Video Version Can Be Found Here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv8yhsfJuFzth_3JaGx6sc561I_kFZMAY

In this episode, I bring back my dear friend Paul McKee to go deep into his composition and arranging persona which has generated some of the most enjoyable and iconic works in the modern large jazz ensemble cannon of today.

We go into SO much, in fact , that I've generated a helpful time stamp outline below so that you can surf around and snack on all the goodness at your leisure. Below the time stamp list you'll also find some links for a few of the things we discussed.

So dive on in and have fun!

Some links from the show: Paul's Impact: https://www.colorado.edu/music/2025/03/13/impact-influence-jazz-polymath-paul-mckee

"Here's to Life" Shirley Horn (a McKee Go-To Recording) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ8tozU5JII

Thad Jones Mel Lewis "Consummation" (Another McKee Go-To Album) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHFVQLjwXPE&list=PLm4I8tP6UbWawkiCStUlMGEmUGoqGpQJ1

The Individualism of Gil Evans (Another Got-to McKee Recording) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAdT7NAFiSw

00:00 Intro

00:54 Introducing Paul McKee!

02:16 Enjoying Retirement

03:48 The Composition Discussion Begins

04:06 How and When Did Paul Begin Writing?

06:45 Paul’s First Big Band Chart (Studying with Hank Levy at the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp)

09:18 Paul’s Earliest Writing Years — Learning by Asking

10:28 In the Days of Pencil and Paper

14:38 Writing in College

16:46 Paul’s Early Influences in Writing 22:05 Playing and Writing: Two Sides of the Same Coin

27:57 Norman Returns!

29:07 Paul Talks About the Writing Process

6:37 The Tsunami vs the Narrative

39:44 Paul Takes the WIESTWORLD Inquisition!

56:25 INTERMISSION

57:12 Discussion: “Bitter Jug”

01:04:27 Performance: “Bitter Jug”

01:10:20 Discussion: “The Messenger”

01:17:25 Performance: “The Messenger”

01:28:12 Discussion: “Higher Ground” (Stevie Wonder)

01:35:04 Performance: “Higher Ground”

01:42:15 Discussion: “Naima” (John Coltrane)

01:50:35 Performance: “Naima”

01:57:51 The Powerhouse Wrap-Up!

Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv8yhsfJuFzth_3JaGx6sc561I_kFZMAY

On this episode, I welcome my dear friend Brad Leali. One of the most important alto saxophonists on the scene today, Brad has a long and stellar resume as a leader, educator (Currently Professor of Jazz Saxophone at UNT), and stints with Harry Connick Jr, The Count Basie Orchestra, The Kennedy Center Honors, and currently Lyle Lovett and His Large Band. One of the nicest guys on planet Earth (or beyond), Brad and I discuss his life, influences, career path journey, and even inaugurate the newest feature on the podcast: "The WIESTWORLD Inquisition!"

A great time was definitely had by all ...and YOU are invited!

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Links and Info From Today’s Show:

Brad Leali’s Website: https://bradleali.com/

Brad’s Music: https://bradleali.com/works/

North Texas Jazz: https://music.unt.edu/jazz/index.html

Lubbock Jazz: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/music/programs/study/jazz-studies.php

Harry Connick Jr: https://www.harryconnickjr.com/

The Count Basie Orchestra: https://thecountbasieorchestra.com/ Lyle Lovett: https://www.lylelovett.com/

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. https://www.pbs.org/show/finding-your-roots/

Steve Wiest Website: https://steve-wiest.com/

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The WIESTWORLD Theme Song:

“A Stern Talking Too”

Composed by Steve Wiest

Performed by Phröntrange on their album: "The High Road"

Steve Wiest: Trombone

Art Bouton: EWI

Eric Gunnison: Keyboards

Mike Abbott: Guitar

Mike Marlier: Drums and Percussion

Bijoux Barbosa: Bass

Here is a special edition of WIESTWORLD! In this episode, we discuss everything about my epic project, CONCERTO FOR FOLDED SPACE. It's been ten years since this sci-fi novel/CD recording combo with an ALL-STAR cast came out, and I wanted to unpack it for everyone.

So buckle in and enjoy a galactic soirée of the fourth degree!

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Purchase a digital download of the CD: https://steve-wiest.com/albums/#folded

Get the book AND the digital download: https://steve-wiest.com/step/concerto-book-landing/

Learn more about upcoming specials: https://steve-wiest.com/

https://steve-wiest.com/ T

The great Gregg Bissonette joins me for a soirée-DELUXE of high octane joyfully fun, shenanigans, stories, and wisdom! Join us as we discuss all things Bisso and check out some of Gregg's great music as well. It's a hoot AND a nanny!

