Yonathan Avishai and I met in a conference room at Bexley Public Library in the village of Bexley in Columbus, Ohio. He was bright, friendly, and alert despite his long flight the day before. Yonathan is an Israeli-born French resident. His flight took him over six time zones, from France to New York and then to Columbus. This was a visit arranged by A Tribe for Jazz, a nonprofit organization here that is focused on improving the legacy of jazz. Having Yonathan Avishai in Columbus was a good thing, for both Yonathan and Strictly Jazz Sounds.

This is the 10th episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds, and I’m pleased you are listening to this podcast. I have a conversation with Yonathan Avishai during a visit to my town, Columbus, Ohio where he gave a solo performance and met with A Tribe for Jazz. He set aside some time for us to talk about his career as a jazz pianist, the importance of sharing his music with his community, with local people who want to connect through his music. 

What I learned about him was that Yonathan holds fast to the idea that music should be rooted in people’s lives. He’s not just a musician that gives concerts and shows. He spends many of his days as a music therapist. He says he feels that his music should be shared with the people in his community, with people who need the music beyond the stage or the club. “Music is life” says Yonathan.

Yonathan Avishai strongly feels that his music should be accessible to all who want to enjoy it, especially young students. He’s very passionate about this yet, talking with him you wouldn’t know as he’s so soft spoken and reserved. His playing style reveals this as well. Yonathan reminds me of John Lewis, better known for his piano work and composing with the Modern Jazz Quartet. It’s the minimalistic style that attracts Yonathan to John Lewis.

For Yonathan, the real joy is found in the music of the “masters.” His passion is in the “dance” and the “party” of the sounds of Louis Armstrong, J.P. Johnson, and Jelly Roll Morton. The gleam in his eyes reflected Yonathan’s excitement for the music of 100 years ago, founded and created by these masters as well as Mary Lou Williams and Scott Joplin (whose music can only be found on piano rolls). He says the thrill of the music goes beyond the notes. “It’s the feeling about being alive.”

Yonathan’s latest recording, Joys and Solitudes, is on ECM records. He doesn’t have an extensive discography, but he is better known for the duos, trios and quartets he’s been a part of with fellow Israeli trumpeter Avishai Cohen (Naked Truth, Playing the Room, Cross My Palm With Silver and Into the Silence).

Just a reminder that you can subscribe to Strictly Jazz Sounds. You will receive a notice in your email whenever a new episode is ready, and a new article is published on my website. You can listen to Strictly Jazz Sounds on Facebook, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and other sites where podcasts are available.

What’s the difference between a producer of an event and a promoter? I’ve often wondered about that when it comes to producing or promoting a music community event or a jazz concert. Cincinnati, Ohio resident and Jazz Alive Executive Director Laura Ann Gentry set the record straight for me on Strictly Jazz Sounds, your conversation about all things jazz.

In episode 9 of Strictly Jazz Sounds, I spend time with Laura Ann Gentry, president of LAG (Laura Ann Gentry) Productions, LLC. She’s a producer and promoter and has been for more than 24 years.  She produces and promotes jazz events in a variety of settings in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana area, the tri-state area.

Laura Ann Gentry, who has an easy laugh, is a passionate, humorous, and interesting storyteller of her adventures and misadventures as an African American woman producing jazz events. It is not an easy world for a woman, let alone an African American woman in what has long been considered a man’s game. She tells a story of losing her shirt on her first production that featured saxophonist Javon Jackson and NEA Jazz Master, now deceased organist Dr. Lonnie Smith. And as an African American woman doing this work, there’s a challenge that Javon Jackson, also Jazz Studies Director at the Jackie McLean Inst. at the University of Hartford, spells out for her. It’s a rough path to blaze for a woman, let alone an African American woman. He actively mentored her early on in her journey. 

Fortunately, Laura had her backup skills of accounting, her other full-time job. She was able to cover the loss and learn a big lesson. Laura Ann Gentry puts in some serious time, all day, every day.

