All That's Jazz

Season 6 Episode 7 Anais Reno

When vocalist ANAÏS RENO burst onto the scene in 2021 with her debut album, ‘Lovesome Thing: Anaïs Reno Sings Ellington & Strayhorn,’ I had the distinct pleasure of featuring this young and talented  vocalist in Season 2-Episode 11. At the time,  listeners were delighted - and surprised - to learn that she had recorded it a year earlier when she was just 16 years old. 

There have been a number of significant changes in the life of this noteworthy singer four years after releasing her debut recording. No doubt, people will be making even more comments about Anaïs’ ability to interpret song lyrics with emotional depth, enhanced musical maturity, and style after discovering more about her latest release. She has, once again, tackled the Great American Songbook with her newest album, LADY OF THE LAVENDER MIST, the inspiration which began while taking a train ride and listening to the music of Duke Ellington.

Season 6 Episode 6 Eric Oberstein

Our mission at All That’s Jazz is to elevate the voices of the people who create, produce, present and write about all Jazz idioms by helping them tell their backstories about  why they do what they do, and what got them to this moment.  

One such person is a man named Eric Oberstein.  A young, highly educated,  New York born and raised saxophonist and drummer of Cuban American heritage, Eric has always been on a fast track to success. He has followed a path that’s taken him from being a musician to becoming a brilliant, internationally respected and trusted arts leader, and a two-time Grammy and two-time Latin Grammy winning producer, curator and educator.  

Eric collaborated for multiple years with GRAMMY-winning bandleader, pianist, composer Arturo O'Farrill, as well as forming a collaboration since 2016, with Cuban-born, GRAMMY-winning bandleader and drummer, Dafnis Prieto, who he currently manages. 

My conversation with this highly accomplished and interesting man begins with a discussion about the often misunderstood role of a music producer. We also explore his career that was serendipitously launched by a questionnaire in a performance program, and all the experiences leading up his new business,  Eric Oberstein Productions. 

Season 6 Episode 5 Gene Krupa Book

This is the first definitive biography of the pioneering drummer and bandleader , Gene Krupa, who brought percussion from back to center stage, influencing generations of musicians from jazz to rock - and beyond.

In this episode, I go behind the pages with author/historian Elizabeth J. Rosenthal, to discover what led her to write ‘The Master Of The Drums’ and unravel the complicated and tumultuous story of the man who was indisputably the most controversial, influential, and famous drummer of his time. 

Season 6 Episode 4 Fulton & Lindquist

In this episode, I sit down with pianist/vocalist Champian Fulton and saxophonist/clarinetist/composer Klas Lindquist to discuss their latest release, “At Home,” the concept for which began with an event held in a home owned by Turtle Bay Records founder Scott Asen, who suggested they actually record in in his living room. 

Oklahoma native and New York based Champian Fulton is the daughter of trumpeter and flugel hornist Stephen Fulton. She began her career at the age of 10, performing for Jazz legend and family friend Clark Terry’s 75th Birthday Party. A Jazz pianist and vocalist for more than 20 years, Champian has now released 19 albums as a leader and has performed in more than 25 countries, both in concert and on TV. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including Album of the Year in the NYC Jazz Record (2018, 2020, 2023) and Pianist and Vocalist of the Year (2019) by Hot House Magazine, among other prestigious accolades.

A world-renowned ambassador of Jazz excellence, alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer, Klas Lindquist, was born  in Göteborg, Sweden. 

Klas is considered one of Sweden’s most exciting Jazz musicians. He is the recipient of the “The Golden Sax” award, “The Alice Babs Award,” “The Stockholm Stads Kulturstipendium”, and the “Gavatin Foundation Prize for Jazz Music.” Recognized for his technical brilliance, imagination and style, Klas is in demand as a recording artist, and has appeared on over 40 albums as a featured soloist and five albums as a leader. 

These two seasoned artists with impressive resumes are very fond of the duo format, which is what led them to develop their latest release. And this is where we start our conversation. 

Season 6 Episode 3 Tuning Rene Marie

This episode is about a story that needs to be heard. It’s the tale of an amazing individual and jazz artist named René Marie.  Her story has been portrayed in an award - winning short documentary by Rachel Kessler, a Brooklyn-based director, screenwriter, and producer with over a decade of experience deeply rooted in her artistic and creative beliefs. 

The beauty and soul of René Marie has been captured in this film called, ‘Tuning René Marie’, that weaves you through the early life of this GRAMMY-nominated jazz vocalist. It premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Woodstock Film Festival in 2022 where it was nominated for Best Short Documentary;  it’s now available for all to see on the prestigious short film channel, Omeleto. 

It’s an extraordinary story that we’re honored to share as we speak to both women about how it came to be, and the impact it’s had on them, and on everyone who’s seen it.

Season 6 Fado: Music of Portugal

Fado is a powerful and poignant musical expression of the Portuguese soul, often associated with the hardships of everyday life and characterized by melancholy, expressive vocal performances with a strong emphasis on emotional, poetic storytelling.

The unique sound of Fado is highlighted by the guitarra portuguesa, or Portuguese guitar - a pear-shaped cittern with 12 wire strings - and is usually accompanied by a wire-strung acoustic guitar. In many ways, its’ free-form style is reminiscent of early Blues and Jazz. 

