone – and actually appreciate learning abuot new folks rather than just hearing from folks I already know!
• Julian Lage – TJS #94
• Jeremy Davenport
• I’m afraid I’ll say one who has already been done!
• Carla Bley
• John Scofield
• One? In a perfect world, Wayne Shorter. But you do such a great job with artists that deserve more recognition, such as Joe Fonda, Mario Pavone, Vinny Golia, John Hollenbeck, etc
  – Hollenbeck is booked!
  

• Maria Schneider.
• Charlie Haden
• some of the more modern jazz composers for larger groups, i.e. larger than a quartet
• Wayne Shorter!
• kurt rosenwinkel
• Wayne Shorter
• I’ll add two – Cecil Taylor (piano) and George Lewis (trombone)
• Ben Allison
• Ellery Eskelin
• robert glasper (TJS #99), dave holland
• Jeff “Tain” Watts – TJS #12
• I don’t think you’ve had Anat Cohen yet.
• Pat Metheny
• bassist Avishai Cohen
• Just one? Wayne Horvitz or Matt Jorgensen
• the librettist, pianist who wrote about the sports page and my attorney bernie. (Dave Frishberg)
• Done deal: Sam Rivers! :) – TJS #120
• Dr John
• Henry Threadgill – On the way!
• Dave Brubeck
• Victor Wooten
• Bobby McFerrin
• Dafnis Prieto
• Charles Lloyd
• Hmmmm, Greg Osby… Jason Moran (TJS #18). But avoid the surface and dig.
• The Bad Plus
• Jan Garbarek
• wynton Marsalis
• Hank Jones
• Eddie Gomez
• Jan Garbarek
• Paul Gonsalves!,..but from the Living,..Hilliard Greene,.Bass Player..
• Rudresh Mahanthappa
• Nicholas Payton
• I’d really like to have European jazz artists featured in the show. They are literary thousands of them out there and, unfortunately, all but missing at the moment in the show. I think it’d add a whole different (refeshing?) dimension to discussions about jazz and its future. Hey, it’s just a phone call, right? – TJS #3, 4, 24, 26, 32, 48, 54, 82, 89, 102, 103, 117. The preceding doesn’t include all the non-European, non-American guests from places like S. America, Japan, S. Africa, Australia, etc.
• Love being introduced to new artists, keep it up
• I think there’s a lot of mainstream stuff on the Jazz Session, which is fine, but it would be nice to see a little more on the fringes, which for me could just as well be Ruby Braff as it could Peter Brotzmann. But to answer your question, let’s say George Lewis.
• Are you short of leads? Joe Lovano? Martin Taylor’s funny. Can Bireli Lagrene speak english? Someone to talk about the scenes in Germany.
• Brian Jones
• David Binney
• david murray
• Ellington alumni Bassist John Lamb and Trombonist Buster Cooper in St. Petersburg FL
• Melody Gardot – she has an incredible story and sings like an angel
• bassist michael moore
• Charlie Parker, back from the grave. Just Kidding! How bout Erik Truffaz
• How about two: #1. Benny Maupin – loved Escondido from his last CD; #2. Buster Williams – kicked electric bassists out of a master class at Stanford but I still love him!
• Norah Jones
• Jacob William.
• Tough call – you do such a good job – Wayne Shorter, I suppose
• dead: mingus / alive: Massimo Sammi
• David Cutler
• William Parker
• Brian Blade, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Zsolt Kaltenecker, Brad Mehldau, Joshua Redman, Nils Wogram (sorry these were actually six)
• Wil Blades (SF Bay Area organist), Dave Douglas, John Zorn
• Nina Simone – deceased
• Bobo Stenson
• Zakir Hussain
• Kurt Rosenwinkel
• Soweto Kinch
• Jeff Kashiwa
• Nikolaj Hess
• Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
• Ahmad Jamal
• Rob Scheps
• Kenny Barron
• Alan Broadbent
• Frank Butrey
• Paul Motian (get him while you still can!)
• Marco Benevento
• Hard to say.The variety and quality of artists is quite good, and I have to catch up on some episodes I have missed!

• Steve Kuhn’s kitchen
• The lobby of Vijay Iyer’s apartment building
• A trailer behind the stage at the Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival
• James Shipp’s minivan
• …and many more!

Read: The Jazz Session: Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

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!

• Click Here to take survey

Please note that the content of this widget is the property of Dave Holland Intergalactic Enterprises or something like that, and The Jazz Session is completely weaseling out of any responsibility for, well, anything.

