Pablo Held Investigates

A conversation between Cuban pianist & composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba and German pianist Pablo Held

Guitarist & composer Ella Zirina in conversation with Pablo Held.

Producer, composer, singer, and songwriter Ethan Gruska in conversation with Pablo Held

Percy Pursglove is not only an incredible trumpet player, he’s also an adventurous composer and educator, a great musical mind, a great bassist and… he’s also my friend. I’ve been a fan of him ever since we first met during a little tour with Chris Potter in 2013. We bonded right away and a few years later we started playing together in many different musical scenarios:

We’ve worked together in my Buoyancy Band, with my trio, my big ensemble GLOW, with our mutual friend Michael Gibbs, in the NDR BigBand and many more one-off situations.

When we’re together we often get into deep discussions about the music and our relationship to it. I always looks forward to these conversations as much as I look forward to playing with him. I feel like we can work so well together because we are so honest with each other.

This episode is basically like one of those conversations on the road together. Thanks for joining us.

( side note for context: we recorded this in 2021 during one of the covid lockdowns )

The album Portals, Vol 1: Mourning was my entry point into the wonderful music by saxophonist & composer Caroline Davis. It was exactly what the title entails: I felt transported right away! It led me to check out so many other beautiful albums, videos and articles, which impressively show Caroline’s exceptional talent and vision. My personal favorites are Portals, Alula, her live videos from Smalls on YouTube and her fascinating lecture on Jazz & Gender.

I had a great time talking to Caroline about some of my favorite tunes from her, gender equity, lessons learned working with personal heroes like Geri Allen or Lee Konitz, leading a band, Mary Lou Williams, self doubt, Connie Crothers and much more.

Saxophonist Charles McPherson is a living legend, a musician of the highest order. I’ve learned a lot by listening to him play (and speak!) over the years. When I got the chance to interview him as part of the Mingus100 Festival at the Stadtgarten in Köln, I was delighted! Since this happened in between sets, time was limited. Still, we managed to talk about lots of different topics like his time with Charles Mingus, the secret behind great art, the influence of Charlie Parker and his “linear sense of logic” and what he expects from his fellow musicians.

I’m so happy that this happened and that we got to do this in front of a live audience as well. Thank you Charles and thank you to my friends Denis Gäbel & Robert Landfermann for this opportunity!

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.

What a pleasure it was to talk to composer/arranger/pianist/accordionist Gil Goldstein! I’ve been in awe of his work with Michael Brecker, Milton Nascimento, Jim Hall, Wallace Roney and of course his own music (check out his album “Under Rouseau’s Moon”). Furthermore, his book “Jazz Composer’s Companion” was a great help to me, especially because of the interviews that Gil himself conducted with some of my biggest heroes – he’s basically an investigator himself Gil and me share a deep affinity for Gil Evans, so naturally I had to ask him about the process of his late mentor. These accounts are a nice counterpart to my conversation with Maria Schneider with whom I also talked about Gil Evans’ music. Enjoy the two of us hanging/nerding out.

Sometimes you can’t predict in which direction an interview will go. When I spoke with Laura Mvula we didn’t nerd out about theoretical stuff. In the beginning you can notice me wanting to go in this direction. But instead we get something much deeper and more meaningful: Laura opened up about her life as an artist, the constant challenge to stay present and to reach what she calls “the freest place”. We touch on how she deals with expectations and how that helps her to be even more honest in her work. I felt like I really got to know Laura and I’m thankful for her honesty and generosity.

Ralph Towner is my hero. He’s a musical pioneer, a poetic and lyrical storyteller, always searching for something new, a giant of jazz & improvised music. I have childhood memories of listening to his records in my parents collection — His duo recording with Gary Peacock “Oracle” always comes to mind. So do his solo recordings, his work with Oregon, Weather Report, Azimuth and much more.

After many years of loving and studying his music I got to meet him for the first time in 2017 after an incredible solo gig of his in Wuppertal. The promoter managed to sneak me into the dinner and somehow I ended up sitting next to Ralph. Naturally I asked him many questions all night! An interview, only without the camera. Later on Ralph was not only kind enough to write liner notes to a trio album of mine, he also accepted to play a couple of gigs with us in 2018. A dream come true, and an unforgettable experience.

This conversation took place in late 2021, before the soundcheck for our gig at Cologne Philharmonic Hall. I’m so happy that Ralph agreed to do this with me, because I’ve been wanting to interview him properly for a long time. Ralph shows and demonstrates a lot of things on the guitar, giving us a rare insight into his process. I always dreamed to be in that seat: right next to my hero, asking him about his compositions and seeing him up close coming up with all those beautiful sounds. We also talk about Bill Evans’ influence on his music, playing with Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones, how his piano playing influenced his approach to the guitar and much more. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Scott Colley is an amazing musician. He always serves the music in a very engaging and creative way, never letting his incredible facility on the instrument getting the best of him. This is one of the many things I admire about him, so naturally I am glad I could talk to him about that.

We also cover his longtime relationships with Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, Jim Hall and Chris Potter, as well as the special occasion when Scott subbed in the Wayne Shorter quartet. We listen to a track from “Empire” together, my favorite Scott Colley album. Scott reacts spontaneously to what we hears, which is something I always like. And he shares his memories of studying with Charlie Haden and Fred Tinsley, working with drummers Bill Stewart & Brian Blade and gives great insights into his compositional process and musical mindset.

I’m glad to share this with all of you now. Enjoy!

If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

I heard about Mike Gibbs through my good friend Sebastian Gille, who invited Mike to arrange his music for a special project with the NDR Bigband. I was amazed by Mike’s writing right away. Everything he does sounds so rich and full yet very open at the same time. He’s a true master who has worked with so many of my personal heroes: Joni Mitchell, Jaco Pastorius, John Scofield, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Bill Frisell, John McLaughlin, Steve Swallow and so many more.

After a while we got in touch and we embarked on a deep exchange via email, talking a lot about our shared love of Gil Evans’ writing, sending each other music to listen to and exchanging lots of sheet music. I asked him so many questions about all of his encounters with the great masters and he always took his time to answer very thoroughly.

On the other hand he seemed very interested in my trio and our way of playing together, asking for lead sheets of my tunes and commenting in depth about our newest recordings. He even turned up out of the blue on a trio gig at the Vortex in London and after that followed the trio to Almeria, Spain where we hung out for three days.

It’s very inspiring to see him staying that interested in the current scene, eager on learning more and deeply immersing himself in the music all the time. I want to be like that when I’m at his age!

When Larry Goldings told me that “we should do another podcast where we talk about our classical influences”, I was beyond excited. In this 3-hour conversation about our musical upbringings and influences we also play a lot of piano for each other. As you can imagine, this is exactly what I was dreaming of all my life: talk to my heroes about their process and have them show me what they’re doing. This is why I started this podcast in the first place. Join me and Larry, talking about music, playing piano and hanging out.

Pablo Held talking about the creation of his solo album “Embracing You”.

