Ben Makinen is an award-winning filmmaker, music producer, composer, and percussionist with over 40 years of experience in film, television, theater, and music production. A voting member of the Recording Academy (GRAMMYS), he is known for his compelling documentaries that explore the rich interplay between music and culture. Ben has produced two acclaimed music documentaries, JazzTown and Who Killed Jazz, while his latest film, Echoes of Tradition, which delves into the Native American influences on the birth of jazz, has secured national distribution with PBS for 2025. His works are self-distributed through his company, Bmakin Film, with JazzTown available on platforms like AppleTV, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, and Rocky Mountain PBS. Currently, Ben is in post-production on We Are Here: Women In Jazz, a documentary that addresses the challenges women face in male-dominated industries, featuring internationally acclaimed recording artists (The Manhattan Transfer, Veronica Swift, Ingrid Jensen, Erena Terakubo, Endea Owens…) His collaborative spirit has led him to work with 11x Grammy-nominated Native American musician R. Carlos Nakai, who served as both producer and cultural advisor for Echoes of Tradition. Beginning his professional journey as a drummer in 1980, Ben’s early influences include jazz legends Billy Wallace (pianist with Max Roach) and Joe Bonner (pianist with Pharoah Sanders). Since 1990, he has worked as a music producer and composer, and in 2001, he founded Bmakin Film, focusing on diverse projects, including music videos, experimental films, narrative works, and documentaries. Throughout his career, he has produced and performed on over 50 albums across genres, from jazz and blues to pop, rock, electronica, new age, and opera. Passionate about teaching and mentoring, Ben founded the International Modern Film Alliance (IMFA) in 2020 to promote storytelling through the integration of music and film. He leads workshops for children and young adults in Bali, Indonesia, sharing his love for jazz and cinema. Additionally, he is organizing Bali’s first AI International Film Festival, set to launch in 2025.

Koki Nakano is a composer and a pianist, born in 1988 in Fukuoka, Japan. After graduating Music High School at Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, he enrolled at the composition department of Tokyo University of the Arts. He has performed recitals at the Louvre and the Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris), Cadogan Hall (London), Lincoln Center (New York). He released his first album Lift in 2016, in collaboration with French cellist Vincent Segal under the Paris-based label Nø Førmat!. ​In 2019, Koki took part in a research workshop at the Reborn Art Festival in the landscapes of Ishinomaki‘s bay. Accompanied by renowned visual artist Kohei Nawa, famous choreographer Damien Jalet, and few dancers, they explore different points of fusion between the human body and the landscape. ​His second album Pre-choreographed is released in April 2020. Koki mixed his classical pieces with electronic sounds and he developed this relationship between dance and music. In 2021, Koki composed the original music for Damien Jalet’s piece ‘Brise-lames’ and performed it live at Palais Garnier for Paris Opera’s opening gala. His third album, Oceanic Feeling is released in 2022 as well as four musical videos gathering choreographers and dancers Tess Voelker and Nicolas Huchard, Marion Motin, Mourad Bouayad. ​Koki Nakano's new album Ululō is released in October 2024, in collaboration with singers Yaël Naim, Wayne Snow and Jordy.

Tigran Hamasyan is considered one of the most remarkable and distinctive jazz-meets-rock pianists/composers of his generation. A piano virtuoso with groove power, Hamasyan seamlessly fuses potent jazz improvisation and progressive rock with the rich folkloric music of his native Armenia. Born in Gyumri, Armenia, in 1987, his musical journey began in his childhood home, where he was exposed to a diverse array of musical influences leading to him playing piano at the age of three, performing in festivals and competitions by the time he was eleven, and winning the Montreux Jazz Festival’s piano competition in 2003. He released his debut album, World Passion, in 2004 at the age of seventeen. The following year, he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. Additional albums include New Era; Red Hail; A Fable, for which he was awarded a Victoires de la Musique (the equivalent of a Grammy Award in France); Shadow Theater; and Luys i Luso which featured the Yerevan State Chamber Choir focusing on Armenian sacred music stretching stylistically from the 5th century to the 20th century.   His Nonesuch debut, Mockroot (2015), won the Echo Jazz Award for International Piano Instrumentalist of the Year; subsequent records for the label include An Ancient Observer (2017) the companion EP, For Gymuri (2018), Revisiting the Film (2021) and most recently StandArt (2022). Hamasyan was awarded the Deutscher Jazzpreis international category in Piano/Keyboards in 2021. Hamasyan has released records on France’s Plus Loins, Universal France, Nonesuch and ECM. Hamasyan’s new conceptual album “The Bird of a Thousand Voices” was released in August 2024 on Naïve/Believe – his debut with the label. Tigran composed, scored, and arranged the much-anticipated project blending its traditional folk footprints with rock influences. The first single from the album “The Kingdom” can also be experienced as an interactive game at www.bird1000.com. The recently released double album is inspired by an ancient Armenian tale in which a hero travels into unseen realms to find and bring back a mythical bird – whose thousand different songs will awaken people again and bring harmony to the world. The transmedia music theater piece ‘The Bird of a Thousand Voices’, an intriguing immersive light installation with shadow play, digitally programmed voices, live music, and an Armenian-English libretto, premiered at the Holland Festival in June 2024.   In addition to awards and critical acclaim, Hamasyan has built a dedicated following worldwide, as well as praise from Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau and the late Chick Corea. “With startling combinations of jazz, minimalist, electronic, folk and songwriterly elements…Hamasyan and his collaborators travel musical expanses marked with heavy grooves, ethereal voices, pristine piano playing and ancient melodies. You’ll hear nothing else like this” (NPR)

Colorado-bred, LA-based keyboardist Lao Tizer embodies what it means to be a 21st-century musician inhabiting the jazz sphere ¾ that being one who embraces musical diversity and has no fear of crossing boundaries. But Tizer also happens to come by this naturally. As the self-described “child of East Coast Jewish hippies,” he was exposed to and was influenced by his parents' extensive musical tastes from a young age: “My dad had a huge music collection. He loved classical music and had all this world music ¾ Ravi Shankar, R. Carlos Nakai, music of the Sufis ¾ plus my parents were boomers, so that brought in all the Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, Elvis, Janis Joplin, and Motown. The Temptations were my favorite band as a kid. So, I basically grew up with everything but jazz, which I didn’t really discover until I was about 16.” It was a couple of seemingly random selections from the Columbia House mail-order club that turned him toward a new and lasting musical direction. ”It was buy one, get twelve free, right? So I ordered Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux. Then one Sunday morning, it all just kind of hit me. To a lot of people trained in the classical tradition, jazz sounds like it breaks all kinds of rules, but I just heard there was a whole other world to explore there.” From there, Tizer hit the ground running, applying his classical piano skills to jazz and releasing his first self-produced solo keyboard albums while still in high school. After graduating from Boulder High, Tizer moved to LA and studied with legendary piano guru Terry Trotter for about two years, forgoing formal music education. “Instead of going to music school, I just got my butt kicked on the bandstand. I was always working with musicians who were older and more experienced. School’s great but there’s no better way to grow than playing with people who are going to push you to grow. I was so green, man. Learning to play in a band concept ¾ playing in good time with a rhythm section–was one of the most challenging things, coming from being a solo pianist.” But his approach and talents served him well. At 19, he formed and led the first band under his own name, taking indirect inspiration from another iconic jazz entity. “When I got into listening to The Pat Metheny Group in the late ‘90s, they had that “formula” that definitely spoke to me ¾ great, through-composed music with a lot of room for improvisation. That’s the formula that I love” In the ensuing years and through various incarnations, The Lao Tizer Band has flown by that directional compass while infusing the bespoke influences and experiences that inform Tizer’s musical worldview. Subsequently, the band attracted many top players to its ranks ¾ GRAMMY-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea), Emmy-winning guitarist Chieli Minucci (Special EFX), Senegalese bassist Cheikh N'Doye (Baaba Maal), violinist extraordinaire Karen Briggs (Stanley Clarke), GRAMMY-winning drum phenom Gene Coye (Hiromi) and legendary GRAMMY-winning percussionist Munyungo Jackson (Stevie Wonder) ¾ and became a steady presence at LA hotspots like The Baked Potato as well as entertaining audiences at premier jazz festivals around the world. Milestones among these were The Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, Cape Town Jazz Festival, Java Jazz Festival, and Atlanta Jazz Festival. The six albums he has released as a leader have seen Tizer steadily grow while constantly defining (and redefining) who he is as a keyboardist, composer, and bandleader. “I think the most important thing as an artist and composer is to have your own identity and your own sound. Everybody comes to where they are in music through whatever path they have followed and I think staying true to what brought you to where you are now helps to create your own true voice. I think I have always had that.” But not content to rest, Tizer recently decided to take another bold turn with his music. In 2018, The Lao Tizer Band released Songs From The Swinghouse, a project that included fresh, sophisticated takes on a number of vocal-oriented covers from seminal artists such as U2, Led Zeppelin, and Cat Stevens along with a collection of seven original instrumentals penned by Tizer. The album was released to critical acclaim and notched the Top 10 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz album chart. “We were always only instrumental until that record. The concept was to reinvent covers like ‘Ramble On,’ ‘Pride in the Name of Love,’ and ‘Sad Lisa.’ I had never arranged or recorded any vocal material with my group before, so to take those tunes and make them our own was really fun.” Now, with his forthcoming album, Amplify, Tizer ups the ante by bringing original vocal-oriented songs into his mix of smart instrumentals ¾ as well as a few potent new additions to the band. “A big part of the concept for Amplify is to cross over. It’s not really a “jazz” record but it definitely has jazz elements, no question. The band still features the core lineup we’ve had for a while now with Eric, Chieli, Karen, Munyungo, Gene, and Cheikh, but now there are a few new faces involved in the group. Namely saxophone and flute wunderkind Danny Janklow (MONKestra) and Rolling Stone 2022 ”Bassist of the Year” nominee Anthony Crawford (Erykah Badu), who shares low-end duties with Cheikh. We augmented our already large band with a horn section and background singers on a few songs as well. The album is nine songs ¾ five vocal, four instrumental ¾ all original, no covers.” But perhaps Tizer’s most intriguing choice of secret weapon for Amplify is bringing American Idol star Elliott Yamin to handle the vocal material. “Elliott’s first album had that platinum hit single “Wait For You.” He’s very much a throwback to a blue-eyed soul kind of vibe and it was amazing to be able to bring him into the band. This project was a little outside his stylistic wheelhouse because it is a bit more adventurous harmonically. I think he was a little intimidated by the music early on but he’s such a remarkably gifted singer and he’s just singing his butt off. He’s turned out to be unbelievable in this project and the band. He’s super gung-ho about it too, which is great. I couldn’t have asked for a better fit!” With these continuing steps over boundaries into new stylistic territory, one might wonder if Tizer has any trepidation about alienating the core base of jazz listeners he’s built up over time. Quite the contrary, it seems. “I love that longstanding boundaries in music are getting broken down. Artists like Snarky Puppy, Robert Glasper, and Kamasi Washington have proven this theory that I’ve long held: If you have music that’s melodic and grooves, you can win over a very broad array of listeners.” Indeed, Tizer testifies to having seen the evidence firsthand. “There’s been a really cool renaissance and rebirth with all these genre-defying artists and I’ve seen a shift in the crowd at our shows too. There’s a lot of 20 and 30-somethings coming out, and that’s so cool. That’s what the future audience is going to be. If we want to have long careers like our predecessors, we need to have our peers and younger listeners connect to this music and follow it.” With eyes set on the future and a willingness to keep exploring, Tizer’s simplest ethos perhaps sums it up best: “I say forget the boundaries. Just make good music and try to connect with as many listeners as you can.

Bill Warfield, a dynamic and innovative composer, bandleader and trumpeter, has energized audiences, performers and writers for over four decades. Warfield’s most recent accomplishments are two highly regarded recordings including “Mercy Mercy Mercy”, recorded on the BluJazz label by the Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra in 2015 and “Trumpet Story” with Randy Brecker on Planet Arts Records, recorded in 2014. These recordings are a celebration of the composer’s formative musical experiences. The two groups perform Jazz selections based on the genres of funk, Latin Jazz, and Hard Bop, all arranged by Warfield. He holds an M.M. in Jazz Commercial Trumpet Performance from the Manhattan School of Music where he received the William H. Borden Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Jazz/Commercial Music, The Carmine Caruso Award for Outstanding Musicality and Trumpet Performance and the Maynard Ferguson Scholarship. In 1990 he participated in the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, directed by Bob Brookmeyer and Manny Albam.

