Podcast Archives - The Jazz Session

New York Voices are a jazz vocal quartet comprising four of my favourite musicians and people-Darmon Meader, Lauren Kinhan, Kim Nazarian, and Peter Eldridge. They’ve been described as “the gold standard for jazz vocals”, “timeless”, and “masters of their art.” They recently celebrated their 34th birthday and seem to go from strength to strength. Collaborations with Bob Mintzer, and the WDR Big Band are peppered throughout a touring career that has seen them perform on stages all over Europe, the USA, the UK, Israel and Asia. How do they do it? Why do they still do it? And what do they love about being part of a working band that continues to create at the highest standard? Well, listen to our conversation to discover the answers to those burning questions and so much more.

Reminiscing In Tempo is out on Origin Records now

Theme music by The Respect Sextet

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The post The Jazz Session #601: New York Voices appeared first on The Jazz Session.

I get slightly dizzy thinking about trumpeter Dave Douglas’ creative output. He is a performer, a recording artist whose release record is prolific, an educator (including a ten-year stint as artistic director of the Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at The Banff Centre in Canada), and a pioneer of artist-run labels with Greenleaf Music which is nearly 20 years old. His musical collaborations are many and varied, including revered artists like Joe Lovano, Linda May Han Oh, Bill Frisell, and vocalist Aoife O’Donovan. We talk about his 2022 albums “Secular Psalms” and “Overcome”, his outlook on recording and juggling several projects simultaneously, and his advice for musicians pitching record labels.

Show Notes:

Find Dave’s music at:

Festival of New Trumpet Music Website

Theme music by The Respect Sextet

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The post The Jazz Session #600: Dave Douglas appeared first on The Jazz Session.

In honour of Mother’s Day, which occurred on 8 May, I am delighted to have gathered eight jazz musicians who also all happen to be mothers. These mums are of varying nationalities and at the top of their creative games. Laila Biali (Canada), Sarah Elizabeth Charles (USA), Christine Jensen (Canada), Lina Nyberg (Sweden), Linda May Han Oh (Australia), Tomoko Omura (Japan), Zoe Rahman (UK), and Sara Serpa (Portugal) joined me for a conversation about their music, their experiences as mothers in the jazz community, and more, in an informal, roundtable-style conversation.

Show Notes:

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The post The Jazz Session #599: Mothers In Jazz appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Oded Lev-Ari is the co-owner and director of Anzic Records, a label he has run for the past decade alongside clarinetist Anat Cohen. The label describes itself as “a New York City based recording label specialising in good music” and has released albums by artists including Anat, the vocal trio Duchess, the trumpeter Avishai Cohen, Joel Frahm and Ernesto Cervini. As well as helming Anzic Records, Oded is also a pianist, and a Grammy-nominated composer and arranger, known for his work as the musical director of The Anat Cohen Tentet.

Show Notes:

Find Anat Cohen and Marcello Gonçalves interview for The Jazz Session here

“The Insider” is a spin-off series with monthly episodes. Patreon members at the $10/month tier receive these episodes in advance of the general public. If you would like to support The Jazz Session, please do consider becoming a Patreon member over at https://www.patreon.com/thejazzsession

The post The Insider #7: Oded Lev-Ari (Anzic Records) appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Saxophonist and songwriter Matthew Herd hails from Scotland but lives in London where he leads the band Seafarers. Featuring some of the finest UK-based jazz musicians, like vocalist Lauren Kinsella and drummer Dave Hamblett, the group just released their second album, aptly titled “II”. Recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, it builds on the groups first album that combined contemporary folk and chamber pop with an emphasis on the song at hand. The second album also sees Matthew move more firmly into the role of songwriter, barely bringing his horn to the party, but no less present in Seafarers’ sound and mission.

