Todd Sickafoose Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Todd Sickafoose by © Clara Pereira, 2020

Name: Todd Sickafoose
Instrument: bass
Style: modern creative, avant-garde jazz
Album Highlights: Tiny Resistors (Cryptogramophone, 2008); Bear Proof (Secret Hatch, 2023)

We had the chance to hear the music in your latest album, Bear Proof, at The Zurcher Gallery in New York on the occasion of the Winter JazzFest 2020. Having composed the material, why did it take you so long to release this album? And what were the reasons for a 15-year hiatus as a bandleader (Tiny Resistors came out in 2008)?
Yes, that was a lovely evening and a great venue. Well the truth is – I was making Tiny Resistors-related music most of those years, I just evidently was more interested in making it than releasing it. Bear Proof was recorded in 2014, after a blitz of performances on the West Coast, and even before that, in 2011, I’d recorded another set of music in Brooklyn with a very similar band to Tiny Resistors. But with a young family, a busy touring and producing schedule, and Hadestown becoming a whirlwind of activity, it was easy to put my own recordings on hold. Nice to start rectifying that now.

Musically, Bear Proof was sort of a reaction to Tiny Resistors. Where that record represents a studio-focused way of approaching a jazz aesthetic – layers and collage and overdubs are all part of the sound – Bear Proof seeks to swing the pendulum the other way. This time, the complex textures and transitions are more scripted – they are written carefully into the hour-long piece. So you get a rich, sometimes unpredictable palette with a kaleidoscope of instrumental combinations, but it’s very repeatable from performance to performance. That’s what I was going for anyway! I will probably swing back the other way again because I love studio creativity too.

What is your compositional process? Do you write with specific musicians in mind?

Yes. Very much so. If you’re really inviting a musician’s full creativity into the music, it’s a necessity. These musicians mean so much to me, and our history together is deep. So it’s about assembling personalities – musicians who totally delight me, and each other, and get my mind revving as a composer. You can hear detail in the way they might phrase a melody and you also can have a strong intuition about the kinds of spaces that would be ideal for them to improvise in. I think I veered towards more folky or chamber music instruments for this particular project – instruments with less jazz baggage and the ability to blend in unique acoustic ways. The accordion is a bit of a secret weapon in this context, at least to my ears. It adds something three-dimensional to almost any combination. In a room all together, these eight instruments can sound like a mini- orchestra.

As for the compositional process, I had lots of interrelated sketches that I’d made ruminating on this idea of what Bear Proof could be – the ritual of playing it through like a long, wordless story. I eventually got the sketches mapped out in the right order, with the right emotional arc, and then set about composing the exact arrangements. Something like the end of “Magnetic North” – I knew I wanted to break away from the song to make a slow, anxious descent and get to the right zone for unaccompanied piano interlude, but it wasn’t until actually writing that I figured out what it could be: a smearing of the droning pitches one flat at a time through the circle of fifths until they came out the other side again. The fun was in the detail, in other words, and it all came together pretty quickly.

Your work goes beyond jazz, and your decades-long collaboration with Ani DiFranco shows your openness to other styles. How does it all fit together?
Yes I’m a bit of a musical omnivore, and so are most of the people I hang out with. None of us are purists or stylists, so we’re always using whatever musical building blocks seem most suited to the moment. I think we see the jazz in everything, which is to say the possibility for true group spontaneity and discovery. Once you crack that open, it’s a borderless world.

You’re also known for your work as a producer/arranger. Was this something you’ve always wanted to do or did it just occur without planning?
I’ve always had a deep interest in every part of music-making and the effect it all has on the whole. As a teenager I was “producing” recordings with friends on 4-track tape machines, and getting under the hood of whatever I could. In my twenties, I acquired more skills and producing & mixing music became a bigger part of my work. It’s a blessing and a curse because there are only so many hours in the day, but I love wearing many hats.

Projects for the near future?
Lots of things in the works. First off, I’ve already written the next batch of Tiny Resistors music, so I’m itching to begin recording that. Most of it was written while my family temporarily lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, last year – maybe there will be even more low brass. I’m a few years into making a 24-hour piece of climate-related music that will eventually exist as a recording, a website, and a museum sound installation. I’m collaborating once again with my friend Amy Martin on her environmental podcast “Threshold”, which I think is just so, so moving. And I’m beginning work on another Broadway musical too, which I can’t say much about, but don’t worry: it’s another weird one.

Marc Copland Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Marc Copland, 2023 by © Clara Pereira

Name: Marc Copland
Instrument: piano
Style: contemporary jazz, post-bop
Album Highlights: Second Look (Savoy, 1996), Lunar (Hatology, 2002), Nitghtfall (InnerVoice, 2017)

You’re going to be 75 this month. Any birthday wishes?
Peace and music. I mean that in a very concrete sense. Several years ago, Dave Liebman and I were on tour in Europe playing duo, and one of our stops was Kyiv. The opening act was a big band composed of young Ukranian musicians, men and women who looked to be in their early twenties at most. The band was conducted by a young American and they sounded great. Dave and I were impressed that the audience, like the band, was almost entirely younger people. Not too many years later, after the war in Ukraine had been going on for a little bit, it hit me - a lot of those kids were likely dead, or wounded, or had fled the country. It’s a horrifying thought.



Before definitely stick to the piano, you were an alto saxophonist in your hometown, Philadelphia. Can you tell us what made you return to piano?

Here’s what led me back to the piano, which I’d played a little bit: textures, colors, harmonies, chords, and anything I heard using those elements in a creative way: Joni Mitchell, Debussy, Shostakovich, Berg, the Doobie Brothers. The way Coltrane’s and Miles’ bands relentlessly explored stretching the bounds of harmonic convention was fascinating. That kind of exploration was easier for me to hear and work with on piano. 



Whether playing originals or jazz standards, it's clear that you found your own voice. What’s the secret and what advice do you have for younger players?

Understand that the hardest thing to play well is not a burning up-tempo--it’s a ballad. Play honest music. Play from the heart. Try to be successful at connecting what you really hear and really feel.

Name two persons who influenced you the most as a musician.
Only two? For taste, touch, ears-- Herbie Hancock. For all that, and for complete honesty, John Abercrombie. For prioritizing the love of music and spontaneity, Gary Peacock. And can’t forget early teachers when I was a teen: Lennie Tristano, who tolerated my aesthetic disagreements with him --which were substantial -- and taught me how to hear; and George Rochberg, who, in our one hour together, explained what it means to be an artist. He sent me home with a reading list of four Hermann Hesse novels and Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet. I loved music but didn’t know how to open the lock. Rochberg showed me the key.



Name two persons whom you've never collaborated with but you'd like to.

Anybody who wants to play together. I’m up for trying something new. The disappointment when it doesn’t work is easily eclipsed by the joy and discovery when it does.

Tell us a few jazz records that you consider indispensable.
Miles Davis - Miles Smiles; Herbie Hancock - Dedication, Paul Desmond / Gerry Mulligan - Two of a Mind; Bill Evans - Sunday at the Village Vanguard; Joni Mitchell - Song to a Seagull; Miroslav Vitous - Infinite Search.



How would you define your sound in a few words?
That’s somebody else’s gig! But sound is in fact the most important thing: I can’t begin to play without getting in touch with the feel of the piano, the blend with the other instrument(s), the colors of the notes bouncing around the sound board-- that has to make sense. If that’s all ok, then it’s possible to make music.




What do you like to listen to that’s non jazz?
Anything that catches my ear because it is unusual in some way, whether jazz or something else. First time I heard the Beatles-- I was totally into it. Rock ‘n roll up to then was almost always 1-4-5 chord progressions, 4 and 8 bar phrases. The Beatles had different things going on, and it sounded fresh. Same thing with Joni Mitchell, especially her early work. Same thing with Coltrane’s Impressions and Sonny Rollins’ Now’s the Time - at the age of 16 or 17, I’d heard nothing like that.


If you weren't a musician, what would you have been?
I’d been hoping to major in sociology, and become a sociology teacher. Didn’t make it very far -- came to school in NYC, started hitting the clubs, and was hooked.

Projects for the near future?
The “Someday” quartet with Robin Verheyen, a “string thing” quartet with Mark Feldman, and of course trio. Probably almost time for another solo piano record.

Andrew Rathbun Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Andrew Rathbun, 2017. Photo by © Clara Pereira

Name: Andrew Rathbun
Instrument: saxophone
Style: post-bop, straight-ahead, contemporary
Album Highlights: Sculptures (FSNT, 2002); True Stories (FSNT, 2000); Atwood Suites (Origin, 2018).

You are nominated - and not for the first time - for a JUNO Award with your new quintet (album Semantics). What does this represent to you?
It’s always nice when your work is recognized! I’ve been doing this a long time, and this is my 20th recording as a leader. There are some really great Canadian jazz musicians, and so it’s really encouraging to be included in those circles. I’m just happy to be in the mix, and I know full well that there is just so much subjectivity that goes into these things. 

Tell us about the four other members of your quintet. When did you play with each of them for the first time and what are their musical qualities you like the most?
Rich Perry has been one of my favorite musicians for a really long time. His lyricism, his sound, his patience as an improvisor, has always been a big inspiration for me. I thought it would be interesting to do a project with him and try to act as both a foil and as a compliment to what he brings to the table. Gary Versace is one of the most incredible musicians and piano players I’ve ever worked with. He is always surprising, and he adds so much to my compositions. He has this ability to hone in on the intent, digest the harmony, then put his own spin on everything. Bassist John Hébert is the musician that I’ve known the longest, he is the bassist on my very first record from 1998. I love his sound, his vibe, his pulse, and his freedom. He dances and glides through everything he plays, and like Gary, brings beautiful surprise to everything he touches. Billy Drummond is someone I’ve always wanted to play with, and John suggested him for this date. He has such an engaging feel, that’s loose but feels so fantastic. Some of the pieces had specific “drum parts” and Billy took all of those to the next level, sometimes layering other ideas and rhythms on top of what was there, creating a totally new vibe. He’s a master musician and playing with him couldn’t have been any easier. 

Name your main jazz influences and a favorite record for each of them.
I always struggle with this question. I feel like whenever I answer this, it’s dependent on the day. 
Right now, I am devouring the new Sonny Rollins biography (which is EXCELLENT, go get it RIGHT NOW!) so I’ve been going back thru all of his discography as they appear in the book, and it’s been fascinating. I’ve learned so much from reading it, and it’s been great to revisit all of those classic records. His development as an artist and his commitment to constantly searching for something is inspirational. 
As for some other influences, the only other one that I care to mention at this particular time is Wayne Shorter. He’s had a massive influence on me as a player and as a writer. I have included a Wayne tune on most of my last few records (we played “Etcetera” on Character Study) and it’s hard to quantify just how much I love his music. He had a huge influence on my soprano playing. The philosophy that he had for both his art and his life is also deeply thought provoking. 
It’s really tough to single out just one record form either of their discographies, but I’ll choose Speak No Evil for Wayne, because it was the first record of his I bought and listened to, and The Bridge for Sonny because that’s where I am in the book and the latest one of his that I revisited. 

Do you listen to any non-jazz music style? If yes, any recommendations?
Sure, I listen to lots of different things all the time. One of the many benefits of being a teacher is that the students bring things that they are listening to so I get exposed to things that I might not have come across on my own. I am also part of this group called Jazz Composers Present and each month they do a listening roundtable, and I get to check out records from a really wide variety of idioms, as it’s not just limited to “jazz’ per se. 
One of my favorite non-jazz artists is Sting, and we are headed to hear him in a few weeks. The Police and all his solo records are amazing. 
I’ve been listening to some recordings of Lewis Spratlan, a great composer who I met at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. He recently passed away, and I’ve been going back through some of his recordings. 

Name two persons whom you've never collaborated with but you'd like to.

I’d love to play with Brian Blade, and I’d love to collaborate on a project with the Metropole Orkest in the Netherlands. 

In your perspective, what needs to change in the current jazz scene?
I don’t have anything new to add to this. It’s been said many times over; artists need to be better paid for their “content” (a term I hate because it reduces people’s life’s work to a commodity). The streaming model is here to stay, and we have to figure out how to operate in this sphere, but the compensation for artists by the streaming services is absurd. 
It all comes down to what we all decide we want to place our “value” on, and what that really means. 
Although this is not directly a comment on the jazz scene, I feel that we need to support music education in primary and secondary education, as we've seen many programs being reduced or eliminated. And speaking of value, this type of education should be seen in the same light as any academic pursuit, rather than seen as “extra-curricular.” 

7 - If you weren't a musician, what would you have been?
That’s a really tough one…..I can’t really see myself doing much else, especially at this point in my life! I do enjoy reading about politics and history, so maybe something in public policy? Although I’m not sure I’m patient enough for a gig like that! 

8 - Projects for the near future?
I have a new record coming out in September called The Speed of Time that features John Hébert, Gary Versace and Tom Rainey. I’m involved with a project called NODES that has a heavy electronic component, and we have a project in the can that we are hoping to release in the fall. It’s the follow up to our Incubated Dilemma Machine release that came out last year on Koshkill Records. 
I’m headed to The Vermont Center for the Creative Arts this week, to try and complete a new large ensemble project. I look forward to a few days of uninterrupted writing!