Supported by NICA artist development, a program funded by

Percussionist & composer Marilyn Mazur is like a magician. Through her imaginative playing and her rich palette of sounds she casts spells on the music, her bandmates and us as listeners. When I listen to her I feel transported into places that I didn’t know existed and that’s something I’m fascinated by. How does one do that?

I’m so happy I got to talk to her about her process, leading a band, composing, finding her way in the bands of Miles Davis & Wayne Shorter, my late teacher John Taylor, Norma Winstone and much more.

Kevin Hays is one of my absolute favorite piano players, period! The first time I saw him live was in 1996 on a concert of John Scofield‘s Quiet Band and this made a deep impression on me. I’ve been following Kevin’s playing very closely since then. Out of his own records “Andalucia”, “Seventh Sense”,“El Matador” and “For Heaven’s Sake” are my personal favorites, but I do love all the other ones, too! If those records would have been LPs I think I would have worn them all out a couple of times by now. I’ve studied Kevin’s work with Chris Potter, Al Foster, Bill Stewart, Bob Belden, Seamus Blake and many more. He’s outstanding as a soloist as well as an accompanist, a complete musician!

In our conversation we talk about his work with John Scofield, Sonny Rollins and Roy Haynes, his touch, rhythmic variety in his playing, going for a personal approach on standards and a lot more. However, the main theme throughout seemed to be finding one’s own voice. Hope you enjoy!

Master drummer Peter Erskine is on so many of my all-time favorite recordings that it’s almost ridiculous! I love everything that he’s done with Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, Joni Mitchell, John Abercrombie, Joe Henderson, Marc Johnson, Vince Mendoza, Kenny Wheeler, Michael Brecker and SO many more! Of course, let’s not forget his own records!! Especially “You never know” with Palle Danielsson and my late teacher John Taylor is one of my absolute favorite piano trio recordings!

I also highly recommend his fantastic book “No Beethoven: An Autobiography & Chronicle of Weather Report” check it out if you don’t know it yet!

I’m very happy he accepted to do this interview with me, it was a real pleasure to talk to him. Enjoy!

Sam Amidon is one of the most open minded artists I know. Right away I was struck not only by his beautiful music, I was also amazed by the vast range of things he welcomes into his world. Every Sam Amidon album is a winner. They build on top of each other and yet each one stands on its own. There’s a very specific Amidon-vibe. A vibe that nobody else but Sam can create, and he doesn’t even have to do much to create it. It is just there, from the moment he starts a song — effortless.

When I wrote to Sam to tell him how much I liked his music, I was surprised to hear that he’d been checking out my podcast for a while. He even became my supporter on Patreon! We kept in touch and made plans to do an interview in the future. When in the summer of 2021 Sam spent a couple of days in Cologne, I was so happy that we could do the interview in person and hang out at my place… and play!

Thanks for doing this with me Sam!

Supported by NICA artist development, a program funded by

I had been following Johanna’s playing for quite a while, ever since my buddy Robert Landfermann told me to check her out. – If you don’t know Johanna’s music yet, a great place to start is her album “Schumann Kaleidoskop” , where she interprets Robert Schumann’s music in her very own adventurous ways. To me Johanna is an excitingly unique voice on the piano and a fearless improviser.

This interview was in fact the first time we really hung out and also (spoiler alert) played a bit, as you will see at the end of the episode. Playing duo with Johanna felt so great that I immediately invited her to play with me again as part of my concert series “Pablo Held Meets”. You can still check out the whole concert here.

This interview with bassist Doug Weiss took place after our first concert together in June 2020 at the Green Room in Köln. Such cool way to get to know each other: After a rehearsal and dinner, we played a concert and had this conversation in front of a live audience. Right from the start I found it very easy to connect with Doug. That’s one of his many talents: to quickly connect with anyone around him and to make them feel at ease. Always in service of the music. Always on point. Much to learn here! It was a big pleasure to get to talk to him about his process and his musical relationships with my heroes like Al Foster, Brian Blade, Kevin Hays, or Bill Stewart. Thank you Doug!

Supported by NICA artist development, a program funded by

Marcus Gilmore is one of the most influential drummers of our time. The first time I heard him was on Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s “Avatar” record and I was drawn to his rhythmical world right away. I got to play with Marcus in Chris Potter’s quartet back in 2015 and the feeling of playing with him is something I’ll never forget. He keeps you on your toes, that’s for sure. In the kindest way he makes you listen and reach for new stuff. Highly challenging and inspiring. Since I started this series I always wanted to interview Marcus and it finally happened a couple of months ago. We talked about his time with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, learning from Zakir Hussain, his approach to the drums, his grandfather Roy Haynes and much more. Hope you enjoy.

I first heard Chris Potter’s music sometime in my teenage years. I immediately became a fan, trying to get all his records as a leader and as a sideman. There’s always something to learn from Chris’ playing… in a way I always feel encouraged to work on something after I’ve listened to him. Especially his records “Gratitude”, “Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard”, “Traveling Mercies”, “Unspoken” and “Presenting Chris Potter” were deep sources of inspiration for me. Moreover I loved his playing on records of Dave Holland, Paul Motian, Steve Swallow, Kenny Wheeler, Alex Sipiagin, Adam Rogers, Antonio Farao, Scott Colley, Billy Drummond, John Patitucci (oh yes – “Now” was a big one for me!) and on lots of bootlegs as well. I heard Chris live very often, but a particularly amazing concert I saw was John Scofield‘s quartet with Chris, Dennis Irwin and Bill Stewart at the Stadtgarten in Cologne. I’ll always remember this!

In 2013 I’ve had the great fortune of playing with Chris Potter on a short tour as a featured guest of my trio and later on in 2016 I went on tour through Europe with his own quartet. I had been following his music closely, so getting to play with him was not only a dream come true but also a deep learning experience for me, to say the least!

Now, I’m really happy I got to include Chris in this series of interviews. We talk about his impeccable ear-brain-instrument connection, composing, leading a band, working with Paul Motian, Dave Holland and Herbie Hancock, how to overcome periods of self-doubt and much more.

I found out about Robert Stillman‘s unique musical world through my friend Kit Downes. (Whenever Kit recommends something I listen very closely) So when my first sitting with Robert’s debut “Horses” was over, I had to listen to it again right away. Everybody on the record played their butts off, but it was the songs and a distinctive vibe that caught my attention. I thought to myself: here’s somebody who likes to invent his own musical world, regardless of what is considered on vogue at the moment. Personal music. No bullshit, just honesty.

And that feeling didn’t stop with the next record I checked out (Rainbow) – it only intensified! It has been beautiful to see how Robert’s musical journey is progressing and growing with each new release.

I like to reach out to the people whose music I’m listening to. To say thank you. We as artists want to move people with the things we put out. So it’s nice to report back and tell them it really worked. I did this with Robert as well and got to know him through that, eventually we played together in Köln at my concert series which was a great pleasure. In this first meeting I noticed how wide his musical horizon actually is. Really inspiring. The perfect interview guest, as you’ll see in a moment. Enjoy!

