The Jazz Session

Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana’s latest album is Second Cycle (2012). In this interview, Aldana talks about being a third-generation saxophone player, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather; how she arrived at the Berklee College of Music not speaking any English or knowing how to read music; why she’s always known what she wanted to do with her life; and how she...

Pianist Aaron Parks is in the midst of an exciting period of composing and recording. In this interview, conducted this summer in New York City, Parks talks about going into the studio with a revolving cast of the city’s finest musicians; his approach to composition — and how he breathes new life in past work; and why he’s comfortable letting things evolve as necessary in the stu...

Saxophonist and clarinetist Jessica Lurie’s newest recording is Megaphone Heart , released earlier this year. In this interview, Lurie talks about her early years in Seattle; the idea of a musical community; using her voice as an additional instrument; her remarkably diverse projects; and the stories behind the songs on her new album. Learn more at jessicalurie.com and follow her on Twitter...

Brian Charette’s new album is Music For Organ Sextette (Steeplechase, 2012). In this interview, Charette talks about studying kung fu and how it affects his music; getting called for his first organ gig — on the same day his first organ arrived; establishing a career in more than one country; and finding non-standard ways to write for an organ band. Learn more at kungfugue.com and foll...

Montreal native Sarah MK is a singer and songwriter who draws on R&B, hip hop and jazz. In this interview, Sarah talks about the Montreal scene and the Kalmunity collective; her jazz studies and what she feels they add to her music; and the challenges and opportunities of a musical life in Montreal. Learn more at sarahmk.com and follow her on Twitter at @sarahmkmusic . CONCERT NOTE: Sarah MK...

In this interview, Montreal pianist David Ryshpan talks about the scene in his adopted hometown; finding musical inspiration in Latin American poetry; how he came to love Brazilian piano trio music and formed his own Trio Bruxo; and the work of the Kalmunity collective. Learn more at settledinshipping.blogspot.com and follow him on Twitter at @ryshpanmusic .

Saxophonist and clarinetist Anat Cohen’s new CD is Claroscuro (Anzic Records, 2012). In this interview, Cohen talks about letting songs be songs; acknowledging the crowd; working with Wycliffe Gordon; busking in New York City; how she chooses between clarinet and saxophone on a particular tune; and her love of the “relaxing chaos” of Brazil. Learn more at anatcohen.com and follow...

Trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis’s eponymous debut will be available on Oct. 9, 2012. In this interview, Noordhuis talks about the stories behind her compositions; how a “fight” with a piano kept her away from that instrument for a decade and how she found her way back; working with Darcy James Argue and others; and the moment in the studio when the tape first started rolling. Learn mor...

You can listen to the announcement (in slightly expanded form) using the player above, or read the text below: I’ve decided to end The Jazz Session . After five years, more than 400 episodes, and more than two million downloads, I just can’t make the show work financially. To keep it alive (and by extension, to keep myself going), I’d need to run a massive fundraising campaign im...

Ottawa bassist John Geggie’s two most recent recordings are Geggie Project and Across The Sky , both released in 2010. In this interview, recorded in Ottawa on the Jazz Or Bust Tour, Geggie talks about the impact of radio on his early jazz education; exploring the role of the bass; the functions and limitations of institutions in teaching jazz; and his approach to composition. Learn more at...

Saxophonist Martin Krusche’s most recent album with his band Magnetic Ear is Aliens Of Extraordinary Ability . In this interview, recorded in New Orleans during the Jazz Or Bust Tour, Krusche talks about how he decided on the way home from his first visit that he was going to move to New Orleans; the difference between being an artist in New York and in New Orleans; the creation of his pocke...

Sonny Rollins’ most recent album is Road Shows Vol. 2 (Doxy Records, 2011). In this interview, recorded at the 2012 Detroit Jazz Festival, Rollins talks about his love for Fats Waller; the world of politics and his place in it; and his feeling that a life in music was always his destiny. Learn more at sonnyrollins.com and follow him on Twitter at @SonnyRollins . NOTE: This is Sonny’s t...

The Gnu’s Room is a bookstore, coffee shop and community center in Auburn, Alabama. In this interview, conducted on the Jazz Or Bust Tour, owner Tina Tatum talks about the incredible community support that kept the Gnu’s Room open; the expanding mission of the store; and why Tina chose to stay in Auburn and create her own scene. This episode really has nothing to do with jazz, but it&#...