Russ Lossing Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Name: Russ Lossing
Instrument: piano
Style: post-bop, modern creative, avant-garde
Album Highlights: As it Grows (hatOlogy, 2004); Motian Music (Sunnyside, 2019); Folks (Sunnyside, 2022)

Your latest release, Folks, was inspired by folk music. When did you become interested in the genre and how do you incorporate it seamlessly with the jazz you play?
I grew up playing classical music in which folkloric melodies were often incorporated and developed. Numerous examples exist in the music of Bach, Beethoven, Bartok and many composers before, in-between and after. Later, when I explored music from all over the world, I came to realize that the raw melodic content of these disparate styles of music were, in their essence, based mostly on analogous melodic components, for instance: the pentatonic scale, a five-note scale. You could think of it as cultures around the world have different traditional apparels but the cloth is made of the same basic materials. Furthermore, folkloric music around the world incorporates improvisation. Improvisation exists in all traditional folk music worldwide. Additionally, as a composer, I have always been interested in writing a good melody: a simple melody that is not clichéd. Not an easy thing to do.


“Country Folk” is one of my favorite pieces on the album. Can you talk a bit more about this one?
I sat down at the piano and just started improvising a simple melody in D minor: a lament. I wrote an A and B section, then decided to add the little Coda section that repeats four times at the end of the melody. After the melody, the trio improvises totally open. We instinctively go back to D minor at the onset of the improvisation and then it evolves from there.


You’ve been playing a lot in trio with different musicians. Is this your favorite format? Have you considered a large ensemble at some point?
I do like the trio format. I’m a big fan of empty spaces in music and three people improvising together seems to help bring about more space. I have been thinking about recording some music for larger improvising ensembles for a while. I have written a book of compositions for septet. Hopefully I will be able to pull that together in the future. Additionally, I have composed pieces for orchestra, string quartet and other classical ensembles.



If you had to pick three albums from your discography that better define your musical identity, which would they be, and why?
Not sure I can answer that. All of my albums are different and reflect my musical identity as a whole. However, I feel pretty strongly about my solo piano disc ‘Eclipse’. This is very personal music and I have about six more hours of solo improvisations that I’m planning to bring out. This is unfiltered improvisation so to speak; music that is not based on compositions but just comes straight from my sub-conscious. I have been improvising in this manner since I was 10.


How enriching was your 12-year collaboration with Paul Motian? Any funny episodes while touring/recording with him?
I learned a lot from Paul over the years. One day he said to me offhandedly: ”you know, my only job is to make everybody sound good.” That statement hit me like a thunderbolt. It was one of those moments in life when everything becomes clear. Things I had been thinking about for years suddenly came into focus.
As for funny episodes: Paul was a very intense person with a quirky sense of humor. His apartment, way up on Central Park West, was filled with interesting things: from his collection of little figurines, hats and sunglasses, to his amazing treasure trove of LPs, CDs and cassettes. One funny thing about him was he used his computer mouse upside down and with his left hand (pull down and the curser goes up). He liked to do things differently! By the way, Paul wrote an autobiography. I hope it gets published someday. It’s an incredibly fascinating document of his life in his own words!

Can you name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to?
So many great players, so little time! I’m hoping to connect with more European jazz/improvising musicians. For example, I have been listening to the French bassist Bruno Chevillon’s solo recording ‘Gestes Défendus’. Such a wonderful player: heart, hands and mind, all working in perfect unison. Logical, mindful, heartfelt, skillful music is what I’m interested in.



Can you select three records that changed your perspective of jazz? 
No, sorry, I can’t boil it down to three or even 20 jazz albums that influenced me. There are so many different approaches through the decades. I take something from all of them.


How do you see the jazz scene today?

Big and diverse. There are so many different offshoots going in every direction like a big garden. Wonderful!

Projects for the near future?
I have several recordings in the can, so to speak, ready to go. I’m always hopeful about finding ways to bring them out!
In addition to those, I just recorded duo with Gordon Grdina - oud and piano duets. Last spring, I recorded duos and trios with Samuel Blaser and Billy Mintz. That double album is coming out on Jazzdor label in Fall 2023. I have a trio album coming out in Spring’23 on FSNT with Masa Kamaguchi and Billy Mintz, my long-time trio. This one is all tunes; five standards and three of my originals. I will probably bring out a set of solo piano improvisations on my own label, Aqua Piazza , toward the end of this year. I also have a recording finished by a band I had for five years, King Vulture. We recorded just before the pandemic and I’m looking for a label for it. The band is very strong and the music I composed was developed over years with a concept of “no arrangements”. I play piano, Rhodes and Wurli on it all live in the studio with Adam Kolker, Matt Pavolka and Dayeon Seok.
And tenor saxophonist Michael Adkins and I made a duo recording of improvised music at Systems Two, the great recording studio in Brooklyn, just before it closed down. The recording is very unique; Michael and I have a deep musical connection. There are many more things on the horizon as well!

James Brandon Lewis Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

James Brandon Lewis, 2018 by ©Clara Pereira

Name: James Brandon Lewis
Instrument: tenor saxophone
Style: contemporary jazz, modal, avant-garde jazz
Album Highlights: Radiant Imprints (Off, 2018), Code of Being (Intakt, 2021), Jesup Wagon (TAO Forms, 2021)

Many outlets, including JazzTrail, cited you as Musician of the Year 2021 thanks to your compositional and performing skills in two excellent recordings - Jesup Wagon and Code of Being. What does this mean to you? Do you feel any sort of pressure to maintain creativity at its peak in the future?
I am thankful that people enjoyed these records. You never know, and I stay away from trying to find out what people like to interfere with my honesty. I make honest music that I dig .. and if people dig it, then that's a blessing, and if they don't, that's also a blessing. All answers are within art! There is no pressure because I owe it to myself to be 110 percent honest with myself every time, to give my all, to honor the sacrifices made by others and myself for this music... no pressure at all... every moment, album, song, vibe is different. I am never trying to outdo what already has happened; I am only concerned with allowing myself to breathe into the next moment, the next lived experience, and honor that. Pressure would be playing and making music I don't love, and then pretending that I do. That's pressure, and I stay away from things that I am not giving my all to...

What do you think of the world today, and what’s its influence in your music making?
The world is in great turmoil right now , hopefully music can bring some happiness , love and care to those who need it.

You’ve been touring lately in trio with cellist Christopher Hoffman and drummer Max Jaffe. How did you guys start playing together? Any record in mind with this configuration?
This group recorded a brand new record over the summer, and a major announcement is coming soon . I started playing with these gents over the summer. The concept of James Brandon Lewis Trio in general has existed for years now, and the format is about chasing energy, raw emotion, propelling melodies and solos, and everything forward. There is some other stuff in the works for the fall.

When did you decide to become a professional musician?
At 9 years old I knew I wanted to be a musician. I did not know about the word "professional " in relation to the word musician but I knew music was for me.

Can you name two persons who influenced you the most as a saxophonist?
Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane.

Can you name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to?
I wish I could have collaborated with Geri Allen... Playing with Matthew Shipp would be great , after years of him being a mentor and friend.

3 jazz records that changed your perspective of jazz?
Bill Barron - Motivation; Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come; Frank Lowe - Black Beings.

Your music, besides spiritual, can be very eclectic. Can you list 3 non-jazz records that you have in high consideration?
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides; Mos Def & Talib Kweli - Black Star; Common - Like Water for Chocolate.

What would you have been if you weren’t a musician?
Scientist/inventor.

Projects for the near future?
Look out for the JBL Trio record announcement !!! It’s coming soon. I’m also working on a new Red Lily Quintet record (on Tao Forms label) and Molecular Quartet record (on Intakt Records).

Michael Formanek Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Michael Formanek, 2018 by ©Clara Pereira

Name: Michael Formanek
Instrument: double bass
Style: avant-garde jazz, modern creative
Album Highlights: Low Profile (Enja, 1994), Nature of the Beast (Enja, 1997), The Distance (ECM, 2016)

In mid-March next year, you’re going to release a new album with a recently formed trio - featuring saxophonist Chet Doxas and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza. Can you talk about how this trio came up and what’s behind the music?
The Michael Formanek Drome Trio began as a group that got together on a fairly regular basis during the initial lockdown period in 2020, primarily outside in my backyard. We had all played together in various configurations and were already doing a fair amount together before the pandemic. After a few months of playing a mix of tunes, improvs and a few original pieces, I composed some music for the trio and we began rehearsing it. That eventually led to the recording session that became Were We Where We Were.

With that record, you’re also launching your own label. What led you to take that step?
I’d been thinking of forming a label for some time but kept talking myself out of it. When I decided to release this recording on Vinyl, it seemed like doing it myself might be the way to go. Once I get this one out, I should have a better idea how I want to proceed with it.

Your solo record Imperfect Measures naturally contrasts, both sonically and structurally, with the Ensemble Kolossus. Which format excites you most and which is easier for you to convey your ideas?
They seem radically different but in many ways the process is the same for me. I try to start with an idea and then develop it through whatever medium I’ve decided to use. The Ensemble Kolossus music is very detailed and structured, but it is intended to be interpreted by the group of musicians who are playing it through the lens of improvisation. My solo music does the same thing but drastically minimizes the amount of predetermined information to a simple sketch, or a spontaneous thought, sound, or feeling. They are equally exciting to me but I do enjoy the energy and creativity I get from the musicians I ask to play my music. Solo playing is more introspective for sure.

It’s been more than three decades since you made your debut as a leader with Wide Open Spaces. To you, what are the main differences - positive and negative - between that time and the current days?
For me it doesn’t really seem that different. There are a lot fewer record companies and infrastructure to help sell the music, but I’ve mostly skirted along the edges of the “music industry”, such as it was and is now, and that isn’t so different for me now. I just continue to try and put out examples of the best work I can, and hope that there are a few people out there who make recognize and appreciate it.

How great was touring with Joe Henderson and Tony Williams when still a teenager? How did that happen?
Those things happened for a lot of reasons I guess, not the least being the result of living in a particular place at a specific period of time. That’s really the way most things happen anyway. Tony had moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and wanted to have a band there. He had heard me play on an instrumental rock, find of fusion, and hired me mostly on the basis of that. He wasn’t very interested in whatever jazz abilities I had or didn’t have but wanted someone who could play his music well and hold it down while he played all his amazing ideas. Joe Henderson and I had a few conversations and he invited to his house to play and rehearse with him. He seemed to think I was able to do what he needed and kept calling for a while.

Name two persons who influenced you the most as a musician.
Tough one. Probably Charles Mingus and John Coltrane.

Name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to.
I would like to have played more with Paul Motian. I did play with him several times but would really call it a collaboration, just some gigs. I was living away from New York for much of the period that he was really staying in New York and playing a lot there. The other would be Jack DeJohnette whom I’ve never played with.

Can you pick three records that changed your perspective of jazz?
The Shape of Jazz to Come (Ornette Coleman), Fractured Fairy Tales (Tim Berne), and then there are just a lot of other records that gave me ideas to investigate and inspiration to try different things. It could be something by Coltrane, Mingus, Ellington, Braxton, Sun Ra, Hendrix (I don’t care what we call his music), Miles Davis, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Julius Hemphill, and on and on!

What would you have been if you weren’t a musician?
A hermit

Are you working on any other projects at the moment?
Always. The Drome Trio has a bunch of gigs lined up, whatever that means geese days, around our new release in March 2022. Thumbscrew has a new recording that will be out in Fall of 2022, which is around our 10 year anniversary as a band, called Multicolored Midnight. Also doing a few solo gigs and hopefully more duo with my son, Peter. I’ll record very soon with Angelica Sanchez, which I’m very excited about. Also will record a new Elusion Quartet record next Fall for a 2023 release.

David Arend Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Name: David Arend
Instrument: bass
Style: contemporary jazz, modern classical, post-bop
Album Highlights: Astral Travels (Nanova Records, 2015), Further Exploration with Alchemy Sound Project (ARC, 2016), Afrika Love with Alchemy Sound Project (ARC, 2021)

Can you talk about how the Alchemy Sound Project started?
The core composers in Alchemy Sound Project coalesced as a result of meeting one another at the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute (JCOI) in Los Angeles, a program designed by the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University and the American Composers Orchestra. Pianist-composer Sumi Tonooka suggested we form a group and carry forward ideas presented at JCOI. So we planned and recorded our first album, Further Explorations, which consists of two compositions each from five composers, ten new compositions in all. We have now released three albums containing a total of 21 compositions.

I recognize something spiritual in the group’s music. Is that what you guys want to convey?
I'm sure each band member would have their own way of answering this but the short answer is absolutely yes. The roots of jazz are deeply spiritual, it is in the DNA of jazz. Each of us connects to the heritage of jazz in our own ways and I feel this group is very spiritually-minded. Of course there is an intellectual component to the experiments we do with composition and one thing we strive for is to blur the lines between what is composed and what is improvised. But I think what drives us on a deeper level is the journey of the spirit, the yearning to express, to connect and to communicate. And the humility one feels in the presence of something indescribable that is much larger, something universal - this is an element of spirituality that we are aware of in our work.

