This month’s Small Studio Session showcases the work of jazz guitarist Charlie Ballantine and his trio. WFYI’s Jill Ditmire talked with Ballantine about his prolific work ethic and latest record.
Believe it or not, Charlie Ballantine has released 5 albums in the past 5 years. His last, "Life Is Brief" was an instrumental tribute to the music of Bob Dylan.
Ballantine says, "Dylan was so much fun to record and our most successful album so far. It was a testament to how much people love Bob Dylan."
Ballantine didn’t want fans to think that he was done writing his own music, so he got busy on his latest record, "Cold Coffee". Ballantine wrote nearly 40 songs for the new record and asked his wife, musician Amanda Gardier, to help select which tunes to include. Ballantine says "Cold Coffee" reflects his love for many different styles of music, "I went to jazz school but always liked the guys you could look at and say is he a jazz guy? I try and incorporate as much as I can."
"Cold Coffee" is available now on digital, CD, and vinyl. You can find Charlie Ballantine's entire Small Studio Session, featuring songs from "Cold Coffee" at wfyi.org/smallstudio.
