How LA shaped Billy Childs and his hybrid jazz: Video, Sounds

Billy Childs won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

Music fans who don’t live in Los Angeles often disregard its role as a great city for jazz. But L.A. has played a significant role in the history of the genre.

Greats such as Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy and Chico Hamilton got their start here. It was also a center for jazz fusion icons like Steely Dan and Frank Zappa in the 1970s.

Billy Childs grew up during this era of musical cross-pollination. He has had a prolific career as both a jazz pianist and a classical composer, recording and performing with Freddie Hubbard and Wynton Marsalis, among many others. He has also had works commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Kronos Quartet.

Childs’ latest album, “Rebirth,” earned him two Grammy nominations, for best jazz album and best improvisational solo for the song, “Dance of Shiva.”

When Childs visited The Frame, he discussed “Rebirth,” his current collaborations and how his hometown influenced his musical growth.