Jeff Ballard

Posted on By Pablo Held

As I tell Jeff Ballard in the beginning of our conversation, every time I hear him I’m amazed by the lively sound and feel he gets out of the drums. I think that’s something we as musicians all strive for: to have our sounds (and the music in general) be reflective of life itself, to transcend the notes, the rhythms, the general parameters of the music and make others (and ourselves) feel something and connect with each other.

It was a big pleasure for me to connect with Jeff during our talk. Right from the start it felt like I had known him forever! He was really ready to share his experiences in a candid and honest way. We touched on many subjects, including his time feel, drastically changing his physical approach to playing the drums, his experience of playing with Chick Corea, books, his relationship with Larry Grenadier, what he’s looking for in a bassist, his admiration for Donald Bailey and much more.

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Antoine Burtz

Posted on By Pablo Held

(This episode is available only in German)

Das etwas andere Interview mit Antoine Burtz eröffnete mir einen tiefen Einblick in den kreativen Geist dieses besonderen Künstlers. Antoine spracht mit mir über die Entwicklung seines Rap-Flows  von “Lohn Isch Da” bis hinzu “Deutschland Isch Stabil”, sein Unterrichtskonzept im Rahmen der Rapskill School, die Erwartungen an Mitmusiker*innen, Stimmübungen, seinen Umgang mit Selbstzweifeln und vieles mehr. Eine echte Evaluation eben.

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Blake Mills

Posted on By Pablo Held

My dear friend Jonas Burgwinkel was the one who told me about Blake Mills first, hipping me to his album “Heigh Ho”. I liked it right away.

But it was Blake’s “Mutable Set” that completely turned me around. It really hit me and I somehow became addicted to it, listening to it all the time. It’s probably the record I listened to the most during 2020. I love to get lost in music like that.

Blake actually changed the way I listen to music, making me more aware of the impact of great production on a record. And there’s a patience and honesty in his music that really moves me: Being a killer guitarist while having total restraint, never showing off — that’s rare. To me, Blake is of this singular breed of artists that are totally unpredictable, where you never know what they’ll do next. I mean, I couldn’t have predicted “Look” after “Heigh Ho” or “Notes with Attachments” after “Mutable Set”. Can’t wait to hear what he’ll come up with next. But I already know that I’ll be listening closely.

A few notes about the story behind this interview:

Chris Weisman helped me get in touch with Blake. Our inverview went great, we talked a lot about “Mutable Set” and I was super excited to share it as soon as possible. However, when the first single of the Blake Mills/Pino Palladino record was released soon after, I knew I needed to talk to him once more. There would have been no point in releasing the interview without addressing this new music. I’m so grateful that Blake agreed on another talk with me. In our second conversation we went through every song on the new album and Blake offered incredible insights into the process behind it.

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