Mazz Swift

Violinist and singer Mazz Swift

Summer approaches, and interviews for my Women In Jazz book project continue. Next up, violinist and singer Mazz Swift, who I first heard awhile back on a recording by the New York-based, internationally renowned collective Burnt Sugar. Swift reappeared on my radar playing strings for my friend singer songwriter Mark Lesseraux on his beautiful cover of the Brian Eno classic "Burning Airlines Give You So Much More." Swift's current musical projects alternately embrace Irish and Celtic influences, Hungarian folk music, the music of 1920s and 1930s American string bands, collective electric jazz funk, and free improvisation. Swift is a native New Yorker, graduate of the High School of the Performing Arts, and attended The Juilliard School of Music. I'm really looking forward to our conversation. There's a lot to talk about!

Many of the up and coming musicians I've interviewed for this project, Nicole Rampersaud, Jean Cook, and Samantha Boshnack, are transcending and inventing their own musical genres. Jazz in the 21st century is embracing an unprecedented number of cultural and historical influences, and the music of Rampersaud, Cook, Boshnack, and most definitely Mazz Swift reflects this.

What exactly is jazz? Considering the definition of that often contentious word is one of the recurring themes in these interviews...

Dee Dee Bridgewater

Dee Dee Bridgewater photo by Mark Higashino

I'll be interviewing singer extraordinaire Dee Dee Bridgewater for the Women In Jazz book project, and I'm a bit nervous! The scope of this woman's repertoire and range of abilities is truly amazing. She's a born performer. If you haven't seen her live you're really missing something.

Fortunately for my nerves, I actually interviewed Bridgewater back in 2012 in advance of her Da Camera of Houston performance. I was lucky enough to talk with her on the phone and attend her concert, which was wonderful. This time around, I'll be focusing on questions that address a few of the themes that are recurring in the interviews I'm conducting for this book. With an artist like Bridgewater, there's sooo much to talk about. Narrowing it down to a few subjects is truly the challenge.

More news is coming as I continue transcribing interviews and shaping what will be the final version of this book. If you have a second, please give the Women In Jazz Facebook page a proverbial "like." Your support is truly appreciated.

Connie Crothers

Jazz pianist Connie Corthers (photo by Cheryl Richards)

Next up, I'll be interviewing pianist Connie Crothers for the Women In Jazz book project. The list of musicians she's performed and/or recorded with include master drummer Max Roach, clarinetist Bill Payne, bassist Michael Bisio, bassist Henry Grimes, saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, saxophonist Warne Marsh, trumpet player Roy Campbell, electroacoustic improviser Ben Manley and many, many others. She is sort of a bridge between a lot of the artists I've already interviewed for the book, in part because of her formidable skill at playing standard repertoire and improvising freely. In a 2006 essay Crothers writes, "Free improvisation and playing from tunes is like a conversation in the creating mind...free improvisation opens up creative possibilities that come up naturally during the course of an improvised solo in a tune. On the other hand, free improvisation benefits from an interaction with the connection of form and feeling that you can only get with a great tune."

Much of her recorded work is available through the cooperative label New Artist Records. The video below was shot at Crothers' recent performance at the New York City new music venue Roulette.

I've heard Crothers describe jazz as "an evolving art form," which is such an interesting statement, and a concept I hope to dig into a bit during our interview. Having spoken to 24 musicians and counting for this project, a collective, multifaceted definition of that often contentious word "jazz" has emerged, which is good news for young people just beginning their own musical journeys into the world of improvised music. The evolution Crothers speaks of is happening now, and where this music will be 10, 20, or 50 years from now is anybody's guess. Many things are changing, and changing now, right at this moment. Give Crother's music a listen to get an idea of where we've been, where we're at, and what each of us individually and collectively has the potential to become.

Happy birthday, Lady Day!

Billie Holiday decoupage by Lainie Diamond

Two more Women In Jazz interviews for March...