Show Notes:

Buy “II” from Bandcamp here 

Theme music by The Respect Sextet

Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

The post The Jazz Session #598: Matthew Herd of Seafarers appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Nikki Iles is a pianist, a professor of jazz at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, and a composer. In some ways, I think of her as a British jazz gem, but that would do a disservice to the fact that she’s very much loved in other jazz communities around the globe. Her musical work in the UK has seen her become a leading figure in the British jazz tradition. She is known for her collaborations with vocalists Norma Winstone and Tina May, and has expanded her reputation as leader of the Nikki Iles Jazz Orchestra since the ensemble debuted at the 2018 EFG London Jazz Festival. She’s worked with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, the WDR Big Band, and led several groups, including The Printmakers comprising a who’s-who of British jazz. Most recently, she was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for ‘Services to Music’ and an Ivor Novello Jazz Ensemble Composition Prize. We chat about her foray into large ensemble writing, her take on British jazz identity, motherhood, and so much more.

Show Notes:

http://www.nikkiiles.co.uk/ 

Theme music by The Respect Sextet

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SFrench soprano saxophonist Emile Parisien danced onto my radar when I saw him perform in duo with accordionist Vincent Peirani at the 2014 Berlin Jazz Festival. He was virtuosic, superbly musical, and, most importantly, gave me a newfound appreciation for the soprano saxophone. He has been recording as sideman and leader for the Munich-based ACT label for ten years and his latest album “Louise” is his 7th offering as bandleader. For the first time, he teams up with a core band comprising both European AND American jazz musicians, and the results are richly nuanced and exciting.

Show Notes:

Visit ACT Music here to buy Louise

Theme music by The Respect Sextet

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The post The Jazz Session #596: Emile Parisien appeared first on The Jazz Session.

South African writer, teacher, media consultant and creative industries researcher Gwen Ansell is a former Louis Armstrong Visiting Professor at the Center for Jazz Studies, Columbia University, and the author of Soweto Blues: Jazz, Politics and Popular Music in South Africa and the textbook Introduction to Journalism. She is also the person to whom I defer whenever asked about anything relating to South African jazz! We have an in-depth conversation about the state of arts journalism in South Africa (and beyond), key teaching points she imparts to students, and I mine her extensive knowledge of South African jazz musicians, past and present.

Show Notes:

Articles mentioned:

South African Musicians Mentioned:

Visit Gwen’s blog here:

“The Insider” is a spin-off series with monthly episodes. Patreon members at the $10/month tier receive these episodes in advance of the general public. If you would like to support The Jazz Session, please do consider becoming a Patreon member over at https://www.patreon.com/thejazzsession

The post The Insider #6: South African Jazz Journalist Gwen Ansell appeared first on The Jazz Session.

Tierney Sutton is a Los Angeles and Paris-based vocalist with a sensational career under her belt-and music more to come, I might add. She has released fourteen albums, nine of which have been nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Her fifteenth album comes out on 6 May 2022 and is called “Paris Sessions II”. Like the first volume, it features guitarist Serge Merlaud and bassist Kevin Axt, but this time flautist Hubert Laws joins the fray and the results are both intimate and musically rewarding. Tierney and I talk about her work on Clint Eastwood’s film”Sully,” her reverence for great songwriters, including her friends Alan and Marilyn Bergman, her newfound love for producing other vocalist’s albums, and how being a jazz musician is all about being happy to “do the thing.”

Show Notes:

Paris Sessions II is out May 6, 2022

Theme music by The Respect Sextet

Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

The post The Jazz Session #595: Tierney Sutton appeared first on The Jazz Session.

I want to preface this interview by saying that I don’t care much for the hype machine or popular opinion and am led, predominantly, by my interest in an artist and the question of whether or not I enjoy their music. Such was the case when a publicist contacted me about one of their artists-a capable musician with a pretty banal musical approach. I explained to the publicist the kind of music I enjoyed and she cleverly pitched me another of her artists, the Durham-raised, London-based pianist Paul Edis. I hit ‘play’ and was captivated for the duration of Paul’s new album “The Still Point of the Turning World.” The solo piano record is all at once reflective, with a lilting charm, and an ability to encourage the listener to pause and slow down. Suffice to say, I wanted to talk to Paul about his beautiful compositions, his trajectory, and his creative approach. Thanks to all the publicists who persevere and pitch with thought!

Show Notes:

“The Still Point of the Turning World” is out on Lateralize Records now

Theme music by The Respect Sextet

Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

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