Liner Notes with David Bixler

In this episode of LINER NOTES we are diving into a monumental new release from saxophonist and composer Jeff Lederer called There's A Yearnin', out on Little "i" Music. This record is a boundary-blurring project for winds and voice that features the Wildebeest Wind Quintet and vocalist Mary LaRose. Together, they tackle unissued and rare archival scores by Eric Dolphy and Ornette Coleman, alongside several of Jeff's brilliant arrangements of the music of Oliver Nelson. In our conversation today, Jeff speaks about the incredible discovery of these scores—including a completely unperformed woodwind sextet manuscript by Eric Dolphy that was kept hidden away in the Library of Congress. It is a fascinating look into how these masterworks were pulled from the archives and brought to life.

Tenor saxophonist Rich Perry might be most recognized from his long term associations with both the Maria Schneider and Vanguard Jazz Orchestras, but where he truly shines is fronting his quartet with pianist Gary Versace, bassist Jay Anderson, and Vanguard band mate John Riley on drums and cymbals. In this episode of LINER NOTES we discuss the music and musicians on Progression, his fourth recording on the Steeplechase label with this line-up.

Pianist Eric Reed calls on tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Joe Farnsworth to join him on his new recording Out Late on Smoke Sessions Records. The record, which will be available on May 16, features seven originals that were intended to get this group of well-known musicians out of their comfort zones. In addition to our conversation in this episode of LINER NOTES, Eric uses the piano to give the listener a behind the scenes peek into his process and musical thought life.

Drummer and composer Allison Miller begins 2025 with several diverse and exciting projects. Big and Lovely, a recording of her original music with the University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band was released on January 10. On February 2 at 3pm at the 92nd Street Y in NYC Allison will present Rivers In Our Veins, an ambitious multi-media work featuring the award-winning dancer Michelle Dorrance as a special guest and features three additional dancers: Claudia Rahardjanoto, Maleek Washington and Luke Hickey, plus live video projections by Todd Winkler and an ensemble that features violinist Jenny Scheinman, pianist Carmen Staaf, trumpeter Jason Palmer, clarinetist Ben Goldberg and bassist Rashaan Carter. Lastly, Artemis, Downbeat magazine's group of the year, makes its debut at the Village Vanguard the week of March 4.

Love Is is guitarist John Hart's sixth trio recording for SteepleChase records. For this recording producer Nils Winther wanted to mix things up for John and suggested keeping the trio format, but with a different instrumentation. This recording finds John playing with bassist Carlo DeRosa and cornetist Kirk Knufke. Carlo is a long-time collaborator, but the short rehearsal prior to the recording was the first time that Kirk and John had met, let alone played together. The result is a gratifying session of standards and originals demonstrating the artistry of seasoned professionals. For the jazz student, professor Hart offers a detailed analysis of Giant Steps toward the end of the podcast.

On his new recording, Something About Believing tenor saxophonist Tim Armacost is joined by trumpeter Tom Harrell and baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan as well as the outstanding rhythm section of bassist John Patitucci and drummer Al Foster. Listening to the music one is struck by the comfortability of master improvisers doing what they do best, however in this episode of LINER NOTES Tim explains that this recording is a snapshot of a journey that he embarked on a number of years ago while exploring synesthesia. The project began as a chordless quartet in which the musicians worked with lighting designer Liz Liebeskind in real time and beyond this recording Armacost has assembled a new quartet that is working with visual artist Mary Shah who joins the band at performances and creates a visual response to the band's music.

After several decades of creating music in a manner that was beginning to feel routine, guitarist Miles Okazaki was searching for a fresh way to make music. He examined the processes of artists Ed Ruscha, Sol Lewitt, and Ken Price as templates for creating. In possession of these new ideas gleaned from these artists, he went into the studio with a group of musicians that were given prompts which were recorded and formed into what Miles refers to as musical "slabs." These "slabs" were then sanded, polished, and sculpted, and the result is Miniture America, which Okazaki describes as a sonic treasure hunt, a collection of 22 vignettes exploring the wonder of chance encounters and "found" compositions.

Saxophonist Jon Gordon's new recording, 7th Ave South takes its name from the iconic club owned by the Brecker Brothers that closed its doors in 1987. The title of the album is emblematic of a time that shaped Jon as a musician as a high school student in NYC in the 80s. In this episode of LINER NOTES he pays homage to the people, the musicians, and the clubs that shaped his life and the importance that he places on recreating the generosity that he experienced for the students and musicians that are currently part of his life.