So thrilled today to introduce my guest, who is returning for his 2nd appearance on the show, saxophonist, composer and educator, Aaron Gratzmiller!

An active performer, Gratzmiller has shared the stage with notable artists such as Kurt Elling, Antonio Hart, Robert Villera, and Matt Savage among others.

He currently co-leads the Pearcy/ Gratzmiller Jazz Quintet, a project that combines traditional hard bop jazz with modern elements. Their debut album 2018’s “Over the Edge”, has received critical acclaim in several online publications including Something Else, Jazz..u, Audible Addixion, and Vinyl Chapters, and Gratzmiller played tenor, alto, and soprano saxophones on the album, composing 6 of it’s 10 songs.

Within the field of education, He is the founder of Union Lesson Studios, a new teaching business.

He is Director of Arts and Education for the New England Jazz Enrichment Foundation, which seeks to “serve [New England] communities by providing opportunities for the exploration of the world of Jazz”. The foundation organizes and runs the Worcester Jazz Festival in addition to other community programs.

-----

1:58 Update on the Quintet
2:14 Finding new listeners as the landscape for jazz has changed
3:19 How has touring changed?
4:09 Using the album as a calling card
4:21 What’s the state of modern jazz?
5:55 Do we need break the form of traditional jazz
6:28 Can you see the saxophone appearing in other genres apart from jazz?
7:36 Do you have a favorite type of saxophone in the woodwind family?
8:25 The influence of Dexter Gordon
9:04 How do we change the culture in music so that the listening audience knows what’s happening in a song?
10:47 Students selecting music based on popularity rather than the music itself
11:50 Students liking the timbre of electronic music
12:44 Have you seen students get more understanding of music through music education?
13:42 On people needing lyrics to be able to follow a song
14:54 The philosophical answers that great musicians give to musical questions
15:56 On music being a craft rather than a mystical art
16:40 How much does music theory factor into your playing and composing?
17:47 What’s going on in your mind when a solo begins?
18:33 Entertaining the audience visually vs sonically
19:54 Have you felt the need to explain the music to the audience
21:22 What’s the current trend in music education?
23:10 How do you teach ear training?
24:21 What system do you use for solfege?
25:01 Do you keep chromatic notes with the same syllables?
25:27 Do you find fixed Do useful for advanced things or is it more of a training aid?
26:15 On Wayne Pearcy’s approach to ear training?
27:26 On Matt Savage and his ideas about music and music education
29:00 Best advice on ear training
29:49 What’s a good first step to working on improvisation?
30:48 Talking about the New England Jazz Enrichment Foundation and the Worchester Jazz Festival
31:47 On bringing in big names to the show
32:54 On playing in a big band
34:03 On big band music growing in musical stature in it’s history
35:12 Does everyone improvise in a big band or just select people?
36:01 When did the first sophisticated, modern big bands appear?
36:55 Is there any crossover of orchestral classical writing into big band?
38:01 Talking about saxophone quartets
39:25 What do you think of competitions in music? Is it good for music?
41:27 Do you find it odd that there’s no improvisation in classical music?
42:13 Shouldn’t you avoid changing the notes of a learned piece, in order to honor the great musician?
43:26 If you have a masters degree or PhD equate you to being a great musician?
44:36 What is your response to someone who wants to have
45:47 On the criticism that jazz musicians don’t have the technique of classical musicians
46:31 Jazz wasn’t always afforded the same respect as concert music in the past
47:36 HOT SEAT: Top 3 Jazz Pianists
48:15 HOT SEAT: Top 3 Tenor Saxophonists
48:37 HOT SEAT: Top 3 Alto Saxophonists
49:13 HOT SEAT: Top 3 Jazz Standards
49:53 HOT SEAT: Top 3 Blues Heads
50:27 HOT SEAT: Top 3 Rhythm Changes
50:47 HOT SEAT: Top 3 Jazz Contrafacts
52:10 HOT SEAT: Scariest moment in music career
53:37 HOT SEAT: Proudest musical moment
54:40 HOT SEAT: What’s your opinion on fusion music
55:39 HOT SEAT: Top 3 Classical Composers
56:17 HOT SEAT: If you had to pick a different instrument as your main, what would it be?
57:22 HOT SEAT: Favorite trumpet players?
58:18 HOT SEAT: If you could go back in time and meet any musician, who would you meet?
59:12 HOT SEAT: same question but give a jazz musician
1:00:00 Final plugs
1:01:44 Wrapping up