Episode 49: Eran Har Even

This month, Pat talks to guitarist Eran Har Even. They discuss his new record World Citizen, combining lively takes with effects and production on the recording, and the journey that lead him to put together this band and release music under his own name after many years as a busy co-bandleader and sideman.

Note that this conversation was recorded a few months ago, before we were aware of the COVID-19 crisis, so the tour dates are no longer relevant.

Please visit Eran’s website to find up to date information about shows and to purchase his records.

Eran recommended pianist Omri Mor’s record It’s about time, as well as as Robert Henri’s book The Art Spirit.

Music featured in this episode:

“Aviya’s Song” and “Winners of the Cosmic Lottery” from the album World Citizen.
Eran Har Even - guitar, composition
Xavi Torres - piano
Haggai Cohen-Milo - bass
Ivars Arutyunyan - drums

Episode 48: Fuensanta Méndez

This month Pat speaks with Mexican vocalist and bassist Fuensanta Méndez. They discuss her early love of dance, singing and poetry, how improvisation naturally leads to "accurate" intention in her music and her band the Ensamble Grande.

Please visit Fuensanta’s YouTube channel to find the music discussed in this episode.

Fuensanta recommended “Mirror in the Mirror” by Michael Ende.

Music featured in this episode:

live recordings of “Perspectiva” and “Yo te buscaba tanto”

Fuensanta Méndez - vocals, bass, composition
Isabel Mirallas, Sanne Rambags, Marta Arpini and Laura Polence - vocals
Alistair Payne - trumpet
José Soares - alto saxophone
Teis Semey - guitar
Sun Mi Hong and Guy Salamon - drums

thumbnail photo by Tasha Orlova

Episode 47: Guy Salamon

The podcast is back after a few months off! In this episode, Pat speaks with drummer Guy Salamon about his debut record Unfollow the Leader. They discuss the varied musical environment he grew up in, how he came to lead an octet, and the parallels he draws between band leading and hosting a dinner (or board game night...).

Please visit Guy’s website for more information, music and tour dates.

Guy recommended the Portuguese label Clean Feed records, as well as seeking out the music of each of his band members.

Music featured in this episode:

“Unfollow the Leader” and “The Longest Road, Cows, Music” from the album Unfollow the Leader.

Guy Salamon - drums, composition
Alistair Payne - trumpet
Ian Cleaver - trumpet
José Soares - alto saxophone
Lucas Martinez - tenor saxophone
Teis Semey - guitar
Youngwoo lee - piano
Brodie Jarvie - upright bass

Thumbnail photo by Karen van Gilst.

Episode 46: Myrthe van de Weetering

In this episode Pat welcomes violinist and composer Myrthe van de Weetering to the show. She discusses her decision not to play on most of her debut album, featuring herself as a composer rather than a performer, the series of film noir style photography that inspired the music and how limiting herself to writing short pieces was liberating.

Please visit Myrthe’s website for more information, tour dates and to purchase her music.

Myrthe recommended searching for pairings of music and books as a sort of “soundtrack to reading”.

Music featured in this episode:

“Vierdag” and “Morla” from the album Dégoût.

Myrthe van de Weetering - violin, composition
Jeffrey Bruinsma - violin
Ro Krauss - viola
Jörg Brinkmann - cello
Oscar Cordero - trumpet
Mark Nieuwenhuis - trumpet
Coen Kaldeway - sax
Anton Goudsmit - guitar
Freek Rijna - guitar
Tony Roe - piano & rhodes
Jeroen Vierdag - double bass
Thomas Pol - double bass
Mark van Kersbergen - drums

thumbnail picture by Peisam Tsang

Episode 45: Natalio Sued

Saxophonist and clarinettist Natalio Sued joins Pat on this week's episode. They discuss his love for the saxophone/bass/drums format, the sources of inspiration he finds outside of music, and how he went from rejecting to embracing tango and Argentinian folk music.

Please visit Natalio’s website to find more information, tour dates, and to purchase his music.

Natalio recommended Paul Kingsnorth’s book Confessions of a recovering Environmentalist as well as Ellery Eskelin’s album Solo Live at Snugs.

