Rhythm Changes Podcast with Chris Fraser

John Korsrud talks about composition, his formative years learning from Hugh Fraser, and his seven times going to Burning Man. John is a composer and trumpeter in Vancouver who is known for his Juno-nominated big band, the Hard Rubber Orchestra, and for its parallel band Orquestra Goma Dura as well as his newer large ensemble called Absolute Unit. As a trumpeter, John also plays frequently with Cat Toren, Jillian Lebeck, Jon Bentley, and many more of our finest musicians. He discusses his love of Vancouver, spending time in Amsterdam, and that time he got stranded on the highway between two rock slides.

John Korsrud's Absolute Unit plays a free concert at SFU Woodward's on October 20.

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.

Madeleine Elkins talks about teaching, touring, and physical vs. digital media. Madeleine is a guitarist, singer, and banjoist who is known for her work with Madelyn Read, Meredith Louise, and Maddisun among other various projects across the folk, indie, and jazz scenes in Vancouver. She also talks about growing up in New Westminster, her introduction to the guitar, her parents' differing tastes in music, and much more.

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.

I'm so proud to tell you that Chris Fraser is taking over as the host of this show, starting with the next episode.

Sapalo Shafooli talks about his deep engagement with Vancouver's local music scene through photography, video, and attendance at countless live shows – including the multi-stop, transit-powered nights he has referred to as jazz flights. Born in Zambia and raised primarily in Terrace, BC, Sapalo has been active in the jazz community since 2008 at the earliest. You can see his photography style on his Instagram feed.

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, produced, edited, and mixed by Will Chernoff. Music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Feven Kidane talks about performing at and around the 2024 jazzfest with her own group as well as other ensembles. Feven is a multi-instrumentalist known for her projects with Gordy Li, Andromeda Monk, and many more of the rising generation locally. We also discuss family, upbringing, going to CapU's jazz program, and many more topics. At around the 1:00:00 mark, Feven and I begin to turn the tables as she invites me to open up about leaving the scene for several years, starting Rhythm Changes, and having cultural information passed down to me.

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 and produced by Will Chernoff. Edited and mixed by Justin Gorrie. Music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

John Nicholson talks about the many gigs he played around jazzfest time, including with Kevin Romain's Salience Network, Biboye Onanuga, Queer as Funk, and more. John is a saxophonist who spent time in the Toronto scene during his educational journey, going there for graduate studies after completing CapU's jazz program. He moved back to Vancouver after covid started and has been active here again ever since.

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 and produced by Will Chernoff. Edited and mixed by Justin Gorrie. Music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Jenny Xu, Ben Feldman, & Kofi Shepsu talk about playing together in their New York-based trio called Friendship since 2018, NYC jazz stories, their two albums to-date (Project Sock Retrieval and Ghost Stories), and the recording session and gigs that they just came to Vancouver for. Jenny is a pianist originally from Surrey. She and Friendship's bassist Ben, who is from Seattle, are a married couple. Kofi, a native of Richmond, Virginia, completes the trio on drums.

Jenny was the very first jazz musician I ever interviewed at Rhythm Changes, in September 2020 as Friendship released their first 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.

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

Mili Hong & Eli Davidovici talk about touring as part of their band Bellbird with Claire Devlin and Allison Burik, the other Vancouver engagements in their 2024 jazzfest experience, and their move to Montreal. Mili and Eli are a drums-bass team who are arguably the eminent Vancouver jazz rhythm section of my generation going back to the mid-2010s.

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 and produced by Will Chernoff. Edited and mixed by Justin Gorrie. Music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Biboye Onanuga talks about his performances at the 2024 Vancouver International Jazz Festival with Feven Kidane, Odario, and his own quartet. Biboye is a drummer and composer based in Edmonton who co-organizes a weekly series called New Standards at The Common in his home city.

Biboye's longstanding band, Good Information, blends hip-hop and jazz influences. Before the jazzfest, he was best known in Vancouver for playing for Infidels Jazz at the Max Roach show as well as Frankie's After Dark in February of this year.

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 and produced by Will Chernoff. Edited and mixed by Justin Gorrie. Music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.

Réjean Marois talks about directing his vocal jazz ensemble called the Marois Vocal Project, his touring years based out of Québec as a trombone player and arranger, falling in love with Vancouver, and more. Best known as the director of the Capilano University jazz program's NiteCap ensemble, Réjean was one of the program's most renowned faculty across three decades. He retired in 2018 and lives on the Sunshine Coast.

The Marois Vocal Project performs at the BlueShore Centre for the Performing Arts as part of North Shore Jazz and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival on June 28, 2024.

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 and produced by Will Chernoff. Edited and mixed by Justin Gorrie. Music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff.