January 20, 2025

Website about Jazz and Blues

Interview with Kristin Korb: You are not alone in this world. We are all connected: Video, new CD cover

Interview with bassist and vocalist Kristin Korb. An interview by email in writing. 

Jazz Blues News: – First, let’s start out with where you grew up, and what got you interested in music. How exactly did your adventure take off? When did you realize that this was a passion you could make a living out of?

Kristin Korb: – My childhood was spent between Billings, Montana and Boise, Idaho. My parents had the radio playing in the house and my dad used to make up songs all the time, so it was just a part of my life. It was while we were living in Boise that I heard jazz for the first time and fell in love with it. I don’t know that there has ever been a specific time where I realized that I could make a living as an artist. Once I committed myself to it, even as a student, failure wasn’t an option. You just do what it takes to make things work.

OUR US/EU Jazz and Blues Festivals 2024

JBN: – How has your sound evolved over time? What have you been doing to find and develop your own sound?

My eternal musical exploration has been to be more myself: in my sound, ideas, and execution. I think it is a natural part of aging. The passage of time has allowed me to deeply assimilate the sounds and ideas of my heroes, follow my curiosity, and worry more about what I’m interested in instead of what others expect of me.

JBN: – Have you changed through the years? Any charges or overall evolution? And if so why?

At my core, I don’t feel like I’ve changed at all. I think the thing that has changed the most is my technique. It has improved so I can express myself with more clarity and honesty. I keep coming back to the basics and following my curiosity. It is so much fun to explore how songs feel and sound different after playing them for so many years. I have more depth in my sound and phrasing because I’ve allowed it to be exactly what it is supposed to be. Me.

JBN: – How do you prepare for your recordings and performances to help you maintain both spiritual and musical stamina?

I love nerding out on my weaknesses in specific songs. It means nothing if I just play the things I’m good at. Sometimes I set a timer to explore ideas and other times I make my own exercises to hit the technical elements. I like to stay fit by going to the gym, stretching after playing, and doing a little yoga with some breathing exercises to keep me mentally relaxed and open to the possibilities around me.

JBN: – What do you love most about your new album 2024: Kristin Korb – Sweet Dreams, how it was formed and what you are working on today.

This album is one big hug. We recorded the trio and most of my vocals live with the horns in the studio. You can hear the difference when everyone is in the same space at the same time. You hear the joy and the friendship from beginning to end.

Buy from here – New CD 2024

JBN: – How did you select the musicians who play on the album?

It was easy for me. Magnus Hjorth (piano) and Snorre Kirk (drums) have been in my trio for 12 years now. Horn-wise, I heard different people for different songs. Mathias Heise (harmonica), Karl-Martin Almqvist (tenor sax) and Steen Nikolaj Hansen (trombone) were my picks for this project. They are great writers as well as improvisers, so they understand when they need to harmonize with my voice and when they can express themselves more as counter melodies.

JBN: – What sort of feedback did you receive after it was released from musicians or your friends and family?

It has been amazing feedback! Our first show with the music was sold out and people were dancing and singing along. The musicians are enjoying the new material and the fans are getting music they might have heard before, but in a completely different context.

JBN: – Can you share any memories from gigs, jams, open acts and studio sessions over the years?

The first time I really understood what it meant to play in time on a professional level was while I was in my undergrad studies. Mary Wells, our percussion instructor, brought David Garibaldi to our school to lead some workshops and play a concert with our big band. I had never felt a groove like that before and it blew my mind.

JBN: – In your opinion, what’s the balance in music between intellect and soul?

As with any language, it is all about communication. If you have no vocabulary, it is difficult to communicate your feelings. Of course, if the balance is off, it can be a bunch of big words (or lots of notes) and no meaning.

JBN: – There’s a two-way relationship between audience and artist; are you okay with delivering people the emotion they long for?

It is a conversation, so my job is to be present and engage with my bandmates and the audience. We all bring what we can to that conversation.

JBN: – How can we get young people interested in jazz when most of standard tunes are half a century old?

I think young people are very interested in jazz. We just need to be in those spaces with them. The music needs to evolve. Our source material needs to evolve. I absolutely love and respect the tradition, but it also demands that we keep the music moving forward.

JBN: – John Coltrane once said that music was his spirit. How do you perceive the spirit and the meaning of life?

I think music has the power to touch and heal people in a way that other things can’t. I just want to bring people joy and hope.

JBN: – If you could change one single thing in the musical world and that would become reality, what would that be?

I wish streaming services actually paid the artists.

JBN: – Whom do you find yourself listening to these days?

I’m working on a playlist right now to celebrate my musical and personal friendships. I want to find the right songs, so I’m listening to a lot of music right now. A few names I’d like to share with folks that might be a little more under the radar are Snorre Kirk, Jocelyn Gould, and Kathleen Grace. Of course, I’ll feature mentors of mine like Ray Brown, John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, Bruce Forman and Russell Malone.

JBN: – Let’s take a trip with a time machine: where and why would you really want to go?

I would love to be a fly on the wall during those old days on 52nd Street in New York when each club had multiple bands playing every night. I’ve heard so many stories about how the musicians would go hear other bands while they were on their breaks. I would love to hear that music live and feel the vibrancy of the community at that time.

JBN: – What is the message you choose to bring through your music?

You are not alone in this world. We are all connected.

OUR US/EU Jazz and Blues Association

JBN: – Do You like our questions? So far, it’s been me asking you questions, now may I have a question from yourself…

When you post reviews on your website, you don’t ever mention the name of the reviewer. Why? Don’t you want the credibility of the person behind the review? It means a lot to me to know who is writing about my music.

JBN: – It was an interesting observation, I had not thought in that direction, but one of the reasons is that one person does not write, but we can distribute the roles. Thank you!

JBN: – Have you ever given a free concert during your entire concert career? At the bottom line, what are your expectations from our interview?

Goodness, have I given free concerts over the years! Too many, probably. I don’t do that anymore. Bills don’t pay themselves. I also find that people pay more attention when they have paid for the concert.

My hope is that people will read the interview and be inspired to check out my music, come to a concert, and bring their friends along for the fun.

Interview by Elléa Beauchêne

By editorial։ Since its inception in 2012, JazzBluesNews.com has become the leading Jazz and Blues platform in Europe, United States, Asia, Latin America, Australia, Nordic countries, Afro – Eurasia.

An archive of more than 5500 + quality articles and new content published every day, our website continues to create a sustainable legacy. Our extensive readership is passionate about music and Blues and Jazz in particular.

Every day more than 68,000 visitors log on to blJazzBluesNews.com for their daily dose of jazz generating 2,000,000+ page views per month.

In addition, JazzBluesNews.com has a strong social media footprint with post followers of over 62,000 on Facebook Jazz & Blues Group – Jazz & Blues.

We manage a number of Twitter, LinkedIn accounts which total over 42,000 followers and our content consistently achieves over 823,000 impressions per month.