Birth
Birth with Outside the Sphere — Cafe Coda — Sunday, June 5, 2022 — 7 PM
Interview date: 05/09/2022
Josh Smith, Jeremy Bleich, and Joe Tomino came together as the band Birth in Cleveland in 1998 with a shared mission that launched them into a world of meaningful and rewarding musical experiences. After a number of years they parted onto different paths. But they’re back now wiser, stronger, tested, and keen to bring their evolved sound to receptive ears.
Paul Hecht
Paul Hecht Quartet — Garver Feed Mill Patio — Saturday, May 28, 2022 — 7PM
Interview date: 05/20/2022
Pianist Paul Hecht—who divides his time between Chicago and Eau Claire—joins me to talk about an exciting new chapter in his musical life, his delight in exploring some new music with accomplished Chicago-based collaborators, and some personal insights into the Eau Claire Jazz scene.
Paul Dietrich
Paul Dietrich Jazz Ensemble — The Bur Oak — Sunday, May 15, 2022 — 7PM
Interview date: 04/29/2022
It would be a challenge to run an 18-piece jazz ensemble that plays non-traditional big band music anywhere, but the fact that Paul Dietrich does it in Wisconsin, and attracts the caliber of musicians that he does—and let’s face it, no one’s getting rich off of this—is a testament to his leadership, his composing and arranging prowess, and the individuality of his musical vision.
Kimmel-Ali-Harris Trio
Jeff Kimmel, Ishmael Ali, Bill Harris — Audio for the Arts — Saturday, May 14, 2022 — 8PM
Interview date: 4/22/2022
Jeff Kimmel, Ishmael Ali, and Bill Harris commandeered an air b’n’b in the wilds of Michigan during the height of the pandemic in 2020 to record their latest release “Vivary.” The record is an abstract electro-acousitc tour-de-force, and a fitting document of this period of experimental existence.