Pablo Held Investigates

It was a dream come true to talk with master bassist & composer John Patitucci. Easy going, inspiring and deep! Plus he played lots of bass, some piano and we went through several of his compositions- as you know, I always hope for these things to happen and John was totally open for it. I think we cover a lot of ground in this conversation, where John generously shares his experiences and insights from his exciting life in music and I’m in total fan-boy mode. A little side note- of course it’s evident that John is an absolute pro in music, but he was also so well prepared for this interview: he had good mics set up for his voice AND his bass and he came in early (15 minutes before our scheduled time) two make sure everything worked. Can’t ask for more!

Jason Seizer brings people together. As saxophonist and bandleader, but also as a producer & engineer of 100+ albums for the great German label Pirouet Records. He has big ears and an open heart, a personal sound on the saxophone and a distinct vision for the music. Jason and me go way back. What started as a producer-musician relationship quickly became a deep friendship. With each album we made together we grew closer together. I turn to Jason for advice on musical things, but also about life in general. He’s my friend and I owe him a lot! But I’m not alone with this. Under the banner of Pirouet Records, Jason has given so many of my heroes and my close friends a musical home, helping us all to realize musical dreams. In our conversation we reflect on Jason’s life in music, taking lessons with Joe Lovano & Ferdinand Povel, the development of his quartet, what he needs from his fellow musicians and the importance of “the hang”.

I first noticed David Virelles’ name in 2011. I was checking out which bands were playing at the Village Vanguard, which is when I saw that Chris Potter had a new pianist in his group. I had been following Chris’ music heavily for quite some time back then, so naturally I was curious about a change in his line up. Since I don’t live in New York, I asked a friend of mine who lived there at the time to go and secretly record a set for me. I was struck by David’s unique style, which to my ears brought something new to the table compared to what was considered en vogue that time. It became quite noticeable how David quickly influenced a new generation of musicians, making important contributions to the music of today. I’m happy I could include David in this series of interviews. Topics include David’s relationship to his mentors Henry Threadgill and Barry Harris, leaving space, practice routines, warming up, material that David has been working on recently, the process behind a couple of his own albums, Andrew Hill, playing with Paul Motian and much more.

Pianist Danilo Perez is one of my biggest heroes. Ever since I first heard the magical album “Footprints Live” by the Wayne Shorter quartet two decades ago I became an instant fan. I still remember having NO clue what these guys were doing. They played the songs I thought I knew, but in a way that I had never heard before. I began trying to get every record, every bootleg, every interview, every video, every book that could help me understand and study this music more deeply. And with this interview I finally got the chance to ask some of the questions I’ve had for years. This episode is everything I hope for with this podcast- and much more! A dream come true, really.

Madison Cunningham is a natural. A master singer/songwriter with incredible abilities on the guitar and a singular voice. To me, everything she does sounds effortless and passionate at the same time – that’s a rare combination! I just love her music and I’m thrilled that I got to talk to her. Madison generously shared insights into her compositional process, stories behind my favorite songs, and, to my great delight, even played a couple of them for me. We also talked about performing in front of Joni Mitchell, dealing with social media, her favorite Judee Sill song, and much more. I’m glad I get to share this conversation with you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Who are You? This is the leitmotif of my musical discussion with drummer, pianist and vibes player Jorge Rossy. He shares his journey as a multi-instrumentalist, how working with Wayne Shorter forced him to escape his comfort zone, what it was like to work on odd-meters with the iconic Brad Mehldau Trio, how Guillermo Klein helped him to get into composition, how working with Al Foster and Jakob Bro expanded his musical vocabulary, leading a band, subbing in a band, the story behind his album “Wicca”, and much more. Talking to Jorge is just like playing with him. He makes you listen, he’s encourages you to go deep, he’s funny and radically honest, and his deep love for the music is apparent in everything he does. Thank you Jorge!

Ben Solomon is an incredible saxophonist who I first heard through the music of the late Wallace Roney. I was immediately struck by his sound, the energy and his love for the music. In fact, that was the only note I wrote down prior to this interview: Love. You can often tell when people are in love. You can see and feel it. With Ben I can feel that he’s in love. I had to talk to Ben about his love for the music of John Coltrane, about his process and how he was able to to gain such a deep understanding of it. We also get into many other topics like our shared love for classical composers Igor Stravinsky, Ravel and Carlos Salzedo, working with Wallace Roney and Chick Corea, composing, and much more. I’m glad that we now can all learn together from Ben!

I had been admiring Melissa Aldana’s playing and music for many years, when I suddenly received a message from her, saying that she really liked the podcast. I was flattered and amazed that she would reach out to me. We made plans to do an interview and here it is! We talked about learning from Melissa’s heroes Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Heath and Mark Turner and how she incorporates these influences into her world, about leading a band, practicing creativity, her latest album 12 Stars and the process behind it, self-doubt/self-acceptance and much more. After following Melissa’s musical journey from afar for a long time, it was great to now get a more personal and deeper view into her process. It felt like we were hanging out. Come and hang out with us!

Master drummer Jochen Rueckert is a personal hero of mine. I’ve been checking him out since my teenage years, when I discovered Achim Kaufmann’s “Weave”, Paul Heller’s “Kaleidoskop” & Jochen’s own “Introduction”, three massively influential records for me. He is an outstanding drummer and a great guy who always speaks his mind, and this conversation is no exception. We talked about him coming up in the Cologne scene and then making his move to NY in the late 90s, winding up playing with Kurt Rosenwinkel & Marc Copland, his clarity, dynamics, what he expects from bandleaders and fellow musicians, self doubt and much more.

I still remember when I first heard Kurt Rosenwinkel’s epic album “The Next Step”. In the early 2000s I was visiting my guitar friend Riaz Khabirpour in his apartment in Amsterdam. When he went out to practice, I stayed in his place, going through his record collection. I can still tap into the feeling I had when hearing Kurt’s intro to “Zhivago” for the first time. I was mesmerized by his otherworldly, fluid and big sound. Lines and harmonies like I hadn’t heard before quite like that. Since then, “The Next Step” remained an important album to me and made me check out as much of Kurt’s music as I could. In our talk, we get in to his relationship with Ben Street, Jeff Ballard & Mark Turner, memories from his steady gig at Smalls, thinking of other instruments while playing the guitar, the development of his sound, learning other people’s music, playing Paul Motian’s EBBB… and then he went over to the piano and demonstrated the process behind his song “Cycle 5” and much more. I’m grateful to Kurt for all the inspiration and for everything he shared so candidly in our conversation.