The Jazz Session #578: Joel Frahm

Saxophonist Joel Frahm is one of the warmest people I know AND he has one of the warmest tenor sounds to boot. I first became aware of his immense musicality when hearing him on the albums of vocalist Jane Monheit and I’ve been smitten with his lyricism ever since. His latest release, “The Bright Side”, features a chordless trio with bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ernesto Cervini. The album came out on Anzic Records in June 2021 and is a joyous showcase for Joel’s creativity and his longstanding collaboration with Dan and Ernesto. Joel was kind enough to take my call from his new home of Nashville. We chatted about the album, the importance of melody, and he recounted hearing Jane for the first time-one of those “I knew her back when” fairytales.

Show Notes:
Tracklisting:
– Beeline
– Cheek to Cheek
– Thinking of Benny
– Blued Dharma
– Boo Dip Dip

The Bright Side is out on Anzic Records now.
Joel will appear with Ernesto Cervini’s “Turboprop”  at The Rex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 8-11 December 2021

Theme music by The Respect Sextet
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Author: Jason Crane