Gene Ess in conversation with CJ Shearn
Gene Ess was born in Tokyo, and raised in Okinawa, Japan. At the age of 17, following growing up on an air force base, he came to the U.S. He came to prominence touring as a member of legendary drummer Rashied Ali’s group in the early 90’s, and has become one of New York’s most intriguing improvisers and composers. In September, he released Absurdist Theater a follow up to 2015’s Eternal Monomyth, with his band Fractal Attraction featuring Thana Alexa on vocals, Manuel Valera on piano, Yasushi Nakamura; bass and Clarence Penn on drums. The album is part of a trilogy that examines the depth of texture created by guitar and female alto voice, and the music speaks to the wide range of human experience. Mr. Ess and I also spoke about philosophy, the Japanese concept of wabi sabi, the way female musicians are perceived in jazz and classical music world among other topics. My sincere thanks to Gene Ess, and also to Kari Gaffney of Kari On Productions. For the New York Jazz Workshop Podcast I’m CJ Shearn. Peace, love, groove and keep swinging everybody!
I have been the staff writer for the New York Jazz Workshop School of Music blog in midtown Manhattan since 2014, and that has broadened my freelance writing skills considerably. In addition to writing artist bios, and articles of interest that pertain to the mission of the school, I have interviewed (in print on the site) legendary guitarist and NEA Jazz Master Pat Metheny, trumpeter Cuong Vu, and in 2015 embarked on producing a podcast for the school where I have achieved my dream and interviewed jazz giants such as Dave Liebman, Lenny White, rising talents like Thana Alexa, Logan Richardson, guitarist and bassist Brian Kastan, among others. I also work on SEO optimization for the blog. In 2015 I started my blog Jazz Views with CJ Shearn, and have written liner notes for 5 time Grammy winner and Oscar and Golden Globe nominee, Antonio Sanchez (for his latest recording “Channels of Energy”) and guitarist Gene Ess for his latest recording, scheduled to be released in November 2018.
My passion for jazz music is what drives me, which is an interest I’ve had since I can remember. I initially began writing about jazz at the age of 13 for my high school newspaper, and in my late teens contributed occasionally to jazzreview.com. In college I was member of the Harpur Jazz Project which brought jazz acts to campus. I’ve also contributed in the past to AllAboutJazz where I was mentored by John Kelman. I decided to focus on my passion for jazz music journalism after a job in the social services field as a caseworker went south, and as a person with a physical disability I work on going against the odds, living independently and having accomplished things people had said I’d never do.