Interviews

Listen to all the interview episodes done on 30 Albums for 30 Years (1964-1994)

16- Interview with Olivia Pérez-Collellmir

Olivia Pérez-Collellmir is a solo pianist, bandleader, and composer from Barcelona, Spain. Noted in Arts Fuse as a “Spanish virtuoso” who adds “a flamenco touch to her chamber jazz,” Collellmir’s performance highlights include playing on the soundtrack of Isla Bonita by renowned director Fernando Colomo, a solo performance at the 25th anniversary gala of the six-time Grammy nominated Boston Baroque Orchestra, touring with Spanish Grammy nominee Rosana Arbelo, performing an honorary concert at Berklee for the legendary Rita Moreno, and performances for United States Secretary of State John Kerry, opera star Renée Fleming, and Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb.

Peréz-Collellmir started playing piano at the age of five and began studying under Núria Bonells, a disciple of Alicia de Larrocha, and entered The Superior Conservatory of Music in Barcelona at the age of 8. As a young scholar pianist, Collellmir toured performing Faure's Nocturnes and Bach's Partitas and alsorecorded for the National Radio of Spain. In addition, she was selected to play at the Centre de Musique Hindemith in Switzerland on the international performance piano stage. After receiving bachelor’s degrees in classical performance from the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona and philosophy from the University of Barcelona, Collellmir became a head of music for the Department of Education of Catalonia where she conducted, recorded, toured, and performed. In 2014, she received a full scholarship from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she moved, to expand her studies within the idioms of jazz and multicultural music, arrangements, orchestrations and conducting.

An honors graduate of Berklee with a dual major in Performance and Professional Music, Collellmir is the composer and performer of the award-winning compositions “Barcelona” and “Together,” which she premiered at the Berklee Performance Center. She is a winner of the Berklee Piano Department’s prestigious Chair Award, as well as a Piano Achievement Award. Currently, Pérez-Collellmir is a member of the faculty in the Berklee piano department. ]

Her first full album featuring her original music “Olivia” has been recorded in the fall of 2021 (Boston) and in the Summer of 2022 (New York). Her recording has been awarded with the "Berklee Faculty Fellowship Grant 2021-2022”. The album was released on September 15, 2023 produced by Gonzalo Grau.

The first album 'Olivia' (Adhyâropa Records) was released on September 15th. A collection of songs representative of the eclecticism and musical fusion that Pérez-Collellmir professes, exploring jazz, flamenco, classical music and Spanish folk traditions to create a universal sound without borders. 'Olivia' captures the native sounds of Barcelona, her hometown. Original songs composed by the Catalan artist and arrangements of pieces by Maurice Ravel and Frederic Mompou with 'Barcelona' as the centerpiece of the project. She also takes some exotic approaches to India and the Middle East.

'Olivia' features 18 stellar collaborations such as Catalan singer Judit Neddermann, percussionist Aleix Tobias, flamenco artists Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández, bassist John Lockwood (legendary bassist who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny and Gonzalo Rubalcaba) and cellist Naseem Alatrash (member of the Turtle Island Quartet and 2023 Grammy nominee)

14- Steve Davis Interview (Jazz Trombonist)

Born in Worcester, MA in 1967, Davis was raised in Binghamton, NY and graduated in 1989 from Hartt School’s Jackie McLean Institute. It was with McLean’s guidance and recommendation that Davis landed his ﬁrst major performance with Art Blakey in NYC. In 98’ Steve winning the TDWR (Rising Star) Trombone Category and later named consecutively as Trombonist of the Year by The JJA – (2010-2013).  Widely regarded as one of today’s leading voices on the trombone. His lyrical, hard-swinging style ﬁrst gained him broad recognition. Steve has released 20 albums including: Think Ahead (2017), Say When (2015), For Real & Gettin’ It Done (2014) featuring his longtime musical colleagues Larry Willis and Nat Reeves along with drummer Billy Williams, saxophonists Abraham Burton (For Real), Mike DiRubbo and trumpeter Josh Bruneau (Gettin’ It Done), in addition to over 100 recordings with names including: Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Horace Silver, Cedar Walton, Hank Jones. In 2018 his original composition “Optimism” was included in Christian McBride’s Grammy Award winning album “Bringin’ it”. Steve Davis’ latest release with his sextet “Correlations” (label: Smoke Sessions Records) Steve features Joshua Bruneau, trumpet; Wayne Escoﬀery, tenor saxophone; Xavier Davis, piano; Dexron Dougles, bass; Johnathan Barber, drums; Caro Baptista, percussion on “Batista Revenge”.
He leads his groups All-Star quartet Larry Willis (Alone Together/Mapleshade 2006) and his exciting, Outlook Quintet featuring rising stars Mike DiRubbo (alto sax), David Bryant (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass) and Eric McPherson (drums) regularly performing at Smoke and Smalls Jazz Club (NYC); The Greater Hartford Jazz Festival, Baltimore’s Eubie Blake Center, The Richmond Jazz Society, Hartford Jazz Society.
Steve performs internationally with Dizzy Gillespie’s All-Stars, Jimmy Heath, Ron Carter. Chick Corea & My Spanish Heart Band, Origin, he has appeared at The Jimmy Fallon with Steve Wonder, at the White House Tribute to Ray Charles (PBS) and records with the collective unit One For All (Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, David Hazeltine, John Webber and Joe Farnsworth), Larry Willis, Harold Malberen.Widely regarded as one of today’s leading voices on the trombone. His lyrical, hard-swinging style first gained him broad recognition.

