Jane Ira Bloom's Jazz Picks Soprano saxophonist/composer Jane Ira Bloom has achieved international renown both for her unique sound and stunning virtuosity. Winner of the Downbeat International Critics Poll for soprano saxophone, Bloom was cited for her work by Time magazine in its special "Women: The Road Ahead" issue and included in Life Magazine's famous Second Great Day group photo of 156 jazz musicians. She is the first musician ever commissioned by the NASA Art Program, and continues to explore her interest in music and motion, creating works in collaboration with outstanding improvisers in new environments. She has performed with such jazz artists as Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell, George Coleman, Kenny Wheeler, Rufus Reid, Billy Taylor, Fred Hopkins, Jerry Granelli, Julian Priester, Bobby Previte, Jay Clayton, & Cleo Laine. Her active performance schedule has included appearances at The Montreal, Pans, Berlin, San Francisco, and JVC Jazz Festivals, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Town Hall, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Smithsonian's Einstein Planetarium. Among her honors have been fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, and the Mary Flagler Cary Trust. Her composition, "Einstein's Red/Blue Universe" for soprano saxophone, improvisers, & orchestra was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra through the Meet The Composer/Rockefeller/AT&T Jazz Program and received its world premier at Carnegie Hall in '94. She recently completed a jazz score for the Pilobolus Dance Company which premiered at NYC's Joyce Theatre. In December of 1995 her soundscore for the two hour TV movie project, "Shadow of a Doubt" starring Brian Dennehy aired nationwide on NBC-TV. Bloom has been profiled on Charles Kuralt's CBS Sunday Morning; her other media appearances have included the PBS arts series Behind the Scenes (with Bobby McFerrin), the Jazz Images film "Reed Royalty" hosted by Branford Marsalis, "Inside Space" on the USA Network, and NPR's "American Women In Jazz," "Piano Jazz," and Jazz at the Kennedy Center. She has produced eight critically acclaimed albums, including recording for CBS Records from 1986 -1989. Her CD "Art & Aviation" on the Arabesque Jazz label was cited as one of the best jazz albums of the year by numerous publications including New York Newsday, JazzTimes, the Village Voice, and CD Review. Interview JOL: What first turned your ears to jazz? JIB: What was it? I think I was interested in improvised music before I knew what it was. I was playing and writing spontaneously - I listened to records and heard that rhythm and feel. I may not have known the words to call it, but I knew I liked it. JOL: What was the first jazz recording or performance you ever heard? JIB: I can't remember the first album I heard but I do remember a particular performance. It was Charles Mingus at the Jazz Workshop in Boston. I'll never forget it. I had listened to alot of things before that, but this was the first time I really heard. JOL: Who are your favorite artists (jazz or otherwise)? JIB: It's impossible to list them them all. I find too that different artists impact on you in different ways as you develop along the way. And they are not always musical artists. I see the same virtuosity in Torvill and Dean that I see in pianist Bill Evans. Something in my mind connects artists like Thelonious Monk and cartoonist Gary Larson. Painter Jackson Pollock and Ornette Coleman and Andrew Hill share some cognitive space. The list goes on and on............. JOL: What 10 recordings would you recommend to a new jazz fan? JIB: Here's a few for starters : Fundamentals: Herbie Hancock - Mwandishi Charles Ives - The Unanswered Question Bill Evans - Live at the Village Vanguard John Coltrane - Live at the Vanguard Billie Holiday - The Best of Billie Holiday Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come Sonny Rollins - Original Music from the Score "Alphie" Duke Ellington - Such Sweet Thunder Abbey Lincoln - Straight Ahead Andrew Hill - Black Fire, Point of Depoarture, Judgement Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch Thelonious Monk - Solo Monk etc..................... JOL: Other than something of your own, what is the last recording or performance you listened to? JIB:Reggie Workman's "Summit Conference"

NOTES Jane also has a website you can check out.