Nate Chinen is a jazz critic who wrote for the New York Times for many years and is currently the director of editorial content for WBGO-Newark, New Jersey. He is also a frequent contributor to NPR and the author of a new book, Playing Changes: Jazz For The New Century.
For International Jazz Day, Chinen did an in-depth interview with me about many of the topics and musicians in Playing Changes, one of the first jazz histories to explore the music's most recent decades and its current scene as well. He discusses the impact of the jazz-conservation movement of the 1970s, the open and hybrid approaches of modern jazz artists, the influence of hiphop, the #MeToo issue in the world of jazz, the significance of jazz education, his origins as a musician and writer, and much more.
Music Heard On The Program
Brad Mehldau, "Exit Music (For A Film)" from Songs: Art of the Trio V. 3
Kamasi Washington, "The Psalmnist" from Heaven And Earth
Cecile McLorin Salvant, "Ever Since The One I Love's Been Gone" from The Window
Vijay Iyer, "Mutation III: Canon" from Mutations
Esperanza Spalding, "I Am Telling You" from Exposure
D'Angelo, "Spanish Joint" from Voodoo
Theon Cross, "Activate" from Fyah