The Rafiq Bhatia interview

Rafiq Bhatia is poised to become a force in modern guitar. His trio was the best guitar-based show at the last Big Ears Festival pre-Covid—and that festival included shows by David Torn and Bill Frisell! Check out his record “Breaking English.” He is also in a band called Son Lux that released a three record project in 2021: Tomorrows I,II,& III. If D’Angelo and Bowie had a baby, it might sound something like Son Lux. We talk about all this, and more. I suggest you go to here for his National Sawdust performance and our talk about it. I have posted the original interview I did with him for Electronic Musician below as well.

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Jon Hassell Memorial Concert

The American trumpeter and composer Jon Hassel’s sound influenced guitarists like Eivind Aarset and, well, me, as well myriad other musicians. He passed away on June 26, 2021. This year he would have turned 85 and to honor him Nasjonal jazzscene in Oslo, Norway put on a terrific memorial concert on his birthday, March 22.

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The Samo Salamon Interview

Move over James Brown, Samo Salamon may go down in history as the hardest working man in show business. He has written over 300 compositions and recorded 35 albums as a leader to date. Last year Salamon recorded two terrific albums of Covid-required remote duets, and begins this year with an album of solo, acoustic guitar performances of works by Eric Dolphy. He has also posted over 150 YouTube interviews with a variety of jazz instrumentalists including modern guitarists, Bill Frisell, Nguyen Le, Joe Morris, Eivind Aarset, Elliott Sharp, Mary Halvorson, and others—all in roughly one year! I turn the interview tables on Samo in this fun session.

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