Canadian jazz pianist and composer
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The Jazz Journey With Doug Hall Recorded June 15th, 2026 On this episode of The Jazz Journey, host Doug Hall welcomes acclaimed pianist and composer Kris Davis for a conversation about her remarkable career, creative process, and the evolving world of jazz. Widely recognized as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary jazz, Davis discusses her approach to composition, improvisation, collaboration, and the influences that have shaped her musical journey. Doug and Kris explore the challenges and rewards of pushing artistic boundaries while remaining connected to jazz's rich traditions. Whether you're a longtime jazz enthusiast or just beginning your exploration of the genre, this episode offers fascinating insights into the mind of one of today's most celebrated musicians. Tune in for an engaging discussion and a closer look at the passion, creativity, and dedication that continue to drive jazz forward.
Today, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Toronto drummer and composer Nick Fraser.Nick Fraser is one of the most distinctive voices in Canadian improvised music. He has played with Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, and William Parker, and has led projects that range from raw free jazz to something much harder to name.His latest record, Areas, just dropped on Elastic Recordings. It's a trio date with saxophonist Tony Malaby and pianist Kris Davis. Electroacoustic interludes by composer John Kameel Farah thread through the album, built from processed duo recordings of Fraser and Malaby. The album has weight and atmosphere in equal measure, and it's unlike anything I've heard this year.We talked about the making of Areas, what a long-term group actually sounds like from the inside, and where his music is headed.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Nick Fraser's Areas)—Dig DeeperArtist and AlbumVisit Nick Fraser at nickfraserthedrummer.com and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePurchase or stream Areas at BandcampElastic Recordings — the Toronto imprint releasing AreasCollaborators on AreasKris Davis — pianist and composer; also visit her label Pyroclastic RecordsTony Malaby at Berklee College of Music — saxophonist and facultyJohn Kameel Farah — Palestinian-Canadian composer and pianist; hear the Farahser duo album at BandcampBen Monder — guitarist, who subbed for Davis at the Toronto album release concertsTribute and Influence: Brodie WestBrodie West — Toronto saxophonist and composer; "There Are Other Ways" is a tribute to his workWays — Brodie West's duo project with drummer Evan Cartwright, which the tribute track honorsLong-term CollaborationsLina Allemano — Toronto/Berlin trumpeter and composer; Fraser has played in the Lina Allemano Four for twenty yearsDrumheller — Fraser's decade-long cooperative group with Brodie West, Rob Clutton, Eric Chenaux, and Doug Tielli (2003–2013)Hamid Drake — Chicago drummer whom Fraser has been encouraging Brodie West to record withThe Imaginary Brass Band — a trio featuring Fraser alongside Doug Tielli and Heather Saumer; recorded the song “Sketch 57”Previous Trio RecordingsZoning (2019, Astral Spirits) — BandcampToo Many Continents (2015, Clean Feed) — Clean Feed RecordsMusical ReferenceOlivier Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time — Fraser drew on Messiaen's harmonics when composing the title track "Area"Toronto Scene and OrganizationsAssociation of Improvising Musicians of Toronto (AIMToronto) — the nonprofit Fraser co-founded with Rob Clutton, Scott Thomson, Ken Aldcroft, and Joe Sorbara (now largely inactive; linked here is an academic roundtable with founding members)FACTOR — the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings; co-funded by the Canadian federal government and private radio broadcastersNick Fraser at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music — where Fraser teaches—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Toronto drummer and composer Nick Fraser.Nick Fraser is one of the most distinctive voices in Canadian improvised music. He has played with Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, and William Parker, and has led projects that range from raw free jazz to something much harder to name.His latest record, Areas, just dropped on Elastic Recordings. It's a trio date with saxophonist Tony Malaby and pianist Kris Davis. Electroacoustic interludes by composer John Kameel Farah thread through the album, built from processed duo recordings of Fraser and Malaby. The album has weight and atmosphere in equal measure, and it's unlike anything I've heard this year.We talked about the making of Areas, what a long-term group actually sounds like from the inside, and where his music is headed.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Nick Fraser's Areas)—Dig DeeperArtist and AlbumVisit Nick Fraser at nickfraserthedrummer.com and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePurchase or stream Areas at BandcampElastic Recordings — the Toronto imprint releasing AreasCollaborators on AreasKris Davis — pianist and composer; also visit her label Pyroclastic RecordsTony Malaby at Berklee College of Music — saxophonist and facultyJohn Kameel Farah — Palestinian-Canadian composer and pianist; hear the Farahser duo album at BandcampBen Monder — guitarist, who subbed for Davis at the Toronto album release concertsTribute and Influence: Brodie WestBrodie West — Toronto saxophonist and composer; "There Are Other Ways" is a tribute to his workWays — Brodie West's duo project with drummer Evan Cartwright, which the tribute track honorsLong-term CollaborationsLina Allemano — Toronto/Berlin trumpeter and composer; Fraser has played in the Lina Allemano Four for twenty yearsDrumheller — Fraser's decade-long cooperative group with Brodie West, Rob Clutton, Eric Chenaux, and Doug Tielli (2003–2013)Hamid Drake — Chicago drummer whom Fraser has been encouraging Brodie West to record withThe Imaginary Brass Band — a trio featuring Fraser alongside Doug Tielli and Heather Saumer; recorded the song “Sketch 57”Previous Trio RecordingsZoning (2019, Astral Spirits) — BandcampToo Many Continents (2015, Clean Feed) — Clean Feed RecordsMusical ReferenceOlivier Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time — Fraser drew on Messiaen's harmonics when composing the title track "Area"Toronto Scene and OrganizationsAssociation of Improvising Musicians of Toronto (AIMToronto) — the nonprofit Fraser co-founded with Rob Clutton, Scott Thomson, Ken Aldcroft, and Joe Sorbara (now largely inactive; linked here is an academic roundtable with founding members)FACTOR — the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings; co-funded by the Canadian federal government and private radio broadcastersNick Fraser at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music — where Fraser teaches—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On a recent wintry afternoon in Manhattan, Stephan Crump was doing what he has done countless times in the city—toting his upright bass, clad in a heavy black bag, along the sidewalk, as if he had a baby that was also a bear. Finding his car, Crump shimmied the instrument through the minivan's side, climbed into the front seat, exhaled, and then grinned. In less than 24 hours, he would fly to Portland to teach “On Magnetism,” a long-accreting class on connecting more deeply with yourself and others through your instrument, and to play solo at the city's jazz festival. But he knew he first needed to make the 40-minute trek from Brooklyn to Finlay + Gage, the legendary bass shop in Tribeca, to have his bass adjusted, so that he could make that connection himself. The sound post—that stout wooden dowel inside the bass that keeps it from collapsing on itself, and that the French call l'âme, or the soul—wasn't sitting quite right. “It's so personal, elusive, and mysterious. Yes, it's a mechanical thing, but it has so much mojo to it. That's why it's called ‘the soul,'” Crump explained several days later from Portland, noting that the hassle of the errand had been worth it. The bass felt good