Podcast Archives - The Jazz Session

Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam Records, 2009), the debut CD from composer Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, is one of the most talked-about records of the year. In this interview, Argue reveals why he chose to write modern music using a big band as his musical vehicle; how he turned a simple blog into a social media juggernaut; and why the last thing he wants to be is nostalgic about music. Learn more at secretsociety.typepad.com.

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

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Sam Rivers is a musical renaissance man. He’s performed in big bands, bop bands, R&B groups, blues bands and free-jazz ensembles. Rivers is currently composing adventurous large-ensemble music (such as is found on his 2006 CD Aurora) in an unlikely location: Orlando, Florida. In this interview, Rivers talks about his early days in Boston; how he was recruited by Jimi Hendrix while playing with Cecil Taylor; and how a tour with Dizzy Gillespie led to his relocation to Florida. Learn more at rivbea.com.

The music in this episode comes from Sam Rivers’ album Aurora. 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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Guitarist Dom Minasi’s most recent recording, Dissonance Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (Konnex, 2009), features his string quartet in a program of adventurous composition and improvisation. In this interview, Minasi talks about how he spent the 20 years between his last Blue Note recording and his re-emergence as a leader; why Johnny Smith was a big influence on him, and why he let that influence go; and how a lifetime of playing, teaching and practicing has brought him to this prolific period. The Dom Minasi String Quartet plays on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 at Roulette in NYC. For more information, visit domminasi.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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Luis Bonilla blends humor, adventurousness and a passion for his family on his new CD, I Talking Now (Planet Arts, 2009). In this interview, the in-demand trombonist talks about the use of humor in music; the effect of his time with Lester Bowie; and how thinking “beginning brass” was a shop class led to his life with the trombone. Learn more at trombonilla.com.

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

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Pianist Eldar came onto the jazz scene as a child prodigy. Now in his early 20s, Eldar is expanding his repertoire as a composer and improviser. His new album is Virtue (Sony Masterworks Jazz, 2009). In this wide-ranging interview, Eldar talks about making music relevant to the present day; the nature of the jazz audience; and why many people respond to the “color” of music before anything else. Learn more at eldarjazz.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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Trombonist Wayne Wallace brings a lifetime of jazz, R&B and latin playing together on his new latin jazz CD, ¡Bien, Bien! (Patois Records, 2009). In this interview, Wallace talks about his introduction to latin music and why it spoke to him; his years as a semi-pro soccer player and how that helped him navigate the communities in which latin music is played; and why he may just have the greatest wedding band in history. Learn more at walacomusic.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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Paquito D’Rivera is equally at home in the jazz and classical worlds, a fact he showcased during his performance at the 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival. In this interview, D’Rivera talks about several of the pieces he performed that night: “Conversations With Cachao” and “The Panamericana Suite.” He also discusses “Fiddle Dreams,” a rare commission from the Library of Congress; and why he thinks the jazz and classical worlds can learn from one another. The music in this program is taken from his album Jazz Clazz (Termidor Music, 2009). Learn more at paquitodrivera.com.

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

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Harpist Edmar Castaneda combines folkloric music from his native Colombia with jazz and other latin influences on his new album, Entre Cuerdas (ArtistShare, 2009). In this interview, Castaneda talks about his discovery of jazz as a teenager; his first attempts to sit in at descarga jam session … on the harp; and how he ended up with what is probably the only harp-trombone-percussion trio in the world. Learn more at edmarcastaneda.com.

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

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On his second album, Escaping Shadows (Concord, 2009), saxophonist Benny Reid continues to explore the musical path first laid down by Pat Metheny. In this interview, recorded just after Reid’s performance at the 2009 Tanglewood Jazz Festival, Reid talks about the influence of Metheny; why he chooses to compose everything from the melodies to the bass lines of his tunes; and how he navigates both the artistic and business sides of music. Learn more at bennyreid.com.

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

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Drummer Martin Urbach is a citizen of the world. His travels have taken him from his native Bolivia to New Orleans and then New York. His experiences along the way are expressed musically on Free Will (self-produced, 2008). In this interview, Urbach talks about his musical and cultural upbringing; his flight from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina; and why after so many years playing instrumental music, he’s now writing songs with words. Learn more at martinurbach.com.

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

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