Intrigued by what we learned from our research, we sought out a specific Fado performance while visiting the city of Porto.  This turned out to be a serendipitous experience.  We were the only two audience members in what ended up being a private concert. This allowed us to dig deeper into the history and soul of this music deeply rooted in Portuguese tradition. The session featured the outstanding talents of noted Fado vocalist, Ana Margarida, and her two musicians, Artur on Portuguese guitar, and Antonio on classical acoustic guitar. 

With apologies in advance for the less-than-perfect audio, we couldn’t pass up the chance to record this unexpected, once-in-a- lifetime session with a cell phone since we were without our professional audio equipment. 

By sharing our experience, we hope to give you an insight into this extraordinary musical genre through our conversation recorded in the majestic Grand Salon of Porto City Hall. 

Season 6 Episode 2 Caili O'Doherty

This is a  is the story of how New York-based pianist, composer, arranger and educator, Caili O'Doherty, developed and recently released an album called ‘Bluer Than Blue’ which honors the overlooked genius of Lillian “Lil” Hardin Armstrong. If that name is somewhat familiar to you, it’s because this highly talented artist and composer in her own right was married to none other than Louis Satchmo Armstrong. Lil was Armstrong’s second wife, and they collaborated on many recordings in the 1920s.   But it was actually Lil who wrote many famous, classic tunes of that early jazz era. 

Caili discovered Lil’s prolific background while taking a course  from Ricky Riccardi, the Director of Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong Museum titled, “The Music of Louis Armstrong.” Not only did it whet Caili’s appetite to learn more about this unsung Jazz heroine, but also led  to assembling her core trio of Tamir Schmerling on bass, drummer Cory Cox ,and saxophonist Nicole Glover, along with special guest vocalists Tahria Clayton and Michael Mayo, to record Lil Hardin Armstrong’s music.

My conversation  begins with Caili diving into even more about Lil’s  early career as she unravels for us details of this  little-known magical, musical history.

Season 6 Episode 1 Dan Pugach

Israeli born jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, Dan Pugach, grew up not far from Tel Aviv. His Jazz education and service as a drummer in the IDF Air Force Band and attending Israel's Rimon School of Music led him to The US to attend the Berklee College of Music. Dan moved to New York City where he began building an impressive musical resume with his original music and arrangements. Along the way, he formed the Dan Pugach Nonet, and the Dan Pugach Big Band; both leading to award-winning recognition for his talents and musical collaborations.  

The most notable collaboration in Dan’s life, however, came in 2009 when he met stunning singer/songwriter Nicole Zuraitis.  Nicole and Dan flourished individually - and together - collecting numerous awards, including several Grammy nominations.  

Along the way, their partnership in the studio and on stage, became more permanent when they married in 2018. Nicole went on to win her first Grammy award for her 2023 vocal album “How Love Begins,” which was co-produced by jazz giant Christian McBride and featured her drummer-husband. 

Not to be outdone, Dan took to the stage for his first Grammy win this year with his Big Band as winner of the 2024 award for  Best Large Jazz Ensemble album titled “Bianca Reimagined.”  And, you guessed it, the album also features the love of his life, his wife Nicole. The album was inspired by their pit bull rescue dog named Bianca, and 15 years of dedicated efforts by this couple to rescue and rehabilitate pit bulls from shelters in New York City. 

It’s a fascinating and unique backstory, highlighted by cuts from the Grammy-winning album, we know you’ll enjoy. 

Season 5 Episode 21 Ryan Middagh

Ryan Middagh is not only a composer, arranger, baritone saxophonist and educator, as Chair of the Department of Jazz and Global Music at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, he has delivered all that, and more, in his latest release called “Tenor Madness.” This album is a love letter to both the saxophone itself, and the abundance of saxophonists found in the vibrant and growing Nashville music scene. 

To bring the music to this release, Ryan gathered together an amazing group of his talented friends and saxophone colleagues like Jeff Coffin, Joel Frahm, Don Aliquo, Jovan Quallo, Alex Graham, vocalist Jenna McLean, trombonists Jeremy Wilson, and special guest Roy Agee, as well as members the Ryan Middagh Jazz Orchestra.  

Join me for a conversation about the development of this stunning album, “Tenor Madness,” and the man behind the music.  If you’re  like me, a fan of big band music and have a keen interest in the sound of the saxophone as a stand-out instrument to deliver that dynamic genre of music, then you are in for a treat with this episode.

Season 5 Episode 20 MCG Jazz

Pittsburgh has a strong connection to the world of jazz; in fact, you might say it is sacred ground for this music genre. Many of the legends of jazz - like Billy Eckstine, Billy Taylor, Ray Brown, George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, Mary Lou Williams, Ahmad Jamal, Art Blakey and dozens more - are from this Pennsylvania “burg.”  

In this episode, we talk with co-founder and executive producer of MCG Jazz, Marty Ashby, about how MCG Jazz grew out of the organization founded in the 1960’s by Bill Strickland as Manchester Craftsman Guild. What started as Strickland’s dream to serve and give back to the community, has since grown into a powerhouse program. 

As a Craftsman Guild, MCG initially provided a space to develop ceramics, photography and digital design education for urban youth. In the late 80’s, Strickland joined forces with jazz guitarist Ashby. Together as co-founders, they started MCG Jazz, where Ashby also continues to grow this legacy program as its executive producer. 

Our conversation begins with Marty Ashby telling me about the backstory to this incredible organization, its history, present projects and their vision for the future of keeping Jazz alive for generations to come