Conversations on community, artificial intelligence, identity, fan engagement, healthy living, life on the road and more, recorded at the 2023 Montreal International Jazz Festival. Featuring Michael League, Nate Smith, Carlos Homs, Julius Rodriguez, Benny Benack III, Emmet Cohen, Stacey Kent, AI Herbie Hancock and others.
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Singer songwriter Michelle Willis on how she thinks about her music and her career, how working extensively with David Crosby has affected her, how collaborating with Becca Stevens, Mike League, Louis Cato have informed her journey, what the process of working with producer Fab Dupont was like, her childhood in Canada, her songwriting process, imposter syndrome, getting the right “blend”, the job of the songwriter, reading poetry, and whether or not it’s okay to be comfortable.
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Guitarist Lionel Loueke on growing up in Benin, discovering the guitar and eventually jazz by way of a George Benson record, making his way out of Africa, through France, to America, finding his voice and his style, how he sees his contribution as a teacher, and much more.
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Philip Lassiter unravels his journey starting out a preacher’s son in Mobile, Alabama to the top of the mountain as one of the first call horn arrangers and trumpet players for top notch musicians (including Prince, Ariana Grande, Kirk Franklin, Timbaland, Roberta Flack, Jill Scott, Anderson. Paak, Queen Latifa, Al Jarreau, Fred Hammond, The Isley Brothers, and many more). Why does he get called so much? “People ask me how did you get this gig or that gig. I always tell them, ‘I didn’t get the gig. The gig got me.’”
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Saxophonist Bob Reynolds, at the crossroads of what’s happening and where am I going, on his influences, approach, playing with Snarky Puppy, John Mayer, the subtle but significant distinction between practice and the practice, what it means to make music with sincerity, and finding himself on tour in Spain and Italy last March just as Covid was descending on Europe.
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Drummer Eric Harland tells his incredible story of growing up in Houston and how he came to weigh 400lbs by the time he was 16 (he eventually lost the weight in college), attending the Manhattan School of Music, becoming an ordained minister, living with singer Betty Carter during the last year of her life, learning from legendary mentors, and exploring “time”. He also shares his thoughts on practice, community, natural wine, and what you can learn about a person by how they drive.
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Multi instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, arranger, video maker, surrealist, funk monkey, producer and personality Louis Cole on where he came from, what he’s doing now, and where he hopes to go. Along the way he touches on writing “nostalgic music that feels almost like a memory of something that never happened”, overcoming fear, being a better person, staying up late into the weird part of the night, “insanity music”, money, honesty, humor, the problem with 100bpm, YouTube Poop, and what Nate Wood, David Binney, Bob Mintzer, and Jack Conte have to do with any of it.
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Keyboard master and singer-songwriter-bandleader Cory Henry on his early development playing music in church, learning to make music on Saturday night and on Sunday morning, how losing his parents at a young age affected his life and career, his experiences playing with saxophonist Kenny Garrett (Cory toured with Garrett at age 18), Snarky Puppy, and The Funk Apostles. Along the way he gives a master class on some of his favorite Gospel music, and an introspective explanation of much of the material on his new record.
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