Liner Notes with David Bixler

Ten years after his release Flip-Flop, John Yao returns with Points of Time, a new recording that showcases his significant growth as both a composer and improviser. The album draws inspiration from deeply personal experiences, specifically his wife's battle with cancer and the subsequent birth of their son after her recovery.

Yao has bro...

Tenor saxophonist Rico Jones's debut recording, Bloodlines, is a thoughtful exploration of his Latino and indigenous heritage. Recorded live at Ornithology in Brooklyn, the album features Jones alongside guitarist Max Light, and veteran musicians Joe Martin on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. 

 In this episode o...

Tenor saxophonist Rich Perry might be most recognized from his long term associations with both the Maria Schneider and Vanguard Jazz Orchestras, but where he truly shines is fronting his quartet with pianist Gary Versace, bassist Jay Anderson, and Vanguard band mate John Riley on drums and cymbals. In this episode of LINER NOTES we discuss the music and musicians on Progression, his four...

Known for his many exploratory projects, percussionist Adam Rudolph's latest  recording, Beingness, features saxophonist Dave Liebman and drummer Billy Hart. The music was recorded over two nights from a residency at New York City's Stone and captures three venerated musicians in selfless conversation. In this episode of LINER NOTES Adam shares insight into his creative process taking a deep dive into...

Pianist Eric Reed calls on tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Joe Farnsworth to join him on his new recording Out Late on Smoke Sessions Records. The record, which will be available on May 16, features seven originals that were intended to get this group of well-known musicians out of their comfort zones. In addition to our conversation i...

AI-labor saving tool or existential threat? On his new recording Server Farm, saxophonist and composer Jon Irabagon contemplates the potential threat and promise of this omni-present technology. For this recording Irabagon augments his regular quartet consisting of keyboardist Matt Mitchell, bassist Chris Lightcap, and percussionist Dan Weiss with violinist and vocalist Mazz Smith, trump...

Drummer and composer Allison Miller begins 2025 with several diverse and exciting projects. Big and Lovely, a recording of her original music with the University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band was released on January 10. On February 2 at 3pm at the 92nd Street Y in NYC Allison will present Rivers In Our Veins, an ambitious multi-media work featuring the award-winning dancer Michelle ...

2024 has been a productive year for LA based pianist and composer John Beasley. He released three new recordings, two of which are up for GRAMMY awards. Nominated in the category of "Best Latin Jazz Album" is El Trio on Challenge Records which features bassist Jose Gola and drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez. The second nomination in the category of  "Best Large Ensemble Album" is for t...

Love Is is guitarist John Hart's sixth trio recording for SteepleChase records. For this recording producer Nils Winther wanted to mix things up for John and suggested keeping the trio format, but with a different instrumentation. This recording finds John playing with bassist Carlo DeRosa and cornetist Kirk Knufke. Carlo is a long-time collaborator, but the short rehearsal prior to the recording was ...

In the summer of 2023 saxophonist Wayne Escoffery found himself in Europe processing changes in his personal life while at the same time nursing a broken finger that prohibited him  from playing his horn. He used this time of reflection to compose the music presented on his new record Alone on Smoke Sessions Records, which features pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Ron Carter, and Carl Allen on drums. I...

On his new recording, Something About Believing tenor saxophonist Tim Armacost is joined by trumpeter Tom Harrell and baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan as well as the outstanding rhythm section of  bassist John Patitucci and drummer Al Foster. Listening to the music one is struck by the comfortability of master improvisers doing what they do best, however in this episode of LINER NOTES Ti...

The shoes that grace the cover of Orrin Evans' new record are special shoes from his childhood that were necessitated by being born with neurofibromatosis. The record is called Walk a Mile in My Shoe, and the shoes are a reminder of his condition and the impact that this neurological disorder has had on him. However, Evans yearns to move past the initial metaphor of the title in order to ...

After several decades of creating music in a manner that was beginning to feel routine, guitarist Miles Okazaki was searching for a fresh way to make music. He examined the processes of artists Ed Ruscha, Sol Lewitt, and Ken Price as templates for creating. In possession of these new ideas gleaned from these artists, he went into the studio with a group of musicians that...

The colors black, white, brown, beige, and blue have all had a prominent place in music, but in the eyes and ears of saxophonist Troy Roberts the color green piqued his interest due to its ambiguity. Not only can the color green convey greed and envy or rot and decay, it can also represent nature and tranquility. Troy embraces green as an impetus to move and has named his new release Green Lights whic...

Saxophonist Jon Gordon's new recording, 7^th Ave South takes its name from the iconic club owned by the Brecker Brothers that closed its doors in 1987. The title of the album is emblematic of a time that shaped Jon as a musician as a high school student in NYC in the 80s. In this episode of LINER NOTES he p...

Slow Water is the latest release from bassist and composer Stephan Crump. In this ambitious 67 minute work, Crump explores how society uses water and addresses the question "What does water want?" as proposed by Erica Gies in her 2022 book Water Always Wins. For this project he assembled a new ensemble comprised of musicians with which he had little previous history with the goal...

This month we join in congratulating pianist Luis Perdomo for his recent GRAMMY award for El Arte del Bolero vol. 2 in the category of Best Latin Jazz Album. In this episode of LINER NOTES, Luis recounts the musical journey from his native Venezuela and then coming to New York initially to study before transitioning into one of the most in demand pianists on the scene, gracing the...