Matthew Kaminski is a jazz organist with an interesting day job — he plays the organ for the Atlanta Braves. Kaminski’s debut album is Taking My Time (Chicken Coup Records, 2010). In this interview, recorded in the press box at Turner Field, Kaminski talks about the fun and fascinating world of playing organ for the Braves; the family of jazz organists; how he got his start playing org...

The Jazz Session celebrates 400 episodes with pianist, educator and former Jazz Messenger Donald Brown. This interview was recorded at Brown’s home in Knoxville, TN, during the first part of the “Jazz Or Bust” Tour . In this interview, Brown talks about his early days in Memphis; why writing music has always been important to him; his R&B roots; the injuries he sustained thr...

Woodwind player Evan Cobb’s 2011 CD Falling Up was recorded in the town he calls home, Nashville. In this interview, Cobb talks about his unlikely move to Nashville; the city’s jazz scene; the importance of playing multiple horns; how he knew he was ready to put out a record; and the effect of Nashville itself on his writing. Learn more at evancobbjazz.com and follow him on Twitter at...

Nashville saxophonist Rahsaan Barber’s most recent album is Everyday Magic (Jazz Music City, 2011). In this interview, Barber talks about deciding to establish his career in his hometown, even after living in New York; the jazz scene in Nashville and how he sees it evolving; and why there was never a chance that he and his brother Roland would become accountants. Learn more at rahsaanbarber....

Named after a pioneering African-American musician and educator (that’s W.O. Smith playing bass on Coleman Hawkins’ original “Body And Soul” recording), Nashville’s W.O. Smith Music School “makes affordable, quality music instruction available to children from low-income families. We transform lives through music.” In this interview, Executive Director Jon...

Woodwind player Denis Solee has been a mainstay in the Nashville Studio scene since the early 1970s, recording with everyone from Ray Charles and Stan Getz to Loretta Lynn and Garth Brooks. In this interview, Solee talks about how Nashville has changed since his arrival; what a lifetime in the studios has meant for his career as a jazz player; and why repairing horns reminds him of drag racing.

The Nashville Jazz Workshop is “a non-profit organization supporting jazz musicians, jazz fans, and the jazz community.” In this interview, co-founder and Director of Operations Roger Spencer talks about turning a decades-old unused industrial space into an oasis for jazz education and performance; why he’s unhappy with a lot of college jazz programs and how the Workshop’s...

Saxophonist Jeff Coffin’s forthcoming CD with his band the Mu’tet is Into The Air (Ear Up Records, available Sept. 4, 2012). Coffin has had an active career as a bandleader and educator, and also as a member of Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and now the Dave Matthews Band. In this interview, conducted at Coffin’s Nashville home, the saxophonist talks about revelatory experience...

Robert Jospe is a drummer and educator based in Charlottesville, VA. In this interview, recorded on the “Jazz Or Bust” Tour, Jospe talks about his involvement in the New York loft scene in the 1970s; his decision to relocate to Charlottesville and what it meant for his career; his approach to teaching rhythm and his belief that anyone can groove. Learn more at robertjospe.com and follo...

Trumpeter John D’earth is a mainstay of the Charlottesville, VA, jazz scene. He’s been playing Thursday nights at Miller’s downtown for the past 30 years. He’s also a respected educator who teaches at the University of Virginia. In this interview, D’earth talks about how he and a group of musician friends chose to leave New York City behind and settle in Charlottesvil...

Doug Richards is a professor of music at Virginia Commonwealth University. He also founded the school’s jazz program in 1980, one year after he started teaching there. Richards’ former students include Steve Wilson, James Genus, Nate Smith, Clarence Penn, Mark Shim, Alvester Garnett, Scott Clark and Darius Jones. In this interview, Richards talks about discovering his love for composin...

Drummer Scott Clark’s latest recording is A+B (2012) with the Scott Clark 4tet. In this interview, Clark talks about the robust music scene in Richmond, VA; how the book Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee is shaping his current composing; the makeup of the 4tet and its roots in the music of Ornette Coleman; and why he chooses to stay in Richmond rather than moving to a bigger city. Learn more at...