Improv Exchange Podcast
158 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago -Keeping up with the Jazz world, Leander Young, carries out authentic conversions with and about musicians. Make sure to subscribe, leave a comment, and rating. Connect with us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @improvexchange #improvexchange www.improvexchange.com
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Episodes
Episode #154: John Dokes
July 15, 2024 00:02 - 27 minutes - 62.3 MBWith inspiration from his stylistic ancestors Nat King Cole and Joe Williams, John Dokes brings new life to the deep-souled world of baritone jazz vocals on his elegant new album, Our Day on his Swing Theory Entertainment imprint. In delivering a distinctive post-pandemic outing of classic songs embodied with hopeful passion, Dokes—also promises that his new endeavor is “an album that will make you move.” Our Day features songs associated with Cole (such as the smooth low-toned “Almost Like ...
Episode #153: Jonathan Freilich
July 01, 2024 00:02 - 53 minutes - 122 MBAlmost immediately, he found himself as sideman for notable locals such as Kermit Ruffins, Michael Ward and The Reward, and Sun Ra trumpeter, Michael Ray. In 1992 he co-founded the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars(NOKAS), a pioneering klezmer ensemble that infused that music with the vibrancy and energy of the funk, jazz and brass music of New Orleans. To date he has had opportunity to play with most of New Orleans' greatest musicians from across all genres. NOKAS was playing some of his com...
Episode #152: Jamie Baum
June 17, 2024 00:02 - 58 minutes - 134 MBNYC flutist, composer, Sunnyside Records artist, producer, and clinician, Jamie Baum, has toured the US and over 35 countries performing at major festivals, clubs, and concert halls including the Monterey, Madrid, Oeiras, Bermuda, Edinburgh, North Sea, Winter Jazzfest and London Jazz Festivals, Tampere Jazz Happening, Guimaraes Jazz Festival, Jazztopad, Bimhuis, Unterfahrt, Jazz Gallery, Jazz Standard, 55 Bar, Dizzy’s, Blue Note, etc.. She’s performed with artists as renowned and diverse as...
Episode #151: Patrick Soluri
May 27, 2024 00:02 - 41 minutes - 94.5 MBWith an international background, PATRICK SOLURI is a New York City based composer of music for ballet, opera and film/TV. His love of telling stories through music is evident in a large body of work for the stage, screen and concert hall. Mr. Soluri has had 11 ballet scores performed internationally. This includes a commission and eight sold out performances of JUST BEFORE NOW (2017) at Ballet de l'Opéra National de Bordeaux (France). The same creative team, led by German choreographer Xen...
Episode #150: Arron Jensen
May 13, 2024 00:02 - 49 minutes - 113 MBAARON JENSEN (he/him), is an award-winning Toronto-based composer and producer. His creative work has been premiered and recorded by JUNO and GRAMMY award-winning artists, including Randy Brecker, Mariah Carey, Natalie MacMaster, and Dame Evelyn Glennie. He had the pleasure of acting as musical director, band leader, and composer for the nine-time EMMY award-winning series, Schitt’s Creek. Jensen’s compositions have been performed around the world by choirs and symphony orchestras. He has c...
Episode 149: Jose Miguel
April 15, 2024 00:01 - 56 minutes - 129 MBJose Miguel is a Filipino singer-songwriter based in the south side of Manila. Heavily influenced by jazz, folk, and big band music, it's no surprise that he believes he was born in the wrong era. The authenticity and the distinct slick sound and energy of that time are what his music is. An old soul living in the new, his work encapsulates themes, melodies, and words that 100% speak to him-and he hopes it speaks to you, too. With suave vocals, a charismatic presence, and innate musical ...
Episode #149: Jose Miguel
April 15, 2024 00:01 - 56 minutes - 129 MBJose Miguel is a Filipino singer-songwriter based in the south side of Manila. Heavily influenced by jazz, folk, and big band music, it's no surprise that he believes he was born in the wrong era. The authenticity and the distinct slick sound and energy of that time are what his music is. An old soul living in the new, his work encapsulates themes, melodies, and words that 100% speak to him-and he hopes it speaks to you, too. With suave vocals, a charismatic presence, and innate musical ...
Episode #148: Brian Scarborough
March 18, 2024 00:02 - 52 minutes - 121 MBBrian Scarborough is a top-call trombonist, improviser, composer, and educator in the greater Kansas City area. As a musician, Brian is regularly booked as both a bandleader for his quintet and a sideman for many local and touring bands of various sizes, in jazz and other genres. Moreover, Brian is a veteran musician of musical theatre, having performed for more than 50 productions in the greater Kansas City area. Internationally, Brian has performed in the European circuit in jazz, classica...