Her drive and passion put her in the forefront of presenting women jazz musicians in the tri-state area. Laura pursues the proliferation of jazz with purpose. And if that’s not enough, she is involved in jazz education as a board member of the Jazz Education Network. Everyone needs to learn about jazz and its cultural value. Laura spoke very plainly that jazz education should be available for all ages.  

The source of Laura’s passion is truly from home. Like so many people, she was exposed to music through her parents and grandparents, the place where all sorts of music wafted through the air. She could not escape it if she tried. Her love of jazz was born at home.

2022 was a banner year for drummer Brian Blade. Nine recordings were released with Brian as a leader, co-leader, or side-player that year. As the year was coming to a close, I began to compile my list of “Best Jazz of 2022”. It was then that I realized that Brian had been a very busy man during the last few years. My curiosity was spiked about this. I wanted to talk to Brian about this prolific output of music but, you see, I had already interviewed him in 2022, twice. But, hey, I wanted to find out more about his incredible list of recordings.

We begin exploring the nine releases with the Life Cycles recording that paid tribute to Bobby Hutcherson. It was recorded by this little-known sextet that mostly played in underground night clubs in Manhattan in 2001 with some appearances at festivals around the country. This latest album by Life Cycles was recorded in 2018 by a reassembled group with a couple of additions to the original band.

So, on this eighth episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds, Brian Blade and I have our third conversation in a year. The initial focus of this podcast was to be Brian’s latest released recording by a band he co-led in 2001, Life Cycles. The recording was saluting NEA Jazz Master, vibe and marimba artist Bobby Hutcherson with Life Cycles 1&2: Now & Forever: Honoring Bobby Hutcherson. But a few months had passed since this conversation took place and Brian just released another recording, Mama Rosa.

Brian Blade has had a life well lived and he’s only 52 and still rolling! He’s a multi-Grammy-award winning drummer, group leader, record label founder and owner. He’s recorded and performed with a list of artists too long to list here, but I shall list some very notable ones: Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, John Patitucci, Brad Mehldau, Danilo Perez, Joni Mitchell, and Emmylou Harris.

What is wonderful about this conversation, different from the last two, is learning more about Brian as a person as well as a musician, an artist. And learning about what’s behind some of the recordings and bands he’s created with people like the late maestros Wayne Shorter and Bobby Hutcherson, as well as the great drummer Joe Chambers, and his relationship with singer songwriter and pianist Norah Jones. Spoiler alert-Brian Blade plays guitar. And he played it with Norah Jones who was not playing piano. She was on drums.

_________________________________________________________________The music you hear on this podcast is from the Life Cycles album: 

“Now “ by Bobby Hutcherson and Gene McDaniels and “Forgotten Memories” by Myron Walden. The Life Cycles personnel include: Brian Blade, drums; Jon Cowherd, piano; Myron Walden, saxophone; Doug Weiss, bass; John Hart, guitar; Monte Croft, vibes/vocals; and, Rogerio Boccato-percussion.

BTW, you’ll hear a dog on this episode, as well.

I invite you to subscribe so you are alerted to future episodes and articles written by me as well as events and information I want to pass on to you. I am looking for sponsors so please consider it and email me at strictlyjazzsounds.com. I’m interested in your feedback. I always need to improve what I’m doing. And, finally, support live jazz wherever you are. Thanks for listening.

Fabian Almazan gives his heart, music, and soul to sustaining the environment. He gives so much that he started a record label, Biophilia Records, that does not print CDs or vinyl records. How does he sell recordings? Each carefully designed CD sleeve has a digital code that buyers use to purchase the tracks. If that’s not enough, all recording artists who sign on to the label must commit to giving back to the environment in their own way.

Fabian, who is Cuban-born, Miami-raised and lives in Harlem, NY, feels that a strong connection with the natural world also exists in music. It’s about sustaining music as well as the environment. It’s all part of feeling a connection with the natural world. The very name of the label, Biophilia, explains why New Yorkers would pay outrageously high prices to live near Central Park. He says that human beings are innately drawn to nature. There is a commitment to environmental justice that is intricately connected to the freedom demonstrated by the music and artform called jazz.

