Pablo Held Investigates: Recent Episodes
Pablo Held
A few years ago I took inspiring composition lessons with pianist/composer/arranger Guillermo Klein, which still resonate with me to this day. Guillermo helped me to break free from habits and find new pathways to starting the compositional process. Now I finally got to interview on the podcast, which, in a way, turned out to be another incredible composition lesson – but this time I get to share it with you!
Listening to Guillermo’s unique music always uplifts and inspires me – the same thing happens when we talk.
Anders Jormin is one of my favorite bassists and composers. I got the chance to play with him in 2016, where we celebrated the music of my late teacher, the great John Taylor. Now, we continue where we left off and talk in-depth about his life in music.
It was so great to pick Anders’ brain about his view on composition, voice leading, interplay, how we deal with influences, memories of playing with drum masters Paul Motian, Elvin Jones and Billy Hart, writing a symphony, his bass heroes and… we also played a bit for each other!
Talking to singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and interdisciplinary artist Jen Shyu was immensely inspiring and invigorating! After admiring Jen’s work for a long time from afar, getting to pick her brain for almost 3 hours was a big deal for me. As you know, I always love it when the artists bring there instruments and perform on the episode- Jen was all for that and brought a few traditional instruments like the moon lute and the gayageum and of course she sang quite a bit. You’ll see, this conversation went to all kinds of places. I’m very grateful to Jen for letting us into her unique world.
Talking to Joe Lovano was a dream come true. After so many years of listening to him I finally got to ask him about his process and get deeper insights into his musical journey. When our conversation ended I felt totally inspired and eager to dive into music– that’s exactly like we feel after we’ve taken a lesson with a great teacher, right? I’m glad we can all learn from maestro Joe together now.
Many thanks to the great Joe Lovano for taking the time to talk to me and to all of you for listening to our conversation.
The great John Scofield returns to the podcast – and this time he brought his guitar!
I absolutely love talking with Sco. To get ask him about his time with Paul Bley, Miles Davis, Elvin Jones and Jaco still is like a dream come true for me. And when he then takes out his guitar to demonstrate things from the music we talk about, like Carla Bley’s classic ‘Ida Lupino’ or a couple of my favorite Sco tunes, I’m in total fan-boy mode!
I’m glad I get to share these moments with you. Thanks for watching & listening!
Savannah Harris is an incredible drummer & great person. I not only admire her musicality & playing, but also her honesty and her rare no-BS-mentality, which is so apparent both in her playing and when you talk to her.
We bonded right away when we first played and hung out in 2023. (Both of us were on the jury & the accompanying band for the GJC auditions in Mainz) Plans were made to do an interview then and it finally happened a month ago. Now I’ll get to share it with you and we can all learn collectively from one of the great drummers of our time!
Heartfelt thanks to my Patreon community for their support & enthusiasm for this podcast! We’ve come a long way since I started this podcast in 2018: Now, I’m on my way to fully fund this podcast through Patreon subscriptions!
— If you’re listening to these talks often, please consider joining my Patreon.
You’ll get behind-the-scenes content, educational videos, music recommendations and much more.
What an absolute joy to nerd-out with saxophonist & composer Mark Turner about music after all these years of listening to him! As I tell Mark during this episode, his tune “Jacky’s Place” was my ring-tone for a while in the early 2000s I think we hit it off right away and covered a lot of ground in our conversation. I’m happy to share it now with all of you!
This my conversation with recording engineer & multi-instrumentalist Joseph Branciforte. I had been a fan of his work on albums by Ben Monder, Caroline Davis, Matt Mitchell, Jen Shyu & Kate Gentile and loved his duo work with Theo Bleckmann. So naturally I was excited when Joseph reached out to me and said that he had been listening to the podcast and would love to come on to talk about his process. We had an inspiring conversation which seemed to flow effortlessly right away. I’m grateful that I got to nerd-out with Joseph and that I now get to share it with you.
