Artist Blog
Writings by new and established artists
Featured This Month
Paul Read: Spotlight on Phil Nimmons
Paul Read shines a spotlight on Canada's pioneering Composer, Arranger, Clarinet Player, Band Leader, and Educator Phil Nimmons in this multi-media post (including a 40+ min interview, audio…
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Fred Hersch: A Composition Exercise to Try Today
Fred Hersch shares an exercise involving a hat, a kitchen timer, and a pencil that you should try today.
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Rick Lawn: Remembering Manny Albam
Rick Lawn remembers his mentor, composer and educator Manny Albam.
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Managed and curated by trombonist and composer JC Sanford, the ISJAC Artist Blog is a collection of writings by some of the most visionary minds in the jazz composition and arranging community. Featuring articles by composers from all walks of the industry, the ISJAC Artist Blog is updated monthly with both new and archived pieces.
Our two most recent articles are always available on the ISJAC site, with the full archive accessible for our member community.
Not a member yet? Join today!
The Archive
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Alan Ferber: Womb-mates to Band-mates – an interview with Mark Ferber
Alan Ferber interviews his twin brother, Mark Ferber, where they discuss influence, history, writing for drums, and style.
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Angelica Sanchez: Astral Light of Alarid (Video Analysis)
In this Video Edition of the Artist Blog, Angelica Sanchez analyzes her work “Astral Light of Alarid” discussing orchestration and other compositional elements.
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Kenny Berger: Don’t Block the Rear View Mirror
Kenny Berger talks about his pathway to and through composition involving Brooklyn, Duke Ellington, and the BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop.
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David Sanford: John Lewis’s Blues in A Minor, an arranging challenge
David Sanford discusses his personal relationship and analysis of John Lewis’s Blues in A Minor and how it led to his 2 cello arrangement.
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Rio Sakairi: An Open Love Letter To…
Rio Sakairi discusses the nature of jazz and her experience with that question from an arts programming perspective.
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S’yo Fang: Composition Inspired By Other Forms of Art
S’yo Fang discusses how texture and gestalt influenced his award-winning work “Tree.”
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Frank Carlberg: Some Harmonic Strategies In (Jazz) Composition
Frank Carlberg discusses techniques he uses to open up harmonic possibilities for new works with a particular focus on triads, tetrachods, and other harmonic…
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John Korsrud: Introduction to Hocketing and Kenny Wheeler’s Last Work
John Korsrud discusses how he uses the compositional technique hocketing in a jazz context as well as Kenny Wheeler’s last large ensemble commission.
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Terri Lyne Carrington: In Conversation with Kris Davis and Devon Gates on jazz, gender, and New Standards.
ISJAC Board Member Terri Lyne Carrington sat down with Kris Davis and Devon Gates in this interview covering jazz, gender, and new standards.