Episodes
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Alexandra (Alex) Ridout is a young jazz trumpeter from the UK, now residing in New York City. In this episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds, she lays out her journey as a musician, comparing the experiences and educational backgrounds between the UK and the US. Ridout recalls her time at the Royal Academy of Music in London and Manhattan School of Music, emphasizing her family's influence, especially her jazz musician parents. Highlighting her musical achievements, the conversation includes her participation and victory in the BBC Youth Competition, winning at 17 years old. She talks about her association with renowned musicians and mentors, including trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, now Dean of Jazz Arts at the Manhattan School of Music, and her involvement with the all-female group, Artemis. As with many women in the jazz industry, the topic of women’s growing strength emerges. She also addresses the challenges and realities of the recording industry today, stressing the importance of patience and genuine passion in pursuing a music career. The conversation culminates with her upcoming performance on International Jazz Day and a surprise familial discovery.
Alexandra Ridout generously allowed me to record portions of the show she and her quintet performed at their concert, hosted by A Tribe for Jazz as part of their 2024 International Jazz Series for International Jazz Day.
This episode provides two tracks from the show and one from her Remote Duets EP that can be found at Bandcamp.com. The first track, “Compersion Song” (7:71), an original composition by Alexandra Ridout, features solos by Alex on trumpet, Tal Kalman - tenor sax, Iver Cardas – guitar and Karl Henrik-Ousbäck - drums. Rafael Enciso is on double bass.
The second track is “BM Blues” (9:47), also written by Alexandra Ridout. The band members remain the same with soloists: Alexandra Ridout-trumpet, Iver Cardas – guitar, Tal Kalman - tenor sax and Karl Henrik-Ousbäck – drums. The third track heard near the end of the show is from Remote Duets Alexandra Ridout has on Bandcamp. The track is entitled “No Train” (3:41). Miles Midlin joins her on guitar.
Photo of Alexandra Ridout by Melody McLaren.
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In this episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds, I have a conversation with Jocelyn Gould, a professional jazz guitarist who fills all the shoes it requires to drive a successful career. Jocelyn shares her journey from pretending to play a cardboard guitar at the age of four to winning a Juno Award for her first album, Elegant Traveler. She later discusses the challenges and triumphs of her career, including her education in the U.S. at Michigan State University, her experiences in New York's rough and tumble jazz scene, and her recent endeavors, including her podcast and latest album releases. Jocelyn also explores her passion for mentoring young women and non-binary people in jazz, highlighting the importance of diversity in the music industry. The conversation touches on the intricacies of guitar playing, her teaching career, and the financial and logistical challenges faced by modern musicians.
Thanks to Jocelyn Gould for use of the three tracks of music from her Juno nominated album Elegant Traveler (2023) and her second album Golden Hour (2022), both released on the Jocelyn Gould Music label. They are: “Trailblazer”, “Serendipity”, and “Gemini”. All original compositions by Jocelyn.
Photo by Lain Geoghan
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Yasushi Nakamura loves his music. And he truly loves laying down the groove lines behind a hot band like he does for almost a dozen bands. However, being one of today’s first-call bassists means frequent and long show tours that can take him away from his family of two-children and spouse for weeks, even months at a time. It has resulted in an impressive list and number of recordings made on both electric and acoustic or double bass.
Pianist and longtime friend, Emmet Cohen, says that Yasushi “…is known in the music community for playing in over a dozen bands and is hardly ever seen reading music.” The reason, says Yasushi, is he has a photographic memory for the music. He takes one look at it and the rest he recalls. This allows him to internalize the music, a practice he highly recommends to young bassists today.
Yasushi is a pretty shy guy on and off the bandstand. Watch a video of him and you’ll notice he kicks it like the good bassist he is but rarely engages in any dialogue. He says he likes to lay back, be the guy behind the sound. You wouldn’t know it, though, when it’s time for him to step out. Sometimes a big grin will shine, but Yasushi is mostly focused on delivering a ballad or driving his bass through the high pace sounds left behind by the pianist or the horns.
His discography is already enormous. Yasushi has performed in and out of the studio with many noted jazz musicians including Cecile McLorin Salvant, Emmet Cohen, Christian Sands, Amina Figarova, Shamie Royston, Jon Irabagon, Rudy Royston, Vincent Herring, and Ulysses Owners Jr. I saw Yasushi at the 2023 Monterey Jazz Festival touring concert at Denison University near Columbus, Ohio. In that show he was part of an all-star billing with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Lakecia Benjamin, and good friends and long-time collaborators, Christian Sands and Clarence Penn.
