Podcast Archives - The Jazz Session

Podcast Archives - The Jazz Session

By Jason CraneArtsMusicPerforming ArtsMusic Interviews
Download on the App Store

Podcast Archives - The Jazz Session episodes

  • The Jazz Session #586: Theo Bleckmann

    Vocalist Theo Bleckmann is in a league and a category of his own. Equally dazzling when interpreting the music of Kate Bush or singing the songs of Charles Ives, he made his ECM Records leader debut in 2017 with his album “Elegy”. More recently, he collaborated with the brass quartet The Westerlies for their haunting record “This Land.” Theo and I talked about his approach to recording versus performing live, his cherished collaborations with drummer John Hollenbeck and pianist Shai Maestro, and why clarity and authenticity are so important in creativity.

    Show Notes:

    Tracklisting:
    – Take My Life (from Elegy)
    – Elegy (from Elegy)
    – Knows Only God (God Only Knows) (from Songs You Like A Lot)
    – Comedy Tonight (from Elegy)
    – Look for the Union Label (from This Land)

    – Suspended In Gaffa (from Hello Earth!)
    – Army Dreamers (from Hello Earth!)

    Buy “This Land” here

    Buy “Elegy” here

    Theme music by The Respect Sextet

    Follow The Jazz Session on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    Subscribe to The Jazz Session’s YouTube Channel


    upport The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon. For $5 a month you’ll get a weekly bonus episode called Track of the Week, plus early access to every show. For $10 a month you get all that plus an extra monthly bonus episode of “The Insider”, a spin-off interview series where Nicky chats to jazz industry insiders (broadcasters, artist agents, label heads, journalists) about the nuts and bolts of the business.

    The post The Jazz Session #586: Theo Bleckmann appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    56 min
  • The Jazz Session #585: Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves

    Anat Cohen and Marcello Gonçalves are superb musicians as individuals and as a duo, they shine even brighter. “Reconvexo” is their second album together and sees the pair turn their attention to the deep well of music from the Música Popular Brasileira songbook. Recorded while quarantined together in Rio, these songs come from Brazil’s greatest composers and are interpreted by one of jazz’s greatest clarinetists and the dazzling Brazilian 7-string guitarist.

    Show Notes:

    Tracklisting:
    – Reconvexo
    – Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer
    – Ânima
    – El Diablo Suelto
    – Andar com Fé
    – O que é que a baiana tem?

    Visit Anat Cohen’s website here

    Buy ‘Reconvexo’ (Anzic Records) here

    Theme music by The Respect Sextet

    Follow The Jazz Session on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    Subscribe to The Jazz Session’s YouTube Channel

    Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

    For $5 a month you’ll get a weekly bonus episode called Track of the Week, plus early access to every show. For $10 a month you get all that plus an extra monthly bonus episode of “The Insider”, a spin-off interview series where Nicky chats to jazz industry insiders (broadcasters, artist agents, label heads, journalists) about the nuts and bolts of the business.

    The post The Jazz Session #585: Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    1 hr 9 min
  • The Jazz Session #584: Matt Carmichael

    Saxophonist Matt Carmichael has been making a big impression on audiences since he emerged on the Scottish jazz scene as a teenager with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland. No longer a teen, his debut album “Where Will The River Flow” was released in March 2021 and caught the attention of the WDR Big Band and Bob Mintzer, who has arranged the entire album for the band with Matt as a featured soloist. This concert will take place in March 2022 if you’re lucky enough to be in Germany then. I love Matt’s music for its emphasis on melody, the brilliant way it marries virtuosic Scottish traditional music with improvisation, and its ability to transport the listener to the greenest hills of Scotland.

    Show Notes:

    Tracklisting:
    – Cononbridge
    – The Spey
    – Firth
    – Sognsvann
    – Hopeful Morning
    – Where Will The River Flow

    Buy your copy of Where Will The River Flow here
    Visit Matt’s website for his itinerary here https://www.mattcarmichaelmusic.com/gigs
    Scottish Musicians mentioned:
    Brian Kellock
    Fergus McCreadie
    Norman Willmore
    Tommy Smith
    Ben Bryden
    Liam Shortall’s Corto.Alto
    Anoushka Nanguy
    Mark Hendry
    Graham Costello’s StrataTheme music by The Respect Sextet
    Follow The Jazz Session on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    Subscribe to The Jazz Session’s YouTube Channel

    Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

    For $5 a month you’ll get a weekly bonus episode called Track of the Week, plus early access to every show. For $10 a month you get all that plus an extra monthly bonus episode of “The Insider”, a spin-off interview series where Nicky chats to jazz industry insiders (broadcasters, artist agents, label heads, journalists) about the nuts and bolts of the business.

    The post The Jazz Session #584: Matt Carmichael appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    54 min
  • The Jazz Session #583: Mirna Bogdanovic

    Mirna Bogdanovic hails from Slovenia but now calls Berlin home. I can’t remember how I stumbled upon her music but it was love at first listen and I’m not alone in my reaction. Mirna’s debut album “Confrontation” was awarded “Debut Album of The Year” by the Deutscher Jazzpreis in 2021 and she’s making a name for herself with her finely honed songwriting, inventive arranging, and truly contemporary vocal approach.