in his hands again. “It's this combination of sound and feel.” For a quarter-century now, pairing sound and feel have become Crump's ambit and expertise. A bassist and composer, collaborator and bandleader, Crump has become one of New York's most steadfast and experienced instrumentalists. He was the anchor of Vijay Iyer's foundational trio for 20 years, even as he developed a slew of imaginative ensembles of his own—the two-guitar Rosetta Trio, the Borderlands Trio alongside Kris Davis and Eric McPherson, the Secret Keeper duo with Mary Halvorson, just to sample. In all of these contexts, the act of bringing the rest of his life to the bass—the trauma and hope, the frustration and delight—remains Crump's primary motivation. It is, if you will, the soul of his playing. “All art is an expression of the artist's presence in that moment. Musicians need our evolving physical capabilities on the instrument and technical knowledge—how notes interact harmonically and melodically, transcribing our heroes, learning all that,” Crump said. “But in the act of making music, we need to allow that stuff to fall away, to not impose it on the music, to relinquish our defenses. We are sculpting energy as we make music, shaping magnetism.” In some ways, Crump's career is the fulfillment of his father's own youthful ambition. His dad toyed with turning pro as a jazz drummer, but he pursued architecture instead. (That's also how he met Crump's mother, who comes from a long line of French architects.) His devotion to jazz, though, didn't waver, and he would constantly play jazz classics—Monk, Miles, Coltrane, MJQ—in the family's Memphis home. Crump thinks that's where he fell for the bass, especially when the low-end would creep through old wooden walls at night. At his mother's behest, though, Crump's training started with piano, the Suzuki Method leading him through the classics and eventually to his all-time musical hero, Stevie Wonder. But at 13, Crump finally got his first bass, a MapleGlo Rickenbacker 4001 like that of another hero, Yes' Chris Squire. He joined a crackling power trio with his brother, later enlisted in a larger band, and then started his own group; they all gigged hard. Backpacking through Spain by himself after high school, however, he encountered an epiphany by the name of Dave Holland, playing in his mighty and future-facing quartet. The upright bass: That was Crump's future. His first was a dilapidated plywood model, collecting dust in a corner of Amherst College, where he'd in part gone to escape family turmoil down south. He'd intended to study physics and music, but he soon realized that his energy and enthusiasm belonged with the latter. That was helped along by a guitarist pal Crump met during his first few weeks at Amherst. He had connections in the West Village. Crump had the car. (“The bassist,” he half-joked, “always has the car.”) Most every week, they would drive the four hours south, link with high-caliber New York pros they'd hired, play until 2 a.m. or so, and head back to school. “That was really powerful and clarifying. It was thrilling to be 18 and gigging in New York. I got a taste for that level of musicianship, and I was doing more than just cutting it,” he said, smiling. “By the end of my first semester, I knew I was moving to New York as soon as I graduated.” That is precisely what Crump did. He used his paycheck from a month-long, fresh-out-of-college stint with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra to rent his first Brooklyn apartment in 1994. He dove right in, roving the West Village with his bass, listening, and joining late-night jams that ended with the sun's arrival. He'd seal his shades with tape, sleep, and repeat. Crump, though, bristled at the scene's pervasive machismo, how some of the city's most vaunted players would put up walls to prevent revealing too much of themselves through their music. That's actually what he craved. Crump found others who shared his ardor, earnestness, and a belief in what jazz could show of and to a person. Those people, like saxophonists Chris Cheek and Miguel Zenón, helped shape his first albums. There was film score work and sessions and stages alongside singer-songwriters. In these concentric creative circles, he met a young singer, Jen Chapin, and fell in love. They got married in September 1999. After five years, the existence Crump had imagined for himself as a New York musician was happening. “My goal from the start was to come to New York and make a life in music—to make music that I loved, to learn and grow with amazing musicians,” said Crump. “I never set out to be a rock star, a jazz star. I just wanted to make music—real, deep, honest shit, you know?” Actually, Crump flirted with something at least like “jazz stardom” during a 20-year stint in Vijay Iyer's trio. Iyer cold-called Crump soon after moving to New York in 1999, on a friend's recommendation. They spent the next 20 years building the band into one of modern jazz's most successful units. It was a tremendous trip, of course, but it was again clarifying for Crump, revealing the sorts of bands he wanted to build outside of the Iyer orbit. He steadily realized that traditional jazz ensembles were not his preferred vehicle. The bass could get lost, its role restricted. And the power dynamics with such a clear and visible leader created an environment of dominance (again, often masculine) that he hoped to avoid. “Control and bravado keep you from deeper layers of experience and expression,” he said. “When you find yourself with a group of people who are willing to at least attempt ego dissolution and real communion, you have the opportunity for transcendence. You open a portal for each other and the audience—that's a service to society.” Crump has found those connections in so many contexts, emptying his feelings into his diverse ensembles. Rosetta Trio's bittersweet groove, for instance, emerged from little Fender Rhodes fragments he compiled in the months after watching 9/11 unfold with Jen from their Brooklyn roof. Open Wide, his 2002 set of duets with her, are intimate and entangled portraits of marriage's first few difficult, delightful years. The music of Rhombal—his celebrated quartet with Tyshawn Sorey, Adam O'Farrill, Ellery Eskelin—unfolded after the death of his brother, Patrick, the one who first brought him into a band back in Memphis. And Slow Water, his latest project built with a drum-less sextet of fascinating New York artists, hinges on the Memphis native's experiences with bodies of water around the world, his lifelong love of nature, and his worry about and hope for our collective future. “The acoustic bass is almost infinite as an instrument, sonically and expressively, but so much of that can get covered up in a traditional ensemble,” he said, turning toward his duos with saxophonist Steve Lehman and guitarist Mary Halvorson. “Those experiences gave me so much more room to explore the terrain of the instrument, its possibilities. That pushes you. It's the kind of scary environment you want to put yourself in.” When Crump talks about and teaches music, he doesn't discuss notes. Or rather, they are only the beginning, the technical basis for something that can and should be something much richer. Notes are vessels that the player then fills with their experiences, their ideas, their emotions, their essence. These are gestures, at least as he has put it for many years now, the basis of the music he wants to put into and get out of the world. In some significant ways, this echoes his childhood in Memphis, where his Southern grandmother instilled the value of a story well told, and where he worked alongside his uncle building furniture—really, sculptures of wood—that they would sand until the material seemed somehow to shimmer. (Crump's music stand was made by his uncle, Stephen.) It wasn't just an object or a story; it was a piece of work you invested yourself in until it became art. “A note is an abstract notion, meaningless without all of the human, spiritual stuff you can channel into it,” Crump said. “A gesture has the physical element, a sense of offering, a reflection of our presence through each unfolding moment.”