Less than four months ago, The Jazz Session hit 200,000 downloads. Today, I’m thrilled to announce (drumroll, please):

That’s right, gang. The 84 episodes of The Jazz Session have been downloaded more than 300,000 times. I’m truly amazed at — and grateful for — the support you’ve all shown for this show. TJS has come a long way since Grant Stewart agreed to sit down with an unknown interviewer to talk about his life back in February of 2007. (Thanks, Grant!) Very soon, I’ll be posting the 100th episode of the show. That’s just 80 fewer episodes than Seinfeld! (I’ll take my Emmy, please.)

Again, thank you for everything you’ve done to make this show a success. Onward and upward!

Thanks for visiting The Jazz Session! I recorded interviews at Tanglewood with:

• Nnenna Freelon
• Harolyn Blackwell
• Mike Garson
• Kat Edmonson
• Michael Kaeshammer
• Benny Reid
• Regina Carter
• Paquito D’Rivera
• Chris Potter
• Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Douglas Purviance, John Mosca, Dick Oatts
• Ben Powell

Those interview will be available in the weeks ahead. I’ve recently interviewed several players who were at Tanglewood this weekend, including:

• John Ellis (played on Sunday with Kat Edmonson)
• Kurt Elling (sang on Saturday on Radio Deluxe)
• Dan Loomis (played Friday night with Benny Reid, and is heard in this interview with his band The Wee Trio)

You can also read reviews by my colleague Greg Haymes at his excellent site, Nippertown.com. I met Greg this weekend and he’s a great guy who’s passionate about the music. Read his reviews:

• Vanguard Jazz Orchestra
• Kat Edmonson

I also recorded interviews and wrote reviews of the last year’s jazz festival (2008). Those are archived here.

You’ll also find many other interviews here with jazz musicians from several generations, including established masters such as Sonny Rollins, Chico Hamilton, Steve Kuhn and Eberhard Weber. There are also interviews with musicians who’ve been making a mark during the past decade or two, including Donny McCaslin, Arturo O’Farrill, and Terence Blanchard. And you’ll hear from the next generation of musicians — folks whose names you’ll be hearing for years to come, such as Jo Lawry, Christine Jensen and Miles Okazaki.

Visit the Show Archive for all the past episodes of the show. And come back often! (Or subscribe for free using the links at the left.)

I’m happy to announce a big gang o’ winners from various contests. Congrats to all!

Meet The Stricklands

Ken from Albany won the Meet The Stricklands package for his donation to my Livestrong Challenge Ride. The package includes tickets to the double-CD release party this Friday featuring Marcus and E.J. Strickland, two autographed CDs, and a meet-and-greet after the show. (Because Ken can’t make the show, his fellow jazzhead Scott will attend. Ken, though, will be enjoying the signed CDs.)

Gary Burton “Past and Present”

The following folks won a copy of Gary Burton’s new CD, Quartet Live, along with a copy of the recently reissued ECM recording, Dreams So Real:

• Brian in Albany, NY
• Foluwaso in Lagos, Nigeria
• Devon in Denver, CO
• Dano in Boulder, CO
• Scott in Newington, CT

Tony Bennett/Bill Evans CD giveaway

The following folks won a copy of The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Reordings:

• Marisa in Glen Mills, PA
• John in Syracuse, NY
• Eddie in Cudahy, WI
• Eric in Charenton-le-Pont, France
• Rick in State College, PA

Stay tuned for more free music!

Want to meet Marcus and E.J. Strickland and see some great music? For every $5 you donate to help me fight cancer, you’ll receive a raffle ticket for a special drawing to win tickets the Strickland’s CD release party at Joe’s Pub in NYC on Friday, August 21. All donations must be made by 10 p.m. ET this Monday, August 17. The winner will get two tickets to the show, an autographed copy of the two new CDs by the Stricklands, and a chance to meet and talk with them at the show. Donate here: http://philly09.livestrong.org/jasoncrane

(I’m enormously grateful to Jason Paul Harman Byrne at Red Cat Publicity for making this happen.)

