Earlier this year during the Jazz Congress when Terri Lyne Carrington performed the music from her superb “re-imagining” of the Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln 1960 classic “We Insist: The Freedom Now Suite” – which has subsequently been released by the revived Candid Records (same label as the original 1960 release), co-led by the fine young vocalist Christie Dashiell. Clearly this new iteration, “We Insist! 2025”, is a recording that will most assuredly receive Album of the Year consideration, one of the players who made that club performance absolutely ‘pop’ was the young trumpet and flugelhorn player Milena Casado. Her own debut recording, “Reflection of Another Self” is also brand new on Candid, and produced by Ms. Carrington. Clearly some Independent Ear questions were in order for this deeply promising young horn player…
Talk about your origin story in Spain and how you came to make music? “I was born and raised in Spain, in a small village called Orillena. Growing up, we moved around different villages because of my mother’s teaching job. At one point, we moved to a village called Castejón de Sos, which had a music school. I originally wanted to play drums, but the class was full, so I tried the trumpet since some of my friends were playing it. Through the trumpet, I found a way to express feelings and emotions I hadn’t been able to until then. I needed it.”
What initially brought you to the U.S.? “After some mentors in Spain encouraged me to go study music in the U.S., I decided to apply to Berklee College of Music in Boston, and I was fortunate to receive a full scholarship to pursue my bachelor’s degree.”
If I’m not mistaken, you were part of the original cohort of students in Terri Lyne Carrington’s Jazz & Gender Justice program. Why did you select that program, and please talk about the early days of that program and how you’ve witnessed it evolve. “That’s right! Being part of JGJ and seeing how it has grown and evolved has been amazing. This program is so important and necessary. It creates a space that welcomes everyone – a safe space for experimentation and dialogue, an inclusive and accepting environment, changing the narrative.”
What’s it been like as a young musician coming under the mentorship of someone as deeply accomplished as Terri Lyne? “I admire Terri so much, and I feel incredibly fortunate to know her and learn from her. She is a reference for me, and her guidance and support have helped me push boundaries both musically and personally. She is so inspiring, and I am deeply grateful to know her.”
Talk about your new record, “Reflection of Another Self” and how you came up with the music you recorded. “Reflection of Another Self” is a journey through identity, transformation, and healing. It’s about seeing parts of yourself that maybe you hadn’t fully faced before. Sometimes, we realize we are a version of ourselves that doesn’t represent us – shaped by fear, expectations, and insecurities. That version becomes “another self,” and what we see in the mirror isn’t the full picture. This album is about recognizing that, reflecting on it, and finding a way back to oneself. Creating this album was also the beginning of my exploration with electronics and synths – I learned Ableton and Pro Tools, experimented with recording and mixing, and embraced new textures and sounds. Each track flows into the next, like a suite, telling a story about acceptance, understanding, overcoming… I was fortunate to create this album with some of my favorite musicians, mentors, and friends who inspire me deeply.”
I have to ask you, what is the story behind your tune “This Is My Hair”? “THIS IS MY HAIR (!)” reflects on identity and self-expression. Growing up in a small village in Spain, I rarely saw people that looked like me, with afro hair, and I felt it. People would stare, make comments, and even laugh. I just wanted to go unnoticed, to hide. But that has changed – THIS IS ME! I want to embrace every part of myself. My experience with “hair” is just one example of something that caused me trauma, and we all experience traumas in different ways. Learning to accept and love myself also means showing compassion to those who once made me feel insecure – understanding, learning, and moving forward. It’s personal yet universal.”
Talk about your experience recording “We Insist” with Terri Lyne. “Being part of such an important and necessary project was an honor. Terri’s vision and dedication are so inspiring. I’m grateful to be part of it, to honor Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, and to share this message. We need this project now, with all the injustices happening in the world.”
What are you thinking about for your next album release? “I’m excited to continue exploring and searching. The first thing I did the day of the album release was to sit at my synth and start writing new music. I am excited about the first explorations and ideas I’ve been developing. I want to create music that inspires people experimenting with sound, collaboration, and storytelling in new ways.”
Saxophonist-flutist-composer-bandleader-educator TK Blue (aka Talib Kibwe) has been a vibrant force in the music for several decades now. Likely he is most known for the decades he served as NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston‘s music director. During that period, TK became one of my closest confidants on all things Randy as the grandmaster and I worked feverishly on his autobiography, African Rhythms (pub. 2010 Duke University Press).