Episode #148: Brain Scarborough
March 18, 2024 00:02 - 52 minutes - 121 MBBrian Scarborough is a top-call trombonist, improviser, composer, and educator in the greater Kansas City area. As a musician, Brian is regularly booked as both a bandleader for his quintet and a sideman for many local and touring bands of various sizes, in jazz and other genres. Moreover, Brian is a veteran musician of musical theatre, having performed for more than 50 productions in the greater Kansas City area. Internationally, Brian has performed in the European circuit in jazz, classica...
Episode #147: Lawrence Fields
February 26, 2024 01:02 - 58 minutes - 133 MBLawrence Fields, born and bred in St. Louis, has earned a spot at the forefront of young jazz pianists, thanks to his blending of vintage ideals with a contemporary mindset. For the last five years, in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019, Downbeat Magazine has placed him close to the top of the keyboardist category in their “Rising Stars” critics poll. Fields showcase his dynamic blend of composition and playing in his trio and quartet, and his music is currently being featured internationally....
Episode #146: Christie Dashiell
February 19, 2024 01:02 - 56 minutes - 129 MBBorn in Washington, D.C., and raised in Greenville, NC, contemporary jazz vocalist Christie N. Dashiell honed her skills at Howard University and later at the Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Dashiell’s trajectory includes performances with Howard’s premiere vocal jazz ensemble, Afro Blue. She has also performed at the Kennedy Center as a participant in the 2010 Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead program; at the Lincoln Theater in Washington, D.C.; and, as a part of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz for Yo...
Episode #145: Lois Deloatch
February 12, 2024 01:02 - 1 hour - 147 MBLois Deloatch is a songwriter and vocalist known for her powerful contralto voice and distinctive blend of jazz, soul, blues, folk, and spirituals. Her original compositions and interpretations of classic tunes resonate with purity and emotion, simultaneously intellectual and passionate. Shaped by and reflective of her early life as the seventh of ten children raised in a rural southern town, Lois’s music expresses cultural richness and timeless truths. She has appeared in concerts through...
Episode #144: Vinnie Sperrazza
January 22, 2024 01:01 - 45 minutes - 105 MBVinnie Sperrazza is a Brooklyn-based jazz drummer, composer, bandleader, author, and educator noted for his versatility and commitment to new music. Born in Utica, NY, Sperrazza moved to Brooklyn after completing his studies at William Paterson University, where he was mentored by pianist James Williams. He leads the groups Vinnie Sperrazza Trio, featuring Ethan Iverson and Michael Formanek, whose first album was released in March 2023, and Vinnie Sperrazza Apocryphal, with a new album comin...
Episode #143: Shai Jaschek
January 15, 2024 01:02 - 40 minutes - 92.7 MBShai Jaschek is an Israeli-born guitarist, composer, and music educator in New York City. After first picking up the guitar at 10 years old, Shai has since dedicated his life to music, playing and performing constantly. Before establishing himself in NYC, Shai completed his Bachelor’s in Arts from Israel’s top jazz performance programs, such as “The Jazz Institute” at the “Rimon School of Music”, and the “Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance”. During this time, Shai sought the opportunity t...
Episode #142: Kavita Shah
January 08, 2024 01:02 - 39 minutes - 89.3 MBAward-winning vocalist, composer, and educator Kavita Shah’s latest album, Cape Verdean Blues, is the culmination of a diasporic quest to find a spiritual home. The carefully curated album of traditional Cape Verdean music is also a tribute to the charismatic and unapologetically individual artist Cesária Évora, and a love letter to her breathtaking archipelago and its welcoming people. On Cape Verdean Blues, Shah’s ethnographic research on the island of São Vicente, and her bold self-posses...
Episode #141: Terence Hsieh
January 01, 2024 01:02 - 1 hour - 166 MBTerence Hsieh 謝燕輝 is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning producer, trombone, and trumpet specialist, and keyboardist from Durham, North Carolina who lives and works in Greater China. He is the bandleader of The Spice Cabinet 五香放克乐团 whose 2020 album “The Adventures of Pie Boy” won Best Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Recording and Best Arrangement (Bittersweet) at the 32nd Annual Golden Melody Awards and serves as music director for Tia Ray 袁婭維. He has recorded, produced, performe...
