The Third Story with Leo Sidran

Jascha Hoffman is a singer, songwriter, and journalist. He writes regularly for The New York Times (he has a monthly column called “The Scan” that covers science and culture). He’s also a regular contributor to the science journal Nature, and his work has appeared in Scientific American, The Boston Globe, and Business Week. As a singer-songwriter Jascha has recorded three records. His most recent release, called “The Afterneath” was released independently in late 2014. Several years ago, he wrote a handful of obituaries for the New York Times, mostly of scientists, an experience that led him to compose a collection of songs inspired mostly by Times obituaries. He says “to my surprise the strongest character on the album has turned out to be the 20th century…you could say the album is a sort of technicolor obituary for an American era, one that is slowly fading.” Here he talks about his writing process, success, failure, disappointment and delight. http://www.afterneath.org    

Guitarist Steve Khan was born and raised in Los Angeles in a house of songs. His father, lyricist and songwriter Sammy Cahn, made countless contributions to the American songbook. As a young boy, Steve was surrounded by his father’s friends and collaborators; Dean Martin was a regular at the house.  But as he describes it, his father’s world was not particularly attractive to him, and he felt a real distance between himself and his father’s world.Coming of age in LA in the 60’s, Steve was drawn to music for somewhat more social reasons. His friends played in garage bands, and he wanted a piece of the action. His first instrument was the drums, while still in high school he ended up playing in a surf rock band called the Chantays, who had a hit called Pipeline. Oddly enough, it was the guys in the Chantays who turned Khan onto jazz, the music that truly inspired him.At 19, Steve made the switch to guitar. In 1970 he relocated from the West Coast to New York. He quickly became an integral part of the studio recording and fusion scenes – in the 1970s he recorded on dozens of records, many of them important statements for artists ranging from the Brecker Brothers to Billy Joel, Kenny Loggins to Freddie Hubbard, Ashford and Simpson to Blood Sweat and Tears, Chaka Khan to Steely Dan. During the period when he was most active on the scene, Steve started recording as a solo artist for major labels. He has recorded over 25 albums as a soloist.One particular project, called Eyewitness, was clearly a watershed moment for him. It featured Khan, bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Steve Jordan and percussionist Manolo Badrena. This project seems to have opened a door for him creatively, and since the early 80s he has pursued his love of Latin music.When I started this podcast, sometimes people would ask me what I’m interested in talking about. I would sometimes answer that I’m looking for the intersection between personal experience and art – where life meets craft. Of course, that’s not always what happens in these conversations, and it’s certainly not any kind of mandate. But it does feel appropriate to wrap up the first year of these conversations with Steve Khan, because not only is he a great storyteller full of anecdotes, but he also is deeply aware of how his life and his music overlap. www.stevekhan.com  This was a long conversation and for the first time, I’m including some pieces that didn’t make the final cut available here. So if you’re interested and would like to hear more, specifically about some of the technical aspects of Steve’s playing, there’s another 20 minutes of the conversation available below. Stream it here or download it from the iTunes Music Store.

Jacob Collier is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and youtube sensation. He’s primarily known for a series of music videos that he posts online, in which he creates ingenious arrangements of songs by composers ranging from Jerome Kern to Stevie Wonder.In the videos, he records himself singing elaborate and ingenious harmonies, and films himself singing each of the parts, dressed in a slightly different shirt and hairstyle. There’s something very sweet and almost naïve about the visual presentation – it’s definitely homegrown and handmade, but the music is so sophisticated, so hip, so smart and at the same time, so beautiful, that the combination of the visual presentation and the music delivers a massive punch.Our conversation feels like a document of a brilliant artist, still early in his development. At only 20 years old, he’s already beyond most musical minds I’ve come across. But he’s also still totally curious, filled with an enormous amount of wonder and enthusiasm for new ideas, musical or otherwise.Here he talks about his personal approach to learning, music and harmony, what makes a groove work, the role of technology for him and his generation, and handling early cyber-fame. http://www.jacobcollier.co.ukStream it here or download it from the iTunes Music Store.

