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Jam sessions have been, and continue to be at the heart of the jazz scene.  In this episode Simon and Nick briefly  discuss the history, culture and function of jam sessions in jazz.

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In this episode Nick leads the discussion on the subject of jazz and its connection to civil rights.

In this episode we discuss Spike Lee's Mo Better Blues. 

Wikipedia says:

Mo' Better Blues is a 1990 American musical comedy-drama film starring Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Spike Lee, who also wrote, produced, and directed.[1] It follows a period in the life of fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (played by Washington) as a series of bad decisions result in his jeopardizing both his relationships and his playing career. The film focuses on themes of friendship, loyalty, honesty, cause-and-effect, and ultimately salvation. It features the music of the Branford Marsalis quartet and Terence Blanchard on trumpet. The film was released five months after the death of Robin Harris and is dedicated to his memory, being his final acting role.


 

Any student of jazz will be well aware of the Aebersold series - over 100 play along records with accompanying books. There are even supplements with transcriptions of the voicings the pianist played if that's your sort of thing!.  Nick and Simon discuss the origin and impact of the series.

His website is here

It has an interesting page for further reading

In this episode Simon & Nick discuss jazz and meditation. There are elements of meditation that improvisers may well relate to : flow state, acceptance, being in the moment, completely absorbed in the process yet fully aware of what is happening around you. 

We mention 
Kenny Werners Effortless Mastery 
Tony Scott Music For Zen Meditation
Jerry Begonzi Developing a jazz language

There are various apps to help you get going with meditation

The Calm app  is very popular

Many others are available. Headspace and Balance are also popular.

This episode is about the "under-the-radar" pianist Jimmy Jones.  An arranger/pianist for some of the great singers, here is an Apple Music link to the album Nick mentions in the episode : Sarah Vaughan - The Divine One.

"The Divine One"  

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In this episode, Nick and Simon discuss what it means to practice jazz piano.

Two pianists walk into a bar looking confused.

It was an 11/8 bar.


What role does humour play in jazz.

Playing the piano and singing at the same time, what's involved? Nick and Simon talk about it in this episode.

Another in our new series of jazz film reviews. The Bertrand Tavernier jazz movie that refreshed Dexter Gordon's career late in his life.