As with any of us who connected with Randy Weston, our immersion included Africa and his ongoing search for the African essence in the music. Throughout his many years in the company of Randy Weston, TK Blue’s African sensibility grew by leaps and bounds. Subsequent years have found him traveling the continent on his own search, including pursuing bandleading performance and touring opportunities for his bands in the Motherland. He has also since vowed to investigate at least part-time residence opportunities in Africa. Clearly some questions were in order for this restless explorer…
Talk about your most memorable experiences performing in Africa and what made them special?
It’s quite challenging to cite a “most memorable” experience as all of my trips in Africa were immensely enlightening and profoundly spiritual. Each country has unique cultural “gems” to offer and their particular take on language, food, and music! My first trip to Africa was in 1979 and my most recent excursion was in April 2024. If hard pressed I would say traveling to the interior of Sierra Leone by boat and visiting Tasso Island during my USIA State Department Tour of West Africa 1990 was an outstanding experience.
What have been some of your most rewarding experiences collaborating with African musicians on the continent?
I noticed quite early in my collaborations with musicians from the African continent that we are joined at the hip!!! While spreading her wings throughout the African diaspora, Mother Africa carried remnants of its musical structure and significance. These seeds took roots in the new world and have influenced the connections among people of color. I am a strong believer that Jazz musicians have access to the portal which allows a beautiful symmetry with an in-depth link to the music of many cultures, especially the traditional music of Africa! Case in point on my trip to Tasso Island we were greeted by an ensemble of horn players, with some [instruments] resembling the muffler on a car! I took out my soprano saxophone and we hit immediately!! The Chief of this particular clan was so elated he performed a “blessing” ceremony to protect my entourage on our journey and he asked the Ancestors to bring us back to Africa, our homeland!!
What differences did you find in the audiences in the various regions of Africa you’ve had the privilege of visiting and performing – North, South, East, West?
The audiences varied but for the most part the differences were not because of any particular country, but urban versus “the bush”. Performing in the major cities/capitals, you played for a variety of people with many being expatriates of European countries. Performing in the countryside for the local residents is where you truly feel the heartbeat of Africa! However both experiences are very rewarding and I found keeping the music flowing rhythmically always reached the audiences and fostered a dynamic relationship with everyone dancing and moving to the rhythm!
Where in particular did you find audiences most responsive to the expression of what we call jazz, and why do you suppose that response was particularly memorable?
Performing in the major cities can allow you to “stretch” experiment and take more liberties. I remember a particular concert in Ouagadougou the capital of Burkina Faso. We kept the music vibrant via swing, funk, bossa nova, 6/8 African feel, Afro-Cuban, Calypso, etc….The folks were dancing in the aisles fervently!! After the show a brother came to see us and mentioned he was disappointed because we did not play anything free or avant garde! I asked if he saw all the folks dancing and having a great time! As an artist I feel it’s best to play for the audience and not for the particular taste of one individual! Overall the major cities will have more of a jazz audience!
As an experienced, veteran musician – as well as someone who has taught and mentored younger musicians – what advice would you offer to succeeding generations of musicians dreaming of, planning to, embarking on performances of their music for African audiences?
Yes!!! Go for it and you will be rewarded with the experience of a lifetime! Travel with only love and forgiveness in your heart! Walk with humility and open arms! Try as much as possible to leave behind your own cultural mores from the west and enter the Motherland with a clean state of consciousness. Listening is a huge asset and will allow you to collaborate with traditional musicians. Be prepared to help as much as possible and share your knowledge with aspiring young musicians from the continent. Keep altruism close and experience the spirit of our ancestors! Pay attention to the subtleties in traditional African music and know that every sound, every note, has a place in the structure of traditional societies which add to the foundation of the African aesthetic!!
