Pianist-composer Vijay Iyer on growing up in Rochester, NY as one of a small handful of first generation Indian Americans, how he developed his musical identity alongside an academic career as a scientist (he did his undergraduate work in math and physics at Yale and holds a PHD from UC Berkeley in the cognitive science of music), creating work for an uncertain future, how to make music matter, and his most recent recordings. 

Christian McBride on his records Prime and The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons, what makes a great music city, leading by example, what it means to live the life you believe in, and why he went “kicking and screaming” into playing the acoustic bass as a boy.

We spoke recently about his trajectory, starting out on the local scene in Washington D.C. before transferring to Juilliard to pursue his jazz education, his evolution from soloist to singer, sideman to leader, and child to parent. We also talked about the value of nostalgia and deep emotional connection in his writing, intentionality in raising children, his determination to make “music with impact”, where he cut his teeth and if that has anything to do with his lifelong fascination with dentistry.

Andy Narell on how he became one of the most celebrated steel drummers in the world, and also the story of the steel drums themselves, the trajectory of Calypso music from Trinidad to the UK and the US and then back to Trinidad. And he explains why he believes that “music is a powerful tool, and it’s revolutionary.”

Rachael and Vilray on their mutual love of the American songbook standards from the 1930s and 40s, how they approach making original work in the mold of a musical tradition that is nearly a hundred years old, the art and craft of classic songwriting and getting the words right. 

A collection of Art of the Story pieces for WBGO News by Leo Sidran / The Third Story Podcast from 2022, including coverage of the Montreal and Umbria jazz festivals (featuring Dave King, Julian Lage, Samara Joy, Matt Pierson, Terence Higgens, Gregory Porter, Kurt Elling, Dave Koz and more) as well as short profiles on Lau Noah, Michael Thurber, Tomasz Stanko, Tyshawn Sorey, Jesse Harris, Jorge Drexler, Christian McBride and Larry Goldings. 

Every year, The Third Story collects more interviews and conversations than we are able to publish as full episodes, and 2022 was certainly no exception.  Finally, we have found a solution: THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY, 2022 HOLIDAY EDITION. Conversations with saxophonist Bill McHenry, keyboard player/producer Didi Gutman, pianist Jon Dryden, pianist Dan Tepfer, trumpet player/graphic designer Jamie Breiwick, and pianist Randy Ingram with singer Aubrey Johnson, collected around the world this year.

Drummer Antonio Sanchez on growing up in Mexico, grappling with imposter syndrome, discovering new forms of expression in the studio, how gymnastics influenced his music, playing with “impact”, making music as a form of resistance, becoming one of the most influential drummers of his generation, his score to the film Birdman, and what it means to be a Bad Hombre.

Global trumpet sensation Ibrahim Maalouf on his childhood in France, developing his sound and concept, making elevated popular music, embracing the historical moment, refusing to be limited by labels or genres, and what it means when Quincy Jones orders sushi.

Multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator Tyshawn Sorey on his latest recordings (Mesmerism and The Off​-​Off Broadway Guide to Synergism), his recent composition “Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)”, making work that defies category, growing up in Newark, comedy as a form of self care, the radical idea of blackness, exploring alternative musical models, his photographic memory, the interaction between improvisation and composition, processing ancestral trauma through music, and bad Italian food.

Spend a day at the 2022 Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy with producer Matt Pierson, artistic consultant Enzo Capua, drummer Terence Higgens, saxophonist Dave Koz, and singer Kurt Elling.