Music featured in this episode:

“Mates y Termos” from the album Native Speaker.
Natalio Sued - saxophone
Matt Adomeit - bass
Tristan Renfrow - drums

“Lila en la pirámide” from the album Grillos.
Natalio Sued - clarinet
Guillermo Celano - guitar
Adán Mizrahi - bass
Marcos Baggiani - drums
Martín Sued - bandoneón

Episode 44: Raoul van der Weide

Bassist Raoul van der Weide is the guest on this week's episode. He joins Pat to discuss his new record with the Xavier Pamplona Septet, his approach to free improvisation, how it relates to societal constructs, and the importance of musicians organising and curating their own concert series.

Please visit Raoul’s website for more information, tour dates, and to purchase his music.

Raoul recommended the letters of Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo.

Music featured in this episode:

“Untitled” and “Feitenlied” from the Xavier Pamplona septet’s album Play The.
Raoul van der Weide - bass
Marta Warelis - piano
Michael Moore - clarinet
Alistair Payne - trumpet
Ziv Taubenfeld - bass clarinet
Giuseppe Doronzo - baritone saxophone
George Hadow - drums

Episode 43: Ernst Glerum

Bassist and pianist Ernst Glerum is on the show this week. He is currently crowdfunding a combined book and album that collects his drawings accompanied by music. He tells Pat about the parallels between the pencil and the bow, maintaining a sense of wonder in musical improvisation, and his love of "homey" piano music.

Please visit Ernst’s website for more information and most importantly support his crowdfunding campaign here and get yourself a copy of his upcoming book/album.

Ernst recommended the work of Annegien Haselager, specifically the exhibition “She” in Bergen.

Music featured in this episode:

“Mist Bass”
Ernst Glerum - double bass

”Omnibus Four” from the album Paper Models.
Ernst Glerum - piano
Clemens van der Feen - double bass
Jamie Peet - drums

Episode 42: Teis Semey

Guitarist Teis Semey joins Pat to discuss his record "Where the Fence is the Highest", how he was inspired to write suites of music based on Van Gogh's japonism as well as Nietzsche's three metamorphoses, featuring several bands on his album and his plans for an upcoming self produced EP.

Please visit Teis’ website to find more of his music and tour dates.

Teis recommended Ben van Gelder and Reinier Baas’ upcoming record Mokum in Hi-Fi, that is available for pre-order and will be released in September.

Music featured in this episode:

“Palm” from the album Where the Fence is the Highest.
Teis Semey - guitar
Mo van der Does - alto sax
Alistair Payne - trumpet
Jort Terwijn - double bass
Sun-Mi Hong - drums

“Fall (Dear November)” from the album Where the Fence is the Highest
Teis Semey - guitar
Fuensanta Méndez - vocals
Xavi Torres - piano
Nicolò Ricci - tenor sax
Jort Terwijn - double bass
Guy Salamon - drums

Episode 41: Felix Back

Keyboardist Felix Back joins Pat to discuss his band Son Swagga and their new album Dark Magic. They talk about Felix's love of fusion and the recent resurgence of the genre, the challenges of leading a nine piece band and the importance of entertainment value in live performance.

Please visit Son Swagga’s website to find more info and to purchase their music.

Felix recommended the books of Terry Pratchett.

Music featured on this episode:

“Neith” and “Sage” from the album Dark Magic.
Felix Back - Keys
Robin Engelhard - Electric Guitar
Azubike Onwuka - Electric Bass
Jonathan Szegedi - Drums
Yannick van ter Beek - Percussion
Bo Floor - Trumpet
Andrius Dereviancenko - Tenor Saxophone
Dirk Zandvliet - Baritone Saxophone
Alex van Abeelen - Trombone

photo by Erik Luyten

Episode 40: Sun-Mi Hong

Drummer Sun-Mi Hong talks to Pat about discovering the drums at a relatively late age, how she decided to move to Europe to pursue her passion for music, and how she has been embraced as one of the Netherlands' most promising young bandleaders.

Please visit Sun-Mi’s website to find her tour dates and more info.

Sun-Mi recommended Korean food, look for some authentic Korean cuisine near you!