Trumpeter Mark Morganelli is one of those musicians who took the bold step of peering beyond his own performing career arc to present the music he loved for audiences. I can fondly recall visiting his former Jazz Forum space on Broadway, one of the so-called “loft” spaces that proved to be so vital for live jazz presentation in the 70s and 80s, and flopping down on one of his couches to catch a performance. Now celebrating 40 years of his Jazz Forum Arts presenting organization, I recently posed some questions to this intrepid fellow jazz presenter…
1. Talk about your evolution from musician to presenter and what compelled you to establish stages to present jazz.
In 1975 I lived at the Creative Arts House on the campus of Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvanie during my sophomore and junior years at school. Having recently switched from being a Chemistry Major to a Music Education degree, I began presenting “Coffeehouses,” as we called them, featuring several musical genres performed “live”in our (not so) elegant basement space. These presentations were often accompanied by an art exhibit and sometimes a poetry reading. Hey – you gotta start somewhere!. After performing on the road for the first year out of Bucknell, I moved into New York City, performing in various clubs and other venues. I soon moved out of my small, though centrally located, Greenwich Village apartment into a much more spacious loft in the East Village. The third floor space at 50 Cooper Square was fabulous to rehearse my big band in 1978 and ’79, and then I thought I’d feature other deserving, talented emerging and established artists starting in June, 1979 – hence, the first Jazz Forum performance space was born.
2. What was your experience presenting (and playing) performances at your former Jazz Forum “loft” space on Broadway, and what did you learn from that experience?
After a year and a half at 50 Cooper Square, my landlord, Leonard Stern informed me and all the other tenants that he would not be renewing leases. He actually bought the Village Voice newspaper and moved their offices to what had been our building. So, after a legal settlement, I took some meager funds, borrowed more and expanded operations to a 5,000 square-foot fifth floor loft at 648 Broadway, near Bleecker Street. We didn’t miss one weekly jam session in the month-long transition, then opened a seven-night-a-week performance space. The first artists at the new loft included Bob Berg and the Tom Harrell Quintet featuring Al Foster, and Frank Foster’s Non-Electric Company big band. I also had an opportunity to perform at both lofts, culminating in my first “live” recording, September 5, 1982 as part of the first annual Greenwich Village Jazz Festival. That second loft featured performances by Barry Harris, who also taught at both Jazz Forum lofts for three years before he started his own Jazz Cultural Theatre. We also had many memorable nights, listening to Art Blakey, Jaki Byard, Charli Persip, Philly Joe Jones, with Wynton Marsalis sitting in, and “live” recordings there by Woody Shaw and Bobby Hutcherson, and Red Rodney and Ira Sullivan. It was May, 1981, just after opening, that I featured Tommy Flanagan and Barry Harris, performing on two Steinway grand pianos, with Dr. Art Davis, bass and Leroy Williams, drums. That concept still lives on, with contemporary performances by Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes at our Jazz Forum, Tarrytown. every Winter.
3. What compelled you to start Jazz Forum Arts and how did you go about entering the broader world of jazz presenting beyond that Jazz Forum space?
Owing my landlord one month’s rent, I asked Art Blakey and Wynton Marsalis to lend me three month’s rent, but the landlord would not accept it, and summarily evicted me. I resurfaced the next night, presenting with Art D’Lugoff at his esteemed Village Gate. Later that year, 1983, I re-met Ellen prior at our tenth high school reunion in Glen Head, Long Island. We hit it off, and I moved to her apartment on the Upper West Side. I attended a meeting of the Friends of Riverside Park, and asked Park Director Charles McKinney why he didn’t do jazz in Riverside Park. He responded, “Why don’t you do jazz in Riverside Park?!” That directly led me to form the not-for-profit arts presenting organization, Jazz Forum Arts to present the annual Riverside Park Arts Festival, an annual free summer concert series that lasted thirteen years from 1985-1997.
4. In your forty years of Jazz Forum Arts, what are some of the most valuable lessons you might share with those who may be contemplating presenting arts performances?
Performing and presenting are two different things, though obviously related. The most important thing, in my view, is to have a clear vision, a solid team, and most important, funding. I have spent many hours of the past forty years as a development professional, constantly raising money, establishing sponsor relationships and cultivating audiences. The only constant is change. Sponsors, patrons and supporters come and go, so you have to be extremely flexible and resilient in the face of perceived adversity. After 9/11, I say it’s only music. That said, I’ve devoted almost fifty years of my life to the high-level presentation of music, especially jazz.
5. What will the next forty years of Jazz Forum Arts look like as you gaze into the future?
Jazz Forum Arts is now in better shape than ever. We have a great team, both organizationally, administratively, and with empathetic and supportive staff at the club and seasoned crew for our free outdoor summer concerts. We’ve also added major educational components to our programming, cultivating the audiences of the future – now!
Sascha Feinstein, the editor of this series of exceptional conversations “with Critics and Biographers,” describes himself as an “amateur saxophonist”. However its decidedly on the literary front where he’s made his mark, including this latest volume. The Professor of English at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA, is a prolific poet, essayist and editor with a true insiders feel for jazz and its innerworkings.