Each record includes two guest artists: a trombonist and a drummer. Who chooses them?
We collectively know many musicians we can invite to collaborate. The location of where we make a recording is important in determining personnel - our band members are spread out across the US and we also have one living in South Africa. The first album was recorded near Seattle, WA so we invited two jazz musicians who were based there at the time. The second and third albums were recorded near Philadelphia, PA and so we turned to musicians based in the region of New Jersey, New York and Philly.

You worked with Ornette Coleman. Can you tell us how it happened and how rich the experience was for you?
Working with Ornette Coleman was the thrill of a lifetime. I was a graduate student in classical double bass at The Juilliard School and their new music ensemble was collaborating with Ornette. I had auditioned for the ensemble and fortunately got placed in one of the pieces written by Ornette. I recall rehearsing his piece at school and becoming aware that someone was watching me. I looked over my shoulder and there was Ornette standing beside me, he had come to observe the rehearsal. He watched me play for a few seconds, then reached up to my music stand, pulled the sheet music right off of the stand and said "You don't need to look at this. Just play what you feel and play in double time." It was very empowering. We recorded the piece some time later at his Harmolodic Studio and Ornette took me aside during the session to tell me I played beautifully. My heart nearly exploded! The experience gave me confidence to believe in myself and my playing, while also being humble. Ornette was so humble and kind, a gentle and loving human being.

Can you list some of your favorite jazz records?
I'll just name a few that have made a big impact on my development as a bassist and composer. I still love listening to these records!
Charles Mingus - his entire catalog is mind-bending but the first Mingus I heard was Mingus Ah Um and that's a great place to start. Back in my Juilliard days (mid-1990's) I would rollerblade around New York City with my walkman playing a cassette tape that had Let My Children Hear Music on one side and Pithecanthropus Erectus on the other. That music served as wonderful accompaniment to the pitch and swell of the city.

Billie Holiday - Solitude
Billie is my favorite singer, she absolutely oozed humanity. Suffering, love, regret, betrayal, hope, it's all there.

Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come
This opened my thinking to a different way of structuring composition and improvisation. Charlie Haden's bass playing showed that contours and shapes are just as important as harmony.

Bill Evans - Explorations
One of the great jazz trios, and the bass playing of Scott LaFaro was very special. Scott's concept was so conversational and he struck a wonderful balance between virtuosic flights of fancy and deep, fundamental bass playing.

John Coltrane - Transition
This album captures the great quartet as they evolved from their classic approach toward free jazz. As far as the bass, Jimmy Garrison was one of those role players who worked in a subtle manner that provided support for everything swirling around him.

Keith Jarrett - Expectations
I remember hearing this for the first time back in college and being transformed by the sheer joy of the music-making.

Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock - 1+1
I love everything I've heard from Wayne and Herbie, both together and apart. This album is special because it is just the two of them and their playing here feels like chamber music. The space and atmosphere they create is colorful and intimate.

There are so many others: Duke Ellington, Ray Brown with Oscar Peterson, Pat Metheny and on and on.

What about some non-jazz records?
Thundercat is an amazing bassist and composer. It Is What It Is is what it is. Actually I think of him as a jazz artist but he paints way outside the lines and across genres.

Anything by the Berlin Philharmonic. They've been the pinnacle of great orchestral playing for many decades now. One fun aspect of listening to classical music is comparing interpretations of the same piece by different conductors and orchestras in various eras. It's an endless adventure.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Schoenberg - Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night)
This recording also has the Schoenberg Chamber Symphonies

Carlos Kleiber conducting the Vienna Philharmonic
Anything they did together was great; check out their Beethoven Symphony No. 5.

Tom Zé - Brazil Classics Vol. 5: The Hips of Tradition
I loved listening to this back in college and it still sounds fresh and slightly wacky to me now.

Talking Heads - Remain In Light

Can you point out two persons, musicians or not, who influenced you the most as an artist/bassist?
The elderly piano teacher I had when I was 13. I brought a book of Scott Joplin rags to her and she electrified me with her interpretation. I was awestruck! She was playing what was written and also was improvising, and my mind was completely blown. She showed me that music is magical. I've been chasing that moment ever since.

Eugene Levinson, former principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic. The first time I heard him play solo bass in a master class my heart leapt out of my chest. He had such a gorgeous and expressive sound. I went on to study classical bass with him at The Juilliard School and he made a tremendous impact on my concept of string playing and my artistry.

Can you name two musicians whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to?
I recently moved to Los Angeles and there is a pianist living there named Billy Childs. I saw him perform a short piano concerto he composed for the LA Philharmonic's new music series and I also caught one of his shows with a jazz combo and string quartet. His writing and playing really resonate with me. I am hoping to meet him and if possible collaborate with him someday.

I would give just about anything to work with Wayne Shorter!

What would you have been if you weren’t a musician?
Possibly a physicist or engineer. I have always enjoyed mathematics, puzzles and problem-solving. Part of what I love about composition is that one creates miniature worlds that have their own logic. The relationships between notes and how they progress through time can be viewed mathematically as well as emotionally and this is why I feel music is the perfect field, a complete field.

Projects for the near future?
I am working on building repertoire for a double bass quartet or quintet. I love the sound of the bass, so why not four or five of them?

I'd like to form a jazz combo in Los Angeles. I am relatively new to town so I still have to meet people and find my team. Then I would write for them.

I want to continue to contribute to the modern classical repertoire. I think I may write a duo for violin and double bass, and I'd like to write a string quintet (quartet plus bass). I've also written bass duets and would like to compose some more of those.

Chad Lefkowitz-Brown Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Name: Chad Lefkowitz-Brown
Instrument: saxophone
Style: post-bop
Album Highlights: Onward (Self Released, 2017)

Last year you released the album Quarantine Standards with your Virtual Big Band in response to this devastating pandemic. Can you talk about your process for that particular record as well as your choices of songs and musicians?
I always wanted to make a big band album, but part of what's so hard about getting that together is getting all those exceptional musicians in one room. So as soon as it occurred to me that everyone was stuck at home with no bookings, I reached out to a bunch of musicians to see who had home-recording setups. As soon as I got all the musicians together, I had my manager, Austin Kruczek, facilitate all the logistics to get everyone recording video and audio for this massive project. I'm so grateful that we were able to make it all happen and it was really special to have a creative project to work on during lockdown. We are in the initial stages of making another remote project happen as we continue to dream up projects to do in the current global climate. 

What about this upcoming album, Quartet Sessions? The idea of playing jazz standards and American songbook titles is to maintain in the future?
This will be my 8th album as a leader, and I always enjoy exploring a variety of styles and approaches. I've recorded albums of originals, straight-ahead albums, live albums, electric albums, and now the big band album. This album is a continuation of dedicating myself to the standard saxophone quartet format that I will always be fascinated by. The four piece ensemble, and specifically the sax-piano-bass-drums format, is always special to me, and I assembled two different groups together with some of my favorite long-time collaborators. For instance, I've played with both of the drummers (Bryan Carter and Corey Fonville) for almost 15 years now.  

Having lived in NYC and San Francisco, what do you like and dislike the most about those cities?
I've spent a lot of time in San Francisco because I'm on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory as a visiting artist, but I've always been based in New York. Needless to say, New York is the ultimate mecca for jazz, but San Francisco also has a truly special jazz community, with SFJAZZ and now the conservatory programming so many great concerts. There are also some great clubs throughout the city like Club Deluxe, and some really exceptional SF based musicians like saxophonist Patrick Wolff. 

What were the rewards of touring with artists like Chris Botti and Taylor Swift?
I continue to tour with Chris (the pandemic causing a pause of course) and it's been a highlight of my career. His versatility and showmanship is really inspiring. I play on a number of shows as a featured soloist and it's really special to be a part of such an outstanding program.

Besides music, what other interests do you have in life?
Music is such a passion for me, so I don't feel much of a need to have other interests. Beyond my performance/recording career, I also own a digital publishing company, Jazz Lesson Videos, and so I release all sorts of educational content for aspiring jazz musicians on that platform. With all that going on, I don't have much time or desire to pursue other hobbies. I do read a lot of nonfiction. Most recently I finished Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and am currently reading his most recent work, Homo Deux. 

What was the first jazz record you fell in love with?
Dexter Gordon - GO!

Name 2 persons who influenced you the most as a musician.
My father and the drummer George Reed. George was a drummer who played with greats like Teddy Wilson and Marian McPartland. He spent the last few decades of his life in Elmira, New York, where I'm from, and I was fortunate enough to start gigging with him when I was 11-years-old. At that time he was in his late 70s. He took me under his wing and showed me the spirit of the music through his playing and friendship. I'm forever grateful for that experience.

Name 2 persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to.
I would love to play with Jack Dejohnette and Herbie Hancock.

Can you briefly describe one of the hardest and one of the happiest moments of your career?
At this point I try not to look back and feel like anything has been good or bad in my career. I'm grateful that I've spent, and continue to spend, my life playing music. It's just what I do, and I'm grateful for that.

What would you have been if you weren’t a musician?
I wouldn't have it any other way!

Steve Swell Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Steve Swell, 2017 by ©Clara Pereira

Name: Steve Swell
Instrument: trombone
Style: avant-garde jazz, free jazz
Album Highlights: Atmospheels (CIMP, 1999), Slammin’ the Infinite (Cadence, 2004), The Center Will Hold (Not Two Records, 2020)

Being a free jazz musician, in which ways has the pandemic affected you most? What are you doing or planning to do to overcome the situation?
Well, I lost all of my work from March 14, 2020 through the end of 2020: tours, recordings, local gigs, even some teaching. During this time it has also been impossible to be able to set up work for the beginning of this year as things are still mostly locked down. We are, I hope, in the last phases of the pandemic, so I am now trying to reconnect with all those musicians and venues that I was to perform with before those dates were wiped out. I have done several streaming events during the past year and was given some support through several music organizations so I could pay the rent and keep food on the table. But it has not come close to making up for the lost work.
The musical aspect of not being able to play as regularly with my musician friends has been very frustrating and I miss that very much. Just being with those friends and the people who come out to concerts, I realize just how important that is and how much I am missing that. 

When did you start playing the trombone and when did you decide to become a professional musician?
I was 10 years old when I started on the trombone. A few years into playing I was listening to a Curtis Fuller record and I found myself dreaming of wanting to be able to play and record just one solo like his. I thought that would be such an accomplishment. When I first heard Roswell Rudd was when I decided that this is the music I want to do. I never thought about how I could make a living at it, I just wanted to be in that creative space. 

On your record The Center Will Hold you opted for an unusual instrumentation with violin and harmonica playing central roles. How did the idea come up? Was this the first time you've recorded with Andrew Cyrille?
I’ve known Andrew from the scene for a little while but this is the first time I recorded with him. I’ve always loved his playing and I am happy to have finally recorded something with him. He was very generous with his time and focus and even got us a rehearsal room at the New School. I first heard harmonica player Ariel Bart on a William Parker gig and I immediately knew I had to have her on a recording. She is such a creative improviser and very knowledgeable about the history of the music. It shows in her playing.
 As a creative musician, I am always looking for new ways to present my music and the different combinations of instruments and musicians always works towards that end and there is not very much of this music with a harmonica.

How would you define your sound in a few words?
Bright, bold, unafraid.

Name two persons who have influenced you the most as a musician.
Roswell Rudd and a teacher I had named Morty Geist who opened us up to all the jazz that was available up to the 1970s. He was a teacher from another school who had private students at our school but he came and shared his knowledge of the music and we went to his home to listen to records too. It was a real primer on the whole history of the music. And I will say my father first introduced music to me when I was around nine years old. He played his big band records for me and tried to teach me how to play the clarinet. He was a musician himself but stopped pursuing it when he started our family. And Roswell is the one who lit the fire under me to really want to be a part of this music.

Name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to.
Joelle Leandre and Wadada Leo Smith.

Can you list some of your favorite jazz records?
There are so many records over the years that I devoured and still listen to. It's hard to pick just a few but here are some that come to mind: Archie Shepp - Live in SanFrancisco; Roswell Rudd - Everywhere and Live in Donaueschingen; Anthony Braxton - For Alto; Jack Teagarden: "Rocking Chair" and "St. James Infirmary" (two tracks from records of his); any Charlie Parker recording.

Which other music genres do you listen to? For each of the genres, can you suggest some artists that inspire you?
I love James Brown and I had the privilege of recording a record with Fred Wesley in the 1990s and did the CD release gig with him. Fred was the trombone player in James Brown’s band during the height of popularity of that band. I also listen and love all the older blues musicians: Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, Sonny Boy Williamson II and too many others to name here. I also love the older Country and Western and Bluegrass music. Some of my favorite artists on that scene are Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, The Carter Family, Charlie Poole and again, so many others.
And then there is “classical” and modern classical, not a great phrase really. The whole history of western classical music is still interesting to me, especially more modern composers like Elliott Carter, Berio, Ligetti and again, so many more. I have been lucky to be part of a series of recordings commissioned by Lars Olof-Gustavsson of Silkheart records. I’ve done two CDs that were inspired by Bela Bartok and Olivier Messiaen. I'm working on the music now for a third recording in the series which is inspired by Luciano Berio.