I was awestruck by the intensity of Fabian Almazan’s personal perspectives on environmental injustice and the importance of sustainability in how we all must live. There is as much passion for his music as he has for addressing climate change and how both affect our children. We have an obligation to save the environment from a catastrophic loss and to assure that our children are exposed to music and other artistic expression.

It’s the disparate worlds that pains him as they leave so many children behind. Those who have get more while the weak ones wallow in despair.

Listen to Fabian’s own words and how he thinks deeply about his music, sustaining our environment and saving our children from the loss of both.

His Biophilia-released recordings as a leader include Personalities-2011, Alcanza-2017 (the scores are also available on his website), and This Land Abounds with Life-2019. He has two other recordings as a leader, Rhizome with Rhizome (ArtistShare, 2014) and SWR New Jazz Meeting 2015 (Jazzhaus, 2017). As an environmentalist and naturalist, Almazan travelled back to his birthplace where he made field recordings of endemic Cuban birds which were then Incorporated into This Land Abounds with Life (which can be heard in "Songs of the Forgotten".

Remember to subscribe so you can be informed when the episodes are released. Thanks to Fabian/Biophilia Records for providing two recordings for this podcast, “Songs of the Forgotten” and “Folklorism” from This Land Abounds with Life.

German-born saxophonist and jazz educator Timo Vollbrecht is a mild-spoken man which slightly disarms you. You would not know by first sight that he is a practitioner and scholar of electronic-infused improvised jazz. He has long been a fan of transforming acoustic sounds with synthesizers, including using the saxophone as a tool.

Timo is also a scholar of the “nth” degree and a saxophonist who adores the multitude of sounds he can create with electronic tools. Meet Professor Vollbrecht, Director of Jazz Studies at Brown University. Yes, that Brown University. He was, in his previous academic pursuit, an adjunct professor at NYU.

His passion is 21st-century experimental electric-infused music, merging the sonic colors and texture of electronic sounds with acoustic intricate song forms. Timo became interested in improvised music at an early age. He fell in love with the saxophone first and later pursued creating the coolest and most captivating sound collages to his music.

What’s even more important to Timo, though, is community; he keeps it in the broader sense as well as in the studio and on the bandstand. He remarks that he is likely to be seen with his friends in the local pub in his Brooklyn neighborhood.

Timo, who has a PhD from NYU Steinhardt, was asked if the old school of learning jazz by ear had fallen off to the wayside. His response reveals the marriage he has as an improvisor and a professor of jazz studies. Students need to step out from behind the classroom walls and hang out at the jazz clubs.

Another amazing thing about Timo is the dissertation he wrote about one of the more mysterious characters in the jazz diaspora, ECM owner/producer Manfred Eicher. The dissertation “Manfred Eicher, ECM Records: An Analysis of the Producer as Auteur,” portrays the producer as an improvisor whose ‘instrument’ is the studio. A cool thing about this is that he was able to observe Eicher producing albums with Joe Lovano, Ralph Alessi, Ravi Coltrane, among others.

 

Timo has three albums on the Berthold label. They are Givers and Takers (2022), Fly Magic (2016), and Faces in Places (2018), all released to international critical acclaim. Timo’s bold sound is inspired by saxophonist Sonny Rollins while his electric sound concept, combining acoustic with noise was embodied in Jim Black’s band AlasNoAxis. “He’s an inspiration to his band members, encouraging them to make the sound interesting, to do it in a different way so that the elements shine balancing the music with other components,” says his remarkably talented guitarist Keisuke Matsuno.

We had so much to talk about. I was hoping Timo could provide a live display of him playing his saxophone while creating the electronic sounds he is known to do but couldn’t figure out how to make it happen via the internet connection. He did, though, pass on an extended piece he recorded so listeners could hear his extraordinary work.

Thanks for listening to the podcast. Please leave a review on Apple or my website and subscribe so you can be informed when new episodes and/or jazz news are published. And tell your friends, family and colleagues to go to: https://strictlyjazzsounds.com. Finally, go out and support live jazz.