    Show Notes:

    Tracklisting:
    – Cold Lake
    – Changes
    – Rain
    – Confrontation
    – Dance Me To The End of Love

    Visit https://mirnabogdanovic.com/ for information about Mirna’s tour dates

    Buy your copy of Confrontation here.

    Theme music by The Respect Sextet

    Follow The Jazz Session on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    Subscribe to The Jazz Session’s YouTube Channel

    Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

    For $5 a month you’ll get a weekly bonus episode called Track of the Week, plus early access to every show. For $10 a month you get all that plus an extra monthly bonus episode of “The Insider”, a spin-off interview series where Nicky chats to jazz industry insiders (broadcasters, artist agents, label heads, journalists) about the nuts and bolts of the business.

    The post The Jazz Session #583: Mirna Bogdanovic appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    40 min
  • The Jazz Session #582: Shai Maestro

    Israeli pianist, Shai Maestro, is at the helm of a dream trajectory. Fresh out of high school, he received a call from the bassist Avishai Cohen, inviting him to join his trio with drummer Mark Guiliana. Four trio albums later, Shai went on to form his own groups, recording his compositions that superbly fuse virtuosity with melodic sophistication and rhythmic variety. In 2018, he recorded his first album as leader for the storied ECM Records and his second, “Human” was released in January 2021. As an ardent admirer, it was a treat to chat to Shai about his musical adventures thus far.

    Show Notes:

    Tracklisting:
    – Mystery & Illusions
    – Human
    – The Flying Shepherd
    – GG
    – In A Sentimental Mood

    Human is out now on ECM Records

    https://www.shaimaestro.com/

    Theme music by The Respect Sextet

    Follow The Jazz Session on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    Subscribe to The Jazz Session’s YouTube Channel

    Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

    For $5 a month you’ll get a weekly bonus episode called Track of the Week, plus early access to every show. For $10 a month you get all that plus an extra monthly bonus episode of “The Insider”, a spin-off interview series where Nicky chats to jazz industry insiders (broadcasters, artist agents, label heads, journalists) about the nuts and bolts of the business.

    The post The Jazz Session #582: Shai Maestro appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    59 min
  • The Jazz Session #580: Duchess (Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, Melissa Stylianou)

    Acclaimed vocalists Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou join forces and voices to become ‘Duchess’, a New York City-based vocal trio known for tight harmonies and big fun, carrying the tradition of the Boswell and Andrews Sisters into the 21st century. They’ve released four albums together, including their most recent “Live at Jazz Standard”, particularly poignant as the much-loved New York jazz venue did not survive the pandemic. We talk about the magic of hearing and seeing Duchess live, treading the fine lines of tradition and homage and modernisation in vocal groups, and much more. I’m also throwing in some gems from their 2018 holiday album “Harmony for the Holidays with Duchess” because, well, ’tis the festive season!

    Show Notes:

    Tracklisting:
    – Love Being Here With You
    – Joseph, Joseph
    – On The Sunny Side Of The Street
    – What Are You Doing New Year’s?
    – Santa Baby

    Buy “Live at Jazz Standard” here

    Find your copy of “Harmony for the Holidays with Duchess” here

    Theme music by The Respect Sextet

    Follow The Jazz Session on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    Subscribe to The Jazz Session’s YouTube Channel

    Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

    For $5 a month you’ll get a weekly bonus episode called Track of the Week, plus early access to every show. For $10 a month you get all that plus an extra monthly bonus episode of “The Insider”, a spin-off interview series where Nicky chats to jazz industry insiders (broadcasters, artist agents, label heads, journalists) about the nuts and bolts of the business.

    The post The Jazz Session #580: Duchess (Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, Melissa Stylianou) appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    1 hr 7 min
  • The Jazz Session #579: Camille Bertault

    French vocalist Camille Bertault is a dazzling musician whose expressive personality permeates everything she does. Initially a classical pianist, she soon found her voice, so to speak, as a vocalist, immersing herself in transcribing not only jazz solos by the greats but also intricate classical melodies by Debussy, Bach and more. One of her early claims to fame was penning a French vocalise to Coltrane’s behemoth “Giant Steps” but she pays homage to the tradition of French chanteuse with equal ease and, always, superb musicality. We talk about her trajectory and her response to my question “do you ever not feel like singing” was really quite wonderful.

    Show Notes:

    Tracklisting:
    – Very Early
    – Là Où Tu Vas
    – Goldberg
    – 14 Berceuse de la 54ème rue (version portugaise)
    – Tantôt
    – Frevo

    Visit https://www.camillebertault.com/ to find out about Camille’s tour dates.