Ingrid Laubrock Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Clara Pereira, 2016 ©Clara Pereira

Name: Ingrid Laubrock
Instrument: tenor and soprano saxophone
Style: avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, contemporary big band
Album Highlights: Roulette of the Cradle (Intakt, 2015), Contemporary Chaos Practices (Intakt, 2018), Dreamt Twice Twice Dreamt (Intakt, 2020)

Lately, you’ve been focused on writing for large ensembles. What are the biggest challenges and rewards of approaching your music in this format?
It has been a huge and welcome learning curve for me. I have no formal composition training and had to study how to compose and notate for instruments that are not normally in my daily palette as a jazz musician. This included learning more about bowing techniques, percussion notation and - earlier this year - demystifying the concert harp a little more. So, there was and still is a lot of nuts and bolts work to be done! I pored over a lot of scores, particularly by Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Gubaildulina and Feldman. Making orchestral scores and parts is also incredibly time consuming, but I even enjoy that, as you deepen your knowledge about the piece while doing it. 
The reward of having so much color at your disposal makes it all worthwhile, it’s really like nothing else for me. One big practical challenge is of course that large ensembles are very expensive to realize and complex to organize, so without external financial support by a foundation or government it would be completely out of the question for me. 

Your new double-record for the Intakt label - Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt -  was split into orchestra+soloists and small ensemble. How did this idea come up?
The small group versions were the result of John Zorn’s Stone Commissioning series - a monthly series that took place in National Sawdust in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Initially I wrote them for piano, electronics and saxophone with the additions of violin on some of the pieces. For the recording, I extended the group and added electric harp and accordion. The orchestra versions were commissioned by the EOS Chamber Orchestra, a Cologne based group which I have worked with in the past.
The compositions on both records are based on entries in dream diaries I have been keeping for a decade and both sides feature the same pieces but completely reimagined.

Other recent recordings include duo collaborations with singular pianists, namely Kris Davis and Aki Takase. What are the musical qualities you most like in each of them?
Both Kasumi and Blood Moon are part of a planned series of piano saxophone duets. Aki Takase was the first female jazz musician I ever saw perform as a teenager which made big impression on me, so playing with her is an honor and a joy. She has incredible energy, creativity and serious playfulness which I love.
 Kris Davis was one of the first musicians I was introduced to when I moved here in 2009. We have a deep understanding of each others’ playing and composing, and it feels like I can be in almost telepathic synch with her. She is a virtuoso and master pianist who has the ability to really tune in. 

Tell us more about the 30+ episodes of the Stir Crazy Series that you and Tom Rainey create weekly from home. Did it bring something new to your musical interaction?
We started this series just after barely making it back into the States after the March lockdown and travel ban. We were on the last Delta flight coming in from Zurich, where we had played at the Taktlos Festival. We knew we had to keep producing and working on something to stay sane, but also to keep in touch with our fans who are avid concert goers. Tom and I regularly ask other composers to send us pieces which we then rehearse and often have to adapt, as few people write for this instrumentation. It’s creatively fun to find ways of playing music that we have to strip down because there is only the two of us and it has strengthened our musical bond even more, which has always been strong. Rehearsing and playing our friends’ compositions is a little like having them in the room with us, spiritually speaking, and has become a meaningful way of staying in touch musically.
 The recordings are unedited and raw. We live by a highway, so there is background noise and we, of course, record in the same room - they are more like readings than fully realized records. This is one of the reasons we don’t charge for them. In the beginning we used an old Zoom H4N recorder, but we have since upgraded and bought microphones and an interface. In the past - and hopefully in the future too -  I have always left recording to professionals and all of this is new to me, but it’s of course a good skill to acquire. 

Name 2 persons who influenced you the most as a musician.
It’s almost impossible to limit it to two, but I’d say John Coltrane and Anthony Braxton.

Name 2 persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to.
Equally difficult to limit, but Henry Threadgill and Ashley Fure would be high on the list. 

Can you mention a couple of records that changed your perspective of jazz?
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew, Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil, John Coltrane - Crescent, Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady, to name but a few. 

What other styles do you listen to? Any interesting discoveries lately?
Apart from jazz I listen to a lot of “new music” and follow some of the amazing ensembles here in NYC. Wet Ink, ICE Ensemble, Yan/Wire and many others have a great output of interesting music. I also really enjoy Fiona Apple’s new record Fetch the Bolt Cutters which came out earlier this year. 

Projects for the near future?
Tom Rainey and I plan to go to the studio to record a new duo record, and I am working on a series of multi-layered pieces that were supposed to have been premiered at the Visionfest this year but have, for now, been postponed to 2021. 
Luckily I had a productive 2019 and still have two more records that haven’t been mixed or mastered yet - one being a collaboration of mine with Stéphane Payen and the second a secret record with Tomeka Reid, Mazz Swift, Michael Formanek, Brandon Seabrook and Tom Rainey. Both records are coming out in 2021.

Andrew D'Angelo Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Name: Andrew D’Angelo
Instrument: alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Style: modern creative, avant-garde jazz
Album Highlights: Skadra Degis (Skirl Records, 2008); DNA Orchestra (Self released, 2020)

We always learn with our experiences, whether they are good or bad. In what ways did this long battle with a brain tumor change you? What did you learn from it?

I think it’s best I say this first: I never thought I was “battling” a brain tumor or cancer. I saw cancer as my teacher and wanted to learn from it, which is why I embarked on a path of natural or alternative healing. Cancer is held anger that turns to resentment. If bottled up for too long it creates illness. For me it was about learning to love myself. Hence the song "I Love You", which I wrote to teach us human souls to love ourselves. Family, friends, and so forth are also included. It’s surprising how many people openly say they do not love themselves.
This was not an easy task for me. I was a fairly angry young man. The cancer taught me to be gentler with myself and my friends. This eventually changed my music in a profound way. At times, some of my fans are surprised to hear me play soft and gentle.  It was a new and ever changing process happening in my heart, affecting my music. I would say that the big band recording – tracked in 2011 – was the beginning of me understanding this. 
As we recorded the DNA Orchestra record in 2011. There was still a chance I could die from brain cancer. In 2008 the doctors gave me six to eight months to live. None of them thought I’d make the three year mark cancer free. Yet there I was making what I think is one of my best records to date. I love you. 

In these difficult times, how are you coping with the covid-19 crisis?

Recording A LOT of music!  Honestly, even before covid, I would stay home listening, composing, recording, and playing music constantly. The pandemic has simply allowed this to blossom with a massive harvest of creativity. I can’t wait to release and share all of the music I have been working on during this crisis.  

Your new album - with the DNA Orchestra - doesn’t include new songs, but they are completely remodeled and adapted to the format and infused with a new energy. When and how did the idea of arranging to and playing with this orchestra come up?

It does include new songs actually. "I Love You" is one of them. Even though folks have heard other versions online, this is the first official studio recording of that song.  The melody is actually something I wrote for my piano recital when I was eight years of age. My teacher was so angry that I wanted to play my own song. Lol.
After the two brain surgeries the doctors told me not to play saxophone for about six weeks, thinking that the back pressure on my brain could possibly be harmful. So I began playing a lot of piano and this melody somehow came back to me. I sat and composed straight for the Orchestra. This recording is the first time I ever sang on a record and the first time "I Love You" was heard by many people.
I grew up playing in big bands. In my teens I was in a kind of child-star big band. We played weddings, parties, and other gatherings. Man, we worked pretty much every weekend during my teens, so the inspiration for the Orchestra came from my desire to revive my joy of the big band sound. 
When I was in Boston hanging out at Berklee and New England Conservatory,  I started my own big band called Standard Deviation.  We’d play jazz standards and would improvise arrangements on the gig. Those were fun days and the band was full of incredible musicians! Cuong Vu, Chris Cheek, and many other eventual jazz super stars.

One can tell that each piece is very personal, and, in a way, they represent your own journey. Can you tell our readers more about “Egna Ot Waog”, “Meg Nem Sa” and “Norman” (three favorites of mine) and the meaning of their titles?

I wrote three songs for my trio with drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Ben Street. This was in the late nineties – early two thousands. The three songs all sounded the same to me. So I named them same song one, same song two, and same song three. As a child I invented my own language and would swap letters around to say the words I invented. My parents thought I was nuts. Perhaps they are correct (laughs). The third song is named "Ree Oss" but never made the cut. 

The "Meg Nem Sa" arrangement is special to my heart.  It was the first composing I did after brain surgery one. If you ever wanted to know what was going on in a brain that was just snipped, listen to this composition. It’s a very clear sonic image of how I felt at that time, back in February of 2008. It was intense!!! 

The introduction to "Egna Ot Waog" is a proud moment for me. I simply distilled the entire piece into an intro. 

My middle name comes from my grandfather Norman. Bill McHenry wrote “Norman” for me when I was in the hospital having brain surgery.  It’s a healing song that Bill sent my way.  It worked!  Love playing that piece and also love how Bill arranged it for the big band. I would say he nailed my musical personality!!! 

Name two persons who influenced you the most as a saxophone player.

It’s an indirect influence but I’d have to say my high school jazz band director Waldo King. This man loved jazz and big band with a great passion.  Eventually he gave me the keys to the band room. Then he asked the school to give me a key to the front door. I’d arrive at about 6:30 AM to practice until school started. Waldo passed away a few years ago.  Wrote him a letter and he wrote back saying: “Andrew, I remember coming to school every day and hearing you practicing and working on your excellence”! Amazing that at ninety one he still remembered that. Before a school band festival competition, he would write the word “L O V E” on the chalkboard.  Saying, it’s all love of the music and not about competition.

I’ve known tenor saxophonist Chris Speed since we were teenagers.  Chris is easily one of the most influential people in my saxophone lifetime.  He’d come to my house or I’d go to his, and we would practice together. This continued well into our twenties. Always inspiring me to compose often and to compose on a high level. As we like to say in Human Feel “there’s no room for sleeping with Speed”.

Name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to in the future.

Bill Burr! In what capacity I’m uncertain. Perhaps we share an evening of music and comedy. I find his comedy to be extremely compositional. My manager thinks it would be a great combination with my music. I agree. Absolutely adore Bill’s MM podcast as well.
Tenor saxophonist JD Allen and I have been discussing a collaboration. I feel his and my playing would fit well together. As soon as this pandemic is over, we’re going to start playing some shows together. 

Three jazz records that really blew your mind and made you want to play better.

I always shy away from those social media “post ten of your favorite records” types of situations. It’s difficult to narrow it down since we’ve all listened to so much music.  I also managed a huge jazz department at Tower Records in my early twenties.  Listened to music for at least eight hours a day, five days a week for several years. Picking only three of the plethora of records I listened to, that is difficult. If I were forced into a corner I’d say the cassette tapes my private teacher in my teenage years gave me. They were technically bootleg tapes of live performances. He had me listening to a lot of saxophonist Lee Konitz. Specifically transcribing Subconscious-Lee from live shows. Those are amazing performances from a brilliant saxophonist and composer. 
Another jazz record that changed my life was And His Mother Called Him Bill.  Hearing how Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn composed and arranged music was mind blowing. It was the first time I understood that jazz composition could be so profound and elaborate – I was probably seventeen or so when I heard it for the first time. Amazing writing and arranging!! It has continued to inspire my own composing and arranging for large ensembles. 
The last one is challenging as I would like to pick just one Bird record.  There are so many great recordings of him that it’s tough to choose.  A lot of Bird’s records were a huge influence on my playing.  So I’ll pick something that is a bit more obscure. I’ll never forget the moment I was driving home from school.  The jazz station in Seattle played a cut from that Eric Dolphy recording where he improvises on “Mack the Knife”. I literally said out loud WHO IS THAT ALTO PLAYER!?!?!  And how the hell is he playing the way he is playing?!?! That solo is still one of my all time favorites.  Mostly because it was the first time I heard Dolphy. I fell immediately in love with his music. He’s also the inspiration for me playing bass clarinet.

Can you briefly describe the hardest and the happiest moments of your career?

Hardest?  That’s easy – BRAIN CANCER!!!  Looking back on it though, it really wasn’t so bad.  Plus it gave me more reason to live.  Sometimes our hardest or most difficult times can transform our lives into something positive, which is what I hope is happening with this covid situation but on a global scale.
 Happiest? Man, that’s a tough choice because I’ve had so many.  The first tour I did of Europe was in 1985, just after I graduated high school.  It was also the first time in my life I had ever been in Europe. That two-week tour was outstanding. When I got back home, I remember telling my friends that I wanted to keep going to Europe to play music and make the hang. Absolutely life changing and FUN AF!!!!! 

What would you be if you weren’t a musician?

I’d own a restaurant that is also a music venue. Always wanted to curate my own place. It actually may still come to fruition since I ain’t dead yet. Also, my nephew Storm is a budding chef. My Italian grandparents owned a club called the Red Rooster. It runs in the family.  

Projects for the near future?

During covid my nephew Maximilian started collaborating on a project. He makes these really engaging beats. We layered me improvising on top of his beats. Shit sounds super nice!!! We call the project Almost 23. 

There’s definitely another DNA Orchestra recording in the future.  I have a ton of new material, new arrangements and compositions.  Look forward to the day we get to perform live and tour again.

I’ve also been working on an electronic duo project with Bad Plus bassist Reid Anderson. We’ve got a couple of songs completed and are sussing out more to record and perform. 