As I tell Jeff Ballard in the beginning of our conversation, every time I hear him I’m amazed by the lively sound and feel he gets out of the drums. I think that’s something we as musicians all strive for: to have our sounds (and the music in general) be reflective of life itself, to transcend the notes, the rhythms, the general parameters of the music and make others (and ourselves) feel something and connect with each other.

It was a big pleasure for me to connect with Jeff during our talk. Right from the start it felt like I had known him forever! He was really ready to share his experiences in a candid and honest way. We touched on many subjects, including his time feel, drastically changing his physical approach to playing the drums, his experience of playing with Chick Corea, books, his relationship with Larry Grenadier, what he’s looking for in a bassist, his admiration for Donald Bailey and much more.

Maria Schneider is one of the most important composers & arrangers of our time. A singular voice who is always recognizeable. To me, Maria is a pioneer, always finding new ways of ensemble writing that inspire her musicians to really engage with the music, and not just play their part. In the tradition of Duke Ellington or Gil Evans, she really writes for individuals and you can hear that in the unique sound that she gets out of her orchestra.

I was so excited to get to pick her brain about her process, my favorite albums of hers like “Concert in the garden” or “Allegresse”, about learning from Gil Evans and much more. Maria was on fire during the whole conversation. It felt to me like we were hanging out. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

(This episode is available only in German)

Das etwas andere Interview mit Antoine Burtz eröffnete mir einen tiefen Einblick in den kreativen Geist dieses besonderen Künstlers. Antoine spracht mit mir über die Entwicklung seines Rap-Flows  von “Lohn Isch Da” bis hinzu “Deutschland Isch Stabil”, sein Unterrichtskonzept im Rahmen der Rapskill School, die Erwartungen an Mitmusiker*innen, Stimmübungen, seinen Umgang mit Selbstzweifeln und vieles mehr. Eine echte Evaluation eben.

My dear friend Jonas Burgwinkel was the one who told me about Blake Mills first, hipping me to his album “Heigh Ho”. I liked it right away.

But it was Blake’s “Mutable Set” that completely turned me around. It really hit me and I somehow became addicted to it, listening to it all the time. It’s probably the record I listened to the most during 2020. I love to get lost in music like that.

Blake actually changed the way I listen to music, making me more aware of the impact of great production on a record. And there’s a patience and honesty in his music that really moves me: Being a killer guitarist while having total restraint, never showing off — that’s rare. To me, Blake is of this singular breed of artists that are totally unpredictable, where you never know what they’ll do next. I mean, I couldn’t have predicted “Look” after “Heigh Ho” or “Notes with Attachments” after “Mutable Set”. Can’t wait to hear what he’ll come up with next. But I already know that I’ll be listening closely.

A few notes about the story behind this interview:

Chris Weisman helped me get in touch with Blake. Our inverview went great, we talked a lot about “Mutable Set” and I was super excited to share it as soon as possible. However, when the first single of the Blake Mills/Pino Palladino record was released soon after, I knew I needed to talk to him once more. There would have been no point in releasing the interview without addressing this new music. I’m so grateful that Blake agreed on another talk with me. In our second conversation we went through every song on the new album and Blake offered incredible insights into the process behind it.

Interview in German, the video version has English subtitles. 

SALOMEA is one of the most exciting bands that has emerged from Cologne scene in the last years. Singer & founder Rebekka Salomea Ziegler and her trusty comrades Yannis Anft (keys), Oliver Lutz (bass) & Leif Berger (drums) are good friends of mine and I’ve been following their music and their individual projects with great interest and admiration. I’m thankful I could get a glimpse into their process and share it with you. Enjoy!

SALOMEA released their eponymous debut-record on KLAENGrecords in 2018 and now they’re busy producing a much-awaited second album. I’m thankful I could get a glimpse into their process and share it with you*. Enjoy!

This is the second album of my trio, recorded in 2009 and released in 2010 on Pirouet Records. Going back to this album was like stepping into a time machine. I talk about how we applied our live concept into the studio situation on some of the tunes. I also talk about how my trio mates were responsible for a few of the (questionable) song titles on the album, our use of musical cues, strategies on trio interplay and other memories from the recording sessions.

Marilyn Crispell is a master improviser, a musician of the highest order. To me she embodies focus, presence and selflessness. And I just love the way she plays the piano! Here are some of my favorite records of Marilyn’s:

• Amaryllis
• Nothing Ever Was, Anyway: The Music of Annette Peacock
• Vignettes
• For Coltrane
• Pianosolo – A Concert In Berlin
• Live In Zürich

We talk about her ability to focus, the communal spirit of group interaction, leaving space, teaching, Annette Peacock’s music, working with Paul Motian & Gary Peacock, composition and so much more. Enjoy!

The first time I became aware of Marc Copland was when a good friend of mine showed me the album “Softly…”. I was immediately drawn to Marc’s personal approach to harmony and his ability to tell a story on the piano. To this day this album remains one of my favorites of his. Discovering Marc’s music really matched with some of my other interests during that time, i.e. the music of Bill Carrothers, Bill Stewart, Hubert Nuss – all these guys share a deep sensibility for colors in the music.

A few years after that I wound up on the same label as Marc: Pirouet Records. Pirouet’s artistic director Jason Seizer was the one that put us in touch when he brought Marc to a gig of mine. I still remember the stories Marc told me that evening as they have been incredibly helpful to me.

As you will see in this conversation, Marc is really great at telling stories and he’s ready to share, inspire and hip you to things.

If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

I first heard Vince Mendoza‘s music through my parents, who had albums of his collaborations with Joni Mitchell. Then around 2003 I discovered his wonderful album “Epiphany” which I then listened to for a whole summer. I was blown away by the music and all my heroes were on that record: my late teacher John Taylor, Marc Johnson, Peter Erskine, John Abercrombie, Kenny Wheeler, Joe Lovano and Michael Brecker! After that I checked out as much as I could from Vince’s writing, digging his own records, but also his work for Björk, Jim Beard, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, Peter Erskine, Larry Goldings and much more.

In this conversation we talk about his collaborations with Herbie Hancock & Joni Mitchell, transcribing, his writing process and “Epiphany”.

If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

“This guy will change your life!” That’s how Larry Goldings hipped me to Chris Weisman. Well, Larry was right.

Chris has such a vast output… eclectic, yet always unique. A singular songsmith of the highest order – nobody does what he does.
At first I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of music he has out. But that changed after I found the right entry point. For me, it was his album “Play Sharp To Me”.

Soon I couldn’t stop checking more of his albums, deeply immersing myself in his catalogue. I got so inspired that I wrote a song for him. In the credits to each of Chris’ albums on bandcamp it says “Write me”. So I did and send him my song. This was how his reply started:

This is SO SURREAL. I became very into your podcast literally in the last two days.