Yasushi Nakamura is sharing two compositions with the podcast so thanks to him for that. They are:“Yasugaloo”-A Lifetime Treasure, Yasushi Nakamura-bass, Lawrence Fields-piano, Clarence Penn-drums; 9/29/2016 (Atelier Sawano)-7:03“Awesome Beef”-Hometown, Yasushi Nakamura-bass, Lawrence Fields-piano, Clarence Penn-drums, Bigyuki-Synths; 11/10/2017 (Atelier Sawano)-3:56
This episode is being released during Jazz Appreciation Month. What better person and humbler guy than Yasushi Nakamura to kick off this year’s celebration of jazz.
And thank you for listening to Strictly Jazz Sounds. Spread the word about this podcast and share it with others when you can. Finally, support live jazz wherever you are.
Photo by Stephen Braunginn
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Question: What would jazz music sound like if it had been born in a country without patriarchy; taught without bias and performed on a stage with radical inclusivity? That’s what jazz titan Terri Lyne Carrington says is the foundation behind Berklee College of Music’s Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. Terri Lyne is the founder and artistic director of the Institute and a professor at Berklee, her alma mater.
In this episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds, I spend time with Terri Lyne Carrington, getting deep into this question along with how to lift women and nonbinary individuals in this historically male dominated industry, creating a new bandscape that reveals the multitude of different voices in jazz.
Terri Lyne is a drum major for women and nonbinary individuals in the jazz ecosystem. She’s also a highly successful drummer/percussionist, a bandleader, composer and producer, an artistic director of a couple of organizations, a writer with two books, and an educator.
On Terri Lyne’s website, she displays many photos of the extraordinary talent that she met through her musician father’s friends. You see her standing between drummers Roy Haynes and Tony Williams; Art Blakey is sitting on the floor next to Terri Lyne while she plays the drums; another has Buddy Rich next to her while she’s on the drums. Not your typical teenager’s hangout of friends nor upbringing experiences.
She readily acknowledges her home environment was one of privilege and enriching for a young prodigy. Terri Lyne dedicates her life to reaching back to today’s young women and nonbinary individuals bent on changing the faces of jazz, on and behind the bandstand.
We most certainly spend time on her 2023 Grammy winning album New Standards Vol. 1 on the CANDID label and the related book “New Standards Vol. 1: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers,” published by Berklee Press.
Two tracks of music from the album are included in this episode. The personnel for the album: Terri Lyne Carrington-drums/percussion; Kris Davis-piano; Linda May Han Oh-bass; Nicholas Payton-trumpet; and Matthew Stevens, guitar.
Uplifted Hearts by Shamie Royston; featuring Ravi Coltrane-tenor sax; Val Jeanty-electronics; Elena Pinderhuges-flute; Negah Santos-percussion; and Shadrack Oppong-spoken word.
Throw It Away by Abbey Lincoln; featuring: Somi-vocal; Melanie Charles-vocal; and Negah Santos-percussion.
Terri Lyne Carrington’s portfolio is extensive, bold, and rich. If you are unfamiliar with it, I encourage you to check it out and listen to her music in her discography.
The next episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds will be in early 2024. I’m taking some medical time off until then. This is the first year of this podcast. Thanks so much to all my guests and to you for making this a great year for me. If you have not subscribed, do so. You’ll be one of the first to know when a new episode is released. Support live jazz wherever you are. Be safe. Steve Braunginn
Thanks to CANDID Records for the music. Photo of Terri Lyne Carrington by Michael Goldman
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In jazz, two legendary harp musicians come to mind. Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Now, there is a third musician whose image immediately erupts into focus. For harp artist, educator, and Grammy nominated musician Brandee Younger, both Ashby and Coltrane made a tremendous impact on her. And with her latest recording, Brand New Life, on Impulse Records, Brandee Younger embraces Ashby and her impact on the harp.
I caught up with Grammy nominated harpist Brandee Younger at the Spoleto Jazz Festival in Charleston, North Carolina.
This was a major opportunity for me to learn how the harp, this extraordinarily large instrument, can be used in improvisational jazz. I am unfamiliar with how to play the harp so talking with Brandee Younger was a good time to learn how she does it. And learning about her major influence, Dorothy Ashby was an extra for me.
Brandee’s latest recording, Brand New Life, finds her embracing Ashby’s compositions and styles as she crosses genres on this album. Chicago producer, drummer and bandleader Mikaya McCraven produced this album, infusing hip-hop and R&B influences in this recording. Some of the artists include Mumu Fresh (Maimouna Yousef), rapper, bassist and singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello and Blue Note recording artist and vibraphonist and bandleader Joel Ross.
