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Philip Dizack: What You Learn When You're Older

Philip Dizack at WBGO, with saxophonist Jake Saslow in the background.
Josh Jackson
/
WBGO
Philip Dizack at WBGO, with saxophonist Jake Saslow in the background.

A lot can happen in six years. For Milwaukee-bred trumpeter Philip Dizack, it marked the passage of an era worth documenting in his own artistic chronology.

"End of an Era represents a moment when what you had is gone," he says about his new album during this session from WBGO's The Checkout. "For me, it's specific things like family relationships that ended. Both of my grandparents passed away. All those things were very personal, but I saw that everyone goes through something. And it's all the same."

Deep listening brought Dizack to jazz. His father designs home audio environments for audiophile clientele. "When I was younger, my dad would always have people over at our house," Dizack says. "He'd always have new sets of speakers, he'd always be listening to different kinds of music. So I went to bed hearing music playing in my dad's living room."

Those recordings included some monumental creative output from Miles Davis and Oscar Peterson, as well as new music by trumpeters who had arrived: Roy Hargrove and Nicholas Payton. "Those were the people I learned from before I even knew I wanted to be a musician," Dizack confirms.

Dizack brought a quintet to WBGO to play music from End of an Era.

"I feel like when you're young, and people who are older than you tell you, 'Well, you'll learn when you're older,' this is what you learn," Dizack says. "You learn by going through these experiences and really having to sort through the difficulties of learning and growing as a person."

Personnel: Philip Dizack, trumpet; Jake Saslow, tenor saxophone; Eden Ladin, piano; Linda Oh, bass; Justin Brown, drums. Recorded Sept. 7, 2012, at WBGO in Newark, N.J.

Copyright 2012 WBGO

Josh Jackson is the associate general manager for content at WRTI in Philadelphia.