Episode #140: MaryLynn Gillaspie
December 18, 2023 01:02 - 47 minutes - 108 MBMaryLynn was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated vocal jazz group, Rare Silk. The group started in Boulder, CO. Their very first album, New Weave flew to the top of the Billboard Jazz charts and received 2 Grammy nominations. MaryLynn and the group toured the world singing in the US, Europe, and Japan. Rare Silk received acclaim working alongside artists such as Miles Davis, Branford Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, and as an opening act for Spyro Gyra and BB King. Their tou...
Episode #139: Nicole Zuraitis
December 11, 2023 01:02 - 50 minutes - 115 MBNicole Zuraitis is a 2X GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer-songwriter, pianist, and arranger, New York-based bandleader and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. With a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” (Jazz Police), Nicole has positioned herself as one of the top artists and "prolific songwriters" (Broadway World) to watch in jazz and beyond. As a recording artist, Nicole has released five albums as a leader, and her sixth album How Love Begins...
Episode #138: Sean Mason
December 04, 2023 01:01 - 44 minutes - 102 MBHailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Sean Mason taught himself to play piano by ear at the late age of 13. Driven by an insatiable passion for learning, Sean’s piano virtuosity evolved into a distinctive language, marking his unique presence in the jazz scene. Sean’s educational path unfolded from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to Juilliard in New York City. This transformative transition defined Sean as an artist seamlessly blending his Southern roots with the cosmopolit...
Episode #137: Kevin Sun
November 20, 2023 01:02 - 40 minutes - 92.1 MBKevin Sun is a Chinese-American saxophonist and composer. His music has been called “...intense, harmonically virtuosic and compositionally complex" (DownBeat Magazine), and he has released five albums to date—most recently a double album entitled The Depths of Memory in October 2023. Sun has also released album four with the bands Mute, Earprint, and Great On Paper, and he appears on recordings led by Jacob Garchik, Dana Saul, Xiongguan Zhang, and Elijah Shiffer. In addition to performing ...
Episode #136: Matt Zimbell
October 16, 2023 00:02 - 47 minutes - 109 MBFor the past 44 years percussionist/producer / composer Zimbel has led the Juno Award-winning nine-piece global / jazz collective Manteca which he cofounded with bassist Henry Heillig in 1979. The group has recorded 14 full-length CD’s, toured the world and shared stages with Miles Davis, Weather Report, Van Morrison, Ella Fitzgerald and become one of Canada top selling domestic jazz artists. Manteca’s most recent CD “The Offspring Project” was released globally on September 15, 2023. Zimbe...
Episode #135: Willie Morris
October 02, 2023 00:02 - 42 minutes - 97.8 MBHailing from the vibrant music scene of St. Louis, saxophonist and composer Willie Morris emerges as a fresh and exciting force on the jazz scene. With a deep-rooted appreciation for the Black-American art forms that have flourished in his city, he brings a dynamic and unique perspective to his craft. In this early stage of his career, Willie has already been blessed with remarkable opportunities that have allowed him to perform and record alongside a distinguished lineup of artists. Colla...
Episode #134: Shuteen Erdenebaatar
September 25, 2023 00:02 - 31 minutes - 71.9 MBBorn in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, composer, pianist and arranger Shuteen Erdenebaatar (*1998) brings a unique sound to the audience with her yearning melodies enriched with profound and expressive harmonies and rhythms. The daughter of Erdenebaatar Gombo, who recently earned the title “The Emeritus of Art” for his 40 years as director of the National Mongolian Opera, and Batkhuyag Ochirbat, a television director and journalist, Shuteen was brought up surrounded by arts and culture ...
Episode #133: Aline Homzy
September 11, 2023 00:02 - 45 minutes - 103 MBAline Homzy is an award-winning violinist and composer. Praised as one of Canada’s finest jazz violinists, she has performed and/or recorded with Danilo Perez, Munir Hossn and The Weather Station. Her music has been performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Swedish guitarist Mikko Hilden, and South-Korean bassist Yongwon Cho. Homzy is also a community builder, with a focus on highlighting women instrumentalists and improvisers. She was the recipient of a 2018 TD Discovery Projects Award t...