Sascha’s previous jazz-focused books include Ask Me Now: Conversations on jazz & literature; Jazz Poetry: From the 1920s to the Present; and A Bibliographic Guide to Jazz Poetry. In 1996 he founded Brilliant Corners: A Journal of Jazz & Literature, which is where our paths first crossed. A man after my own heart, he also hosts the radio program Jazz Standards, on WVIA, the NPR station for central Pennsylvania. As an honored conversant in Writing Jazz, the overall scope as well as the genesis of his series of inquiries was intriguing, so we asked Sascha Feinstein some Independent Ear questions.
Independent Ear: This is a fairly unique book, in terms of conveying the origins of these writer’s pursuits, and the inspirations/motivations and methodologies of those who write/have written about jazz. What was your overall mission with Writing Jazz and conducting this series of interviews?
Sascha Feinstein: As you know, I founded Brilliant Corners: A Journal of Jazz & Literature in 1996, and every issue concludes with an interview. The first ten years of interviews were reprinted in the book Ask Me Now: Conversations on Jazz & Literature. Ten years after that, I tried to publish a companion volume, but it kept getting rejected because publishers weren’t interested in primary- source materials (as inane as that may sound). So the interviews accumulated. Then I thought of focusing exclusively on nonfiction prose—a cleaner package, if you will—and SUNY Press snapped it up.
This focus naturally resulted in some fascinating comparisons. You and Bob Blumenthal, for example, both write liners for rereleased recordings, but your approaches—at least in terms of considering the original liners—are almost antithetical. A. B. Spellman was a significant figure in and advocate for the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s; Stanley Crouch dismissed the movement entirely. It was interesting to hear how Martin Williams was warmly referenced by so many. In other words, I very much like how these writers are not only talking to me but, in this context at least, seem to be talking to one another as well. The book includes an outstanding index (which I did not compile) that can guide readers to some of the overlapping people and issues.
IE: Among those writers you interviewed for Writing Jazz, you chose a varied lot – including some otherwise identified as academics, archivists, poets, presenters, etc. How did you determine who to interview for this book?
SF: Some of the choices, no lie, had to do partly with geographic constraints. Prior to COVID, I insisted on conducting the interviews in person, which meant, basically, meeting with people on the East Coast. That said, I’ve only chosen authors whose work I admire. And, as you point out, I’ve tried to broaden the discussions of jazz-related prose by engaging a range of writers. I think that’s as important as embracing the range of jazz itself. An aside: Some of the people interviewed in Ask Me Now should join the jam session of Writing Jazz, especially Amiri Baraka, Gary Giddins, and Dan Morgenstern. Generally speaking, I try to choose people whose work has been enormously important, if not essential, to jazz-related literature. One cannot discuss the history of jazz criticism, for example, without acknowledging the contributions by Whitney Balliett and Stanley Crouch. Linda Dahl’s work on women and jazz was groundbreaking. Robin D.G. Kelley’s biography on Monk may be the greatest jazz bio to date. Bob Blumenthal remains one of our most astute writers of liner notes. Ricky Riccardi on Pops, John Hasse on Duke, you on Randy Weston, Farah Griffin on Lady Day, Maxine Gordon on Dexter—one cannot have a discussion about the literature on those jazz luminaries without including these writers. Mic drop.
IE: Some of the titles for each interview chapter are fairly self-explanatory; such as “Evidence” for Thelonious Monk biographer Robin D.G. Kelley and “The Archival Mind” for Ricky Riccardi, whereas others at first glance may be viewed as a bit more abstract: “Breaking Down the Gates” for Linda Dahl, “But I Know What Time It Is Now” for Hettie Jones, or “If You Can’t Do Better, Might as Well Just Stay Away” for the Hanging Judge, Stanley Crouch. How did you come up with those?
SF: I primarily write and teach poetry, so titles matter to me. I think they should be engaging. “Evidence” worked nicely, I thought, because, yes, it’s a Monk tune but it also enhanced what Robin insisted upon: meticulous research. And Ricky’s understanding of Pops is Rain Man-like (the guys at Mosaic Records refer to him as Rickipedia) so “The Archival Mind” seemed appropriate.
