We occasionally field emails and DMs from Broken Record listeners telling us who they’d like to hear on the program. The past handful of years, one name has come up more than others: Julian Lage. Now, if you’re not part of the converted, not a member of one of his devoted legion of fans that may come as a surprise. But if you get the chance to spend some time with his music after listening to this episode… I have one word for you: welcome.

Julian’s path in music has been as unique as his gifts. He picked up the guitar at five years old and quickly became obsessed with the instrument. That obsession and what must be some level of innate abilities led to his designation as a “child prodigy” and, as you’ll hear, the opportunity to play live on stage with Carlos Santana live at eight and live on a Grammy telecast at 13.

But it’s his development as an artist, over the course of four albums in four years on Blue Note that’s most impressive. His album Speak to Me came out earlier this year and is impressionistic in its beauty rather than prodigious, often quiet, rather than flashy.

For the last episode in our series celebrating the creative legacy of Blue Note Records over 85 years, Don Was and I spoke with Julian Lage in front of a live audience at the Blue Note club in NYC. We talked about his upbringing as a prodigy, about the writing and recording of his new album and about his unique approach to learning and playing guitar. Oh, and he plays a little too.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Julian Lage songs HERE.

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A conversation with Charles Lloyd feels like a veritable interaction with the pages of history. I was continuously surprised throughout my conversation with Charles, along with Don Was, about the depth of his experiences…and the wisdom too.

Charles is an inordinately beautiful tenor player from Memphis, Tennessee - who grew up at a time where the region was brimming with talent… Elvis Presley, Howlin' Wolf, Junior Parker, Billy Lee Riley, B.B. King and so many more were from there or made their careers there. It was also a popular destination for touring artists giving a young Charles an incredible musical education.

On today’s episode of Broken Record, another in our series celebrating the 85th anniversary of Blue Note Records… I have Don Was as my co-host and we talk to Charles Lloyd about his colorful upbringing in Memphis and about the early Los Angeles jazz scene he became a part of after moving to California to attend USC. This conversation goes a lot of places… from Elvis to Quincy Jones to the Beach Boys and far beyond. And please be sure to check out his wonderful new album out on Blue Note, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Charles Lloyd songs HERE.

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Meshell Ndegeocello doesn’t fit neatly into any “jazz” label - or any label of any kind for that matter. She’s a phenomenal bass player, deep songwriter, beautiful interpreter of song, wonderful band leader and has had one bad ass career. It’s fitting that after a circuitous journey through the industry that started as one of the premiere artists on the Madonna helmed Maverick Records in the early 90s, that she’s now released two albums on Blue Note Records under Don Was.

The first was last year’s The Omnichord Real Book — a project with a fascinating origin we’ll be discussing on today’s episode. The latest is 2024’s No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin … a tribute to two of the great Black American writers and thinkers of the last century: James Baldwin and Audre Lorde.

That might sound heady but consider the source: Meshell is the product of a Washington DC upbringing … a city awash in culture like Go-Go Music and also politics, think tanks and the like. Like her DC home, Meshell’s a great synthesizer of music and ideas.

Joining Meshell, Don Was and myself in our chat is Abe Rounds … an in-demand drummer and musician who’s been playing with Meshell since she picked him out of Berklee College of Music. And has also worked closely with Andrew Bird, Nick Hakim, Blake Mills and many more. In today’s episode he helps us gain some valuable insight into what it’s like to be a close collaborator of Meshell Ndgeocello’s.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Meshell Ndegeocello songs HERE.

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We’re continuing our celebration of Blue Note Records’ 85th Anniversary this week with a conversation with a certified living legend: Ron Carter. For starters Ron Carter was a key member of a group that’s on the shortlist for greatest band of all time: The Second Great Miles Davis Quintet featuring Mr. Carter, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams and, naturally, Miles Davis.

And although many conversations with Ron start and end with that period of his life from 1964 to 1968, at 87 years of age and as a life long seeker, there’s a lot more to the Ron Carter story.

Blue Note president Don Was and Justin Richmond interviewed Ron Carter on stage at the Blue Note club in NYC. They set out to learn about his life growing up in Detroit, and his classical aspirations. Maestro Carter delivered an emotional stream of consciousness response as well as insights into a few key people from the Blue Note's esteemed history.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Ron Carter songs HERE.

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