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Interviews

INTERVIEWS

Randy Weston: The Spirit of Our Ancestors

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To commemorate the Randy Weston, we've republished this 1999 interview that traces his life and career, from his birth in Brooklyn to the years spent in Africa, from his admiration for Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington to his collaboration with Melba Liston. Every year, Harvard's Department of Music devotes part of its academic year to the study of great jazz masters. Thanks to this program, musicians such as Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Lester Bowie, Steve Lacy, Illinois ...

INTERVIEWS

Val Wilmer: Dues And Testimony

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Free-jazz, which marked the first revolution in jazz since bebop, and, some might say, the most significant revolution in the entire history of the music, was controversial and divisive. Still today, over half a century later, free-jazz is sometimes dismissed out of hand as just so much noise, or worse, finds itself simply airbrushed from the more conservative histories of jazz. Yet all genres/eras of jazz, from traditional jny: New Orleans to the neo-classical revival of the 1980s ...

INTERVIEWS

Bob James: Piano Player

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In a career that spans about five decades, Bob James has made an impact on a variety of musical genres. His roots are in jazz, but he has run the gamut from playing avant-garde jazz on the outer fringes--which he was doing when discovered by Quincy Jones--to composing and arranging for a variety of people in the jazz and pop worlds. He did extensive work for the well known CTI Records and has won Grammys recording with the ...

INTERVIEWS

Ben Wolfe: The Freedom to Create

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This article was first published at All About Jazz in September 2001. Ben Wolfe is a consummate musician. He has served as the bassist-of-choice for Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, and Harry Connick, Jr. Also a prolific composer, Ben has just released his third album of original compositions, Murray's Cadillac, for Amosaya Records. I met Wolfe just a few hours before he was scheduled to play Carnegie Hall with Diana Krall. He was scouring the shelves of ...

INTERVIEWS

Peter Epstein: Effortless Precision

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This article was first published at All About Jazz in June 2001. Peter Epstein is one of the brightest saxophonists on the New York scene. Since coming to New York from jny: Portland in 1992, he has recorded with Brad Shepik, Ralph Alessi, and a host of others, on more than 30 albums. He has released three discs as a leader with MA Recordings: a solo saxophone album, and two discs of his quartet with Jamie Saft, Chris ...

INTERVIEWS

Dan Shout: In With a Shout

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While it might be a cliché to say it, one can expect the unexpected when listening to the music of Dan Shout. An exceptional saxophonist and composer, the Cape Town-based artist has also built a sterling track record of creating highly distinctive and exciting albums. While he initially made a splash in 2012 with his sophomore release Serenading Ghosts, recorded in the abandoned Namibian ghost town of Kolmanskop, Shout has rightly earned a great deal of acclaim for ...

INTERVIEWS

Bob Reynolds: Communication Is Key

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Bob Reynolds, a saxophonist and composer of note with nine recordings under his own name and a work load that has him playing with artists like Larry Carlton, Snarky Puppy, Josh Groban, John Mayer and others, pauses when considering the genre of jazz and how he fits in. Reynolds doesn't have to apply his talents to the changes of jazz standards or neo-bop workouts written by his peers to be fulfilled. He can do it. It can be ...

INTERVIEWS

The Spike Orchestra and John Zorn's "The Book Beriah"

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Sam Eastmond is the composer, arranger, and trumpet player best known for his work as bandleader and co-founder of the Spike Orchestra. That UK based large ensemble has released two studio albums to date, Ghetto on their own label followed by Cerberus as part of a collaboration with the legendary John Zorn on his Masada Book Two project.Great though Ghetto was, Cerberus has proved to be the more significant both in terms of creative development to date and ...

INTERVIEWS

Huw Warren: Global Music from a Local Perspective

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Welsh pianist and composer, Huw Warren, has been an important voice on the British jazz scene for many years. With a seemingly endless appetite for music, Warren has both been delving into Brazilian music with singer Maria Pia de Vito and played ethereal folk-inspired jazz music with another singer, June Tabor, in the trio Quercus. He has also worked as Tabor's musical director for many years. Aside from his many gigs as a sideman, Warren is teaching ...

INTERVIEWS

Dave Ledbetter: Diversity and Unity

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Even the most cursory listen to South African music yields an embarrassment of riches in the realm of guitar talents. Indeed, throughout the country's musical history innovative figures have forged a near universe of unique approaches to the instrument, fusing the many musical traditions of Southern Africa with popular styles into a staggering array of styles. Even within this abundance of guitar talents, Cape Town-based Dave Ledbetter nevertheless manages to stand out. A genre-hopping virtuoso whose ...