Results for "Leo Sidran"

Ben Sidran at 80: This is your life

by Leo Sidran
August 16, 2023

For the fifth consecutive year I interviewed my father, Ben Sidran on his birthday. This year he's turning 80 and I surprised him with reflections and anecdotes by friends and colleagues from throughout his career, including Jeff Greenfield, Boz Scaggs, Jann Wenner, Glyn Johns, Michael Cuscuna, Phil Upchurch, Georgie Fame, Gil Goldstein, Neil Tesser, Janis Siegel, ...

Laila Biali is taking requests

by Leo Sidran
August 2, 2023

Singer, pianist and songwriter Laila Biali recently released Your Requests (ACT Music), built around a collection of songs from the Great American Songbook that were requested by her fans. After a string of projects of her original songs and more contemporary covers, the album was a departure for her. After spending years living in ...

Richie Cole, Geri Allen & Vince Ector

by Joe Dimino
July 30, 2023

We kick off the 813th Episode of Neon Jazz with drummer Vince Ector leading his Organatomy Trio Plus with a cut from Llive at The Side Door. From there, we hear from his mentor in the late Ralph Peterson. We follow “Bemsha Swing" with music from Leo Sidran, Ben Miller, Jeb Patton and Ellie Martin. In ...

Scenes from the 2023 Montreal Jazz Festival

by Leo Sidran
July 19, 2023

Brandee Younger: I'm Done Running From The Harp Police

by Leo Sidran
June 28, 2023

When it comes to instruments that are not easily designed for improvising soloists, there is perhaps none more difficult to handle than the harp. And when it comes to contemporary jazz harpists, there is perhaps none more influential in this moment than Brandee Younger. From the very beginning, as a young music student growing ...

Ben Wendel On 'The Unspeakable Truths' That Are Passed Between Musicians

by Leo Sidran
May 18, 2023

For saxophonist Ben Wendel, the pandemic provided the space for him to develop his latest solo record, All One (Edition Records), a project that is both very solitary and very collaborative. It features a woodwind choir of saxophones and bassoons performed entirely by Ben, and then joined by special guests like singers Cecile McLorin Salvant and ...

Vijay Iyer: How To Make Music Matter To People

by Leo Sidran
April 19, 2023

Pianist-composer Vijay Iyer has been described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway." He has been praised by Pitchfork as “one of the best in the world at what he does," by the Los Angeles Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star," ...

Mike Dillon, Ludovica Burtone, Marc Jordan, Simon Moullier & New Releases

by Ludovico Granvassu
April 11, 2023

Countless forms of fusion in this week's show, from jazz and pop to other musical traditions. There are enough genetic modifications in just one hour to prove that jazz's resilience passes Darwinian evolutionary standards!Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Roc Flowers, Stefano De Donato, ...

Christian McBride On Leading By Example And 'Living The Life You Believe In'

by Leo Sidran
April 5, 2023

To say Christian McBride is prolific is both obvious and an understatement. The list of his projects is too long to fit neatly into any one container--he's a musician, an educator, a composer, an artistic director, and a broadcaster. He's an ambassador, a personality, an icon. And of course, he is a bassist. One ...

Samara Joy On Her 'Fast Authentic' Success

by Leo Sidran
March 29, 2023

Accepting her Grammy award for Best New Artist last month, Samara Joy looked out at a sea of faces that she had grown up admiring and said, “I've been watching y'all on TV for so long... I'm born and raised in the Bronx." It was almost as though she was reminding herself of just ...