Music featured in this episode:

“Thoughts to be Spoken” and “Escapism” by the Sun-Mi Hong quintet
Sun-Mi Hong - drums
Young-Woo Lee - piano
Alistair Payne - trumpet
Nicolo Ricci - tenor sax
Alessandro Fongaro - bass

photo by Petra Beckers

Episode 39: Tijn Wybenga

Composer and orchestra director Tijn Wybenga is Pat's guest on this episode. They discuss Tijn's ensemble AM.OK, each of its talented members and the opportunities he's been afforded as young artist in residence at the Bimhuis.

Tijn recommended the work of composer Michel van der Aa, the german trio heinz herbert, as well as reading the letters of Vincent van Gogh.

Please visit AM.OK’s website to get more info, tour dates, and to purchase his music.

Music featured in this episode:

Reflectie
Jelmer de Moed - clarinet
Angelo Boltini - electronics
Tijn Wybenga - composition

Hydra
Tijn Wybenga - composition
AM.OK featuring soloists:
Maripepa Contreras Gámez - oboe
Vuma Levin - guitar
Sven Hosheit - marimba
Yordi Petit - drums
Velican Sagun - percussion

Episode 38: Sanne Rambags

Vocalist Sanne Rambags is on the show to discuss her collaborative trio Mudita, Under the Surface's new live record Trinity, her instrumental approach to singing and her plans to bring together all kinds of musicians in her European Colours Group during this year's Young VIP tour.

Sanne recommended Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

Please visit Sanne’s website for more info, tour dates and to purchase her music.

Music featured in this episode:

“Listen to the Sound of the Forest” with Mudita, from the album Listen to the Sound of the Forest.
Sanne Rambags - vocals
Sjoerd van Eijck - piano
Koen Smits - trumpet

”Moksha” with Under the Surface, from the album Trinity
Sanne Rambags - vocals
Bram Stadhouders - guitar, electronics
Joost Lijbaart - drums, percussion

Thumbnail photo by IAMKAT

Episode 37: Franz von Chossy

Pianist Franz von Chossy just released a new record entitled "Life Theater". He joins Pat to discuss his return to the trio format 9 years after his last trio record, his love of Bach and counterpoint and his recent move to China.

Franz recommended the work of several artists from the Parisian jazz scene, specifically Robert Negro and Leïla Martial.

Please visit Franz’s website to find tour dates, more info and to purchase his music.

Music featured in this episode:

“The Cyclic Serpent” and “Imaginary Friend” from the album Life Theater.
Franz von Chossy - piano, compositions
Clemens van der Feen - bass
Kristijan Kranjčan - drums

Episode 36: Alisdair Pickering

Guitarist, composer and arranger Alisdair Pickering joins Pat for a special episode discussing "Red Light Solo", the documentary he produced featuring up and coming jazz musicians from the Amsterdam scene. He tells Pat about his decision to study composition and arranging rather than performance, his project orchestrating music from the Commodore 64, and his work with film director Ryan Smith.

Alisdair recommended Peter Gabriel’s albums with orchestra: New Blood and Scratch My Back.

Please check out the documentary “Red Light Solo” on Youtube, as well as Ryan Smith’s other films to be found on that channel.

Music featured in this episode:

“Greatness of Things” from a live recording by Enea Besana and the United Soloists Orchestra
Alisdair Pickering - arrangement, orchestration
Enea Besana - drums, composition

Extracts of various pieces by the Guy Salamon Sextet, from the documentary Red Light Solo.
Guy Salamon - drums, composition
Ian Cleaver - trumpet
Lucas Martinez - saxophone
Teis Semey - guitar
Youngwoo Lee - piano
William Barrett - bass

Episode 35: Jasper Blom

Saxophonist Jasper Blom is on the show to tell Pat about his new record Polyphony. They talk about what it's like to lead a band for almost 15 years, how medieval music has influenced Jasper's composing and his decision to feature various guest soloists.

Jasper recommended Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1967 film Oedipus Rex (Edipo Re).

Go to Jasper’s website to find more info, tour dates, and to purchase his music.

