Jason Crane interviews drummer Mike Melito. While not a household name among jazz fans, Melito is well known to many jazz musicians, having played with everyone from James Moody and Benny Golson to Joe Locke and Rachel Z. Melito is based in Rochester, NY, and he made the decision early on to stay in his hometown and build his career there. His 2008 album, In The Tradition , features saxophonist Grant Stewart, trumpeter John Swana, bassist Neil Miner, and two fellow Rochesterians — pianist Paul H...
Jun 01, 2009
Jason Crane interviews vibraphonist Gary Burton. After three decades, Burton reunited with Pat Metheny and Steve Swallow — and added drummer Antonio Sanchez — to record Quartet Live! (Concord Jazz, 2009), an album celebrating the music of the original Gary Burton Quartet. Originally conceived as a one-time-only performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the band quickly realized that the music was worth exploring again. Burton talks about the new quartet, his projects with Chick Corea and Makoto...
May 25, 2009
Jason Crane interviews trumpeter Hugh Masekela about his 2009 album Phola (Times Square Records). The album finds Masekela in a quieter, more reflective mood — a decision he credits to producer Erik Paliani. Despite the more reserved surroundings, Masekela’s flugelhorn playing is as intense as ever. In the interview, Masekela discusses Miriam Makeba, music as a political force, and why he doesn’t play for fun.
May 18, 2009
Jason Crane interiews Steve Lake of ECM Records about the Touchstones series, ECM’s reissue series of classic recordings in new packaging at affordable prices. Lake has been with the label since the earliest days and has seen ECM grow into one of the world’s most respected music labels. In this interview, Lake discusses the history of ECM, and also talks about individual recordings from Paul Bley, Jack DeJohnette, Paul Motian, Colin Walcott and others.
May 11, 2009
Jason Crane interviews saxophonist David Sanborn. Sanborn is one of the few jazz players whose name is known even outside the jazz world. It’s fitting, then, that he’s using his new album Here & Gone (Decca, 2008) to bring a lesser-known jazz saxophonist into wider awareness. Here & Gone celebrates the music of Hank Crawford, a saxophone player and the principal arranger for the Ray Charles “little big band” of the 50s and 60s. Crawford’s playing had a huge impact on Sanborn, and Sanborn...
May 04, 2009
Jason Crane interviews vibraphonist James Westfall, bassist Dan Loomis and drummer Jared Schonig, known collectively as The Wee Trio. Their first record, Capitol Diner Vol. 1 (Bionic Records, 2008) features original music, jazz standards … and Nirvana. The trio explores the music they love through the lens of collective improvisation, and the results are fresh, fun and worth repeated listening. Find out more at theweetrio.com ....
Apr 27, 2009
Jason Crane interviews organist Barbara Dennerlein about her pipe organ recording Spiritual Movement No. 2 (Bebab Records, 2008). The album was recorded at one of Germany’s most famous churches in front of a very appreciative audience. In this interview, recorded before a concert in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Dennerlein discusses jazz on the pipe organ; why organists should use their feet; and how she adapts to the challenge of seldom having her own instrument on stage....
Apr 20, 2009
Jason Crane interviews the members of the trio Fly: bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Jeff Ballard and saxophonist Mark Turner. Fly is very much a collective effort — the group operates with a leaderless philosophy in which everyone contributes equally. As a result, the trio has come up with some fresh and exciting sounds as they try new combinations and new ways to balance their respective instruments. All three musicians are very much in demand as sidemen, too. A full transcript of this intervi...
Apr 15, 2009
Jason Crane interviews pianist Marilyn Crispell about her album of solo piano pieces, Vignettes (ECM, 2008). Crispell made an early name for herself with Anthony Braxton, and she’s since amassed an impressive list of recordings that include composed and freely improvised pieces. In this interview, Crispell talks about the nature of improvisation, the particular challenges of solo playing, and the joys of Woodstock, NY.
Apr 10, 2009
Jason Crane interviews vocalist Kate McGarry. Her new album, If Less Is More … Nothing Is Everything (Palmetto, 2008), explores everything from spirituality to The Cars in McGarry’s typically atypical style. McGarry is joined on the record by guitarist Keith Ganz, organist Gary Versace, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Clarence Penn, saxophonist Donny McCaslin , percussionist James Shipp, and vocalists Peter Eldrige and Jo Lawry . CONTEST: Win Kate McGarry’s new CD! To enter, send an e-mail to con...