The other three? Well, Linda talked at length about getting past those who guard legacies, for one reason or another. She called them Gate Keepers, so the chapter title essentially invoked her imagery. The one for Hettie Jones is, of course, a lyric from the tune “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.” In her interview, she returned to various events where the timing just wasn’t right: the culture’s reaction to her interracial marriage, a publisher’s inability to see the importance of writing about interracial heritage, and so on. (In her words: “It’s a drag being ahead of your time.”) But all that unpleasantness was now largely behind her, and she spoke with such marvelous focus and confidence and humor. Thus: “But I Know What Time It Is Now.” Stanley, no surprise, was the opposite of Hettie in terms of a welcoming demeanor. We were to meet in a Manhattan bistro (not his apartment) and he kept me waiting—a long time. (He eventually arrived with a sack of dirty laundry.) The vibe was clear: “I’m not concerned about wasting your time, and you better not waste mine.” But he got into a groove pretty quickly, and the overall feel of our conversation, it seemed to me, was one of challenge: If you’re in the arts, you’d better have the goods. I mean, he was a verbal Sonny Liston, you know? But at the end of our exchange, he inscribed my copy of Considering Genius with great warmth. I’ll treasure that.
IE: A few of those you interviewed have been consistent jazz publication contributors through their career, while others have made their marks primarily as book authors. How did you determine to have such a diversity of interview contributors to this book?
SF: There have been various reasons and differing circumstances. Some people I’ve known personally for years; others I sought out. In the case of Maxine Gordon, it was partly good fortune: We were both speakers at the Satchmo Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and I found out that we would be in neighboring towns that coming summer. Sometimes I’m trying to fill a gap. For example, I had previously interviewed a number of people associated with the Black Arts Movement—Baraka, Jayne Cortez, Haki Madhubuti, Sonia Sanchez, to name a few—so interviewing A. B. Spellman was way overdue. He’s also someone whose writing deeply educated me, especially regarding freer forms of jazz that were way beyond my teenage ears. Jazz literature has been absolutely dominated by male voices, and I thought it was important to include Maxine, Farah, Hettie, and Laurie Pepper. I believe in diversity, provided that it’s grounded in respect.
IE: Ultimately, as far as this book’s place in the overall jazz book bibliography, what impressions did you hope to make on the readers of this book as far as the overall craft of Writing Jazz? I treat all the interviews as working texts, which is to say, they’ve been heavily edited by me and the author. I want fluid narratives, as well as formal breaks for cadences and introspection. I eliminate repetitive material and aim to conclude each piece with something resonant, in keeping with the final notes of an album. There is a lot of crafting in this book, but never at the expense of the authors’ intentions.
Often, I eliminate my questions altogether so as not to be a distraction. This was particularly important with the Whitney Balliett discussion. We were friends, and I’d admired his interviews for decades. We met in his Manhattan apartment. I figured this would be a breeze. But Whit just wouldn’t talk! I was getting all these monosyllabic answers . . . Man, I wasn’t prepared for that, and I had to do a lot of “knitting.” Conversely, you might consider my last interview with the poet Michael Harper (not in this collection). In the first hour and forty-seven minutes, I asked exactly two questions—neither of which he answered! (As a different poet said to me once: “I know I’m a windy Elder.”) Those conversations require an entirely different set of editorial skills. But, again, the point is to make these discussions readable, enjoyable, memorable. I want readers to feel as though they were in the room, too.
IE: Were there any surprises or major revelations in your writer inquiries? I was thoroughly surprised when Bob Blumenthal said he gave his ratings for The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide by pulling albums from the shelf and giving the number of stars over the phone. My eyes went wide when Maxine Gordon explained how Dex discovered how Wardell Gray was murdered. Very tentatively, I referenced Art Pepper’s racism in Straight Life, and Laurie jumped in: “Oh, definitely—Art was a racist.” (When the interview first appeared in Brilliant Corners, several people wrote, “OMG! You went there, and she went there!”) I belly laughed when Robin described Nellie Monk completely dissing Mary Lou Williams. Laughter isn’t a revelation, necessarily, but it’s always a welcomed surprise.
It’s possible I haven’t been more surprised because I really do my best to research the people I talk to: books, articles, interviews, you name it. I want to be ready for conversation to turn in interesting directions. And, to speak very personally, it’s a delight when that legwork is acknowledged. I’m thinking of Tom Piazza saying, “Wow—it’s odd that you know that,” or you, Willard, saying, “I’m glad you picked that out.” It makes me feel as though I’ve done right by the author.