Talking to master bassist Robert Hurst was a big highlight for me. My earliest memory of listening to him goes back to my childhood where I often picked out the ‘Mo Better Blues‘ soundtrack from of my parent’s record collection. While listening to the record I stared at the pictures of the musicians in the booklet in awe. To finally get to talk to him was a dream come true for me.
I feel very grateful to Robert for his generosity and the inspiring conversation we had. Let’s all learn from him together now!
About a year ago I saw Isabel Hagen‘s appearance on the Jimmy Fallon Show became an instant fan, quickly diving into as much of her work as I could find. I love her standup and her incredible web series „Is A Violist“. The way Isabel combines comedy & music is really something else.
I’ve been a fan of comedy for all my life. (I grew up watching Jerry Lewis movies) It’s so fascinating how connected these art forms (all art forms really) are. At this point I’m studying my favorite comedians with similar admiration like I have for my favorite musicians. I’m glad we all get to learn from Isabel Hagen together now.
Thank you to
- Isabel for your time and giving us insights into your process
- Caroline Shaw for kindly putting me in touch with Isabel
- Till Kammertoens for your tireless work on the podcast
- my Patreon community. With your help I’m able to pay for the running costs of the podcast and keep it going! I can’t thank you enough. Here’s a shoutout to my newest members: Jonas Lusti, Alexis Boone, Cédric Hanriot, Jude Lane, Ignacio Amil,Jake K., Nadiia Zhurba, Simão Bárcia & Parker Shper
Here’s my conversation with singer, bassist & composer Fuensanta – one of the most original artists that I know. We reflect on her life in music, her creative process, challenges and important lessons, band leading, composing methods, influences and also we relive our own musical encounter with Louis Cole and Shannon Barnett.
This is episode has everything that I hope for in these conversations and much more! These days I find myself going back to many of the things that Fuensanta told me. Lots to learn here!
Legendary bassist & composer Buster Williams came on the podcast to talk about Sarah Vaughan, the role of the bass, patience in music, playing with the Miles Davis Quintet, his record ‘Something More’ … and much more! Such an honor to talk to him! I’m glad we get to learn from him together.
Here’s my in-depth conversation with Blake Mills & Chris Weisman about Blake’s “Jelly Road” album. We talk about each track and Blake & Chris often take out their guitars to show specific things in the music. It was so great to talk with them! Deepest gratitude to Blake & Chris for letting me study this … Continue reading Blake Mills + Chris Weisman
A conversation between Cuban pianist & composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba and German pianist Pablo Held
Producer, composer, singer, and songwriter Ethan Gruska in conversation with Pablo Held
Percy Pursglove is not only an incredible trumpet player, he’s also an adventurous composer and educator, a great musical mind, a great bassist and… he’s also my friend. I’ve been a fan of him ever since we first met during a little tour with Chris Potter in 2013. We bonded right away and a few years later we started playing together in many different musical scenarios:
We’ve worked together in my Buoyancy Band, with my trio, my big ensemble GLOW, with our mutual friend Michael Gibbs, in the NDR BigBand and many more one-off situations.
When we’re together we often get into deep discussions about the music and our relationship to it. I always looks forward to these conversations as much as I look forward to playing with him. I feel like we can work so well together because we are so honest with each other.
This episode is basically like one of those conversations on the road together. Thanks for joining us.
( side note for context: we recorded this in 2021 during one of the covid lockdowns )
The album Portals, Vol 1: Mourning was my entry point into the wonderful music by saxophonist & composer Caroline Davis. It was exactly what the title entails: I felt transported right away! It led me to check out so many other beautiful albums, videos and articles, which impressively show Caroline’s exceptional talent and vision. My personal favorites are Portals, Alula, her live videos from Smalls on YouTube and her fascinating lecture on Jazz & Gender.
I had a great time talking to Caroline about some of my favorite tunes from her, gender equity, lessons learned working with personal heroes like Geri Allen or Lee Konitz, leading a band, Mary Lou Williams, self doubt, Connie Crothers and much more.
