Resilience, Roots, and the Road Ahead: A Conversation with David Weiss

Jazz trumpeter and composer David Weiss joins host Steve Roby for a wide-ranging conversation about a life built on music. From his early days in Queens, where he absorbed hard rock, fusion, and European avant-garde sounds, to leading some of contemporary jazz's most distinctive ensembles, Weiss reflects on the organic path that brought him to where he is today.

We dig into his latest album, Auteur (Origin Records) — a title he half-jokingly suggests should end with a question mark — and explore what it means to maintain a recognizable musical identity across multiple projects. David shares the stories behind two tracks from the album: "Resilience," a tribute to pianist George Cables, and "The Other Side of the Mountain," inspired by Ron Carter's reflections on perseverance and a Martin Luther King speech on the long arc of progress.

David also opens up about The Cookers — his hard-bop supergroup approaching its 20th year — the recent Kennedy Center cancellation amid the current political climate, and the challenge of keeping a band together when the musicians you love most are in their 80s and still outplaying everyone in the room.

The conversation ends with a look ahead to the David Weiss Sextet's upcoming five-city West Coast tour, featuring two sets at SF Jazz's Joe Henderson Lab in San Francisco.

Songs Featured in This Episode:

“Resilience” — David Weiss Sextet (Auteur, Origin Records)

“The Other Side of the Mountain” — David Weiss Sextet (Auteur, Origin Records)

*Both songs are from the album Auteur and were provided by the artist and used with their permission.

Show Details

🎷 Backstage Bay Area

Host: Steve Roby

Upcoming Show:

David Weiss Sextet

📍 SF Jazz – Joe Henderson Lab, San Francisco, CA

📅 Sunday, May 17th

🕕 Two sets: 6:00 PM & 7:30 PM

🎟 Tickets: sfjazz.org

Pro tip: Open seating — arrive early for the best seats.

David Weiss Sextet Members:

EJ Strickland | Myron Walden | David Bryant | Eric Wheeler | Ben Solomon | David Weiss

Album: Auteur — Out now on Origin Records