Brave Sound Podcast

The show where we uncover the stories, processes, and worldviews behind NYC’s most artful and creative musicians.

 

Today's guest is pianist, composer, and bandleader Jason Moran. A native of Houston, Texas, Jason is a leading artistic figure of the day. He is a MacArthur Fellow who is on faculty at the New England Conservatory in Boston and the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and also serves as the Musical Advisor and Artistic Director for the Kennedy Center, a position which he has held since 2011. He has recorded with musicians such as Greg Osby, David Murray, Charles Lloyd, Paul Motian, Archie Shepp, and Henry Threadgill and has composed the score for several films such as the heralded documentary 13th, Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me, and the movie Selma. His band, "Jason Moran and the Bandwagon"--which features Jason on piano, Tarus Mateen on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums--has been touring and recording since their debut album in 2000 and has been praised by the New York Times, Jazz Times, and Downbeat Magazine. His inter-disciplinary collaborations with skateboarders, painters, and ballet dancers have distinguished Moran from other musicians and have proven him truly worthy of the title: Artist. 

The show where we uncover the stories, processes, and worldviews behind NYC’s most artful and creative musicians.

Your hosts are Michael Shapira and Austin Zhang, cofounders of digital music venue, bravesound.org.

 

Today's Guest:

The show where we uncover the stories, processes, and worldviews behind NYC’s most artful and creative musicians.

Purchase Charles McPherson's Jazz Dance Suites: https://charlesmcpherson1.bandcamp.com/album/charles-mcphersons-jazz-dance-suites

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brave-sound-podcast/id1537645722

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ByvBpLEwvf1FkyZr40d11

Today's Guest:

Charles McPherson was born in Joplin, Missouri and moved to Detroit at age nine. After growing up in Detroit, he studied with the renowned pianist Barry Harris and started playing jazz professionally at age 19. He moved from Detroit to New York in 1959 and performed with Charles Mingus from 1960 to 1972.

Mr. McPherson has performed at concerts and festivals with his own variety of groups, consisting of quartets, quintets to full orchestras. Charles was featured at Lincoln Center showcasing his original compositions 15 years ago, and once again joined Wynton Marsalis and J@LC Orchestra in April, 2019 honoring his 80th Birthday where they arranged and performed 7 of Charles’ iconic original compositions.

Charles has toured the U.S., Europe, Japan, Africa and South America with his own group, as well as with jazz greats Barry Harris, Billy Eckstine, Lionel Hampton, Nat Adderly, Jay McShann, Phil Woods, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, and others. McPherson has recorded as guest artist with Charlie Mingus, Barry Harris, Art Farmer, Kenny Drew, Toshiko Akiyoshi, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

He has recorded as a leader on Prestige, Fantasy, Mainstream, Discovery, Xanadu, Arabesque, Capri and several smaller labels in Europe and Japan. Charles was the featured alto saxophonist in the Clint Eastwood film “Bird,” a biopic about Charlie Parker.

Charles has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Don Redman Lifetime Achievement Award and an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from California State University San Marcos. Charles performed this past April at the NEA Jazz Master’s 2019 performance during Stanley Crouch’s tribute.

Widely recognized as a prolific composer, Charles is now Resident Composer for the San Diego Ballet, where he has written three original suites for chamber music and jazz combos. In the summer of 2019, Dr. Donnie Norton will compile the entire book of Charles’ compositions for publication. McPherson remains a strong, viable force on the jazz scene today.

Throughout his six decades of being an integral performer of the music, Charles has not merely remained true to his Be Bop origins but has expanded on them. Stanley Crouch says in his New York Times article on Charles, “he is a singular voice who has never sacrificed the fluidity of his melody making and is held in high esteem by musicians both long seasoned and young.”

Charles is a frequent guest at universities all over the world and also teaches privately. Many of his former students have gone on to have careers of their own in jazz, and have earned National Jazz Student Awards. Charles had the honor of being the subject of the Ph.D. candidate Dr. Donnie Norton’s Doctoral Dissertation: “The Jazz Saxophone Style of Charles McPherson: An Analysis through Biographical Examination and Solo Transcription.”