Saxophonist Charles McPherson is a living legend, a musician of the highest order. I’ve learned a lot by listening to him play (and speak!) over the years. When I got the chance to interview him as part of the Mingus100 Festival at the Stadtgarten in Köln, I was delighted! Since this happened in between sets time was limited. Still, we managed to talk about lots of different topics like his time with Charles Mingus, the secret behind great at, the influence of Charlie Parker and his “linear sense of logic” and what he expects from his fellow musicians.
I’m so happy that this happened and that we got to do this in front of a live audience as well. Thank you Charles and thank you to my friends Denis Gäbel & Robert Landfermann for this opportunity!
It was a dream come true to talk with master bassist & composer John Patitucci. Easy going, inspiring and deep! Plus he played lots of bass, some piano and we went through several of his compositions- as you know, I always hope for these things to happen and John was totally open for it. I think we cover a lot of ground in this conversation, where John generously shares his experiences and insights from his exciting life in music and I’m in total fan-boy mode.
A little side note- of course it’s evident that John is an absolute pro in music, but he was also so well prepared for this interview: he had good mics set up for his voice AND his bass and he came in early (15 minutes before our scheduled time) two make sure everything worked. Can’t ask for more!
Jason Seizer brings people together. As saxophonist and bandleader, but also as a producer & engineer of 100+ albums for the great German label Pirouet Records. He has big ears and an open heart, a personal sound on the saxophone and a distinct vision for the music. Jason and me go way back. What started … Continue reading Jason Seizer
I first noticed David Virelles’ name in 2011. I was checking out which bands were playing at the Village Vanguard, which is when I saw that Chris Potter had a new pianist in his group. I had been following Chris’ music heavily for quite some time back then, so naturally I was curious about a … Continue reading David Virelles
Pianist Danilo Perez is one of my biggest heroes. Ever since I first heard the magical album “Footprints Live” by the Wayne Shorter quartet two decades ago I became an instant fan. I still remember having NO clue what these guys were doing. They played the songs I thought I knew, but in a way … Continue reading Danilo Perez
Madison Cunningham is a natural. A master singer/songwriter with incredible abilities on the guitar and a singular voice. To me, everything she does sounds effortless and passionate at the same time – that’s a rare combination! I just love her music and I’m thrilled that I got to talk to her. Madison generously shared insights … Continue reading Madison Cunningham
Who are You? This is the leitmotif of my musical discussion with drummer, pianist and vibes player Jorge Rossy. He shares his journey as a multi-instrumentalist, how working with Wayne Shorter forced him to escape his comfort zone, what it was like to work on odd-meters with the iconic Brad Mehldau Trio, how Guillermo Klein … Continue reading Jorge Rossy
Ben Solomon is an incredible saxophonist who I first heard through the music of the late Wallace Roney. I was immediately struck by his sound, the energy and his love for the music. In fact, that was the only note I wrote down prior to this interview: Love. You can often tell when people are … Continue reading Ben Solomon
I had been admiring Melissa Aldana’s playing and music for many years, when I suddenly received a message from her, saying that she really liked the podcast. I was flattered and amazed that she would reach out to me. We made plans to do an interview and here it is! We talked about learning from … Continue reading Melissa Aldana
Master drummer Jochen Rueckert is a personal hero of mine. I’ve been checking him out since my teenage years, when I discovered Achim Kaufmann’s “Weave”, Paul Heller’s “Kaleidoskop” & Jochen’s own “Introduction”, three massively influential records for me. He is an outstanding drummer and a great guy who always speaks his mind, and this conversation … Continue reading Jochen Rueckert
I still remember when I first heard Kurt Rosenwinkel’s epic album “The Next Step”. In the early 2000s I was visiting my guitar friend Riaz Khabirpour in his apartment in Amsterdam. When he went out to practice, I stayed in his place, going through his record collection. I can still tap into the feeling I … Continue reading Kurt Rosenwinkel
What a pleasure it was to talk to composer/arranger/pianist/accordionist Gil Goldstein! I’ve been in awe of his work with Michael Brecker, Milton Nascimento, Jim Hall, Wallace Roney and of course his own music (check out his album “Under Rouseau’s Moon”). Furthermore, his book “Jazz Composer’s Companion” was a great help to me, especially because of … Continue reading Gil Goldstein