Guitarist Akira Ishiguro studied Jazz performance and composition at Berklee College of Music. Since graduating in 2006, he has been entrenched in the New York City jazz scene.     Tour life has taken him to Japan, Chile, Coasta Rica, Canada, and much of Europe. He has six albums as a leader or co-leader and has appears in over 20 records.   He has shared the stage with Myron Walden, Nate Smith, Ari Hoenig, Mark Guiliana, Takuya Kuroda, Maria Schneider, Dayna Stephens, Jason Lindner, Henry Hey, Will Vinson, John Zorn, George Garzone, Christian McBride, Joe Martin, Matt Penman, Seamus Blake and many more.     Ishiguro’s accolades include grand prize in the 2013 Wilson Center Guitar Festival and Competition, and first prize “Public’s Choice” as well as overall second place in the 2009 Gibson guitar competition as part of the Montreux Jazz Festival.    His latest album “BON” was released in August 2024. 

International Recorded artist, composer, educator, and bandleader Jonathan Barber was voted the #1 Up-and-Coming Drummer of 2018 in Modern Drummer. Barber has already recorded and toured worldwide with such artists as Pat Metheny, Erykah Badu, Nicholas Payton, Buster Williams, Jimmy Greene, Jeremy Pelt, Wallace Roney, Terrace Martin, Jennifer Holiday, Harold Mabern, Steve Davis, J.D. Allen, The Brooklyn Philharmonic and many more. In addition to his first-call status as a sideman, Barber has recently stepped forth as a composer and leader with his Vision Ahead band. Even with Barber’s history of high-profile gigs and recordings taken into consideration, DownBeat magazine gave his latest album “Legacy Holder” 4.5 stars. Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead is a powerful declaration of intent for a band that’s been making waves on the modern jazz scene. Barber’s blend of classic, swinging jazz with elements of gospel, rock, soul, and fusion is a compelling showcase of Barber’s broad stylistic range as a drummer, performer, and composer. Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead was featured and headlined the 2018 Rainy Days Jazz Festival held in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, 2019 Hartford Jazz Festival, and the 2020 Clifford Brown Jazz Festival. During Spring 2020, Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead completed their first national tour performing throughout the West-Coast. Being an independent artist Jonathan Barber just released his third album with Vision Ahead entitled “Live at Jazz Standard” which is exclusively on Bandcamp. Also stepping into the role as a Drum Clinician, Barber toured as a solo clinician in Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina) and China (Kumming, Loyung, Hefei, Nanjing, Beijing). Barber endorses Ludwig Drums, Istanbul Agop Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Promark Drumsticks, and Sunhouse Percussion. In this episode, Jonathan shares his background, education, and musical journey.

New York City-based pianist, singer-songwriter, and composer Cestari creates a world that melds the sounds of jazz, pop, classical, latin, and free improvisation together. With rich vocals, vivid lyricism, and a powerful approach to the piano, Cestari's music takes on various inspirations that have merged into one distinct sound. Studying Music Business at NYU, Cestari aims to use his knowledge to share evocative, captivating, and impactful stories. In conjunction with the release of his debut album “In A Moment”, Cestari organized “MOMENTS”, a 90-minute concert on young adult life, mental health, and acceptance, which premiered all the music off the album with an 11-piece ensemble as well as never-before-seen music videos at the renowned DiMenna Center for Classical Music. As written in RAG Magazine, “[Cestari has] so many different undertones that range from a cinematic and almost haunting approach to a pop-coated singer-songwriter style [that] also incorporates just about everything in between.” However, this is only the start as Cestari continues to work and grow as one of the most dynamic voices in the New York music scene.

With 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 Being in Love,” the delightful Rodgers and Hart gem, “This Can’t Be Love,” the Latin-vibed “L.O.V.E.” that elicits dancing), two vocalese numbers (Jon Hendricks’ take on one-time Jazz Messenger composer Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin’,” Mark Murphy’s swinging run through Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay”), the full-energy pop vibe on Billy Ocean’s hit “Suddenly,” the calming Michel Legrand tune “I Will Wait for You” made famous from the Frank Sinatra songbook. “I grew up dancing hip-hop, I made a transition to something that I could do for a longer time in my life,” says Dokes. “I switched to Lindy Hop also known as swing dancing. I came to singing later in my life, but I gravitated to the music I was most passionate about—the eras of the ‘40s, ‘50s, early ‘60s. I started picking songs that really moved me. Dokes’ last two albums were quintet affairs. For Our Day, he convened a nonet that includes members of the New York-based George Gee Swing Orchestra where he launched his career as a vocalist. (He documented that with his debut album, John Dokes Sings, George Gee Swings.) Key to the album’s success is the arranging of Gee’s musical director trombonist David Gibson. “Dave is a great arranger,” Dokes says. “He provides layers for the nonet where everyone has a chance to shine on solos as he fills up the space with his lines.” Now, with his fourth album, Dokes has fully arrived. There’s not a dull moment on Our Day. He opens with “Our Day Will Come.” “It’s a love song,” Dokes says. but it’s also an opening from the past. Now is our time. Now is our day. It’s really a song about us as a band coming back together.” Originally, Dokes was in the midst of fashioning a trilogy of quintet recordings (2017’s Forever Reasons and 2019’s True Love on Ian Hendrickson-Smith’s Rondette Jazz label). While the third album is still in the works, a couple of events intervened. “I got derailed,” says Dokes. “First, my drummer Lawrence Leathers died after True Love came out. I moved to Chicago with my wife and two children. Then there was the pandemic that changed how I was looking at the future. I had to restart my brain. I decided to work on some of my material that had never been recorded. I contacted George Gee and he was working on his nonet’s Christmas album in May 2023, so we combined that with David arranging my album. It was a back-to-back operation of small big bands.” The nonet comprises saxophonists Anthony Nelson Jr. and Michael Hashim, multi-reeds player Patience Higgins, trumpeters Freddie Hendrix and Andy Gravish, Gibson on trombone. pianist Steve Einerson, bassist Malik McLaurine and drummer Chris Latona. A native of Little Rock, Arkansas who grew up living in Oakland, California, Dokes never dreamed of becoming a professional singer even though he was fascinated by black-and-white reruns of Nat Coles’ short-lived 15-minute network television show that ran on NBC in 1956. “I watched them nonstop before I ever thought about singing,“ Dokes says. “But there was his elegance, his smoothness, his ease. That resonated with me. And it informed how I approach my singing today. I don’t dive into a lot of vocal acrobatics - but like some of my favorite acrobatic and non-acrobatic singers I like to lean in and tell the story to connect with my audience.” His father was steeped in music while Dokes was growing up. He played Nat King Cole albums in the house, and he was in an r&b band in the Bay Area in the ‘70s that often opened for soul/r&b stars of the day like The Whispers and The Stylistics. He moved to New York and became a regular at swing dance shows including dates by the George Gee Swing Orchestra. One of his dance partners was the legendary Lindy Hopper, cabaret star, alto sax player Dawn Hampton, the cousin of jazz hero Lionel Hampton and sister of legendary trombonist and composer Slide Hampton. She told him that she really liked his voice when he was dancing. “If Dawn likes my voice, I’m going to surprise her one night and sing a couple of songs with George’s band. George only knew me as a dancer. He saw my potential and asked me to join the band. That built my confidence and gave me the path to get better.”

Almost 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 compositions, but by 1993 he found himself seeking outlets for his compositions in other styles and forms.  After playing with a plethora of combos and experimenting with many great local musicians he formed Naked On The Floor and eventually The Naked Orchestra. Naked on the Floor (quintet) and the Naked Orchestra (18-24 piece creative orchestra) play Freilich's original compositions exclusively and still play regularly in New Orleans. He has appeared at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 24 times as well as headlining the Berlin Jazz Festival with NOKAS. He has appeared at numerous other festivals inside and outside the country including Bonnaroo, the Ann Arbor Jazz Festival, The American Folklife festival at the Washington Monument, collaborations with poet, Andrei Codrescu at the Holocaust museum in NYC and many others. Other notable work includes appearances with Sam Rivers, Burton Greene, Marshall Allen, The Wild Magnolias and backing songwriters such as Robbie Robertson. He has done arrangements for a wide range of recordings from, Peter Stampfel to Hal Willner’s presentation of U@ doing music of T-Rex. He is featured on over 21 recordings ranging from Klezmer to Afro-Cuban and avant-garde orchestra music. Recently he put out two CD’s of a large orchestra playing his original compositions, a small group, and played on Marianne Faithfull’s latest release.  Many of these recordings are either Big Easy or Offbeat entertainment award winners across a number of categories.  He also has music featured in films and TV shows (Andy Richter conquers the Universe, The Dukes of Hazzard(Warner Home Video) as well as commercials for companies such as Southwest Airlines and Mercedes.    n 2016 he produced and arranged an album, NOLA? for legendary Basque artist, Fermin Muguruza. Rearrangements of Muguruza’s classic work utilizing the great players and sounds of New Orleans. That led to a very successful European run for the Basque New Orleans Orchestra. Other arranging credits include Hal Wilner and U2 tribute to T. Rex and Grammy Award winner, Peter Stampfel’s 100 songs of the 20th century project.      His work includes 4 completed and performed operatic works: a comic-satirical opera, Bang the Law, about a couple of New Orleans lawyers and their movements through New Orleans class detritus after Hurricane Katrina, a two movement orchestral fantasy about Elias Cannetti at carnival, formation of a new quintet to play new original compositions, an octet reduction of Peter and the Wolf for a New Orleans Contemporary Art Center/Guggenheim foundation presentation; a second opera, ee me & cummings thee which premiered in New Orleans in Nov. 2011.   2019 saw the completion of two operas. One a hyper-collaborative project with writer, Bernard Pearce, The Coronation, on the selecting of queen bees. In June 2019 he wrote an operetta on the Dirty Letters of James Joyce to Nora Barnacle, titled Darling, Please do not be offended at what I wrote.  He is the subject of the one hour radio documentary Jonathan Freilich’s Freedom Double-O Naked Klezmer Jazz Latin Boogaloo: The Radio Documentary by award winning documentarian, David Kunian and was the 2008 Louisiana Governors’ Music Fellowship Award recipient.  This year he figured as a Rising Star guitarist in Downbeat’s Critics Poll.  Freilich was born Oct.13, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pa.  He spent most of his early years, up until a late teenager in London, England before moving to Los Angeles in 1985.  Thereafter, he moved to Santa Cruz, Ca in 1987 before the 1989 move to New Orleans.  Currently, he is residing in Los Angeles after completing further studies in composition at California Institute of the Arts. Aside from music, Freilich is also a certified Iyengar yoga instructor and co-owner of a studio in New Orleans for many years.

