Interview News

Guitarist/Producer/Engineer/Soundscapist David Torn Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
October 8, 2007

David Torn has done work in so many capacities in such a variety of musical projects that it's somewhat daunting to try to state just what exactly he is.

Certainly Torn's a guitarist of humbling technique--but he's always been more interested in texture and sound than the kind of electric shredding beloved in guitar-hero-worshiping circles. It was during his tenure as guitarist with the New York-based Everyman Band--a group originally formed to support rock artist Lou Reed--that Torn's unusual, processed ...

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Smooth Jazz Guitarist Marc Antoine Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
October 4, 2007

Since his emergence onto the jazz scene in the mid-1990s, Parisian-born guitarist Marc Antoine has left his mark with his classical soul vibe. He is revered for both his impressive expertise on the guitar, and the European influence infused throughout his music. He has become a fixture in the smooth jazz community throughout the years and continues onward to success.

Hi-Lo Split (Peak Records, 2007), is an energizing release from Antoine Showcasing percussive Latin and Brazilian harmonies, R&B, and acoustic ...

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Drummer Alvin Queen Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
October 2, 2007

There are two types of great drummers in jazz, the impeccable time keepers and the ones who bring something more to both the instrument and the pieces/groups in which they appear. Alvin Queen is of the latter group, possessing a casual grace and instantly recognizable sound. He is in a direct line of artistic descendants from other great skin-men including Billy Higgins, Elvin Jones and Max Roach.

AAJ contributor Maxwell Chandler sat down with Queen to talk about his impressive ...

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Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
October 1, 2007

Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery has plotted a smart course to success in jazz, one based on strong educational foundations and constant exposure to the best musicians in the business. From his early days with the Jazzmobile and Artists Collective to his time at The Hartt School and the Thelonious Monk Institute, Escoffery used every opportunity to grow as an improviser, composer and bandleader.

His new album is Veneration (Savant, 2007). All About Jazz contributor Jason Crane talked with Escoffery about Jackie ...

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Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
September 25, 2007

To claim that behind every successful man is a strong woman is clearly twaddle. To say that behind every successful (read busy!) Finnish musician is, in one form or another, the Sibelius Academy, is much closer to the mark. Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen served his time in both the classical Helsinki Conservatory and then the Academy's Folk Music Departments, before stepping out on his glittering solo career in 1996.

From that first concert on, and with the aid of added microphones, ...

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Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
September 24, 2007

For years, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen wanted to bring together her friend, pianist Maggi Olin, and her sister, saxophonist Christine Jensen, for an album celebrating their shared Nordic ancestry. That album is Flurry (ArtistShare, 2007), by their band Nordic Connect.

It's another deep and moving recording from the Juno-Award-winning Jensen. All About Jazz contributor Jason Crane talked with Jensen about the Viking feeling, the long road to her present success, and whether or not Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer and Bobby Shew ...

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Saxophonist Kidd Jordan Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
September 18, 2007

Like many local legends around the country, Kidd Jordan is an immensely talented musician who resisted the urge to move to New York or LA. Based in Baton Rouge/New Orleans, Jordan became a renowned jazz educator with a long tenure at Southern University. So renowned, that his teaching has been documented by 60 Minutes and acknowledged by the French with Knighthood. His resume name checks an embarrassment of greats including Stevie Wonder, Professor Longhair, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Martha and ...

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The Bad Plus' David King Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
September 17, 2007

If you had the remotest interest in contemporary jazz music in 2003, the chances were very, very high that you had heard of The Bad Plus. The odds were just as good that you had an opinion, positive or negative, about the merits of the collective trio of bassist Reid Anderson, drummer David King and pianist Ethan Iverson.

2005's Suspicious Activity? was The Bad Plus' third and last CD for Columbia. The disc was, without the group's knowledge, one of ...

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