Podcasts for Jazz Musicians

UPDATED February 11, 2020

I’ve been listening to podcasts for over a decade and am a bit obsessed. I find it so informative and inspiring to hear other musicians talk about their lives.

This is by no means a comprehensive resource and I’ll update this post as I discover new podcasts and episodes that are worth checking out.

Leave a comment if I missed something that should be included. What are your favorite music podcasts?

Here’s a sampling of the jazz related shows and podcasts for drummers that I listen to (in no particular order):

Bernie’s Bootlegs

This one is really nice. In his own words, the host describes the podcast as “to explore the stories of successful musicians and share their perspectives on important aspects of being a professional artist in a digital age.”

Notable interviews so far: Colin Stranahan, Nicole Glover, Charles Goold, Justin Barber, Noah Preminger, David Binney, Glenn Zaleski, Kelly Green.

https://berniesbootlegs.com


Pablo Held Investigates

Another good one! Long form interviews with an incredibly impressive list of musicians: Bill Stewart, Joey Baron, Wayne Shorter, Jeff Ballard, Dave Holland and the list goes on.

Available as a podcast, but I suggest watching the videos if you can.

https://pabloheldinvestigates.com


Working Artist Project

This podcast is a more recent discovery for me and I’ve heard that there are new episodes in the works. Darrian Douglas is a great interviewer. Notable guests have been Jason Marsalis, Charles Goold, E.J. Strickland and Kelly Green.

spreaker.com/show/the-working-artist-project


You’ll Hear It

A podcast from Open Studio with daily jazz advice for the modern player featuring Peter Martin & Adam Maness.

youllhearit.com/podcast


NYU Jazz Interview Series

Produced by the NYU Steinhardt Jazz Studies program features interviews with jazz greats, hosted by Dr. David Schroeder, Director of Jazz Studies.

steinhardt.nyu.edu/nyu-steinhardt-jazz-interview-series


The Third Story

This is a thoughtful interview show by Leo Sidran, son of Ben Sidran and I always get something out of each episode. There have been some really great guests. Check out the episode index.

third-story.com


A Noise From the Deep

Trumpeter Dave Douglas leads monthly conversations with significant jazz artists on music, composition, improvisation, and concerts. Guests include Henry Threadgill, John Zorn, Carla Bley, and Andrew Cyrille, among many others.

greenleafmusic.com/podcasts


Straight No Chaser

Three time winner of the JazzTimes Readers’ Poll for Best Podcast and is a recent discovery that I’ve just started digging into.

straightnochaserjazz.libsyn.com


Jazz Bastard Podcast

This is essentially a deep dive album review show and there have been some great episodes. They rarely release interview episodes, but there’s one standout: The interview with Charles McPherson is gold. If you listen to nothing else, seek this one out. He talks about meeting Charlie Parker and playing with Mingus. So good!

jazzbastard.com


IYOUWE Universe by Lenny White

This is a podcast by the great drummer Lenny White. Past guests include Ron Carter, Mike Clark, Jeff “Tain” Watts and Billy Hart.

stitcher.com/podcast/iyouwe-universe


I’d Hit That

A great podcast for drummers by mystery man Dave, who is clearly friends with most of the guests, which makes it really fun to listen to. This show seems to be on hiatus.

idhitthatpodcast.podomatic.com


Working Drummer

With over 200 episodes and counting, Working Drummer Podcast is the source for those interested in what it’s like to be a professional drummer.

workingdrummer.net


Drummer’s Resource

Favorite episodes of mine include Kenny Washington, Ralph Peterson, Michael Carvin, Ed Soph, Terri Lyne Carrington and John Riley.

drummersresource.com/podcasts


Riff Raff

A podcast by guitarist Shane Theriot. Memorable episodes are with John Scofield, Johnny Vidacovich, Leni Stern and Mike Stern.

shanetheriot.com/the-riff-raff-podcast


Trap Set with Joe Wong

The Trap Set is a podcast about the lives of drummers. The show is produced in Los Angeles, CA.  A new episode is released each Wednesday.

thetrapset.net/past-episodes


Drumeo Gab

This is a pretty loose podcast format that I go in and out of listening to. Drummers should check out the Johnny Vidacovich interview and explore from there.

drumgab.libsyn.com/johnny-vidacovich


Contraption

This is a new discovery for me and it’s really great. I was excited when I heard Ulysses Owens Jr. talking about the brush book he’s putting out, especially since he studied brushes with Kenny Washington.

There’s also a great interview with Johnny Vidacovich.

contraptionpodcast.com/blog/


Bonus Episode – Fei’s World

I stumbled across this on while searching for Ralph Peterson. She does a nice two part interview with him.

feisworld.com/blog/ralph-peterson-jr

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