Nov 17, 2008
Jason Crane interviews vocalist Stevie Holland. On her new album, Before Love Has Gone (150 Music, 2008), Holland uses her song selection to tell a personal story. Each song on the album has a particular story behind it, and several are lesser-known gems. Holland is joined on the album by pianist Martin Bejerano, bassist Edward Perez, drummer Willie Jones III, saxophonist Ole Mathisen, and guitarist Paul Bollenback. Find out more at StevieHolland.com ....
Nov 13, 2008
Jason Crane interviews saxophonist Sonny Rollins. He’s just released Road Shows Vol. 1 (Doxy Records, 2008), a compilation of live performances spanning 20 years. Gary Giddins calls it “one of the finest Sonny Rollins albums ever released.” In this interview, recorded on Election Day 2008, Sonny talks about everything from the prospect of an Obama presidency and the crisis of global warming to the mystery and beauty of jazz improvisation. Find out more at SonnyRollins.com ....
Nov 05, 2008
Calling all jazz fans in and around Los Angeles! I’ve got two tickets to see ECM recording artist Marcin Wasilewski and his trio this Monday, November 3, at the Jazz Bakery in L.A. (You can hear Marcin and his music on this week’s episode of The Jazz Session .) To win, send an e-mail to contest@thejazzsession.com with “tickets” in the subject line. First one to contact me wins!...
Oct 31, 2008
Jason Crane interviews Polish pianist and composer Marcin Wasilewski. His new recording, January (ECM, 2008), features his own compositions alongside those of Gary Peacock, Carla Bley, Ennio Moricone and … Prince. Wasilewski’s trio is very much a part of the new European piano trio renaissance, featuring inventive material played democratically. CONTEST! The Marcin Wasilewski Trio starts a U.S. tour on November 1 in Seattle, with stops in San Francisco, LA, Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Balt...
Oct 27, 2008
Jason Crane interviews pianist and composer Satoko Fujii. Fujii has released four new recordings in 2008, her 50th birthday year. These records find her with her New York trio; on accordion in the avant-folk-jazz group of her husband, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura; in a quartet with some of Japan’s most talented improvising musicians; and in a second trio with both American and Japanese musicians. Far from slowing down in her middle years, Fujii seems to be pushing herself even more relentlessly, sea...
Oct 20, 2008
Jason Crane interviews saxophonist Kenny Garrett about his new CD, Sketches of MD (Mack Ave Records, 2008). This album features the paired saxophones of Garrett and Pharoah Sanders, who’ve performed together many times but never recorded live. Garrett wrote all the tunes on the album, each of which draws inspiration from a sideman or groove concept associated with the Miles Davis band (the “MD” of the album title). Find out more at kennygarrett.com . CONTEST: Win Sketches of MD ! I’ve got three ...
Oct 06, 2008
Jason Crane interviews saxophonist Javon Jackson. On his new recording for Palmetto Records, Once Upon A Melody , Jackson pays tribute to the people and songs that have influenced him, from Wayne Shorter to Sonny Rollins to Ramsey Lewis to Corinne Bailey Rae. During this interview, Javon leads a track-by-track tour of the record, and you’ll hear excerpts from every composition. He’s joined on the album by pianist Eric Reed, bassist Corcoran Holt and longtime musical partner Billy Drummond on dru...
Sep 29, 2008
Jason Crane interviews saxophonist Adam Niewood about his new 2-CD set, Epic Journey: Volumes I & II (Innova, 2008). Niewood is the son of famed woodwind player Gerry Niewood, but he has stepped firmly out of his father’s shadow with this new release, which features both composed and free-improvised music. Niewood’s writing skills are as strong as his playing, and the albums surprise and delight with repeated listening. In this interview, Niewood talks about the making of Epic Journey , the ...
Sep 22, 2008
In going through my audio recorder, I discovered that I had recorded a complete song by Kate McGarry and the Less Is More Trio at the 2008 Tanglewood Jazz Festival. Here are Kate on vocals, Keith Ganz on guitar and Clarence Penn on percussion with Joni Mitchell’s “Chelsea Morning.”
Sep 13, 2008
Jason Crane interviews singer-songwriter Spencer Day in the last of three interviews recorded at the 2008 Tanglewood Jazz Festival. Day and his band had just finished their set at the festival, one day after Day joined Marian McPartland on stage for a live taping to celebrate her 90th birthday. That’s quite a distance from growing up Mormon in small southwestern towns. Day is nearly finished with his next CD, which includes the Turtle Island String Quartet and a gospel choir performing Day’s com...
