For the Greater Groove: The Future of Strings

Jean Luc Ponty

Jean Luc Ponty is the father of all modern jazz violinists with a long and ground-breaking career. In this wide-ranging conversation, Jean Luc talks about his transition from a young classical violinist fresh out of the Conservatoire to one of the leading jazz instrumentalists in Europe, to his impact on American rock and jazz fusion. We talk about who influenced his playing, what gear he uses, and about being in Frank Zappa's band. Personally, there is no violin player who has had a greater impact on me musically than the legendary Jean Luc Ponty! 

Jesus Florido

Violinist and tireless educator Jesus Florido talks about the importance of the groove in Latin music and how it's expressed on the violin. We share an astonishment at how the groove is so often ignored by classical violinists in favor of tone production, and then I quiz Mr. Florido about...obscure facts about the state of Florida. 

Best of ’22: All Killer, No Filler

A collection of highlights of my conversations from the past year, with short musical excerpts, starting with the Zach Brock episode from January and including Natalie Haas, Sara Caswell, Billy Contreras, Roberto Sierra, Diana Ladio, Danny Seidenberg, Sirius String Quartet, Tomoko Akaboshi, Mark Summer, Mia Asano, Eugene Friesen and Daniel Bernard Roumain. 

Daniel Bernard Roumain

Composer/violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain shares his unique perspective as a black progressive string player and composer in a very traditional classical world. We talk about his journey of self-discovery and the importance of advocating for new ideas and updating of traditions. Then I quiz the composer of one of the better known contemporary solo violin works, "Filter", about the rock band Filter. Hilarity ensues.

Eugene Friesen

Eugene Friesen is one of the architects of progressive string playing. We go deep and we get specific--Eugene slows down an example of his trademark pizzicato technique and drops nuggets of gold all through this podcast, getting philosophical and sharing little known secrets of his early years. And then the inventor of the educational superhero, Celloman, gets quizzed on indie-rock festival vendor, Jelloman.

Mia Asano

Mia Asano is a young electric violinist who has become one of the most visible content creators in the string world. She's a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music and we talk about how she got over 2 million views and 100K followers one night. And how she fell out of love and back in love with music. 

Mark Summer

Mark and I reminisce about the old Turtle Island days and he confesses to having written one of the best-known solo cello pieces of all time, "Julie-O", on the piano. Then I quiz Mr. Julie-O about...all things Julio, as in Julio Igelsias, "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" and Don Julio tequila.

Tomoko Akaboshi

Tomoko shares her story of being a classical violinist in Tokyo who fell in love with jazz and moved to Boston to study with only a suitcase and a violin. She's now a busy contractor who books a lot of the cooler gigs for string players in the NYC area. We talk about her work and mission and then we find out how much the founder of the jazz/chamber ensemble The Resonance Collective knows about...The Resident Collective, a community activism non-profit in LA.

Sirius Quartet

A chat with my good friends in the Sirius Quartet, Chern Hwei and Gregor Huebner, violins, Ron Lawrence, viola and Jeremy Harmon, cello. They were in the studio on a lunch break, so I took advantage of the opportunity to get this globe-trotting foursome in the same room at the same time. We talk about arranging for string quartet, their influences from the non-classical world and then I quiz the Sirius Quartet about...Sirius Black from Harry Potter.

Danny Seidenberg

My old buddy from the Turtle Island String Quartet demonstrates jazz viola techniques, talks about arranging for TISQ and about his newfound love for the violin. Then I ask the founding member of the Unbande about...7 Up, the Un-cola.