Amalie Dahl's Dafnie Extended, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Jason Moran, Kris Davis, Nick Fraser, Allison Cameron & Scott Thomson, Ensemble Infini, H ii Regions, Way Ahead Trio, Carsten Rubeling, Bobby Wiens, Ulysses Owens Jr. and Arvind RamdasPlaylist: Amalie Dahl's Dafnie's EXTENDED - slow_motionJason Moran, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra - Toni Morrison Said Black is a RainbowJason Moran - Sophisticated LadyKris Davis - An Invitation to DisappearNick Fraser - MimicAllison Cameron, Scott Thomson - BarkEnsemble Infini - CartoonH ii Regions - YangWay Ahead Trio - No Title YetCarsten Rubeling - Ta OthaBobby Wiens - Hat TrickUlysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y - EspressoArvind Ramdas - Bird Lives
On this episode of The Bandwich Tapes, I sit down with pianist, composer, improviser, label founder, and educator Kris Davis—one of the most forward-thinking voices in creative music today. Our conversation left me feeling genuinely energized. Kris approaches music with a rare combination of curiosity, discipline, and fearless experimentation, and it was a joy to dig into how all of that shows up in her work.We start with what's immediately ahead for her: a trip to Hamburg to premiere a newly expanded big band version of a trio piece with the NDR Big Band. Kris shares the very real “composer panic” that comes with catching an engraving mistake right before rehearsal—one of those behind-the-scenes realities of composing that every musician can relate to.From there, we talk about festivals—especially Big Ears, which feels like its own musical universe—and dive into two major pillars of her work: prepared piano and large-form composition. Kris reflects on studying with pianist Benoît Delbecq, whose approach to prepared piano emphasized rhythm, individuality, and finding a personal sonic vocabulary.One of the highlights of our conversation is a deep look at her remarkable Solastalgia Suite, written for the Lutosławski Quartet after a commission through Poland's Jazz to Pad Festival. Kris talks about learning how to write for strings in real time and how the concept of **solastalgia—the grief you feel for your home while you're still living in it—**became the emotional core of the piece.We also zoom out into the bigger picture of her work: her leadership role alongside Terri Lyne Carrington at Berklee's Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, and her decade-long journey building Pyroclastic Records, a label dedicated to supporting adventurous music and the artists creating it. At its heart, this conversation is about craft, community, curiosity, and the importance of taking creative risks on purpose.Key TakeawaysThe behind-the-scenes realities of composing for large ensembles—including last-minute engraving panic before a premiere.Why festivals like Big Ears create a unique ecosystem for creative music.How studying with Benoît Delbecq shaped Kris Davis's approach to prepared piano.The creative challenge of writing for string quartet for the first time.The emotional meaning of solastalgia and how it shaped the Solastalgia Suite.Kris's work at Berklee's Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice alongside Terri Lyne Carrington.How Pyroclastic Records has grown into an important platform for adventurous and forward-thinking music.Music from the EpisodeDiatom Ribbons — Kris DavisInterlude (from the Solastalgia Suite) — Kris DavisLife on Venus (from the Solastalgia Suite) — Kris DavisRun the Gauntlet — Kris DavisAbout the PodcastThe Bandwich Tapes is a long-form conversation podcast where host Brad Williams sits down with some of the most thoughtful musicians, composers, and artists working today. The show explores the stories behind the music—creative process, collaboration, career paths, and the human experiences that shape the sounds we love.Connect with the ShowEmail: contact@thebandwichtapes.com
Here's a playlist focusing on Orchestras, Big Bands and String Quartets, at the intersection of jazz, classical, folk and Brazilian music. The playlist features Vitor Araújo, Metropole Orkest, Jacomo Bairos; Kurt Elling, WDR Big Band; Thomas Clausen Trio, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Jean Thorel; Palle Mikkelborg [pictured]; Francesco Bearzatti; NO(w) Beauty; Vision String Quartet; Kris Davis, and The Lutosławski Quartet. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/21926939/Mondo-Jazz [from "Toque N. 6 up to "The Known End"]. Happy listening!
