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Billy Childs explores an 'alternate reality' with his touring quartet

Pianist Billy Childs is an award-winning performer and composer and was a bit of a prodigy growing up in Los Angeles. He began college at 16 and launched his career shortly after in the band of legendary trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.

Childs' passion for music and love of the trumpet shines through on his complex and spiritual sounding new album The Winds of Change.

He found an abundance of inspiration for his new album in film noir, his hometown of Los Angeles, and his pianist friends. Mostly, though, this new album is about the communication between the pianist and his bandmates.

The Winds of Change includes trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire with Scott Colley and Brian Blade at the bass & drums. For his tour and this exclusive studio session performance, Childs worked with trumpeter Sean Jones, bassist Hans Glawishnig and drummer Christian Euman.

Childs explained that the live band works in an alternate reality from the quartet on the album. In this exclusive performance, the quartet were eager to collaborate, then jazz host Abe Beeson spoke with Childs about his new album and how it came to be. KNKX is excited to let you listen in on both conversations.

Musicians:

  • Billy Childs - piano
  • Sean Jones - trumpet
  • Hans Glawischnig - bass
  • Christian Euman - drums

Songs:

  1. Master of the Game (Billy Childs)
  2. The End of Innocence (Billy Childs)
  3. The Black Angel (Kenny Barron)
Abe grew up in Western Washington, a 3rd generation Seattle/Tacoma kid. It was as a student at Pacific Lutheran University that Abe landed his first job at KNKX, editing and producing audio for news stories. It was a Christmas Day shift no one else wanted that gave Abe his first on-air experience which led to overnights, then Saturday afternoons, and started hosting Evening Jazz in 1998.
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