Episode #132: Sharel Cassity
September 04, 2023 00:02 - 59 minutes - 136 MBSaxophonist, Multi-Reedist, Composer, Recording Artist, Bandleader, and Educator Sharel Cassity (pron. "Sha-Relle") is a musician well-established on the New York and Chicago jazz scenes. Listed as "Rising Star Alto Saxophone" in Downbeat Magazine for the past decade, Sharel has appeared on the Today Show, won the 2007 ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award & has been inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Her four albums released as a leader have received top-rated reviews in publications ...
Episode #131: Kris Davis
August 28, 2023 00:02 - 40 minutes - 92.7 MBPianist-composer Kris Davis was named 2017 Rising Star Pianist/2018 Rising Star Artist in Downbeat magazine and dubbed one of the music’s top up-and-comers in a 2012 New York Times article titled “New Pilots at the Keyboard,” with the newspaper saying: “One method for deciding where to hear jazz on a given night has been to track down the pianist Kris Davis.” To date, Davis has released twelve recordings as a leader. Her 2016 release, Duopoly, made The New York Times, Pop Matters, NPR, LA T...
Episode #130: Frank McComb
August 21, 2023 00:02 - 1 hour - 150 MBContemporary jazz singer/keyboardist Frank McComb was born in Cleveland on July 15, 1970, beginning his piano studies at age 12 and forming his first trio five years later. His professional break followed in 1991, when he was tapped as musical director for the R&B group Rude Boys, subsequently backing DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in the studio and on tour; in late 1992, McComb signed to the Mojazz label, and in 1994 collaborated with Branford Marsalis on his jazz-rap fusion project Buc...
Episode #129: Javon Jackson
August 14, 2023 00:02 - 49 minutes - 112 MBBorn on June 16, 1965, in Carthage, Missouri, Javon Jackson was raised in Denver, Colorado and chose saxophone at the age of 10. At age 16 he switched from alto to tenor and later enrolled at the University of Denver before spending part of 1985–86 at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He left Berklee in 1986 to join Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, where he later played alongside pianist Benny Green, trumpeter Philip Harper, trombonist Robin Eubanks and bassist Peter Washington. Jackson r...
Episode #128: Freddie Bryant
August 07, 2023 00:02 - 1 hour - 180 MBAt the start of his career, the great guitarist Kenny Burrell wrote, “Freddie Bryant is a brilliant young guitarist and composer.” Since then he has shown his versatile skills in jazz, classical, Brazilian, and other world genres. Freddie is currently in demand in the New York jazz scene. He worked with Ben Riley for over a decade with the Monk Legacy Septet (Memories of T on Concord Records) and The Ben Riley Quartet (Grown Folks Music on Sunnyside Records). He has been a member of the Ming...
Episode #127: Gabriela Martina
July 31, 2023 00:02 - 39 minutes - 90.8 MBGabriela Martina is a vocalist, composer, and bandleader who grew up in Switzerland. She spent 13 years living and working in the US (Boston & New York) learning from the people who made Jazz (among many other styles of music originating from the US) as important of an art form as it is today. Gabriela grew up yodeling with her family and had performances as early as the age of 4. Being raised on a beautiful farm in the heart of Switzerland surrounded by a musical family has influenced her ...
Episode #126: Douye
July 24, 2023 00:02 - 34 minutes - 79.2 MB“Jazz was the first music that I ever heard. It was introduced to me by my Dad who always played jazz around the house. He regularly sat me down and told me to listen closely to the music, that jazz was life.” Her beloved father passed away when she was 11. “The last time I saw him, he was at the hospital, had me driven in, and he told me that he wanted me to promise him something. He wanted me to promise him that I would sing jazz after I became a woman. Years passed, life went on, and I be...
Episode #125: Tony Monaco
July 17, 2023 00:02 - 54 minutes - 124 MBTony Monaco began his keyboard life at age eight, on the accordion. When he was twelve, his destiny as a jazz organist was sealed when he first heard Jimmy Smith. An enthusiastic student, Tony began working in Jazz clubs as a teenager in his native Columbus, Ohio, guided by local organ gurus Hank Marr and Don Patterson. For further inspiration, he studiously absorbed the mastery of Jimmy McGriff, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Charles Earland, Jack McDuff, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. All would play a ro...
Episode #124: Dorothy Longo
July 10, 2023 00:02 - 29 minutes - 68.5 MBA native of the Ohio Valley, Dorothy fulfilled her dream of moving to New York City in 1970 and stayed there for fifty years. She was a friend, fellow musician, and confidante to her husband, Mike Longo, for thirty-two years. Steeped in classical piano training since the age of six, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music and music education. Dorothy brought a love for jazz music and humanity to New York City and her collaborations with Mike. It was a love that extended far b...