Sometimes you can’t predict in which direction an interview will go. When I spoke with Laura Mvula we didn’t nerd out about theoretical stuff. In the beginning you can notice me wanting to go in this direction. But instead we get something much deeper and more meaningful: Laura opened up about her life as an … Continue reading Laura Mvula
Ralph Towner is my hero. He’s a musical pioneer, a poetic and lyrical storyteller, always searching for something new, a giant of jazz & improvised music. I have childhood memories of listening to his records in my parents collection — His duo recording with Gary Peacock “Oracle” always comes to mind. So do his solo … Continue reading Ralph Towner
Scott Colley is an amazing musician. He always serves the music in a very engaging and creative way, never letting his incredible facility on the instrument getting the best of him. This is one of the many things I admire about him, so naturally I am glad I could talk to him about that. We … Continue reading Scott Colley
I heard about Mike Gibbs through my good friend Sebastian Gille, who invited Mike to arrange his music for a special project with the NDR Bigband. I was amazed by Mike’s writing right away. Everything he does sounds so rich and full yet very open at the same time. He’s a true master who has … Continue reading Mike Gibbs
When Larry Goldings told me that “we should do another podcast where we talk about our classical influences”, I was beyond excited. In this 3-hour conversation about our musical upbringings and influences we also play a lot of piano for each other. As you can imagine, this is exactly what I was dreaming of all … Continue reading Larry Goldings… again!
Pablo Held talking about the creation of his solo album “Embracing You”. Supported by NICA artist development, a program funded by
Percussionist & composer Marilyn Mazur is like a magician. Through her imaginative playing and her rich palette of sounds she casts spells on the music, her bandmates and us as listeners. When I listen to her I feel transported into places that I didn’t know existed and that’s something I’m fascinated by. How does one … Continue reading Marilyn Mazur
Kevin Hays is one of my absolute favorite piano players, period! The first time I saw him live was in 1996 on a concert of John Scofield‘s Quiet Band and this made a deep impression on me. I’ve been following Kevin’s playing very closely since then. Out of his own records “Andalucia”, “Seventh Sense”,“El Matador” … Continue reading Kevin Hays
Master drummer Peter Erskine is on so many of my all-time favorite recordings that it’s almost ridiculous! I love everything that he’s done with Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, Joni Mitchell, John Abercrombie, Joe Henderson, Marc Johnson, Vince Mendoza, Kenny Wheeler, Michael Brecker and SO many more! Of course, let’s not forget his own records!! Especially … Continue reading Peter Erskine
Sam Amidon is one of the most open minded artists I know. Right away I was struck not only by his beautiful music, I was also amazed by the vast range of things he welcomes into his world. Every Sam Amidon album is a winner. They build on top of each other and yet each … Continue reading Sam Amidon
My dear friend and trio colleague Jonas Burgwinkel and I went into the studio to talk about the recording process of my first-ever album Forest Of Oblivion. It was pure time-travel and I stayed in nostalgia-mode for the following days, reminiscing about the past and our journey as a trio. As I often tell, it’s … Continue reading Forest Of Oblivion (Audio Commentary)
I had been following Johanna’s playing for quite a while, ever since my buddy Robert Landfermann told me to check her out. – If you don’t know Johanna’s music yet, a great place to start is her album “Schumann Kaleidoskop” , where she interprets Robert Schumann’s music in her very own adventurous ways. To me … Continue reading Johanna Summer
This interview with bassist Doug Weiss took place after our first concert together in June 2020 at the Green Room in Köln. Such cool way to get to know each other: After a rehearsal and dinner, we played a concert and had this conversation in front of a live audience. Right from the start I … Continue reading Doug Weiss
Marcus Gilmore is one of the most influential drummers of our time. The first time I heard him was on Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s “Avatar” record and I was drawn to his rhythmical world right away. I got to play with Marcus in Chris Potter’s quartet back in 2015 and the feeling of playing with him is something … Continue reading Marcus Gilmore