NYC 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 Randy Brecker, Roy Hargrove, Donald Brown, Tom Harrell, Paul Motion, Mick Goodrick and Kenny Barron to Dave Douglas, Fred Hersch, Leni Stern, Louis Cole, Jane Bunnett, David Binney, Ralph Alessi, Ben Monder, Anthony Braxton, Karaikudi Mani, V. M. Bhatt, Navin Chettri and Wadada Leo Smith. Though focusing primarily on jazz, she’s been involved in several projects performing classical, new music, Brazilian and Latin music. Receiving critical praise for seven CD's as a leader, with most making several “Best CDs of the Year” lists and four stars from DownBeat, her recently-released What Times Are These received five stars in DownBeat. Inch By Inch (GM Recordings), by the cooperative band Yard Byard: The Jaki Byard Project (w/Jerome Harris, George Schuller), also received four stars from DownBeat. Jamie has appeared on over 40 recordings as a sidewoman including those by Dave Binney, George Colligan, Ursel Schlicht, Frank Carlberg, Patrizia Scascitelli, Taylor Haskins, Monika Herzig, Louise Rogers, Sarah McKenzie, Steve Lampert, Brian Landrus, Laura Andel, Judi Silvano, Shigeko Suzuki, James Hall, etc. Ms. Baum’s many awards and grants for composing and touring include the 2022 Cafe Royale Recording Grant, 2021 South Arts Jazz Road Touring Grant, 2020 International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers (ISJAC) Covid Relief Commission, Foundation for Contemporary Arts 2020, 2020 Chamber Music America Jazz Presenter Consortium, 2018 USArtists International Touring Grant, 2017 New Music USA Project Grant, and a 2014 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. Baum was selected as a 2014-15 Norman Stevens Fellow/MacDowell resident and has since been awarded residencies again at MacDowell (2021), at UCross (2015), and at VCCA (2020). She won the '99 International Jazz Composers Alliance Award, 2010 CAP Award (American Music Center), the 2003 New Works: Creation and Presentation Award and the 2007 Encore Award, both components of the Doris Duke/CMA Jazz Ensembles Project. Ms. Baum has been in the DownBeat Critics Polls annually since 1998, making #1 “Rising Star Flutist” in ’12, #2 “Flutist” in ’19, and #3 “Flutist” in ’20. She was named a "Major New International Talent” in 2015 lists by both “Musica Jazz” and “Jazzit” (Italy), was #2 “Flutist of the Year” in the 2018 Eleventh Annual International Critics Poll and tied for 4th place with Hubert Laws in the 2018 JazzTimes Critics Poll. Jamie was included in Huffington Post’s "Twenty-five Great Jazz Flute Performances”, nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association for “Flutist of the Year“ fourteen times, and The Jamie Baum Septet+ was nominated in 2014 "Best Midsize Ensemble" - in the same list with only two other bands -The Wayne Shorter Quartet and Steve Coleman’s Five Elements! Media attention for her recent CD, Bridges, and previously released, In This Life, brought features on WBGO’s RADAR and NPR’s All Things Considered, reviews in The New York Times, DownBeat, JazzTimes, All About Jazz, etc.. and two hour-long feature/retrospectives on major German and Czech public radio shows. Bridges was voted #4 in the 2018 JazzTimes Readers Poll for “Best New Release,” and In This Life was in the "Best CDs of 2013” lists including Boston Globe, iTunes, and Francis Davis' NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. Recently, Baum was included in the JazzTimes 10: Essential Jazz Flute Albums (2019), 3 Questions for Today’s Jazz Musicians by Lilian Dericq, Cricket Publishers (Paris), the “Woodshed” in DownBeat, January 2019, and was the flutist on “The Essence of the Blues -- Flute: 10 Great Etudes for Playing and Improvising, Book & CD”, (Jim Snidero “play-along” series, 2019). Through a highly competitive auditioning process, Jamie was chosen to tour for the DOS/Kennedy Center Jazz Ambassador program from ’99 -’03 in South America and South Asia. The US State Department also sponsored later shorter tours, in addition to several isolated US Embassy-sponsored programs while Baum was on her tours in Europe and South Asia. Baum’s two main active projects featuring her compositions include The Jamie Baum Septet+, together since 1999, and her Short Stories band marking five years by performing at the 2020 Winter Jazzfest. In addition, she co-leads Yard Byard: The Jaki Byard Project and is involved in several other projects either as co-leader or side-woman, including The Richie Beirach/Jamie Baum Duo and NYC Jazz Flutes. Baum has been on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music Jazz Arts department at since 2006, on the adjunct faculty roster at the New School University since 2004, and taught at Berklee College of Music (2011-2013). Summer jazz programs Baum has taught composition, improv, and flute technique, and coached ensembles at including the Stanford Jazz Workshop Institute, Litchfield Jazz Camp, Maryland Jazz Camp, etc. A clinician for Altus Flutes/KHS America since 1993, they have sponsored her innovative, pioneering workshop "A Fear Free Approach to Improvisation for the Classically-Trained Musician” TM, "A Fear Free Approach to Composition for the Improvising Musician” TM and “Flute Technique for Doublers” at colleges, conservatories, festivals, flute clubs and “music and art” schools worldwide.  

With 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 Xenia Wiest and costume designer Melanie Frost, first collaborated on TO BE CONTINUED (aka “Continuum” 2009) which was commissioned and performed 18 times over two seasons to great acclaim by Staatsballett Berlin. In 2016 this ballet won the Grande Prixe (1st prize) at the Berritz International Choreographic Competition, and the music was a finalist/winner of the Kaleidescope 2020 international composers competition (with over 8,000 submissions). The latest production is in the 2022/23 season by Ballet X Schwerin in Germany.  During the pandemic the same creative team featuring Xenia Wiest collaborated on “Nacht Ohne Morgen” with Xenia also as the ballet director of Ballett X Schwerin (Germany),  receiving rave reviews and 13 performances in the 2021/22 season, plus 4 additional performances in the 2022/23 season. Other notable ballet works include three productions of MADAME X (1999, 2003, 2019), featuring American Ballet Theater principal Marcelo Gomes, and NY City Ballet principals Abi Stafford and Ask La Cour; FIRE & AIR, premiered at The Kennedy Center with Mr. Soluri conducting; and FANCY NANCY, based on the hit children’s books. Mr. Soluri’s ballets have been performed by STAATSBALLETT BERLIN (Germany), BALLET DE L'OPÉRA NATIONAL DE BORDEAUX (France), BALLETT X SCHWERIN (Germany), INTERMEZZO DANCE CO (New York City), DANCES PATRELLE (New York City), BOWEN McCAULEY DANCE (DC), and CUYAHOGA VALLEY YOUTH BALLET (OH). In opera, Mr. Soluri was a finalist with librettist Deborah Brevoort for ALBERT NOBBS in the 2018 Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize who then commissioned and work-shopped a 20-minute excerpt in September 2016. In January 2018 ALBERT NOBBS was showcased as part of Opera America's "New Works Forum," with two new scenes added, and won the 2019 Frontiers Competition at FORT WORTH OPERA (FWO). His one-act opera EMBEDDED, commissioned by AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER, also won the 2013 Frontiers Competition at FWO, and had its fully staged world premiere in March 2014 at FARGO-MOORHEAD OPERA, followed by six performances at FWO in their Spring 2016 season where the NY Times praised "Mr. Soluri’s skillfully scored music…” Mr. Soluri is also known for his series of 10 minute comic operas which have performed around the world, four of which have premiered at CARNEGIE HALL. With nearly a dozen productions, his most performed short opera is the dark comedy FIGARO’s LAST HANGOVER. The sequel, FIGARO & THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE was commissioned & premiered by FWO in 2013. His opera INFERNO was featured in the prestigious ‘2003 VOX Showcasing American Composers’ by NEW YORK CITY OPERA. In addition, Mr. Soluri’s operas have been performed by VIENNE EN VOIX FESTIVAL, NEVADA OPERA, CENTER CITY OPERA THEATER, URBAN ARIAS, OPERA ON TAP, UNIVERSITY OF ALBANY, RTB, JUVENTAS, and L'ARIETTA SINGAPORE. Mr. Soluri has also composed numerous film scores, has a vast library of music for film/TV, and a film trailer that showed on 19,000 film screens in the US. Other projects include orchestrating and arranging for the EMMY AWARD winning WONDERPETS, with Sean Lennon on the film score for ALTER EGOS, and scoring the indie short HOSTILE TAKEOVER (2018). Additionally, he has hundreds of cues in various film/tv music production libraries (including SONY/ATV, ReelTracks, and ScoreKeepers), which has been featured worldwide on various TV shows and networks, such as TLC, LOGO and DISCOVERY - including hit shows like NBC's "World of Adventure Sports" and "America's Got Talent." Other works include various chamber and orchestral commissions, including an orchestral overture commissioned by GULF COAST SYMPHONY with multiple performances in their 2014/15 season. Holding dual citizenship in the US and Portugal, Mr. Soluri was born in Brazil, and raised in NYC attending a Montessori School (in Milan & NYC) and later Rudolf Steiner (a Waldorf School). At Bennington College Mr. Soluri studied composition with Tobias Picker and Alan Shawn, then received a BM in classical composition from Manhattan School of Music as a scholarship recipient studying with Aaron J. Kernis and Nils Vigeland. He received a MM in composition from Univ. of Louisville where he held the Moritz von Bomhard Fellowship for Opera Composition. Additionally, he was selected for various prestigious programs including the first “class” of the Composer Librettist Development Program by ALT, the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop in Hollywood, and VOX Showcasing American Composer by New York City Opera. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

AARON 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 contributed to a Broadway-optioned musical, a BAFTA-nominated video game, and a New York Times Bestselling book. His love of vocal music, obsession with language, and penchant for interweaving musical genres can be heard throughout his body of work. Jensen is the Artistic Director of Countermeasure and the Artistic Director Emeritus of SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival. COUNTERMEASURE: Since forming in 2010, this twelve-person vocal group has enjoyed sell-out concerts across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Italy, and Japan. Countermeasure has recorded with GRAMMY and JUNO award-winning artists including Larnell Lewis, Cindy Cashdollar, and The Barenaked Ladies. They've shared the stage with artists such as Corey Hart, Alan Frew, The Swingle Singers, and Naturally 7. Their albums have been recognized with awards and nominations by the international CARA Awards (Best Album, Best Song), the John Lennon Songwriting Competition (Best Jazz Song), and the Independent Music Awards (Best A Cappella Song). Countermeasure has recently released their 4th studio album, Orchestral Sessions. They are excited to launch their performance season with symphony orchestras in 2025-2026. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Jose 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 talent, Jose Miguel could’ve easily pushed forward with sounds and genres most familiar to today’s generation. Instead, he pushed the rewind button and stayed true to his roots of jazz standards and big band music. However, that’s not to claim that jazz is a genre of the past. Its resurgence first broke into the scene again through artists like Laufey, Stephen Sanchez, and Bruno Major who have been gaining massive streaming numbers and popularity, especially on social media platforms like TikTok. If you still believe that jazz is just old-fashioned music, Jose Miguel is on a mission to reverse that notion. Today’s audience is a critical bunch–they like music that speaks deeply to them and support artists that they can easily connect and resonate with. They see through the honesty and relatability of music. That’s what matters to them and luckily, that’s what Jose Miguel is all about. The album is comparable to a diary–expressing intrusive thoughts, sharing exciting moments, and displays of overthinking anything and everything. In other words, simply writing from the soul. Jose Miguel mentions that all the songs were inspired by real life experiences that left an impact on him, and translated into sophisticated and polished ways of storytelling. Paired with the stories are masterful melodies and refined instrumentals that represent the sounds of the golden age but still incorporating touches of sounds from today, so there’s something for everyone. The best way to interpret the album is that it's an old soul living in the new. Jose Miguel hopes the album resonates with the listeners lyrically and sonically and enjoys it with a little singing and dancing. It’s a dream come true to finally share the music with everybody and he hopes to also give confidence to those people who want to pursue their dreams and raise the flag of homegrown Filipino talent.

Brian 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, classical, and chamber music idioms. Brian has received critical acclaim as a soloist from international competitions including the J.J. Johnson Jazz Trombone Competition, the ATW Jazz Trombone Competition, and the Gilberto Gagliardi Tenor Trombone Competition, amongst others. Brian maintains a studio of private students and is equally passionate about creating new and interesting educational resources. Additionally, Brian is regularly on the faculty for various jazz camps and presents masterclasses widely. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Lawrence 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. His debut album featuring his trio and solo playing, “To the Surface”, was released to critical acclaim on February 2, 2024. Veteran saxophone icon Joe Lovano – with his unerring ear for youthful talent – has become one of the pianist’s biggest fans. Fields is a member of several bands led or co-led by Lovano: his Classic Quartet (originally featuring Lewis Nash and George Mraz in the rhythm section); the Sax Supreme Quartet (with Chris Potter); and his Sound Prints quintet with trumpeter Dave Douglas. The Wall Street Journal praised Fields’ “elegant, probing” solos with Sound Prints, while The New York Times noted that he is “integral to the band’s plunging, changeable style.” A modern-minded bandleader from the younger generation also relies on Fields, as he mans the piano and keyboards for the Christian Scott Group. Referencing his role on acoustic and electric pianos in the trumpeter’s band, NextBop said: “Fields remains a constant lyrical presence on the keys – innovative, expressive, supportive, able to soar like a bird in his solos. He never fails to impress.” Fields has collaborated with Christian Scott on several albums — including co-writing and co-producing 3 songs on the Grammy-nominated The Emancipation Procrastination (Ropeadope, 2017), as part of his work on Christian’s Centennial Trilogy with releases Diaspora and Ruler Rebel. He features prominently in the piano and keyboard chairs on Christian’s Grammy-nominated live recording Axiom (2020), as well as the Grammy-nominated Ancestral Recall (2019), and the Stretch Music (Ropeadope, 2015) and Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah (Concord, 2012) albums. With Lovano and Douglas, the pianist features on Sound Prints’ two critically-acclaimed studio releases: Other Worlds (2021), and Scandal (2018, Greanleaf) — selected by The Guardian as their #1 jazz album of 2018, as well as one of Rolling Stone’s top 20 jazz albums of the year. Fields also plays on the live album Sound Prints: Live at Monterey Jazz Festival (Blue Note, 2015), which featured two brand-new compositions written for the ensemble by the legendary Wayne Shorter. He appears on the album Marsalis Music Honors Alvin Batiste (2007) alongside Branford Marsalis, Herlin Riley and Russell Malone, as well as on drummer Terri Lyne Carrington’s More to Say (a 2009 disc for which he served as a pianist, keyboardist, and composer-producer). Fields also appears on releases by drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Steve Slagle. The pianist has been a member of the Watts band, as well as that of trumpeter Nicholas Payton. In addition to performing onstage with the likes of Payton, Watts, Marsalis, and Carrington, Fields has appeared with star bassist Christian McBride, drummer Nate Smith, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, and bassist Robert Hurst, among others. Lawrence's playing is also featured on Christopher North's score for the new Sam Pollard documentary "Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes", which premiered in Fall 2023 on PBS' American Masters television series.