Episode #123: Altin Sencalar
July 03, 2023 00:02 - 45 minutes - 103 MBAltin Sencalar began his studies at Texas State University, studying with Freddie Mendoza. While attending TSU, he gained entrance into the thriving Austin music scene and began emerging as a new talent. Altin soon moved to Austin and attended the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of Andre Hayward. He became a fixture in the local music scene after being named a “2017 Top 10 Austin Music Awards Horn Player” and recording his debut alb...
Episode #122: Dermot Rogers
June 26, 2023 00:02 - 46 minutes - 107 MBDermot Rogers is the principal and founder of the reactivated Dublin-based Livia Records label, which recently re-released the late guitarist Louis Stewart's masterful OUT ON HIS OWN solo album, and the previously unreleased duo album, SOME OTHER BLUES, with pianist Noel Kelehan. Livia Records' reactivation began in 2021, after being dormant for 15 years, since the death of its founder Gerald Davis. The label was the first dedicated to jazz in Ireland, initially set up in 1977. Dermot is pr...
Episode #121: Felipe Salles
June 19, 2023 00:02 - 56 minutes - 130 MBA native of São Paulo, Brazil, Felipe Salles has been an active musician in the US since 1995, where he has worked and recorded with prominent jazz artists, including Randy Brecker, Paquito D’Rivera, David Liebman, Melissa Aldana, Lionel Loueke, Jerry Bergonzi, Chico Pinheiro, Magos Herrera, Sofia Rei, Yosvany Terry, Jovino Santos Neto, Oscar Stagnaro, Luciana Souza, and Bob Moses. He has toured extensively in Europe, North and South America, India, and Australia, as a sideman and a leader o...
Episode #120: Ragan Whiteside
June 12, 2023 00:03 - 41 minutes - 95.3 MBFlute-playing soul-jazz phenomenon Ragan Whiteside has become one of the genre’s most consistently dynamic and popular artists. Thanks to her incredible skill and creativity on her chosen instrument, as well as her charismatic presence on stage, Whiteside is at the top of her game. That was demonstrated in October 2022, when she became the first artist to win the competitive Best Contemporary Jazz Artist Award at the inaugural Jazz Music Awards, held at the Cobb Energy Centre in Atlanta. Whi...
Episode #119: Christopher McBride
June 05, 2023 00:02 - 1 hour - 139 MBSuperb Alto Saxophonist Christopher McBride has been slowly but steadily turning heads with his ubiquitous work as an invaluable sideman since the mid-aughts. Now Christopher is gaining respect amongst fans, critics, and his peers as one of the most versatile saxophonists in the world. His 2012 debut album Quatuor de Force certainly establishes his ability to front a group and write his own soulful, melodically indelible tunes. Applauded for his ability to play in all musical situations, McB...
Episode #118: Benjamin Lapidus
May 29, 2023 00:02 - 38 minutes - 88.4 MBBenjamin Lapidus is a Grammy-nominated musician who has performed and recorded throughout the world as a bandleader and supporting musician playing guitar, Cuban tres, Puerto Rican cuatro, touch style/tapping instruments (Warr guitar and Chapman Stick), as well as organ. As a scholar, he has published widely on Latin music, and he is a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, and The Graduate Center. Since the 1990s, Lapidus has performed and/or recorded Cuban tres, Puerto R...
Episode #117: Alan Bartus
May 22, 2023 00:02 - 20 minutes - 45.9 MBHe was born in Lucenec on February 22, 2001, and comes from a family of musicians (father Stefan- an established Jazz Artist). Alan's talent began to manifest in his early childhood. As a four- year- old he began attending piano lessons at the Art School in Lucenec. During this period he has his first diploma in a regional piano competition. After moving with his family to Austria's Neusiedl am See in 2012, he started to study at the local music school. In a short period of time, he was sele...
Episode #116: Brandee Younger
May 15, 2023 00:02 - 54 minutes - 126 MBThe sonically innovative harpist, Brandee Younger, is revolutionizing the harp for the digital era. Over the past fifteen years, she has worked relentlessly to stretch boundaries and limitations for harpists. In 2022, she made history by becoming the first black woman to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. That same year, she was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Ever-expanding as an artist, she has worked with cultural icons including Common, Lauryn Hi...