I first heard Chris Potter’s music sometime in my teenage years. I immediately became a fan, trying to get all his records as a leader and as a sideman. There’s always something to learn from Chris’ playing… in a way I always feel encouraged to work on something after I’ve listened to him. Especially his … Continue reading Chris Potter
I found out about Robert Stillman‘s unique musical world through my friend Kit Downes. (Whenever Kit recommends something I listen very closely) So when my first sitting with Robert’s debut “Horses” was over, I had to listen to it again right away. Everybody on the record played their butts off, but it was the songs … Continue reading Robert Stillman
As I tell Jeff Ballard in the beginning of our conversation, every time I hear him I’m amazed by the lively sound and feel he gets out of the drums. I think that’s something we as musicians all strive for: to have our sounds (and the music in general) be reflective of life itself, to … Continue reading Jeff Ballard
Maria Schneider is one of the most important composers & arrangers of our time. A singular voice who is always recognizeable. To me, Maria is a pioneer, always finding new ways of ensemble writing that inspire her musicians to really engage with the music, and not just play their part. In the tradition of Duke … Continue reading Maria Schneider
(This episode is available only in German) Das etwas andere Interview mit Antoine Burtz eröffnete mir einen tiefen Einblick in den kreativen Geist dieses besonderen Künstlers. Antoine spracht mit mir über die Entwicklung seines Rap-Flows von “Lohn Isch Da” bis hinzu “Deutschland Isch Stabil”, sein Unterrichtskonzept im Rahmen der Rapskill School, die Erwartungen an Mitmusiker*innen, … Continue reading Antoine Burtz (Teddy Teclebrhan)
My dear friend Jonas Burgwinkel was the one who told me about Blake Mills first, hipping me to his album “Heigh Ho”. I liked it right away. But it was Blake’s “Mutable Set” that completely turned me around. It really hit me and I somehow became addicted to it, listening to it all the time. … Continue reading Blake Mills
Interview in German, the video version has English subtitles. SALOMEA is one of the most exciting bands that has emerged from Cologne scene in the last years. Singer & founder Rebekka Salomea Ziegler and her trusty comrades Yannis Anft (keys), Oliver Lutz (bass) & Leif Berger (drums) are good friends of mine and I’ve been … Continue reading SALOMEA
This is the second album of my trio, recorded in 2009 and released in 2010 on Pirouet Records. Going back to this album was like stepping into a time machine. I talk about how we applied our live concept into the studio situation on some of the tunes. I also talk about how my trio … Continue reading Music (audio commentary)
Marilyn Crispell is a master improviser, a musician of the highest order. To me she embodies focus, presence and selflessness. And I just love the way she plays the piano! Here are some of my favorite records of Marilyn’s: Amaryllis Nothing Ever Was, Anyway: The Music of Annette Peacock Vignettes For Coltrane Pianosolo – A … Continue reading Marilyn Crispell
The first time I became aware of Marc Copland was when a good friend of mine showed me the album “Softly…”. I was immediately drawn to Marc’s personal approach to harmony and his ability to tell a story on the piano. To this day this album remains one of my favorites of his. Discovering Marc’s … Continue reading Marc Copland
If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon. I first heard Vince Mendoza‘s music through my parents, who had albums of his collaborations with Joni Mitchell. Then around 2003 I discovered his wonderful album “Epiphany” which I then listened to for a whole summer. I was blown away by the music and … Continue reading Vince Mendoza
If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon. “This guy will change your life!” That’s how Larry Goldings hipped me to Chris Weisman. Well, Larry was right. Chris has such a vast output… eclectic, yet always unique. A singular songsmith of the highest order – nobody does what he does.At first I was … Continue reading Chris Weisman
pianist Bill Carrothers interviewed by Pablo Held If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon. Bill Carrothers has been a big influence on me since my teenage years. I first heard him on Bill Stewart‘s classic record “Telepathy” which completely turned me around. From then on I tried to find as much … Continue reading Bill Carrothers
Descent is the follow-up EP to my record Ascent and features the same line up: my trio buddies Robert Landfermann & Jonas Burgwinkel, guitarist Nelson Veras and me. Four previously unreleased tracks from the initial recording session. In this audio commentary I talk about the composition & recording process behind this music.