Gil Goldstein is an arranger, composer, educator, pianist and accordionist. He has arranged projects for artists including Michael Brecker, Esperanza Spalding, Boz Scaggs, Michael Franks, Dave Sanborn, Chris Botti, The Manhattan Transfer, Paul Simon, and Pat Metheny, and produced projects for Bobby McFerrin, Jane Monheit, Mike Stern, Jim Hall and Randy Brecker…and more.His book, The Jazz Composers Companion, is in its third edition.Gil’s meeting and subsequent work with Gil Evans had a profound effect on his professional trajectory. Goldstein would become the piano player in Gil Evans band for the final years of Evans career, and when Gil Evans passed away, it was Gil Goldstein who kept the flame alive as the musical director of the band.This is an extremely deep conversation. The first half is an overview of Gil’s early development and career, and the second half is a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in arranging. Gil explains how he thinks about arranging, specifically the importance of the overtone series, the fibonacci sequence, and ultimately the idea of the “universal musical mind”. He says, “You have an intimate relationship that is not coming from your brain – your choices are so organic that you almost don’t have a choice. Your soul tells you that this is the next phrase…as you do that you’re somehow tuning in to what nature tells us from the overtone series.”Gil really delivered some of his knowledge, wisdom and musical world view in this conversation, and in sharing that, he shared some of the deeper truth about who is as well.Stream it here or download it from the iTunes Music Store.www.gilgoldstein.us 

 Jon Batiste is one of the most exciting young jazz performers around, so it was no surprise to see him on the Colbert Report earlier this year, leading his band (Stay Human) and the entire audience (including Colbert) in a parade out of the studio and into the streets of New York.Born in Kenner, Louisiana into a musical family, Jon started performing as a young boy - singing and playing drums with his family band. He describes his childhood as a kind of duality between his normal suburban life, and the exposure to live music that he got with his family band. “It was like: You see the people out there. We’re doing a show so when it’s your turn I want you to give it all you’ve got.”Jon’s solo project encapsulates his approach. After recording a couple of traditional piano jazz records in the mid 2000s – when he was still only in his late teens and early 20s – he started to look for new ways to reach his audience and connect with people. He says he wanted to put the music “in life” – so you have this experience with music that you’ll never forget.He refers to this as “Social Music”. He says, “I think that Social Music isn’t a genre. It’s an approach and an evolution of music. This is where we are. It’s not something I constructed. I’m basically articulating what I think everybody feels already.”This interview was very transformative for me personally. I like Jon Batiste so much, the way he plays, the way he carries himself, his sense of personal style and his overall conception. He’s still in his 20s but he’s so aware of the tradition and his place within it, and so optimistic about the power of music in the world. I just can’t stop thinking about our conversation.Stream below or download from iTunes. 

Adam Dorn, musician, producer and composer, got his start early. Encouraged by his father, legendary record producer Joel Dorn, Adam left his home in Philadelphia when he was still in high school to pursue a life in music. Over the years, he has worked as a session musician on countless records, and as a producer for other artists. His solo project, “Mocean Worker” came about almost by accident, the results of a series of half-serious recording sessions. Since the release of his first album, Home Movies from the Brain Forest, the style has varied from a drum 'n' bass sound to a jazz-oriented dance sound that some call Electro-Swing, incorporating elements of funk, big-band and swing.Earlier this year, along with his partner Charlie Hunter, Dorn launched his own podcast called “Compared to What”, which features long form casual conversations with musicians and creative friends. Sound familiar?I suspected we would have a lot in common, and I was eager to sit down with Adam to talk. We agreed to use the conversation as an episode for both podcasts, so in fact the Third Story is a guest on Compared to What, and vice versa. These are exciting times!This was a truly free flowing conversation - at times it behaved like an interview, and at other times more like a chat over coffee…Strong coffee. We covered a lot of ground, including our personal experiences growing up in the shadow of music business fathers, learning how to play and produce, electronic music, music education, and generally “going after” what you love.  It’s an honor and a pleasure to share this episode. http://comparedtowhatpodcast.comStream it here or download it from the iTunes music store. 