We started having long email conversations, hipping each other to various things. Naturally I felt the urge to get him on the podcast. Having read that he didn’t really do interviews I was hesitant to ask. But he was already sharing all this interesting stuff about his process, and somehow I felt we were already in it… Finally I asked him and he said he would be happy to do it!

For the next stage of preparation, Chris sent me ALL of his albums plus early demos. I usually know a lot of the music of the guys that I’m interviewing… but this never happened before! So when the actual day of the interview came I felt so weismaned-up … And what a great experience it was to connect with Chris. I think of this conversation as a celebration of his music and a gateway into his creative mind.

pianist Bill Carrothers interviewed by Pablo Held

If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

Bill Carrothers has been a big influence on me since my teenage years. I first heard him on Bill Stewart‘s classic record “Telepathy” which completely turned me around. From then on I tried to find as much recordings of Bill that I could. I remember finding lots of help and inspiration in a transcript a lesson that he gave. (you can find this on his website).

As I tell Bill right in the beginning of this interview, anyone who’s serious about harmony and this music in general should listen to him. Hearing his music changed me forever.

We talked for a long time and Bill was very generous, giving lots of insights into his process + he even plays a couple of things at the piano during our conversation! I hope you enjoy!!

Descent is the follow-up EP to my record Ascent and features the same line up: my trio buddies Robert Landfermann & Jonas Burgwinkel, guitarist Nelson Veras and me. Four previously unreleased tracks from the initial recording session. In this audio commentary I talk about the composition & recording process behind this music.

If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

I got into Jakob Bro‘s music through my friend Moritz Baumgärtner. He showed he a couple of tracks sometime in 2009 and I immediately fell in love with the sounds I heard. “Balladeering”, “Time” and “Pearl River” are the records I’ve listened to the most, but I also love his recent works for ECM with Joey Baron, Thomas Morgan, Palle Mikkelborg and Jon Christensen. But there’s also so many treasures to be found in his earlier works, in his collaboration project BRO/KNAK and his recordings as a sideman with Tomasz Stanko, Paul Motian, Jakob Buchanan, Jonas Westergaard and many more. Furthermore, I’m a big fan of the documentary “Weightless” about the recording of the “Balladeering” album – to see how this music was created is priceless! I secretly wish that a film like this one would exist for all of my favorite records…

In this conversation we talk about how Jakob came to fulfill his lifelong dream to play in Paul Motian’s group, his relationship with Thomas Morgan, composing, practicing, putting together a band, finding a personal approach to the guitar and much more.

Being a longtime admirer of Jakob Bro, it was really great for me to get to talk to him. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

Billy Hart. What can I say? This guy has given us all so much through his music, his playing, his energy and wisdom. It would take forever to list all my favorite recordings of him, so I’ll spare you that.

In 2019 my dream came true and I got to work with him in the studio. Let me tell you, I have never experienced anything like it before — feeling his beat up close is otherworldly! During the breaks I kept asking him questions and he took his time answering all of them in great detail. I was struck by his humility and honesty.

We kept in touch after that and also talked about doing an interview. One day in September of 2020 I called him up to ask him if we could schedule a date for it. His reply was: “Well, how about NOW?” That wasn’t exactly what I had expected, but I told him I needed to bring my kids to bed and then I would call him. Normally, when I’m about to interview somebody, I spend days listening to that artist exclusively. Reading interviews & books, watching videos, going back to my favorite albums and also discovering new ones – all that is part of my process. Well, this time was different. But I had to remind myself that I have been preparing for this interview for all my life. I still remember those moments when my father played “Crossings” for me for the first time…

Niels Klein, Jonas Burgwinkel & Robert Landfermann join me in the studio to talk about my ninth record GLOW II. It was fun to dwell on our memories from the recording sessions and share our individual perspectives on how we dealt with the music.

This album was released in 2018 on Pirouet Records and it features big ensemble configurations consisting of outstanding musicians like Hubert Nuss, Ronny Graupe, John Schröder, Christian Weidner, Philipp Gropper, Niels Klein, Henning Sieverts, Claus Stötter, Robert Landfermann & Jonas Burgwinkel.

If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

Terri Lyne Carrington’s energetic & fluid way of playing deeply resonates with me. It has a searching quality which always moves the music forward. She always keeps me engaged and wondering what’s going to happen next.

When I first saw her live in 1999 with Herbie Hancock’s “Gershwin’s World” project. I still remember that magical feeling of really digging the music, yet having no clue what they were doing. To this day I can still tap into how that felt. That says something about an artist: if their art can sustain a feeling over decades – that’s powerful!

It was a pleasure to finally get to talk to her and I’m excited to share our conversation with you now!

If you like this series, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

When my dear friend and trio comrade Jonas Burgwinkel showed my Ben Monder’s incredible album “Excavation” sometime in 2005 my musical world got turned upside down. Ben’s music has had a major impact on me and my writing. When I look at certain compositions of mine I can clearly see his influence ( i.e. “Meta”). Whenever there was a rumor of an upcoming Ben Monder record I awaited each one with great excitement and checked it out as soon as it came out. I’d say I’ve spent the most time with his own records “Excavation”, “Oceana”, “Flux” and “Hydra”. Though I also listened quite a bit to his records with Theo Bleckmann like “No Boat”, “At Night” or “Origami“. I also love his sideman work on records by Jochen Rückert, Paul Motian, Maria Schneider, Bill McHenry, or Tony Malaby.

In this conversation we talk about his process of finding new harmonies, composing, influences, working with Paul Motian, his relationship with Theo Bleckmann, memories of special concerts he attended when he was coming up and much more.

I was very excited to talk to Ben and I’m happy I can share this with all of you here.

Sullivan Fortner never ceases to amaze me. Whenever I listen to him I feel really inspired. It was around 2011 when my friend Can Olgun hipped me to Sullivan and I’ve been following him ever since. I love his work with Cécile McLorin Salvant, Peter Bernstein, Roy Hargrove, Lage Lund, Guilhem Flouzat and of course his own stuff.

Right from the get-go, I noticed that Sullivan’s persona is quite similar to how his playing always sounded to me: honest, open, humorous, deep, creative, spontaneous and full of ideas. I’m very happy to share our conversation now with all of you!

My friend Till Kammertöns hipped me to the music of Gabriel Kahane sometime in September 2018 and I immediately got hooked. I couldn’t stop listening to his wonderful album “Book of Travelers” for a month. While checking out all of his other wonderful works I noticed an urge to interview him for this series. I was really happy that he accepted my invitation. Great to talk to him about his music and his process. Enjoy!

(German only – english subtitles available on YouTube)

I got to know harpist Kathrin Pechlof sometime in 2008 when she moved to Cologne, we quickly became friends and started playing together in various groups. I was very fortunate to have her on my album GLOW which we recorded in 2010 for Pirouet Records. Furthermore we played together in Niels Klein’s project LOOM and with the EOS Kammerorchester.