If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon. I got into Jakob Bro‘s music through my friend Moritz Baumgärtner. He showed he a couple of tracks sometime in 2009 and I immediately fell in love with the sounds I heard. “Balladeering”, “Time” and “Pearl River” are the records I’ve listened to the … Continue reading Jakob Bro
If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon. Billy Hart. What can I say? This guy has given us all so much through his music, his playing, his energy and wisdom. It would take forever to list all my favorite recordings of him, so I’ll spare you that. In 2019 my dream … Continue reading Billy Hart
Niels Klein, Jonas Burgwinkel & Robert Landfermann join me in the studio to talk about my ninth record GLOW II. It was fun to dwell on our memories from the recording sessions and share our individual perspectives on how we dealt with the music. This album was released in 2018 on Pirouet Records and it … Continue reading Glow II (audio commentary)
If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon. Terri Lyne Carrington’s energetic & fluid way of playing deeply resonates with me. It has a searching quality which always moves the music forward. She always keeps me engaged and wondering what’s going to happen next. When I first saw her live in 1999 … Continue reading Terri Lyne Carrington
If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon. When my dear friend and trio comrade Jonas Burgwinkel showed my Ben Monder’s incredible album “Excavation” sometime in 2005 my musical world got turned upside down. Ben’s music has had a major impact on me and my writing. When I look at certain compositions … Continue reading Ben Monder
Sullivan Fortner never ceases to amaze me. Whenever I listen to him I feel really inspired. It was around 2011 when my friend Can Olgun hipped me to Sullivan and I’ve been following him ever since. I love his work with Cécile McLorin Salvant, Peter Bernstein, Roy Hargrove, Lage Lund, Guilhem Flouzat and of course … Continue reading Sullivan Fortner
My friend Till Kammertöns hipped me to the music of Gabriel Kahane sometime in September 2018 and I immediately got hooked. I couldn’t stop listening to his wonderful album “Book of Travelers” for a month. While checking out all of his other wonderful works I noticed an urge to interview him for this series. I … Continue reading Gabriel Kahane
(German only – english subtitles available on YouTube) I got to know harpist Kathrin Pechlof sometime in 2008 when she moved to Cologne, we quickly became friends and started playing together in various groups. I was very fortunate to have her on my album GLOW which we recorded in 2010 for Pirouet Records. Furthermore we played … Continue reading Kathrin Pechlof
Kris Davis was on my radar ever since I heard her on Tony Malaby’s “Novela” in 2011. I was blown away by Kris’ arrangements and playing on that album and started to check out more of her work. She’s one of my absolute favorite pianists out there and every time I listen to her I … Continue reading Kris Davis
Joey Baron has been one of my biggest heroes since my teenage years. I saw him live for the first time in 2004 with John Abercrombie’s quartet at the Domicil in Dortmund and I’ll never forget this concert! During that time I was listening a lot to Abercrombie’s quartet album “Class Trip” and John Taylor’s … Continue reading Joey Baron
This conversation took place one day after Skúli Sverrisson’s group SERIA appeared at KLAENG Festival in Köln in November of 2019. I hope I’ll never forget what I felt when I heard Skúli’s music that night. As I tell him in the beginning of our talk, this concert reminded me what I love about music. … Continue reading Skúli Sverrisson
My third album GLOW was my first time leading a bigger ensemble with my longstanding trio at its core. Recorded in 2010, it featured multiple harmonic instruments (Kathrin Pechlof on harp & Hubert Nuss on harmonium & celesta and me on piano), multiple basses (Robert Landfermann, Henning Sieverts & Dietmar Fuhr) and multiple horns (Niels Klein & Sebastian Gille on … Continue reading Glow (audio commentary)
I grew up listening to John Scofield through my parents who are big fans of his music. So each time we’d go on holidays or just went for a little trip in the car there’d be a cassette with Sco’s music playing at some point during the journey. “Still Warm”, “Hand Jive”, “What We Do”, … Continue reading John Scofield
