JAZZIZ Conversations

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Jamie Cullum Reinvents Himself...Again Jun 28, 2019

Show notes

On this episode of JAZZIZ Backstage Pass, host Brian Zimmerman engages in a frank and wide-ranging discussion with pianist and vocalist Jamie Cullum, the best selling U.K. jazz artist of all time. It has been five years since the release of Jamie’s previous album, Interlude, and nearly 20 since the release of his first recording, Heard It All Before, for which he pressed just 500 copies. Now he’s out with a brand new record called Taller. It was released June 7 on Blue Note Records, and in many ways, it’s stylistic reinvention for the 39-year-old Grammy-nominated musician, fusing genres from his past and carrying with it a deeply personal message.

Cullum said the title came from an aspect of his relationship with his wife, the actress and writer Sophie Dahl. Cullum stands about 5 feet 5 inches; his wife is 6 feet tall. The title track of the album is all about measuring up emotionally and intellectually and how real stature has nothing to do with height at all. Thematically, the disc is far-reaching yet profoundly deep, with songs touching on social media, Brexit and the anxiety inherent in all creative projects.

JAZZIZ spoke to Jamie via telephone while he was in London. And like all good Londoners, we pick up the conversation talking about — what else? — the weather.

10 Albums You Need To Know: June 2019 Jun 14, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, JAZZIZ Backstage Pass host Brian Zimmerman is joined by JAZZIZ online editor Matt Micucci to present the 10 Albums You Need To Know for June 2019, featuring new records by best-selling U.K. jazz artist Jamie Cullum, former Earth Wind & Fire frontman Philip Bailey and not one but two jazz harpists. And as a podcast exclusive, we even include a new flamenco album from piano master Chick Corea.

Also discussed in this wide-ranging podcast: bad haircuts, balloon twisting and a hypothetical Justin Bieber jazz album.

Tierney Sutton Takes Jazz to the Movies Apr 29, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, JAZZIZ Backstage Pass host Brian Zimmerman sits down with Tierney Sutton, an eight-time Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist who has received a “Best Jazz Vocal Album” nomination for every project she has released in the last decade. Her latest project is the album Screenplay, on which the Tierney Sutton Band sets their sights on the wide-ranging panorama of film music. The ambitious 19-track project is being released in five installments. The first was released in February and features the music of Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The second dials in on film music from 1939 to 1945.

10 Albums You Need to Know: April 2019 Apr 13, 2019

Show notes

Join JAZZIZ Editors Brian Zimmerman and Matt Micucci as they discuss the 10 albums you need to know for April 2019, featuring new titles by Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Kendrick Scott Oracle, Mark Guiliana and more!

JAZZIZ Backstage Pass: Steve Davis – The Last Jazz Messenger Mar 29, 2019

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Trombonist Steve Davis has been a member of some of the most prestigious ensembles in jazz: Chick Corea’s Origins, the Jackie McLean Sextet, Benny Golson’s New Jazztet, the Christian McBride Big Band and the all-star collective One For All. But his biggest claim to fame may be that he was the last musician ever to be hired into Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He even appeared on that legendary group’s final studio album, 1990’s One for All.

Now, nearly 30 years later, Davis has released a new album, Correlations, on which the all-star trombonist has assembled a powerhouse group all his own. Released March 8 on Smoke Sessions Records, the album finds Davis at the helm of a new, multi-generational sextet that is packed with talent and loaded with potential. In this episode, we talk to Davis about the new CD and what he learned from leaders like Blakey and McLean (Hint: don’t hog the solo spotlight, but do wear the right jacket to the gig).

10 Albums You Need to Know: March 2019 Mar 17, 2019

Show notes

In this podcast, JAZZIZ Backstage Pass host Brian Zimmerman is joined by online editor Matt Micucci to discuss the 10 Albums You Need to Know for March 2019. The full list of albums is below. To read the text version of this feature, click here.

Emmet Cohen Links Jazz's Past and Present Feb 28, 2019

Show notes

Emmet Cohen is a young pianist with a broad vision of jazz. He’s committed to what he calls the intergenerational transfer of artistic knowledge, history, and traditions. To that end, he’s embarked on a recording project he’s dubbed the “Masters Legacy Series,” a celebratory set of recordings and interviews honoring legendary jazz musicians. He serves as both producer and pianist for each album in the series.

And he’s just 28 years old.

Joe Lovano Is at Home on ECM Feb 28, 2019

Show notes

Tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano may be best known for his long-running tenure at Blue Note Records, the label he’s called home since 1991. But within the same span, he’s also been a vital presence on the German label ECM, founded by renowned producer Manfred Eicher. It’s a relationship that stems back to 1981, when Lovano first appeared on drummer Paul Motian’s album Psalm. In the years since, the saxophonist would perform on albums by ECM luminaries like John Abercrombie, Steve Kuhn and Marc Johnson, but to this point, he has never recorded an ECM album under his own name. That all changed on January 25, when ECM releases Trio Tapestry, a new album featuring Lovano in the leader role alongside pianist Marilyn Crispell and drummer Carmen Castaldi.

Snarky Puppy's Mike "Maz" Maher Feb 28, 2019

Show notes

Mike “Maz” Maher is a founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Snarky Puppy, a group that, since its beginnings in 2004, has made it its mission to smash genre walls and steer jazz in new directions. In 2016, Maz released the album Idealist on Snarky Puppy’s homegrown label GroundUP Music. It features his new band, also called Maz, and is bursting with influences from jazz to funk to indie-rock to pop. It also found him exhibiting a talent few fans knew he had: singing.

10 Albums You Need to Know: February 2019 Feb 14, 2019

Show notes

In this podcast, JAZZIZ Online Editor Matt Micucci joins host Brian Zimmerman to discuss the 10 Albums You Need to Know About for February 2019. You may have come across this list as an article on our website, but we’re presenting it here — for the first time ever — as an audio podcast. Now you can hear these incredible albums yourself. Join us as we discuss and listen to new works by Chris Potter, Wadada Leo Smith, Keiko Matsui, Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom and more!

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