Kris Davis is a Grammy award-winning pianist and composer described by The New York Times as a beacon for “deciding where to hear jazz [in New York] on a given night.” Davis has released 24 recordings as a leader or co-leader and collaborated with artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Dave Holland, John Zorn, Craig Taborn, Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey and Esperanza Spalding. She was named a 2021 Doris Duke Artist alongside Wayne Shorter and Danilo Perez, Pianist of the Year by DownBeat magazine in 2022 and 2020, and Pianist and Composer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2021. In 2019, Kris Davis' “Diatom Ribbons” was named jazz album of the year by both the New York Times and the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. Today Kris joins the show to share her newest music, The Solastalgia Suite. Support the show
Etienne Charles, Kenny Wheeler Legacy, Dave Holland + Norma Winstone + The London Vocal Project, John Scofield & Dave Holland, Al Foster, Brad Mehldau, Tony Davis, Margherita Fava, Noam Lemish, Justin Gray, Laila Biali, Kris Davis, Anthony D'AlessandroPlaylist: Etienne Charles - Gullah RootsEtienne Charles - Old SchoolKenny Wheeler Legacy, featuring Etienne Charles and Emma Rawicz - Some Doors Are Better OpenDave Holland, Norma Winstone, London Vocal Project - Will You Walk a Little FasterJohn Scofield, Dave Holland - Memories of HomeAl Foster, featuring Brad Mehldau, Chris Potter and Joe Martin - Simone's DanceBrad Mehldau - Better Be Quiet NowTony Davis - UnrequitedMargherita Fava - ForeshadowNoam Lemish - Aviv (Spring)Justin Gray - Orion's BeltLaila Biali - OutsideKris Davis, featuring Robert Hurst and Johnathan Blake - Lost in GenevaAnthony D'Alessandro - Green Sauce
Šįkart apie įdomią simfoninio orkestro ir Billo Evanso muzikos simbiozę, apie naują Craigo Taborno, Tomekos Reid ir Cheso Smitho albumą ECM leidykloje, apie tarp džiazo ir akademinio avangardo balansuojančią Kris Davis ir Lutosławskio kvarteto siuitą. Na o klasikai šįkart atstovauja pianistas Piotras Anderszewskis ir vėlyvieji Brahmso veikalai fortepijonui.Ved. Domantas Razauskas
Dry Cleaning. Jenny on Holiday. An introspective debut from Mon Rovîa. Stephen Thompson from NPR Music is joined by Celia Gregory from WNXP in Nashville to talk about their favorite new albums out Friday, January 9.The Starting 5(00:00) Intro(00:31) Dry Cleaning, 'Secret Love'(06:53) Jenny on Holiday, 'Quicksand Heart'(15:12) Mon Rovîa, 'Bloodline'(21:22) Home Star, 'A Binding Life'(27:07) Kris Davis and the Lutoslawski Quartet, 'The Solastalgia Suite'The Lightning Round• Zach Bryan, 'With Heaven On Top'• The Cribs, 'Selling A Vibe'• Pullman, 'III'• Clémentine March, 'Powder Keg'• Rawayana, '¿Dónde Es El After?'Sample the albums via our New Music Friday playlist on NPR.org.CreditsHost: Stephen ThompsonGuest: Celia Gregory, WNXPAudio Producer: Noah CaldwellDigital Producer: Elle MannionEditor: Otis HartExecutive Producer: Suraya MohamedLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Primer disco de la trompetista, nacida en un municipio de Huesca, Milena Casado, 'Reflection of another self', elogiado por la revista francesa Jazz Hot y por The New York Times, y en el que participan Terry Lyne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding, Brandee Younger, Nicole Mitchell o Kris Davis. Lo escuchamos al completo: 'This is my hair', 'O.C.T', 'Yes I can see', 'Introspection I', 'Lydia y los libros', 'Unocnditional love', 'Introspection II', 'Circles', 'Resilience', 'Circles (Retrospection)' y 'Self love'. Más 'Lotus', de Wayne Shorter, una de sus grandes influencias.Escuchar audio
Amina Claudine Myers, Wadada Leo Smith, Sylvie Courvoisier, Vijay Iyer, Fieldwork, Ganavya, Immanuel Wilkins, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Samora Pinderhughes, Albert Marques & Keith LaMar, Milena Casado, Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell, Kris Davis, Johnathan Blake and DalavaPlaylist: Amina Claudine Myers - African BluesAmina Claudine Myers, Wadada Leo Smith - Central Park at SunsetSylvie Courvoisier, Wadada Leo Smith - Olo'Upena and LightningVijay Iyer, Wadada Leo Smith - SurvivalFieldwork, featuring Steve Lehman, Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey - PropagandaGanavya, featuring Vijay Iyer and Immanuel Wilkins - Om SupremeImmanuel Wilkins, featuring Cecile McLorin Salvant - Dark Eyes SmileCecile McLorin Salvant - What does blue mean to you?Samora Pinderhughes, featuring Healing Project Choir - Hold FastAlbert Marques, Keith LaMar, featuring Milena Casado, Caroline Davis, Matthew Garrison & Zack O'Farrill - On LivingMilena Casado - Self LoveTerri Lyne Carrington , Christie Dashiell, featuring Milena Casado, Morgan Guerin, Simon Moullier & Matthew Stevens - Freedom Day, Pt. 1Kris Davis, featuring Robert Hurst and Johnathan Blake - First StepsJohnathan Blake - Last BreathDálava - escape velocityDálava - entanglementDálava - sacrifice
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Kerry Politzer, Brad Turner Trio, Jon Bentley, Triology, Kris Davis, Sumi Tonooka & Alchemy Sound Project, Dabin Ryu, Joshua Banks, Jacob Do, The Empress, Alexa Tarantino, Jimmy Farace, Nick Biello, Joshua Redman and Paul CornishPlaylist: Kerry Politzer - Hay RideBrad Turner - WondertrampJon Bentley - Balcony JoggerTriology, featuring Miles Black, Bill Coon, Jodi Proznick & Scott Hamilton - Slow RoadKris Davis, featuring Robert Hurst and Johnathan Blake - KnotweedAlchemy Sound Project, Sumi Tonooka - Points of DepartureDabin Ryu - The WellJoshua Banks, featuring HazeCave - OpoJacob Do - The KickerThe Empress, featuring Pureum Jin, Erena Terakubo, Lauren Sevian & Chelsea Baratz - ReminiscingAlexa Tarantino - Provoking LuckJimmy Farace - Directionally ChallengedNick Biello, featuring George Colligan, Alex Tremblay, Peter Kronreif, Charlie Porter - Slightly PerilousJoshua Redman - A Message to UnsendPaul Cornish - Dinosaur Song
Sara Serpa, Ingrid Laubrock, Nels Cline, Brulez Les Meubles, Kris Davis, Camila Nebbia & Angelica Sanchez, Sylvie Courvoisier, Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson, Thumbscrew, Kirsten Carey & Aaron Edgecomb, Jessica Ackerley, Jairus Sharif and Mustafa RafiqPlaylist: Sara Serpa - Story 1 / LanguageIngrid Laubrock, featuring Fay Victor & Mariel Roberts - Koan 13Nels Cline, featuring Ingrid Laubrock, Chris Lightcap & Tom Rainey - The 23Brûlez les meubles - Paradoxe de la joieKris Davis, featuring Robert Hurst & Johnathan Blake - Coda QueenCamila Nebbia, Angelica Sanchez - vislumbreSylvie Courvoisier - Edging Candytuft (for Mary Halvorson)Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson - Bone BellsThumbscrew, featuring Mary Havlorson, Michael Formanek & Tomas Fujiwara - WingbeatsThumbscrew, featuring Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek & Tomas Fujiwara - Greenish TentsThumbscrew, featuring Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek & Tomas Fujiwara - Somewhat AgreeKirsten Carey, Aaron Edgecomb - Brian Wilson's Bad DayJessica Ackerley - The dots are the connectionsJairus Sharif - MawuMustafa Rafiq - Triumph
Kris Davis is a Canadian pianist whose new album, “Run the Gauntlet,” has been getting a lot of attention. She joins Tom Power to tell us why she wanted to dedicate the record to six female jazz pianists who've influenced her throughout her career, and how she went about composing new pieces of music in their honour. Plus, Kris sets up the title track from the album.
