Keeping up with the Jazz world, Leander Young, carries out authentic conversions with and about musicians. Make sure to subscribe, leave a comment, and rating. Connect with us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @improvexchange #improvexchange www.improvexchange.com
Episodes
Sunday Dec 20, 2020
Sunday Dec 20, 2020
John Beasley, Multi-GRAMMY® and Emmy Award-nominated pianist, composer, arranger, producer, music director. An uncommonly versatile pianist, he has backed such jazz icons as Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard – playing in the bands of both these trumpet greats while still in his 20s. Since then, Beasley has performed with a wide range of artists from Dianne Reeves, Ivan Lins, John Patitucci, Chaka Khan, Christian McBride, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, Lee Ritenour, Somi, A.R. Rahman, and James Brown’s last concert at the Hollywood Bowl. His extensive work as a composer-arranger extends beyond jazz, with many credits in television such as Star Trek:TNG, Cheers, and Fame; and in films scored by 15-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman 1917, James Bond’s Spectre and Skyfall, Finding Dory, He Named Me Malala, and Shawshank Redemption. While on tour with Miles Davis, Beasley was inspired to record his first album Cauldron, which was produced by Steely Dan’s Walter Becker. A dozen albums later, Beasley has earned ten GRAMMY nominations, six for his project called MONK’estra. In this episode, John shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Dec 13, 2020
Sunday Dec 13, 2020
Jim Lang is a seasoned composer in the film and television world, having strengthened many projects through his diverse musical palette. He is most recognized for his theme music, original songs, and score for Nickelodeon‘s hit animated series Hey Arnold!, which has aired in over 70 markets worldwide. Most recently, Jim scored Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie, the highly-anticipated return to television after a 13-year hiatus. The film, which features updates to the iconic themes from the series, picks up after the cliffhanger ending of Hey Arnold: The Movie, and finds Arnold and friends searching for his parents in Central America.
Jim is currently scoring season two of Wind Dancer Films‘ popular early childhood science show, Ready, Jet, Go! for PBS. His original music is also featured in the Ron Howard films The Paper, Ransom, and ED TV. Other film scores include the independent features Born Killers, Fred & Vinnie, Cellmates, and Guido. Additionally, Jim scored The Jim Henson Company’s animated feature series Unstable Fables, and Houston International Film Festival’s Best Short Grand Prize winner World Song. He has also collaborated with acclaimed horror director John Carpenter, for his film In the Mouth Of Madness.
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Wednesday Dec 09, 2020
Wednesday Dec 09, 2020
Dejan has performed in more than twenty – five countries around the globe (USA, Russia, China, Japan, Britain, France, Germany, etc.) both independently and as the leader of the acclaimed jazz-rock band EYOT. Aside from 4 released albums of EYOT, where he is signed as the sole composer of all compositions, Dejan also released three solo piano projects for the US market, under 90&9 Records and Magnatune labels, and one more for Serbian label Metropolis. Ilijic has composed music for multi-awarded documentaries and TV shows that aired on numerous national and local TV channels in Serbia and Europe, and also at international film festivals. In this episode, Dejan shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Monday Nov 30, 2020
Monday Nov 30, 2020
Christophe Schweizer is considered one of the most innovative and creative musicians on the European Jazz scene, both with respect to his abilities and versatility on the trombone and other low brass instruments (also as an interpreter of classical and new music), as well as especially to his work as a composer, arranger, and bandleader.
Born in Switzerland and nowadays residing in Hamburg, Germany, he lived in New York for seven years starting in the mid-nineties. During this period, he worked with the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band for three years, and occasionally with the orchestras of Maria Schneider and Sue Mingus, playing two European tours with the latter. In this episode, Christope shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Nov 15, 2020
Sunday Nov 15, 2020
Danny Markovitch is the co-leader and founder of the jazz-fusion band Marbin. Marbin is a progressive jazz-rock band based in Chicago, IL, with a unique story that stands out in today's music world. With a do-it-yourself approach, Marbin started touring extensively in 2011, bringing their original instrumental music to every part of the United States. Through word of mouth, Marbin has gained hundreds of thousands of devoted fans all over the world and has sold tens of thousands of albums. Marbin has released eight albums: Marbin (2009), Breaking the Cycle (2011), Last Chapter of Dreaming (2013), The Third Set (2014), Aggressive Hippies (2015), Goatman and the House of the Dead(2016), Israeli Jazz (2018), and Strong Thing (2019). Marbin regularly plays in clubs all over the US and in jam and jazz festivals around the world.
