This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on tenor saxophonist Azar Lawrence. Lawrence is a veteran of Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner's bands and a leader of his own group, The Azar Lawrence Experience, whose new album, Turn the Music Up, arrives September 25th. We talk about his unique relationship with Pharoah Sanders, dodging McCoy Tyner’s broken piano strings, and how the fifty years between the first and latest recordings of his own songs trace his evolution as a musician. (The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Azar Lawrence’s Turn The Music Up) — Dig DeeperArtist and Album: Visit Azar Lawrence at azarlawrence.com and follow on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubeTurn the Music Up (Trazar Records, September 25, 2026) — artist shopDiscography and video — Lawrence's own catalog page, as leader and sidemanShadow Dancing — the 1985 Riza album, reissued by Light in the AtticBridge into the New Age — the 1974 Prestige debut, with cover art by his brother Vincent CollierThe Cookers: The Cookers — the collective he joined alongside Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, George Cables, and Eddie HendersonAzar Lawrence at The CookersDavid Weiss — trumpeter and the band's organizer, who also sat in with Lawrence's group on the West CoastMentors and Collaborators: McCoy Tyner — five and a half years in the band, and the subject of the acoustic-piano argumentAtlantis — the 1974 Tyner album recorded live at Keystone Korner with Lawrence in the group; TALE's version of the title track opens side two of the new recordElvin Jones — NEA Jazz Master profile of the drummer who gave Lawrence his first major gigDark Magus — Miles Davis, recorded live at Carnegie Hall on March 30, 1974, the night Lawrence was called to the stage without warningWoody Shaw — the trumpeter from the after-hours group with George Cables, Larry Gales, and Candy FinchPharoah Sanders: Pharoah Sanders — NEA Jazz Master profileKarma — the 1969 Impulse! album containing "The Creator Has a Master Plan," which Lawrence covers on Turn the Music Up as a tribute"The Creator Has a Master Plan" — background on the Sanders–Leon Thomas compositionLos Angeles Roots: Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra — Horace Tapscott's ensemble, Lawrence's entry into the L.A. sceneHorace Tapscott — pianist, organizer, and the Arkestra's founderThe Lighthouse Café — the Hermosa Beach club where Lawrence first spent time around SandersConcerts by the Sea — Howard Rumsey's Redondo Beach room, 1971–1985, the other place they would go to hear himSpiritual Study: Alfred and Bernice Ligon — the Aquarian Book Shop and Aquarian Spiritual Center, where Lawrence studiedAlfred Ligon obituary — on the country's oldest Black-owned bookstore, opened in 1941 and destroyed in 1992Venues: Village Vanguard — where the line ran out the door for Tyner's band, and where McCoy sat in with Elvin on his birthdayNN North Sea Jazz Festival — where Cecil McBee joined Lawrence's quintetTeaching: UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Global Jazz Studies — where Lawrence has taught since 2024— Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com— • Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
