Keep Taking Ground Saxophone Podcast Jesse Ryan

For our finale episode of the season, I chat with the brand manager for P. Mauriat North America, Jeremiah True. Playing saxophones, clarinets, flutes, and bassoons, he is a reed specialist and has performed with Donnie McCaslin, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with Bobby Watson. We discuss his experience with burnout as a college music student, his transition from the military to the instrument retail industry, P. Mauriat's saxophones as an affordable choice in the market and their upcoming product line.

This week I chat with singer, songwriter, educator and saxophonist prodigy Grace Kelly. Recognized as a millennial jazz influencer, she has performed with legends late Dave Brubeck Lee Konitz and Wynton Marsalis, to name a few. She co-founded the online saxophone school Saxy School and is the youngest trustee on Berklee College of Music's Board. We discuss the impact her early music teachers had on her, studying with saxophone legend Phil Woods, and how ear-training is the key to growth as an improviser.

This week, I chat with recording artist, educator and bandleader, Jacques Schwarz-Bart. Born in Guadeloupe, Jacques played a key role in neo-soul and Creole Jazz movements, collaborating with artists like D'Angelo and late jazz legend, Roy Hargrove. We talk about incorporating Caribbean Rhythms into your improvisational approach, teaching at Berklee College of Music, his work as the pioneer of the Gwoka and Voodoo Jazz movement and more.

This week I chat with rising-star jazz saxophonist in New York who was recently named one of NPR Jazz Night in America’s 30 under 30 Youngbloods, Sarah Hanahan. She’s performed with Mingus Big Band, Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y, Joe Farnsworth, and more. We discuss being mentored by bassist Nat Reeves, transcribing and deep listening, playing melodically and how true learning comes from playing with the greats.

This week, I chat with native New Yorker, Andrew Gould. He holds degrees from both Manhattan School of Music and SUNY Purchase, was a 2013 Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition semi-finalist and has been featured on multiple GRAMMY-nominated recordings including the recent 2021 GRAMMY winning “Meta Knights Revenge” with the 8 Bit Big Band. He's performed with legends like James Moody and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and leads his own group. We speak about growing up in New York, playing lead alto, how he developed as an improviser, and about the fastest way to develop on the saxophone.

This week, I chat with saxophonist, composer, producer, educator, and curator, Greg Osby, who has been a dominant force in the music scene for nearly four decades. He is an esteemed part of the improvising musician community and his unique approach to composition and performance has earned him acclaim and awards, and he's regarded as one of the “most provocative musical thinkers of his generation” by The New York Times. We discuss how funk, soul, R&B and hip hop influenced his artistic voice, developing artistic intention and being a good steward of the cultural and historical significance of the music you play.