Born 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 Young People program. She is the recipient of DownBeat magazine’s Best College Graduate Jazz Vocalist and Outstanding Soloist awards in the jazz vocal category. Most recently, Ms. Dashiell appeared on season three of NBC’s The Sing-Off, as a member of Afro Blue. She can be heard on several nationally released recordings including John Blake’s Motherless Child, The Jolley Brothers’ memoirs Between Brothers, and as a Kennedy Center Discovery Artist on NPR’s JazzSet hosted by Dee Dee Bridgewater. She has since performed in concert with Esperanza Spalding, Fred Hammond, Smokey Robinson, Geri Allen, and Allan Harris. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Lois 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 throughout the United States and internationally, written and lectured on music, arts, and culture, and co-hosted a radio show. She has produced five recordings as a leader:  Roots: Jazz/Blues/Spirituals,  Closure, Holy Night, Sunrise, and Hymn to Freedom: Homage to Oscar Peterson, which garnered international accolades including selection as one of the Top 10 CDs of 2008 by JazzTimes Magazine’s Owen Cordle. Lois has shared the stage with legendary musicians such as pianists, Willie Pickens, Ellis Marsalis, Ernest Turner, and Chip Crawford; drummer Ed Thigpen; trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and saxophonist Branford Marsalis as well as emerging jazz luminaries. 

Vinnie 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 coming later in 2023, featuring Loren Stillman, Brandon Seabrook, and Eivind Opsvik. He is part of several collectives, including Ember, with Caleb Curtis and Noah Garabedian with a new album out August 2023, the Choir Invisible, with Chris Tordini and Charlotte Greve, and Landline, featuring Chet Doxas, Jacob Sacks, and Zack Lober. Additionally, he is a member of Matt Bauder’s Hearing Things, the Hank Roberts Sextet, Michael Formanek’s Drome Trio, and many other NYC-based groups. He tours regularly with the Mark Morris Music Ensemble, led by Ethan Iverson, playing Iverson’s scores and arrangements. Also a committed writer, Sperrazza’s Substack entitled Chronicles has been active since October 2022 and features over 40 in-depth articles focused on the history of jazz and jazz drumming, with deep dives on well-known and lesser-known figures including Pete LaRoca, Ralph Peterson, and Phillip Wilson, among many others. An experienced clinician, Sperrazza’s teaching emphasizes fundamentals and awareness, principles upon which he’s built his musical life.

Shai 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 to seek mentorship from world-renowned musicians, such as trumpeter Avishai Cohen, saxophonist Eli Degibri, and composer Yoni Rechter. As their mentee, Shai developed his unique voice as a composer and improviser. During his Bachelor’s, he played in different musical groups, such as The Haifa Big Band, and The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and became an in-demand guitarist in the Israeli music scene. These experiences led Shai to start his band, play his original compositions, and perform in clubs and festivals both in Israel and abroad. Driven by his passion for jazz music, Shai relocated from Israel to NYC to pursue his music graduate studies and to be a part of the local jazz scene in the city. In 2021, Shai was granted a Master’s in music from Queens College, an institution with internationally acclaimed musicians, such as Antonio Hart, Mike Moreno, David Berkman, and Michael Mossman. After setting foot in NYC, Shai has been performing as a sideman in different bands and as a leader. His debut album, First Fall, was released in October 2023 and features his original compositions. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Award-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-possession have enabled her to achieve a rare feat: creating a world music album that feels like home. At the heart of the 12-song album is “sodade,” an idiomatic word that doesn’t have a strict English definition, but connotes a melancholy sense of transience that permeates Cape Verde, its music, and its free-spirited island population. “In this paradise in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I found a sense of home that has eluded me for much of my 37 years,” Shah says. She continues: “When I look back, I realize that upon hearing Cesária’s voice nearly a decade ago, she was summoning me down a path I must continue walking in search of sodade.” Shah is a global citizen and cultural interlocutor whose work involves deep engagement with the jazz tradition, while also addressing and advancing its global sensibilities. She is a lifelong New Yorker of Indian origin hailed for possessing an “amazing dexterity for musical languages” (NPR). Shah speaks 9 languages—she is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and French—and incorporates ethnographic research into original music. She has researched traditional music practices in Brazil, West Africa, East Africa, Turkey, and India. To support her work, Shah has earned grants from the Jerome Foundation, Chamber Music America, Asian Cultural Council, and New Music USA. Shah holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Harvard, and a Master’s in Jazz Voice from Manhattan School of Music. To date, Shah’s projects include Visions (2014), co-produced by Lionel Loueke; Folk Songs of Naboréa, which premiered at the Park Avenue Armory in 2017; and Interplay in duo with François Moutin, which was nominated in 2018 for France’s Victoires de la Musique for Jazz Album of the Year. Shah regularly performs her music at major concert halls, festivals, and clubs on six continents. 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, performed and arranged for dozens of artists across Greater China, including David Tao陶喆, Li Ronghao 李榮浩， Matzka馬斯卡, Leah Dou竇靖童, Maobuyi 毛不易， Karen Mok莫文蔚， A-Lin, Kevin Sun and more. He graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he studied Jazz performance with Robin Eubanks. Hsieh plays Denis Wick mouthpieces and the Adams F5 Flugelhorn. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Terence 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, performed and arranged for dozens of artists across Greater China, including David Tao陶喆, Li Ronghao 李榮浩， Matzka馬斯卡, Leah Dou竇靖童, Maobuyi 毛不易， Karen Mok莫文蔚， A-Lin, Kevin Sun and more. He graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he studied Jazz performance with Robin Eubanks. Hsieh plays Denis Wick mouthpieces and the Adams F5 Flugelhorn. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

MaryLynn 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 touring took them to some of the best venues in the country - The Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Blues Alley in DC, New York Jazz clubs, and Boston Globe Jazz Festival, to name a few. Her experience working within this environment gives MaryLynn a rich history in the Jazz idiom. MaryLynn’s return to singing began about 11 years ago. She performs locally at Suter Du Bose’s Caffe Sole and in Denver with different musical configurations. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Nicole 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, co-produced with eight-time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride, was released July 7th, 2023, featuring all original music. It was nominated for BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM for the 2024 GRAMMY® awards…. holy cow. Besides leading her quartet, Nicole is the premier vocalist for the Birdland Big Band and frequently headlines iconic NYC jazz clubs like Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, Birdland, the Blue Note, the Carlyle, 54 Below, and the late, great 55 Bar. She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Savannah Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony, and Macon Pops. She has supported iconic singers like Melanie, Morgan James, Darren Criss, and Livingston Taylor on piano and vocals.  Nicole's arrangement of Dolly Parton's Jolene, co-written with renowned drummer and bandleader Dan Pugach, was nominated for a 2019 GRAMMY®, springboarding her career and making her a household name in the modern-day jazz landscape. In 2020, she was named in the top 40 under 40 for 2020 in Connecticut Magazine, and her weekly live stream during the COVID-19 crisis, "Virtual Piano Lounge," was featured in Forbes Magazine.  Nicole has collaborated with an extensive list of luminaries, including Christian McBride, David Cook, Gilad Hekselman, Veronica Swift, Benny Benack, Stephen Feifke, Cyrille Aimee, Antonio Sanchez, Dave Stryker, Omar Hakim,  Rachel Z, Helen Sung, and Bernard Purdie. She is a proud educator and currently vocal faculty at NYU, SUNY Purchase, and the Litchfield Jazz Camp.  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 at www.improvexchange.com

Hailing 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 cosmopolitan essence of New York City. As the bandleader of the Sean Mason Quartet, Mason directs an ensemble celebrated for bringing to life his highly melodic, original compositions. Sean’s influence also extends beyond the stage. In 2022, his artistry gained national recognition through a feature on NPR’s Jazz Night in America, on the “Youngbloods” series. His versatile musical expressions also found a place in the soundtracks of Emmy-nominated Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre (2021) and Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020). In 2023, Mason released his debut album, “The Southern Suite,” on Blue Engine Records, the label of Jazz at Lincoln Center. This record firmly establishes Mason among the vanguard of jazz musicians, pushing the genre’s boundaries with innovative compositions. Since 2019, Mason has recorded and performed with acclaimed luminaries Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, and Catherine Russell. Through these collaborations, Mason has seamlessly weaved his jazz roots with blues and gospel influences, showcasing his remarkable musical dexterity. In a realm populated by accomplished artists, Sean Mason stands out as one who pays homage to tradition while fearlessly exploring new horizons in jazz. His melodies transcend mere notes, resonating with the soulful echoes of North Carolina, the rhythmic pulse of New York, and a mosaic of influences that collectively define his distinctive sound. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Kevin 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 in the U.S., Sun has performed extensively in China and previously served as the Artistic Director of the Blue Note China Jazz Orchestra from 2018 until 2020, leading performances of the BNCJO at the Blue Note Beijing with guest artists such as Rudresh Mahanthappa, Kris Davis, and Ingrid Jensen. He performs every Tuesday at Lowlands Bar in Brooklyn, where he has been in residence since September 2021 with support from Keyed Up!, a program of the nonprofit organization Jazz Generation. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