In recent years Kathrin has done wonderful things with the Kathrin Pechlof Trio (with Robert Landfermann and Christian Weidner). They just released their second trio album  “Toward The Unknown” on Pirouet Records. (Highly recommended!)

Kathrin constantly pushes the envelop of what a harpist can do in Jazz & Improvised music. In a way there’s no precedent for what she’s doing, Kathrin is a true musical pioneer!

I deeply admire her music and I’m very thankful to include her in this interview series.

Kris Davis was on my radar ever since I heard her on Tony Malaby’s “Novela” in 2011. I was blown away by Kris’ arrangements and playing on that album and started to check out more of her work. She’s one of my absolute favorite pianists out there and every time I listen to her I get inspired.

When I started doing interviews, Kris was on the top of my list. I’m so happy that we finally got to talk. Enjoy our conversation!

Joey Baron has been one of my biggest heroes since my teenage years. I saw him live for the first time in 2004 with John Abercrombie’s quartet at the Domicil in Dortmund and I’ll never forget this concert! During that time I was listening a lot to Abercrombie’s quartet album “Class Trip” and John Taylor’s record “Rosslyn” (my favorite JT album). There are so many records I love that feature his infectious drumming… too many to name them all. Also, I went to see Joey’s fantastic band “Killer Joey” lots of times when they came to play in Cologne, which was always a memorable experience, to say the least. He’s one of my all time favorite musicians for sure!!

I was amazed of how open Joey was to share all of his memories and to give insights into his process. And he was so generous with this time: After two hours of talking to him I said: “I hope you know that you don’t HAVE to keep talking to me! We can stop if you like, OK?” He just smiled and see “No it’s fine, I made time for this” – we kept on talking for another two hours!!

This conversation took place one day after Skúli Sverrisson’s group SERIA appeared at KLAENG Festival in Köln in November of 2019. I hope I’ll never forget what I felt when I heard Skúli’s music that night. As I tell him in the beginning of our talk, this concert reminded me what I love about music.

As a longtime fan of Skúli, it was great talk to him about about his work with Allan Holdsworth, Ben Monder, Oskar Gudjonsson, his compositional process, the recording process of his own records and much more. Hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Supported by NICA artist development, a program funded by

My third album GLOW was my first time leading a bigger ensemble with my longstanding trio at its core. Recorded in 2010, it featured multiple harmonic instruments (Kathrin Pechlof on harp & Hubert Nuss on harmonium & celesta and me on piano), multiple basses (Robert Landfermann, Henning Sieverts & Dietmar Fuhr) and multiple horns (Niels Klein & Sebastian Gille on woodwinds and Menzel Mutzke on trumpet & flügelhorn) and Jonas Burgwinkel on drums .

For these musicians I wrote little sketches to be explored freely by their creative minds. Collectively we came up with stuff that I could have never imagined on my own. Another lesson in the power of the communal spirit.

Playing and recording with this group of people was an important stage of my development. I’m happy to share some memories of the process with you. Enjoy!

I grew up listening to John Scofield through my parents who are big fans of his music. So each time we’d go on holidays or just went for a little trip in the car there’d be a cassette with Sco’s music playing at some point during the journey. “Still Warm”, “Hand Jive”, “What We Do”, “I Can See Your House from Here”, “Quiet” and also his records with Miles Davis like “Decoy” or “You’re Under Arrest” are are deeply ingrained in my childhood memories.

When I was ten years old my parents took me to see John Scofield for the first time. He was touring with a great quintet (Seamus Blake, Kevin Hays, Larry Grenadier & Bill Stewart) playing the music from the “Quiet” album. This was an unforgettable experience to say the least. Since then I’ve seen him live countless other times, collecting his records, looking for bootlegs, reading his interviews and transcribing lots of his songs.

In 2014 my trio got the chance to invite a special guest for a concert at Philharmonie Köln. We expressed our desire to play with Sco and to our surprise he accepted! That first concert became a record (The Trio Meets John Scofield on Pirouet Records) and after the release John asked us to come on tour with him through Europe in 2015. You can imagine how surreal all this felt, but getting to know John, playing and hanging with him has been one of the greatest experience of my life. He’s the nicest guy you can imagine, a musician of the highest order and I’m thankful to call him a friend.

This is my conversation with the great sound engineer Rob Griffin. He worked with so many incredible artists: Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Paco De Lucia, Chick Corea… and he also mastered my last album „Ascent“.

Rob is one of a kind and I think that really comes across in this conversation. He is full of enthusiasm, he loves to learn and always searching for new and better ways to capture and enhance the music, and he really enjoys to pass on his memories of all those tours with Wayne, Herbie and all my other heroes.

We talk about his approach to mixing and recording, his unique up-close insights into how some of my most favorite bands, like the Wayne Shorter Quartet, work on and off stage. And above all else: his deep love for the music.

I enjoyed recording the audio commentary to my latest record “Ascent” so much that I made the plan to do this for each one of my albums. This time I’m talking about my record “The Trio Meets John Scofield” which was released on Pirouet Records back in 2014. It features my trio buddies Robert Landfermann & Jonas Burgwinkel + our hero John Scofield and it was recorded live at the Philharmonic Hall in Köln.

When we got offered to play a concert featuring a special guest, Sco was at the top of our list and to our surprise he accepted to play with us! After 2 days of hanging and rehearsing we went on stage with our hero, in a packed Philharmonic Hall in our home town — a night I’ll never forget! We initially recorded it just for our own remembrance, but in the following weeks, Sco and me kept getting back to it and finally decided to put it out.

It was nice to revisit this experience and share my memories and feelings about the music. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Talking to master bassist Ben Street was a great experience for me. Right from the start I felt a connection with him, which allowed for a very candid and in-depth exploration of Ben’s musical process and experiences. He also asked me a couple of questions, including some about previous episodes and the process behind this interview series. Our conversation went on for about 4 hours and it felt like it wouldn’t have been a problem for us to go on even longer. For days I was busy processing all the inspiration I got from him, and I guess I still am.

It has been 2 years since I started doing these interviews. Together with my producer Till Moses Kammertöns we decided this would be an ideal celebratory episode for the 2nd anniversary. Here’s to many more!

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I’m happy to share my interview with the great Aaron Parks. I first heard him sometime 2004 on Terence Blanchard’s “Bounce” album. Being very impressed by his playing I began to investigate more and came across lots of recordings that featured his playing. Too many to list here, but I’ll say that especially during that time “Bounce” and “Flow” by Terence Blanchard, Gretchen Parlato’s eponymous record and lots of bootlegs of Kurt Rosenwinkel’s bands with Aaron were particularly inspiring for me. I’ve closely followed Aaron’s music every since. As I tell him at some point during the interivew, I really think that Aaron introduced a fresh new approach to the piano that wasn’t there before he came on the scene.

