Our conversation with the legendary Wadada Leo Smith continues with a further discussion on the business side of music, including his own label, Kabell. We go into a deeper dive on his recent duet with Jack DeJohnette and Vijay Iyer, A Love Sonnet for Billie Holiday (TUM, 2021), and his latest solo release, Trumpet (TUM, […]

Many people, as they get older, tend to slow down and reduce their workload. Some even step aside and retire entirely. Wadada Leo Smith takes the opposite approach. Over the past year, Smith has been perhaps more productive than ever. 2021 has found him behind a 3 CD solo trumpet box set (Trumpet (TUM, 2021)), […]

Historians believe some form of the harp existed as far back as the beginning of ancient Egypt’s “Old Kingdom”, 2500 BC. Even as early as 4,500 years ago, it was commonplace for a harpist to give solo performances. Across the ages, the instrument adapted and changed to meet the musical needs of the time. Despite […]

With its double reeds and complicated fingerings, the bassoon is one of the most difficult wind instruments to master. But for an artist dedicated to conquering the tool, great music can result. With its somehow equally mysterious and romantic tone, the bassoon provides tonal color unlike any other instrument. And while the bassoon has found […]

Since the 1970s, Marilyn Crispell has been a major figure in creative music, pushing the piano into new realms, whether her hands are on its keys or in the instrument itself. While Crispell has some beautiful solo, trio, and quartet recordings to her name, it seems she has a particular affinity for the intimacy of […]

Over the past two and a half decades, pianist-composer Sylvie Courvoisier has established a formidable career in combining concepts from European chamber music and avant-garde jazz. In the process, she has collaborated with such other luminaries as John Zorn, Wadada Leo Smith, Evan Parker, Ken Vandermark, and Mary Halvorson. Like Courvoisier, guitarist-composer Halvorson has a […]

The second part of our conversation with Dave Liebman covers his incredible debut as a leader, Lookout Farm (ECM, 1973). But it focuses primarily on two of the saxophonist’s more recent projects. First, we discuss his longtime collaboration with pianist Richie Beirach and their recent five CD release – with special guest Jack Dejohnette– Empathy […]

For over fifty years, Dave Liebman has been at the forefront of musical creativity. Whether his time as a sideman with artists including Miles Davis and Elvin Jones or his own works like Lookout Farm (ECM, 1973) or The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner (CMP, 1986) or his various recordings with Quest, he has […]

Over the past decade, Canadian ensemble BADBADNOTGOOD has established itself as a powerful force in creative music. The group initially emerged from the shared love of hip hop by three students – Matthew Tavares, Alexander Sowinski, and Chester Hansen – at Humber College’s jazz program. Jump forward a few years and the addition of saxophonist […]

We continue our conversation with Steven Bernstein by discussing his Community Music project more generally and what distinguishes Tinctures in Time (Royal Potato Family, 2021) from the forthcoming three albums in the series. We also consider Sexmob’s continued legacy on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the groundbreaking band’s founding, including the uniqueness of Bernstein’s choice to […]