The Jazz Session #367: Chris Brubeck [ 1:03:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Chris Brubeck’s latest CD is Live At Zankel Music Center with his band Triple Play. In this interview, conducted at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Brubeck talks about his orchestral compositions; how he gets inside the lives of the people he writes music about; the history of the band Triple Play; and writing music with his father, Dave Brubeck. Learn more at chrisbrubeck.com and follow him on Twitter at @ChrisBrubeck.

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The Jazz Session #331: James Hirschfeld [ 53:31 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Trombonist James Hirschfeld has just released his first album, Two Medicine. In this interview, Hirschfeld talks about his life in music; the song-like quality of his compositions; and how a trip to Germany solidified his desire to pursue an artistic life. Learn more at jameshirschfeld.com and buy the record via jameshirschfeld.bandcamp.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jameshirschfeld.

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The Jazz Session #297: Kyoko Kitamura & Jen Baker [ 48:23 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

An interview and performance with vocalist Kyoko Kitamura and trombonist Jen Baker, recorded live at Downtown Music Gallery in Manhattan. In this interview, Kitamura and Baker talk about collective improvisation; building a new vocabulary; and the structures of their compositions. Learn more at kyokokitamura.com and baker7jenz.com/home.html.

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The Jazz Session #296: Joe Fiedler [ 56:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Trombonist Joe Fiedler’s new CD is Sacred Chrome Orb (Yellow Sound, 2011). In this interview, Fiedler talks about the evolution of his trio with John Hebert and Michael Sarin; his use of multiphonics; and why he needs his music to contain fun and humor. Learn more at www.joefiedler.com.

Tracks used in this episode: Occult; Next Phase; Sacred Chrome Orb; Ging Gong; Two Kooks.

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The Jazz Session #264: Chris Washburne [ 1:01:26 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Chris Washburne and the SYOTOS Band’s most recent album is Fields of Moons (Jazzheads, 2010). In this interview, Washburne talks about his introduction to the New York salsa scene; why SYOTOS chose to record softer music on the new album; and an amazing story about Tito Puente. Learn more at www.chriswashburne.com.

Tracks used in this episode: Fields Of Moons; Seas Of Slumber; Obsesion; Poinciana; Duke Ellington’s Sound Of Love; When Lights Are Low; Non Spoken.

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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 #236: Ray Anderson [ 48:51 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Trombonist Ray Anderson teams up with longtime friend Marty Ehrlich for the new live record, Hear You Say (Challenge Records, 2010). In this interview, Anderson talks about his friendship with Ehrlich, which goes back to their days with Anthony Braxton; how he came to have such an open musical mind; and some breaking news regarding another new CD coming out this spring. Learn more at www.rayanderson.org.

Tunes in this episode: Portrait of Leroy Jenkins; Hot Crab Pot; My Wish; The Lion’s Tanz; Alligatory Rhumba.

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The Jazz Session #161: Samuel Blaser [ 36:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

On Pieces Of Old Sky (Clean Feed, 2009), Swiss trombonist Samuel Blaser explores space and spectral harmony to great effect. In this interview, Blaser discusses the challenges of leaving space in music; his Swiss roots and how moving to New York changed his life; and several upcoming projects, including his jazz take on the music of Monteverdi. Learn more at samuelblaser.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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The Jazz Session #118: Luis Bonilla [ 39:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Luis Bonilla blends humor, adventurousness and a passion for his family on his new CD, I Talking Now (Planet Arts, 2009). In this interview, the in-demand trombonist talks about the use of humor in music; the effect of his time with Lester Bowie; and how thinking “beginning brass” was a shop class led to his life with the trombone. Learn more at trombonilla.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can help support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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The Jazz Session #116: Wayne Wallace [ 37:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Trombonist Wayne Wallace brings a lifetime of jazz, R&B and latin playing together on his new latin jazz CD, ¡Bien, Bien! (Patois Records, 2009). In this interview, Wallace talks about his introduction to latin music and why it spoke to him; his years as a semi-pro soccer player and how that helped him navigate the communities in which latin music is played; and why he may just have the greatest wedding band in history. Learn more at walacomusic.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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The Jazz Session #90: David Gibson [ 31:12 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Trombonist David Gibson delivers another album full of melody and grounded in a strong sense of purpose on his new CD A Little Somethin’ (Posi-Tone, 2009). Gibson is a veteran of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, and a leader in his own right. In this interview, Gibson talks about the importance of melody in his writing; the sound of a working band; and why he chooses to focus on original compositions. Find out more at jazzbone.org.

Help support The Jazz Session by purchasing your copy of the CD via this link:

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The Jazz Session #62: Jeff Albert [ 31:23 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Jazz Session #62: Jeff Albert [ 31:23 ] Download

Jason Crane interviews trombonist Jeff Albert about his new album, Similar In The Opposite Way (Fora Sound, 2009). Albert is one of the leaders of the creative music scene in New Orleans, and his Open Ears Music Series helps provide a home for experimental and free music in the Crescent City. In this interview, Albert talks about the Frenchman Street scene, his Chicago-New Orleans connection, and the cultural condition of post-Katrina New Orleans. Find out more at jeffalbert.com.

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The Jazz Session #23: Rick Parker [ 40:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jason Crane interviews composer and trombonist Rick Parker. Parker’s most recent album with the Rick Parker Collective is Finding Space (WJF Records, 2006). It was named one of the top CDs of 2006 by Michael Ricci, publisher of All About Jazz. Parker sees himself as a composer first, trombonist second. His passion for writing shows on Finding Space, an album of original music by Parker (plus one number by drummer Kyle Struve). Parker won an ASCAP Young Composer Award for the album’s second track, “Nervous Energy.”

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Show #16: Robin Eubanks [ 29:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Jason Crane interviews trombonist Robin Eubanks before his set at the 2007 Rochester International Jazz Festival. Eubanks is in Rochester with his band EB3, which features Eubanks on acoustic and electric trombone, loops and percussion pads, and keyboard bass; Michelle Rosewoman (subbing for Orrin Evans) on keyboards and keyboard bass; and Kenwood Dennard on drums and keyboard bass. Eubanks is also a member of the Dave Holland Quintet and Big Band and the new Dave Holland Sextet. Find out more at RobinEubanks.com.

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