All That's Jazz

Season 4 Episode 23 Jun Iida

Trumpeter, flugelhorn player, composer, educator, and recording artist Jun Iida (Joon Ee-da) has quickly established himself as a highly sought after musician. A recording and performing artist, Iida has appeared extensively throughout the U.S. at notable jazz clubs, theaters, and festivals with his sextet and as a sideman.

 

This gifted musician born in St Louis of Japanese parents,  has lived literally coast-to-coast - from his hometown, to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Seattle, and most recently relocating to New York City. All these moves afforded him the opportunity to experience and internalize the different styles of music from each region, making his approach to composing and arranging appealing and unexpected with his subtle amalgamation of contemporary jazz, blues, pop, hip-hop, soul, and classical music.

 

Jun’s debut CD, EVERGREEN, is a showcase for his modern, edgy originals, along with imaginative re-workings of other compositions. In our conversation, we talk with Jun about his life, influences, incredibly diverse background, as well as about the backstory of EVERGREEN, which released January 19, 2024 on Origin Records.

Season 4 Episode 22 Gordon Goodwin

Whatever  Gordon Goodwin touches, whether it’s in his role as pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor - or any combination of these gifts - it’s all about his love of music. That love, and prodigious talent has brought him 25 Grammy® nominations, including three this year: Best Jazz Vocal Album: Patti Austin Featuring Gordon Goodwin’s  Big Phat Band - For Ella 2. Best Instrumental Composition: Quartet San Francisco Featuring Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - Cutey and The Dragon, Composed by Raymond Scott and Gordon Goodwin. Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals: Patti Austin ft. Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - April in Paris, Arranged by Gordon Goodwin.

 

Gordon’s collection already includes a Grammy® for ‘Best Instrumental Arrangement’ for “Incredits” in the film The Incredibles and has been honored with 3 Emmy awards for his work on the Steven Spielberg-produced shows Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. His work has been featured/utilized in more than 80 film & TV productions spanning the gamut of pop culture, amplifying the likes of National Treasure, Star Trek: Nemesis, Snakes on a Plane, Get Smart, Remember the Titans, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Majestic (starring Jim Carrey), The Lion King, The Incredibles and Ratatouille.

 

“I look at that number and it shocks me every time. I still find it difficult to believe that the members of the Recording Academy have given me 25 Grammy® nominations for my work. I don’t think you ever get used to it and the three most recent nominations seem somehow more precious than ever. I had the good fortune to be involved in two projects that were close to my heart in the past year, and happily, both were acknowledged by the Recording Academy.”

 

While this episode focuses primarily on the nominations for the current Grammy® season, we cover a lot of ground with Gordon in our conversation. 

Season 4 Episode 21 Gunhild Carling

Swedish musical sensation Gunhild Carling is an internationally acclaimed superstar whose show is a can’t-miss event! Whether she’s singing favorite swinging jazz standards, playing one of many 11 instruments (trumpet, trombone, harmonica, oboe, harp, flute, recorder, or jazz bagpipe!) or juggling and tap dancing, Gunhild is not only the consummate show-woman, in Jazz terms she’s definitely “The real deal.” 

 

She performed with her 'Carling Big Band' at the Royal Palace in Stockholm in the celebration for King Carl XVI Gustaf's Ruby Jubilee, and has performed at the iconic Birdland in New York multiple times, the most recent being January of 2024.

 

Noted Jazz journalist Scott Yanow said, “Gunhild Carling has always been quite a character. Her musical abilities are simply brilliant (whether playing trombone, trumpet, flute or even bagpipes); she is a joyous singer who can put across a heartbreaking ballad or a joyous romp. She seems to have limitless energy, and her performances are always quite great fun with her foundation being New Orleans jazz and swing.”

 

We couldn’t think of a better way to kick off 2024 than with “The Party” that is Gunhild Carling! 

Season 4 Episode 20 Chris Brubeck

 ‘The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Live From The Northwest, 1959’ is a collection of never-before-released recordings from the archives of Brubeck Editions of two electrifying concerts recorded on April 4, 1959 at the historic Multnomah Hotel in Portland and on April 5th in the auditorium at nearby Clark College.  The legendary quartet of Dave Brubeck on piano, alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright, and drummer Joe Morello are further testament to their unprecedented skills. What master sound engineer, Wally Heider, was able to capture from these diverse and challenging venues  are two performances that embody the very sound of the Dave Brubeck Quartet that audiences first fell in love with - described as “lightning in a bottle.”

 

We talk with multi-instrumentalist and Grammy-nominated composer, Chris Brubeck, about discovering this stellar collection in the archives, the backstory of how it happened, and why Brubeck Editions chose it as the label’s third release in continuing the legacy of Dave Brubeck.

 

Season 4 Episode 19 Ann Hampton Callaway

Over the years, Tony-nominated, multiplatinum-selling pop/jazz singer-songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway’s compositions have been recorded and performed by some of the biggest names in the business – among them, Carole King, Patti Lupone, Liza Minnelli, Karrin Allyson, and Michael Feinstein, to name a few.

