Podcast Archives - The Jazz Session

The band Diverse consists of students from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. They all study with saxophonist Bobby Watson. They won a contest that included a recording contract with Origin Records, and the result is Diverse (Origin, 2009), a well-crafted selection of original music. In this interview, trumpeter Hermon Mehari talks about how the band got started; why they ended up playing some tunes in the contest that were written the same day as the performance; and what comes next now that they’ve made a record and opened for Roy Haynes. Learn more at diversejazz.com.

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

The post The Jazz Session #111: Diverse appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Bassist John Goldsby has worked in Germany for the last 15 years, playing in a state-sponsored jazz orchestra in Cologne. On his album Space For The Bass (Bass Lion, 2009), Goldsby explores the role of the bass in a variety of small-group settings. In this interview, Goldsby talks about why he’s chosen to make his home in Germany since the mid-90s; his view of the bass and its place in an ensemble; and how an improbable gig in Louisville, KY, put him on the bandstand with some of the great names in jazz. Learn more at goldsby.de.

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

The post The Jazz Session #110: John Goldsby appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Saxophonist Roger Lewis is one of the founding members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Since the 1970s, Lewis and the band have played with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Elvis Costello. In this interview, Lewis talks about the formation of the band; how the Dirty Dozen decided early on to use all their musical influences to create their own sound; and why life on the road isn’t for everyone. Learn more at dirtydozenbrass.com.

The Dirty Dozen’s album What’s Going On? is a tour de force. If you’d like to buy it, you can support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

The post The Jazz Session #109: Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Roger Lewis) appeared first on The Jazz Session.

The Dan Loomis Quartet currently features Loomis on bass, Eli Asher on trumpet, Robin Verheyen on saxophone and Jared Schonig on drums. This particular line-up of the band performed for the first time in Albany, NY, during the 2009 Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival. After the show, the four musicians talked about the freedom found in a band without a chordal instrument; how they approach complex rhythms and forms; and what makes the experience of collective improvisation such a joy. Learn more at danielloomismusic.com.

The previous incarnation of the Dan Loomis Quartet recorded an album in 2007 called I Love Paris (Jazz Excursion Records, 2007). If you’d like to buy the album, you can help support The Jazz Session by purchasing it via the link below:

The post The Jazz Session #108: The Dan Loomis Quartet appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Kat Edmonson is making a name for herself as both a smart interpreter of popular songs (both old and new) and as a musician who puts her values into practice in her art. Edmonson’s debut CD, Take To The Sky (Convivium Records, 2009) features creative reworkings of tunes by Carol King, The Cure and The Cardigans, alongside (un)expected versions of Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Henry Mancini. In this interview, Edmonson talks about her years of apprenticeship in Austin, TX; how she’s navigating the line between jazz and pop music; and how she turned a quotation from Gandhi into a hit YouTube video. NOTE: Edmonson is making two rare East Coast appearances this week: at Sculler’s in Boston on Tuesday (11/10) and at The Jazz Standard in New York on Wednesday (11/11). Learn more at katedmonson.com.

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

The post The Jazz Session #107: Kat Edmonson appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Pianist and vocalist Patti Wicks teams up with her Italian trio — bassist Giovanni Sanguinetti and drummer Giovanni Gulino — and guest saxophonist Scott Hamilton for Dedicated To… (Geco Records, 2009). In this interview, Wicks talks about how she dealt with her childhood visual impairment and learned to play by ear; her college days at the Crane School of Music and her early years in New York; and why Italy has become a home-away-from-home for her. Learn more at pattiwicks.com.

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

The post The Jazz Session #106: Patti Wicks appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Saxophonist and composer Steve Lehman makes use of spectral harmony on his album Travail, Transformation and Flow (Pi Recordings, 2009). The result is a carefully crafted and emotionally engaging exploration of the physics of sound, played by a group of musicians who are seeking new ways to make improvised music. In this interview, Lehman offers a crash course in spectral harmony; discusses his compositional style and why he chose the particular musicians on the album; and talks about the influence on his life and music of Jackie McLean and Anthony Braxton. Learn more at stevelehman.com.

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

The post The Jazz Session #105: Steve Lehman appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Ben Perowsky’s newest recording, Moodswing Orchestra (El Destructo, 2009), is an experiment is ambient improvisation. Perowsky has assembled an all-star cast of instrumentalists and vocalists, including everyone from Cibo Matto’s Miho Hatori and Brazilian vocalist Bebel Gilberto to turntable/laptop artist Markus Miller and tuba player Marcus Rojas. In this interview, Perowsky talks about his desire to embrace the spirit of jazz but avoid “jazz language”; and how the process of the recording was as much about improvisation as was the content. Learn more at perowsky.com and see the band live on Nov. 9 at 10 p.m. at the Nublu Jazz Festival.

The post The Jazz Session #104: Ben Perowsky appeared first on The Jazz Session.

John Abercrombie returns with Wait Till You See Her (ECM, 2009), another album of gorgeous, tuneful music from his quartet, featuring Mark Feldman on violin, Joey Barron on drums, and new band member Thomas Morgan on bass. In this interview, Abercrombie talks about how subtle movements in the audience impact a performance; the label “chamber jazz” and whether it applies to his band; and his role as the evil Donald Dastardly in the radio drama Harry Lovett, Man Without A Country, which also featured the voices of John Surman and Jack DeJohnette. Learn more at johnabercrombie.com. (On a personal note, John was on The Jazz Session #3, back when no one had ever heard of this show. I’m grateful for his early support of The Jazz Session, and it’s very gratifying to have him back here 100 episodes later.)

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

The post The Jazz Session #103: John Abercrombie appeared first on The Jazz Session.

John Surman is a composer with a broad and multi-hued musical palette. He’s written for everything from solo saxophone to string quartet to choir with organ to contemporary dance. On Brewster’s Rooster (ECM, 2009), Surman reunites with longtime musical partners Jack DeJohnette and John Abercrombie (accompanied by bassist Drew Gress) for a quartet album that explores group interplay. In this interview, Surman talks about finding a place in his music for his disparate influences; why he writes for many types of ensembles; and why he doesn’t play in the U.S. more often. Learn more at JohnSurman.com.

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

The post The Jazz Session #102: John Surman appeared first on The Jazz Session.