Immanuel Wilkins is considered one of the most compelling instrumentalists in improvised music today. His primary instrument is the alto saxophone but that’s not all he can play. There’s a video you can find on YouTube of an interview he did when he was 11 years old. You see an acoustic bass in the background. He can play not only the bass but also piano and other instruments. I consider Immanuel Wilkins one of today’s young geniuses roaming the urban landscape.

In episode 5 of Strictly Jazz Sounds Philadelphia-raised, Brooklyn-based alto sax player, composer, bandleader, and Blue Note recording artist Immanuel Wilkins joins me.

Immanuel surrounds himself with today’s young jazz heavy weights. I made a rough list of some of those young geniuses, and they numbered close to 20. And those were only the musicians living in the New York area. What a time Immanuel is living in, a time where he becomes a Blue Note recording artist at 22 years old. His first album, Omega, was named the number 1 jazz album of 2020 by The New York Times. That’s heady stuff. Two years later, Immanuel releases his second recording on the Blue Note label to critical acclaim, The 7th Hand. The thing is all members of his quartet were under 25 years old.

So, is there a sort of renaissance, a rebirth of young, brilliant talent occurring in jazz today? Immanuel Wilkins thinks that’s possible. In the 1950s a resurgence of young talent occurred. One of them, recently deceased maestro Wayne Shorter, others include trumpeter Lee Morgan, bassist Paul Chambers, and pianist McCoy Tyner. John Coltrane barely made the list because he hit 30 years old in 1958. Then in the 60s there was Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, and maestro Ron Carter. And there’s Bobbi Humphrey, Blue Note’s first female instrumentalist, signed when she was only 21 years old in the 70s. And, in the early 80s, there were the Young Lions that reinvigorated jazz performance. Those cats included Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, and Terence Blanchard, four of the group of neo-bop jazz musicians in the 80s that defied avant-garde.

What does it take to wade into the fast-moving waters of New York jazz? Immanuel knows the type of work ethic required to be signed to the number one jazz label, according to the current DownBeat Critics Poll. Blue Note’s Don Was has his ear to the ground, says Immanuel. He knows the current landscape and how to pick the hot players. Immanuel was fortunate to work with his close friend vibist Joel Ross as well as pianist James Francies, who signed with Blue Note at 24 and 23 years old respectively. Something must be in the water or perhaps the air.

Immanuel’s faith is also at full display on his sophomore release, The 7th Hand. Is this a rare thing among jazz artists? Is this something new or has it existed all along? Immanuel’s intent for this recording, for the artistry, is to serve as a vessel for the “Creator.” His purpose is to channel the Holy Spirit, Immanuel remarks. Brian Blade, who is a preacher’s kid (PK as noted in the episode) and Immanuel both see their music as a sort of ministry. With The 7th Hand, Immanuel delivers his message in a major way.

Listen to these two tracks from Immanuel Wilkins' recording, The 7th Hand: "Emanation" and "Witness" (featuring Elena Penderhughes, flute).

Immanuel Wilkins goes on tour in Michigan on March 24, Madison, Wisconsin March 25, up state in Wisconsin, and Chicago then to Arizona, Washington, DC and back out to the west coast, returning to the east coast and Minnesota. You can find his itinerary on. Immanuel’s website, www.immanuelwilkins.com. A lot of travel.

Remember to subscribe if you want to be notified of future episodes. I’m looking for sponsors and if you want to help with expenses, please email me at [email protected]. You can find this podcast of Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music/Audible, Player FM, and iHeartRadio. Make comments on my Facebook page, Strictly Jazz Sounds. You can also join my Facebook group: Jazz Enthusiasts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marta Sanchez combines the technical of classical with the soul of jazz, presenting innovative and emotive compositions that stir the mind and fill the spirit. This Madrid, Spain native now resides in Brooklyn, NY, performing in New York clubs with the best New York has to offer. Marta is now among the elite performers in the jazz capital of the world.  

Marta discovers a different music scene in New York City than Madrid, Spain. Armed with a strong and dynamic classical background, Marta combines these two genres to create a powerful sound. Her Influences include Ravel, Schaumburg, and Debussy among other classical composers. Marta’s chief contemporary influence is Guillermo Klein. In the jazz universe, Marta gains inspiration from jazz composers that include Wayne Shorter, her close friend Ambrose Akinmusire, and Andrew Hill.