You may remember that last year I recorded several interviews at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in my hometown of Lenox, MA: Eddie Daniels, Jo Lawry and Spencer Day. This year I’m going back in a much bigger way. Here’s the press release that the Tanglewood Jazz Festival organizers put out today:

Tanglewood Jazz Festival and The Jazz Session Partner

For the first time, the Tanglewood Jazz Festival welcomes Jason Crane and The Jazz Session to the Jazz Shop Tent where Jason will conduct live interviews with artists, ticket holders and others that will be taped for broadcast on his popular interview program (thejazzsession.com).

What’s more, The Jazz Session just announced a new partnership with Allabout jazz.com that will feature the broadcasts on its home page. Allaboutjazz.com is the leading and longest running jazz music website, attracting both enthusiasts and industry professionals while reaching nearly one million unique visitors per month.

“Jason Crane and I have worked together for several years and closely aligning our two properties makes perfect sense as we move forward,” said Allaboutjazz founder and publisher, Michael Ricci. “AAJ already publishes weekly interviews and including The Jazz Session on our roster will raise the entertainment value at the website and further add to our already impressive coverage of jazz.”

Crane said “on The Jazz Session, we focus on the music and the stories behind the music and we let the musicians do most of the talking.” Crane has taped interviews for later broadcast at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival in the past, but this is the first time he will have a dedicated spot in the Jazz Shop Tent and the public is invited to listen in.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to the Tanglewood Jazz Festival,” said Crane. “This is a top-notch festival in one of the most beautiful settings on the East Coast. It’s a very intimate festival, too, which is perfect for getting to know — and interact with — the artists.”

The Jazz Shop Tent is located near the Hawthorne Tent where the Jazz Café artists perform. Jason will be there throughout the day conducting interviews and there will be a small seating area for people to observe.

“I’m really looking forward to having The Jazz Session with us throughout the weekend,” said Dawn Singh, Senior Project Coordinator of the jazz festival. “Jason is a real professional, he’s great to work with, has enormous expertise and is well regarded by the musicians. It’s an excellent partnership all the way around.”

The Tanglewood Jazz Festival kicks off on Friday, September 4, at 6:30 with alto saxophonist, Benny Reid, followed at 8:00 by “An Evening with Paquito d’Rivera.” For more info, go to tanglewoodjazzfestival.org.

For tickets and information, visit the Tanglewood Web site. And here’s the link to my coverage of last year’s festival.

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of a new partnership with All About Jazz, the world’s most visited jazz Web site. AAJ founder Michael Ricci and I have been working together for several years now, with AAJ hosting transcriptions of the interviews that appear on The Jazz Session.

Now we’ve decided to combine forces. That means The Jazz Session will be featured on the home page at allaboutjazz.com. We’ll also be working together to visit festivals on behalf the new TJS/AAJ partnership, starting this summer with the Tanglewood Jazz Festival and others. The idea is to conduct interviews right in front of the crowds who come to see the artists. Then we’ll bring these interviews to you after the festivals.

We’re also launching a widget for The Jazz Session that will allow you to display the latest episode right on your blog or Web site. I’ll be mentioning the blogs and sites that do this on episodes of the show, and also linking to them from this site. So if you decide to link to The Jazz Session, please let me know at jason@thejazzsession.com.

For more information on the new partnership, and for instructions on adding the widget to your site, please read the press release.

The Jazz Session hits 200,000 downloads

On the very same day that The Jazz Session announced its new partnership with All About Jazz, the show hit 200,000 downloads. I’m so proud of the show and grateful to all of you for supporting it. This is a true labor of love for me, and I hope it shows in the interviews.

On the very same day that The Jazz Session announced its new partnership with All About Jazz, the show hit 200,000 downloads. I’m so proud of the show and grateful to all of you for supporting it. This is a true labor of love for me, and I hope it shows in the interviews.

And trust me — this is just the beginning. TJS and AAJ have big plans for the future, so stay tuned and tell a friend.

Thanks again for making The Jazz Session a success!

Blogger David Hill has posted a very nice review of The Jazz Session on his blog, Hot House. Thanks, David!

The Jazz Session has been on a short hiatus while I’ve been (a) working way too much and (b) finishing the final semester of my 17-year undergrad degree.

Have no fear, though. The show will return in 2009 with Marilyn Crispell, followed by interviews with David Sanborn, the Wee Trio, Henry Grimes, Barbara Dennerlein, Mike Melito and more!

A hearty congratulations to the latest batch of CD winners. (The CDs went out today.)