8- Chuck Lambert Interview

Chuck's musical education started long before he picked up a guitar. At age eight, he studied oboe and piano. Four years later his godfather exposed him to the musical diversity of Caribbean culture and encouraged him to play guitar. While in high school he played bass and guitar in small R&B combos, rubbing elbows and jamming with future members of Parliament Funkadelic. While attending Lafayette College in the early 70's, he was a member of the Tim McCabe Blues Gang. The band's primary function was that of a backup band for touring blues legends on the East Coast college circuit. It was then that he was able to play for legends John Lee Hooker, J.B. Hutto and Screamin' Jay Hawkins. He also gained valuable exposure playing college parties and small clubs in the Delaware River Valley.

Most recently, Chuck has been playing guitar and singing his blues for crowds up and down the Jersey Shore, Philadelphia New York City and metropolitan New York areas while always returning to play venues in his hometown of Red Bank, NJ. As a member of the Norman Seldin Big Band, The Panama Chapel Band, The Cal Vetrane Blues Band, The Haugenes Project and a guest artist with The Red Bank Blues Band, Heavy Soul, Herd of Blues, Al Holmes and The Tribe, Poppa John and The Jam Band he has lent his vocal talents and guitar to many a fantastic night.

Chuck has led the band as they opened for popular artists such as Little Feat and Kenny Wayne Shepard. The band has performed in prestigious musical venues like NJPAC, The Count Basie Theatre and SOPAC. They have performed at Le Festiblues International de Montreal; The Riverhead Blues Festival in Riverhead L.I.; The Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival at Six Flags Great Adventure, Freehold NJ; The Westfield Jazz & Blues Festival in Westfield NJ; The Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival, Riverfest and The Jazz in the Park Series in Red Bank NJ; The Clearwater Festival at Gateway National Park at Sandy Hook NJ and Asbury Park NJ; The Blues by The Beach Concert Series in Long Branch NJ and represented The Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation in 2007 and 2013 at The International Blues Competition held in Memphis Tenn.

4- Bruce Williams Interview (5/4/2023)

Bruce Williams is a jazz saxophonist who hails from our nation's capital of Washington, D.C. He has made his presence known on the jazz scene by garnering critical attention with his own enthusiastically received CD releases - "Brotherhood" and "Altoicity" - issued on Savant Records. He's made an indelible impression as a sideman on over twenty other CD and video recordings. Bruce has performed, toured, and recorded with a long roster of jazz legends - Little Jimmy Scott, Frank Foster, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Stanley Cowell, Louis Smith, Cecil Brooks III, The Count Basie Orchestra, The World Saxophone Quartet, Russell Gunn, Curtis Fuller, and Roy Hargrove to name a few.
Bruce Williams is a versatile saxophone stylist, performing in a variety of diverse playing environments - from traditional to hip-hop to the avant-garde. He has been an honored recipient of awards from DownBeat magazine and The Charlie Parker Music and More Foundation. His ability to perform masterfully in a range of jazz styles has placed him on two Grammy nominated recordings and sent him to numerous cities throughout the US and abroad in France, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, the West Indies, Lebanon, and Japan.
Bruce Williams is currently the newest and youngest member, of the internationally recognized jazz group, "The World Saxophone Quartet". Bruce is currently a member of a newly founded group by legendary drummer Ben Riley, the "Thelonious Monk Legacy Septet". Bruce also leads four bands of his own - a quartet, a quintet, a jazz organ trio, and a progressive electric jazz group.
A noted jazz educator and mentor to young jazz musicians; Bruce has given master classes at Ohio State, Iowa State, The Jazz Institute of New Jersey, The University of the District of Columbia, Princeton University, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center "Jazz For Teens" program, and the Paris Conservatory in France. He has served as adjunct saxophone instructor at both the New School for Social Research (Mannes School of Music) in NYC, Princeton, and Bard College . He's currently an ensemble coach for the Jazz department at Julliard.
Bruce Williams has been mentored by some of the best in the business including Frank Foster, Branford Marsalis, Joe Ford, Laura George, William Shadle,Oliver Lake and Cecil Brooks III. All of the above experiences have aided Bruce Williams in becoming a confident doubler and one of the premier jazz alto and soprano saxophonists in the world today. (Republished from Brucewilliams-saxophone.com)