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Links for stuff discussed on this episode:

Gregg's Website: https://greggbissonette.co/

Gregg's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCT8Zj5o-nCxJpG99yq3hviw

Matt Bissonette's Site: https://mattbissonette.com/

Matt/Gregg/Paul "Song in a Day Show" YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCqndRuwiVyQpE1EIXS6lrsQ

Dixon Drums: https://playdixon.com/gregg-bissonette/

Chicago Drummer Dan Leali (Tributosaurus) https://tributosaurus.com/bios

Chicago Drummer George Fludas: https://georgefludas.com/

Hey Folks! For your driving and general chillin' pleasure, here is the audio version of WIESTWORLD. There is also now a VIDEO version if you'd like to pop up a big ol' bowl o' corn and pour some bourbon (it pairs quite well, BTW) you can see the video version coming SOON!~

Today's episode is all about my good pal Nick Lane! We had LOTS to talk about, FOUR great tracks on the Lightning Round (insert lightning FX here) and stories, yuks, and knowledge gems APLENTY. So this is a long one. To help with your browsing, below is a nice handy-dandy times stamp list.

🎧 WIESTWORLD with Nick Lane – Podcast Chapters

00:00 🎷 Welcome to WIESTWORLD

00:18 🎬 Setting the Scene: Prelude to a Nick

02:37 👋 Say Hello to Nick Lane!

09:10 🎼 The Origins of a Jazz Legend: Nick Lane Begins!

20:07 🚌 Maynard on the Road: Nick Joins the Band

31:27 🏙️ Musical Roots: The Sound of Chicago

39:13 🎛️ Gear Talk & Trombone Wizardry

50:07 🚀 Welcome to JamTrek!

56:08 ⚡ The Lightning Round Begins!

56:49 🇺🇸 Bone in the U.S.A. 🎵 (“Big and Hairy”)

1:03:22 🏡 Songs for the Heartland 🎵 (“Home on the Range”)

1:14:07 🤠 “Alias” Smith and Lane 🎵 (“Blues for Buddy”)

1:20:37 🎡 “Carnival” Maynard Ferguson 🎵 (“Birdland”)

1:31:33 🎤 Final Thoughts & Farewell

Man-Oh-MAN! We had so much good Ilesian stuff that it had to be divided into TWO SHOWS!

Here is Part Two where we get more into Alex's music via the famous "Lightning Round" (imagine the cool sound effect here)

LOTS to love on this one folks! So dive on in...

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Alex Iles One-Stop-Shopping website: https://www.alexilestrombone.com/index.php

Featured Tracks in this episode: (Please go PURCHASE a copy of the CDs!)

The Bob Florence Limited Edition Big Band "Funupsmanship"

https://www.summitrecords.com/release/funupsmanship-bob-florence-limited-edition-2/

The Tom Kubis Big Band "Swingin' Tom Kubis Plays the Music of Steve Allen"

https://open.spotify.com/album/107sAZIJLmnS7rg9nHyi9x

The 2018 American Trombone Workshop

"The Ellington Suite by Billy Strayhorn" (Arranged by Tom Kubis)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Tu6uhKTPs

The Dave Slonaker Big Band "Convergency"

https://originarts.com/recordings/recording.php?TitleID=82851

The WIESTWORLD theme song is "A Stern Talking Too" composed by Steve Wiest and performed by his fusion group Phröntrange on their album "The High Road." You can download a copy of this exciting project along with a PDF of the liner notes on Steve's site using this direct link: https://steve-wiest.com/albums/#high-road

My guest this week is the masterful trombonist DELUXE Alex Iles! Alex is a trombonist's trombonist and one of the busiest studio, symphony, and jazz players in LA and beyond! He is also a great Cat–a true MENSCH–and a friend.

Check out his STUNNING credentials on his website: https://www.alexilestrombone.com/ What he has accomplished so far in his fabulous career is amazing! And guess what? We get to hang with Alex HIMSELF! Right here on WIESTWORLD.

Dive in and enjoy Y'all!

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The WIESTWORLD theme song is "A Stern Talking Too" composed by Steve Wiest and performed by his fusion group Phröntrange on their album "The High Road." You can download a copy of this exciting project along with a PDF of the liner notes on Steve's site using this direct link: https://steve-wiest.com/albums/#high-road

The great Steve Turre returns for a full length in-depth discussion of his music and composing. Trombone, shells and all the fixin's. We get into the legendary Lightning Round where I choose a bunch of tracks, play them for YOU to enjoy and then Steve talks about what went into each one...the behind-the-scene's "Director's Cut" if you will.

Join me and Steve as we hold court, hang out, and otherwise hobnob...

It's time to hang with the great Steve Turre! Trombonist/Composer/Leader/Shell Artist, Steve is a treasure in the world of jazz trombone! I've known Steve for awhile now and can tell you that he is a real force of nature. Constantly on the move and ever moving forward artistically, there is SO much to cover with this man's oeuvre.

And cover it we DID! So I broke it all into two parts. This first part is all about Steve, his beginnings, his journey as an artist, his time at Saturday Night Live, and lots of other stuff!

Let's go talk with Steve Turre...

Check it out! The Leadology Podcast is now officially WIESTWORLD! Give this wee snippet a listen to learn all about it...