We also talk about what he’s working on at the moment, his relationship with Thomas Morgan and Ben Street, the different approaches in his trios with Ben Street & Billy Hart vs. Thomas Morgan & RJ Miller, finding a personal approach on the piano, different piano players who are on the scene today, his process of strengthening his musical foundation, listening habits, and daily practices… lots of things! It’s always great to talk to Aaron. I’m happy he agreed to do this interview and that we can share it with all of you. Enjoy!

I first heard about Lau Noah in a podcast with Larry Goldings where he talked about how much admiration he had for her work. (I always listen very closely when my heroes talk about music that they’re checking out. This was no exception.)

I’ve been following Lau Noah’s music since back then. She has such a unique songwriting style and a very personal approach to accompanying herself. Hear for yourself: her Tiny Desk concert is a great documentation of her beautiful music.

We first met when she performed at our KLAENG festival in Köln in 2019 and this conversation happened a a couple of months later. I’m glad I got to talk to her. Hope you enjoy our conversation!

I first became aware of Lionel Loueke’s playing on records by Gretchen Parlato, Terence Blanchard and of course through closely following everything that Herbie Hancock was up to. I was completely blown away and wanted to know more about him. That led me to check out his own record “Virgin Forest” and then when it came out I obsessed over “Karibu”– I still go back to that album regularly! All of the stuff he’s done since is amazing. In fact, his new album is released today!

I really admire his unique approach to the guitar and his musicality in general. Lionel is doing things I never heard anybody else do – he’s a true innovator! I was very excited to talk to him. Hope you enjoy this conversation!

This episode is in German, for English subtitles please watch the video version.

I’m excited to include Christian Lillinger, one of the most individual voices on the drumset in music today, in this series of interviews. Christian is a role model for me on a lot of levels. His no-bullshit/no-compromise attitude is admirable and I think it results in a crystal clear vision of a singular artist. As a leader & sideman he’s been involved with a lot of my favorite groups today: GRUND, Open Form For Society, GRÜNEN, Dell/Lillinger/Westergaard, Amok Amor, Ronny Graupe’s SPOOM and Gropper/Graupe/Lillinger, to name a few. Also, Christian runs an incredible label called PLAIST MUSIC, where he releases genre-free music by himself and other cutting edge artists.

I have know Christian for a long time. We came up more or less at the same time and throughout the years I’ve have had the great pleasure of playing with him on different occasions*. I’m happy to share our interview which by the way features a little cameo (totally unplanned, although it looks staged) by a frequent collaborator of Christian’s. Enjoy!

Bill Frisell was on the top my list right from the start of this interview series. Through the help of Mike Gibbs, I finally got in touch with Bill and we had a lovely conversation. What is there to say about Bill Frisell’s music that hasn’t been said yet? I mean, I don’t know anyone who knows about his music and doesn’t like it – everybody loves Bill Frisell! Maybe it’s because he’s so eclectic, so there’s something in there for everybody? Or because of his unique approach to the guitar? Or maybe because he enriches every musical setting? Because of his great tunes? His many different bands? The classic recordings he contributed to as a sideman? I really don’t know… there are so many things to love about him, his playing and his music. OK maybe I should stop rambling… You have a 2 hour conversation ahead of you, and you’re in for a ride. Enjoy!

For further listening, here are some of my favorite recordings with Bill:

• In Line, Bill Frisell with Dave Holland & Elvin Jones, Sign Of Life, Gone Just like a Train, Where in the World?, Hemisphere’s (with Jim Hall), Quartet, Bill Frisell/Ron Carter/Paul Motian/, Have a Little Faith, Small Town & Epistrophy (with Thomas Morgan), Songs we know (with Fred Hersch)

• ALL albums by Paul Motian w/ Bill
• ALL albums by Jakob Bro w/ Bill
• Kenny Wheeler – Angel Song
• Amarcord Nino Rota
• Marc Johnson – Bass Desires / The Sound Of Summer Running
• Lyle Mays – Lyle Mays / Street Dreams
• Paul Bley – Fragments
• John Scofield – Grace under Pressure / This meets That
• Mike Gibbs – A Bill Frisell Set List
• Joey Baron – Down Home
• Tony Scherr – Come Around
• Ron Miles – I Am A Man / Quiver
• Scott Colley – Empire
• Andrew Cyrille – The Declaration of Musical Independence

I was 7 years old when I first heard Wallace Roney’s playing on Herbie Hancock’s “Dis Is Da Drum”, a record that has over the years remained very important to me.

I was always drawing to people that respect (and draw their inspiration from) the masters that came before them. Wallace was somebody who went all the way. Where some only deal with the surface, the cliché, the easy way out, Wallace went deep and found his own stuff. And this is why he was taken on by the masters. I mean – Miles’ ONLY student? Come on! When Herbie, Wayne, Ron & Tony could have chosen every trumpet player on earth, they chose him. And he was somebody who didn’t keep his gained knowledge from those masters to himself. He shared it with others. That’s a big lesson, right?

To me, inspiration is like a trampoline. If you only jump into it with little energy and conviction, the jump will not be significant and likely not memorable. But if you go ALL THE WAY, jump into it with all you have, it will catapult you into heights where you’ll be able to see differently, see things more clearly. Plus, it will bring you away from the inital source of inspiration…. and then back again with a new perspective!! I think that’s what Wallace did over and over again with all the music he loved. Listening to him I can hear so much love for his idols, but he didn’t stop there. He took those lessons and applied them to his music.

When I released my first interview of this series, my conversation with Wayne Shorter, Wallace Roney was one of the first people to send me a nice message via Facebook Messenger congratulating me on interviewing Wayne. I was really taken by that gesture, kept in touch with him after that and finally in 2019 I asked him if he’d like to do an interview with me as well. I’m so happy that we got to do this and I learned so much during this conversation. Yet, at the same time I’m really sad that we didn’t get to finish it. You’ll hear a pretty aprupt ending of our conversation which was due to a bad interview connection (hence this interview is audio-only) .

We decided to finish it some other time and sadly we didn’t get around to it after all. However, I think there’s enough that we all can learn from the things Wallace has shared during this conversation. He will be missed by many. Thank you for all the inspiration and wisdom, Maestro Wallace!

Supported by NICA artist development, a program funded by

This episode is in German. The video version has English subtitles.

My story with Achim Kaufmann started when I discovered Paul Heller’s great albums “Kaleidoscope” & “Little Songs” as a teenager. I listened to them a lot, and Achim played piano on both. I really liked his playing, so I started to check out his own stuff. I started with his first album “Weave” — and it changed me forever! To this day it is one of my top 5 piano trio albums and I still listen to it quite regularly. The compositions, Achim’s chemistry with bassist Ingmar Heller & drummer Jochen Rückert, their playing, the sound — this record has inspired generations of musicians since it came out in 1998.

To understand his journey better, I worked my way through Achim’s records in the order they were recorded. Next up were the amazing quartet records “Double Exposure” & “Gueuledeloup” . I got obsessed with them and totally loved the music but had some difficulties following it. I couldn’t tell what was improvised and what was written. So I got in touch with Achim to take a lesson. I asked him lots of questions about these records and he graciously explained his process to me, showing me the leadsheets while listening to the music together. He showed me other records that I didn’t know before and we played together a little bit, me on piano and Achim on Wurlitzer. After this lesson I was full of inspiration!!

