Pianist/composer Dan Karlsberg dropped by the WVXU studio Monday, October 1st, to talk with Ron Esposito about his new jazz cd, Tales from the Winter Solstice. He and the rest of his trio, JD Allen and Tom Buckley, will perform at their cd release party on Sunday afternoon, October 7th at Caffe Vivace starting at 2:30pm.
During this interview they discuss Dan's composition process which includes leaving room for freedom and improvisation. He shares a story about how this cd started as a joke and how this cd came together with the group's input. Dan Karlsberg's influences include Chicago pianist Andrew Hill, Sonny Murray, and Cecil Taylor. Tom Buckley is a multi-directional drummer, and you can hear John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Dexter Gordon in JD Allen's performances on saxophone. Dan also discusses his future projects based on the solstice idea, and what it was like playing without a bass player.