All That's Jazz

Season 4 Episode 3 Leo Sidran

GRAMMY award winning Leo Sidran is a multi instrumentalist on drums, percussion, bass, guitars, keyboards, piano and vibraphone. He’s a lead and backing vocalist, producer, arranger, composer, recording artist, and podcast host of ‘The Third Story’ who - in his spare time - just released his 8th solo album titled ‘What’s Trending.’ 

     There is so much to this mind bogglingly diverse man that one episode simply isn’t enough, so look for a “to be continued” in the future. But for now, Leo and I chose to focus on the rich backstory of ‘What’s Trending.’ It’s a fast-paced, fun and fascinating conversation, with highlights from the tracks we know you’ll enjoy.

Season 4 Episode 2 Rachel Therrien

How does a JUNO-nominated trumpeter from Canada who lives and works in New York form a band called Latin Jazz Project and record an album called MI HOGAR, which translated means “my home”? Fair question. 

     Mi Hogar represents a special release for Rachel Therrien, who has honed her skills playing in Latin Jazz ensembles for years, and whose love for the genre compelled her to travel to Cuba to research and study the music more than a decade ago.

     The accomplished trumpeter is a regular fixture on the New York jazz and Latin jazz scene. A bonafide virtuoso on the horn and an expert in numerous musical styles, she’s shared the stage with many luminaries including Tony Allen, Pedrito Martinez, Claudio Roditi, Billy Drummond, Anat Cohen and works regularly as a core member of Arturo O’Farrill’s GRAMMY® Winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra among many others. A prolific bandleader, her five previous releases (including the JUNO-nominated 2020 release Vena) have garnered critical acclaim, solidifying Rachel’s status as an ingenious composer and inspired improviser.

     In our conversation we explore just how influential living in Cuba has been for Rachel’s latest album and her current musical direction..and she also reveals a secret about what comes next from this incredible artist.

Season 4 Episode 1 Dewayne Pate

Bass player DEWAYNE PATE is so busy working as a sideman that it has taken him 14 years and a pandemic lockdown to find the time to record his second album as a leader. ON THE UPSIDE comprises funk, blues, and jazz tunes performed with a variety of instrumentations. Besides being an in-demand bass player, Pate is also an accomplished composer and included five of his original compositions.

 

A master of many styles, Dewayne has performed around the world with a variety of top acts, like Arturo Sandoval, Huey Lewis, Boz Scaggs, Tower Of Power, Maria Muldaur, and Robben Ford, to name a few. In talking about his experience he told us, “I love the variety. It keeps me fresh and it keeps my playing fresh. It’s a challenge.”

 

From jazz to fusion to Latin to funk to the blues, Dewayne’s superb musicianship has been an essential component of so many different recordings and live performances that audiences may not have realized just how accomplished and versatile he is.

 

In our kickoff to Season 4, you’ll not only hear Dewayne’s take on being a sideman to some of the greats in the industry in a number of genres, but you’ll also get to sample some of the music from ON THE UPSIDE - a musically rich, formidable introduction to his talents as a composer and performer.

Season 3 Episode 21 John Lee

After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2016, South Korea born John Lee established himself as a prominent multi-instrumentalist in Vancouver, becoming a first-call player on the Vancouver jazz scene who performs on a high level on double bass, drums, piano, organ and guitar. 

 

The 28 year old bass player conveys a wisdom and musicality that’s far beyond his years.   John’s album The Artist stands as testament to his facility on the bass, as well as being an accomplished composer and arranger. Along with John on bass, the album captures his intricate interplay with three other masterful musicians: drummer Carl Allen, pianist Miles Black and tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds.

 

Our conversation takes us through John’s family’s move from South Korea to Nanaimo, Canada when he was 5 and his discovery of Jazz that came as the result of a box of CDs sent by a friend of his mother that included classics from artists like Miles Davis and Ron Carter. We discuss how his musical journey, and the influence of a high school teacher, led John to Berklee then back to Canada. The result is the creation of his debut album of reimagined straight ahead Jazz, swing and two original compositions dedicated to the memory of his artist father who passed away in 2014.

Season 3 Episode 20 Claudia Acuna

Born in Santiago, Chile and raised in Concepcion, singer, composer and bandleader, Claudia Acuña, established herself on the Chilean jazz scene in her 20s. When she arrived in New York City in 1995, Claudia quickly gained recognition as a leading voice in a scene that was rapidly being transformed by brilliant Latin American jazz, plunging into collaborations with masters such as Jason Lindner, Harry Whitaker, Arturo O’Farrill, Guillermo Klein, Avishai Cohen, Branford Marsalis, George Benson, Louie Vega, Danilo Perez, and Tom Harrell. 

Claudia released five albums as a leader before slowing down to adjust to motherhood and restore her power. Returning after a decade-long hiatus in 2019, Claudia returned with her sixth album, the highly praised Latin Grammy nominated album Turning Pages.

