Pablo Held Investigates

It was a dream come true to talk with master bassist & composer John Patitucci. Easy going, inspiring and deep! Plus he played lots of bass, some piano and we went through several of his compositions- as you know, I always hope for these things to happen and John was totally open for it. I … Continue reading John Patitucci

Jason Seizer brings people together. As saxophonist and bandleader, but also as a producer & engineer of 100+ albums for the great German label Pirouet Records. He has big ears and an open heart, a personal sound on the saxophone and a distinct vision for the music. Jason and me go way back. What started … Continue reading Jason Seizer

I first noticed David Virelles’ name in 2011. I was checking out which bands were playing at the Village Vanguard, which is when I saw that Chris Potter had a new pianist in his group. I had been following Chris’ music heavily for quite some time back then, so naturally I was curious about a … Continue reading David Virelles

Pianist Danilo Perez is one of my biggest heroes. Ever since I first heard the magical album “Footprints Live” by the Wayne Shorter quartet two decades ago I became an instant fan. I still remember having NO clue what these guys were doing. They played the songs I thought I knew, but in a way … Continue reading Danilo Perez

Madison Cunningham is a natural. A master singer/songwriter with incredible abilities on the guitar and a singular voice. To me, everything she does sounds effortless and passionate at the same time – that’s a rare combination! I just love her music and I’m thrilled that I got to talk to her. Madison generously shared insights … Continue reading Madison Cunningham

Who are You? This is the leitmotif of my musical discussion with drummer, pianist and vibes player Jorge Rossy. He shares his journey as a multi-instrumentalist, how working with Wayne Shorter forced him to escape his comfort zone, what it was like to work on odd-meters with the iconic Brad Mehldau Trio, how Guillermo Klein … Continue reading Jorge Rossy

Ben Solomon is an incredible saxophonist who I first heard through the music of the late Wallace Roney. I was immediately struck by his sound, the energy and his love for the music. In fact, that was the only note I wrote down prior to this interview: Love. You can often tell when people are … Continue reading Ben Solomon

I had been admiring Melissa Aldana’s playing and music for many years, when I suddenly received a message from her, saying that she really liked the podcast. I was flattered and amazed that she would reach out to me. We made plans to do an interview and here it is! We talked about learning from … Continue reading Melissa Aldana

Master drummer Jochen Rueckert is a personal hero of mine. I’ve been checking him out since my teenage years, when I discovered Achim Kaufmann’s “Weave”, Paul Heller’s “Kaleidoskop” & Jochen’s own “Introduction”, three massively influential records for me. He is an outstanding drummer and a great guy who always speaks his mind, and this conversation … Continue reading Jochen Rueckert

I still remember when I first heard Kurt Rosenwinkel’s epic album “The Next Step”. In the early 2000s I was visiting my guitar friend Riaz Khabirpour in his apartment in Amsterdam. When he went out to practice, I stayed in his place, going through his record collection. I can still tap into the feeling I … Continue reading Kurt Rosenwinkel

What a pleasure it was to talk to composer/arranger/pianist/accordionist Gil Goldstein! I’ve been in awe of his work with Michael Brecker, Milton Nascimento, Jim Hall, Wallace Roney and of course his own music (check out his album “Under Rouseau’s Moon”). Furthermore, his book “Jazz Composer’s Companion” was a great help to me, especially because of … Continue reading Gil Goldstein

Sometimes you can’t predict in which direction an interview will go. When I spoke with Laura Mvula we didn’t nerd out about theoretical stuff. In the beginning you can notice me wanting to go in this direction. But instead we get something much deeper and more meaningful: Laura opened up about her life as an … Continue reading Laura Mvula

Ralph Towner is my hero. He’s a musical pioneer, a poetic and lyrical storyteller, always searching for something new, a giant of jazz & improvised music. I have childhood memories of listening to his records in my parents collection — His duo recording with Gary Peacock “Oracle” always comes to mind. So do his solo … Continue reading Ralph Towner

Scott Colley is an amazing musician. He always serves the music in a very engaging and creative way, never letting his incredible facility on the instrument getting the best of him. This is one of the many things I admire about him, so naturally I am glad I could talk to him about that. We … Continue reading Scott Colley

I heard about Mike Gibbs through my good friend Sebastian Gille, who invited Mike to arrange his music for a special project with the NDR Bigband. I was amazed by Mike’s writing right away. Everything he does sounds so rich and full yet very open at the same time. He’s a true master who has … Continue reading Mike Gibbs

When Larry Goldings told me that “we should do another podcast where we talk about our classical influences”, I was beyond excited. In this 3-hour conversation about our musical upbringings and influences we also play a lot of piano for each other. As you can imagine, this is exactly what I was dreaming of all … Continue reading Larry Goldings… again!

Pablo Held talking about the creation of his solo album “Embracing You”. Supported by NICA artist development, a program funded by

Percussionist & composer Marilyn Mazur is like a magician. Through her imaginative playing and her rich palette of sounds she casts spells on the music, her bandmates and us as listeners. When I listen to her I feel transported into places that I didn’t know existed and that’s something I’m fascinated by. How does one … Continue reading Marilyn Mazur

Kevin Hays is one of my absolute favorite piano players, period! The first time I saw him live was in 1996 on a concert of John Scofield‘s Quiet Band and this made a deep impression on me. I’ve been following Kevin’s playing very closely since then. Out of his own records “Andalucia”, “Seventh Sense”,“El Matador” … Continue reading Kevin Hays

Master drummer Peter Erskine is on so many of my all-time favorite recordings that it’s almost ridiculous! I love everything that he’s done with Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, Joni Mitchell, John Abercrombie, Joe Henderson, Marc Johnson, Vince Mendoza, Kenny Wheeler, Michael Brecker and SO many more! Of course, let’s not forget his own records!! Especially … Continue reading Peter Erskine