For the past year and half, a film company called Seven House Media has been working on a documentary. It’s the story of my Brain experience. I look forward to it being released at some point soon. 

The DNA Orchestra record is also up for a Grammy nomination. It’s going to be interesting to see how that turns out, with a nomination that could mean a lot of exposure for the band.

Sara Serpa Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Name: Sara Serpa
Instrument: vocals
Style: contemporary jazz, avant-garde jazz, modern creative
Album Highlights: All the Dreams (Sunnyside, 2016), Close Up (Clean Feed, 2018), Recognition (Biophilia, 2020)

This pandemic is affecting the musicians in a hard way. What do you envision for the future of jazz music and jazz musicians in particular? 
It’s quite hard to predict, since no one knows exactly when will the pandemic end. Musicians are struggling right now, in particular those who are not affiliated with institutions and who depend on touring/ gigs/ teaching to make a living. The pandemic will make more visible the inequities in our field too -  I worry about the small clubs that can’t open and won’t be able to pay rent, I worry about live music being the last thing people will consume because we will have a huge economic recession . A career takes so much time to develop, to create connections, networks, understanding how the business works… so, I feel musicians who didn’t have their career established or who are just starting will struggle much more .

The music on Recognition, composed for a silent film related to the Portuguese colonialism in Angola during the 60s, draws strong emotions from concerns like segregation, oppression, violence and racism. How do you see the movements for civil rights, racial justice, and social change that are inundating America and the world today?
Nothing of what is happening right now is new.  White supremacy has existed in the US and around the world for a long time, actually with roots in the Portuguese (and other European nations) slave trade.  I embarked on this project because I always felt there was a huge silence in Portugal and Europe about colonialism, and how this silence and denial affect the present moment - Black people in Europe are harassed by the police and suffer discrimination all the time, and right now there are Black people dying everyday trying to cross the Mediterranean. Europeans always think that the atrocities happen on the other side of the ocean, but don’t really look at their own societies. I don’t have the ambition of being a savior, however,  I feel it’s important that all of us, specially those who are non-Black, to learn more about our own history, with a critical approach, and recognize the atrocities done, so we can together process the loss and hopeful create a more just and equitable society.  I am hopeful about protest and global mobilization, but there’s a lot of work to be done in our corner of the world.

I felt that the choices for the ensemble that backs you up in this record were very appropriate. Why this instrumentation? Did you compose with any of these members in mind or were they picked after the music has been composed? 
Initially, I invited Mark Turner and Zeena Parkins and wrote the music specifically for them. We performed this piece as trio a few times. I have always loved Mark and Zeena’s playing - they come from different backgrounds but are that kind of artists that have a distinct sonic personality: you hear one note and recognize them immediately. It was a new challenge for me in many ways to write for this combination of instruments, to write music meant to accompany a silent film, to write music that did not interfere with the message conveyed by the film. The music was written along with the film, scene by scene, but things evolved with performances. David Virelles replaced Zeena in one performance once, and then it made sense for me to add the piano - its sound and presence provided a solid foundation for the music to grow. I love these musicians very much and I always hope I can be as good as they are.

As a singer, composer, and bandleader living in the Big Apple, what are the main difficulties and rewards of being part of the New York jazz scene?
I love New York because I interact with so many different people, artists and thinkers. It is a place unique in the world, where things happen really fast. And it is a place where I have opportunities to collaborate artistically in all kinds of settings. I am grateful for all I have been able to do in New York. Difficulties: it is an expensive city, and it’s hard to pause once you enter the work vortex. During the pandemic it was really challenging to be confined in an apartment, hearing ambulances the whole day for a month, and noticing my neighborhood struggling.

Two persons who have influenced you the most in your career?
My parents for their integrity, values and sacrifices. They always supported me, and without them I would not be who I am.

Two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to?
I would love to collaborate with Matana Roberts and Sophia Jenberg.

Three records that changed your perspective of jazz?
Ran Blake and Jeanne Lee - The Newest Sound Around;
Abbey Lincoln - Abbey Is Blue;
Maria João e Mário Laginha - Chorinho Feliz.

What other musical styles do you listen to? 
Whatever is good music!

What would you have been if you weren’t a musician?
I never thought I would be a professional musician… If I had continued what I studied for, I would be a Social Worker. Literally, studying at the Hot Clube Jazz School changed my life, in the year I was graduating from college.

Projects for the near future?
I hope I can record the next section of what I see as a trilogy, initiated with Recognition. This is a collaboration with Nigerian writer Emmanuel Iduma, entitled Intimate Strangers, that features Emmanuel, Sofia Rei, Aubrey Johnson, Matt Mitchell and Qasim Naqvi.

Edward Gavitt Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Edward Gavitt by Gaya Feldheim Schorr

Name: Edward Gavitt
Instrument: guitar
Style: contemporary jazz, fusion
Album Highlights: Secret Mall - System32 

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affected you as a musician and what are you doing to fight the current adversities?
Mostly it's the same as everyone, lost literally all my gigs for the unforeseeable future. Particularly, I was looking forward to a recording session with Secret Mall and a tour with friend and colleague Colin Hinton and his band Simulacra. I'm one of the lucky ones to have a job aside from just performing, although a good percentage of my income is totally gone. 
Teaching is one thing keeping me busy. I'm doing some engineering work and the free time is allowing me to experiment a bit more with projects I'm working with, just seeing what happens when I do this or that, and I also get to practice and write more. I think my main personal focus right now is that I'm working on an educational Youtube channel. A few months before the quarantine I had actually bought some nice lighting equipment, and I already had a nice camera from some time ago. I find that many of the successful Youtube channels are run by people who are not the greatest musicians. There are some exceptions, for example, I really like Adam Neely's channel as well as David Bruce Composer and Nahre Sol. But for the most part, a lot of it is bad information and clickbait. Mostly all the NYC musicians I know could make some amazing content, but from conversations, many have a hard time adapting to that format. I know some NYC musicians that have taken the platform seriously, such as Brian Krock, or Glenn Zaleski and Dan Weiss who have been doing for it a bit longer. But I think it can be a great source of income and what better time is there to build an online following in a time when literally everyone is stuck online?

You’re also the house manager of The Jazz Gallery, a distinguished New York jazz venue. What has been the reaction of the venue to the cancellation of the shows?
Yeah, this has been a very interesting time for The Jazz Gallery. Our last concerts were the Tyshawn Sorey residency shows which ended on March 7th. I can't think of a better last concert before closing up that we could have had. I think we called a staff meeting the next day because we needed to figure out what to do. Unfortunate things happened such as our house staff losing their work and musicians losing their gigs. But in a few short days we figured out some things we could do to keep the community going and get some musicians paid.
The first things we came up with were the Happy Hour Hangs and the archive releases. The Happy Hour Hangs are small virtual gatherings we do a few times a week via Zoom. We cap the attendance at 15 people so everyone can participate and the crowd is manageable. Some people don't know how to use Zoom yet so you have people not muting themselves, audio trouble, camera trouble. The small capacity helps keep everything under control and gets everyone participating. The hangs feature a different musician each time but we also try to bring in special guests and let musicians bring in their friends as well. 

I'm handling the archive project. I'm just going through our archives and curating the release of videos or recordings we've done at the Gallery. We've released three so far: the Tribute to Roy Hargrove Big Band from Dec 2019, John Ellis' The Ice Siren from their album release concert this past February, and Shai Maestro's piece "Time" which was a Jazz Gallery commission from 2018 (feat. Phillip Dizack and Joel Ross). I'm also mixing these recordings to get them to sound better (or enhancing the bootleg style recordings from our handheld recorder). We release these on Wednesdays, although we have a special one coming up on Sunday 5/3. We are hosting a tribute to our dear friend Lee Konitz who unfortunately passed away recently. Lee played his last performance at The Jazz Gallery for a concert put together by Ohad Talmor, who is an incredible composer and saxophonist and a good friend. We celebrated Lee's 92nd birthday this past October with a special quartet/nonet performance, so we are going to stream some of that footage as well as gather some of people close to him to pay him tribute.

We also started a weekly dance party on Tuesdays with a special guest DJ every week. We've had so far Ben Williams, Miguel Zenon, and Rio be DJs, and we have some more very special guests coming up soon. We've also kept up with our blog and have continued interviewing musicians that were supposed to play at the space before the quarantine.

Lastly we have the Lockdown Sessions, which is a great series Rio came up with that came from recognizing how bad live streaming can be. The audio quality usually isn't good or the video can get lost. Our Happy Hour Hangs aren't exactly focused on the music but just about talking and keeping each other company, and the reason for this is we don't want to showcase a musician in a setting they are not comfortable with (solo, poor quality, etc). During the Lockdown Sessions we ask musicians to pre-record a 15 minute set which they can produce as much or as little as possible, and they present it via Zoom's screen share feature. It fills the gap between live streaming and a gig, where musicians can control what they present while it being on an online platform. It basically becomes a semi-live performance but also has been dubbed a "jazz variety show" or "jazz MTV" by some of the musicians, it's actually really fun seeing the amazing things musicians come up with. Each week we have four acts. And for some shameless self-promotion, Rio asked my group Secret Mall to perform on May 9th, so we're going to do something fun for that.
The full schedule of all our activities is on our website, www.jazzgallery.org for anyone that wants to take a look at what's going on.

What do you envision for the future of The Jazz Gallery?
We really believe that gatherings will not immediately return to normal. Right now, we're under the impression that quarantine will be lifted on May 15th (probably not, but let's say it does). There is no way any venue is going to be packed that same night. People are still going to feel unsafe about going out, and if they do go out, are they really going to want to be packed like sardines in some venue? We think the most practical thing is to gradually open until things are safe. One of my ideas has been to do live streamed concerts from our space with no audience. I'd go and set the musicians up, put up a camera, mic everything up, and it would just be us, so I hope we can make that happen. Eventually we will open up again although we don't have a set date but its looking to be at the earliest late summer, most likely at a capped attendance, and gradually increase that. But through our online endeavors we've kept people happy. We have actually gotten new members, some donations, and gotten some sort of income for musicians. Things aren't great, but it's not exactly terrible yet.

The latest album from your group Secret Mall is called System32 and it was self-released in 2019. Who had the idea to form the band?
So Alfredo Colon and I went to school together at the City College of New York. It's a small program, and Alfredo is one of two people I regularly play with that I went to school with. When he started the undergraduate program I was just finishing mine, but we really started hanging out when I started grad school and he was maybe a sophomore or junior. He was just a funny guy to hang out with. He started working at the Gallery around that time. I didn't know Steve Williams at that time, but he had emailed me to do an internship at the Gallery via The New School. Alfredo knew Andres Valbuena a bit from some program they did in High School. Andres had asked Alfredo about working at the Gallery and it worked out. So basically the four of us were working at The Jazz Gallery, it was really fun to just hang out with those guys. A gig came up for Alfredo and I where we were going to play at Madison Square Park one afternoon for some event, and we needed to call some people. Alfredo and I wanted to start a band and he drunkenly Snapchatted Steve asking if he wanted to - not play, but join the band, which is a big committment as we had never even heard him play before. We just called him because he was fun to hang with. We lucked out because as it turns out, Steve is a good bass player! Andres we already knew was amazing, so we rounded it up with him, and played this gig at Madison Square Park which went pretty well.

We were all also very much into internet humor and internet culture. For example, Vaporwave was a strange music genre that had its thing in like 2014-2016. We were really into the visual element of that, though, so we use that aesthetic in a lot of our visuals and incorporate some of the sounds into our music. We also love internet memes. Our first EP is entirely based on a meme called Yee (which can be found on Youtube). Our full length System32 sort of follows the same idea, but we also enlisted some friends to bring in some funny moments such as Chris Morrissey's voice mail or Joel Ross' synth solo. 
The band was a quartet since the beginning, but on System32 we decided to add more sounds to the record with electronics, and decided it would be a good idea to add a keyboard player, we called our good friend Theo Walentiny who is one of the most incredible pianists from our scene, and while we have yet to play with him, we're really looking forward to seeing how much fuller the band sounds with him.
We were actually going to record our next album around this time, we had two days at a studio booked but things happened, so whenever things loosen up, we're getting back on it.

 Who influenced you the most as a guitarist?
I can mention a couple of people: Michel Camilo is probably the first one. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, I didn't exactly have access to a lot of music education. I played in rock and metal groups but had never really heard a jazz album until I was 17. Interestingly enough, I heard Michel Camilo on the radio one night. It was a piece of his called “Suite Sandrine”, and I just remember my jaw on the floor, having never heard anything like this but I just thought ‘I want to do this’, and especially finding out that Michel is Dominican played a huge part. He's the reason I went to school for music.

Jim Hall was another big influence. There was something about Jim's playing. Everything he played was just perfect. I remember learning about him and listening to him on The Bridge, or on Live! and just thinking how different this was from everything I'd been hearing before, he didn't sound like any other guitarist at the time. And then learning he was still alive (at the time)! I got to see him a few times before he passed and actually got to talk to him once, I was being such a fanboy at the time. Same thing with Lee Konitz. He was also one of those guys that didn't sound like anyone else, he even talked about it a lot. And I had the same reaction learning he was also still alive. I got to meet Lee a bunch of times through the Gallery. He was truly a funny guy and one of the most unique voices in music. Both Jim and Lee's playing, which avoided cliches and generic jazz vocabulary appealed to my approach so much. Following the Jim Hall lineage, I also love Peter Bernstein. His vocabulary is just so unique and everything he plays is so tasteful. He's also one of the nicest guys.

