Interview News

Electric Bass Phenom Marcus Miller Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
April 28, 2008

Pictures of Marcus Miller often show him wearing what is almost a trademark porkpie hat. Truth is, the extraordinary musician wears many hats, some of them simultaneously.

He's proven himself a master of the electric bass in any setting from jazz to pop to funk to R&B, always with a rich, soulful sound. He's also a stellar producer and arranger, having been involved in a variety of projects for stars and megastars including Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Roberta Flack, Wayne ...

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Saxophonist Jaleel Shaw Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
April 21, 2008

Barely thirty, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw has was won two ASCAP Young Jazz Composer awards, received the Billboard Endowed Scholarship for Outstanding Academic and Musical Achievement (1998), the Outstanding Student Teacher Award, The Boston Jazz Society Award (1999) and he was also a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition (2002).

Currently Jaleel holds a regular seat with the Roy Haynes Quartet and the Mingus Big Band. He's also released Optimism (2008), the follow-up to his 2005 Fresh Sound ...

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Saxophonist Jack Schaeffer Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
April 16, 2008

AAJ contributor Randall Robinson sat down recently with longtime Marin county saxophonist Jack Schaeffer who, since the 1970s, has frequently been showcased at San Francisco and Sausalito nightclubs, and is a staple of Mill Valley's Sweetwater Inn, where the saxophonist's AnExchange Quartet played its first gig. Still playing these many years later, Schaeffer frequently gigs with his Hot House Swing Band.

“Saxist Jack," as he is affectionately known, has piqued interest and curiosity with his conversion, invention or, perhaps, contraption, ...

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Organist Papa John Defrancesco Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
April 15, 2008

A performer's public persona can sometimes be quite different from reality. AAJ's youngest contributor, Mikayla Gilbreath, needn't have worried about meeting renowned jazz organist Papa John DeFrancesco. The only surprises were pleasant ones.

For the second installment of her Mikayla's Totally Jazzed column, which brings a youthful perspective to all things jazz, Mikayla spoke with the father of another renowned organist, Joey DeFrancesco, about his lengthy career, and rubbing shoulders with jazz legends including Jack McDuff, Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff ...

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Keyboardist David Witham Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
April 14, 2008

You may not know keyboardist David Witham's work, but the chances are actually pretty good that you've actually seen him play. As the musical director for jazz/pop guitar icon George Benson, the L.A. based Witham has put in plenty of road time, and he's also done side work with Chick Corea, k.d. lang, Randy and Michael Brecker, Ernie Watts and Jeff Gauthier.

It's great to be a working musician, and Witham never has to worry about being out of work. ...

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Drummer Mark Guiliana Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
April 8, 2008

Perhaps most recognized for his extended stint holding down the drum chair for bassist/composer Avishai Cohen, Mark Guiliana has been pushing the envelope of jazz drumming since first jumping onto the scene. Anyone who has heard--and particularly seen--Mark Guiliana play instantly recognizes not only his incredible technical facility, but also his unique take on percussion, based as much on hard-hitting grooves, electronica, and rock as traditional jazz conceptions. Certainly, other drummers, particularly some of the younger breed, have begun incorporating ...

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Guitarist Gene Bertoncini Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
April 7, 2008

Whenever people write about Gene Bertoncini's music, the same words tend to appear: elegant, graceful, versatile. Lyrical. Master. Virtuoso. Writer Gene Lees called him “the Segovia of jazz," the perfect term for one who creates such poetry with the acoustic, nylon-stringed guitar. Still a busy performer, teacher, and clinician, Bertoncini has played in many styles and settings in his five-decade career, and swings in all of them. Following the 2004 release of Quiet Now (Ambient), he has become increasingly admired ...

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New Stations for Night Lights, Another Duke Ellington Mosaic Box, and Marc Myers' Interview with Bud Shank

Source: All About Jazz
April 4, 2008

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