The Jazz Session #645: Carmen Staaf

On her new album, Sounding Line , pianist Carmen Staaf explores the music of Thelonious Monk and Mary Lou Williams. In this interview, Carmen talks about making music in the context of Palestine and COVID; the intersection between Monk and Williams and how she arrived at it; the arranging of the album, which contains both duets and larger groups; the rhythmic complexity of Monk; and more. Please note that the Patreon version of this interview contains additional material. Carmen has been on the show twice before: TJS (with Allison Miller, 2019) and TJS (2011). PATREON Become a Patreon supporter for $5 a month to get a bonus show called This I Dig Of You, on which the guest from the main episode talks about something non-musical that’s bringing them joy. Carmen talks about being in the present moment. You’ll also get early access to every episode, a thank you on an episode, and behind-the-scenes news. Join at NEW ALBUM I released an album of poetry and music. All the proceeds go to a water charity in Gaza. Get it at fievel42.bandcamp.com . CREDITS Theme Music: The Respect Sextet (respectsextet.com) Logo: Sarah Walter Intro Voice: Chuck Ingersoll (hearchucknow.com)

You can listen to The Jazz Session #645: Carmen Staaf online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Jazz Session #645: Carmen Staaf is an episode from The Jazz Session by Jason Crane.

This episode is 54:54 long.

This episode was published on Oct 15, 2025.

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