This is my conversation with the great sound engineer Rob Griffin. He worked with so many incredible artists: Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Paco De Lucia, Chick Corea… and he also mastered my last album „Ascent“. Rob is one of a kind and I think that really comes across in this conversation. He is … Continue reading Rob Griffin
I enjoyed recording the audio commentary to my latest record “Ascent” so much that I made the plan to do this for each one of my albums. This time I’m talking about my record “The Trio Meets John Scofield” which was released on Pirouet Records back in 2014. It features my trio buddies Robert Landfermann … Continue reading The Trio meets John Scofield (audio commentary)
Talking to master bassist Ben Street was a great experience for me. Right from the start I felt a connection with him, which allowed for a very candid and in-depth exploration of Ben’s musical process and experiences. He also asked me a couple of questions, including some about previous episodes and the process behind this interview … Continue reading Ben Street
I’m happy to share my interview with the great Aaron Parks. I first heard him sometime 2004 on Terence Blanchard’s “Bounce” album. Being very impressed by his playing I began to investigate more and came across lots of recordings that featured his playing. Too many to list here, but I’ll say that especially during that … Continue reading Aaron Parks
I first heard about Lau Noah in a podcast with Larry Goldings where he talked about how much admiration he had for her work. (I always listen very closely when my heroes talk about music that they’re checking out. This was no exception.) I’ve been following Lau Noah’s music since back then. She has such … Continue reading Lau Noah
I first became aware of Lionel Loueke’s playing on records by Gretchen Parlato, Terence Blanchard and of course through closely following everything that Herbie Hancock was up to. I was completely blown away and wanted to know more about him. That led me to check out his own record “Virgin Forest” and then when it … Continue reading Lionel Loueke
This episode is in German, for English subtitles please watch the video version. I’m excited to include Christian Lillinger, one of the most individual voices on the drumset in music today, in this series of interviews. Christian is a role model for me on a lot of levels. His no-bullshit/no-compromise attitude is admirable and I … Continue reading Christian Lillinger
Bill Frisell was on the top my list right from the start of this interview series. Through the help of Mike Gibbs, I finally got in touch with Bill and we had a lovely conversation. What is there to say about Bill Frisell’s music that hasn’t been said yet? I mean, I don’t know anyone … Continue reading Bill Frisell
I was 7 years old when I first heard Wallace Roney’s playing on Herbie Hancock’s “Dis Is Da Drum”, a record that has over the years remained very important to me. I was always drawing to people that respect (and draw their inspiration from) the masters that came before them. Wallace was somebody who went … Continue reading WALLACE RONEY
This episode is in German. The video version has English subtitles. My story with Achim Kaufmann started when I discovered Paul Heller’s great albums “Kaleidoscope” & “Little Songs” as a teenager. I listened to them a lot, and Achim played piano on both. I really liked his playing, so I started to check out his own … Continue reading Achim Kaufmann
Marc Johnson — one of my favorite bassists of all time. I was always drawn to his warm sound and fluid way of playing, always taking risks, always propelling the music forward. The first time I saw him live was in 2004 during a concert of the John Abercrombie Quartet at the Domicil in Dortmund … Continue reading Marc Johnson
Norma Winstone is one of the most influential singers of our time. She certainly influenced me and my music in a big way. Her record “Somewhere Called Home” is one of my most favorite albums of all time. Furthermore Azimuth, all of her work with my late teacher John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler and so much more … Continue reading Norma Winstone