She was nominated for a Grammy in 2022 for Best Instrumental Composition for “Beautiful is Black” from her 2021 Recording Somewhere Different becoming the first black woman to do so. That same year she was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award and named winner of the DownBeat Critics Poll in the category of "Rising Star" Miscellaneous Instrument. In 2023 Brandee Younger won in Jazz Journalists Association annual recognition awards in the category Rare Instrument.
Brandee's discography includes Somewhere Different (Impulse, 2021)-composition Grammy nominated; Force Majeure (International Anthem Recording Co.) 2021; Soul Awakening (Self-Released) 2019; Wax & Wane (Disk Union) 2016; Prelude (Self-released) 2011.
Brandee Younger is currently on the teaching artist faculty at New York University and The New School College of Performing Arts. She also serves as Symphonic and Jazz Harp Artist in Residence at the Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts.
The photo of Brandee Younger is by Erin O'Brien.
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For tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, educator and artist Roxy Coss, jazz education is everything. When we talked in July, she and her husband, saxophonist, educator and composer, Lucas Pino, just returned from their week-long session as co-directors of the Brubeck Jazz Summit, (yes, that Brubeck-Dave Brubeck) a week-long intensive emersion of jazz education and performance for talented students worldwide. To participate, young people must have exceptional capacity. To teach, your credentials must be superior.
In this episode, Roxy Coss shares her deep thoughts and intense feelings about two of her major passions: jazz education and creating an environment in the jazz ecosystem that values women and nonbinary individuals.
Roxy also reveals a more personal side of herself as we talk about the socio-political-pandemic choked environment that has embraced our nation since 2016 and how these have influenced her compositions in all her recordings as a group leader.
Roxy founded WIJO-Women in Jazz Organization in July 2017, a collective of over 500 professional jazz musicians and composers who identify as women or gender non-binary. WIJO is largely a New York-based organization, but it has made connections to other individuals and groups nationally and internationally to address the many inequities in the jazz music industry. Roxy currently serves as its president. It has various programs including a popular mentorship program, WIJO Mentors. It also sponsors concerts and jam sessions.
In Roxy’s music education career, she had numerous outstanding opportunities since she was five years old. She actually composed at an early age when she was in third grade, writing her first award-winning composition in a city-wide contest called “Reflections.” Later, she attended Garfield High School (alumnae/i include Ernestine Anderson, Quincy Jones and Jimi Hendrix), a rich and fertile place for Roxy’s jazz education. She was a member of the Garfield HS Jazz Band when they set a record in 2003 and 2004. It is the only band to win the first-place trophy in two consecutive years in the highly competitive Essentially Ellington contest. The band also placed first in 2009 and 2010. Roxy is also a winner of the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award.
It is no wonder, then, that Roxy currently serves on the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Board of Directors and is a Jazz Faculty member at the prestigious Juilliard School.
Roxy’s discography includes her self-titled recording, Roxy Coss, which is a self-released album (2010), Restless Idealism (Origin, 2016), Chasing the Unicorn (Posi-tone 2017), The Future is Female (Posi-tone 2018), Roxy Coss Quintet (Outside in Music 2019), and Disparate Parts (Outside in Music 2022). Roxy plays the same instrument she’s had since 2018, a P. Mauriat.
There are two tracks from Roxy’s latest album, Disparate Parts, thanks to Roxy and the record label, Outside in Music. The Lineup includes: Roxy Coss, saxophones; Miki Yamanaka, piano/Rhodes; Alex Wintz, guitar; Rick Rosato, bass; and, Jimmy Macbride, drums.
Obviously, you’ve found this podcast, but I want you to know that you can find my podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, Player FM, and iHeartRadio. Subscribe on my website and you will be one of the first to know when the next episode is released. Thanks for listening.
Photo of Roxy Coss by Desmond White.
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Japanese jazz pianist Miki Yamanaka, born and raised in Kyoto and Kobe Japan, now resides in New York City with her drummer husband Jimmy Macbride. Her upcoming album, Shades of Rainbow is set to drop on September 8. Excitement explodes in Miki during this hour-long interview with this jubilant pianist who is a mainstay at New York’s prime jazz clubs for emerging talent, Smalls and Mezzrow, both found in the West Village in Greenwich Village in the lower west side of Manhattan.