URI CAINE “LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD” New York, May 23-25, 2003Nefertiti, I thought about youUri Caine (p) Drew Gress (b) Ben Perowsky (d) FRANCISCO MELA “ANCESTROS” New York, September 14, 2017Duende, Ornette, AncestrosHery Paz (b-cl,saxes) Kris Davis (p) Gerald Cannon (b) Francisco Mela (d) URBIE GREEN: “BLUES & OTHER” – “SHADES OF GREEN” New York, October 12, 1955 Reminiscent blues, Thou swell, You are too beautiful, Am I blue ? Continue reading Puro Jazz 24 de febrero, 2025 at PuroJazz.
NIKARA presents Black Wall Street, Kenny Barron, Immanuel Wilkins, ladyybirdd, RighteousGIRLS, Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey, Kris Davis, Kurt Rosenwinkel & Geri Allen, Miki Yamanaka, Teri Parker, Patrick Smith, Dan Pitt QuintetPlaylist: NIKARA presents Black Wall Street - Solar PlexusKenny Barron - Tragic MagicImmanuel Wilkins, featuring June McDoom - Matte Glazeladyybirdd, featuring Gina Izzo, Immanuel Wilkins, Ian Rosenbaum - Stay / LeaveRighteousGIRLS, featuring Gina Izzo, Erika Dohi, Justin Brown - Accumulated GesturesVijay Iyer, featuring Linda May Han Oh & Tyshawn Sorey - MaelstromTyshawn Sorey - PeresinaKris Davis, featuring Johnathan Blake & Robert Hurst - Dream StateKurt Rosenwinkel, Geri Allen - Simple #2Miki Yamanaka - Unconditional LoveTeri Parker's Free Spirits - Unconditional LovePatrick Smith - Endless ConstructionDan Pitt Quintet - Horizontal Depths (Part One)
Anna Webber, Carn Davidson 9, Ben Wendel, Erin Rogers & Gelsey Bell, Jessica Ackerley, Steph Richards, Kris Davis, Caity Gyorgy, Jocelyn Gould, Sam Wilson, Dan Pitt Quintet, John Kameel Farah & Nick Fraser, Lina Allemano's Ohrenschmaus, Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt, No Codes, Montuno WestPlaylist: Anna Webber, featuring Matt Mitchell & John Hollenbeck - Slingsh0tCarn Davidson 9, featuring Dick Oatts - Fire (For Oatts)Ben Wendel - I Saw You SayErin Rogers, Gelsey Bell - Nereo CaveJessica Ackerley - To See Takes TimeSteph Richards - MoutonsKris Davis, featuring Robert Hurst & Johnathan Blake - SubtonesCaity Gyorgy - I Regret to Inform YouJocelyn Gould - You're No Fun At AllSam Wilson - elm treeDan Pitt Quintet - TautologyJohn Kameel Farah and Nick Fraser - ElevatorLina Allemano's Ohrenschmaus - Heart StringsPeggy Lee & Cole Schmidt - MercyNo Codes - HyperstitionsMontuno West - The Trap
A preview of the musicians that FourOneOne will present during with "Transatlantik" a two-day of performances and conversation with diasporic artists engaged with the artistic and political concepts of negritude and créolité. The playlist features Cassie Watson Francillon; Sélène Saint-Aimé; Aruan Ortiz, Andrew Cyrille, Mauricio Herrera; Anais Maivel; Kris Davis, Val Jeanty, Terri Lyne Carrington; Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/19824668/Mondo-Jazz Happy listening!
THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Ekonting music (Senegal) from Adama Sambou & Ejam Kasa; Lusophone pop from Bandé-Gamboa; new music from Tarbaby; vintage jazz from Frank Gordon; Mark Izu & Group; new trio music from Kris Davis; Bojongkoneng village ensemble from Java; classical Egyptian music from Mohamad Al Dayekh & Mohamad Ghazi; Libyan pop from Fahad Al Kubaisi; from Morocco: Fatna Bent Lhoucine & El Hammouniya; much, much more... Catch the BIRDS live on Friday nights, 9:00pm-MIDNIGHT (EST), in Central New York on WRFI, 88.1 FM Ithaca/ 88.5 FM Odessa;. and WORLDWIDE online via our MUSIC PLAYER at WRFI.ORG. 24/7 via PODBEAN: https://conferenceofthebirds.podbean.com/ via iTUNES: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conference-of-the-birds-podcast/id478688580 Also available at podomatic, Internet Archive, podtail, iheart Radio, and elsewhere. Always FREE of charge to listen to the radio program and free also to stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast online: PLAYLIST at SPINITRON: https://spinitron.com/WRFI/pl/18531828/Conference-of-the-Birds and via the Conference of the Birds page at www.WRFI.ORG https://www.wrfi.org/wrfiprograms/conferenceofthebirds/ Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/conferenceofthebirds/?ref=bookmarks FIND WRFI on Radio Garden: http://radio.garden/visit/ithaca-ny/aqh8OGBR
Kris Davis, Patricia Brennan, Warren Wolf, Stefon Harris, Christie Dashiell, Ciara Moser, Yvonne Rogers, Nicole McCabe, Alden Hellmuth, Lenard Simpson, Jeff Rupert, Tevet Sela, Greg Amirault, Sahara Von Hattenberger, Remy Le Boeuf, Akropolis Reed Quintet, Pascal Le Boeuf & Christian EumanPlaylist: Kris Davis, featuring Johnathan Blake and Robert Hurst - Softly, As You WakePatricia Brennan - Los Otros YoWarren Wolf - Midnight SunStefon Harris & Blackout - Life SignsChristie Dashiell - InfluenceCiara Moser - I TrustYvonne Rogers - ForagersNicole McCabe - Force of GoodAlden Hellmuth, featuring Yvonne Rogers, Lucas Kadish, Kanoa Mendenhall, Timothy Angulo & Peter Evans - WhirlLenard Simpson - The IntercessorJeff Rupert - It Gets BetterTevet Sela - In Your Own WordsGreg Amirault - A Change of PaceSahara von Hattenberger - Air ChrysalisRemy Le Boeuf, featuring Max Light - Stop & GoAkropolis Reed Quintet, Pascal Le Boeuf, Christian Euman - Ambassadors (Swing)
Master saxophonists of yesterday and today, piano trios from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and a piano-bouzouki duo exploring uncharted territories should give you plenty of pleasure and surprises in this week's Mondo Jazz set. The playlist features Ben Wendel; Alden Hellmuth [pictured]; Joel Lyssarides, Georgios Prokopiou; Gato Barbieri; Franco D'Andrea; and Kris Davis. Happy listening! Photo credit: Pete Agraan.