• Michael from Horseheads, NY (Kenny Garrett CD)
• Brian from New York City (Kenny Garrett CD)
• Foluwaso from Lagos, Nigeria (Kenny Garrett CD)
• Marisa from Glen Mills, PA (Jo Lawry CD)

As you can see, people listen to The Jazz Session all over the country … and all over the world!

I’ve been giving away CDs each week for the past several weeks, and I’d like to congratulate all the winners thus far:

• Chris from Isle of Man, UK (Jo Lawry CD)
• Irina from Munich, Germany (Eddie Daniels 2-CD set)
• Jon from Glen Ellen, CA (Eddie Daniels 2-CD set)
• David from Towson, MD (Eddie Daniels 2-CD set)
• Alex from Austin, TX (Javon Jackson CD)

As you can see, people listen to The Jazz Session all over the world!

YOU CAN STILL WIN: I’ve got two copies of the Javon Jackson CD and one copy of the Jo Lawry CD. To win, send an e-mail with the first name of the artist you’d like to contest@thejazzsession.com.

Coming up: Listen for your chance to win CDs by Kate McGarry and Kenny Garrett. And coming up in the weeks ahead — a treasure trove of reissued LPs! (That’s right, LPs!)

Today, The Jazz Session hit 100,000 downloads! Thanks to everyone for supporting the show! And thank you to all these fine musicians for appearing on the show:

John Abercrombie, Peter Asplund, Gene Bertoncini, Don Byron, Avishai Cohen (trumpet), Dapp Theory, Toru Dodo, John Ellis, Wayne Escoffery, Robin Eubanks, Joel Frahm, Terry Gibbs, Victor Goines, Brian Groder, Tord Gustavsen, Chico Hamilton, Mel Henderson, Francis Jacob, Christine Jensen, Saskia Laroo, Dino Losita, Donny McCaslin, Kate McGarry, Mike Melito, Midaircondo, Jason Moran, Mr. Something Something, Rick Parker, Aaron Parks, Brian Patneaude, Laurie Pepper, Luis Perdomo, Misha Piatigorsky, Doug Ramsey, Bobby Sanabria, Kendrick Scott, Matt Shulman, Cecilia Smith, Grant Stewart, David Torn, Miroslav Vitous, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Eberhard Weber, Matt Wilson, David Witham, Zanussi Five, and Pete Zimmer.

Coming Up: Donny McCaslin returns, Joel Harrison, Henry Grimes, Brian Blade, David Sanborn, Satoko Fujii, Erin Bode … and more!

Thanks to everyone who supports this show! My family and I have completed our move to Albany. We’re in our new house. The studio is 95% rebuilt, and the show will be back in full swing very soon. On our way to 100,000 downloads!

60,000!

That’s right, folks — 10,000 downloads in 5 weeks. Not bad at all. Thank for your support!

On Feb. 25, The Jazz Session celebrates its first anniversary. One year ago, I sat down with saxophonist Grant Stewart to record show #1. It’s been a great ride since then.

As a matter of fact, TJS hit its 50,000th download today! Thank you very much to all of you for the amazing support you’ve given me. That goes out to all the artists, labels, PR folks, jazz broadcasters and writers, and especially the listeners.

As you know, TJS has been on a hiatus recently because of my ongoing relocation to Albany, NY. I’m still working in Albany five days a week and commuting back to Rochester on the weekends as we get our house ready to sell and look for a new home in Albany. New shows will be on a less-than-regular schedule until that gets straightened out.

But never fear, a new show is here! Trumpeter Avishai Cohen joined me to talk about his album After The Big Rain. The interview is available right now, so check it out!

I’m also getting back into the swing of things with All About Jazz. I’ll have several interviews out soon (I promise, John K!), so look for those at AllAboutJazz.com.

Thanks again for all your support, and for making The Jazz Session more successful than I ever imagined. Onward into 2008!

For those of you who’ve wondered why there have been so few recent episodes of The Jazz Session, the answer is simple. I’m moving. I work for UNITE HERE, a labor union. About a month ago, I was transferred from the Rochester office to the Saratoga Springs office, just north of Albany, NY. I’ve been working in Saratoga Springs since the beginning of December and commuting back to Rochester on the weekends. Until my wife and kids and I have a new home, it’s a bit challenging (read: just about impossible) to schedule and record new interviews. So the show has slowed down a wee bit.

But never fear — The Jazz Session will be back at full speed shortly. In fact, I hope the show will be bigger and better than ever, thanks in part to a partnership will All About Jazz.

So stay tuned, and thanks again for your support!

