contemporary jazz

Tales from the Jazz Side with Vashon Johnson episode #21

This episode of  Tales will be coming from bassist and composer Vashon Johnson. I must admit that it has been a long time since I last aired the show. I recorded this podcast over five years ago and never got around to launching it. But we are back now and ready to hit the road and…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Jimmy Haslip, episode #19

Tales is coming to you with guest electric bassist/composer/arranger/producer, Jimmy Haslip. Back in August while playing with Michael and the band in Los Angeles, I had an excellent opportunity to invite this extraordinarily talented and humble gentleman to do an episode of Tales. We conducted the interview backstage after the show. Amidst the noise of the…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Jay Azzolina episode #16

Tales is coming to you with guest artist guitarist/composer/teacher Jay Azzolina. One of the things that I love about doing these podcasts is that I get to reconnect with musicians/friends that I admire and respect as artists. Life moves so swiftly and in so many directions, that we don’t always have an opportunity to talk…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Buddy Williams episode #15 part 1 & 2

Tales coming to you with guest artist drummer/composer Buddy Williams, will be presented in two parts. Part one above. Part two in post write up. “Buddy Williams has got to be one of the most 10 recorded drummers of all time. Period. The resume is just ridiculous. You have to just see it to believe….

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Charles Blenzig episode #13

Tales is coming to you with guest artist pianist/composer/arranger/teacher Charles Blenzig. All good things come to those who wait. And wait I did until finally everything lined up and voilà, I now present to you the interview with my road buddy, my friend, Charles Blenzig. You ask, how come that was so hard to do, don’t…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Jennifer Vincent episode #12

Tales is coming to you with guest artist cellist/bassist/composer/ Jennifer Vincent. If you’ve ever wondered who is that amazing bass player on American Lullaby, Standard Delivery, Awake and Travis Shook plays Kurt Weill, it is none other than Jennifer Vincent. As with most of my guests so far on this should, we too go back a…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Sean Conly episode #9

Tales is coming to you with bassist/composer/arranger Sean Conly. Sean Conly is another notable musician with an impressive multiple musical language background. He has played with such legendary greats as Andrew Hill, Russ Lossing, Ray Barretto, Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton, Randy Brecker, Howard Alden and Lew Tabackin to name a few. I had the pleasure…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Jua Howard episode # 8

Tales is coming to you with guest artist singer-songwriter Jua Howard. I was working on my list of guests invitees when I noticed that each month I added more names to the list, so much so, that the list almost doubled in size every month. At the rate I was going it would be 25…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Tjut Nyak Deviana Daudsjah episode # 7

Tales is coming to you with guest artist pianist/composer/arranger/educator Professor Deviana Daudsjah. As some of you may recall from last months’ episode, in October and November, I traveled to the far east with the Michael Franks’ band. While there, I recorded a marvelous December episode with bassist Kengo Nakamura. I finished my tour dates in…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Mark Egan episode # 5

Tales coming to you with guest artist bassist/composer/producer Mark Egan. Moving back to my 20 years with Michael Franks anniversary tribute, I have the utmost delight in speaking with a gentleman that I’ve known primarily from listening to his music. And once again, through Michael, I now have the greatest pleasure to work with this…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Jacques Schwarz-Bart episode # 4

This month’s Tales will be coming from Saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart. Let’s take a different route this month and go by way of a great player that I’ve known from a past life. Now that can be taken in a couple of ways and that’s exactly my intention. Jacques and I go way back… back to the days…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Willard Dyson episode #3

Tales is coming to you with guest artist drummer/composer/teacher Willard Dyson. In keeping true to my celebration of 20 years with Michael, this month’s Tales from the Jazz Side guest is one of my hanging buddies while I’m out on the road with the Franks band. It’s true when they say that you can learn…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Jay Anderson, episode #2

Tales is coming to you with guest artist bassist/composer/teacher Jay Anderson. Jay Anderson bio on All About Jazz starts off with “Bassist/composer Jay Anderson is among the most versatile and respected jazz artists performing today.” Whenever we read reviews or comments about artists’ abilities, sometimes we come away with the feeling that the words were…

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Tales from the Jazz Side with Michael Franks, episode #1

Tales is coming to you with guest artist legendary singer-songwriter Michael Franks. Although he is often referred to as a smooth jazz singer-songwriter, I find that description to not be altogether accurate. I consider him to be a jazz evolutionary singer-songwriter, whose music covers all the subtle colors and diversity that writing music is all…

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