Miles Okazaki is also a huge influence, I studied with him for quite some time and got a lot from him. I had been wanting to study with Miles for years before moving to New York, but I remember hearing Generations and just trying to figure out what was happening. His approach to rhythm and time and his scholarly nature are things I really admire about him. He has a really great Instagram account where he is methodically going through every pitch set combination and demonstrating them. I recommend strongly recommend checking that out.

Allan Holdsworth is probably my biggest influence right now, though. I've been digging really deep into his music for the last year or two. The things he plays are absolutely unreal, a lot of things sound like he's literally opening up a portal to a new dimension. I got into him late unfortunately, just shortly before he passed so I never got to see him live, but his music has really influenced more than probably anyone else. In that tradition I'm also following Tim Miller, who has a sort of Holdsworthian quality to his playing, but he doesn't sound like Holdsworth. He has his own thing going on which I'm also very much into.

Can you tell me two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to?
So many! I think in a realistic sense, my friend Lex Korten who is an amazing pianist. You can hear him in many settings, most recently on the latest Tyshawn Sorey record Unfiltered. Despite knowing him for a while now we have yet to play together, but we've talked about it. He's gonna be huge so I know I have to get to it soon! I'd also really love to play with Evan Marien. He's an amazing bass player and actually played a bit with Holdsworth. He writes some really great music, shreds, and everything he plays feel so good.

Name your top 3 jazz albums.
I don't think I can say top 3, because I love so many records, but here are 3 that I can think of off the top of my head.
Jim Hall Live! Don't make me choose a volume, I'm just going with the box set! This stuff is just incredible. I remember listening to this record when it was just Vol. 1 out, and then finding out there were 3 more volumes! I was over the moon. Jim sounds great here but his rhythm section (Don Thompson and Terry Clarke) is ridiculous. Terry in particular has some of the most amazing dynamics.
I'm going to put a blanket over Allan Holdsworth, whatever album of his I'm listening to at the moment is my favorite Allan Holdsworth album. But some particular mentions are Sixteen Men of Tain, Secrets, Atavachron, and Then! I'm also super excited for a live DVD/CD that's coming out from a 1986 gig in Frankfurt with Gary Husband, Jimmy Johnson, and Key Akagi.
And for number three... Kate Gentile's Mannequins. Kate is just amazing. She can play just about anything, and writes some really unique music. She's definitely one of my favorites. Ah, so many more I want to talk about!

Name your top 3 non-jazz albums.
Right now, Chon's self-titled album. Chon is this progressive rock band from San Diego. They're all fantastic musicians. I learned about them around 2008 when they were like 14 (the drummer was like 10 around that time) but they were shredding! Their music has matured so much throughout the years, and this more recent record is really great.
There's a lot of classical stuff I check out. One record I really like is this album Shrouded Mirrors by guitarist Diego Castro Magas. He's a Chilean classical guitarist who focuses on performing music by contemporary composers. This album actually led me to discover Bryn Harrison who is now one of my favorite composers.
Lastly, the Animals as Leaders self-titled album is probably going to be one of my all time greatest influences. This album completely redefined modern metal. While this comes straight from the Meshuggah lineage, it was a very different sound that really just had not been heard. It's probably not my favorite Animals as Leaders record from their discography, but definitely the one that really changed the game. I find it awesome that Tosin Abasi (one of the guitar players) is really into jazz too. He's cited people like Kurt Rosenwinkel and Adam Rogers as influences.

What would you have been if you weren’t a musician?
I was set on going to school for psychology before that Michel Camilo story, so probably that. I'm not sure though. I obviously would have had to do something if it wasn't music, but I tend to not think about it too much.

Despite the situation we’re living in, life goes on. Plans for the future?
Yeah, I'm very lucky and privileged that my mental health is well right now. I know many people having a hard time and I really feel for them. I've been working like normal, just from home. Despite being home all day, things seem busier though. There's a lot more Jazz Gallery work, but I also have more time to practice, write, produce.
Probably the most immediate thing is building the Youtube channel I mentioned. I already uploaded a video last month that I sort of used as a "beta test" to get some criticism and see how I can improve that. So right now I'm scripting a bunch of topics for videos to start releasing them in May.

Wolfgang Muthspiel Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Wolfgang Muthspiel, 2016 ©Clara Pereira

Name: Wolfgang Muthspiel
Instrument: guitar
Style: post-bop, modern creative
Album Highlights: Travel Guide (ECM, 2013), Rising Grace (ECM, 2016), Angular Blues (ECM, 2020)

With this new ECM release, Angular Blues, you returned to the trio format, but instead of Larry Grenadier on the bass, it was Scott Colley who appeared for the first time in one of your projects. How did it happen?
Actually, I played and recorded with Scott in the 90s in New York. He is on an album called Daily Mirror, which I did together with the singer Rebekka Bakken. On that album, Scott also plays with Brian. Later, I did a tour with Scott in a trio with Mark Turner. I have known him for a long time and have listened to him a lot in projects he did in NY with Dave Binney, for example, and also with Jim Hall. 

I was particularly bewitched with the two disparate versions of “Kanon” presented on the album. Can you tell us more about this piece and your approaches?
Well, these are two different Kanons, one in 5/4 and one in 6/8. I play the Kanons with my delay. After the composed section of the solo Kanon in 5/4, I improvise, which is a fun thing to do, since everything you play creates the foundation of what you play on top next. I practiced this quite a bit and found it interesting because the system is so strict and because it creates such a particular web. In the other Kanon, only the head is canonic, all the rest is playing on changes.

How enriching were your collaborations with Gary Burton and Paul Motian? Any funny story while touring/recording with them?
Both of them were important to me. Gary hired me when I was young and I played in his band for two years. He was extremely generous and opened many doors for me. I also met Larry Grenadier in that band, as well as Donny McCaslin. Gary is an extremely clear and intelligent person and player, who knew exactly what he wanted in the Band. I owe him a lot.
Paul Motian was a blessing for me, because I ended up playing with him in my Trio together with Marc Johnson, as well as in his Electric Bebop Band off and on with different great guitarists (Monder, Rosenwinkel, Cardenas, Schoeppach). Paul’s sound and attitude on the drums, his unique way of dealing with time and his own way of playing rubato, as well as his unique way of swinging taught me a lot about music that I did not know before.

What led you to leave New York and return to Vienna?
I guess after 15 years in the States I had a longing for Europe. It just fit at that moment, also in my private situation.

Besides jazz, what other styles do you listen to? Any recommendation for a particular genre?
I listen to a lot of classical music. Some modern but also a lot of classical stuff like Schubert, Mozart, Beethoven. I love  Messiaen, Takemitsu and Lutoslawski. I love Joni Mitchell, Prince, Bjork. I grew up with a lot of Renaissance choral music, which might be my favorite music. Bird, and Dowland and Gesualdo and those guys. I love Paco de Lucia.

Can you tell me 3 of your favorite jazz records?
Kenny Wheeler - Gnu High; Keith Jarrett - Personal Mountains; Pat Metheny - Rejoicing.

Can you name a few persons who influenced you the most as a guitarist?
Pat Metheny, Ralph Towner, Julian Bream, Mick Goodrick.

Can you name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you would like to?
Jason Moran and Bill Frisell.

What would you have been if you weren’t a musician?
There was no Plan B, but I can dream up alternative lives in which I am a cook, a writer, an athlete, a pilgrim, a poet.

Are you working in any new project right now?
I just did a round of concerts with a large ensemble, which played my songs arranged by Guillermo Klein. I loved that, and hope to continue this in 2021.

William Parker Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

William Parker, 2019 ©Clara Pereira

Name: William Parker
Instrument: bass
Style: free jazz, avant-garde jazz
Album Highlights: O’Neals Porch (AUM Fidelity, 2000), Sound Unity (AUM Fidelity, 2005), Double Sunrise Over Neptune (AUM Fidelity, 2008)

When did you decide to become a professional musician and what led you to that decision?
I was introduced to the music of Duke Ellington when I was seven years old through my father, who played the recording Ellington Live at Newport 1956. There was a track, “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue” that was a favorite, the one where the tenor player Paul Gonsalves played chorus after chorus taking the music to a holy ghost feeling, like in the black church. Great music every night played in the house and every day and all day on Saturday - Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Willis Gator Tails Jackson, Don Byas, Gene Ammons. All of this music led me to the music of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, Yusef Lateef, and just about everybody who was making music in the 50s and 60s. When I was about 9 years old, my father got me a trumpet and sent me for lessons. Later, I switched to trombone and cello. But through listening to bass players like Percy Heath, Jimmy Garrison, Charlie Haden, John Lamb and David Izenzon, I decided that the bass was for me. That coincided with me realizing the purpose of music was to heal people. When I was 17, I jumped into the arena and attempted to see if I could make a contribution to the world of music.

Your big band project Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield will be presented on March 4th at The Town Hall. What can people expect from this multimedia presentation?
I will present new arrangements and a new original piece. This is a different time and setting, and the work is even more relevant. This will be the first performance of the project since Amiri Bararka passed away in 2012. I have added three backup singers as well as Leena Conquest, plus a larger horn section. I have invited the poet Thomas Sayers Ellis to read some of Amiri’s text plus asked him to add his own words on the material. There will also be new interludes and extensions to the songs.

In addition to be a distinguished bassist/composer, you’re also a poet. In your opinion, which of these artistic forms more easily convey the ideas you want to express?
All forms of creativity are equal and they complement each other. It is the poetry in music that makes it work and the music inside poetry that makes it work. Music is not just sound, it is anything that is beautiful.

Your career spans 50 years. What are the aspects from the current free jazz scene that most upset you when compared to the old times? And what are the ones that you think are positive?
Music is Music. Many of the great progenitors from the 1960s are gone and the fire of the civil rights movement has burnt out so that today the kind of cathartic music and the aesthetic is different. But music is strong and it keeps revealing itself in new ways. So there are others who are coming or will come to be music, because the world needs music. But the situation around our lives are also making things harder. Musicians are spread out across the city, so gathering is much more of a conscious effort. The cost of living keeps going up and the pay for artists doesn’t come close to what is needed to survive.

Can you name two persons who influenced you the most as a musician?
Cecil Taylor, Milford Graves, Ornette Coleman, but there are many people who have inspired me.

Can you name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you would like to?
There is no one I can think of. Maybe the Mexican singer Lila Downs.

Besides being a prolific bandleader you have always been an in-demand sideman. How do you manage your time? Did you ever decline to participate in a recording project that you were interested due to lack of time?
Right now I do the things that I am most interested in. Things known and many things unknown.

Can you tell me 3 jazz records that completely blew your mind?
Clark Terry - Electric Mumbles; Don Byas Meets Ben Webster; Bill Dixon - Intents and Purposes. But If you ask me tomorrow I will probably say three different records.

In which projects are you working at the moment?
The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield, Southern Satellites, String Quartet, Trail of Tears

Avram Fefer Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Avram Fefer, 2018 ©Clara Pereira

Name: Avam Fefer
Instrument: saxophones, bass clarinet
Style: modern creative, avant-garde
Album Highlights: Calling All Spirits (Cadence, 2001); Eliyahu (Not Two Records, 2011); Testament (Clean Feed, 2019)

Can you tell us about your influences?
I always found it interesting to compare musical backgrounds with other musicians when I play jazz. Some jazz people have a more classical background, some people more rock n’ roll, church, or punk. For me, it was a combination of light jazz, funk, and musical theater. Although I was a Jewish American kid, I always felt a little on the edge of American culture because of my father’s immigrant background (he was born in a labor camp in Siberia). R’n’B was what really touched me in my teen years - Earth, Wind And Fire, Stevie Wonder, Harry Nilsson, and the Ohio Players… while my first jazz influences were Stanley Turrentine and Grover Washington Jr., followed later by Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. Thus, I had this kind of funky side in me early on, more than say bebop or ‘heavy’ jazz. And then, when I was in Paris in the 1990’s, I met the cornet player Graham Haynes, who introduced me to Moroccan music. I also started to play with musicians from the other French colonies such as Senegal, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast, and became influenced by their sounds. In Paris I had the opportunity to listen to a lot of music from Ghana and kora music from Guinea and Mali, and when I arrived in New York, I started to work with the West African musicians Francis M’Bappe, Famoro Diabate, Yacouba Sissoko and Mamady Djibate. That influenced me a lot in my feeling of jazz. You know, the definition of jazz for me is European and African music meeting in America. I guess I would say that I have deeper influences from the African music side than the European.

What are your first musical memories?
Apparently there is a photo of me on my 3rd birthday walking thru a park in Stockholm, Sweden with my parents while Duke Ellington’s Band is performing in the background, but I don’t have an actual memory of this. I do remember that my father played the acoustic guitar and I would play the bongos with him at an early age. I’m sure I was terrible, but we played the music of Bob Dylan; Peter, Paul and Mary; and a lot of liberation music, including Jewish and Negro spirituals. And then, the most influential recorded music I heard was the music from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. Both the movie and the music were so powerful in triggering my young imagination…romance, rhythm, race, sex, dance, immigration, New York—it was all there!! I also listened to my parents’ Herb Alpert Records a lot and started to play along on clarinet when I was 10 or 11...