Episode #115: Andrey Chmut
May 08, 2023 00:02 - 34 minutes - 78.2 MBAndrey Chmut is a Ukrainian saxophonist, composer, and producer. Andrey works with Bob James, Jamala, Candy Dulfer, Dave Koz, Julio Iglesias Jr, Andrius Mamontovas, Igor Zakus, Tina Karol, Valery Stepanov, Eric Moore, and many other artists. The song Moving Forward from the album "Smoothability", which was recorded with American jazz pianist and producer Grammy Winner Bob James, became a top song on the American radio giant Sirius XM and lasted more than a year in rotation. Andrey Chmut d...
Episode #114: Dominic Miller
May 01, 2023 00:01 - 41 minutes - 95.8 MBGuitarist Dominic Miller is a highly regarded pop, classical, and jazz-influenced player, best known for his long association with Sting. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1960, Miller spent his first ten years living in South America, where his father worked for Johnson Wax. Around age ten, he moved back to the United States with his family, settling in Racine, Wisconsin. By age 15 he had picked up the guitar and played in various bands during high school. Later, he studied at London's Gui...
Episode #113: Cheryl Ann Spencer
April 24, 2023 00:20 - 26 minutes - 59.8 MBCheryl Ann Spencer is a Singaporean jazz pianist specializing in classical and modern jazz. Aside from a banking and finance degree, she has a second degree in Jazz Music from the LaSalle College of Arts. She is pursuing classical composition and piano pedagogy at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore. She majored in jazz piano under her principal study teacher Mr. Kerong Chok at La Salle,. Cheryl reconnects with her first love in music and draws in...
Episode #112: Clarie Victoria Roberts
April 17, 2023 00:02 - 26 minutes - 59.9 MBClaire Victoria Roberts is a composer, vocalist, and violinist, who blurs the boundaries of jazz, contemporary, and singer-songwriter genres. She collaborates, as an artist, with musicians from classical, jazz, and folk spheres, drawing upon her diverse influences and melding styles together: through improvised vocals, contemporary classical timbres, and melody-driven compositions. Her work has been performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Psappha Ensemble, cellist Oliver Coates, O...
Episode #111: Branford Marsalis
April 10, 2023 00:05 - 1 hour - 149 MBAfter four decades in the international spotlight, the achievements of saxophonist Branford Marsalis continue to grow. From his initial recognition as a young jazz lion, he has expanded his vision as an instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and educator, crossing stylistic boundaries while maintaining unwavering creative integrity. In the process, he has become a multi-award-winning artist with three Grammys, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master, and an avatar ...
Episode #110: Josh Feldstein
April 03, 2023 00:02 - 1 hour - 160 MBJosh Feldstein founded The Verve Jazz Ensemble in 2006 as a band that paid homage to the past while vehemently establishing newer, younger audiences for the vintage sound of Hard Bop-inspired jazz. Josh has studied extensively with drumming legend John Riley and the amazing Joe Morello, Josh’s additional drumming influences include Art Blakey, Max Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Buddy Rich, and Peter Erskine. Josh has recorded 8 records with the VJE, including the band’s #1 JazzWeek radio chart a...
Episode #109: Brent Vaartstra
March 27, 2023 00:02 - 26 minutes - 61.4 MBBrent Vaartstra is a professional jazz musician, author, podcaster, and jazz coach living in New York City. He is the director of the internationally renowned jazz education company Learn Jazz Standards, which helps musicians of all instruments level up their jazz playing without the overwhelm. If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, ect. Connect with us on all social media platforms and ...
Episode #108: Jason Marshall
March 20, 2023 00:02 - 1 hour - 137 MBJason Marshall’s 2003 arrival in New York City signified the continuation of hard-swinging, forward-thinking baritone saxophone playing. With early encouragement to appreciate all types of music, Jason has developed a style that encompasses the whole of African-American music. A special interest is given to the amalgamation of soul, R and B, and funk with straight-ahead jazz. Years of dedication and perseverance have resulted in a giant, soulful sound and instantly appealing concept. Influen...
Episode #107: Nicole Henry
March 13, 2023 00:02 - 34 minutes - 78.4 MBGrowing up in a musical family in Bucks County, PA, Ms. Henry immersed herself in the arts early on, singing in school and church, and studying cello and ballet. After graduating from the University of Miami with a degree in Communications and Theatre, she launched a successful acting career, appearing in national commercial roles and a series of voiceover assignments. However, she directed her strongest passion toward the development of her full-time singing career which was quickly rewarde...