Pedro Martins’ album “Vox” was one of my absolute favorite releases from 2019. I listened to it countless times and I’m still mesmerized by its unique beauty, deep compositions and great playing by everyone involved. Pedro has a real gift for writing timeless melodies!! The first time I noticed him was a couple of years … Continue reading Pedro Martins
I’m happy to present a special episode of this podcast: This is an audio commentary to my new album “Ascent” which was just released on Edition Records. I often enjoy checking out the audio commentaries that directors include in the bonus features of their movies. Listening to them talk about their methods and inspirations while you’re … Continue reading ASCENT (audio commentary)
What is left to say about the incomparable Larry Goldings that hasn’t been said yet? Frankly, after having shared a couple of these interviews + having written personal introductions to each one of these, I hope it doesn’t sound too repetitive… Why? Because all the stories of what happens when I’m inspired by someone share … Continue reading Larry Goldings
The first time I heard Peter Bernstein was on “The Intimacy Of The Blues”, the first Larry Goldings Trio album that my parents used to listen to and I really liked that album. When I got more into to buying my own records I bought “Heart’s Content” – I really lived with that album for … Continue reading Peter Bernstein
When I first heard the Dirty Projectors some time in 2012 I was blown away. (I think it was either “Two Doves” from the “Bitte Orca” record or “Maybe That Was It” from “Swing Lo Magellan”… don’t remember it exactly). I fell in love with this music right away. The creativity and the searching quality … Continue reading Dave Longstreth (Dirty Projectors)
The first time I heard Drew Gress was on Fred Hersch’s beautiful trio album “Live at the Village Vanguard”. I was immediately drawn to his big sound. but also I was in awe of how lyrical he could be in one moment and how burning and risk-taking he would be in another moment. Drew was … Continue reading Drew Gress
You’ll hear me geeking out here a little in my conversation with master drummer & composer Bill Stewart. I’ve always loved his playing as well as his writing, so it was like a dream come true to get to ask him a few questions and talk about music with him. We cover a lot of … Continue reading Bill Stewart
(This episode is in German) Ich kann’s immer noch kaum fassen, dass das hier passiert ist. Helge Schneider, mein Held seit Kindertagen, hat einem Interview mit mir zugesagt und mich und meinen Produzenten Till Kammertöns zu sich nach Hause eingeladen um zu quatschen. Wir sprechen hier über Helges Bühnenpräsenz, seine Gabe, besondere Typen wie Charlie … Continue reading Helge Schneider
Getting to talk to master bassist & composer Steve Swallow was a big deal for me. I’m so thankful to the great Mike Gibbs for kindly putting us in touch. When Steve got back to me, he told me he had checked out some of my interviews and that he’d be happy to participate. Naturally, … Continue reading Steve Swallow
(This episode is in German. The video version features english subtitles.) Die erste Platte von Wolfgang Muthspiel die ich gehört habe war „Real Book Stories“ mit Marc Johnson & Brian Blade. Das hab ich rauf und runter gehört und auch viel dazu gespielt. Besonders faszinierte mich Wolfgang’s Klarheit und seine Gabe besondere Räume für seine … Continue reading Wolfgang Muthspiel
When I asked my friend Percy Pursglove what he had been listening to lately, he told me about the piece “Partita for 8 voices” by Caroline Shaw. He said he had listened to the piece while driving in his car, but eventually he not only had to stop the car, but also stop the music … Continue reading Caroline Shaw
As I tell Dave Holland in the beginning of our conversation, on so many of my all-time favorite recordings it’s him playing the bass! He’s one of my biggest heroes in music and I can’t really put into words how excited I was to talk to him! In this conversation we cover a lot of … Continue reading Dave Holland
I’m very excited to announce that the interview series will now be available as a podcast as well! Go to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe in order to get all upcoming episodes!