For 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. Zimbel has been professional percussionist since 1973 and has recorded more than 50 albums with artists such as Daniel Lanois, Cano, Ellen McIlwaine, Lorraine Segato, Lennie Gallant, Phil Dwyer, Lyne Tremblay, West Trainz, Nancy White etc. He has performed live with Leonard Cohen, Robert Paquette, France D’amour, Kevin Parent, Florence K, Ritchie Cole and many others. He has also been a music and broadcast producer and artistic director with credits that include The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction of Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn, Stephan Venne and Beau Dommage in 2017 at Massey Hall, The Pan Am Games opening in Toronto with Cirque du Soleil for CBC, Canada Day on Parliament Hill, 2001, 2005, 2011, Canada’s Cultural program at Expo 2005 in Japan and Dubai 2020 and album productions for Lyne Tremblay, Lorraine Segato, Phil Dwyer, Manteca, American Dumpster, Lennie Gallant and others. Manteca’s archives have been collected by the National Library of Canada since 1993. In addition to Zimbel’s work as a musician, he is a published writer, broadcaster, filmmaker and creator of original radio and television programs. In the fall of 2018 he created, wrote and hosted the 7 hour limited series for Jazz FM in Toronto called “Road Stories”. Matt has also co-created and hosted numerous prime-time national radio and television programs for CBC including (Café au Lait 93 & Rad Radio 95) and was awarded the Toronto ACTRA Award for best radio host in 1986 for his CKLN show “Breakfast of Champions”. In November of 2020 he launched the original podcast “Yes We Canada” which completed its’ first 26 episode season and is currently producing season two. Zimbel has hosted feature interviews with Leonard Cohen, Robbie Robertson, Buffy St. Marie, Emmy Lou Harris, Shirley Temple Black, k.d. Lang, Steve Allan, Etta James and author’s Ann Rice and James Michener among many others. He has written, directed and produced numerous documentaries, the most recent of which was the 2015 feature documentary “Zimbelism” on his father, the renowned photographer George Zimbel, which he co-directed with Jean Francois Gratton and which appeared in festivals all over the world including Beijing, Shanghai, London, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Salem and Toronto’s Hot Docs where it was a finalist for the audience award. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Hailing 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. Collaborating with esteemed musicians such as Randy Brecker, John Clayton, Jason Marsalis, Montez Coleman, Josh Lawrence, Donald Edwards, Boris Kozlov, Rudy Royston, and Art Hirahara, among others, Willie has had the privilege of immersing himself in diverse musical settings that have expanded his artistic horizons.   A testament to his extraordinary talent, Willie's debut album, "Conversation Starter" (Posi-Tone 2023), serves as a platform for showcasing his exceptional abilities. Teaming up with an exceptional band consisting of Patrick Cornelius, Jon Davis, Adi Meyerson, and EJ Strickland, the album embodies the depth and range of Willie's musical prowess. Through his soulful saxophone melodies and innovative compositions, Willie delivers a captivating listening experience that resonates with audiences on a profound level. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Born 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 - particularly classical music. Accordingly, she studied classical piano and classical composition at the State Conservatory of Ulaanbaatar before coming into contact with jazz through a program at the Goethe Institute. "It was then that a whole new world opened up to me," she says. "Suddenly I had the freedom to play what I heard in my heart, not just what was written in the notes. With her bachelor's degree in classical music in hand at age 20, she yearned to explore the world of jazz and eventually came to study at the Conservatory in Munich. A key moment. She earned two master's degrees both in Jazz Performance and in Jazz Composition, and most importantly was able to find and cultivate her own jazz voice.  Shuteen Erdenebaatar is a laureate of the prestigious BMW Young Artist Jazz Award 2022, the 1st Prize and the audience award for the legendary Young Munich Jazz Award, the Music Scholarship of the City of Munich 2022, the Composition Prize at the Biberach Prize 2022 and the 1st Prize at the Kurt Maas Jazz Prize 2021, among others. Her compositions have been played in the Munich Philharmonic Hall or in Studio 2 of the Bavarian National Radio. Furthermore, she has also been commissioned by Mongolia's most significant orchestras, such as the Bayan Mongol Big Band, the Mongolian State Philharmonic Orchestra or the Mongolian State Opera Symphony Orchestra.  Currently she is working as a composer and pianist on her own projects such as the Shuteen Erdenebaatar Quartet, the Lightville Duo, and as a conductor for her newly formed 20-piece, cross-genre Chamber Jazz Orchestra in Munich. In 2023, she signed a three-album agreement with the multi-Grammy award-winning New York label Motema Music, which includes all three of her current projects. The first album Rising Sun with her quartet was released on September 15, 2023.  About Rising Sun:  Erdenebaatar’s classical foundation is unmistakable throughout, displayed by her technical brilliance, stylistic finesse, and the thematic structure of her compositions. Enriched by expressive harmonies and rhythm variability, Erdenebaatar’s memorable melodies serve as a framework for her formidable band to stretch out. The quartet consists of a German cadre of fellow players from her university cohort, all now award-winning rising stars and bandleaders in their own right. Bassist Nils Kugelmann, whom Southern Germany’s leading daily paper The Süddeutsche Zeitung named “one of the best in his field”, is a rhythmically and melodically outstanding all-rounder. Drummer Valentin Renner is one of Germany’s busiest jazz drummers, currently the backbone of several notable jazz ensembles in the country. Finally, the creative and highly virtuosic  Anton Mangold rounds out the ensemble on saxophones and flutes. The quartet’s charismatic interplay is a highlight of the album. "It helped me a lot to know everyone well. I already had in mind who was playing each part when I was composing,” Erdenebaatar shares.  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 at www.improvexchange.com

Aline 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 that saw her curate a sold-out concert featuring female improvisers at the Canadian Music Centre. During the pandemic, she produced the documentary “Sounds of Davenport,” which aimed to showcase musicians in her community through a beautifully captured video-concert, supported by her political representatives. Homzy has performed at the TD International Toronto Jazz Festival, Festival international de Jazz de Montréal, Stockholm International Jazz Festival, and Daigu - South Korea- International Jazz Festival. She was a finalist for the 2022 Toronto Emerging Jazz Artist Award, and was awarded a distinguished fellowship to attend the prestigious Hambidge Artist Residency in Georgia, USA also in 2022. Her debut album Éclipse features her group “Aline’s étoile magique” and was released in August 2023, preceded by a 2023 Canadian jazz festival tour. In this episode, Aline shares her background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Saxophonist, 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 like JazzTimes, Jazziz, Downbeat & American Indian News & earned her a cover story in Saxophone Journal. Cassity's latest album, "Evolve," was recorded and distributed on her record label, Relsha Music. Selected to attend The Juilliard School Jazz program under full scholarship for a Masters in Music, Sharel earned her BFA from The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music in 2005. A skilled and versatile sideman, Sharel is a regular member of the Dizzy Gillespie Latin Experience, Nicholas Payton TSO, Cyrus Chestnut Brubeck Quartet, and the Jimmy Heath Big Band. She has also performed regularly alongside renowned Grammy-winning artists Roy Hargrove, Lewis Nash, Joe Chambers & Darcy James Argue. Sharel has toured 24 countries and performed at leading venues like the Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival & the North Sea Jazz Festival. Additionally, she has shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Jeremy Pelt and Natalie Cole. Sharel was lead alto in the Diva Jazz Orchestra from 2007-2014 and performed in Wynton Marsalis' Broadway musical After Midnight. In mainstream genres, Sharel joined Top 40 hit singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant on her recording "Paradise is Here." She has also performed with Aretha Franklin, Vanessa Williams, K.D. Lang, Fantasia, Trisha Yearwood, Seth MacFarland (Family Guy), Ruben Blades, and DJ Logic. Sharel appears in publications "I Walked with Giants" by Jimmy Heath, "AM Jazz: Three Generations Under the Lens" by Adrianna Mateo and "Freedom of Expression: Interviews with Women in Jazz" by Chris Becker. An alumnus of IAJE Sisters in Jazz, Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead, and the Ravinia Summer Residency, Sharel has received Downbeat Student Music Awards for Best Jazz Soloist, Composition, and Ensemble. As a classical pianist, Sharel placed third in the Disney International Piano Concerto Competition at the age of 10, among many other collegiate and state piano competitions. An accomplished classical saxophonist, Sharel was offered a full scholarship to North Texas State University for classical saxophone. Currently, Cassity has accepted a temporary full-time position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as Professor of Saxophone for the Fall 2019 semester. Additionally, she has three adjunct positions in the Chicago area at Elgin Community College, Columbia College, and DePaul University. Between 2016-17 Sharel taught internationally as the Woodwind Professor at Qatar Music Academy in Doha, Qatar.  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 at www.improvexchange.com

Pianist-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 Times, and Jazz Times best albums of 2016. Davis works as a collaborator and side person with artists such as John Zorn, Terri Lyne Carrington, Craig Taborn, Tyshawn Sorey, Eric Revis, Michael Formanek, Tony Malaby, Ingrid Laubrock, Julian Lage, Mary Halvorson and Tom Rainey. Davis received a Doris Duke Impact award in 2015 and multiple commissions to compose new works from The Shifting Foundation, The Jazz Gallery/Jerome Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts. She is the Associate Program Director of Creative Development for the Insitute Jazz and Gender Justice at Berklee College of Music. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Contemporary 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 Buckshot LeFonque. The solo Love Stories followed in early 2000. In this episode, Frank shares his background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Born 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 remained a fixture in the Jazz Messengers until Blakey’s passing in 1990. In 1991, Jackson made his recording debut with Me and Mr. Jones, featuring James Williams, Christian McBride, and master drummer Elvin Jones. He joined Jones’ group in 1992, appearing on the great drummer’s albums Youngblood and Going Home. Jackson’s 1994 Blue Note debut, When the Time Is Right, was a straight-ahead affair produced by iconic jazz vocalist and bandleader Betty Carter. His subsequent four recordings for the Blue Note label through the ‘90s were produced by Craig Street and featured wildly eclectic programs ranging from Caetano Veloso, Frank Zappa and Santana to Muddy Waters, Al Green and Serge Gainsbourg. His subsequent four recordings for the Palmetto label had him exploring a blend of funk, jazz and soul with such stellar sidemen as organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, guitarists Mark Whitfield and David Gilmore, trombonist Fred Wesley and drummer Lenny White. In 2009, Javon was commissioned by the Syracuse International Film Festival to compose a full-length score for the Alfred Hitchcock film, “The Lodger,” a silent movie based on the hunt for Jack the Ripper. The original score had its debut at the festival, performed live by Jackson’s band (featuring pianist Manasia) at the film’s screening in October 2010. In 2012, the saxophonist released a potent tribute to a towering influence, Celebrating John Coltrane, his inaugural release on his Solid Jackson Records which featured the venerable drummer and former Coltrane collaborator Jimmy Cobb. He followed later in 2012 with Lucky 13, which featured the great soul-jazz keyboardist Les McCann and included a mellow instrumental rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” along with a version of McCann’s 1969 hit, “Compared to What.” That same remarkably productive year, Jackson was the recipient of the prestigious Benny Golson Award from Howard University in Washington, D.C. for recognition of excellence in jazz. Jackson’s debut on the Smoke Sessions label, 2014’s Expression, was a live quartet recording from the Smoke Jazz & Supper Club in Upper Manhattan. On February 18, 2022, Javon will release, The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni, his fifth album for his Solid Jackson Records label. Jackson finished and received his undergraduate degree from the Berklee College of Music and obtained a master’s degree from the State University of New York at Purchase, where he also taught. In 2013, he accepted the position of Professor of Jazz Saxophone; Director of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz Studies at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music, Theatre and Dance. In this episode, Javon shares his background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

At 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 Mingus Orchestra since the millennium and has toured and recorded with Tom Harrell (Paradise on RCA). His own group, KALEIDOSCOPE whose CD, Live Grooves…Epic Tales is on the HiPNOTIC record label and features grooves from around the world including Brazil, Cuba, and New Orleans, and influences from blues, gospel, India, and the Middle East. This Spring and Summer celebrate the release of his opus, Upper West Side Love Story, a double CD of his 16-movement song cycle featuring an all-star nonet: Carla Cook – vocals, Regina Carter – violin, Donny McCaslin and Steve Wilson on saxophones and flutes, Gwen Laster and Akua Dixon filling out the string section on viola and cello with the grooving rhythm section of bassist John Benitez and drummer Alvester Garnett. In this episode, Freddie shares his background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Gabriela 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 musical path strongly. Martina’s upcoming album ‘Homage to Grämlis’ (delayed by Corona 2020), is a tribute to the farm in the Swiss Alps where she was raised. In spring of 2019 she won the LABgrant from The Boston Foundation, which gave her great support with her album production of ‘Homage to Grämlis’. In the fall of 2021, Martina had the great honor to receive the arts & culture award 2020 from the arts and culture commission Horw, her home town in Switzerland. She also received the DIPLÔME DE MÉDAILLE DE VERMEIL from the lauréats Arts-Sciences-Lettres, 2020, in Paris (France). During the time of the pandemic, Gabriela Martina has composed nine new compositions for her newest album called ‘STATES’. The word ‘States’ refers to the United States of America, but also to a ‘state of mind’, or simply a ‘state of being’. Sounds created with your voice and percussion/drumming as the first human musical elements. She has used them as the core elements for her compositions. Her works include wordplay, music with words (spoken word) and words with no meaning (gibberish). The release for this album is slated for 2024! Released in 2016 with a four-star review from DownBeat, her album, No White Shoes, represented a major step in the singer’s sojourn as a 21st-century musician. Martina had the opportunity to perform and collaborate with heavyweights like Meshell Ndegeocello, Jack DeJohnette, and Angelique Kidjo. She recorded with veteran drummer J.R. Robinson and was a semi-finalist in the Shure Voice Competition at the 2009 Montreux Jazz Festival, performing with guitarist Lee Ritenour’s band. Martina released a critically hailed EP in 2010, Curiosity, which included her original song “Ain’t Nobody,” a finalist in the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards in 2012. Martina owns her own booking agency called Red Velvet Sounds and is cofounder and curator of the free improv concert series In Momentum. In June 2019 she took part in the Central Swiss Yodeling Festival and graduated with top marks. She has also performed in concert venues such as the Berklee Performance Center, Jordan Hall, International Tennis Hall of Fame, State House of Flags and the Scullers Jazz Club. Gabriela has a bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music and a master's degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Donna McElroy, Jason Moran, Cecil McBee, Miguel Zenon, Frank Carlberg, Dominique Eade, Ken Schaphorst, Jerry Bergonzi among many others. Martina is passionate about learning more about other cultures, helping to develop a sense for community, and fighting inequality and racism. She is a strong advocate of causes that promote equal human rights independent of religious or political affiliations. From 2009 to 2010, Martina was the founder and president of the Cultural Leaders Club at Berklee College of Music, where students investigated causes and effects in terms of race, gender, and ethnicity issues. Sonic Relief, which Martina co-founded, was awarded the Berklee Urban Service Award 2016 for using music to aid people in need, such as organizing a humanitarian fundraising concert for Syrian refugees, featuring Simon Shaheen and the Lee Swensen Katz Trio in December 2015. Gabriela Martina has many hidden talents, one of them being cooking which she clearly proved through her cookbook she wrote during the desperate times of the pandemic 2020/2021 called ‘Dinner with My Neighbor’. In this episode, Gabriela shares her background, education, and musical journey.