Sep 12, 2008
Jason Crane interviews vocalist Jo Lawry in the second of three shows recorded live at the 2008 Tanglewood Jazz Festival in Lenox, MA. Lawry hails from Australia, and she’s pursuing her doctorate in jazz performance at the New England Conservatory. With flawless intonation and inventive arranging, Lawry impresses on her debut recording, I Want To Be Happy (Fleurieu Music, 2008). And be sure to check out her own compositions, including the new classic, “Small House.” Find out more at jolawry.com ...
Sep 10, 2008
Jason Crane interviews clarinetist and tenor saxophonist Eddie Daniels in the first of three Jazz Session shows recorded live at the 2008 Tanglewood Jazz Festival in Lenox, MA. Daniels played the fest with many of the same musicians who appear on his 2-CD live album Homecoming (IPO Recordings, 2007). Daniels got his start as a saxophonist with the Thad Jones & Mel Lewis big band, and then launched a successful solo career that took the clarinet to new heights. He started performing on saxoph...
Sep 08, 2008
Jason Crane interviews composer and guitarist Joel Harrison. With The Wheel (innova, 2008), Harrison straddles the line between written and improvised music, composing for an ensemble made up of a string quartet and jazz quintet. The results are surprising and powerful. The majority of the album is composed of the five-movement suite “The Wheel,” and the record ends with the moving tribute, “In Memoriam: Dana Brayton.” CONTEST: Listen to the show to hear how you can win a copy of the The Wheel !...
Sep 01, 2008
Jason Crane interviews saxophonist and composer Donny McCaslin about his new record, Recommended Tools (Greenleaf Music, 2008). The new album is McCaslin’s statement in the saxophone trio format, and he’s joined by two of New York’s finest — bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Johnathan Blake. McCaslin shines on this album of original compositions, plus Billy Strayhorn’s Isfahan. (NOTE: McCaslin was on The Jazz Session #29 last year in an interview that featured an in-depth look at his life and...
Aug 25, 2008
Jason Crane interviews pianist and composer Aaron Parks. Parks is 24 years old—and he started college 11 years ago. A child prodigy who entered the University of Washington at age 13 as a triple major in math, computer science and music, Parks quickly found that music was his true calling. Now, after a five-year stint with trumpeter Terence Blanchard, Parks has released his Blue Note debut, Invisible Cinema . The album is a tour de force of composition, imagination and performance....
Aug 18, 2008
Jason Crane interviews saxophonist John Ellis. After making a name for himself during his five years with guitarist Charlie Hunter, Ellis has emerged as a leader and composer in his own right. His new album, Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow (Hyena Records, 2008) is a celebration of the sousaphone (yes, the sousaphone!) in a funky stew of creative and fun tunes, all penned by Ellis.
Aug 14, 2008
Jason Crane interviews drummer, composer, arranger, educator and NEA Jazz Master Chico Hamilton. The 86-year-old Hamilton released four albums (!) in 2006, and then collected tracks from the four albums on 2007’s Hamiltonia (Joyous Shout, 2007). This year will see the release of two more recordings — a remix album featuring new takes on classic Hamilton tracks, and an EP that pays tribute to his first recording with a guitar-drum-bass trio. The show features two tracks from the upcoming trio rec...
Apr 20, 2008
Jason Crane interviews trumpeter and composer Avishai Cohen. (Not to be confused with bassist and composer Avishai Cohen.) Cohen is at the center of a vibrant musical scene in New York City — full of experimentation, melding musical styles, and an appetite for adventure. More than that, Cohen is a philosopher-musician, using his compositions to explore larger societal questions. His 2007 album After The Big Rain (Anzic Records, 2007) looks at the planet after a worldwide flood. The album is the ...
Feb 10, 2008
Jason Crane interviews Laurie Pepper, wife of the late alto saxophonist Art Pepper (1925-1982). Laurie has recently put out two sets of previously unreleased live recordings by Art Pepper — Unreleased Art, Vol. 1: The Complete Abashiri Concert — November 22, 1981 (Widow’s Taste, 2006) and Unreleased Art, Vol. 2: The Last Concert (Widow’s Taste, 2007). Both concerts show Pepper at the height of his emotional expression, and still very much in command of his instrument. In this interview, Laurie P...
Dec 15, 2007
Jason Crane interviews vocalist Kate McGarry about her new album, The Target (Palmetto, 2007). It’s yet another stellar album in a career that has seen her working with everyone from Fred Hersch to Maria Schneider. On The Target , McGarry is joined by her husband Keith Ganz on guitar, Gary Versace on organ and piano, Reuben Rogers on bass and Greg Hutchinson on drums, along with guest appearances from saxophonist Donny McCaslin and Theo Bleckman on voice loops. On both American songbook classics...
Nov 13, 2007
