Season 2 Episode 22 Cory Weeds

Cory Weeds, the saxophonist and creative and entrepreneurial force behind Cellar Music Group and its imprints—Cellar Live, Cellar Music, and Reel to Real Recordings—released his 18th album as a leader, “What Is There To Say?”, in November. It’s his first backed by a 13-piece string orchestra. Though Weeds headlines and co-produces, he tapped saxophonist, pianist, composer, arranger, and bona fide Canadian jazz hero, Phil Dwyer, as the project’s other co-producer and de-facto music director. In addition to playing piano, Dwyer wrote all the arrangements.

In order to ensure this would be a project Dwyer would really believe in, Weeds gave his pianist and arranger carte blanche over all eight tunes here, even Weeds’ own.

Weeds has compiled some real musical gems on this latest release while also contributing an eclectic trio of original compositions to round out an extremely enjoyable musical program. We talk about the vision of this remarkable album, his partnership with Dwyer, what Cellar Music is doing to find and preserve lost jazz recordings – and about an exciting new project he is working on with trumpeter Jeremy Pelt to record Black jazz artists.