Find him at https://charlesmcpherson.com/

Your hosts: Michael Shapira: michaelxshapira.com @michaelxshapira

Austin Zhang: austinzhang.org @austindiscovers

Learn more: https://bravesound.org/

Instagram: @bravesoundnyc

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...​

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ByvBpL...​

Today's Guest: Nicholas Creus is a guitarist, producer and composer based in New York. He was born in Milan, Italy to American and Spanish parents. He moved around a lot as a kid, but mainly grew up in Madrid, Spain. After taking piano and drum lessons, he finally settled on the guitar at age 8, which he fell in love with immediately.

Eventually Nicholas moved to New York where he expanded his interests to include production and mixing. Nicholas is currently attending the Manhattan School of Music in Harlem, New York City. There he has studied with and learned from incredible musicians such as Mike Moreno, Stefon Harris, Marc Carey and more. He has played at venues such as Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Bar Next Door, and Neidorff-Karpati Hall.

Nicholas is currently working on releasing new music scheduled for February 2021, which features other incredible musicians living in New York, and has Nicholas on guitar, synth overdub, as well as mixing and mastering.

Find him at https://www.nicholascreus.com/​

Nick's single, "Again and Again": https://found.ee/nicholascreus​

Instagram: @nicholascreus

Your hosts: Michael Shapira: michaelxshapira.com @michaelxshapira

Austin Zhang: austinzhang.org @austindiscovers

Learn more: https://bravesound.org/​

Instagram: @bravesoundnyc

The show where we uncover the stories, processes, and worldviews behind NYC’s most artful and creative musicians.

 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brave-sound-podcast/id1537645722

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ByvBpLEwvf1FkyZr40d11

Today's Guest: Robert Buonaspina is a New-York-City-based composer, arranger, pianist, organist, violist, and educator. Robert recently received his Master’s degree (Summa Cum Laude) in Jazz Composition from the Manhattan School of Music, where he was a student of Jim McNeely and Phil Markowitz.

As a composer and arranger, Robert has had the honor of having his work performed around the world, whether in Hamburg, Germany or at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. In January 2021, Robert was the recipient of the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC) Chuck Owen Prize in Jazz Composition, where his work for jazz ensemble, "Smile Pretty," will be soon recorded and performed by the WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany.

Whether as an arranger or a music copyist, Robert has collaborated heavy hitters across the scene — such as Joel Ross, Candice Hoyes, Grammy-winning producer Larry Klein, and Steven Feifke. Robert also maintains a schedule as an active pianist and violist in the greater New York City area, sharing the stage with several key figures in New York, such as Lalah Hathaway, Vince Mendoza, Ralph Lalama, Melissa Errico, Alice Ripley. Between piano and viola, he has performed at seminal venues in New York such as Lincoln Center, 54 Below, and Riverside Church.

Currently, Robert holds a full-time position as Director of Music and Organist of St. Pancras Roman Catholic Church in Glendale, Queens, and runs an arranging, production, and education studio out of his apartment on the Upper West Side. At St. Pancras Roman Catholic Church he manages a network of volunteer and professional cantors, two choirs, and several professionally produced events/concerts during the year.

Robert is based on the Upper West Side where he freelances in music arranging, production, and education to a studio of motivated students.

Find him at https://robertbuonaspina.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: @rbuonaspina

Your hosts: Michael Shapira: michaelxshapira.com @michaelxshapira

Austin Zhang: austinzhang.org @austindiscovers

Learn more: https://bravesound.org/ Instagram: @bravesoundnyc

The show where we uncover the stories, processes, and worldviews behind NYC’s most artful and creative musicians.

 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/brave-sound-podcast/id1537645722

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ByvBpLEwvf1FkyZr40d11

Today's Guest: Shai Maestro (1987) is one of the most promising and talented pianists of his generation. Since his debut with his own trio in 2011, Shai has shaped a strong and unique personal identity and has portrayed an incredible musical fluidity, making Shai and his band one of the most powerful and harmonious groups in the jazz today.

