by Kevin Brown

Biography 

Alison Wedding Vocalist / Pianist 
Is a singer songwriter and musician, that has performed with jazz artists’ Gerry Mulligan, Dianne Reeves, Joe Chindamo, Bob Sedergreen, and Peter Knight. Before moving to New York in 2007, Wedding was based in Melbourne from 2001 to 2007 where she performed and recorded throughout Australia. She holds a degree from the University of North Texas. Her album, This Dance was produced by Michael League of Snarky Puppy and featured special guests Lionel Loueke, Chris Potter, and Theo Bleckmann. 

JAZZ INTERVIEW

1. Can a career still be built by being a Jazz musician?
ABSOLUTELY! COMING THROUGH THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS PANDEMIC, PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY TO HEAR LIVE MUSIC, and AND HUNGRY FOR THAT THRILL AND CONNECTION TO MUSIC AND THE ARTISTS THAT TAKE THEM ON A JOURNEY THROUGH PERFORMANCE. And teaching jazz/ being a mentor is also just as important as ever to help guide young musicians on their musical path.

2. Are there any recording opportunities for Jazz artist?
Yes! A lot of people are recording independently from labels and self-releasing their music. There are still plenty of opportunities to collaborate with others on their recordings as well.

3. How often do you perform per week/month/year?
I used to perform a couple times a week at least (and if touring, it would be even more than that). Right now, coming out of the pandemic, I perform maybe once a month. My main focus the last few years has been my voice teaching. 

4. What did your Jazz musician friends do to cope with the pandemic?
A lot of people were collaborating through recordings and doing live performances over live stream to connect to their fan base and even build their fan base up. Some musicians changed their focus from performing to writing- I started a project co- writing music for children, which might not have ever happened if the pandemic didn’t happen.

5. What would you like to see the Jazz community do or become in the next year / 3years / 5 years?
I would like to continue to see more unexpected/unique collaborations between artists.  I would love it to see more and more young artists coming out with truly unique sounds/approaches (ie: Michael Mayo). And of course I want to continue to see more jazz music education at the middle and high school levels so we can continue to fan the flame in younger artists and keep alive this very important American music art form.