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Sunday Nov 01, 2020
Sunday Nov 01, 2020
NYC-based drummer/composer/teacher Allison Miller engages her deep roots in improvisation as a vehicle to explore all music. Described by critics as a Modern Jazz Icon in the Making, Miller won Downbeat’s 67th Annual Critics Poll for “Rising Star Drummer” and JazzTimes’s 2019 Critics Poll for “Best Jazz Drummer.” Boom Tic Boom, Allison’s longtime band, won Jazz Journalists Association’s 2019 award for “Best Mid-Sized Ensemble.” Her composition, “Otis Was a Polar Bear”, is included on NPR’s list of The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+. She is also the first recipient of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s Commissioning Grant. In this episode, Allison shares her background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Oct 25, 2020
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
At a young age, Giveton taught himself how to play the trumpet. From there he has gone on to share the stage with some of the biggest names in music such as Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste, and Ben Wolfe. On top of that, earlier this year he was awarded the Letter One Rising Star Jazz Award. All that while he’s still continuing his studies at The Juilliard School. Giveton’s debut album, True Design, was released on April 19, 2020, which also happens to be his birthday. Giveton isn’t the only top-notch player on this album, Immanuel Wilkins (alto sax), Micah Thomas (piano), Kyle Benford (drums), and Philip Norris (bass) all lend their amazing talents to bring this album to life. In this episode, Giveton shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Oct 18, 2020
Sunday Oct 18, 2020
John Fedchock’s illustrious career in jazz has spanned four decades. Since his emergence on the scene in 1980, Fedchock has established himself as a world-class trombone soloist, a heralded bandleader, and a Grammy-nominated arranger. An in-demand performer and writer in New York City, his multifaceted talents have led him to become one of NYC’s premier jazz artists. His critically acclaimed John Fedchock New York Big Band has become a marquee group, showcasing Fedchock’s trombone and arranging as well as the band’s all-star soloists. The JFNYBB’s five CDs on the MAMA and Reservoir Music labels have all received high praise from critics and extraordinary success on national jazz radio charts. The early success of the band resulted in Fedchock’s name appearing in DOWNBEAT’s Readers Poll under the categories of Trombone, Arranger and Big Band, simultaneously for several consecutive years. In recognition of his formidable arranging skills, Fedchock is a two-time GRAMMY Award nominee for “Best Instrumental Arrangement”. The JFNYBB’s recordings have appeared in jazz radio’s Top Ten, and the New York Times has applauded the band’s “Cheerful Syncopation, Served With Spit-and-Polish Precision. In this episode, John shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Dutch double bassist, composer and producer Jasper Somsen (1973) graduated in both Jazz and Classical double bass. He collaborated amongst many others with Peter Erskine, Enrico Pieranunzi, Joey Calderazzo, Jeff Ballard, John Beasley, Jean-Michel Pilc, Eric Marienthal, Bob Sheppard, Seamus Blake, Lynne Arriale, Jorge Rossy, Kendrick Scott, Justin Faulkner, E.J. Strickland, André Ceccarelli, Gary Husband and Gabriele Mirabassi. In this episode, Jasper shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Oct 11, 2020
Sunday Oct 11, 2020
Brian Scarborough is a top call trombonist, improviser, composer, and educator in the greater Kansas City area. He can be seen performing around Kansas City with his own ensembles, and is a member of the People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, the Boulevard Big Band, Zen Brass, The Kansas-Nebraska Act, and is a sub for the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra. Brian has also appeared with the Fountain City Brass Band. In this episode, Brian shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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