    Theme music by The Respect Sextet

    Follow The Jazz Session on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    Subscribe to The Jazz Session’s YouTube Channel

    Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

    For $5 a month you’ll get a weekly bonus episode called Track of the Week, plus early access to every show. For $10 a month you get all that plus an extra monthly bonus episode of “The Insider”, a spin-off interview series where Nicky chats to jazz industry insiders (broadcasters, artist agents, label heads, journalists) about the nuts and bolts of the business.

    The post The Jazz Session #579: Camille Bertault appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    49 min
  • The Jazz Session #578: Joel Frahm

    Saxophonist Joel Frahm is one of the warmest people I know AND he has one of the warmest tenor sounds to boot. I first became aware of his immense musicality when hearing him on the albums of vocalist Jane Monheit and I’ve been smitten with his lyricism ever since. His latest release, “The Bright Side”, features a chordless trio with bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Ernesto Cervini. The album came out on Anzic Records in June 2021 and is a joyous showcase for Joel’s creativity and his longstanding collaboration with Dan and Ernesto. Joel was kind enough to take my call from his new home of Nashville. We chatted about the album, the importance of melody, and he recounted hearing Jane for the first time-one of those “I knew her back when” fairytales.

    Show Notes:

    Tracklisting:
    – Beeline
    – Cheek to Cheek
    – Thinking of Benny
    – Blued Dharma
    – Boo Dip Dip

    The Bright Side is out on Anzic Records now.

    Joel will appear with Ernesto Cervini’s “Turboprop”  at The Rex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 8-11 December 2021

    Theme music by The Respect Sextet

    Follow The Jazz Session on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    Subscribe to The Jazz Session’s YouTube Channel

    Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

    For $5 a month you’ll get a weekly bonus episode called Track of the Week, plus early access to every show. For $10 a month you get all that plus an extra monthly bonus episode of “The Insider”, a spin-off interview series where Nicky chats to jazz industry insiders (broadcasters, artist agents, label heads, journalists) about the nuts and bolts of the business.

    The post The Jazz Session #578: Joel Frahm appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    58 min
  • The Jazz Session #577: Nadje Noordhuis


    Trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis hails from Australia but makes her home in New York, where she performs both as a bandleader and as an in demand sideman with leaders like Maria Schneider, Darcy James Argue and Anat Cohen. A finalist in the 2007 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, her new genre-bending quintet with Maeve Gilchrist (celtic harp), Jesse Lewis (electric guitar), Ike Sturm (electric bass), and James Shipp (synthesizers, percussion) coolly blends acoustic and electric instruments, seamlessly weaving her melodious compositions with threads of improvisation. Featuring her pure toned trumpet with electronic effects, this group released an album recorded live in Switzerland, as part of a vinyl-only box set on Newvelle Records in 2019. Lucky for us, this album, Gullfoss, was digitally released on Little Mystery Records in September 2021. It is hands-down one of my favourite releases in 2021-love at first listen. I was delighted to hear it, immediately reach out to Nadje, and have her generously agree to be a guest on the podcast.

    Show Notes:

    Tracklisting:
    – Migration
    – Gullfoss
    – Seven Miles
    – Silverpoint
    – Indian Pacific

    https://www.nadjenoordhuis.com/

    Theme music by The Respect Sextet

    Follow The Jazz Session on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
    Subscribe to The Jazz Session’s YouTube Channel

    Support The Jazz Session by becoming a member at Patreon.

    For $5 a month you’ll get a weekly bonus episode called Track of the Week, plus early access to every show. For $10 a month you get all that plus an extra monthly bonus episode of “The Insider”, a spin-off interview series where Nicky chats to jazz industry insiders (broadcasters, artist agents, label heads, journalists) about the nuts and bolts of the business.

    The post The Jazz Session #577: Nadje Noordhuis appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    59 min
  • The Insider #2: Booking Agent Mike Epstein

    Mike Epstein is the President and Founder of Epstein & Company, an international booking agency that represents a roster of brilliant artists, including Maria Schneider, Fred Hersch, Cyrille Aimee, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, Donny McCaslin and more. His agency offers booking services for professional touring artists as well as value added services for those who need them including travel, logistics, advancing dates, and tour marketing. We chat about Mike’s Artist Growth Process, a unique process built around their individual clients’ biggest goals that focuses on maximising performance opportunities, increasing artist fees, and growing their fan base so they are free to focus on creating and performing. Mike’s MO for guiding his artists is also generously made available to any musicians who visit the Epstein & Co. website.

    Show Notes:

    Tracks Played:
    – Emmet Cohen: Future Stride
    – Banda Magda: El Pescador
    – Maria Schneider: Braided Together
    – Kat Edmonson: A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
    – Cyrille Aimee: There’s A Lull In My Life

    Mentioned links:

    Grow Your Art With Maria Schneider, Mike Epstein and Ann Braithwaite
    Speaking Of The Arts Podcast
    Live From Emmet’s Place
    The Kat Edmonson Show

    “The Insider” is a spin-off series with monthly episodes. Patreon members at the $10/month tier receive these episodes a month before 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 #2: Booking Agent Mike Epstein appeared first on The Jazz Session.

    58 min