In the follow-up to that we exchanged e-mails and I asked Achim how he dealt with writers-block… I still look at his advice whenever I don’t feel inspired or I’m at a loss for ideas.

When I l finally left my hometown Hagen to study in Cologne, I went to see Achim whenever he played in town. Every time I was in awe and I always tried to talk to him after the gigs, to ask him what he was working on or listening to lately.

Many years later, after I started this series of interviews, Achim sent me a nice note, telling me that he enjoyed watching them. Naturally asked him if he would be interested in participating. Today I’m happy to share our conversation with you. Hope you enjoy!

….

… OK, now I feel bad for not mentioning some other records that have been very influental to me so here’s another list:

Achim’s Kyrill, Verivyr, Later, Mnemon

Peter Bolte – Trio & Keeping

Christian Lillinger’s Grund – Second Reason & Grund & COR

Christian Weidner – Dream Boogie & Every Hour of Light and Dark

Common Ground

Robert Landfermann – Topaz

all the records with Grünen

“Furthermore” “Nothing Something” & “Something Nothing” with Michael Moore

Marc Johnson — one of my favorite bassists of all time. I was always drawn to his warm sound and fluid way of playing, always taking risks, always propelling the music forward. The first time I saw him live was in 2004 during a concert of the John Abercrombie Quartet at the Domicil in Dortmund — a night I’ll never forget! I often go back to my memories of this particular concert. It was a great pleasure for me to finally talk to him and I’m excited to share our conversation with you.

Norma Winstone is one of the most influential singers of our time. She certainly influenced me and my music in a big way. Her record “Somewhere Called Home” is one of my most favorite albums of all time. Furthermore Azimuth, all of her work with my late teacher John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler and so much more has been a deep source of inspiration for me throughout the years and I go back to those records regularly. Even before I started this interview series I had a strong desire to talk to her about her music. My friend Kit Downes kindly put us together and we went from there. Just days after this conversation Norma came to my trio gig at King’s Place in London and checked out our music. I was really touched by that gesture and I think it speaks volumes about what kind of person Norma is. I’m thrilled I got to talk to her. Hope you enjoy!

Pedro Martins’ album “Vox” was one of my absolute favorite releases from 2019. I listened to it countless times and I’m still mesmerized by its unique beauty, deep compositions and great playing by everyone involved. Pedro has a real gift for writing timeless melodies!!

The first time I noticed him was a couple of years ago when I watched this video of him playing Milton Nascimento’s song “Travessia” which really touched me. I kept his name in mind and eagerly awaited his first release.

After this conversation I was so inspired that I immediately wrote a song for him. His pure love for music is contageous. I hope you enjoy our talk as much as I did.

I’m happy to present a special episode of this podcast: This is an audio commentary to my new album “Ascent” which was just released on Edition Records.

I often enjoy checking out the audio commentaries that directors include in the bonus features of their movies. Listening to them talk about their methods and inspirations while you’re watching the movie has always fascinated me and I kept thinking about how great it would be to have something similar in the music field. I know a few examples of that, but I’d love to have one of those for all my favorite albums — imagine having and Audio Commentary to “Bitches Brew”, “A Love Supreme” or “Word of Mouth” … how great would that be?

Anyways… here’s my attempt at that. Before I went into the studio to record this I checked out the audio commentaries to “The Machinist”and “Goodfellas” which was a nice way to prepare. I had a great time doing this and I’m already thinking about doing these for each one of my albums. Hope you enjoy this and get some useful background info on how this music came to life.

Listen to the audio commentary on your favorite podcast platform, on YouTube or right here:

This episode was supported by NICA artist development, a program funded by

What is left to say about the incomparable Larry Goldings that hasn’t been said yet?

Frankly, after having shared a couple of these interviews + having written personal introductions to each one of these, I hope it doesn’t sound too repetitive… Why? Because all the stories of what happens when I’m inspired by someone share the same plot: I listen to someone for the first time, get inspired, I try to check out as much concerts/records/interviews/videos/etc as I can… I’ll transcribe songs, look for bootlegs, read the biography, I’ll try to check out the stuff that this person was influenced by… I’ll do everything that helps me understand this person’s process and I’ll do this with everyone that interests me.

This is why all the stories may sound a bit alike. I hope that’s OK.

So back to Larry.

When I was a kid I was listening to Larry’s playing on John Scofield‘s masterpiece record “Hand Jive”. Later when I was getting into playing the piano myself I used to play a long with it a lot. The line up, the repertoire and the amazing playing by Larry on organ and piano just put a spell on me. While my parents became fans of Larry’s music I followed them along, listening a lot to Larry’s own “Intimacy Of the Blues”, Scofield’s “Groove Elation”, Michael Brecker’s “Time Is Of The Essence” and other records. After a while I had most of Larry’s records, either through my parents or through my own purchases. My favorite Larry Goldings Trio record was always “Sweet Sience” and though I love everything that Larry has done, I have a special soft spot for this particular record. There was a time where I would only listen to my three favorite songs from that record : “Asimov”, “This Guy’s In Love With You” and “Spring Is Here” on repeat … to this day I still go back to that record a lot and I keep noticing news things in the music – it keeps on giving!

When I was 17 years old I had a lesson with great pianist and composer Florian Ross and he played me “Sticky Mack” from Larry’s piano trio record “Awareness”, a record that I didn’t know until that point. I was blown away! I’d say that “Awareness” is one of my top five favorite piano trio records of all time!

I got to talk to Larry a couple of times after concerts of him that I attended and he was always very kind and generous in sharing his memories when I asked him about stuff. This is our first lengthy conversation and I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks for talking to me, Larry!

The first time I heard Peter Bernstein was on “The Intimacy Of The Blues”, the first Larry Goldings Trio album that my parents used to listen to and I really liked that album. When I got more into to buying my own records I bought “Heart’s Content”  – I really lived with that album for a while, listening to but often times, also playing along with it quite a lot. I became in awe of Peter’s sound and his extraordinary talent for melody.  Another important record during this time was “Sweet Sience” by the Larry Goldings Trio. Among my favorite albums of Peter are “Monk”, “Solo Guitar, Live at Smalls”, “Heart’s Content” and “Earth Tones” and of course all the other albums with the Goldings Bernstein Stewart trio.

Since I started this interview series I got to talk to his Peter’s longtime musical partners Larry Goldings and Bill Stewart and I’m happy to finally include Peter himself in this series of interviews now. We talk about melodic lines, his teacher Ted Dunbar, playing with Sonny Rollins, guitar keys & open strings, Monk’s music, the lesson with Keith Jarrett, the Goldings Bernstein Stewart trio and much more. Hope you enjoy!

