This post is a response to a specific thread shared by some musicians on the fate of jazz and the result of so much now being free on the internet. This is a vitally important topic and one on I wish to share my thoughts, using my current internet project as an example of one…
I had the pleasure this week of speaking via Zoom to the brass students and professors at Arizona State University. Thank you to Brad Edwards for thinking a little outside the box by inviting me and for setting it all up. In his invitation to everyone, Brad highlighted the book I wrote with Dr. Rodney…
I remember sitting in the back of a large music classroom at the University of Redlands in California almost three years ago. Jiggs Wigham was talking about all things trombone at that year’s International Trombone Festival. Jiggs said something early on that has stuck with me ever since. He said, “I hate to practice.” I…
I’ve had the honor over the past few months of getting to know the great jazz pianist, Richie Beirach. Richie’s best friend, Dave Liebman, introduced us after I interviewed Dave for the Jazz Master Summit event and then asked him to help me reach out to Richie to do the same. As I would soon…
I received an email today from a musician friend who is having a very hard time of things right now. He’s far from the only one, but his emotional outpouring of sorrow and hopelessness inspired me to share my belief in what I’m calling the art. The art of living in times of dark clouds…
Richie sent me his reflection of meeting Hank Mobley for the first time. I was up at Don Sicklers loft one afternoon working on some stuff with Don, and Hank came. Don introduced me, telling Hank that I was a jazz pianist and was playing in a band with Dave Liebman. Hank smiled and said,…
In my interview with Joe Lovano, I asked if he thought there was an element of courage to developing and playing with one’s musical voice that is different and personal. I asked that question because it seems to me that playing like others in the manner that is generally accepted as “how your instrument should…
I asked Richie Beirach to explain a little about his comping for his friend and colleague of 50 years, Dave Liebman. As usual, when Richie is asked something, he’s never short of an enthusiastic response that nails the essence of the answer. This is what Richie wrote: For most piano players, Lieb is not easy…
As I collect interviews for the Jazz Master Summit, I want to post a few interesting excerpts. I think these will help demonstrate some of the value, entertainment, and musical wisdom you won’t find in other places. One example was the tribute to Lyle Mays I asked of Mark Eagan last week. I had the…
As part of the upcoming Jazz Master Summit, I interviewed Mark Egan, the bass player of the quartet that recorded those early Pat Metheny albums The Pat Metheny Group and American Garage. That group consisted of Pat, Mark, Danny Gotlieb and Lyle Mays. At the end of my interview with Mark, I asked him to…