2018 marked an important year for Shai, signing with major jazz label ECM and recording his first album “The Dream Thief” there, featuring his trio, but also him as a solo-pianist. Introspective, lyrical, virtuosic and differentiated. In its review of ‘The Dream Thief’, All About Jazz spoke of “a searching lyrical atmosphere, emotional eloquence and communal virtuosity that serves the music.” All of which also applies to ‘Human’, Shai’s latest release on ECM, where Maestro’s outgoing, highly-communicative band with fellow Israeli Ofri Nehemya on drums and Peruvian bassist Jorge Roeder becomes a quartet with the inspired addition of US trumpeter Philip Dizack. Shai’s expansive pianism is well-matched by Dizack’s alert, quick-thinking approach to improvising. And, as ever, Maestro is taking the music forward while also respecting its sense of tradition. ‘Human’ was recorded at Studios la Buissonne in the South of France in February 2020, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Purchase a CD of Shai's new album "Human": https://www.ecmrecords.com/shop/1603275985

Stream it here: https://ecm.lnk.to/HumanFP

Instagram: @shaimaestro

Your hosts: Michael Shapira: michaelxshapira.com @michaelxshapira

Austin Zhang: austinzhang.org @austindiscovers

Learn more: https://bravesound.org/

Instagram: @bravesoundnyc

The show where we uncover the stories, processes, and worldviews behind NYC’s most artful and creative musicians.

Today we discuss our divided nation, American racial tensions, police violence... and the power of artists' to speak out.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...​

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ByvBpL...​

Today's Guests: “the vertiginous sensation of being both slightly behind the beat and hurtling into the next measure.” - JazzTimes on Johnathan Blake Johnathan Blake, one of the most accomplished drummers of his generation, has also proven himself a complete and endlessly versatile musician — "the ultimate modernist," as John Murph of NPR has dubbed him.

Blake's gift for composition and band leading reflects years of live and studio experience across the aesthetic spectrum. Through years-long memberships in the Tom Harrell Quintet, the Kenny Barron Trio and other top ensembles, Blake has reaped the benefits of prolonged exposure to the greats of our time — arguably of all time. Through his powerful, evocative drumming and fully rounded artistry, he's also left a huge imprint on the music of such rising figures in jazz as Hans Glawischnig, Alex Sipiagin, Donny McCaslin, Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital, Patrick Cornelius, Michael Janisch, Shauli Einav, Jaleel Shaw and more. To date, Blake has appeared on over 50 albums.

Find him at https://www.johnathanblake.com/​ Instagram: @johnathanblakedrums

Your hosts: Michael Shapira: michaelxshapira.com @michaelxshapira

Austin Zhang: austinzhang.org @austindiscovers

Learn more: https://bravesound.org/​ Instagram: @bravesoundnyc

The show where we uncover the stories, processes, and worldviews behind NYC’s most artful and creative musicians.

 

TICKETS for their January 31st, 2021 concert (recording available after): https://bravesound.org/shop/joeblock/

Today's Guests:

Joe Block is a pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He began playing classical piano at the age of two before switching to jazz in middle school. While growing up in Philadelphia, a city with a rich jazz and musical tradition, he was fortunate to learn and study from older musicians on the scene and in jazz education programs at the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, the Kimmel Center, and Temple University.

Joe currently resides in New York City where he attends both the Juilliard School (MM ‘22) and Columbia University (BA ‘21) as part of their highly selective and vigorous dual-degree exchange program. His has studied with Geoff Keezer, Marc Cary, Ted Rosenthal, Bruce Barth, and Frank Kimbrough. Joe has had the opportunity to work and play with many esteemed musicians including Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Leslie Odom, Jr. Ari Hoenig, Eric Alexander, Seamus Blake, Jaleel Shaw, Hannibal Lokumbe, Justin Faulkner, and The Captain Black Big Band. As a bandleader and sideman in New York and Philadelphia he has performed at numerous venues including Dizzy’s, The Django, Birdland, Smalls Jazz Club, Smoke Jazz Club, Bar Next Door, Symphony Space, Alice Tully Hall, Shapeshifter Lab, Cafe Bohemia, Chris’ Jazz Café, South Jazz Parlor, @exuberance, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia Clef Club, Hilbert Circle Theatre (Indianapolis) and the Black Cat (San Francisco).

