Today we launch a new interview series produced in collaboration with the definitive jazz interview podcast, The Jazz Session with Jason Crane.

Each month Jason will conduct a pair of extended interviews with the same guest—a video interview for JazzDIY and an audio interview for The Jazz Session—posted on the same day, offering complementary conversations about a variety of topics related to the subject’s career and the business of jazz.

We begin with drummer/composer Matt Wilson, widely considered one of the busiest and most charismatic musicians working today. His experience as an acclaimed bandleader, in-demand sideman and innovative educator spans the entire spectrum of jazz and improvised music.

To listen to The Jazz Session’s companion audio interview, featuring a different set of questions, click here.

In part one of our interview, Wilson introduces himself, talks about how he first got interested in jazz growing up in Illinois, and shares stories about his very early days as a drummer, including the encouragement he received from local legend, Louie Bellson.

Next, Jason jumps right in and asks about Wilson’s philosophy for choosing new projects, how he stays organized being in so many bands at once and how his manager, Amy Cervini of Orange Grove Artists, helps keep him on the right track.

In addition to his hectic schedule as a jazz musician and teaching artist, Wilson is the father of four children, including triplet boys. He talks about balancing those responsibilities and the many ways his family and professional lives overlap, leading to unique experiences for his kids and lots of fun stories. When the subject changes to his many close-knit collaborators, Jason asks him what qualities he believes make the ideal sideperson and how his experiences with other bandleaders shaped that view.

In part four, Wilson talks about the role the audience plays in what he does, his philosophy for interacting with the crowd during a performance and why he likes to use humor as part of his stage presence and overall persona.

Late last year, Wilson and Cervini started a new business called Very Inspiring Teaching Artists (VITA). Wilson explains what the organization does and why he was inspired to create it, including what he thinks is missing from today’s music school experience.

The final part of our interview started out with a question about how Wilson deals with the financial side of the jazz business, but the conversation soon segues into a broader discussion of the big picture choices he’s made in his career, including the family atmosphere he’s cultivated as a bandleader and how he’s defied the limitations of being a member of one specific scene or playing only one style of music.