44: Dave King: "Commitment is an incredible thing"
Drummer, composer and surrealist instructional video host Dave King on the power of commitment, creating his own "tribal music" and the importance of isolation to the creative process.
Read MoreDrummer, composer and surrealist instructional video host Dave King on the power of commitment, creating his own "tribal music" and the importance of isolation to the creative process.
Read MoreWhat did it feel like in Paris on the night of Friday, November 13th?
This is my conversation with my father, Ben, about our impressions of being there that night.
Read MoreSinger-songwriter Becca Stevens on allowing yourself to stay creatively vulnerable and take chances. She talked about how to overcome writers block, and the benefits of lack of time when it comes to creative process.
Read MoreFor forty years, Creed Taylor was one of a small handful of jazz record producers and label managers who shaped and defined the sound of jazz recording.
Read MoreHoward Levy has one of the most inquisitive musical minds of anyone I’ve ever met, and the thing that he’s most known for is his astounding harmonica playing and innovative technique.
Read MoreIn honor of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Will Lee (bass player for David Letterman), Michael Thurber and Jon Batiste (members of the new Late Show band) are featured.
Read MoreBassist Matt Geraghty and Saxophonist Ze Luis have been traveling to port cities (New Orleans, San Juan, Havana) to find out. It's part of their compelling video series, the 21 Trade Winds project. Both musicians have made names for themselves in the jazz and world music communities, Matt with his personal projects, and Ze as a sideman and producer for notable Brazilian artists like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.
Read MoreBen Sidran and I spent three days at the Newport Jazz Festival, checking out the music, hanging with musicians and trying to find a lobster roll. During the course of the weekend, we connected with some wonderful jazz personalities, including Jon Batiste, Dr. John, Jason Lindner, Maria Schneider, Jose James, James Carter, Jamie Cullum, David Hazeltine, and Bob Dorough. Each of them helped us to paint the picture of real life as it comes into contact with a career in music.
Read MoreGeorge Wein opened his first jazz club, Storyville, in the early 1950s when he was a young man. He then created the Newport Jazz Festival in 1954. The festival became an icon among music festivals and influenced the way music was presented around the world.
Read MoreRoam in and out of Copenhagen jazz clubs with me and my father, Ben Sidran. With microphones in hand, we interviewed all sorts of musicians, wondering aloud about the future of the music. A window into my world.
Read MoreThe viral content website Upworthy launched in 2012 with an emphasis on simple and transformational storytelling. It had an immediate impact online and quickly influenced many other sites in the way they shared stories. Peter Koechley explains their philosophy, why they focus on empathy, and how he came to co-found the influential site.
Read MoreThe conversation is a fascinating glimpse into both the golden age of recording and modern music production approaches, which also highlights how important relationships and trust are to building a career in music (or any industry).
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Singer Sachal on connecting with an audience, integrating technology into organic music, and the importance of lyrics.
Read MoreActor, writer, Zen Buddhist Peter Coyote on the value of meditation ("it's like walking in fog - you get drenched!"), the search for the authentic self, and how to stay true to yourself in the midst of commercial pressures.
Read MoreGuitarist Charlie Hunter is a true innovator who has collaborated with countless music legends including D’Angelo, John Mayer, Mos Def, Michael Franti, Ben Goldberg and Norah Jones.
Read MoreGabriel Stulman has opened six successful restaurants in NYCs West Village since 2008. Here he talks about creating timeless places, how to balance instinct with recovery, and why it’s important to allow for failure in any endeavor.
Read MoreEven if you don’t know the name Greg Holden, chances are you’ve heard his music. His song "Home" was recorded in 2012 by American Idol winner Phillip Phillips and became a huge hit, selling over five million copies and influencing many subsequent songs by other artists.
Read MoreRecorded at a café in Paris on a crisp spring day, Madeleine speaks frankly and candidly about her teenage years in Paris, her career, her creative process, and the value of perpetual dissatisfaction.
Read MoreBassist, singer, songwriter Alan Hampton is often recognized for playing as a sideman with Robert Glasper, Gretchen Parlato, and Andrew Bird. He has released two albums of his own original songs; the most recent. "Origami for the Fire" came out in the fall of 2014. Here he talks about growing up in Texas, moving to New York, and making music that transcends genre.
Stream below or download from iTunes.
Indian vocalist Falu was born Falguni Shah in Mumbai. She was raised with a musical mother who she says started training her in Indian classical singing when she was barely three years old. By the time she graduated from college, she had spent the majority of her life literally living inside the music, and was determined to devote herself to singing.
She has lived in the united states since 2000. In January of this year, the Economic Times of India listed Falu among the 20 most influential Global Indian Women.
I loved this conversation, in part because it illuminated so many questions I have about India, and the relationship that Americans have with Indian music and culture, ranging from the importance of the Beatles in opening up the channel between western pop music and Indian classical music, to the connection between the escapism of Broadway musicals and Bollywood films.
Stream below or download from iTunes.