Then 2020 rocked the world. As the life slowed to a crawl, Claudia took time to reflect on the past and to find the core of her dedication in the power of music. She returned to fulfilling a long time desire to record an album with songs from her homeland. Titled DUO, the release features nine songs recorded as intimate duets with some of the finest musicians in the world - Fred Hersch, Christian Mcbride, Regina Carter, Russell Malone, Carolina Calvache, Arturo O’Farrell, and Kenny Barron. Claudia says that the simplicity of just two artists feeling the music and letting it flow through them, brought her to a new place as a singer. She told us, “I think all my albums are dreams and this was really one I didn’t know I was ever going to do…It was the perfect time…to give me the honor not only to do this duet, but allow me…to take them [her friends and musical collaborators] with me to, what I call humbly and respectfully, the Latin American standards.”

Season 3 Episode 19 Lu & Goods

Jazz-funk bassist Richie Goods and vibraphonist, percussionist, and composer  Chien Chien Lu are a powerful musical duo. On their newest self-produced release titled ‘Connected’, the two come together on a collaborative effort to produce an album which reflects on an imagery of love, hope and unity within a world where unwarranted violence against African American and Asian communities exists.  

‘Connected’ is a landmark for Richie and Chien Chien’s collaborative musical relationship. This multi-dimensional, riveting album- highlighted by several powerful tracks that include both music and conversation - offers a message of love and hope while placing it squarely in the context of unwarranted violence against African American and Asian communities, a deeply personal reality for both bandleaders.

With Chien Chien on vibes and marimba throughout and Richie splitting his time between electric and upright bass, ‘Connected’ also includes the all-star contributions of drummer Allan Mednard and guitarist Quintin Zoto. Special guests include vocalists Sy Smith, Jamison Ross and Pastor Dr. Adolfus Lacey, drummers Lil John Roberts and David Frazier Jr, percussionist Danny Sadownick, keyboardist BIGYUKI, Shedrick Mitchell on organ and piano, Brett Williams on keys and rhodes and Mike King on rhodes and organ.

Season 3 Episode 18 ”In the Stars”

Join us for a conversation with pianist / composer Skip Wilkins, and his son, saxophonist Dan Wilkins, about the story behind the album ‘In the Stars’ by the Skip and Dan Wilkins Quartet. This is the second of three recordings the Quartet is doing on Dear Head Records and is the follow-up to the first release called ‘Someday’ that came out in 2019. The development of this latest album was delayed by the Covid Pandemic but then the Quartet got together again in June of 2021 and recorded ‘In the Stars’ in July of that year. This episode also explores the special relationship and collaboration of the father-son team. 

Besides once again recording with his son Dan, ‘In The Stars’ marks Skip’s sixth outing with longtime friends, bassist Tony Marino, and drummer Bill Goodwin.

Season 3 Episode 17 Santi Debriano

Bassist-composer Santi Debriano, who emigrated to the United States from Panama at the age of four, has one of the most fascinating backstories around his new release, ASHANTI, that we’ve covered on All That’s Jazz.

During the pandemic lockdown, Santi created a sanctuary and communal practice space for New York area jazz musicians in the basement of his Staten Island home. He would organize weekly bembés based on a West African ritual of the Yoruba tribe involving a celebration of food, drink, music and dance. Santi created his own, pandemic-inspired intimate jam session tradition that offered a musical lifeline for artists until it was safe to go back to the recording the studio again.

Out of this came increasingly more complex compositions for his group of musicians now known as Arkestra Bembé, including Santi as leader and anchor on bass, with Robby Ameen on drums, TK Blue on alto saxophone, Andrea Brachfeld on flute, Tommy Morimoto on tenor saxophone, Ray Scro on baritone saxophone, Emile Turner on trumpet, Adrian Alvárado on guitar and Mamiko Watanabe on piano.

In our conversation with Santi - as well as with the selected sample tracks - we give you an inside look at how love, ingenuity, and determination to continue to create during the pandemic produced a remarkable album that may not have otherwise happened.

Season 3 Episode 16 Jane Monheit

A master of her craft, Jane Monheit's stunning interpretations of the American Songbook, classic pop songs, and traditional Latin / bossa nova tunes have mesmerized fans the world over. Her ability to honor timeless material with her well-honed vocal performances has resulted in several of her albums going to #1 on the Billboard Jazz Charts.

Coming from a family of professional singers and musicians, Jane says she realized at the age of 4 that jazz was the thing she wanted to do and told us her main influences were Ella Fitzgerald and Judy Garland.

With the start of the holiday season, we talk to Jane about her new release ‘The Merriest’ [out on Club 44 Records and now streaming ]. It’s her second holiday album, following 2005's ‘The Season’. On ‘The Merriest’, Jane continues her tradition of imbuing timeless music with her unique vocal and jazz stylings through a personally handpicked collection of festive favorites. We also talk about her album ‘Come What May’. Released in 2021, it was her first in five years, and as Broadway World noted in their review “highlights her fresh takes on first-rate standards, with deft interpretations honed after years on the road.”

Season 3 Episode 15 Sirintip

Bangkok-born Thai-Swedish singer, producer and multi-modal artist Sirintip recently released her second album, ‘carbon,’ featuring all original music that invites a new and fascinating conversation around climate change. 

Borrowing from the tradition of hip hop, Sirintip utilizes a number of found instruments, including plastic water jugs transformed into percussion, processed recordings from backyard wildlife, even sand. ‘carbon’ presents a suite of music through which science elevates Sirintip’s lyrical musicianship. Her compositions breathe with purpose. 

It is one of the most fascinating, and in many ways one of the most topically important conversations we’ve had on All That’s Jazz.