All That's Jazz

Season 4 Episode 8 Keith Loftis

We had the great fortune of meeting saxophonist Keith Loftis when he was playing with The Baylor Project this spring at Earl Klugh’s 20th Weekend of Jazz at The Broadmoor. We knew then that we wanted to continue our backstage conversation in a formal ATJ episode.

    Over the course of his musically wide-ranging career, Keith’s performed with the likes of Benny Carter, Cedar Walton, Nancy Wilson, Frank Foster, Alvin Batiste, Clark Terry, Bobby Shew, Joe Williams and Ray Charles; he’s traveled extensively around the globe performing regularly throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and parts of the Middle East with legendary South African Jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim; master drummer Michael Carvin; the Roy Hargrove Big Band and the Frank Foster Loud Minority Big Band. As we found out when we met him, he’s also a main fixture in the 6x Grammy nominated The Baylor Project featuring other great friends of ours, Jean & Marcus Baylor. And if that weren’t enough, Keith’s also a touring member of 4x Grammy award winning bassist Christian McBride’s A Christian McBride Situation and The Christian McBride Big Band. 

   We talk with Keith not only about his eclectic and fascinating background, but about one of our personal favorite albums, his 2021 release ‘Original State’.

Season 4 Episode 7 Anthony Hervey

 Anthony Hervey is a trumpeter, composer, and teacher who Wynton Marsalis described as a “beautiful trumpet player of the first magnitude.” Recently chosen as one of Grammy.com’s 10 Emerging Jazz Artists to Watch in 2023, Anthony holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from and the Juilliard School; he has performed all over the world with some of the best in jazz, including Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Jon Batiste and Michael Bublé.

Anthony has opened for the Branford Marsalis Quartet, is also on Christian McBride’s Grammy Award winning Big Band Album, “For Jimmy, Wes, and Oliver,” and he is prominently featured acting and playing trumpet in the anthology series, Monsterland, airing on Hulu. What makes this body of work even more impressive is that Anthony is just 26 years old. 

   The June 9, 2023 release of Words From My Horn on Outside in Music is Anthony’s debut album. The 12-tracks highlight not only 10 of his original compositions, but also Anthony’s personal, musical, and spiritual voice. 

   The individual threads of these experiences are fascinating by themselves, but together they form the fabric of the backstory to Anthony’s prodigious talent and remarkable new release. 

Season 4 Episode 6 Lauren Henderson

Born on the Massachusetts North Shore, critically-acclaimed singer-composer and lyricist Lauren Henderson has been a key part of the New York scene for the past decade. Among Jazz Charts Top 5, and the Year End Jazz Week Top 50 (2020), Lauren accesses elements from a range of influences, delivering a distinct, versatile sound that uncovers layers of her cultural heritages and her diverse background in English and Spanish.

 Across her ten albums as a leader, Lauren’s own compositions share stories that reflect  journeys of the movement, migration, and scattering of people away from their ancestral homes and how that interplays with Lauren’s Panamanian, Montserratian and vast Caribbean roots and her North American upbringing. 

In addition to discussing her latest release, CONJURING, we talk about her Jazz, Latin American styles, Flamenco, R&B and Soul roots, as well as her love of, and respect for the sound and lyrics of Jazz standards. “I don’t feel like I can give a strong interpretation and representation of the song, “ Lauren told Downbeat Magazine, “if I can’t find some way of connecting to it.” 

There are so many highlights in our conversation that it’s difficult to just pick one. But what our biggest takeaway, besides her prodigious talent, is what a warm, diverse and interesting person she is. We’re sure you’ll feel that way, too.

Season 4 Episode 5 Sanah Kadoura

After living in New York City for a decade, JUNO nominated Lebanese-Canadian drummer, composer, educator and producer, Sanah Kadoura, has quickly risen to prominence as a first-call drummer and an inventive composer. She has a special approach to her playing, one that exhibits a rare musicality that infuses melody and nuance into all of her work.

     Sanah received her Masters of Music in Jazz Drum Set  Performance from S.U.N.Y. Purchase in New York. She  has produced, recorded or shared the stage with a number of legendary artists including Jon Baptiste, Joe Locke, Frank Lacy, Kirk Lighstey, Philip Harper, Ed Cherry, Mark Whitfield, Roy Hargrove, Jeremy Pelt, Johnny O'Neal, Jazzmeia Horn, Ronnie Foster, among many others. As a member of the Canadian All-Star group Ostara, Sanah recorded drums on their debut album, releasing in 2022. 

     Her new release, ‘Duality’, by her description is a blend of modern jazz, neo-soul, and Lebanese influences that weave a balance between dark and light to tell the story of hope and resilience. We discuss the theme, how they intertwine, and the inspiring message of “the flow of life” conveyed through the story. 

Season 4 Episode 4 Michael Tiemann

What if a magical place existed in an undisclosed location; a place of great beauty, serene and quiet enough to capture a whisper in the breeze. Imagine this place as one that serves as a light to the future, but existing in the present. Carbon neutral, energy producing, and state-of-the-art, a musical sanctuary that combines old-school acoustics with modern technologies and a recording process that honors both artistic performance and authentic audience experience. 

                                           That place exists.

   Manifold Recording is, in fact, located in an undisclosed location near Pittsboro, North Carolina. It is the brainchild of  Michael Tiemann, a professional singer as a child who - as an adult - turned “open source” software creator and in 1989 revolutionized the software industry paving the way for the popularization and commercialization of the Internet. 

   So, how did this eclectic background lead to a a recording  Nirvana in the woodlands of North Carolina that’s hosted artists from across the musical spectrum, from Béla Fleck and Brooklyn Rider, to Sirintip, to Branford Marsalis and Joey Calderazzo, Nnenna Frelon,  to the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, the Indigo Girls, Carole King, and James Taylor? We find the answer to this, and more, in our conversation. 

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.”