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Pablo Held Investigates

Pablo Held

A Series of Interviews

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  • 20 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 2 hr 13 min
  • English

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Episodes 20

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  • August 7 · 1 hr 55 min

    Rasmus Sørensen

    Pianist and composer Rasmus Sørensen joins Pablo Held to discuss dynamics, odd meters, their shared piano duties on a Sasha Berliner tour, and lessons learned from studying with Phil Markowitz. Other topics include harmonic progressions in Herbie Hancock’s “Textures”, comping ideas, transcription, what Rasmus loves about composing and his upcoming album project “You Live And You Learn”.

  • July 8 · 2 hr 4 min

    Kris Davis 2

    Pianist & composer Kris Davis returns to the podcast to discuss the compositional process behind music from her latest albums “The Solastalgia Suite“ and “Run The Gauntlet“, practice methods, their favorite composers, and finding fresh ways to improvise. Other topics include working with Dave Holland, piano technique, preparing for a tour, and challenging musical constructs.

  • June 15 · 2 hr 3 min

    Walter Smith III

    Saxophonist Walter Smith III joins Pablo Held to discuss working on articulation, Walter’s compositional process behind songs like “Seesaw“, “ACE“ and “A Brief Madness“ and lessons learned from jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Roy Haynes. Other topics include learning standards like “I Should Care“, “Little Melonae“ or “Nothing Like You“, working with the Bill Stewart Trio and Terence Blanchard and what goes into planning an album like his newest record “TWIO Vol.2“.

  • May 25 · 1 hr 38 min

    Ian McGimpsey

    Pedal steel guitarist Ian McGimpsey joins Pablo Held to talk about his journey with the instrument, exploring its mechanics, tuning systems, and his unique approach to improvisation and harmony. Other topics include Ian’s composition ‘Etude #1’, arranging ‘Danny Boy’, and how Ian is documenting his creative process.

  • April 24 · 2 hr 46 min

    Alexandra Ridout

    Trumpeter Alexandra Ridout joins Pablo Held for a conversation ahead of their upcoming tour together. They talk about playing sessions, learning standards, composing, and her thoughts about the flugelhorn. Other topics include Alexandra’s trumpet heroes, sitting in on gigs, being kind to yourself as a musician, performing with Artemis and Melissa Aldana, and the influence of Geri Allen. Catch Alexandra Ridout on tour with the Pablo Held Trio: May 1 // Basel (CH) // Bird’s Eye May 2 // Basel (CH) // Bird’s Eye May 3 // Denzlingen // Fuge Trifft Fuge May 5 // Köln // King Georg May 6 // Düsseldorf // Jazz Schmiede May 7 // Wuppertal // Insel May 8 // Hannover // HMTMH [masterclass] May 9 // Hannover // Jazzclub May 10 // Nieder Olm // Begegnungen tickets and more info: https://pabloheld.com/tour

  • March 15 · 1 hr 40 min

    RJ Miller

    Drummer and composer RJ Miller joins Pablo Held to talk about the creative process behind his albums “Ronald’s Rhythm” and “Free Soul”, finding specific grooves for songs and what he thinks about endings. Other topics include playing in the groups of Jorge Rossy and Aaron Parks, seeing Paul Motian at the Village Vanguard, and lessons learned from Ornette Coleman and Masabumi Kikuchi.

  • February 17 · 1 hr 18 min

    Chris Potter 2

    Saxophonist & composer Chris Potter returns to ‘Pablo Held Investigates’ for an in-depth conversation, recorded just before heading out on their European tour together. Zooming in on their repertoire, Chris shares insights into his compositional process. Other topics include Herbie Hancock’s ‘Actual Proof’, what Chris pays attention to when listening to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, playing on ‘Alegria’ by Wayne Shorter and much more. https://pabloheld.com

  • January 27 · 1 hr 22 min

    Becca Stevens

    Singer-songwriter and guitarist Becca Stevens joins Pablo Held to talk about her new album “Maple To Paper” and the compositional process behind the title track. Other topics include learning standards, the power of lyrics and their inner rhythm, balancing creativity and parenting, and studying songs like “The Rainbow Connection,” Ornette Coleman’s “What Reason Could I Give,” and Charles Mingus’ “Portrait”.

  • January 13 · 5 hr 5 min

    Chris Weisman & Pablo Held On The Albums They Made for Each Other

    Chris Weisman joins Pablo Held for a special episode about their unique long-distance collaboration in which they made albums for each other. They talk about exchanging songs on paper, giving up control over arrangement, production and instrumentation, and releasing records on which neither of them plays a single note of their own music. Moving beyond process, the conversation dives into questions of authorship, musical identity, and trust, as they reflect track-by-track on both albums and on the emotional experience of hearing one’s music transformed through another artist’s imagination—and how this project reshaped their understanding of what the term “my music” really means. Album links: Chris Weisman – Pablo Held Plays My Music https://chrisweisman.bandcamp.com/album/pablo-held-plays-my-music Pablo Held – Chris Weisman Plays My Music https://pabloheld.bandcamp.com/album/chris-weisman-plays-my-music 00:00:00 The origin story of this project 01:33:20 How Chris made Pablo’s album 03:14:27 How Pablo made Chris’ album

  • Dec 21, 2025 · 1 hr 44 min

    Pete Rende

    Pianist, composer & recording engineer Pete Rende joins Pablo Held to talk about strong melodies, finding your own voice and playing what you hear. Other topics include Pete’s whispering exercise, composing, working with jazz legends Paul Motian and Ron Carter, and his return to playing after a long break.

  • Nov 22, 2025 · 1 hr 45 min

    John O’Gallagher

    Saxophonist & composer John O’Gallagher joins Pablo Held to talk about sound and projection on the alto saxophone, his PhD research on late-period Coltrane, and how pitch-class set theory shapes his music. Other topics include stories behind the making of his new album ‘Ancestral’, playing together at Pablo’s ‘Alice Coltrane Tribute’ concert in Cologne, recording on Joe Henderson’s big band album, memories of Andrew Hill, and much more.

  • Oct 13, 2025 · 2 hr 56 min

    Larry Grenadier

    Bassist Larry Grenadier interviewed by Pablo Held

  • Sep 23, 2025 · 1 hr 54 min

    Patrice Rushen

    Pianist, composer & singer Patrice Rushen interviewed by Pablo Held

  • Aug 26, 2025 · 3 hr 29 min

    Kush Abadey

    Drummer Kush Abadey interviewed by Pablo Held

  • Jul 18, 2025 · 3 hr 11 min

    Nicole Glover

    Saxophonist Nicole Glover interviewed by Pablo Held

  • Jun 21, 2025 · 4 hr 33 min

    Chris Weisman 2

    Chris Weisman interviewed by Pablo Held

  • May 21, 2025 · 1 hr 50 min

    Albert Sanz

    Pianist & composer Albert Sanz interviewed by Pablo Held

  • Apr 18, 2025 · 1 hr 27 min

    Eric McPherson

    Drummer Eric McPherson interviewed by Pablo Held

  • Mar 30, 2025 · 49 min

    Elders (audio commentary)

    Sharing memories from the recording session of my album “Elders”, which is dedicated to my parents. “Elders” came out on Pirouet Records in 2013 and features my trio mates Robert Landfermann – bass, Jonas Burgwinkel – drums and three guests: Jason Seizer – tenor saxophone, Domenic Landolf – alto flute & Ronny Graupe – acoustic guitar + me on piano. Check out the album here: https://pabloheld.bandcamp.com/album/elders

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