Drummer Jason Marsalis turns to the vibraphone on his new record, Music Update (ELM Records, 2009). In this interview, Marsalis talks about the reason he chose to focus on the vibes; the process by which he recorded the drum ensemble tracks on the CD; and his view of the current state of recovery in New Orleans. Find out more at JasonMarsalis.com.

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Jason Crane interviews vibraphonist Gary Burton. After three decades, Burton reunited with Pat Metheny and Steve Swallow — and added drummer Antonio Sanchez — to record Quartet Live! (Concord Jazz, 2009), an album celebrating the music of the original Gary Burton Quartet. Originally conceived as a one-time-only performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the band quickly realized that the music was worth exploring again. Burton talks about the new quartet, his projects with Chick Corea and Makoto Ozone, and his “semi-retirement.” And be sure to visit allaboutjazz.com for even more interviews and reviews about Burton’s new recording.

Jason Crane interviews vibraphonist and composer Cecilia Smith. Smith’s new project, Dark Triumph(CEA Music, 2005) chronicles the life of her aunt, Victoria Lancaster Smith, through spoken word, improvisation, orchestral arrangements, members of the Boys Choir of Harlem, and a jazz rhythm section. This ambitious album originated when Victoria Smith showed Cecilia Smith an 8-bar melody she’d been carrying around in her head for six decades. Learn more at Cecilia Smith’s MySpace page and at CeciliaSmith.com.

Jason Crane interviews vibraphonist Terry Gibbs. This week, ASCAP, one of the organizations that safeguards performers’ and composers’ rights, announced that it will add Gibbs to its Jazz Wall of Fame in a ceremony on June 1 at Lincoln Center. Gibbs is already recognized as an ASCAP Jazz Living Legend for a career that spans the bebop era to the present day. In honor of Gibbs’ award, The Jazz Session presents a 2004 interview with Terry Gibbs recorded after the release of his album 52nd & Broadway: Songs Of The Bebop Era (Mack Ave, 2004).