When I first heard the Dirty Projectors some time in 2012 I was blown away. (I think it was either “Two Doves” from the “Bitte Orca” record or “Maybe That Was It” from “Swing Lo Magellan”… don’t remember it exactly). I fell in love with this music right away.  The creativity and the searching quality of Dave Longstreth’s songwriting and production style simply amazed me. Also the way he leads the band was a big inspiration for me. Actually, it feels strange to single out specific things that I admire about him and this music, it’s the whole package… !

I then made an effort to check out as many Dirty Projectors records (and bootlegs) as I could.  Among my favorite albums are “Mount Wittenberg Orca” “Bitte Orca” & “Swing Lo Magellan”. I remember a tour through South America with my trio where I exclusively listened to Dirty Projectors (and Maria Callas singing Puccini’s “Tosca”!) for the whole tour. I love this band and I keep finding new things in those recordings all the time.

My composition “Longstreth Blues” (as heard on my album “GLOW II“) is my tribute to his music. In it I tried to channel a couple of things I learned through listening to Dirty Projectors.

I went to Berlin to see them live in August of 2018 and I got the opportunity to interview Dave Longstreth in the afternoon before the concert. I was super excited to talk to him and ask him a few questions. Hope you enjoy our conversation!

The first time I heard Drew Gress was on Fred Hersch’s beautiful trio album “Live at the Village Vanguard”. I was immediately drawn to his big sound. but also I was in awe of how lyrical he could be in one moment and how burning and risk-taking he would be in another moment.

Drew was also on a lot of other records that were very inspiring to me, for example all the other records with Fred Hersch, the Claudia Quintet albums, his own records, Ben Monder’s “Flux”, Antonio Farao’s “Thorn”, Tony Malaby’s “Adobe”, the Marc Copland albums, The Bill Carrothers albums, John Surman’s “Brewster’s Rooster”, “Within A Song” by John Abercrombie and many more…

I’ve learned a lot from listening to him on these records, from seeing him live on stage and also from this amazing workshop video that I encourage everybody to check out!

To me, Drew is one of the most eclectic musicians who always has something meaningful and deep to contribute to any musical situation, he’s a real hero of mine and it was a pleasure to talk to him. Hope you enjoy!

You’ll hear me geeking out here a little in my conversation with master drummer & composer Bill Stewart. I’ve always loved his playing as well as his writing, so it was like a dream come true to get to ask him a few questions and talk about music with him. We cover a lot of ground here, talking about his records, composing, practicing routines,  memorable concerts, his influences and a lot more. I hope you enjoy!

(This episode is in German)

Ich kann’s immer noch kaum fassen, dass das hier passiert ist. Helge Schneider, mein Held seit Kindertagen, hat einem Interview mit mir zugesagt und mich und meinen Produzenten Till Kammertöns zu sich nach Hause eingeladen um zu quatschen. Wir sprechen hier über Helges Bühnenpräsenz, seine Gabe, besondere Typen wie Charlie Weiss, Sergej Gleitmann oder Peter Thoms zu finden, die Kunst im Moment zu sein, Thelonious Monk, Teddy Wilson, Jimmy Woode, Proben, seinen Intelligenztest, die DCTP Interviews und vieles mehr. Danach waren wir Eis essen in Helges Lieblingseisdiele – war lecker!

Getting to talk to master bassist & composer Steve Swallow was a big deal for me. I’m so thankful to the great Mike Gibbs for kindly putting us in touch. When Steve got back to me, he told me he had checked out some of my interviews and that he’d be happy to participate. Naturally, I got super excited, went back and listened to all my favorite recordings of him again: his own records, but also his works with John Scofield, Jimmy Guiffre, Paul Bley,  Thelonious Monk, Carla Bley, Paul Motian, Chick Corea, Pete LaRoca, Art Farmer, Stan Getz, or Joao Gilberto. I also found some amazing records along the way that I hadn’t heard before, for example this one. Also, when I told John Scofield that I would interview Steve Stallow, he told me to check out Steve’s incredible bass feature on “I want you” from Gary Burton’s “In Concert” record.

Steve was really generous with his time as our conversations took more than two hours. We talked about so many things and I’m still processing the inspiration I got from our talk, but I think it struck me the most to see how much Steve is still working on improving his connection to the instrument, how willing he is to keep learning and make progress. Considering how much he has already done for this music this sets a high bar for all of us, to never become too comfortable with the status quo.

(This episode is in German. The video version features english subtitles.)

Die erste Platte von Wolfgang Muthspiel die ich gehört habe war „Real Book Stories“ mit Marc Johnson & Brian Blade. Das hab ich rauf und runter gehört und auch viel dazu gespielt. Besonders faszinierte mich Wolfgang’s Klarheit und seine Gabe besondere Räume für seine Bands zu schaffen . Andere wichtige Alben für mich waren „Air Love & Vitamins“, „Friendly Travelers“ & „Bright Side“. Ich habe seither mit großem Interesse Wolfgangs musikalischen Aktivitäten verfolgt und viel Inspiration daraus gezogen. 

In unserer Unterhaltung spreche ich mich Wolfgang über die Klarheit seines Spiels, seine Gabe besondere Bands zusammenzustellen, Übemethoden, seine Zeit mit Paul Motian, Komponieren, das Trio mit Brian Blade & Marc Johnson, wichtige Konzerterlebnisse, Olivier Messiaen, eine Ballade von Johannes Brahms und vieles mehr. Viel Vergnügen!

When I asked my friend Percy Pursglove what he had been listening to lately, he told me about the piece “Partita for 8 voices” by Caroline Shaw. He said he had listened to the piece while driving in his car, but eventually he not only had to stop the car, but also stop the music – because he was so blown away by what he heard!!

(I’m always looking for recommendations of this kind: when friends, colleagues or heroes of mine recommend something that they obsessing about)

So on my way home I started listening to the piece and I was blown away as well! I couldn’t stop listening, had it running on repeat for a long time like I usually do when discovering a new piece. I immediately started checking other works by Caroline that were equally fresh and inspiring and also found lots of interviews that were really insightful.

I’m so happy my friend Percy recommended listening to her work and I’m excited to share my interview with Caroline Shaw with all of you now! We talk about a lot of things, ranging from composition, inspirations, notation, working methods of the incredible vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth and much more! Enjoy!

As I tell Dave Holland in the beginning of our conversation, on so many of my all-time favorite recordings it’s him playing the bass! He’s one of my biggest heroes in music and I can’t really put into words how excited I was to talk to him!

In this conversation we cover a lot of things, ranging from Dave’s current activities, putting together repertoires, relaxation, his relationship with Jack DeJohnette, his tenure with Joe Henderson, harmonic experiments with Herbie Hancock, ear training, leading a band, composing,  Miles Davis’ record “Filles De Killimanjaro”, our memories of John Taylor, and much more… Enjoy!

I’m very excited to announce that the interview series will now be available as a podcast as well! Go to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe in order to get all upcoming episodes!