What led you to make the decision of being a professional jazz musician?
I started playing in the elementary school band when I was nine years old. In high school, I started playing the saxophone in the jazz big band, and I loved the experience. It was a life-changing experience to be one of the soloists and section leaders in a swinging big band, to be part of that power! Then I went to Harvard, intending perhaps to be a doctor, but I changed my mind pretty quickly… After some wonderful musical exposure thru Tom Everett, the jazz teacher there, and a number of brilliant and creative friends who turned me on to all sorts of poetry, literature, drugs, and philosophy, I was becoming much more myself, and more aware of my creative side. By the time I graduated, I was around 20 years old and getting more serious about music as a pursuit. I started to feel very strongly about the importance of music for me personally, and for the world at large. I thought it would be a noble challenge for me as a human being to dedicate myself to jazz and to try to touch people deeply thru music. By the time I was 21 or 22, Sonny Rollins trio recordings had made a huge impression on me and reinforced my desire to improve and express myself as a saxophone player.
I had my first overseas tour in the late 80’s in a band that featured drummer Mike Sarin and pianist John Medeski. We had a great time and I received some pretty good press which helped me weather the hard times that came in those early years… Soon afterwards, I moved to Europe and began playing in the streets of Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Paris…making my money day-to-day and getting arrested on numerous occasions… Eventually I was offered enough steady club work that I found that I had transitioned from playing in the street to being what you might call a “professional Musician”.
After that, it’s just a question of continuing to pursue Music until Music tells me to stop…

Being in the New York scene for so long, what are the main differences from back then and nowadays?
For me, personally, there was a much stronger sense of community when I first came to New York, although I probably appreciate that fact more in hindsight. I lived in the Lower East Side, and it was the drummer Denis Charles, whom I met in Paris, that said that I should move to New York and he helped find an apartment for me here in 1996. The music in New York at that time was really beautiful and there were a lot of places to play. I was working three or four nights a week and actually being paid for the gigs. I was based in downtown Manhattan and although I was part of the downtown scene, in a way I was never really a “downtown” player because of my African influences. But there was always room to play at the Knitting Factory and Tonic, which was my favorite club of all time. Tonic was only a couple blocks from my apartment, with a great social vibe and where you had a lot of different kinds of high-quality music and people happening in the same venue from one day to the next. I really liked that the music could be part of people's lives while integrated into the fabric of the city, but we’re losing that a little bit. Today there are more small venues with a bunch of chairs and a small but obsessed group of people listening to music.
Obviously, the music business has changed completely over the past couple decades. When I was in Paris, I was on a major label with an ‘acid-jazz’ band and we could make money from recordings, but that started to change over the last 25 years. So, I would say that now there are so many great musicians that it is a great time for Music, but not necessarily Music Business. Also, many musicians come out of the academic environment, but maybe not knowing a lot of other things about life. When I started out, people still lived the jazz lifestyle -- late nights, drinking, doing drugs, partying... Now, I feel the connections are a bit colder and a bit more distant than before, but perhaps healthier.

Guitarist Marc Ribot plays on your new quartet album, Testament. This was the first time you guys recorded together. How did that happen?
Two years ago I left the Lower East Side, where I'd lived for 20 years, and moved to Brooklyn. The first year, when I moved, it was kind of a hard time. I was going through some personal problems and it was a very hard year for me. So, I said: ‘I need to put out a new album with Eric [Revis] and Chad [Taylor]’. Meanwhile, I played a few times with Marc Ribot and another guitar player, Marco Cappelli, at Nublu, but this was all improvised, not my music. While I was planning the trio recording, I had these gigs at Bar Lunatico, where I was presenting quartet versions of my songs with different musicians. So one day I sent a message to Marc, asking him if he would like to join us. He said he was busy but would love to record my music if I ever wanted to do it. So I said: ‘I was planning to record in trio. However, instead of playing a lot of new music, you could play guitar on some of my older tunes.’ We put it together to see how it sounded, and it was just a beautiful feeling. Marc is a very generous player and he could feel my music right away. I think we have a similar approach to music: strong and a little bit rough, but also incorporating a sort of spiritual side.

Can you tell me three of your favorite jazz records?
Wayne Shorter - Schizophrenia; Charles Mingus - Mingus at Antibes; Miles Davis - Live at Plugged Nickel.

Can you name two persons who influenced you the most as a saxophonist?
I have to say a few more than two: Stanley Turrentine, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Jimmy Giuffre, Wayne Shorter, Ornette Coleman, Steve Lacy, Archie Shepp.

Can you name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to?
Afel Bocoum and Jamaaladeen Tacuma. One artist I’ve worked with but would love to work with again is Archie Shepp.

What would you have been if you weren’t a musician?
Probably a school teacher. I love kids and I love teaching. I would teach them ways to improvise and to think critically about a variety of different subjects.

In which projects are you working at the moment?
I have a couple projects in the works related to abstract interpretations of literature and the release of a duo or a trio album with a West African kora player. I also want to put together a large group project where I’ll do some conductions and controlled improvisations. And, of course, I’d love to do a follow-up recording with Marc, Eric, and Chad as soon as possible!!

Dan Weiss Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Dan Weiss, 2015 ©Clara Pereira

Name: Dan Weiss
Instrument: drums
Style: modern creative, avant-garde
Album Highlights: Fourteen (Pi, 2014); Sixteen: Drummers Suite (Pi, 2002); Utica Box (Sunnyside, 2019)

When did your interest in percussion come up?
It happened when I first heard Led Zeppelin’s IV. I was two or three years old and, from that point on, it was always drums.

Besides studying and practicing the instrument, what other things can help you being a better musician?
Listen to all kinds of music, be an open-minded person, willingness and eagerness to learn and make mistakes, and put yourself in situations that are not comfortable. Learning about different arts and disciplines, and traveling.

Your new album, Utica Box, features two bassists, sometimes at the same time. Can you explain a bit about the concept behind it?
The concept was simple. Thomas [Morgan] was busy a lot and I wanted to have a different bass player to know the music. So, Eivind [Opsvik] has brought off a cool sense of the music with the arco textural thing as well as melodic. So, I thought it would be nice to have them playing in the record, splitting the album up. That way, if one of them is busy, the other one could do the tours, do the gigs, and also have a chance to play together. This was how the idea came up. A very practical approach.

You’re very familiar with large ensembles, a fact demonstrated on the albums Fourteen and Sixteen: Drummers Suite. In which of the two contexts do you have more fun? Large ensembles or small groups?
I have more fun playing in small groups because there’s less pressure, less stress, and less responsibility. The smaller the ensemble, usually the more fun it is. It’s a completely different mindset composing for large ensemble, which you have to be very specific with the arrangement and orchestration, and for smaller ensembles, where there’s a little more freedom since it doesn’t necessarily need to be so arranged.

Can you name two persons who influenced you the most as a drummer?
John Coltrane and the Indian sitar player Nikhil Banerjee because of their spiritual approach and never-ending search for something. Also their never-ending practice and constant evolution.

Can you name two persons whom you’ve never collaborated before but you’d like to?
Hmmm… I don’t have an answer right now. Maybe 20 years ago it would have been Keith Jarrett, but the guys who are playing these days are unbelievable musicians.

As an in-demand drummer, do you have any advice for younger musicians and their path in music?
Be true to yourself. Find out what you really like. Work hard, have a good attitude, and listen to a lot of music. Be patient and don’t rush things - don’t put your record out if you’re not ready.

What would you have been if weren’t a musician?
Nothing. There were no questions ever regarding being a musician.

In which projects are you working right now?
I have a tour with the trio in November. Starebaby 2 is on its way - we’ll have a new record coming out next spring, so we’ll have some gigs and tours. The duo with Miles Okazaki is releasing a new record next year. Also, me, Matt Mitchell and Miguel Zenon are talking about recording a trio album. That should be in the future since everyone is too busy this year. I’m also planning to release a duo album with Ari Hoenig, which was recorded in 2009 and it’s already finished. Now, I’m trying to write a piece for five drummers that should be ready soon.

Ben Allison Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Ben Allison, 2016 ©Clara Pereira

Name: Ben Allison
Instrument: double bass
Style: post-bop, modern creative
Album Highlights: Peace Pipe (Palmetto, 2002), Buzz (Palmetto, 2004), Layers of the City (Sonic Camera, 2017)

How did you decide to become a musician?
I don’t recall ever deciding to become a musician, it just kind of happened. But as I think back to experiences and people who inspired me to pursue a life in music, there are a few that stick. When I was 9 years old, I listened to a lot of records, pop music like The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, etc. That year, two musicians came to my school: bassist Willie Ruff and pianist Dwike Mitchell. Their music was so different from anything I had heard before. They were playing jazz, but I didn’t know what that was. At one point, they look at each other and smiled and started laughing. I couldn’t understand what made them laugh. Then it happened again. After a few minutes I realized that they were surprising each other. There was something about the way they were communicating, where one of them would play something and the other one would react to it spontaneously. At that moment, I had a glimpse into what it means to improvise. Until that point, I had thought that musicians always knew what was coming next. The idea that musicians could surprise each other was a revelation. I became fascinated with the idea. In fact, I’ve dedicated my life to learning how to have a musical conversation in the moment.

How do you see your music now as compared when you first started?
The more you play, the more you begin to find yourself as an artist. You start to develop ways to express your personality through your music. At the beginning, I had a lot of ideas but I didn’t have the necessary skills to realize them. Now that I’m older, it’s easier for me to express myself. The challenge for me now, is to choose which ideas I want to pursue. If I’m not careful, I can get overwhelmed with possibilities. Focusing one’s creativity is important. It takes a lot of energy to stay focused.

How would you describe your sound as a bass player in three words?
Melodic, rhythmic, soulful.

You’ve been representing music professionals at the Recording Academy for many years. What do you think it needs urgently to be changed in the music industry?
The Recording Academy is a trade organization, which means that it’s membership-based. The Recording Academy members are all music creators — instrumentalists, songwriters, engineers, singers, conductors, producers — in short, the people who make the music. Our goal is to draw attention to the music industry and support music creators. A big part of that is advocacy, which means working together to promote each other and our industry, and to fight for changes that benefit our community. For example, my role is Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the NY chapter. We speak with members of Congress about issues that affect musicians. We push for, and sometimes help draft legislation that’s positive for our industry. The idea is to show that music has value, that it’s important both to our culture and to our economy. A recent example of a big win for us was the passage of the Music Modernization Act, which will create new royalty streams for music creators and fix some longstanding issues in copyright law. This affects musician’s directly and positively.

What was in the base of your decision to create the Jazz Composers Collective in the early 90’s?
At that time, there was a strong neo-conservative movement happening in jazz. Some people wanted to codify the music, to define it and say, “this is what jazz is.” I’ve always resisted attempts to define the music because I see jazz as an evolutionary art form. Throughout its history, jazz as always changed to reflect the times in which it was created and the viewpoints of the people who created it. That’s not to say that there aren’t defining characteristics of the music or that there aren’t musicians who clearly set the wheels in motion. But, it’s tempting and too simplistic to say that any particular musician or city marks the definite beginning. Music is a continuum. Every style or genre is based on what came before it. Our concern is that jazz was being described as “America’s classical music,” which to our ears implied that it was a dead artform — that it would be relegated to a repertory-based music, much as classical music had become in the eyes of the public.
Our idea was to bring attention on some of the new music that was happening on the NYC scene at that time. The goal of the Collective was to support, foster and present new music in the jazz idiom and to build an audience for jazz. During our 13 years, the Collective presented over 100 concerts, featuring the works of over 50 composers, and most importantly the premier of over 300 new compositions. The Collective also presented an annual festival, financed multiple recordings and tours, commissioned new works, published a newsletter and was one of the first arts organizations to have a website (1994). It was a tremendous creative outpouring, and I am extremely proud to have been involved.

How do you see technology in modern music?
Technology changes things. When the phonograph was invented and recordings became commercially available around the turn of the twentieth century, some feared that the public would lose interest in live performances. But it turned out that people liked both live and recorded music. For nearly a century, the means of production were controlled by a few record executives and production studios. But now the computer and the Internet have allowed anybody to produce, distribute and market a record. So, technology is a double-edged sword. It cuts for good and for bad.
A big question for consumers today is, how do you find music that’s good? I think there’s a role to be played by music curators. Radio hosts and programmers, as well as people who curate playlists on the streaming services are still important and can help us find the good stuff. People like you at JazzTrail are another example. Smart, well-informed curators can help audiences cut through the noise and find the best music. It’s also important for music lovers to make an effort. Don’t just trust Alexa or Siri to tell you what’s good! If you really love music, spend some time searching. In fact, there’s a kind of joy in searching for music and stumbling upon something amazing.