Marta, though, finds herself in a world vastly different from her native Madrid. The music from her latest release, SPAAM-Spanish American Art Museum, reveals the struggles and tensions apparent in her life as well as the observations of vastly troubling systemic violence that affect people of color and immigrants. Marta is sensitive to the shootings-from law enforcement to mass shootings- that are plaguing our country today.

She struggles with the dystopian culture in which she now finds herself, attempting to make sense of the deep divisions that exist in the US. The brutality of this society and the political strife that invades every fabric of this nation’s politic finds their way into Marta Sanchez’s compositions. The fateful beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee stirred up anguish in her.  Marta senses the challenges of leaving her Spanish culture, being an immigrant creates uncertainty about the culture in which she now resides. “How can this Happen in America?” Marta asks.

The most touching composition in the album, “Marivi”, casts a spotlight on a mother/daughter relationship that could only be imagined. The spellbinding vocals by Camilla Meza (who also doubles on guitar) and the trumpet work by Grammy nominee Ambrose Akinmusire tells a story of wistfulness by a daughter who could speak of her wishes only after her mother dies in Spain while in the early vestiges of Covid, with Marta trapped in New York by travel restrictions.

Marta was an in-demand artist at international jazz festivals throughout the world prior to the pandemic, performing her innovative and original music. Now that Covid restrictions have been relaxed, she is once again embarking on international travel to share her music to global audiences.

Marta’s discography with her quintet includes four albums, all have been received to critical acclaim from American press: “Partenika” (2015), “Danza Imposible” (2017), and “El Rayo de Luz” (2019) with the Spanish label Fresh Sound and SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum) with Whirlwind Recordings.

 

Caleb Wheeler Curtis designs playgrounds for his band members when he composes, creating opportunities for improvisation within a structured framework. It’s all about space to freely express oneself. This Ann Arbor, Michigan native who now lives in Brooklyn, New York City, has recently released to critical acclaim his fifth album, Heatmap. Caleb and I spent some time talking about this recording and his growth as a musician.

 Caleb is the consummate collaborator with a discography that details a journey full of an adventure in music.  Beginning with Walking Distance: Neighborhood in 2015, Caleb’s relationships weaved a path rich with partnerships and mentors who provided a foundation for him, that guided him in his writings and arrangements. He is the first one to tell you that getting to the place where he considered himself to be a professional musician was not easy. Caleb firmly believes it requires commitment to your art.

 Caleb is fortunate to have Imani Records producer and owner and Grammy nominee Orrin Evans as a mentor, giving him opportunities to stretch as a musician and guidance as a composer and bandleader. Heatmap, produced by Orrin Evans, is a product of such collaborations and mentorships. Caleb played in Evans’ band, Captain Black Big Band, performing on his two Grammy nominated recordings. He and Orrin Evans developed a bond that Caleb identifies as critical to his growth as a musician and composer.

 Caleb’s compositions reflect an approach that provides space for each musician to expand and bring to the experience their own artistry and talent thus giving his compositions a fresh breath for improvising. His approach is strong without being forced; one critic acknowledges. And while his musical spirit has an open willingness for exploration, his musical upbringing with strong mentorship gives it an inherent wisdom.

 Caleb Wheeler Curtis was a MacDowell Fellow, an artist’s residency program in rural Peterborough, New Hampshire. There, Caleb was given his own space and time to compose, play the piano uninterrupted by the daily forces of urban life. The end-product, 10 originals on which Caleb plays on alto saxophone except for one track on soprano. Heatmap features, of course Curtis on saxophone, Orrin Evans on piano, Eric Revis on bass and Gerald Cleaver on the drums. Caleb and his band can be heard on two tracks played in their entirety on Strictly Jazz Sounds. I asked him to explain his composition style.

