Episode 28: Philippe Lemm

New York based drummer Philippe Lemm is the guest on this episode. Amongst other things we discuss his new trio album "City Birds", how he came to live and work in New York, and modern television as a source of inspiration.

Philippe recommended singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane, specifically his album “Book of Travelers”. He also recommended the movie “Aurora Borealis” directed by Márta Mészáros.

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

Music featured in this episode:

”Emerge” from the album City Birds by the Philippe Lemm trio.
Philippe Lemm - drums
Angelo Di Loreto - piano
Jeff Koch - bass

"War Chant” by Ajoyo.
Sarah Elizabeth Charles - vocals
Yacine Boulares - saxophone
Michael Valeanu - guitar
Jesse Fischer - keys
Yonathan Cohen - bass
Philippe Lemm - drums

Episode 23: Kevin van den Elzen

In this episode, my guest is drummer Kevin van den Elzen. We discuss the scene in Los Angeles, why he chose to move there and what that has meant for his career, as well as his love for Big Band music.

Kevin recommended Kenny Werner's book "Effortless Mastery", that you may remember was previously recommended by Bobby Petrov in episode 3 of the show!

Please visit Kevin's website to find his tour dates and to purchase any of his music.

Music featured in this episode:

"Take it Day by Day" live at the Bimhuis on 06/10/2017.
     Kevin van den Elzen - drums, composition
     Ben van Gelder - alto saxophone
     Mike Lebrun - tenor saxophone
     Adam Hersch - piano
     Max Kraus - bass

"Hero with a thousand faces" by the Dutch Concert Big Band live at the Grachtenfestival on 16/08/2018.
     Vince Mendoza - composer
     Jasper van Damme, Donald Simoen, Bernard van Rossum, Joao Driessen and Jessie Brevé - saxophones
     Jos van den Heuvel, Peter Keijsers, Matthias Konrad and Bart van Gorp - trombones
     Ywo Lamonaca, Florian Sperzel, Coos Zwagerman, Gidon Nunez Vaz and Jan-Willem te Kiefte - trumpets
     Koen Schalkwijk - piano
     Durk Hijma - guitar
     Tobias Nijboer - bass
     Kevin van den Elzen - drums
    
    

Episode 20: Joost Lijbaart

In this episode, drummer/percussionist Joost Lijbaart is my guest on the show. We talk about his long lasting musical relationship with Yuri Honing, the origin story of his latest project Under the Surface, and his approach to musical entrepreneurship.

Joost recommended the band Codona, specifically their ECM album The Codona Trilogy.

Please visit Joost's website to find his tour dates and to purchase any of his music.

Music featured in this episode:

"Above" from the album Under the Surface.
     Joost Lijbaart - drums, percussion
     Sanne Rambags - vocals
     Bram Stadhouders - guitar, electronics

"Intertwined" with Batik from the album Headland.
     Joost Lijbaart - drums, percussion
     Wolfert Brederode - piano
     Ed Verhoeff - guitar
     Mark Haanstra - electric bass

Episode 11: Felix Schlarmann

In this episode, German drummer Felix Schlarmann is on the show not only to discuss his music, but also the yearly festival that he founded and organizes: Jazzfest Amsterdam. We talk about  this year's edition and some of his approaches to booking the festival, his latest collaboration with Jasper Blom and Sean Fasciani around the music of Stevie Wonder and a new quartet project in the making.

Felix gave a couple of Berlin based recommendations: the jazz and experimental music venue Donau115 as well as the ancient Egyptian collection in the Neues Museum.

Please visit Felix's website to find information about his upcoming shows and to purchase any of his music. You can also go to Jazzfest Amsterdam's website to find details about this edition as well as future editions of the festival.

Music featured in this episode:

Photo by Maarten van der Kamp

"Landscapes" from the album Counterlife.
     Felix Schlarmann - drums
     Floris van der Vlugt - bass clarinet
     Lars Dietrich - alto saxophone
     Franz von Chossy - piano
     Pat Cleaver - bass

"Eternity" recorded live at the Bimhuis.
     Felix Schlarmann - drums
     Wolfert Brederode - piano
     Bram Stadhouders - guitar
     Jasper Stadhouders - bass

Episode 05: Kristijan Krajnčan

In this episode, drummer and cellist Kristijan Krajnčan comes on the show to talk about his solo project DrummingCellist and the inspiration he draws from myth, Jungian philosophy and the traditional form of the Hero's Journey. We also discuss his work in film as a composer, screenwriter and director.

Kristijan recommended two movies from 2017: The Killing of a Sacred Deer directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and The Square directed by Ruben Östlund. He also recommended Sofia Gubaidulina's piece "Seven Words", specifically this recording on ECM.

As promised, here are some links to watch videos of Kristijan performing DrummingCellist:

     -"To Drone", as heard of the show.
     -"The Leaving of Siddhartha", live version from the same video shoot.

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

Music featured in this episode:

Photo by urska Lukovnjak

"To Drone" from The Underground Sessions (recorded live at "Il Sole in Cantina", Groningen)
     Kristijan Krajnčan - Drums, Cello

"The Leaving of Siddhartha" from the album DrummingCellist.
      Kristijan Krajnčan - Drums, Cello  

Episode 04: Pit Dahm

In this episode, drummer Pit Dahm comes on the show to discuss his trio/quartet record Omicron. We talk about the people on his record and his choice to form a collective of musicians to work with, his open ended approach to performance and the treatment of his compositions, as well as the story behind the formation of his band and the recording of his debut album.

Pit recommended the 2008/2009 documentary series World War II in Colour.

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

Music featured in this episode:

photo by 101studios

"Omicron" and "Vilnius" from the album Omicron.
   Charley Rose - alto saxophone
   Harmen Fraanje - piano
   Lennart Heyndels - bass
   Pit Dahm - drums

Episode 03: Bobby Petrov

In this episode, drummer Bobby Petrov (of Tin Men & the Telephone) comes on the show to talk about his own band Jazzanitza. We discuss his background and choice to study abroad, the details of how he and his colleagues integrate Bulgarian folk music into their jazz playing, and his advocacy for jazz education in his country of origin.

Bobby recommended Kenny Werner’s book Effortless Mastery.

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

Music featured in this episode:

"Tantzi Mantzi" and "Gagarin" from the album Jazzanitza.
   Borislav Petrov – drums
   Dimitar Liolev – alto saxophone
   Vladimir Karparov – tenor and soprano saxophones
   Ludmil Krumov – guitar
   Lyubo Tsanev – piano
   Boris Taslev – double bass