Category Archives: Interview

Interview with musicians

Underground Comedy: Strange Talk In the Basement with Jerry Haas (At Donny Vulture’s)!

Text by Jim Hoey

Underground, (literally underground) comedy, is alive in a Brooklyn basement known as Donny Vulture’s. To get there for some laughs and to hear probing interviews with local stars, and questions beamed in from a microwave (huh? what!?), you have to hop on the L train, hightail it to Montrose, and step out past the Dominican barbershop, the Vortex thrift store, and the Danbro music studios, to where it all takes place.

It’s by invite only (Shhhhh…), so if you are lucky enough to be on the list, or know someone who might bring you around, you’re in for a few hours of homespun laughs and giddy shenanigans orchestrated by one Jerry Haas, a mysterious personality who, judging by his accent, may have made his way to New York by way of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, or the Colonel Sanders
school for young lost reprobates. Thankfully this guy knows his way around a small, cramped stage and if you’ve ever been over to the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, or a corner by a bodega in Bushwick, you might have an idea of what level of repartee you’ll be in for. Check out the video below, where you’ll see one curious saxophone player in the spotlight at Donny Vulture’s.

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Interview – Remi Alvarez: ” I started the opposite of Coltrane…!”

Interview by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi, June 16, 2011

Remi Alvarez, a Mexican saxophonist and flutist, stopped in at Roberto’s Winds in mid June to see his old friend and owner Roberto Romeo. Just the week prior to his visit he played two gigs at the VISION FESTIVAL, here in NYC. After a short conversation, in which we discussed his musical approach of free style I decided to do a video interview with him. What follows is the summery of this interview in which I discovered a Mexico native who’s primary focus is not the typical Latin or English influences one might expect.

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Interview: Augmented Reality – an instrumental collaboration that fuses east, west, north and south.

Text and interview by William Harvey

Colour photos by Megan Shumate

Photo by Ana Koleva

On Tuesday, May 24th I had the opportunity to see a performance of an exciting new trio, Augmented Reality, as they performed at the Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village to promote the release of their new self titled album. Pianist Roy Assaf, drummer Ronen Itzik, (both from Israel), and Peruvian bassist Jorge Roeder are all monster players and rising stars in the New York jazz scene. The house was packed for both sets and the chemistry between the musicians was undeniable as they performed a diverse repertoire of mainly Assaf and Itzik’s own originals. After the concert I had the opportunity to ask Ronen a few questions about the project.

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Interview – Bassam Saba and April Centrone speak about their “baby”: the NY Arabic Orchestra


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Text and interview by Jim Hoey
Video camera: Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

The New York Arabic Orchestra has quietly been honing their craft for the past three years, after forming out of a series of workshops started by founders Bassam Saba (oud, nay, flute, violin) and April Centrone (lead percussion). What they accomplished on February 12th at the Symphony Space was unique: the only Arabic orchestra in NYC comprised of musicians from the Middle East, the United States, Latin America, and Asia to be joined here by star vocalists Salma Habib (of Palestine) and Naji Youssef (of Lebanon) for a presentation of authentic Arabic songs.

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