Thoughts | Paul Dietrich Jazz

Nov 244 min read

"A Small Patch of Earth" is coming soon

Hi folks. My latest effort as a bandleader, A Small Patch of Earth , is being released in just under two weeks on Shifting Paradigm...

Sep 25, 20232 min read

5+4, out on October 13

Hey everybody! I'm here for a little self-promotion, with some cool things you can get in addition. For the last several years I've been...

Oct 4, 20223 min read

I Think Laura Jurd Is One of the Best Musicians Alive

I was introduced to Laura Jurd’s music by my friend Andy Baker about ten years ago. He said he thought I would like it. At the time she...

Sep 18, 20222 min read

Transcription: Tigran's "Someday My Prince Will Come"

Partially as an exercise to keep my ears sharp and partially because it has some really cool harmony that I wanted to figure out, I...

Apr 28, 20225 min read

Jazz and Pop Music

I was talking with a student the other day about how to inject some life and personality into basic melodic lines. This turned into a...

Jan 5, 20226 min read

5 Albums: John Christensen

The idea of the “5 albums” project is to ask musicians to pick five albums they want to talk about – with no other instructions. I tell...

Oct 25, 20213 min read

Paul Dietrich's 5+4, Friday October 29 2021

This week, I have the honor of premiering an entire concert’s worth of new music that was written over the past two years. The project I...

Dec 9, 20203 min read

Essential Jazz Tunes

I was thinking about standards, and I decided to create a guide for students (and for myself, and anyone else who is interested) that...

Aug 23, 202010 min read

Essential Jazz Trumpet Listening

In conversations with students over the past few months, I decided it would be good to come up with a list of essential listening for...

Aug 11, 20205 min read

Album Review: Maria Schneider Orchestra - Data Lords

Maria Schneider’s double album Data Lords (please go buy it through ArtistShare) is an almost alarming call to arms against those who...

Aug 7, 20205 min read

Some Words on Nick Markakis

Note: This post was originally written in July 2019. I'm reposting it here, on my new website, as Markakis just re-joined the Braves, but...

May 7, 20204 min read

Album Review: John Christensen "Dear Friend"

Editor's Note: This review was originally published in June 2018, around the album's release. The album is available on bandcamp. If...