Music featured in this episode:

“Virelai” and “Running Gag” from the album Polyphony.
Jasper Blom - saxophone
Jesse van Ruller - guitar
Frans van der Hoeven - bass
Martijn Vink - drums
Bert Joris - trumpet (on “Virelai”)
Niels Wogram - trombone (on “Running Gag”)

Episode 34: Alex Simu

Clarinettist and saxophonist Alex Simu is the lead of an international quintet, their latest project is called "Echoes of Bucharest". In this episode we discuss the clarinet and how he is contributing to the manufacture of new forms of the instrument, his love for Bucharest and the music it has inspired, as well as his approach to film composing.

Alex recommended In the search of the miraculous by P.D. Ouspensky.

Please visit Alex’s website for more information, tour dates and to purchase his music.

Music featured in the episode:

“Slowly Dancing for Peace” from the album Echoes of Bucharest.
Alex Simu - clarinets
George Dumitriu - guitar, viola
Franz von Chossy - piano
Jörg Brinkmann - cello
Kristijan Kranjčan - drums, cello

”Quiet Storm” from the album Free Fall
Alex Simu - clarinets
Lucian Ban - piano

Episode 33: Floris Kappeyne

Pianist Floris Kappeyne has just released his second trio album Synesthesia. We talk about how he dove deep into jazz tradition at a young age but then chose to study classical music, the parallel he draws between the human voice and synthesizers, and the addition of live visuals to his performances.

Floris recommended the work of audio visual artist Tarik Barri, as well as Tolstoy’sThe Death of Ivan Ilych.

Please go to Floris’ website to purchase his music and find more information.

Music featured in this episode:

“IX” and “IV” from the album Synesthesia.
Floris Kappeyne - piano, synthesizer
Tijs Klaassen - bass
Wouter Kühne - drums
Janneke Stoute - vocals

Picture by Govert Driessen

Episode 32: Gidon Nunes Vaz

Trumpeter Gidon Nunes Vaz is releasing a new quartet album entitled There's No End. In this episode he joins Pat to discuss the legacy of his late mentor Peter Guidi, touring Japan as a soloist and playing with local musicians, as well as how his research into Kenny Dorham lead him to spend an afternoon with the legendary Jimmy Heath.

Gidon recommended the work of philosopher/speaker/writer Krishnamurti.

Please visit Gidon’s website for more information and to purchase his music.

Music featured in this episode:

“Yesterday’s Dreams” and “Lazy Afternoon” from the record There’s No End.
Gidon Nunes Vaz - trumpet
Denise Jannah - guest vocals
Timothy Banchet - piano
Thomas Pol - bass
Yoran Vroom - drums

Episode 31: Reinier Baas

Guitarist Reinier Baas recently released "Smash Hits", an album with his longtime collaborator Ben van Gelder and the prestigious Metropole Orchestra. In this episode he tells Pat about the process of translating his small ensemble compositions into orchestral pieces, his particular voice on the guitar, as well as his new project "Minute music", a series of one minute pieces written specifically for Instagram video.

Reinier recommended Kit Downes’ solo record Obsidian, as well as Joris Roelofs and Han Bennink’s record Ikarus (as discussed on episode 19 of this show!).

Please visit Reinier’s website to purchase his music and find tour dates.

Music featured in this episode:

”Stuiter” from the album Smash Hits
Reinier Baas - guitar
Ben van Gelder - saxophone
Christian Elsässer - conducting
Gerd Hermann Ortler - arrangement
and all the members of the Metropole Orkest

“Filter” unreleased recording
Reinier Baas - guitar, coffee filter, sympathetic piano strings

thumbnail picture by Govert Driessen, edited by Stijn van der Pol.

Episode 30: Laura Polence

Vocalist Laura Polence is releasing her debut album "Side by Side"' this week. She and Pat discuss the making of her new record and the process of recording for the native DSD format, the Latvian scene and how the fall of communism affected the current generation of musicians, and her love of Brazilian music.

Laura recommended the work of poet Karl Kempton, specifically his book Poems about Something & Nothing.

Please visit Laura’s website to find more information as well as to purchase her new record.

Music featured in this episode:

“Viena Pati Dvēselīte part 1” and “Short Summary” from the album Side by Side.

Laura Polence - vocals
George Dumitriu - viola & guitar
Lennart Heyndels - bass
Saskia Oving, Una Bergin, Laurien Schreuder, Femke Smit, Sanne Huijbregts, Irene Rametta, Mara Berzina and Anna Maria Nitschke - choir