He has also performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Belize Jazz Festival, Montclair Jazz Festival, Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, Next Generation Jazz Festival, and Telluride Jazz Festival. He leads his own quintet and trio, and is the co-leader and founder of the Philadelphia Ambassador Big Band.

In addition to being an instrumentalist, Joe is an avid and experienced composer and arranger (ASCAP). Hailed by Jazz at Lincoln Center as one of "jazz's most promising young composers", he has been commissioned to write or arrange music for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (2019, 2020), the Philadelphia Ambassador Big Band, the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, the Wynton Marsalis Septet, and the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, for which he arranged part of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” in 2018.

Find him at https://www.joeblockmusic.com/

Your hosts: Michael Shapira: michaelxshapira.com @michaelxshapira

Austin Zhang: austinzhang.org @austindiscovers

Learn more: https://bravesound.org/

Instagram: @bravesoundnyc

The show where we uncover the stories, processes, and worldviews behind NYC’s most artful and creative musicians.

 

Today's Guests

Saxophonist, composer, educator, environmentalist, and multi-instrumentalist Adam Cordero is based in Brooklyn, New York. He has two projects going on, a duo project with Odin Scherer as well as a quintet, and both groups are quite environmentally-conscious. His quintet "Arcadia" holds fall/spring benefit concerts and they helped raise money for the Amazon Rainforest and Australian Wildlife respectively. 

Adam is currently a senior pursuing a BFA degree at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

 

Odin Scherer is a guitarist, composer, and improviser from Katonah, New York. At the age of 22, he is now based in Brooklyn, New York. His diverse research interests include West African and Cuban folkloric music, wildlife and ecosystems, Black American music, and impressionist classical music and visual art. He also has poetry published in Volume 9 of Eleven and a Half, Eugene Lang College’s literary journal. 

Odin plans to graduate from The New School this spring with a BFA in Jazz Guitar Performance.

Find Adam at https://www.adamcordero.com/

Ashland album: https://adamcordero.bandcamp.com/album/ashland

Your hosts: Michael Shapira: michaelxshapira.com @michaelxshapira

Austin Zhang: austinzhang.org @austindiscovers

Learn more: https://bravesound.org/

Instagram: @bravesoundnyc

Today we have with us a real pioneer of not only electronic music, but a major influence on the sound of American popular music as a whole. See below for more details.

Today's Guest: Don Lewis is a visionary who believes that music makes a difference in the world. As a child in Dayton, Ohio, music became Don's "magic carpet" transporting him out of the projects into a world filled with possibilities of concerts, recordings, and collaborations. Don’s career in music has led him to perform in a variety of venues such as Carnegie Hall, touring with the Beach Boys, playing concerts in European Cathedrals, jazz clubs, and school assemblies. Don’s music always brings a message of hope, peace, and inspiration.

In the studio Don has worked with the likes of Quincy Jones, Sergio Mendez, Michael Jackson, Brothers Johnson, and Marvin Hamlisch. He also has scored and produced music for television, film, and commercials.

An electronic music pioneer, Don designed LEO (Live Electronic Orchestra) in 1974 and completed the project in 1977 with the help of Richard Bates. LEO and Don are credited by Ikutaro Kakehashi as being his "inspiration for MIDI.” LEO will be returning to NAMM's Museum of Making Music in 2020 where it will be on display until 2030.

Don has taught "Gospel Music; A Passionate Heritage" at UC Berkeley Extension and participated in music technology seminars at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and San Jose State University.

With a passion for children and arts education, Don began a school assembly program Say "YES" to Music! in 1987. Throughout the years, Don has encouraged and inspired thousands of children to include music in their lives and to pursue their dreams.

A feature length documentary entitled “The Ballad of Don Lewis” telling the story of Don’s influences in the music industry will be released and distributed in 2019.

Find him at https://donlewismusic.com/ PURCHASE the Ballad of Don Lewis documentary film: https://amzn.to/38hFlAu

Your hosts:

Austin Zhang - https://www.austinzhang.org/

Michael Shapira http://michaelxshapira.com/ and @michaelxshapira

Learn more: https://bravesound.org/

Instagram: @bravesoundnyc