“A whole bag o' mutes...”
Trumpeter Ron Horton and I go back 43 years- when we were fresh out of college, dipping our toes into the world of adulthood, and living the bohemian life in funky Washington, DC, amid the birth of the “Me Generation” and the Reagan Era. Immersing ourselves in everything from hard bop to avant-garde jazz, we were part of a local scene that was to propel each of our futures as musicians. After making the intimidating leap to the New York City of the early 80s, Ron’s trajectory led him to solidify his instantly identifiable warm, lyrical playing, as a co-founding member of NYC’s important “Jazz Composer’s Collective” in the 1990s. He subsequently became a busy composer and arranger, and has recorded numerous albums as both sideman and under his own name. We cover everything from his experience as a pivotal member of the legendary pianist Andrew Hill’s last great ensemble, to his other passion- restoring two spectacular Jaguar XK120 sports cars. 
And, oh yeah, we discuss in depth his creation of those beautiful trio clips...

Paying for it on the other side…
I couldn’t have picked a better way to launch Season Two into its next atmospheric level, than to invite world-class guitarist Pete McCann as my first guest. After a fun, eye-opening, and ultimately inspiring Season One- asking top-tier bassists to record over my drum improvs- I’m now out to see what various musicians can come up with by adding a new layer of tracks over last season’s “duet mash-ups”. What happens when a third voice is thrown into the mix? Pete McCann already proves here that the inspiration can still flow freely- on his own terms, creating a whole other direction. Our discussion covers his interesting roots from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to his time at North Texas State University, and finally to his move to NYC, where he’s been tearin’ it up as a top guitarist for more than 2 decades. And Pete really gets into how he approached each of these mini-trio creations, both technically and aesthetically. If you’ve been following “Big Noise” at all, I promise you’ll love the tech-talk, the art-talk, and Pete’s heartfelt take on where we’ve all been musically and emotionally these last few years. Welcome back!

What /Who becomes a bass legend most?
How to finish Season One on an ultimate “low” note? It was several of my guests who chimed in- “Ya gotta interview John. He’s a New York legend, has great stories, and, well, you’ve worked with him tons, right?” So here he is- stories of recording with the hippest jazz artists of the late 50s-early 60s, auditioning for Leopold Stokowski for his (now 56th year!) principal bass chair gig with the American Symphony Orchestra, being a Sondheim “rock” on Broadway, and his endless TV and Film credits- including laying down tracks from Sinatra to John Lennon’s “Imagine”. John’s wry sense of humor has been relied upon to diffuse the tensest of rehearsals and recording sessions- merely a cool fringe benefit to his unbelievably solid and beautiful musicianship. I’ve had the honor of working with him for 15 years at City Center’s “Encores!”, and always look forward to gaining some priceless wisdom during our ritual ramen noodle outings. AND, in lieu of creating the duets, we’ve opted instead to showcase some of those early swinging sessions that John walked all over- awesome sides with Gerry Mulligan, James Moody, Al Cohn, and more. It was an honor to wrap up my first season doing this special “off-the-menu” interview with one of the true greats of the bass violin.