Interviews

In 1977, a group of talented musicians were assembled to record Robben Ford’s album. There was a certain chemistry, and musical affinity, between keyboardist Russell Farrante, bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer Ricky Lawson. While Ford’s record label wanted to record more pop and vocal-oriented albums; the group, known as Robben …

Rudresh Mahanthappa photo by Jimmy Katz The sound of a culture goes far beyond geographical boundaries. It resonates within the very DNA of its people. Saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa, a second generation Indian-American, skillfully harmonizes classical Southern Indian sounds of his heritage, with soulful modern sounds of American jazz, …

Eighty years after picking up the drumsticks, Roy Haynes has inspired and influenced generations of musicians. Keeping with his credo, “now is the time,” Haynes has stayed current and innovative across decades in an ever changing art form. During his illustrious career as a jazz drummer and bandleader, he is …

Roy Hargrove is a Grammy-Award winning trumpeter. In a career that has spanned over 25 years, Hargrove has worked with some of the most significant acts in and out of jazz, including Herbie Hancock, Stanley Turrentine, Christian McBride, D’Angelo, Common, and Erykah Badu. Hargrove maintains a consistent touring schedule, playing …

Photo of Roy Hargrove by John Whiting Jazz legend Sonny Rollins once said, “Improvisation is the ability to create something very spiritual, something of one’s own,” and Roy Hargrove has taken those words to heart.  In an exclusive interview with iRockJazz, multiple Grammy winner, bandleader and jazz trumpeter extraordinaire, Roy …

Godfather, king, master, pioneer, and living legend are all titles given that have been bestowed upon Roy Ayers by other music greats, like Erykah Badu and Questlove  of the Roots. The 72-year old music icon has been creating, performing, producing and recording timeless classics for over 50 years. He created …

John Coltrane, who was considered one of the most prominent and well known Jazz performers of his time, has inspired many.  However, few people know little about the historical significance of the place he called home.  This home, located in Long Island, N.Y., was where he shared his life with his wife, …

We love legends, don’t we? Not only do they use their talents to break barriers and achieve levels of greatness that few have seen, but they also use those very talents to lead a new generation to that same level of excellence and beyond. Master bassist, composer, leader, doctor and …

  Kahil El’Zabar has been playing music nearly all of his life. One could say that he was a musical prodigy who learned from music’s best in class. As a teenager, he was a professional jazz musician touring the world. Today, he continues performing around the world to audiences that …

Roberta Gambarini is a singer who started taking clarinet lessons after being caught by her father for playing his tenor saxophone in secret. After having trouble with classical voice lessons, Gambarini decided to trust her instincts and learned jazz improvisation from self-teaching and listening to the masters of recorded jazz …

Robert Hurst has been one of the most in-demand bass players in Jazz for the past quarter century. And he has done extensive stints in the bands of Wynton Marsalis, Tony Williams, Branford Marsalis, Charles Lloyd, Chris Botti, and Diana Krall. Hurst also is an Associate Professor of Music at …

Jazz pianist and composer Robert Glasper is at the head of the class when it comes to breaking rules in his genre. The 2012 Grammy Award winner for “Best R&B Album” and Blue Note label artist thinks outside of the musical box as he fuses Hip-Hop, Soul, Jazz and Rock …