The Jazz Session
The original jazz interview podcast since 2007. Hosted by Jason Crane.
Episodes
August 15, 2025
Chris Cheek's new album is Keepers of the Eastern Door. It features Bill Frisell, Tony Scherr, and Rudy Royston. In this interview, we talk about putting the band together; how the stories of indigenous people inspired the album; how a painting led to a voyage of discovery; and more.
A note that Chris was last on the show sixteen years ago with the band Rudder. After you listen to this episode, listen to that interview here.
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August 11, 2025 • 44 mins
Sheila Jordan passed away today (August 11, 2025) at the age of 96. This is an interview I did with Sheila for episode #500. She will be missed.
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The Jazz Session celebrates its 500th episode with NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan. In this interview, Jordan talks about how a nickel changed her life; her early years on 52nd Street with Charlie Parker; her work with Steve Swallow and the poetry of Robert Creeley; her approach to bal...
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July 15, 2025 • 38 mins
Jason Crane chats with guitarist Nico Soffiato and trumpeter/keyboardist Josh Deutsch about their new Redshift Trio album Cloud Forest. The trio features three drummers on different tracks: Dave King, Rudy Royston, and Bram Kinchloe. In this interview, Nico and Josh talk about creating the music; their expanding sonic palette; how they chose the drummers; the logistics of longevity; and more.
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June 15, 2025 • 43 mins
Jason Crane chats with the members of the improvising collective Jump Off This Bridge: Judith Insell (viola), Virg Dzurinko (piano), Eli Asher (trumpet), and Leonid Galaganov (percussion). They tell a Rashomon-esque story about the formation of the band, and then the conversation covers their new album, Quarks; group improvisation; knowing when not to play; finding joy in the collective; and more.
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May 15, 2025 • 46 mins
German pianist Johanna Summer has released several albums in recent years: Upright (ACT, 2025); Cameo (ACT, 2025 with Jakob Manz); and Resonanzen (ACT, 2023). In this interview, Summer discusses all three albums; her musical partnership with Manz; improvising on classical themes; finding freedom through limitation; and much more. NOTE: Members get an extra segment from the interview in which Johanna talks about language fluency.
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April 15, 2025 • 34 mins
Jason Crane talks with saxophonist Muriel Grossmann about her new album, Light Of The Mind. They also talk about Buddhism and its relationship to improvisation; the music scene on the Spanish island where Muriel lives; finding players and sticking with them; and more. Learn more about Muriel at http://www.murielgrossmann.com.
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March 15, 2025 • 30 mins
Jason Crane talks with Emily Mikesell and Kate Campbell Strauss about their debut album, Give Way. The album uses overdubbing to create a choir of of trumpets and saxophones. In this interview, they talk about the random way they were paired in a grad school class; why the partnership works so well; how they used Brian Eno's prompts to write the music; and more. Get the album on Bandcamp here. [Cover photo by Camille Lenain.]
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February 14, 2025 • 30 mins
The Jazz Session returns after nearly a year with a new episode featuring pianist Rachel Eckroth. This interview was recorded in October 2023 and focuses on Rachel's then-new album Humanoid. We also talk about returning to the piano, recording in a live setting, the album Money Jungle, and more. Find Rachel online at https://www.racheleckroth.com.
Rachel was also on episode 544 in 2021.
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February 24, 2024 • 43 mins
The Jazz Session turns 17 today! I'm celebrating with an archival episode from back in my jazz radio days. I interviewed Les McCann in 2004 about his classic album Swiss Movement. Les passed away on December 29, 2023. I thought I'd commemorate his passing and celebrate his life and the birthday of this show by sharing that interview with you. Thanks for listening and for supporting The Jazz Session at https://thejazzsession.com/joi...
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February 15, 2024 • 31 mins
Saxophonist Allison Au's new album is called Migrations. On it, she explores her family's history of migration, and by extension the plight of migrants everywhere. In this interview, Allison talks about the album's spoken word and sung elements; her family history and how it impacted the work; the arranging challenges presented by the presence of strings; and more.
Allison was previously on The Jazz Session in 2016. Listen to that...
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January 3, 2024 • 38 mins
Danish saxophonist Benjamin Koppel's new trio recording with Scott Colley and Brian Blade is called Perspective. In this interview, Benjamin talks about the special relationship between the band members; the band as a collective; his family's long history in music in Denmark; why he chooses to play in so many different genres; and more.
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December 14, 2023 • 42 mins
Allison Miller's latest album is called Rivers In Our Veins. In this interview, Allison talks about the inspiration for the project and the research into American waterways that went into it; the care she took in assembling the band; the multimedia nature of the project, which includes both visuals and dancers; and much more.
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November 8, 2023 • 38 mins
Saxophonist Benjamin Boone's new album is Caught In The Rhythm (Origin Records, 2023). In this interview, Ben talks about his ongoing project to combine poetry with improvised music; how he approaches the selection and setting of the poems; his study of the music of speech; using his music for social commentary; and more.
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October 25, 2023 • 44 mins
Marc Copland's latest album is Someday (InnerVoiceJazz, 2023). In this interview, Marc talks about his bandmates; why he seeks out opportunities to play with younger musicians; his years with John Abercrombie and Gary Peacock; going into the studio without a detailed plan; and much more.
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October 18, 2023 • 34 mins
This episode of The Jazz Session is sponsored by the TD James Moody Jazz Festival at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The festival runs from November 3 through 19 and features a who’s who of talent from the jazz world and beyond. Performers include Dee Dee Bridgewater with Bill Charlap; Take 6; Abdullah Ibrahim; Gladys Knight; Dave Grusin; Cyrus Chestnut; Steve Turre; Christian McBride with Savion Glover; and many more. Ticke...
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October 11, 2023 • 38 mins
Violinist Aline Homzy's new album with her band Etoile Magique is called Eclipse (Elastic Recordings, 2023). In this interview, Aline talks about imagining a world for the album to inhabit; how that world took shape in the arranging and titling process; writing for these particular musicians; a surprise theremin; how her dad influenced her music; what it's like to play an uncommon jazz instrument; the importance of open-mindedness ...
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October 4, 2023 • 39 mins
Bassist Todd Sickafoose's new album is called Bear Proof (Secret Hatch Records, 2023). On this episode, Todd talks about assembling a cast of strong musical personalities; the challenges of recording an hour-long piece with no breaks; his work with Anaïs Mitchell on Hadestown; his long tenure in Ani DiFranco's band; music as social commentary; composing for podcasts; and more.
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September 27, 2023 • 43 mins
Kait Dunton's new album is called Keyboards (Real & Imagined Music, 2023). In this interview, Kait talks about her love for 70s synth music; the challenge of using vintage keyboards; how she was "pushed" (in a friendly way) into the world of keyboards; developing her social media following; simplicity versus complexity in composition; and more.
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September 20, 2023 • 36 mins
Pianist Kris Davis's new album is called Live At The Village Vanguard (Pyroclastic Records, 2023). In this interview, Kris talks about what it feels like to record at the Village Vanguard; how she put together the Diatom Ribbons band; working with a DJ; the role of humor in instrumental performance; working with the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice; her recent tour with Dave Holland; and more.
Kris was previously on ep...
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September 6, 2023 • 40 mins
Saxophonist Christine Jensen's latest album is called Day Moon. In this interview, Christine talks about creating musical sketches; writing during the pandemic; turning visual and other ideas into music; playing in duo format; losing the friend to whom the album is dedicated; teaching at Eastman; and more.
Christine was also on The Jazz Session in 2007 and 2010.
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