Happy Holidays from all (one) of us here at The Jazz Session. Where, by the way, we’ve just hit 40,000 downloads!

See you in ’08!

The headline says it all — the show passed 30,000 downloads, which means I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the listeners, artists, record labels and promotional folks who make The Jazz Session possible. Thank you!

Seems like it was just a month ago that The Jazz Session passed 15,000 downloads. And now here we are, one month later, and 5,000 more folks have downloaded episodes of the show. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The show keeps getting better! Coming up in the weeks ahead: Avishai Cohen, Anat Cohen, Tord Gustavsen, Matt Shulman, Joan Stiles, Laurie Pepper (wife of Art Pepper), Ben Sidran, Ingrid Jensen, Brian Groder, Hector Martignon, the Stryker-Slagle Band, Chris Jentsch, Kahil El’Zabar, and more!

Thanks for listening — and please tell a friend about The Jazz Session.

I’m very excited to report that some time today, August 14, The Jazz Session passed 15,000 downloads. Thank you to all the artists, promoters, writers, and — most importantly — listeners who’ve made this show a success. On we go! Coming up in the weeks ahead:

• Laurie Pepper (wife of Art Pepper)
• Joel Frahm
• Eberhard Weber
• Ben Sidran
• Ingrid Jensen
• … and many, many more!

If you’re not yet a subscriber to the show, please take a minute to subscribe. It’s completely free! You can subscribe in two easy ways:

• via iTunes, or
• using any RSS reader.

Thanks!

A few weeks ago, I posted a link to Bloggers For A Cure, an attempt by several music bloggers to raise money for cystic fibrosis research. Now I’m asking you again to kick in some dough. When you donate, you’ll be entered to win one of many great prizes. The grand prize is a 250GB hard drive stuffed full of music by the wonderful madman behind JefitoBlog. And here’s a message from Scott Malchus, the man at the center of Bloggers For A Cure.

The Jazz Session is now proud to offer direct links to buy artists’ CDs via Amazon.com. Buying the CDs this way helps keep The Jazz Session going. Thanks in advance! To buy CDs, please check out:

The Jazz Session Store

You can also see what folks are saying about The Jazz Session by visiting … wait for it …

What Folks Are Saying

A group of music bloggers have come together to raise money for a good cause. You can win cool prizes and do a good deed all at the same time. To find out more, visit bloggersforacure.com or click the image below:

We’re just a week or so away from the launch of The Jazz Session, a new jazz interview podcast. The show is hosted by Jason Crane — that’s me. In case you’re wondering who I am, here’s the quick sketch:

I was born 1973 in Lenox, Massachusetts, home of Tanglewood and former home of the famed Music Inn and the Lenox School of Jazz. My professional career has covered a lot of bases — and a lot of the world. I began as a full-time soprano sax player in jazz, latin jazz and funk bands in Arizona, South Carolina and Pennsylvania. I’ve worked as an on-air host for KUAT (classical) and KUAZ (jazz) in Tucson; as a news announcer for Bloomberg Radio in Tokyo; and as Tokyo business correspondent for NPR’s Morning Edition.

From 2001-2004, I was station manager and jazz host at Jazz90.1 in Rochester, NY, where I interviewed more than 200 jazz artists, including: Claudia Acuna, Ben Allison, Karrin Allyson, Billy Bang, David Berkman, Gene Bertoncini, Bill Bruford, Jack DeJohnette, Kahil El’Zabar, Marty Erlich, Wycliffe Gordon, Benny Green, Fred Hersch, Bill Holman, Charlie Hunter, Norah Jones, Don Lanphere, Joe Locke, Les McCann, Bobby McFerrin, Ben Monder, Jane Monheit, David “Fathead” Newman, Houston Person, Bobby Previte, David Sanborn, John Scofield, Curtis Steigers, Tierney Sutton, Cuong Vu, Bobby Watson, Fred Wesley, Matt Wilson, and Nancy Wilson.

Since then, I’ve hosted The Jason Crane Show, a broadcast/podcast show about the arts and activism. Now, however, I’m turning to jazz exclusively.

While you’re waiting for the first show to “air,” you might enjoy checking out some of my interviews at All About Jazz.

Thanks so much for visiting. Please subscribe to the RSS feed and stay tuned for the first show! Upcoming guests include:

• Grant Stewart
• Pat LaBarbera
• The Respect Sextet
• Bob Sneider
• …and many more!