A joint mix with artist Charline Dally broadcast on Radio AlHara, Sept. 24, 2024. Track listing below, artist name(s) and then track name. Original artwork by Charline. 01. Jad Atoui, The Last Bloom 02. Yu Su, Touch-Me-Not 03. VAMPI + Nadah El Shazly, Myst 04. Arca, Fossil 05. Kamilya Jubran + Werner Hasler, Gharbeebah 06. Vivian Li + Thomas Augustin, Éclipse 07. Büşra Kayıkçı, Qarib 08. Jordan Christoff, Waves 09. DahL, Plesiosaur 10. koeosaeme, III 11. Relative Resonance, Feat. Kris Davis, Chris Speed, Chris Tordini & Devin Gray - Notester
In this episode, I spend time with Grammy Award-winning pianist and Berklee College of Music professor of Jazz Kris Davis on 'Strictly Jazz Sounds.' We do a deep dive into her latest project, Run the Gauntlet, dedicated to six influential women jazz pianists, which drops on September 27, 2024. A common thread is woven throughout the hour, mentoring. As a recipient of it herself, Kris Davis discusses the importance of fostering the next generation of jazz musicians. She also provides a detail description of her fascinating composition process. Kris Davis and I spend time discussing her label, Pyroclastic Records and how the non-profit organization is critical to creating adventurous improvisational jazz. Davis and Pyroclastic Records generously provide three compositions for this episode. The Kris Davis Trio is comprised of three highly accomplished, award-winning artists: Kris Davis-piano, Robert Hurst-bass, and Johnathan Blake-drums. The 23rd Episode opens with “Heavy-Footed” (6:00); at about 30 minutes you will hear “Dream State (4:55), and it closes with “Little Footsteps” (5:12). Kris Davis is a remarkable composer. She's brilliant in her work which reflects her dedication to learning and expanding her horizons. Subsequently, Kris has been recognized by DownBeat magazine and the Jazz Journalists Association as Pianist of the Year. She's a Doris Duke Foundation Artist, her work recognized by the New York Times and NPR-National Public Radio as number one. Since her debut album, Lifespan, which was released in 2003, Kris Davis is a leader/co-leader on 25 recordings. All these accolades are great but what matters most to Kris Davis, is expanding the music and assuring that the next generation of jazz artists is successful. Thank you for spending your time listening to this podcast. If you are a subscriber, wonderful! You are part of a fast-growing membership. If not, when you do subscribe, you become one of the first to learn of new episodes when they are published. Thank you for listening. Photo by Peter Gannushkin-DowntownMusic.net
Feel that rumble underfoot? It might be the stampeding onrush of new music this fall. This episode, we're throwing a spotlight on the most anticipated albums among them, by alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonists Patricia Brennan and Simon Moullier, pianist Kris Davis and Joe Alterman, and violinist Jenny Scheinman. We're also talking shop with tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia, whose aptly named Odyssey is simply undeniable. Joining us from her home in London, she reflects on transatlantic contrasts, unhurried creative intentions, and the welcome challenge of enlarging her musical canvas to epic scale. Support WRTI: https://bit.ly/2yAkaJsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode: Listen to a conversation between your host Vivienne Aerts and Brooklyn based, Italian violinist Ludovica Burtone as they talk about her story how she moved from the tiny city of Udine, Italy to Boston to New York, about the making of her album Sparks About Ludovica Burtone Originally from Barcelona, Spain, Mar Fayos is a jazz vocalist whose music carries influences from Latin, pop, Mediterranean, and soul music. She has performed with accomplished artists such as Brazilian composer Toninho Horta, four-time Grammy-winning bassist Oscar Stagnaro, Mexican composer Armando Manzanero, and jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, as well as singing at the Newport Folk Festival, performing at Teatro de la Zarzuela de Madrid with the Spanish producer Javier Limón, and working with Sony Latin U.S., among others. A multi-award-winning vocalist, composer, producer of live music events, educator, and music activist, Fayos graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music in 2018 and from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute graduate program in 2021, where she studied with renowned jazz musicians such as Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, Tia Fuller, and Kris Davis, among others. Last December, she released her debut album of original compositions, Mi Propia Religión, receiving acclaim from the international press. Mar Fayos currently works as a faculty member at Berklee College of Music, Bunker Hill Community College, and Escola Taller de Músics. She performs actively in Spain, around Europe, and in the U.S. Instagram / Facebook / YouTube About ViviTalks - Interviews with the Women Behind Typuhthâng. Introducing ViviTalks, a podcast hosted by Dutch New York-based musician Vivienne Aerts. Join us as we celebrate 100 talented female musicians from Vivienne's latest album "Typuhthâng," with a mission to empower female cacao farmers in the Virunga State Park of Congo and contribute to rainforest restoration. We delve into the musical journeys, creative processes, and unique perspectives of these talented women, seeking to bring greater balance to the music industry. It's a safe space for honest and authentic conversations with artists and trailblazers. Let's amplify the voices of remarkable women in music and stay tuned for inspiring stories and meaningful dialogues on ViviTalks. Stream the Album or Buy it on Bandcamp and get the chocolate! More about Vivienne here.
After seeing Grammy-winning pianist and composer Kris Davis, live at the Village Vanguard, I knew I wanted to sit down with her and dive into jazz. Here we discuss her philosophy of improvisation and her energy and passion for performing live. The Canadian-born artist fell in love with jazz at an early age, studied jazz piano at the University of Toronto, and cites the legendary Don Pullen as a major influence. Along the way, as she shares, she's played with innovative performers such as J.D. Allen, Dave Holland, Terri Lyne Carrington, Tyshawn Sorey, and John Zorn. Before our conversation winds down, we talk albums and which speak to her the most.
