André 3000 opens up about his flute experiments: ‘What you’re hearing is me discovering a thing’
We all know the story by now, but here’s a synopsis: In the early ’90s, two young Atlanta rappers...
Category: Interviews
Clarinet conclave: Don Byron dishes to Todd Marcus about the ‘white-centric’ history of their instrument, the genius of Joe Henderson and touring post-pandemic
Clarinetist, saxophonist and composer Don Byron has been a trailblazer in music since his first albums came out in...
John Patitucci on upholding the legacy of Wayne Shorter
During the 20-year lifespan of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, the group stood as one of the most ecstatic in music, let...
Nasheet Waits remembers his relationship with Max Roach, and talks centennial edition of ‘Freedom Now Suite’
The cover art of Max Roach’s We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, from 1960, references the sit-in movement, which had...
Cecily taps the healing power of joy on ‘Awakening Pt. II’
According to the late Black feminist scholar bell hooks, love is a verb — an action we choose every...
‘Don’t write an opera, tell a story:’ Terence Blanchard’s path to ‘Fire Shut Up in My Bones’
New Orleanian musician Terence Blanchard is known for many things. Recently named a 2024 National Endowment for the Arts...
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis are ‘chasing energy,’ not genre, on powerful new LP
For the members of D.C.-based pyrotechnic rock trio the Messthetics and luminary tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, the question...
Charles Tolliver talks Strata-East, 1960s D.C., and why he keeps coming back to Trane
Trumpeter Charles Tolliver is known for many things: co-founding the highly influential Strata-East label with his collaborator, the pianist...
‘Different ways of relating:’ Kris Davis breaks down the vision behind her landmark album ‘Diatom Ribbons’
When Kris Davis won the “Rising Star Pianist” award in DownBeat‘s 2018 critics’ poll, it was not so much...
‘I’m always pushing:’ After years away, Corcoran Holt is ready to give back to D.C.
After nearly two decades away, bassist and percussionist Corcoran Holt recently returned home to Washington, D.C., to take on...