“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 became involved in performing and recording r&b. But when I was completing the second CD in 2013, I kept on thinking about my last conversation with my Dad. It was as if he was reminding me about my promise. I decided that I would see if I had what it took to sing jazz.” Douye’ has since worked very hard at finding her own place in the jazz world. Rather than doing it halfway or merely copying the great jazz singers of the past, she was determined to study hard, learn a countless number of songs, and sing jazz in her own way. She paid close attention to the reactions of the audience and the musicians when she appeared at jazz jams at the World Stage in Los Angeles. “If I did not sound any good, they would certainly tell me! I gained the courage to give it a real try after getting some confirmation from the jazz crowd that I could do this.” Daddy Said So features Douye’ singing a set of classic jazz standards. Her voice is attractive, warm, and quietly emotional, has a solid sense of swing, and she clearly has a deep understanding of the lyrics. It is an awe-inspiring jazz debut for the up-and-coming singer. Rather than utilize the same group of musicians on each selection, a wide variety of brilliant jazz artists make memorable appearances throughout the release. Douye’ originally made demos of the songs that she planned to record, sent them to many of her favorite musicians, and happily discovered that every artist was interested in being on her project. Douye’ recorded “Nature Boy” as a duet with the immortal bassist Ron Carter. “It was funny. He suggested that we meet for the session at 11. I said, ‘Alright but I would be there at 10:30.’ Ron Carter replied that he would make it by 10:30 too. I arrived at the studio at 10:17 and he was already there! I think we were finished with ‘Nature Boy’ before 11.” “Mood Indigo” and “I Loves You Porgy” were recorded with veteran pianist Kenny Barron’s trio. “But Beautiful” and “All The Things You Are” feature a talented Nigerian tenor-saxophonist Zem Audu and pianist Benito Gonzalez. Douye’ originally recorded “Lush Life” and “Sophisticated Lady” as duets with her friend the late pianist Joel Scott. Later, tasteful bass and drum parts were added but Douye’ kept Scott’s beautiful accompaniment intact. “Round Midnight” and “In A Sentimental Mood” was performed with pianist-arranger John Beasley and a few of Los Angeles’ top jazz players (saxophonist Bob Sheppard, bassist John Clayton, and drummer Roy McCurdy). Check out Douye’s deep-toned vocal on “’ Round Midnight” and Beasley’s emulation of Duke Ellington’s piano playing on “In A Sentimental Mood” from Duke’s famous collaboration with John Coltrane. Every performance has its special moments. The great guitarist Russell Malone not only arranged “Body And Soul” but organized a group that included trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and drummer Willie Jones III. “Autumn Leaves” (arranged by Angelo Metz as was “Besame Mucho”)) and “Someone To Watch Over Me” (arranged by Phil Small and produced by Metz) find Douye’ joined by the Kim Richmond Orchestra while the warm tenor-sax of Justo Almario co-stars on “Besame Mucho.” Also included on Daddy Said So is a very spirited rendition of “Summertime” that was recorded in New York with a band of young Cuban Americans led by drummer-arranger Zack O’Farrill (the 21-year-old son of Arturo O’Farrill). “I’m so grateful,” says Douye’. “While it took time to coordinate everyone’s schedules, each session came together very quickly. It was so enjoyable that it confirmed my decision to sing jazz.” Douye’ was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and regularly spent her summers in England. She was in a church choir in Africa when she was quite young and often sang along with recordings from her father’s record collection. Douye also wrote poems and songs as she grew up. Early on she knew that singing was going to be her lifelong love. In her pursuit of singing, she moved to Los Angeles to attend the Musicians Institute as a vocal major. While attending school, she met songwriter Terry Shaddick who had composed the giant hit “Physical” for Olivia-Newton John. Shaddick and Douye’ soon formed a musical partnership, writing all of the fresh new music for her first two albums Journey and So Much Love. During this era, Douye’ performed classic r&b inspired by Anita Baker, Sam Cooke, Sade, Regina Belle, Rachelle Ferrell, and other major soul singers. In this episode, Douye shares her background, education, and musical journey.

Tony 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 role in the development of his musical palette. On Tony's sixteenth birthday, his prayers were answered. He received an encouraging phone call from Jimmy Smith, who soon became his Mentor/Teacher. Four years later, Jimmy Smith invited Tony to play at his club in California--a peak lifetime experience for Tony. From 1980 to 2006, Tony stood by his family businesses and married to have three daughters, while running Monaco’s Palace Italian restaurant for ten years while performing weekly in the lounge. Tony then entered the food brokerage industry peaking towards Torchbearer status with SYSCO Foods. Always inspired by music, Tony then went to work as an assistant Broadcast producer for a prominent ad agency learning his production skills and playing gigs at night to continue supporting his family. After graduating from college with a B.S.B.A. from Franklin University in 1989, Tony's occupation changed again to supervisor of Monaco Concrete (“my Father needed a good manager and my daughters were getting close to going to college!”). Tony now enjoys and concentrates on all his musical energies flourishing ultimately as he pursues his passions. In April 2000, Tony met fellow jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco, who offered to produce a debut CD for him. This collaboration resulted in the critically acclaimed "Burnin Grooves”. The international success of the recording served as the catalyst for regional and national tours. This success was followed by two more releases for Summit Records that received critical acclaim and significant sales, charting in the Jazzweek Top 10. In September 2003, Summit Records released "A New Generation”, a unique recording featuring both Tony's and Joey DeFrancesco's Trios. They recorded the project using two "Hammond-Suzuki New B3's" as Tony was awarded a major endorsement role with Hammond and Suzuki. As Tony’s reputation has grown, he has been blessed to play with some of the greatest musicians in jazz, including Mel Lewis, Lewis Nash, Red Holloway, Plas Johnson, Sonny Fortune, Jon Faddis, Adam Nussbaum, Bruce Forman, Harvey Mason, Chester Thompson (drummer) Herlin Riley, Matt Wilson, Jeff Clayton, Terrell Stafford, Eric Alexander, Late Bobby Durham, Russell Malone, Peter Bernstein, Paul Bollenback, Bruce Forman, Kevin Mahogany, Victor Lewis, Pat Martino, Fareed Haque, and even George Benson. An ardent student of the organ, it's no surprise that Tony is an accomplished teacher as well. In addition to private students, classes and clinics, Tony has produced a series of instructional DVDs titled "Playing Jazz Hammond" that have quickly become indispensable for any serious student of the organ. Tony teaches Lessons online with a system he created giving lessons one on one online to anyone from anywhere around the globe! Presently, Tony maintains a busy schedule touring, including festival appearances, clinics, and workshops In 2007 he appeared on the cover of Keyboard Magazine. In April 2012, Tony released "Celebration Life * Love * Music, a two-disc set of all originals as he continues to Celebrate his Musical gifts and shares his skills with everyone. Tony’s drive as an innovator and missionary continues to carry forward his passion for the Hammond Organ. Now Executive Producer of the Summit Records subsidiary Chicken Coup Records, he has recorded and released CDs for several undiscovered organists around the globe, and his role as an educator has allowed him to spread and cultivate many new hopefuls to the art of the jazz organ. In 2014 Tony released Furry Slippers with fellow guitarist Fareed Haque and Drummer Greg Fundis! Topping the Jazz and College charts and gaining several reviews! Tony continues his mission to raise awareness and appreciation of the jazz organ and its importance in genres as diverse as traditional Gospel, RnB, and Modern Jazz. He is formulating new strategies and record deals using his network through Chicken Coup Records to help himself and his peers and students advance in this ever-changing music market and utilize new technologies and markets. Tony is a vital source of musical experience, knowledge, and humility ready, willing, and able !!! In 2017, Tony celebrated a special anniversary, celebrating 50 years as a musician! In January 2019, Tony released his 11th Internation release "The Definition of Insanity" on his Chicken Coup Records label. He will be recording his second venture with Drummer great Steve Smith and Guitarist Vinny Valentino as Groove Blue Trio Tours Russia and Europe! Tony's looking forward to recording both new Instructional Vids as well as New Music while touring globally! In this episode, Altin shares his background, education, and musical journey.

A 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 beyond the jazz scene and was elevated by their involvement with the Bahá’í Community. In this episode, Dorothy shares her background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Altin 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 album, Introducing Altin Sencalar. After completing his bachelor’s degree from UT, he was given the opportunity to travel as a soloist with the University of Texas Jazz Orchestra to the Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, and Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, France. Altin then attended Michigan State University as the Graduate Assistant to Michael Dease and Rodney Whitaker, where he pursued his Master of Music in Jazz Studies. While at MSU, Altin co-founded the Sencalar/Glassman Quintet with fellow trombonist Chris Glassman and released two co-led albums. His sophomore album, released in 2021, is titled Reconnected and explores his Mexican/Turkish/Texan roots. His latest full-length release, In Good Standing (Posi-Tone, 2023) finds Altin with some New York City heavyweights and shows his growth as a composer, musician, and band leader. Altin has gained international and national recognition through numerous competitions and awards. Such honors have come from Yamaha, The American Trombone Workshop Jazz Competition solo divisions, International Trombone Association’s Jazz Solo – Carl Fontana Competition and J.J. Johnson Competition, the Kai Winding Trombone Ensemble Competition, Texas State Trombone Symposium Michael Rath Jazz Solo Competition, Downbeat Student Music Awards, and the International Tuba-Euphonium Association Rich Matteson Jazz Euphonium Competition, among others. In this episode, Altin shares his background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Dermot 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 progressing with other re- and newly released albums from the Livia archives in 2023 and beyond. Livia Records may also release contemporary artists.   Additionally, Dermot is a weekly music radio broadcaster on 103.2 DublinCityFM and a board member of the Improvised Music Company. He is passionate about various music genres and supporting live and recorded performances. He believes in the importance of quality production and promotion of recorded and live performances to broaden the awareness and opportunities for musicians and their audiences.   Dermot has a background in Natural Science and extensive experience in digital media IT project development and management. In this episode, Dermot shares his background, education, and musical journey.   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 at www.improvexchange.com

