The Upside of Jazz

Erroll Garner could make one piano sound like an entire orchestra and make even his fellow musicians wonder how he did it. This week, we celebrate the imagination, swing, and generosity behind his unmistakable sound, with stories of a pianist who never stopped surprising himself or his listeners.

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Joe has a conversation with comedian and actor, Jeff Garlin about Garlin's career as well as his love of jazz and how it influences his comedy. They also discuss the parallels between the two art forms, from improvising in front of a live audience to finding your own musical or comedic voice.

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Joe talks with banjo legend Béla Fleck about his album "My Bluegrass Heart," first being inspired by the music of Chick Corea and then getting to work with him, as well as where the music inside him comes from.

Joe also chats with trombonist Ryan Keberle about Ryan Keberle's Collectiv do Brasil's upcoming album, "Here is Donato!," the trombone's status within jazz, and Ryan's exploration of Brazilian music via the instrument.

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Pianist and singer Diane Schuur and singer Jonathan Karrant have a conversation with Joe about Schuur's career, recording music together, and Karrant's latest album, "Full Circle," which is a tribute to Schuur.

Then, Joe sits down with trumpeter and film score composer Mark Isham to talk about how composing for film differs from writing songs for an album, how music and art can be joyful and still be considered art, plus "At The Carousel Club," Isham's new EP. 

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Producer/bassist/artistic director at Sam First Records, David Robaire, and Joe talk about going from bassist to leading a label, how David thinks about taking a live performance and putting it on vinyl, and the ways in which a label can develop a very specific identity while offering a variety of music.

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Joe and bassist Bill Crow talk about the 98-year-old's lifetime spent in and around jazz. Crow talks about gathering stories from the jazz scene to write his monthly column for Allegro, which Crow wrapped up after 43 years in April, turning those stories into several books, including "Jazz Anecdotes," and spending time listening and playing in legendary clubs like the Village Vanguard and Birdland.

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In the second episode featuring comedian Robert Klein, he and Joe continue their conversation about jazz and comedy,  Klein remembers a special breakfast with Groucho Marx, and reflects on what it's like to go from the one looking up to older comedians, to new comedians looking up to you. 

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In the first of two episodes featuring the comedy legend, Joe and Robert Klein get together to talk about Klein's career in comedy. Despite not being a musician, Klein explains how improvisation in comedy is not so different from improv in jazz, opening for jazz greats like Sarah Vaughan and The Modern Jazz Quartet, as well as his relationship with comedian Rodney Dangerfield.

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Joe has a conversation with Kelly Peterson, whose husband was Oscar Peterson, about the legendary pianist. Peterson shares the story of how she and Oscar built a life together, some of his more underappreciated skills as a pianist, as well as developing the new box set of previously unreleased recordings of Oscar Peterson playing live all from around the world, aptly titled "World Tour."

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Joe and pianist John Beasley have a chat about Beasley's new album, Invisible Piano, which was inspired by a tour of an art museum in Stuttgart, Germany, how he found musical inspiration in non-musical art forms, his time playing alongside Miles Davis, and how spiritual practice and practicing music are both rooted in trying to improve.

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