Podcast Archives - The Jazz Session

Saxophonist Chris Potter’s new album, Ultrahang (ArtistShare, 2009), is an exploration of groove and melody. In this interview, recorded before Potter’s performance with Dave Holland at the 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival, Potter talks about how a middle-class kid in Columbia, SC, ended up liking Chicago blues; why he looks first to please himself with the music he makes; and how rhythm breaks down barriers with an audience. Learn more at www.chrispottermusic.com.

EVENT: Chris Potter’s Underground (Adam Rogers – guitar, Craig Taborn – Fender Rhodes and Nate Smith – drums) will be at the Village Vanguard this week from Jan. 5-10. More information is available at villagevanguard.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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Before he began writing about basketball at freedarko.com and in FreeDarko presents The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today’s Game, Nathaniel Friedman wrote about jazz. In this interview, he discusses the “basketball=jazz” meme; a popular jazz album that many people lost their virginity to; and the need to turn sports into art. Learn more at freedarko.com.

If you’d like to buy Nathaniel Friedman’s book, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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Saxophonist Eric Alexander has forged a multi-decade career out of one simple concept: “To thine own self be true.” In this interview, recorded before his September 2009 performance in Schenectady, NY, Alexander talks about his musical vision; his experience as a teacher at SUNY Purchase; and why he thinks it’s possible to point to one particular period of jazz as the greatest in the music’s history. Learn more at www.ericalexanderjazz.com.

The tunes in this interview come from Eric Alexander’s Nightlife In Tokyo CD. If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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Saxophonist Sonny Simmons is the subject of a new documentary now in production called Just A Guy Who Knows. The filmmakers, Dan Scofield and Mike Ercolini, have so far produced a 20-minute trailer and are raising funds to finish a 45-minute short film on Simmons. The saxophonist has lived a remarkable life, moving from his days as a colleague of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins to near anonymity as a musician on the streets of San Francisco. He’s now back in action again, and his wisdom and intelligence shine through in the documentary. Learn more at www.justaguywhoknows.com.

Here’s the short trailer for the film. Visit the Web site to get access to the longer version.

JUST A GUY WHO KNOWS trailer from Blind Escrow Productions on Vimeo.

One of Sonny’s recent albums is Ancient Ritual. If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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Drummer and percussionist James Shipp is making music without borders. With his band Nos Novo, Shipp has just released Strange Sweethearts In America (Shippwrite Music, 2009), a fascinating and fun mix of traditional Irish melodies and rhythms with Brazilian music and collective improvisation. In this interview, Shipp talks about the genesis of the band; provides a guide to the varying ingredients on the album; and talks about what makes each of these styles so special to him. Learn more at www.jamesshipp.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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Cooper-Moore is a musical renaissance man. He’s a pianist who also invents and builds his own instruments. He’s steeped in history and tradition, and refreshingly free from convention. In this interview, Cooper-Moore talks about his childhood days as the town musician; why he feels that playing music is far more than a profession; and how and why he began creating his own instruments. Learn more at www.hopscotchrecords.com/cooper.html.

Several of the tunes in this interview come from the new Digital Primitives album. If you’d like to buy this recording, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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You’d think that helping to invent a new genre of music and being the first person to play your instrument in a jazz setting would be enough to get you some headlines in the jazz history books. You’d be wrong. Meet Harry Babasin, the bassist who played on the very first recordings of what became bossa nova, and then became the first person to play pizzicato cello in a jazz group. He’s now largely forgotten. In this interview, his son Von Babasin talks about Harry’s life and accomplishments, and Von’s mission to film a documentary that will restore his dad to his rightful place in jazz history. Learn more at www.jazzinhollywood.com/harrythebear.html.

Harry Babasin’s band The Jazz Pickers features Harry’s cello work. If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below.

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Drummer Ted Sirota is using his powers for good. On his most recent album, Seize The Time (Naim, 2009), Sirota once again chooses to make a political statement with his song titles and choices. In this interview, Sirota talks about making political jazz; why he’s not going to use liner notes again; and the fine balance between delivering a message and having that message overshadow the music. Learn more at tedsirota.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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Willard Jenkins is a jazz broadcaster and blogger, and a consultant to jazz artists and festivals. Jenkins’ blog, The Independent Ear, is a constant source of news and views about the jazz world. In this interview, Jenkins talks about the diminishing influence of jazz in people’s home record collections and thus in the lives of their children; why jazz is no longer an integral part of the black community experience; and that jazz isn’t dead — but it does need to work on audience development. Learn more at openskyjazz.com.

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Guitarist Rez Abbasi continues his rhythmic and harmonic explorations on Things To Come (Sunnyside, 2009). He’s joined on this album by pianist Vijay Iyer, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, bassist Johannes Weidenmeuller, drummer Dan Weiss, cellist Mike Block and vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia. In this interview, Abbasi discusses the Indian-Pakistani jazz scene in New York; how he incorporates Indian and Pakistani music into his compositions even without the use of traditional instruments; and why he feels his best compositions are combinations of craft and inspiration. Learn more at www.reztone.com.

If you’d like to buy this album, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

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