Rhythm Changes Podcast

Ben Frost talks about the nature of composition, some anonymized tales of difficulty on the bandstand, and being a side musician versus a leader. This is Ben's second appearance on the show, the previous one having been hosted back in December 2022 by Will Chernoff.

Ben and I will play together as a duo at Is That French? next Thursday, March 27; at the UNIT/PITT Society with Miles Wong on drums on March 28; and in Karl Silveira's band at Tyrant Studios on April 18.

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast. Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

The entire Montreal-based band Bellbird sits down for our only 5-person episode ever! Reedists Claire Devlin and Allison Burik join Eli Davidovici and Mili Hong, who were influential on the Vancouver scene while they were based here and previously appeared on Will Chernoff's edition of the podcast as a duo. The members variously played four Infidels Jazz shows last week, including Jazz at the Bolt, the New Thing series, Frankie's After Dark (in my own band), and Knockouts at All-City Athletics. They continue with Hermann's Jazz Club in Victoria tomorrow night. Mili also plays in Gordy Li's Smurf 4 at the Painted Ship for Infidels Jazz tonight.

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast. Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Jacob Wutzke talks about his new album You Better Bet, which showcases his compositions alongside several Tony Williams tunes, and his first tour as a bandleader surrounding the album. After two performances here in Vancouver, Jacob continues on to Portland, Oregon and then to Edmonton and his native Calgary (tour date info here on his website). He studied drums at Humber in Toronto for his undergraduate education, went to McGill for grad studies, and is on the cusp of moving to New York City. He has worked with Caity Gyorgy, Lucas Dubovik, and Jocelyn Gould to name a few.

Jacob is performing at Jazz at the Bolt 2025 and You Better Bet is available now on Cellar Music (disclosure: Jazz at the Bolt and Cellar are clients of Will's Chernoff Music services company).

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast. Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Kevin Romain talks about his longtime creative residence in our local scene including a solo drum record called Autopoietic 1 forthcoming on the Infidels Jazz label, his band Salience Network, and much more. Raised in Windsor, Ontario, Kevin brings DIY values and "unapologetic" advocacy – as well as coffee roasting and brewing skills at his own initiatives over the years, like the Coffee Bus and General Strike Coffee – to his work as an improvising performer. Some other ensembles he has played with lately are Only a Visitor, Itamar Erez's band, the Tony Wilson / John Korsrud band, and the Madeleine Elkins Trio.

The release show for Kevin's solo album is at Hypha Arts on March 21.

Kevin has a new co-curated series with Cole Schmidt and the Barking Sphinx society called Lost Dog Sundays at The Hargrove.

Kevin Romain's Salience Network, which I profiled here at the year-end of 2023, will perform at Jazz at the Bolt 2025 (disclosure: Jazz at the Bolt is a client of Will's Chernoff Music services company).

Kevin also wrote for Rhythm Changes in January about Peggy Lee and Cole Schmidt's latest album.

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast. Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Jodi Proznick talks about becoming the Director of Jazz Studies at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music and her work there spanning more than a decade, her values as an educator, and her musical history where she has been one of Canada's most prominent jazz bassists since the 2000s. Jodi's current ensembles include the Ostara Project, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson and sGaanaGwa, O Come All Ye Soulful, Raagaverse, and Noah Franche-Nolan's trio.

The Ostara Project will release their second album Roots on April 11, with the first single coming soon on February 7.

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast. Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Jason Winikoff talks about playing drums and percussion in the Vancouver scene since his arrival in 2018 from the US, though he is now on the cusp of returning to the states. Jason came here to study at UBC after moving from New Jersey to New Orleans to Boston. He is known for leading his Hot Five, Crescent, and Postcards from Zambia ensembles, for playing widely in trad-jazz and dance music, and for his role in the Rocky Horror Music Show presented by Infidels Jazz.

Jason's farewell show (for now!) is at Tyrant Studios on Friday, January 17.

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast. Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Chelsea McBride & Thomas Houlden talk about their experiences in grad school, the multitudes of musical identity, and developing a unique compositional style. We also discuss our favourite underrated Christmas songs.

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast. Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

David Sikula talks about guitars, illegal busking in Rome, and outdated recording formats. Dave is one of Vancouver’s premier jazz guitarists and one of the most in-demand audio engineers in the city.

Dave has played with artists like Brian Charette, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Cory Weeds, The Inhabitants, and the Nightcrawlers. He is well-known for recording out of Demitone Studios, where he sat down for this conversation, and at Monarch Studios among other local places.

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast. Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

John Gross talks about his origins in music, including the first time he heard Charlie Parker, and his long career playing with Shelly Manne, Oliver Nelson, Clare Fischer: just the tip of the iceberg. John is a saxophonist originally from Los Angeles who lived in Portland, Oregon from 1990 to 2016, after which he moved to Vancouver. He shares his thoughts on the artistic process, the duty you have in being a member of a musical community, and how he thinks he’ll “never get it right”.

Special thanks to Sapalo Shafooli for taking and contributing the photo for this episode (June 24, 2022 - Jimi James Fraser trio ft. John Gross at Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Frankie's After Dark).

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Credits: Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Justin Gorrie. Produced by Will Chernoff. Music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Will Chernoff talks to Chris Fraser as a guest on the show he started over three years ago. Will's next music release, Queen's Park, is a digital EP featuring Thad Bailey-Mai, Nebyu Yohannes, Madeleine Elkins, and Miles Wong (release date: Nov. 8, 2024).

Will returns as the emcee of IronFest at Ironworks, presented by Coastal Jazz, on November 1st and 2nd; learn more about the shows happening there at coastaljazz.ca.

Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca. You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time.

Credits: Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Justin Gorrie. Produced by Will Chernoff. Music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.