Her newly released album, Finding Beauty, Originals Volume 1, released on Sept. 29 via Shanachie Entertainment, is  a milestone for this incredibly and  diversely talented artist who was recently inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. It features 16 tracks of original songs - all produced and arranged by Trey Henry and Paul Viapiano - and is highlighted by select tracks of Ann singing alongside a number of notable guests that include Melissa Manchester, Tierney Sutton,  jazz legend Kurt Elling, pop and R&B singer Niki Haris, singer Jarrett Johnson, and her frequent musical partner (and real-life sister), the Tony-nominated and Emmy-winning Liz Callaway. 

Not only do we talk about this intricate and beautifully constructed album that Ann describes as “my most personal record,”  but about the three year path that got her there.,adding “ I realized that I wanted to tell my story and share the deepest part of me. What better way than by sharing and singing songs I’ve written?”

We think you’ll wholeheartedly agree. 

Season 4 Episode 18 Rebecca Poole

British singer-songwriter and composer Rebecca Poole’s story is one of a musical journey that began as a child on a farm in Oxfordshire, England.  The family lived in a house on an estate owned by Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond.  Their simple farm home was always filled with music, two of her brothers became professional musicians, her mother sang a bit and she also had an aunt and uncle who played gypsy jazz professionally.  

Choosing initially to take a different tack, Rebecca became an avid writer of poetry and loved the creative arts and painting which she studied in college.  Though she never formally studied music, she eventually became interested in singing after hearing a recording of Nina Simone and also listening to other great jazz vocalists.  Friends encouraged her to sing with a contemporary/pop band that playing gigs during après ski in Zermatt, Switzerland, where in the evenings she also sang at a jazz club she discovered in the town. 

But despite all that jazz influence, Rebecca’s path led her to the commercial realm. Changing her name professionally to Purdy, she  recorded two widely acclaimed albums and garnered a large following. Her instincts, however, were telling her to return to her jazz roots. So for now, she’s set the Purdy moniker aside, and returned to using her birth name, Rebecca Poole.  Her new album called “Dreamers Ball” is the main focus of my conversation about Rebecca’s fascinating musical journey.

Season 4 Episode 17 Kings Return

With their newly-released first album of a cappella Christmas music, GRAMMY nominated, Dallas TX based Kings Return continue to defy expectations.

Tenor Vaughn Faison, bass Gabe Kunda, tenor JE McKissic, and baritone Jamall Williams , whose bare-bones a capella stairwell singing went viral on social media, have been compared to some of the iconic groups like Take 6 and Boyz ll Men. Their brand of R&B is entwined with free moments of jazz, soulful bursts of gospel, and bright touches of pop—all built on a solid, classical foundation.

Our music-filled conversation introduces their new release titled “We Four Kings,” allowing you to meet these talented, dedicated and engaging men and learn the backstory to what is sure to become a new holiday tradition.

Season 4 Episode 16 Cheryl Fabio

In September, as part of their 75th anniversary celebration, Smithsonian Folkways Records re-released two albums by the poet and activist Sarah Webster Fabio, often referred to as “the mother of Black studies.”

The albums, “Jujus: Alchemy of the Blues,” and “Together: To the Tune of Coltrane’s ‘Equinox’” contain poems authored and read by Sarah Webster Fabio, who, in her just 51 years, wrote more than 500 poems and recorded four albums for Folkways, in a style that reflects “a funky blend of Black poetry, spoken word, and jazz/blues” that were not only forward thinking, but in many ways a precursor to Hip-Hop’s distinctively African-American form of poetic expression.

We talk with her daughter, Cheryl Fabio, a documentary filmmaker, educator, and former Program Director at Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in Oakland, California, about her mother and her impact, the albums,  and the far-reaching importance of these works.

Season 4 Episode 15 Coffin Perlson Krauss

This All That’s Jazz episode is a conversation with three diverse and virtuosic musical masters - renowned saxophonist Jeff Coffin, venerated drummer Jordan Perlson and bass legend Viktor Krauss - have joined together  for a nine-track debut of all original music that’s been described as “a thrilling sonic odyssey that showcases undeniable musicianship and boundless artistic expression.”

 

Coffin, Perlson and Krauss first started playing together in 2020. The connection between them was evident instantly. During the pandemic, the three Nashville based musicians formed a social pod, and made playing together a regularity as long as they were safe to do so. Using this unexpected time, the trio decided to record at Krauss’ home studio to officially document this special collaboration, eventually settling on seven compositions and two solo works.  The result is their first album as a trio, self- titled ‘Coffin /Perlson/Krauss. 

Season 4 Episode 14 Sammy Figueroa

‘Searching For a Memory’ is a truly remarkable album. Released in July, legendary GRAMMY-nominated percussionist Sammy Figueroa brings together a stellar group of GRAMMY winning and nominated friends to musically tell the story of his late father, Charlie Figueroa, a singer of romantic boleros back in the 1950's, one of the best, whose records still sell to this day. Charlie passed away as a young man, when Sammy was just a small boy, as he describes it “a victim of his bohemian lifestyle. “

 

We talk with Sammy about his remarkable musical journey in ‘Searching For a Memory,’ and how the song choices and arrangements allowed him to make his peace. This is an album of cathartic strength, and a backstory takes you on a journey that isn’t soon forgotten.