In this episode: Listen to a conversation between your host Vivienne Aerts and Mar Fayos, Spanish vocalist and composer, as they talk about Cirque du Soleil, and her new album About Mar Fayos Originally from Barcelona, Spain, Mar Fayos is a jazz vocalist whose music carries influences from Latin, pop, Mediterranean, and soul music. She has performed with accomplished artists such as Brazilian composer Toninho Horta, four-time Grammy-winning bassist Oscar Stagnaro, Mexican composer Armando Manzanero, and jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, as well as singing at the Newport Folk Festival, performing at Teatro de la Zarzuela de Madrid with the Spanish producer Javier Limón, and working with Sony Latin U.S., among others.A multi-award-winning vocalist, composer, producer of live music events, educator, and music activist, Fayos graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music in 2018 and from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute graduate program in 2021, where she studied with renowned jazz musicians such as Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, Tia Fuller, and Kris Davis, among others. Last December, she released her debut album of original compositions, Mi Propia Religión, receiving acclaim from the international press.Mar Fayos currently works as a faculty member at Berklee College of Music, Bunker Hill Community College, and Escola Taller de Músics. She performs actively in Spain, around Europe, and in the U.S. Instagram / Facebook / YouTube About ViviTalks - Interviews with the Women Behind Typuhthâng. Introducing ViviTalks, a podcast hosted by Dutch New York-based musician Vivienne Aerts. Join us as we celebrate 100 talented female musicians from Vivienne's latest album "Typuhthâng," with a mission to empower female cacao farmers in the Virunga State Park of Congo and contribute to rainforest restoration. We delve into the musical journeys, creative processes, and unique perspectives of these talented women, seeking to bring greater balance to the music industry. It's a safe space for honest and authentic conversations with artists and trailblazers. Let's amplify the voices of remarkable women in music and stay tuned for inspiring stories and meaningful dialogues on ViviTalks. Stream the Album or Buy it on Bandcamp and get the chocolate! More about Vivienne here.
JULIAN LAGE SPEAK TO ME c. 2023Hymnal, Northern shuffle (1,2), South mountain (2), Nothing happens hereLevon Henry (cl-1) Kris Davis (p-2) Patrick Warren (keyboards) Julian Lage (g,comp) Jorge Roeder (b) Dave King (d) BILLY LESTER FROM SCRATCH New York, May 17 & 18, 2018Indiana, Body and soul, I surrender dearBilly Lester (p) Rufus Reid (b) Matt Wilson (d) THE GERRY MULLIGAN QUARTET WHAT IS THERE TO SAY New York, December 1958 & January 1959News from Newport, News from Blueport, Utter chaosArt Farmer (tp) Gerry Mulligan (bar) Bill Crow (b) Dave Bailey (d) Continue reading Puro Jazz 22 abril 2024 at PuroJazz.
TRACKLIST : A-f-a-r - Vervain (Arutani remix) Eban Krocher - Ju Lauren Ritter & Tenesha the Wordsmith - I surrender Mihai Popoviciu - Voyager Travis Jesse - Garden is one BAI - The purpose Del Fonda & Paul Franc - Algorithm Legit Trip - Budapest night Made By Pete - Fires Vesca - Aporema Eberle - Under water Awaken - The fear (Kris Davis remix)
Claudia Villela, Edward Simon, Veronica Swift, Donald Vega, Artemis, Harold Lopez-Nussa, Ethan Iverson, Vijay Iyer, Kris Davis, Sharon Minemoto, Bellbird, Allison Burik, Ruiqi Wang, Roxane Reddy, Esperanza Spalding and Cecile McLorin SalvantPlaylist: Claudia Viella - Cartas Ao VentoEdward Simon, featuring Magos Herrera, Reuben Rogers, Adam Cruz and Luis Quintero - FemininaVeronica Swift, featuring Luis Quintero - The Show Must Go OnDonald Vega, featuring Lewis Nash, John Patitucci and Luis Quintero - As I TravelArtemis - Balance of TimeHarold Lopez-Nussa - Cake a la ModaEthan Iverson - Who Are You, Really?Vijay Iyer, featuring Linda May Han Oh and Tyshawn Sorey - Prelude: OrisonKris Davis, featuring Terri Lyne Carrington, Val Jeanty, Trevor Dunn, Julian Lage - Nine HatsSharon Minemoto - As Luck Would Have ItBellbird, featuring Claire Devlin, Allison Burik, Eli Davidovici & Mili Hong - If You Can't Swim, DanceAllison Burik - Be the DragonRuiqi Wang - Fragments for Subduing the SilenceRoxane Reddy - WiltedEsperanza Spalding - Nao Ao Marco TemporalCecile McLorin Salvant - Fenestra
Today, the Spotlight shines On Grammy-winning pianist and composer Kris Davis.Kris joined us in the wake of the September 2023 release of her album Live at the Village Vanguard, out on her own Pyroclastic Records label.Live at the Village Vanguard is the second release from her band Diatom Ribbons, an adventurous quintet featuring drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, turntablist and electronic musician Val Jeanty, bassist Trevor Dunn – and new addition guitarist Julian Lage.In addition to talking about that band and album, Kris guides us through her musical path and development while hipping us to her important work at the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from Live at the Village Vanguard by Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons)------------------Dig DeeperListen to Live at the Village Vanguard by Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons on Bandcamp or your streaming platform of choiceVisit Kris Davis at krisdavis.netVisit Pyroclastic Records at pyroclasticrecords.comFollow Kris Davis on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) and Pyroclastic Records on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X).Kris Davis Is A Powerhouse and A PolymathKris Davis, a Pianist Fighting for Fringe MusicBerklee Institute of Jazz and Gender JusticeBe sure to peruse this episode's extensive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice.• Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, the Spotlight shines On Grammy-winning pianist and composer Kris Davis.Kris joined us in the wake of the September 2023 release of her album Live at the Village Vanguard, out on her own Pyroclastic Records label.Live at the Village Vanguard is the second release from her band Diatom Ribbons, an adventurous quintet featuring drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, turntablist and electronic musician Val Jeanty, bassist Trevor Dunn – and new addition guitarist Julian Lage.In addition to talking about that band and album, Kris guides us through her musical path and development while hipping us to her important work at the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from Live at the Village Vanguard by Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons)------------------Dig DeeperListen to Live at the Village Vanguard by Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons on Bandcamp or your streaming platform of choiceVisit Kris Davis at krisdavis.netVisit Pyroclastic Records at pyroclasticrecords.comFollow Kris Davis on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) and Pyroclastic Records on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X).Kris Davis Is A Powerhouse and A PolymathKris Davis, a Pianist Fighting for Fringe MusicBerklee Institute of Jazz and Gender JusticeBe sure to peruse this episode's extensive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice.• Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's that time of the year when we look back at the past twelve months and realize that Jazz continues to be possibly the only thing that doesn't let us down, while the world is getting crazier by the hour. So here we are again, sharing a few mores tunes we've loved the most in the past few months. The playlist features Idris Ackamoor; Maria Pia de Vito; Todd Sickafoose; John Zorn; Henri Texier; Billy Mohler; Thandi Ntuli, Carlos Niño; Kris Davis; Sofia Rei, Jorge Roeder; Pierrick Pédron, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/18277956/Mondo-Jazz [from 'Police Dem" onwards]. Photo credit: Scott Irvine.
