Podcast 930: A Conversation with Brian Lynch

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show

Brian Lynch is well known for his work in Latin, Afro-Carribean and other global sounds, as well as for a Hard Bop trumpet sound that never gets tired. His latest release, Songbook Vol. 2: Dance The Way U Want To finds him bringing new life to older Lynch compositions, backed by his crack band Spheres of Influence.

Spheres of Influence represents some of the best of the Miami jazz scene, with a core rhythm section of Rodner Padilla (electric bass), Hilario Bell (drums), and Murphy Aucamp (percussion) backing Lynch's trumpet. Other players moved in and out of the sessions including Alex Brown (piano), Tom Kelley (alto sax), and Aldo Salvent and Chris Thompson-Taylor (tenor sax).

Lynch’s “Songbook” series reclaims the many original compositions that he recorded for other labels throughout his career on his own label Hollistic MusicWorks, in new and improved renditions. Coming directly after the critically acclaimed (one of JazzTimes’ Best Albums Of 2021) Songbook Vol. 1: Bus Stop Serenade, Dance The Way U Want To continues the project with a focus on works chronicling Lynch’s uniquely personal mixture of straight ahead modern jazz style with Afro-Caribbean musical elements, reflecting his long and distinguished career in both idioms.

Dance The Way U Want To features music fashioned over a period of almost forty years, mostly from Brian’s long association with the Criss Cross and ConClave labels. The album includes two new compositions recorded here for the very first time: "E.P.s Plan B", dedicated to Eddie Palmieri; and "The Disco Godfather", a shout out to Black humorist and pioneering filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore.

Coming out of the Midwest, Lynch cut his teeth working with the great Charles McPherson in San Diego, before moving to New York and spending time with Horace Silver and and the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. He recieved acclaim for his work with Phil Woods and Art Blakey, but most notably for playing with Eddie Palmieri, leading to a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz album for 2006's Simpatico. He won a second Grammy for the Brian Lynch Big Band's album, The Omni-American Book Club in 2020. Brian has taught at The Frost School Of Music at The University Of Miami since 2011.

Podcast 930 is my conversation with Brian, as we talk about how the influences of Blakey, Silver and Palmieri have shaped his music, and the joy he found in "rediscovering" his older material. Musical selections include