Miki’s been a New York resident since 2012. She did her graduate work at Queens College in Jazz Performance 2014-2015. Her street education occurred in New York City jazz clubs and concert halls before the COVID pandemic, performing with the likes of Antonio Hart, Peter Bernstein, Nicole Glover, Joe Farnsworth, Tivon Pennicott, Roxy Coss, Mark Turner and Fred Hersch. But all of that came to a grounding halt in March 2020 as COVID wiped the streets clean, leaving all jazz musicians jobless and at home with nobody to play with. This required inventiveness.
Taking the cue from friend and fellow jazz pianist Emmet Cohen, Miki began to assemble ensembles in hers and Jimmy’s Harlem apartment and stream her show “Miki’s Mood” on the internet. Perhaps not as successful as “Live at Emmet’s Place” it became a place where Miki, Jimmy and friends could play and jam once more and make a little money.
In 2015 she was one of three pianists selected to participate in “Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead”, an intensive composition residency at the Kennedy Center. She earned her Master of Music degree from Queens College, receiving the Sir Roland Hanna Award. Recently, Miki was one of ten new talent identified by The Academy (Grammy) as top emerging jazz talent.
Shades of Rainbow is Miki’s fourth release, her second for Vancouver-based record company, Cellar Music. Her debut release, Miki, was also from Cellar Music. Her previous two recordings, Human Dust Suite and Stairway to the Stars can be found on the Outside in Music label.
You can find this episode on all of the major podcast streaming providers. Support live jazz. Support women in jazz. Subscribe to be one of the first to receive SJS podcasts, news and information. Photo by Martina DaSilva.
Thanks for listening. Steve Braunginn
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“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe.”— Lao Tzu
Music moves the soul in so many ways. It moves the spirit and inspires living beings to become one with the music. Argentinian Julieta Eugenio was just that person from a young age. She’s not entirely sure why. Her parents didn’t play an instrument though they played recordings around the house. As long as she can remember, music was in her life.
Her personal interest wasn’t piqued until she saw a piano when she was about five years old. It was like magic, Julieta recalls. She was visually pinned to the piano. That’s love at first site. Music grabbed her and it hasn’t let her go since. Later, when she was in middle school, when she joined the school band, Julieta nonchalantly selected a saxophone when presented with a choice of instruments. A tenor saxophone.
Julieta Eugenio hails from Argentina and now lives in New York city. She made this bold change in her life at 23 years old. Alone. No family or friends to accompany her. Julieta’s formal music studies began following high school in Buenos Aires at Conservatorio Manuel de Falla (Bachelor 2012) and the Conservatorio Nacional Lopez Buchardo (IUNA) where she studied jazz. In New York, Julieta attended Queens College where she studied jazz and performed in area clubs with the masters, including pianist Johnny O’Neal, David Kikoski and Pasquale Grasso.
The mental journey Julieta took was immense. She loves jazz and knew she had to take the leap, leaving the familiar settings and family, the beautiful landscape of Argentina, and the comfort of her home country to challenge herself in New York City. It seems, though, to be paying itself off as Julieta was recently recognized as one of the top ten emerging jazz talents by the Recording Academy in their online publication, “Grammys.” In 2017, Eugenio won the International Women in Jazz Competition as a member of the SIJ Trio, which she formed with pianist Sarah Slonim and bassist Inbar Paz. With her own trio, she won the DCJazzPrix 2022, a competition presented by the DC Jazz Fest.
I think we all know what it’s like to be somewhere new, far from home and vastly different from home. Thrust a global pandemic into this formula. That’s what Julieta had to face, alone in New York. Then, good fortune showed up. One of her beloved sisters decided to immigrate to New York for work, which saved Julieta. And those are her words describing the arrival of her sister. Jazz also saved her.
Thank you for listening to this podcast. Subscribing will make sure you’re one of the first ones to receive future episodes. Check out my website for other articles and photos. As usual, you will be treated to two complete tracks of music. These compositions will come from Julieta’s 2022 debut recording, Jump, which can be found on Greenleaf Music. Jazz Journalists Association president, Howard Mandel, gave the album a four-star rating in DownBeat Magazine. This features her trio with Julieta on tenor sax, Matt Dwonszyk on bass and Jonathan Barber on drums.
Upcoming episodes include saxophonist Roxy Coss, pianist Miki Yamanaka, who has a new album soon to be released, and harpist Brandee Younger. You can listen to this podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and other streaming services. Thank you for listening.
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Welcome to the Bonus recording of Episode 11. More stories to tell by Jon Irabagon.
The recording by the group, Mostly Other People Do the Killing, Blue, the note-for-note recreation of Miles Davis' classic album is “A work of conceptual jazz art,” writes Bandcamp. The listening public’s response varied considerably but suffice it to say that Jon as well as his bandmates had to deal with substantial internet rage, including death threats. But not to let that totally color the experience, Jon says there were many positive emails about the recording and the process. The way Jon tells the story details a tale that will live on for ages.
