Mike “Maz” Maher is a founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Snarky Puppy, a group that, since its beginnings in 2004, has made it its mission to smash genre walls and steer jazz in new directions.
Podcasts
Check back soon as we continue to add more podcasts.
JAZZIZ Backstage Pass: 10 Albums You Need To Know for February 2019
Join us as we discuss new works by Chris Potter, Wadada Leo Smith, Keiko Matsui, Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom and more!
JAZZIZ Backstage Pass: Joe Lovano
We spoke to Lovano about the release of his ECM leader debut and its significance in his discography, as well as his long list of musical influences, which includes Ornette Coleman and Third Stream composer Gunther Schuller.
JAZZIZ Backstage Pass: Cecile McLorin Salvant
Vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant is as bright a star as they come in the jazz…
JAZZIZ Backstage Pass: Mark Guiliana Talks Bowie, EDM & Love for New Jersey
You’re listening to JAZZIZ Backstage Pass, your inside scoop on the world’s greatest jazz musicians.…
JAZZIZ Backstage Pass: Pianist Emmet Cohen Links Past and Present
Emmet Cohen is a young pianist with a broad vision of jazz. He’s committed to…
Andrew Dubber
Educator, author and all-around tech enthusiast Andrew Dubber may well be the digital-age sherpa who…
Basia
When Polish-born vocalist Basia broke away from the 1980s jazz-pop band Matt Bianco (joined in…
Bill Bruford
Best-known as the drummer in three successful progressive-rock bands—Yes, King Crimson and Genesis—Bill Bruford…
Michael McDonald
Enjoy a one-on-one conversation with Michael McDonald and Michael Fagien- editor of JAZZIZ Magazine. They discuss his career, his concerns about the world and his new album “Wide Open”.
Keyon Harrold
Enjoy a one-on-one conversation with Keyon Harrold and Michael Fagien. Together, they cover everything from jazz, family, race and politics that’s both positive, upbeat and reflective of this trumpeter’s future.
Christopher James Roberts
Christopher James Roberts is an American composer, pianist and producer, best known by music industry insider’s as Chris Roberts, one of the bright stars in music business.
Beatie Wolfe
Beatie Wolfe is a London-based singer-songwriter with her heart set on letting fans “see music differently”.
Intro music: “Kickin’ It” by Jeff Lorber
Jay Graydon
Jay Graydon is a paradox of sorts. His album Bebop was released in 2001 but don’t let the title fool you. Graydon loves jazz, though he’s not what most would consider a jazz guitarist and though revered by fellow musicians and players alike as a great guitarist (an in-demand LA studio musician featured on albums including Gino Vannelli and Christopher Cross), the instrument is less about his profession (he also plays keyboards) than it is one of the tools he uses to perfect his brand of music.
Intro music: “Kickin’ It” by Jeff Lorber
Joshua Ramo
Had the latest book by Joshua Ramo: The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks, been published before the launch of Napster, the recording industry might have been prepared for the seismic shift in power that was about to take place.
Intro music: “Kickin’ It” by Jeff Lorber
Peter Erskine
From Weather Report to Steely Dan to classic recordings on ECM, enjoy a conversation with one of the most prolific drummers in history: Peter Erskine
Intro music: “Kickin’ It” by Jeff Lorber
Lyle Mays
From his legendary status and strong voice in the Pat Metheny Group to his sparsity of solo recordings and trepidations about the music business (“The music business left us.”), enjoy a conversation with the self-proclaimed non-jazz keyboardist, Lyle Mays. A man of many talents, Mays also talks about his avocation as an architect and current day-gig as a software manager, his first love being classical music and his abhorrence of fundamentalism.
Intro music: “Kickin’ It” by Jeff Lorber
Tommy LiPuma
From his earliest days as a music promoter in the ‘60s to his tenure at Warner Bros in the ‘70s, hit first jazz smash hit (George Benson’s Breezin’), Natalie Cole’s multiplatinum Unforgettable, legendary concerts in Montreux, his role in the rise to fame of Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets and so many others to his days at Verve, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole and Paul McCartney, commentary on topics from President Obama to his only movie soundtrack (a work he’s most proud of) to a train ride home with the precocious Joey Alexander to his commentary on how jazz took a dive when everyone started to sound like everyone else … enjoy a conversation with legendary producer Tommy LiPuma.
Intro: Kickin’ it – Jeff Lorber
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding has won four Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, making her the first jazz artist to win the award. At that time, she turned some heads beating out Justin Bieber and affecting the Grammys to change their voting rules.
Intro music: “Kickin’ It” by Jeff Lorber
Chester Thompson
Though he’s played with everyone from The Fowler Brothers to Freddie Hubbard to Frank Zappa, Chester Thompson is best-known as the touring drummer for the progressive rock super group Genesis. A jazz drummer from the start, Thompson talks about how his playing large arenas actually makes it harder to get jazz gigs and why his trio albums are his labor of love.
Intro: Kickin’ it – Jeff Lorber