A 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 of his own group. Salles is a 2018 Guggenheim Foundation Composition Fellow, a 2021 South Arts Jazz Road Creative Residency Grant Fellowship recipient, a 2015 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant winner, a 2009-2010 winner of the French American Jazz Exchange Grant, and a 2005-2006 winner of the Chamber Music America New Works: Creation and Presentation Grant Program, grants sponsored by The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. He was awarded First Place in the 2001 Concurso SGAE de Jazz " TETE MONTOLIU; 2001, with his composition The Return of The Chromo Sapiens. His arrangements and compositions have been performed by some of the top groups in the world including The Metropole Orchestra, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Amazonas Band, Helsinki Philharmonic Violas, Meta4 String Quartet, Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra, Manhattan School of Music Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra, New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra, and New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble, among others. Salles has released nine critically acclaimed recordings as a leader. Departure (Tapestry, 2012) received 4 stars from DownBeat Magazine and placed on their best albums of the Year list in 2013. They noted that Salles is adept at “crafting pieces that juggle intriguing complexity with buoyant rhythms and lush colors.” JazzTimes Magazine noted that “Felipe Salles blends the visceral and the cerebral on his fascinating fifth album, infusing classical modernist strains with the buoyant rhythms of his Brazilian homeland.”  Ugandan Suite (Tapestry, 2014) also earned a place on DownBeat Magazine’s best albums of the Year list in 2014 and was praised by jazz guitarist Lionel Loueke: “This is one of the best progressive works I have heard in a long time. What a great blend of classical, African, and Jazz music.” Varanda (Tapestry, 2017) with the Brazilian jazz collective titled The Reunion Project, also earned critical acclaim including 4.5 stars in DownBeat Magazine. The Lullaby Project and Other Works for Large Jazz Ensemble (Tapestry, 2018) is Salles’ first large jazz ensemble recording and was composed for and recorded by his own Interconnections Ensemble, to critical acclaim (DownBeat Magazine’s best albums of the year list in 2019). His second extensive ensemble recording, the ambitious The New Immigrant Experience (Tapestry, 2020), was released as a CD/DVD set, to critical acclaim, including a 4.5 stars review from DownBeat Magazine, making the magazine’s list of best albums of 2020. He has recently released a quartet album, Tiyo’s Songs of Life (Tapestry, 2022), featuring Avery Sharpe, Zaccai Curtis, and Jonathan Barber, and his third significant ensemble recording, Home is Here (Tapestry, 2023), featuring an array of guest artists. Felipe Salles is a D’Addario Woodwinds Select Reeds and Conn-Selmer Saxophones Artist/Clinician. He currently leads both The Felipe Salles Group and The Felipe Salles’ Interconnections Ensemble and works as a member of the New World Jazz Composers Octet, Kyle Saulnier Awakening Orchestra, Alex Alvears Mango Blue, and Gonzalo Grau (Grammy Nominated) La Clave Secreta. Felipe Salles has a Master's and a Graduate Diploma in Jazz Performance from New England Conservatory, and a Doctorate in Jazz Arts Advancement from Manhattan School of Music. He is a Professor of Jazz and African American Music Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he has taught since 2010. In this episode, Felipe shares his background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Flute-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. Whiteside is also a 2023 NAACP Image Award Nominee and four-time nominee for the Smooth Jazz Network’s Best Artist Award. That distinction is well-deserved, as the Atlanta-based musician, songwriter, and vocalist have become one of very few women players to excel in the male-dominated instrumental sphere, garnering eight consecutive Top Ten Billboard airplay singles by 2022. And she’s done it as an independent artist, releasing projects on Randis Music, the label she founded with her husband, producer, and composer Dennis Johnson. Her most recent full-length project, 2022’s Thrill Ride, is her sixth career album to date and it lives up to its title, demonstrating Whiteside’s breathtaking virtuosity and melodic skills on a thrilling journey through a landscape of dynamic grooves. The project features eight songs, which are largely produced by her longtime collaborators Dennis Johnson and Bob Baldwin. Other producers include Chris “Big Dog” Davis on the sexy update of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry Bout A Thing,” and James Lloyd of the veteran group Pieces Of A Dream, who contributes “A Toast At Sunset” as writer and keyboardist as well. Her third single from the project, “Full Court Press,” is a smooth and sexy groove co-written by Whiteside with the team of Johnson and Baldwin, who produced, and featured guitarist Phil Hamilton and drummer Rich Harrison, also known as the artist RAH. Whiteside’s previous single was the title track, “Thrill Ride,” which was also written and produced by Johnson, Baldwin, and Whiteside, and features guitarist Hamilton and drummer RAH. The single peaked at No. 1 on five radio charts, including the Billboard Smooth Jazz Chart, Mediabase, the Smooth Jazz Network, Radiowave and Groove Jazz Music. Her previous single from the set, “Off The Cuff,” not only peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart, where it spent 17 weeks, but it also earned her the Jazz Music Awards nomination that she ultimately won. In addition to her projects, Whiteside has been a busy collaborator. Over the last two years, the native New Yorker also charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart for her collaboration with Kim Scott’s 2022 remake of Ashford & Simpson’s 1978 mega-hit, “I’m Every Woman” along with Althea René, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart. Whiteside also co-wrote Bob Baldwin’s top-charting hit, “B Positive,” with production partners Dennis Johnson and Baldwin. Additionally, she is featured on “This Time Around” with contemporary jazz artist Jarez, from his latest project, J Funk City. In 2022, she appeared on two tracks, “Seven Eight” and “Solo,” on veteran jazz drummer Billy Cobham’s new album, Drum’N’Voice Vol. 5. Whiteside has continued to delight fans and critics alike with her engaging, upbeat melodies and exhilarating flute playing. Tunes like “Thrill Ride,” “Off The Cuff,” “JJ’s Strut,” “Reminiscing,” “Jam It,” “Early Arrival,” “See You At The Get Down,” and the Billboard No. 1 “Corey’s Bop” have burnished her reputation. But while Whiteside has made her mark fusing inspired flute melodies and breathtaking solos with hip upbeat grooves, she gained her musical acumen by training as a classical flutist. Originally from Mount Vernon, New York, Whiteside played drums, piano, and violin in elementary school before a desire to be in the marching band put the flute in her hand at age 8. “They had this thing called Band Day where all the public schools would march in a parade through Mount Vernon. I said, ‘Oh. I need to be in this parade.’” There were no violins in the marching band, so Whiteside was offered the flute. “I did not want to play the flute. And it took me about a week to get a sound out of it,” she says. But once young Whiteside locked onto the instrument, she immediately focused on what kind of music she wanted to play but was steered into a more traditional path. “My parents got me a private teacher. I said to my teacher, ‘Okay, I want to do jazz.’ And he was like, ‘No, you’re going to play classical,’” Whiteside recalls. “‘I don’t want to play classical.’ ‘Well, you can play jazz later, but you need to get your foundation in classical music.’ Once again, I was being forced into something, but I started playing and I started getting good at it, and I started to like it.” The young flute player got good and got serious. She participated in Mount Vernon High School’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU-influenced marching bands), entered multiple musical competitions – some with cash prizes – and won. Members of the National Association of Negro Musicians mentored her, many of whom held positions as opera singers, orchestrators, music directors, and instrumentalists in classical music at a time when African Americans were still not often included. She also participated in the NAACP’s ACT-SO (Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics) competitions for young people, where she won both regional and national titles in two different years. With these distinctions under her belt, Whiteside went on to the Cleveland Conservatory of Music, where she was one of just six African American students. When she transferred to the highly competitive HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, she discovered she was now the only one. After receiving so much encouragement and mentoring during her high school years, this was a culture shock. “I was on my own, there was no support, there was nobody I could go and talk to,” Whiteside explains. “On top of that, just being in a classical conservatory, it's cutthroat, it's competitive, it's hardcore. A lot is expected of you, and everybody's trying to go after the same five or six openings.” The pressure to perform was intense and her motivation for that life started to wane. During her senior year-end performance, for which she was to play a well-rehearsed, 20-minute flute concerto, Whiteside went blank halfway through. Offered the opportunity to start again, Whiteside realized she was at a turning point and instead walked out. Influenced by such diverse flute masters as jazz-classical player Hubert Laws, the late Latin jazz artist Dave Valentin, and the French classical flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, Whiteside received rigorous musical training that prepared her to play in the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the world, but after graduation, Whiteside admits she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Back home in Mount Vernon, she attended a show at a local jazz club where keyboardist, producer, and composer Bob Baldwin was headlining. While watching, Whiteside says she had an epiphany: “I was sitting up front and I said, ‘Oh my God. This is what I want to do.’ ” After the show, she introduced herself to Baldwin. “I told him, ‘Look I'm a classical musician but I want to make the transition to jazz. Do you have any advice for me? And we talked for a while and he pretty much took me under his wing, right then and there,” Whiteside explains. “And two days later, I went to a studio in Yonkers, and it turned into my first non-classical studio session.” Whiteside performed a Stevie Wonder tune for Baldwin and studio owner Dennis Johnson, who later became her husband. “I played a Stevie Wonder tune, and they’re like, ‘Hey, we need some flute on this jingle for [New York smooth jazz station] CD 101.9.’ And I did that, and from there Bob taught me how to make that transition from classical to jazz, and Dennis showed me the ins and outs of audio recording and using computers to compose music.” Since then, Johnson and Baldwin have become Whiteside’s frequent songwriting collaborators. Whiteside instantly began her successful foray into the contemporary soul-jazz sphere. After launching the Randis Music label in 2007 with her husband Johnson, she collaborated with Johnson and Baldwin again on her 2007 release Class Axe, 2012’s Evolve, 2014’s Quantum Drive, 2017’s Troublemaker, and 2020’s five-track EP Five Up Top. She also teamed with popular saxophonist Kim Waters for the 2017 release Early Arrival. She has collaborated on tracks with several artists including Marion Meadows, Patrice Rushen, Tom Brown, Walter Beasley, Melba Moore, Chieli Minucci, Frank McComb, and others. She has also been a popular performer at the Berks Jazz Fest, the Seabreeze Jazz Festival, the Mallorca Smooth Jazz Festival in Spain, and the Capital Jazz Super Cruise. Meanwhile, Whiteside and her husband Dennis Johnson made the jump from New York to Atlanta when it became clear that Atlanta offered a more attractive lifestyle. Further, digital technology has made it easy to produce and distribute music from anywhere. “Atlanta is like a hub,” Whiteside explains. “You can get to so many different places relatively quickly from Atlanta. For the first time, we were able to get to New Orleans, Nashville, Houston, the Carolinas, and all over Florida without having to fly, and every place we went, we experienced new musical influences.” Whiteside has also maintained a career as a tech consultant and her role as a mother of two. In late 2020, Whiteside added another title to her list of accomplishments: Radio personality. Spotted at a show by David Linton, a former label executive and current program director of Atlanta’s station, Jazz 91.9 WCLK, Whiteside was offered the opportunity to audition as a host. She now holds down the popular No. 1 Saturday morning show “Saturday with Ragan Whiteside, ” another role she has grown to enjoy. With so many professional balls to juggle, and the concert industry opening back up, Ragan Whiteside can lay claim to life as a contemporary jazz star as one big “Thrill Ride.” In this episode, Ragan shares her background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Superb 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, McBride has the ability to unleash a fiery attack and serrated tone, but on his recent album he explores a more measured, mellow sound heavily influenced by contemporary R&B—with a strong shot of Cannonball Adderley’s post-bop sensuality–but his improvising is very rigorous and cogent. Starting his professional career in Chicago in 2007, Christopher has been in high demand around the world as a musician, composer, arranger, and educator. In addition, since moving to New York in 2013 his group The Whole Proof has played venues all over New York such as Smalls Jazz Club, Smoke Jazz Club, Ginny's Supper Club & Fat Cat. The musicians he has performed for stretches over many genres with artists such as Billy Preston, Jimmy Heath, Bobby Broom, Percy Gray, Roy Hargrove, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, Guy Sebastian, Solange, Ne-Yo, Jennifer Hudson, Alice Smith, Brandon Flowers, Lea DeLaria, 88 Keys, Milton Mustafa, Winard Harper, and the Marquis Hill Blacktet. He now currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. In this episode, Christopher shares his background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Benjamin 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 Rican cuatro, guitar, voice, and other instruments on film soundtracks, video games, television commercials, and albums with some of the most notable musicians in Latin music and jazz. Some of these collaborations include performances and/or recordings with Andy and Jerry González, Ibrahim Ferrer (Buena Vista Social Club), Pío Leyva (Buena Vista Social Club), Manuel “Puntillita” Alicea (Buena Vista Social Club), Bobby Carcassés, Orlando “Cachaíto” López, Juan Pablo Torres, NEA Jazz Master Cándido Camero, Larry Harlow, Ruben Blades, Típica 73, John “Dandy” Rodríguez, David Oquendo, Xiomara Laugart, Nicky Marrero, Nelson González, Carlos Abadie, Los Hacheros, Pedrito Martínez, Roman Díaz, Paul Carlon, Adonis Puentes, Pablo Menéndez, Bobby Sanabria, Ralph Irizarry, Charlie Sepulveda, Luis Marín, Humberto Ramírez, Harvie S., Hiram “El Pavo” Remón, Gene Jefferson, Frank Anderson, Enid Lowe, Jared Gold, Greg Glassman, Bobby Harden, Brian Lynch, Mark Weinstein, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Larry Goldings, Chico Álvarez, Alfredo “Chocolate” Armenteros, Emilio Barretto, Eddie Zervigón, José Fajardo, Rudy Calzado, Los Afortunados, Jose Conde, Kaori and Yuko Fujii, Roberto Rodríguez, Maurice El Medioni, Michael Torsone, and many others. As the leader of the Latin jazz group, Sonido Isleño (founded in 1996), he has performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and the Caribbean while releasing five internationally acclaimed albums of his original compositions. In 2007, Lapidus served as musical director and arranger for Garota de Ipanema(JVC/Victor Japan) with Kaori Fujii and toured Japan twice. In 2008, he recorded Herencia Judía and in 2014, he released his eighth album as a leader, Ochósi Blues. Blues for Ochún (2023) is his ninth album as a leader. As a composer, Lapidus’ music has been recorded by groups in Cuba and Japan and has been featured in documentaries and television. In 2015, Latin Jazz USA awarded Lapidus a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to Afro-Latin music. In 2015, he wrote the liner notes, contributed an original composition, sang, and played electric guitar and Cuban tres on Andy González's Grammy™-nominated album, Entre Colegas. As profiled on the 2023 television show, Shades of Us (https://youtu.be/I_xMYUtgAhA), Benjamin Lapidus was born in Hershey, PA in 1972 to first-generation Brooklynites and the family moved almost 15 times before returning to New York City when Lapidus was 14. Trained in piano from a young age, he moved through a variety of instruments including trumpet and bass before concentrating on the guitar. Lapidus was exposed to music by his grandmother and his father, who played in Latin and jazz bands in the Catskills in the 1950s. Through his father’s record collection and stories of his father’s visits with his Latin American relatives, the seeds of Latin music were planted. Yet it wasn’t until the 1980s that the youngest Lapidus became immersed in Latin music when he moved to a predominantly Latin neighborhood in New York City, where numerous important musicians also resided. Living a block away from Mikel’s jazz club, Lapidus still has vivid memories of practicing in Mario Rivera’s house or seeing Mario Bauzá walk down the street. Deciding he needed a complete musical education, Lapidus earned two degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Oberlin College, becoming one of the program’s first jazz guitar graduates. In 1994, Lapidus started to play the Puerto Rican cuatro and Cuban tres. After leading his own quartet at festivals and clubs throughout Europe and winning a grant to study briefly with Steve Lacy in Paris, he returned to the U.S. and worked with Joe McPhee, Joe Giardullo, Tani Tabal, Thomas Workman, and other creative improvisers. At the same time, Lapidus began performing with Larry Harlow, Alex Torres, and other Latin music luminaries in New York and Puerto Rico. Lapidus earned a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology at the CUNY Graduate Center in 2002. His travels to Cuba acquainted him with distant relatives and grounded him in the music of Eastern Cuba. He has taught guitar and Cuban tres at the New School and popular music of the Caribbean, Latin music in New York, and world music at Queens College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. Today, Lapidus is a professor in the Department of art and Music at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and on the Doctoral Faculty of the Graduate Center, CUNY. In addition, he has served as scholar-in-residence with the New York Center for Jungian Studies and the Jewish Museum during several humanitarian missions to the Jewish communities of Cuba between 2004-2016. In 2008, Lapidus published the first-ever book on the Eastern Cuban musical genre changüí called Origins of Cuban Music and Dance: Changüí (Scarecrow Press). He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, translations, and presented papers at international conferences on Cuban music, Puerto Rican music, Latin jazz, and improvisation. He has also written liner notes for a number of recordings. In 2013, Lapidus won a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) fellowship for his critically acclaimed book New York and the International Sound of Latin Music, 1940-1990 (University Press of Mississippi, 2021). With endorsements from Rubén Blades, Ilán Stavins, and other prominent academics around the world, this ground-breaking book has been featured on BBC 3 Music Matters, NPR’s Afropop, and Alt. Latino shows as well as the Miami International Book Fair and countless news outlets. The book maintains its bestseller ranking in Amazon’s top 20 salsa books since its release. In this episode, Benjamin shares his background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