 His credits as a collaborator, composer and saxophonist (mostly alto) led to recordings from Freebird featuring Jason Moran in 2018. Curtis also teamed up to record Curtis+Garabedian+Sperrazza: New York in 2018 with Vinnie Sperrazza and Noah Garabedian; and Curtis/Carter/Ferber: Doing Nothing Is Hard Business, a project that included Rahsaan Carter and Mark Ferber in 2020. Curtis’s discography also includes playing on two Grammy-nominated recordings with the Orrin Evans-led group the Captain Black Big Band: Presence, released in 2018 and The Intangible Between, dropped in 2020. Curtis released two albums for the Orrin Evans-owned record label Imani, Brothers in 2018 and Ain’t No Storm in 2021. It doesn’t stop there. In 2021 Curtis collaborated to release two recordings, No One Is Anyone, with Noah Garabedian, Vinnie Sperrazza and Orrin Evans and Substrate with Swiss pianist Laurent Nicoud.

Caleb earned a music degree from Michigan State University, and later a masters in music from William Paterson University. Since then, he has focused on the New York jazz scene from Brooklyn. 

The jazz scene in Columbus, Ohio is an eclectic one.  Like many big cities Columbus has a 24-hour jazz radio station that plays mostly smooth and R&B-tinged jazz peppered with some classic jazz from the 50s, 60s and 70s; it has establishments that host jazz groups and at least two bona fide jazz clubs. Then, there are two nonprofit organizations: Jazz Arts Group or JAG and A Tribe for Jazz, the newest in town. A Tribe for Jazz is the topic of this episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds.

Stephanie Matthews is the executive director for A Tribe for Jazz. Under her leadership and passion, A Tribe for Jazz keep all eyes on jazz’s delicate legacy. Stephanie says it’s all about the image, identifying and sharing the stories that matter through video recordings or live shows reaching for a diverse audience that includes young people as well as Columbus’s rich racial and ethnic diversity.

To preserve the legacy of jazz and to advance the future of jazz, Stephanie Matthews says that adding to the image of individual musicians advances not only the individual artist but the artform as well. Stephanie Matthews believes that their image can benefit from a boost and draw more attention to their work and possibly improve fan base and sales and subsequently maybe jazz as a genre will also benefit.

A Tribe for Jazz does something else that’s spectacular. Jazz education in the Columbus elementary and middle schools has also been a focus. By using the music from saxophonist Jon Irabagon, “Legacy:  Jon Irabagon, A Solo Tenor Odyssey”, in a project in Columbus elementary and middle schools produced by Stephanie Matthews, A Tribe for Jazz was nominated for a major Columbus community award for their program that engaged young people with jazz to tell their own stories through visual media. The results were awe-inspiring tales that revealed so much about these students and their struggles during the pandemic.

On today’s episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds, I have a conversation with Emmet about his show: how he selects the guests, the challenges doing the show, the dreams he holds for it and the impact he hopes to have on jazz as an artform. Emmet Cohen is a pianist, composer, bandleader, and internet entrepreneur. What began as a means to play a gig when the Covid 19 pandemic-imposed lockdown closed the Kansas City venue he was scheduled to play, became a whole other enterprise. Every Monday night at 7:30 pm ET since March 2020, Emmet Cohen, with his show “Live at Emmet’s Place”, kicks off his shoes, sits at his Steinway piano, joined by his trio companions Russell Hall on bass and Kyle Poole on drums, and converts his Harlem apartment into one of the hottest places to be in New York City. It’s the old-time Harlem rent party transformed into an internet-streamed production that has attracted millions of people the world over. Emmet and his trio initially performed on his iPhone. Today, he has an entire crew setting up the show and working it. Emmet has invited many performers from the New York jazz scene into his apartment along with others from the extended jazz diaspora. These include Patrick Bartley, Bruce Harris, Samara Joy, Christian McBride, Nicole Glover, Benny Bennack III, Veronica Swift, and many others. The legacy musicians include Joe Lovano, Sheila Jordon, Mary Stallings, Houston Person, Albert “Tootie” Heath, and George Coleman. The results have been nothing short of historical and amazing. As a result, Emmet has been recognized by the Jazz Journalists Association for what many consider as legendary and visionary streaming of live jazz.