Podcast Archives - The Jazz Session

Bassist Ben Allison delivers an original and exciting take on tunes by everyone from Samuel Barber to Neil Young to Thelonious Monk on his new CD, Action-Refraction (Palmetto, 2011). In this interview, Allison talks about an iPhone app that changed the sound palette on his new record; two musicians who’ve joined him for the first time on this CD; and how he deals with the lyrical content of these songs in his instrumental arrangements. Ben’s workshop series continues every Tuesday night at Kush, 191 Chrystie St, NYC. Learn more at www.benallison.com.

NOTE: This episode contains an advanced preview of the new CD, which will be in stores on April 12, 2011.

Tracks used in this episode: Jackie-ing; Missed; St. Ita’s Vision; Philadelphia; We’ve Only Just Begun; Broken.

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Fred Hersch is back with another solo piano recording, Alone At The Vanguard (Palmetto, 2011). In this interview, Hersch talks about finding the interior resources to play an entire week of solo piano at one of the world’s most famous jazz clubs; his new multimedia piece “My Coma Dreams” and the near-death saga that led to it; and why he feels he has a purpose to his life. Learn more at www.fredhersch.com.

Tracks used in this episode: In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning; Down Home; Echoes; Doce de Coco.

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Accordion player Rob Curto takes us on a tour of Brazilian choro music. In this interview, Curto explains the origins of choro and demonstrates its rhythms; talks about his own introduction to the accordion and to the music of Brazil; and plays several choro tunes in performances available only in this episode. Learn more at robcurto.com.

Tracks used in this episode: Biruta, Seu Ze E Os Pifs, 03 – Uma, Duas, Tres….Xote!; Estrada do Sol. Plus several live solo performances recorded during the interview.

PERFORMANCE TONIGHT! If you’re in New York tonight (March 17, 2011), Rob and his band Matuto, which he co-leads with guitarist Clay Ross, will be at Joe’s Pub.

BONUS TRACK! If you’d like to know more about the accordion and how it works, here’s a bonus segment with Rob in which he describes and demonstrates the instrument. Download the mp3.

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Bassist Alexis Cuadrado has just released an ambitious nonet album, Noneto Iberico (bjurecords, 2011), inspired by the flamenco music of his native Spain. In this interview, Cuadrado talks about the genesis of the record; how having kids changed his focus as a musician; and how the Brooklyn Jazz Underground fosters creative music. Learn more at http://www.alexiscuadrado.com/.

Tracks used in this episode: Very Well; Tocar Y Parar; Te Sigo; Solo El Sol Sale Siempre Solo; Los Panchitos.

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Saxophonist Sarah Manning brings her personal approach to the sound of the saxophone to her newest recording, Dandelion Clock (Posi-Tone, 2010). In this interview, Manning talks about how she focuses on sound in her playing; the way she assembled her band; and why she’s happy she took risks on this record. Learn more at sarahmanningmusic.com.

Tracks used in this episode: The Peacocks; Marble; The Owls (Are On The March); Through The Keyhole; Habersham Street; Dandelion Clock; Windmills Of Your Mind.

NOTE:: I wrote a poem based on something Sarah said in this interview. Read “Whale Song.”

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Drummer Scott McLemore and the ASA Trio just released a new album of the music of Thelonious Monk, a follow-up to last year’s daring take on Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. In this interview, McLemore tells the story of how he ended up playing jazz in Iceland; talks about the ASA Trio’s chemistry and origins; and explains how the band came to play the music of Monk and Coltrane. Learn more at www.asa-trio.com.

Tracks used in this interview: Bemsha Swing; San Francisco Holiday; Ask Me Now; Acknowledgment (from ASA Trio’s version of A Love Supreme); Raise Four; Straight, No Chaser.

NOTE:: Scott McLemore is part of a poem I wrote last year. If you’d like to read it, here ’tis.

The post The Jazz Session #246: Scott McLemore appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Anthony Brown’s Asian American Orchestra uses instruments from around the world to put a unique spin on two Coltrane classics on their new album, India & Africa (Water Baby Records, 2010). In this interview, Brown gives an overview of the Asian-American jazz movement and its origins in Bay-area protests; discusses the challenges and opportunities of using non-Western instruments in a jazz setting; and talks about what inspired him to focus on John Coltrane’s music for this album. Learn more at www.anthonybrown.org.

Tracks used in this episode: Living Space; India; Percussion Discussion; Africa; Ole; Dahomey Dance.

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Nicholas Urie’s new album, My Garden (Red Piano Records, 2011), features his settings of the poems of Charles Bukowski. In this interview, Urie talks about his identification with Bukowski, who, like Urie, spent much of his life in Los Angeles; the challenges of setting Bukowski’s non-lyrical poems; and the even greater challenge of getting the rights to use Bukowski’s work in the first place. Learn more at nicholasurie.com.

NOTE: Nicholas asked me to mention the members of the band because we didn’t name them during the interview. I said I’d put their names in the intro or the outro to the show, but of course I forgot. So here they are: Christine Correa (voice); Jeremy Udden, Douglas Yates, Kenny Pexton, Brian Landrus (woodwinds); Albert Leusink, Ben Holmes, John Carlson (trumpets); Alan Ferber, Max Siegel (trombones); Frank Carlberg (piano); John Hebert (bass); Michael Sarin (drums); Nicholas Urie (conductor).

Tracks used in this episode: Winter: My 44th Year; Round And Round; Lioness; My Garden; Slaughterhouse; Finality.

NOTE: Listen to Nicholas Urie’s 2009 appearance on The Jazz Session.

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The Jazz Session started four years ago today with episode #1 — an interview with saxophonist Grant Stewart. Four years, 243 episodes and 930,000 downloads later, The Jazz Session is still going strong. In the introduction to this show, I take a moment to thank all the people who’ve made it possible, before welcoming my guest…

Grant Stewart returns to help celebrate the fourth anniversary, and to talk about his new record, Around The Corner (Sharp Nine, 2010). In this interview, Stewart discusses the idea of excellence versus the trend toward originality; talks about his recent trips around the world to play jazz; and outlines his own approach to playing the saxophone and what fulfills him as an artist. Learn more at grantstewartjazz.com.

Tracks used in this episode: Get Happy; The Scene Is Clean; I Waited For You; That’s My Girl; Something’s Gotta Give.

The post The Jazz Session #243: Grant Stewart (TJS 4th Anniversary Show!) appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Saxophonist Ralph Bowen returns with Power Play (Posi-Tone, 2011), his third CD in as many years. In this interview, Bowen talks about why he enjoys writing his own music; the importance of his bandmates in creating the right studio environment; and the lessons he learned from his time with Horace Silver. Learn more at ralphbowen.com.

Tracks used in this episode: K.D.’s Blues; Drumheller Valley; My One And Only Love; Two-Line Pass; The Good Sheppard; Bella Firenze.

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