He 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 selected among the top students in Burgenland, allowing him to participate regularly in master classes with the best pedagogues and performing artists. He has held several public concerts in the framework of Piano Academy Oberschützen. Since 2014 he has attended the Church Conservatory in Bratislava, where he was admitted as an extraordinary student to the class of Mgr.Art Andrea Balešová ArtD. Under her leadership, he participates in a number of international competitions and he has had successes- Brno 2015-3rd prize, Eisenstadt 2016 – 2nd prize, Kamenice nad Lipou 2016 -1st prize, MILANO 2017 -3rd prize. In the year 2018, he began his studies at the MUK University Vienna jazz piano with Professor Oliver Kent. In addition to studying jazz and classical piano, Alan is dedicated to improvisation and composition. He has had his first valuable experience at Jazz stages with professional artists. Some time ago, he was auditioning at the Vienna Festival. He was chosen among the finalists. A festival performance with legends of Austrian Jazz was the best start for him. Alan recorded already three different albums- Nina Berglova Inou Krajinou, New Faces of Slovak Jazz, and Alan&Stefan Bartus Trio Connectivity. He is currently preparing to release his debut album, which he recorded with the legendary Gregory Hutchinson, Kornel Fekete Kovács, and his father Stefan Pista Bartus. 2017 Alan wins further achievements in the Jazz region-with his Trio(J.Valíček, M.Štubniak) he becomes the absolute winner of the Jazz Start Up competition and in the New Face of the Slovak Jazz Competition and he has got the Convincing Instrumental Performance Award. This success gave him opportunities to preset music with his Trio at Bratislava Jazz Days Festival, Top Jazz Fest, Jazz Fest Trencin(Jazz pod Hradom) Liptov Jazz Fest, etc.. 2022 he is winning the solo piano competition Excellence Piano Awards with Grand Prix Majestic Excellence Award and Piano Solo Professional Gold Award. In the same year, he is the winner of the prestigious Austrian Ö1 Jazz Prize and is accepted to one of the best jazz schools in the world, the Manhattan School of Music in New York. In 2022, Alan also earned a collaboration with living American jazz legend, saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, with whom he toured and recorded an album in the Lukáš Oravec Quintet. Alan has also recorded and toured with the respected New York saxophonist, Tim Armacost. In 2023 he is winning the Artedea Jazz Competition with his duo Bartuš&Widauer Experiment. In this episode, Alan shares his background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

The 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 Hill, John Legend, and Moses Sumney.   Her current album, Brand New Life, builds on her already rich oeuvre and cements the harp’s place in pop culture.  As the title of the album suggests, Brand New Life is about forging new paths–artistic, personal, political, and spiritual. On this album, Younger salutes her musical foremother, the trailblazing harpist Dorothy Ashby, while also speaking to the sentiments of more recent generations. “We're bringing new life to Dorothy Ashby’s popular and previously unreleased compositions. We're creating new life…for the instrument,” Younger said. Brand New Life is an album about living fully, in neon bright color. In March of 2022, Younger flew to Chicago and began recording Brand New Life in the home studio of her long-time collaborator and friend, Makaya McCraven, who produced and played drums on the album. In the Windy City, Younger hoped to harness some of Ashby’s funky energy from a recording she did there nearly five decades before. Younger gathered artists who have had a sense of kinship with Ashby; from the internationally-lauded neo-soul bassist/vocalist/rapper Meshell Ndegeocello to her long-time bassist Rashaan Carter, plus the legendary rapper and producer Pete Rock and the talented contemporary producer 9th Wonder. The latter producers introduced hip-hop and R&B listeners to Ashby in the 1990s and early 2000s via slick samples. Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s 1992 release, “For Pete’s Sake,” samples Ashby’s 1968 hit “Come Live With Me.” 9th Wonder’s remix of singer Amerie’s 2003 R&B classic “Why Don’t We Fall in Love,” also includes a Dorothy Ashby sample from “Come Live With Me.” With Younger’s solo rendition of this heavily sampled song on Brand New Life, she builds a sonic bridge between generations. “I wanted everyone on the record to have a special connection to Dorothy [Ashby]," she said.  For the project, Younger also recorded a number of Ashby’s compositions that were never recorded before, alongside Ashby fan favorites and Younger originals.  The emotional complexity of the album is stunningly captured in the title track, “Brand New Life,” an original co-written by Younger and singer, Mumu Fresh. “This love is so deep, time and space couldn’t keep you away from me,” Mumu Fresh sings. Younger’s playing paints lush details over Mumu Fresh’s smooth vocals leaving nothing to be sonically desired. Against the backdrop of current social issues–climate change, racism, health disparities, and women’s rights–the song speaks to a desire that many people have for change, for something new in the world. “Brand New Life'' reaches listeners at the level of the human. Love is a subtle but insistent thread throughout the album. The opening track, “You’re a Girl For One Man Only,” is a previously unrecorded Dorothy Ashby composition. Sonically, it is tender and evocative of a first kiss or the early seasons of a new romance. Younger recalls the original song's lyrics’ more traditional message of romantic longing that we still hear in popular music today. Boy chases girl. Girl succumbs. In Younger’s version, there is a sense of agency and exploration. Younger creates a mesmerizing atmosphere. In the second half of the track, we are met with a delicate dance between Joel Ross on vibraphone and Younger on harp, the two instruments pining through the melody.  Brand New Life is part of her steadfast efforts to amplify the contributions of black women harpists and to keep their legacies alive.  Her care for and attention to Dorothy Ashby as a musical ancestor has been consistent throughout her career. Akin to the popular hashtag, #CiteBlackWomen, which demands consumers credit and recognizes black women for their intellectual labor, Younger urges us to recognize Ashby’s contribution to the American songbook. The album is part of a larger project of recognizing not only the history of innovators of the distinguished harp – a history that places Ashby and Younger together on a continuum – but also the presence of everyday black women.  “Running Game” was an obscure seven-inch single release originally entitled “Double Talkin’” and featured Ashby on piano. In the song’s intro, we hear what sounds like a casual conversation at a black women’s beauty salon or at a social gathering of sorts where women freely share advice and observations on life with one another. The voices in the intro are of Younger’s mother and aunt. Younger set up listeners by reading the lyrics from Ashby’s original. “Every man I meet is double talkin'. "Where did the good men go?” The women candidly respond to the song lyrics. One says, “As far as the game, men have been running game since day one.” The track leads into, “Running Game,” a ballad with inflections of Negro spirituals and the blues.  Here, Younger’s expressivity on her instrument is incomparable. As the strings (arranged by DeSean Jones) hum behind her, the “double-talking” gold-digging man comes into full view. “Running Game” ends on a note of optimism, of marching forward despite life’s struggles.  Younger was born and raised in Hempstead, New York. As a teen in the early 1990s, she bopped to the beats of artists like LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, and Busta Rhymes. Among these hip-hop greats, she discovered Ashby’s music by way of hip-hop legend Pete Rock. She began playing harp at the age of eleven and eventually enrolled at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford in Connecticut where she studied classical music. It was through the encouragement of legendary saxophonist Jackie McLean that she made her first foray into jazz with the harp.  Hearing Ashby for the first time made her envision new possibilities for herself as a harpist. “She was covering all of these popular tunes and soundtracks [of the time] and I wanted to do that. She's playing pop, jazz, and everyone’s sampling her–DJ Premier, Pete Rock, J. Dilla. Hearing, then seeing her as a Black Woman, while I'm this random little isolated black girl playing the harp by myself was everything to me.” Younger forged her way with a small but mighty group of black women harpists as examples—Sarah Lawrence from her hometown, Ann Hobson-Pilot, Dorothy Ashby, and Alice Coltrane—who were consistent sources of inspiration. In 2006, after graduating from Hartt School, Younger went on to develop a name for herself on the jazz and commercial recording scene in New York City. To date, her performance roster is fierce. As a side-woman, she has played alongside jazz icons such as Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette, and Reggie Workman. Younger’s commitment to carrying the torch can also be seen through her work as a performer and educator. In 2008, she earned a Master of Music from New York University’s Steinhardt School. During this time, she began to work seriously as an educator. She has been a guest faculty and lecturer at numerous universities including but not limited to Berklee College of Music, Princeton University, Howard University, and Tulane University. Currently, she serves as a teaching artist faculty at New York University and The New School.    In 2020, Younger was named winner of the DownBeat Critics Poll in the category of "Rising Star" harpist. Her work as a side woman is evidence of Younger’s undeniable presence in the sound of contemporary jazz today. In recent years, she has appeared on albums by Lakecia Benjamin, Robert Glasper, Jeremy Pelt, The Baylor Project, and Makaya McCraven, just to name a few. In addition to her contributions as a side-woman, Younger’s commitment to honoring the legacy of black women harpists can be seen through her curatorial work. She has curated a number of performances dedicated to honoring the work of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. This work speaks to her dedication as a purveyor of black music and history. In this episode, Brandee shares her background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com

Andrey 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 debut album "Smoothability", which was also released on Skytown Records (LA) was included in the top 10 Ukrainian albums of the year according to the Aprize 2019 award from Radio Aristocrats and 4 position for top 100 Best Smooth Jazz Albums (Amazon). During 2022 Andrey travel around the world with support concerts in Ukraine At the beginning of 2023, Andrey was invited to the Bob James Quartet and went on a US tour.  James and Chmut are working on a joint album that will be presented to the general public in 2024. In this episode, Andrey shares his background, education, and musical journey. 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 at www.improvexchange.com