This bonus track also includes Jon Irabagon recounting the many years it took for him to transcribe most of the recorded solos of sax giants John Coltrane and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley. We talk about his recording Dr. Quixotic’s Traveling Exotics, which we both consider as perhaps his best work largely because of with whom he records. The personnel on this album are phenomenal: Luis Perdomo, piano, Yasushi Nakamura, bass, Rudy Royston, drums, and Tom Harrell on trumpet. And, of course, Jon Irabagon is on alto sax. This is one helluva recording, we both agreed.
I did not think our conversation would have been complete without touching base about Jon’s good friend Sylvain Rifflet from Paris with whom Jon recorded two outstanding albums, Perpetual Motion and Rebellion(s). And if you wondered what is in Jon’s future, he gives a full accounting of where he’s moving forward.
So, buckle up for this ride. Jon Irabagon, a tale of tales.
Music:
The Cost of Modern Living (Behind the Sky, Irabbagast Records, 2015) 6:02
Jon Irabagon-tenor saxophone, Luis Perdomo-piano, Yasushi Nakamura-bass, Rudy Royston-drums
The Bo’ness Monster (Dr. Quixotic’s Traveling Exotics, Irabbagast Records, 2018) 6:40
Jon Irabagon- tenor saxophone, Luis Perdomo-piano, Yasushi Nakamura-bass, Rudy Royston-drums, Tim Hagans-trumpet
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Episode 11- Jon Irabagon: Always Moving Forward
Jon Irabagon is always driving ahead whenever he wants to make a statement with a new recording. With his saxophones facing forward, Jon’s bold and articulate improvisations draw on his singular drive to create a pathway for the future of jazz. He draws on the forces of the hand-chosen musicians, each becoming a lifelong ally in the music business.
Jon is first-generation Filipino American, and the father of two girls. Jon is influenced more by the individualistic philosophies and accomplishments of the Chicago-based organization, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, or AACM. These mixed complex-compositional ensembles, highly influenced by the works of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Albert Ayler, are the basis for Jon’s work but it’s the future of this music that he seeks to play, not the rehashing of the music of the past.
Jon Irabagon ’s life story begins in Chicago, the town of the tenor sound. It was in high school in the Chicago north suburbs when he was driven to seek out the music of the tenor titans: John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins and an alto titan, Sonny Stitt. After earning a Bachelor of Music from DePaul University, Jon went on to earn a Master of Arts from the Manhattan School of Music and then post-graduate studies at Julliard. In 2008 Jon went on to win the Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition and years later the Philippine Presidential Award.
Jon prefers to look ahead, seeking the future of the music, of the sound of jazz. For him, it’s all about what’s next. This is the main driving force for him. He’s fortunate to have a gaggle of musicians with whom he can play the music. Furthermore, Jon has his own label, Irabbagast Records which gives him a label to publish music that may be considered more challenging to other commercial labels. Jon also accommodates his friends who are true to the music and the sound they prefer to play.
In this episode we hear story after story about Jon and his music, his family, the creation of a record label so he can have a place to record his music, spreading the music as an instructor, and when Jon went to stay with his in-laws in South Dakota at the beginning of the pandemic lockdown intending an eight-week stay and winding up living with them for eight months, spending countless hours playing to the canyons, and so much more. The stories insistently pique your interest. So, strap yourself in for this ride.
This will be the opening episode, complete with two tracks of music. There is a bonus episode that completes the full episode. The interview weaves great tales and the music wraps it all up tightly. In the opening episode you will find this music. Thanks to Jon Irabagon for all the music. Please remember to subscribe if you haven’t already.
The music tracks in Episode 11 include the following and with the noted personnel: Anchors (Outright! Innova Recordings, 2008) 8:27
Jon Irabagon-alto saxophone, Russ Johnson-trumpet, Kris Davis-piano, Eivind Opsvik-bass, Jeff Davis-drums
Mammoth (Rising Sun, Irabbagast Records, 2022) 11:59
Jon Irabagon-tenor saxophone, Adam O’Farrill-trumpet, Matt Mitchell-piano, Chris Lightcap-electric bass, Dan Weiss-drums
When you’re done with this episode, listen to the bonus episode complete with more music. Enjoy the conversation with Jon Irabagon, the sax player who’s always looking forward. Here on Strictly Jazz Sounds. Thanks for listening.
Steve Braunginn
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