Can you name two persons who influenced you the most as a musician?
My most important early influence is my mother, who is an amateur singer of choral music. The first time I’ve ever heard an orchestra and a choral ensemble was when I was very young and I heard her perform. I’m happy to report that, at the age of 85, she has resumed her ‘career’ as an amateur choral singer and is part of some incredible choirs in New Haven, CT. She has always been very encouraging and supportive of my interest in music.
Another important person to me is one of my mentors, Joe Lovano. When I was at NYU, he taught the improvisation ensemble. He was very encouraging and said some things I will never forget. He emphasized how important it is to find your voice as an artist, to carve out a niche for yourself on the scene. I appreciated that. The day I graduated college I remember feeling very nervous about the future. I asked Joe what I should do, now that school was over. He said, “be consistent and persistent. Work on your craft. Knock on doors but don’t try to knock them down.” In other words, let people know what you’re doing but don’t try to force things. He instilled in me the idea that it takes time to figure your place in the music world. It’s a process. I found a lot of meaning in those comments.

Can you name two persons with whom you have not collaborated with but wold like to?
I wish I had had the chance to collaborate with Andrew Hill. I think he is one of the greatest jazz composers and pianists of all time. I’ve always appreciated his genius. Many of my friends collaborated and performed with him in the later years of his career, but unfortunately, I never got that chance. He was another musician who changed the way I look at my career. One of the things he said to me was ‘never sell your music.” I took that to mean that I should not relinquish the publishing rights to my music and should try to retain ownership of my masters. I took that lesson to heart. I currently own all the albums I made for the various labels I recorded for over the years.
And then another person… hmmm, so many people… I would like to work with John Scofield. Aside from being a great guitar player, he has a natural musicality, and I feel like the music we would do together would be very good (laughs). I would love to work with him some day!

What would you have been if you weren’t a musician?
I’m a science buff. I read a lot about it and it’s my hobby when I’m not creating music. Almost every branch of science is interesting to me. I’m fascinated by the natural world and marvel at the people who dedicate their lives to trying to figure out how it works.

In which projects are you working right now?
I recently played bass on a new record by my friend Steve Cardenas, with whom I’ve collaborated many times over the years. The album also features Jon Cowherd on piano and Brian Blade on drums. Steve wrote a bunch of new compositions for it and we’re all very excited about how it came out. There was tremendous chemistry among the musicians. I am co-producer of the record, and have been putting it together with Steve for the past few weeks. It will be released in the first quarter of next year. I’ve also been collaborating a lot lately with pianist/composer Michael Wolff. We just recorded the second album with his new trio, the follow-up to last year’s #1 album Swirl. I’m also in the process of remixing and remastering the 10 albums I did for Palmetto. The rights to those albums reverted to me in 2018 (thank you Andrew Hill) and I’ve been busy working on a plan to re-release them over the coming year. I also continue to write new music for my various projects, tour with my bands and other groups, and teach in the New School’s Jazz & Contemporary Music program.

Frank Kimbrough Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Frank Kimbrough, 2019 ©Clara Pereira

Name: Frank Kimbrough
Instrument: piano
Style: post-bop, modern creative
Album Highlights: Play (Palmetto, 2006), Solstice (Pirouet, 2016), Monk’s Dreams (Sunnyside, 2018)

In October you’re going to play at AngraJazz with your quartet. Did you hear about this festival before? How did the invitation come up?
I played there in 2004 with the Herbie Nichols Project. Maybe that was part of a tour, I can’t even remember at this point. It was quite a few years ago, but I remember we had a beautiful time. The island is beautiful! I remember going up to the rim of the volcano and I remember the food! (laughs). Miguel Cunha [AngraJazz artistic director] sent me an email maybe two or three months after the release of the 6-CD box set album Monk’s Dreams. I called the guys to see if they could do it and everyone was available, so here we go.

What attracts you the most in the music of Monk to the point of recording his complete repertoire?
I always loved his music, but when I was young I did’t really get it. And then, one day when I was in my mid twenties, I was listening to some of his music and all of a sudden I realized it was great. So, I love his music and I’ve been playing a lot of his tunes over the years. I played a concert at Jazz Standard with this band to celebrate Monk’s 100th birthday and an old friend of mine, who used to go see Monk playing with Coltrane at the Five Spot Café when he was young, was there and liked it. So, he came to me at the break and said: “think about this, maybe you can take this band to the studio and record everything that Monk wrote”. We had a conversation a few days later about this, and he and a friend of his funded the whole thing. That was what enabled us to do it.

What other main influences are brought into your playing?
I have many, many influences but the people I was closest personally were Andrew Hill, Paul Bley, and Shirley Horn, and later on Paul Motian. They were all very kind to me and we’ve spent a lot of time together. So, their influence was not just musical. I observed how they worked and we spent time talking about music but other things too. They are my main influences.

What made you choose Scott Robinson, Rufus Reid and Billy Drummond for this particular project?
Scott and I have known each other for almost 40 years and we played our first gig together in 1980. I’ve always admired Scott’s playing, and when I started thinking about the project, the only person I thought would be perfect for this was Scott. That’s what I was hearing in my head, so I called him. I’ve worked with Rufus in different contexts before and I can almost hear him playing with Monk. He played with Andrew too, at least on one or two records, I think. I’ve always loved Rufus, he’s such a sweet and smart person and he plays so beautifully. And the same with Billy, you know, I love these guys and everybody is so easy to work with. Everybody is so creative and, at the end of the day, it’s like four friends having a conversation.

What are your top 3 jazz records?
That’s very difficult! But I can tell you the record that made me decide to be a jazz musician. It was Four & More by Miles Davis. I heard that when I was maybe 18 years old and it just completely blew my mind.

Do you listen to other genres besides jazz?
Yes. Let me look at my media player and I can tell you a few names. There’s a lot of jazz here: Ornette, Mingus, Andrew [Hill], and Weather Report, but also Elis Regina, Maria Bethania, Hermeto Pascoal, the French composer Messiaen, I have some Tom Waits, there’s this Spanish composer Federico Mompou that I like a lot. I also listen to Baweanese music and shakuhachi music from Japan. I just don’t listen to a lot of pop music. Most of the time, I tend to go to more introspective music but I try to listen to a lot of different things.

Is there someone whom you’ve never collaborated with but you’d like to?
Oh! And they have to be alive, right? (laughs). I think it would be really fun to play with Andrew Cyrille. Also… Roscoe Mitchell.

Which do you prefer, studio recording or live performance?
That’s a tough one. A lot of times, pianos can be a problem in live performances while in the studios they are not because they’re very well maintained. They’re two different animals altogether. I like both, but the older I get, the less I like traveling.

If you weren’t a musician what would you have been?
Maybe a monk or maybe I would be in prison (laughs).

In which projects are you working right now?
The most recent thing that I’ve been involved with was a new record by Maria Schneider Orchestra. We just did a 2-CD project that will be coming out next Spring, in April, and I think it’s going to be incredible. There’s maybe nine of us in the band that have been with her for more than 25 years, so, in a way, it’s like a family. Also, I’m currently talking to a friend of mine, who is a producer, in order to do a new recording. Maybe an LP for this coming year, and we’re just having initial discussions about who will be on it. Apart from that, I’m very involved with my teaching. I’m starting my 12th year at Juilliard in a jazz program, and the students are great. I love teaching, and as I get older - I’m over 60 now - I think it’s my responsibility to pass all the information I’ve learned from these great musicians on. This music is not taught in books, it’s taught person to person, and I try to give all that away.

Matt Mitchell Interview, NYC

By Filipe Freitas

Name: Matt Mitchell
Instrument: piano, keyboards
Style: contemporary jazz, avant-garde jazz, modern creative
Album Highlights: Vista Accumulation (Pi Recordings, 2015), A Pouting Grimace (Pi Recordings, 2017), Phalanx Ambassadors (Pi Recordings, 2019)

At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a professional musician?
There wasn’t a single moment of recognition. Around age 14-15 I probably realized that I spent all my available free time working on music and that it would dominate my consciousness regardless of whatever else I was doing. I didn’t fully commit to being a full-time professional musician until I was almost 34, though.

Your style is impossible to copy. What's the secret for making intricate polyrhythmic lines sound so organic?
This is a gigantic question, and answering is going to leave other gaping unanswered holes, but ok... A short answer is that polyrhythms are actually inherently “organic”. If we’re taking “organic” to mean “somehow naturally occurring or naturally felt”, I could make a case that even the most complex polyrhythms that human musicians play aren’t even organic enough.
Semantics aside, my solution for incorporating any sort of new musical elements has usually been just picking small areas on which to work and just going for it, making the practice and absorption process itself creative. And while I do, of course, use that type of rhythmic material, it’s just a part of a continuum, really. I give polyrhythms a lot of attention because they’re very difficult to really master all the potential implications - and really working on them also helps “on-the-3s and 4s grid” sort of playing/phrasing/writing as well.
In other words, no secret, just a slow building up from a cellular level as with other aspects of music.
As for the notion of my style being impossible to copy, I actually doubt that’s true. Every subsequent generation takes for granted what older musicians struggled to achieve. They don’t see it as hard. I’m turning 44 this week - I can tell you from experience that musicians 10 years younger than me have internalized things in a way my generation hasn’t, and people 20 years younger even more so. It’s the way it is.

Can you briefly describe your gear (I know you've been fascinated by the sonic offerings of the Prophet 6) and tells us in which musical contexts do you like to use them?
I’ve always messed around with synthesizers in various forms since I was a teenager. I’m fascinated with electronic sounds in general and love them in almost every conceivable context. I somehow learned early on that it was best for me to never use presets and learn to program my own sounds. Yes, I like the Prophet because it sounds great and also allows me to bridge the gap between the more “functional” aspects of the music I’m playing - notes/rhythms etc - and the more abstract realms of sound and color. I have a bunch of other instruments including some Eurorack format modular synths, as well as several harder-to-describe devices, all of which I’m doing my best to learn. Plus there’s the whole realm of doing it all on the computer. It all is great and it’s so much to get a grip on, especially while maintaining some sort of control of the piano and also composing! But it’s a golden era for electronic sound, in my opinion.

What are your top 3 jazz albums?
Another vast question. As far as albums that have unending emotional resonance for me, let’s say...
Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch; Miles Davis - Nefertiti; Andrew Hill - Point of Departure.
Haa, just realized that’s a Tony Williams trifecta. So be it.

Tells us two persons who have influenced you the most as a musician.
Gonna say my Mom and Dad, who gave me the freedom to even get to the point that I could decide to be a musician in any way.

Tells us two persons whom you've never collaborated with but you'd like to.
I’m loathe to come across as angling or schmoozing but ok: Bill Frisell is someone whose music I’ve loved since I was 13. Jack DeJohnette.
Aside from that, there are many many musicians with whom I’ve played a little and would love to play with more: Ambrose Akinmusire, Marcus Gilmore, Justin Brown, Mark Shim. Immanuel Wilkins and Joel Ross are two young dudes who are pretty dang formidable too.
There are way way way more musicians out there than there is time in which to play with them. And that doesn’t count developing existing things, which is a pretty big chunk of what I do. And this is just the jazz world. I’d love to make disgusting electronic sounds with a metal band, or do weird studio doodles on art-pop songs, or make weird beats with folks, etc.

Apart from jazz, what other styles do you listen to? Name a couple of favorites for each style.
Vast potential answer. I’m attracted to all sort of types of music and sound. Again, too much out there. I return to metal, electronic music, songwriters, all sorts of in-the-cracks artists, “modern classical”, etc etc.
Bob Drake - The Skull Mailbox; Residents - The Commercial Album; Morton Feldman - For Philip Guston; Autechre - Exai; Kate Bush - The Dreaming; Frank Black - Teenager of the Year; Portal - any album; Gnaw Their Tongues - anything; Madlib - all the Beat Konduckta and Medicine Show stuff; Bernard Parmegiani - everything; Guided By Voices - anything; Chris Weisman - Everybody’s Old and Valence With Tassels; Ryan Power - Identity Picks and They Sell Doomsday.

In your perspective, what needs to change in the current jazz scene?
I’m not sure I’d change anything. If someone can play authoritatively, then there is a space for them. And really the role of taste is still way under-considered overall. Everyone has a cutoff beyond which they think something isn’t worthy, and that line is different for literally everyone.
I’m a firm believer into saying it with the music, with your playing, your composing, etc. This becomes more of a challenge as one learns to love lots of music. But the musical choices one makes convey certain things, I tend to think.
I’ve decided it’s important for me to strike a balance between creative fluidity and strength of purpose. That said, I create my music based solely on what I want to hear, and worrying about selling it later. Most of what I love does this in some way. Anything I don’t like I do my best to ignore - life is too short.

If you weren't a musician, what would you have been?
The subject I had the most interest in was outer space, cosmology, the universe etc., but that’s a big if as there was no chance I was seriously doing anything else. If I was forced to give up music now, I’d almost for sure write, as in words, probably creatively somehow. Just become a reader of books and writers of words. This is aside from any real world considerations, basically, since I’m probably too old to really switch anyway.

Projects for the near future?
The next album to be recorded will be Snark Horse, which is a project Kate Gentile and I co-lead in which we play one bar compositions with varied subgroups of a set pool of 8 musicians joining us. Later on, there will be follow up recordings for my duo with Ches Smith, my quartet with Speed/Tordini/Weiss, and Phalanx Ambassadors. I plan to do another solo piano album sometime. I’m gradually working on a body of chamber music for strings and piano as well. And other ideas brewing as well...