Kevin Sun is a Chinese-American saxophonist and composer. His music has been called “...intense, harmonically virtuosic and compositionally complex" (DownBeat Magazine), and he has released five albums to date—most recently a double album entitled The Depths of Memory in October 2023. Sun has also released album four with the bands Mute, Earprint, and Great On Paper, and he appears on recordings led by Jacob Garchik, Dana Saul, Xiongguan Zhang, and Elijah Shiffer. In addition to performing in the U.S., Sun has performed extensively in China and previously served as the Artistic Director of the Blue Note China Jazz Orchestra from 2018 until 2020, leading performances of the BNCJO at the Blue Note Beijing with guest artists such as Rudresh Mahanthappa, Kris Davis, and Ingrid Jensen. He performs every Tuesday at Lowlands Bar in Brooklyn, where he has been in residence since September 2021 with support from Keyed Up!, a program of the nonprofit organization Jazz Generation. If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, ect. Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com
Question: What would jazz music sound like if it had been born in a country without patriarchy; taught without bias and performed on a stage with radical inclusivity? That's what jazz titan Terri Lyne Carrington says is the foundation behind Berklee College of Music's Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. Terri Lyne is the founder and artistic director of the Institute and a professor at Berklee, her alma mater. In this episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds, I spend time with Terri Lyne Carrington, getting deep into this question along with how to lift women and nonbinary individuals in this historically male dominated industry, creating a new bandscape that reveals the multitude of different voices in jazz. Terri Lyne is a drum major for women and nonbinary individuals in the jazz ecosystem. She's also a highly successful drummer/percussionist, a bandleader, composer and producer, an artistic director of a couple of organizations, a writer with two books, and an educator. On Terri Lyne's website, she displays many photos of the extraordinary talent that she met through her musician father's friends. You see her standing between drummers Roy Haynes and Tony Williams; Art Blakey is sitting on the floor next to Terri Lyne while she plays the drums; another has Buddy Rich next to her while she's on the drums. Not your typical teenager's hangout of friends nor upbringing experiences. She readily acknowledges her home environment was one of privilege and enriching for a young prodigy. Terri Lyne dedicates her life to reaching back to today's young women and nonbinary individuals bent on changing the faces of jazz, on and behind the bandstand. We most certainly spend time on her 2023 Grammy winning album New Standards Vol. 1 on the CANDID label and the related book “New Standards Vol. 1: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers,” published by Berklee Press. Two tracks of music from the album are included in this episode. The personnel for the album: Terri Lyne Carrington-drums/percussion; Kris Davis-piano; Linda May Han Oh-bass; Nicholas Payton-trumpet; and Matthew Stevens, guitar. Uplifted Hearts by Shamie Royston; featuring Ravi Coltrane-tenor sax; Val Jeanty-electronics; Elena Pinderhuges-flute; Negah Santos-percussion; and Shadrack Oppong-spoken word. Throw It Away by Abbey Lincoln; featuring: Somi-vocal; Melanie Charles-vocal; and Negah Santos-percussion. Terri Lyne Carrington's portfolio is extensive, bold, and rich. If you are unfamiliar with it, I encourage you to check it out and listen to her music in her discography. The next episode of Strictly Jazz Sounds will be in early 2024. I'm taking some medical time off until then. This is the first year of this podcast. Thanks so much to all my guests and to you for making this a great year for me. If you have not subscribed, do so. You'll be one of the first to know when a new episode is released. Support live jazz wherever you are. Be safe. Steve Braunginn Thanks to CANDID Records for the music. Photo of Terri Lyne Carrington by Michael Goldman
There are many storied jazz venues, but for a great recorded legacy, none quite matches the Village Vanguard. So many epochal improvised moments put to tape! So many clinking wine glasses captured for eternity! Such a matchless, smoky atmosphere of creation in the heat of the moment! (Insert record scratch here.) The boys don't look at the best known monuments from the place, but rather start with a lesser known session from the end of the seventies and then examine three brand new "Live from the Vanguard" recordings and ask - is the magic still there? Kris Davis – LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD; Mark Turner – LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD; Kurt Rosenwinkle – UNDER COVER, LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD; Woody Shaw – STEPPING STONES: LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD.
A playlist to travel the spaceways of Sun Ra and Bernie Worrell, but also those of Ronald Shannon Jackson and Joe Zawinul, experience the Afro Futuristic Dreams of Idris Ackamoor, the grooves of the Adam Dietch Quartet feat. John Scofield and the river streams that have inspired Helen Svoboda and Slowly Rolling Camera. The playlist also features David Helbock; Cindy Blackman Santana, John King; Orquestra Afrosinfônica, Jazzmeia Horn; Kris Davis; John O'Connor, Tim Green; Verneri Pohjola and Josh Arcoleo. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/17904177/Mondo-Jazz [up to "Flow"]. Happy listening!
Pianist Kris Davis's new album is called Live At The Village Vanguard (Pyroclastic Records, 2023). In this interview, Kris talks about what it feels like to record at the Village Vanguard; how she put together the Diatom Ribbons band; working with a DJ; the role of humor in instrumental performance; working with the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice; her recent tour with Dave Holland; and more. Kris was previously on episode #290, which you can listen to here. PATREON Become a Patreon supporter for $5 a month to get a bonus show called This I Dig Of You, on which the guest from the main episode talks about something non-musical that's bringing them joy. Kris talks about grilling. You'll also get early access to every episode, a thank you on an episode, and behind-the-scenes news. Join at http://patreon.com/thejazzsession. CREDITS Theme Music: The Respect Sextet (respectsextet.com) Logo: Sarah Walter Intro Voice: Chuck Ingersoll (hearchucknow.com)
Pianist-composer Kris Davis was named 2017 Rising Star Pianist/2018 Rising Star Artist in Downbeat magazine and dubbed one of the music's top up-and-comers in a 2012 New York Times article titled “New Pilots at the Keyboard,” with the newspaper saying: “One method for deciding where to hear jazz on a given night has been to track down the pianist Kris Davis.” To date, Davis has released twelve recordings as a leader. Her 2016 release, Duopoly, made The New York Times, Pop Matters, NPR, LA Times, and Jazz Times best albums of 2016. Davis works as a collaborator and side person with artists such as John Zorn, Terri Lyne Carrington, Craig Taborn, Tyshawn Sorey, Eric Revis, Michael Formanek, Tony Malaby, Ingrid Laubrock, Julian Lage, Mary Halvorson and Tom Rainey. Davis received a Doris Duke Impact award in 2015 and multiple commissions to compose new works from The Shifting Foundation, The Jazz Gallery/Jerome Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts. She is the Associate Program Director of Creative Development for the Insitute Jazz and Gender Justice at Berklee College of Music. If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, ect. Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com