Morgan James has a soulful voice. But although she has a classic sound, fed by by the likes of Chaka Khan, Nina Simone and Eva Cassidy, she has a modern career. Her path has been completely unexpected, unpredictable, and in some ways unbelievable.
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Author Peter Straub on jazz and fiction, improvisation and writing, how the past stays with us into the present, and how watching his Norwegian farmer relatives taught him how to write diligently.
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Ryan Keberle on the legacy of trombone players and arrangers, how the instrument is undergoing a revolution today, what being a side man taught him about listening, and why all improvised music is a form of protest.
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Drummer David Garibaldi on why Oakland is the funky side of the Bay, the work ethic of Tower of Power, the Garibaldi family recipe for happiness and longevity, and why the book is still being written when it comes to his legacy.
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Pianist, drummer, trumpeter, educator, blogger, George Colligan on “creativity versus tradition”, jazz education, how standup comedy and jazz are similar, kids these days, playing with Jack DeJohnette, and why freedom is the gift of being a jazz musician.
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Drummer turned entrepreneur Ryan Gruss on building one of the most creative music production libraries around (The Loop Loft), developing the “Blue Note of drum loops” and the unusual journey to took to get there.
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Recording and mix engineer Ryan Hewitt starting paying his dues in the business before he could even cash a check. He grew up surrounded by recording, assisting his father David Hewitt on mobile recordings, and eventually entering the business in earnest after college. He worked his way up in the old school way, assisting the best engineers of the day and working in the classic studios of New York.
His journey eventually led him to LA and then to Nashville, where we met to talk about his career, coming up in the tradition, forging new paths, working with new technology, developing his own sound, the value of producers, and when to take a steak of the grill.
Along the way we discuss working with Blink 182, Harry Connick Jr., Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Lumineers, The Avett Brothers, Rick Rubin, John Frusciante, Brad Mehldau, and many more.
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My father and I remember record producer Tommy LiPuma and play some previously unheard interviews with him. These particular stories talk about a time in his life that hasn’t been talked about too much - his childhood in Cleveland, how the radio was his best friend, and how music saved his life, and how being a barber got him to LA.
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What is music therapy? How is it different from traditional talk therapy? Why is music so useful in accessing parts of the brain that we can’t get to in other ways? Creative arts therapists Dr. Brian T Harris and Mechelle Chestnut discuss.
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Musician Alexis Cuadrado on the search for ecstatic truth, becoming an American citizen, and why he’s not Picasso.
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Musician and music presenter Adam Schatz on the scene in NY, his creative process, and why it’s important to make your grandparents laugh. Also: "The Good California Story".
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Vocal group Duchess on finding your people, subverting the dominant paradigm and avoiding My Funny Valentine.
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Benji Rogers was an ex sound-man, bartender, and broke 34 year old musician, sleeping on an air mattress in his mother’s spare room, when he had a vision. Eight years later, he’s one of the most innovative, outspoken leaders in the music business.
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Saxophonist Ben Wendel on being heard clearly, having deep conversations and finding personal style.
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How Michael Dorf became one of the most influential music presenters in New York, despite his best intentions. How the city changed him and how he changed the city.
Read MorePianist Spike Wilner belongs to the tradition of jazz musicians who also own and operate clubs. In his case it came by accident, or rather, a series of accidents.
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I woke up on the road in Paris the morning after the American Presidential election and saw the results. Then my father and I had this brief conversation.
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The New York Times calls Kurt Elling, "The standout male vocalist of our time.” Here he talks about his process, what motivates him, what Chicago offered him and why he moved to New York.
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Singer, songwriter, actor, and independent music writer Ari Herstand on why this is a great time for the music industry.
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Michael Feldman on a life in radio, why he thrives on performing in front of an audience, and why podcasts aren't radio.
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