The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over Music

Ben Ratliff, a longtime jazz critic for the New York Times, explores the musical approaches of fifteen living jazz legends through intimate conversations. Jazz is largely conducted without explicit instruction—John Coltrane rarely told his quartet what to do, and Miles Davis gave minimal direction before recording "Kind of Blue." Musicians often resist discussing their craft, fearing it will undermine the improvisational nature of jazz, making it one of the most ephemeral and opaque performing arts. In The Jazz Ear, Ratliff sits down with jazz greats to discuss recordings by musicians who influenced them. Through these conversations, he reveals how these artists think about their work, the contexts shaping it, and the conceptual processes behind jazz creation. Expanding on his New York Times interviews, he speaks with Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Wayne Shorter, Joshua Redman, and others about the generational differences, training, and attitudes that shape their music.