Next up, I'll be interviewing two extremely creative musicians for the Women In Jazz book project, trumpeter and composer Samantha Boshnack and trumpeter and composer Nicole Rampersaud. Both are at ease is a variety of musical idioms, including jazz, free improvisation, and contemporary composition. They've each developed their own unique vernacular, and the scope of their respective projects is a bit overwhelming. And really, they're both just getting started. It may be that they're not so much redefining what it means to play jazz, but simply playing what jazz is in the 21st century.

Nicole Rampersaud

Toronto-based trumpeter, composer, and educator Nicole Rampersaud's has played with some incredible artists, including Anthony Braxton, Bob Brookmeyer, Evan Parker, Rakalam Bob Moses, Joe Morris, and many others. She performed in the New York premier of Anthony Braxton's Composition #103 for Seven Choreographed and Costumed Trumpets with Braxton conducting. Her upcoming projects include a recording of compositions for her quintet co-led with saxophonist Evan Shaw to be released on Barnyard Records.

Samantha Boshnack (photo by Daniel Sheehan)

Keyboardist, composer Wayne Horovitz has this to say about trumpeter and composer Samantha Boshnack: "Sam’s music is a blast, sometimes literally. She plays with all her heart and her projects are always about pushing herself, without a lot of concern for what’s “important” right now or where the “envelope” is. That’s something I admire in an artist. There are a lot of musicians in (Seattle), but Sam is a musician and an artist."

Boshnack leads to ensembles dedicated to performing her compositions, the Sam Boshnack Quintet and the truly awesome "alternative chamber orchestra" B'shnorkestra.

There's a lot more to be said about these two, but for the book, I will let the musicians do the talking. As always, thanks for your support of this project.

March update for Women In Jazz: Jane Monheit and Cheryl Bentyne

VERY exciting month ahead for the Women In Jazz book project. I'll be interviewing singer Jane Monheit for the book, which is exciting and opens up the door to more even more in depth discussion for the book about the voice, jazz, and the current state of the still-changing music industry. The breadth of artistry that exists among women singing jazz is staggering. Put on a record by Billie Holiday and then one by Ella Fitzgerald and you know exactly what I'm talking about. The process of crafting an interview that taps into and presents to the reader the unique perspective of an individualistic  singer (or any musician) is part of the challenge with a project like this.

Monheit has a new album coming out in April that expands her repertoire further to include compositions well outside of the American songbook, and I look forward to talking with her about this intriguing step she's taking with her music.

Also ahead this month, an interview for the book with the extraordinary singer Cheryl Bentyne, one of the four members of the jazz vocal quartet Manhattan Transfer. Bentyne has always sung an extraordinary range of musical styles with formidable technique and feeling. In an age of one-note singers, lip-syncing as the standard for quality, and pointless pyrotechnics (vocal or otherwise), it's refreshing for me to hear the musicality, emotional power, and range of expression among all the singers I've been lucky to interview for the book (including Carmen Lundy, and Sofia Rei, to name just a few). Every voice is unique.

Much more news to come. Thank you for your support.

Women In Jazz update for February

The Women In Jazz book project continues. I'm busy transcribing interviews that I've already conducted for the book and contacting a second round of musicians to see if they'd like to participate in the project. As I confirm interviewees, I'll update this blog and the Women In Jazz Facebook page.

This week I'll be interviewing New York City-based bassist and composer Iris Ornig (pictured left). Ornig's latest CD No Restrictions is a beautifully recorded program of original compositions and two covers (Bjork's "Venus as a Boy" and Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel") arranged for a quintet that includes Helen Sung (piano), Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar), Mike Rodriguez (trumpet), and Marcus Gilmore (drums). The quintet's sound is a nice hybrid of electric and acoustic textures, and each member has a very distinctive sound. I look forward to talking to Ornig about this band, as well as what compelled her as a young musician to begin playing upright bass and explore the world of jazz music.

More news to come. And as always, thank you for supporting this project.