Janis Siegel was born in Brooklyn and fell in love with the pop music of her day – doo-wop, pop, girl groups and folk music. She began her professional singing career when she was 12 years old, and was already a seasoned professional by the time she finished high school.  Her early career sounds like a movie script: singing back up on pop records when she was a teenager, hanging out on the West Village scene in the late 1960’s, dropping out of nursing school… A chance meeting with a singer / New York City taxi driver named Tim Hauser would lead her to join the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. The group soon became enormously successful, and they still endure today. They’ve recorded over 20 records, won 10 Grammys, collaborated with some of the most exciting artists around, and influenced generations of new singers. Janis has also maintained a solo career since the early 1980’s. Her most recent solo record, “Night Songs” was released in 2013 on Palmetto Records. Here she talks about her career, the importance of following what you’re passionate about, and the mysterious qualities of four-part vocal harmony. www.janissiegel.comStream it here or download it from the iTunes music store. 

Saxophonist John Eliis grew up in North Carolina, in a family that valued the arts and creativity, but also surrounded by what he refers to as “country people”. He attended high school and part of college at an arts academy in North Carolina before moving to New Orleans, and eventually settling in New York city, about 15 years ago.He works regularly as a sideman with other jazz artists including Dr. Lonnie Smith, Miguel Zenon, and Darcie James-Argue. He’s the kind of musician who brings real energy and enthusiasm to a project, and also a real sense of his own personal identityJohn has also recorded a number of albums under his own name, and with a project he has called “Double Wide”. His most recent solo project, called MOBRO, is a long form narrative collaboration with playwright Andy Bragen, was released earlier this year.Ellis returns again and again to the importance of where he came from, and how the people he saw growing up influenced his values as an artists. He also discusses the advantage of being isolated when he was learning to play, and the importance self study in jazz. In many ways, it seems that being somewhat isolated and finding jazz very much on his own is what helped him to find his own sound and musical voice.www.johnaxsonellis.com

 Greg Holden is a Brooklyn based British singer-songwriter. He moved to New York in 2009 and quickly became part of the songwriter scene, appearing regularly at Rockwood Music Hall, and opening for larger artists including Ingrid Michaelson and A Great Big World.Holden's song "Home" was recorded in 2012 by American Idol winner Phillip Phillips and became a huge hit, selling over five million copies and influencing many subsequent songs by other artists. We talked just as Greg was finishing his new solo album, which is set to be released in March, 2015. Here he talks about growing up in England, working dead end jobs and dreaming of America, coming to New York, dealing with failure, confronting success, and ultimately moving forward again. www.gregholdenonline.comStream it here or download it from the iTunes music store. 

Michael Hearst is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and writer. He relocated to Brooklyn from Richmond, Virginia in 2001, and quickly became part of a burgeoning creative scene in Park Slope. Since then, Michael has developed a number of intriguing, inspired, curious, and collaborative projects, often with his band One Ring Zero, and more recently as solo endeavors. He often collaborates with unlikely partners, including novelists, chefs, and…ice cream trucks.His most recent release, a book/CD combination called “Songs for Unusual Creatures” features music inspired by some of the world’s weirdest animals. Like many of his projects, “Creatures” engages a previous musical masterpiece in a dialogue. In this case he takes his cue from Camille Saint-Saëns’ 19th century musical suite “Carnival of the Animals”.In our conversation, Hearst speaks candidly about his creative process, his personal path, and his childlike curiosity about almost everything.www.michaelhearst.comStream it here or download it from the iTunes music store.