All That's Jazz

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.

Season 4 Episode 13 Richard Baratta

All That’s Jazz catches up with drummer Richard Baratta to talk about his newest release, “Off The Charts,” a departure from his previous two albums that focused on music from the movies. It’s a subject he knows well having spent upwards of 35 years as a film producer.

We pick up with Richard where we left off in 2020, Season 1-Episode 30,  that focused on his incredibly rich background and how it led him to his album “Music in Film: The Reel Deal”. 

This time, we drill deep into the backstory of album number 3, “Off The Charts” and why he chose to change course to present music mined from the catalog of his youth, focusing on the 1960’s and 1970’s, a period he describes as “full of intense musical creativity and experimentation.”

Season 4 Episode 12 Eunmi Lee

Pianist, composer, and educator EUNMI LEE brings a distinct compositional flair with her debut album, INTROSPECTION. Originally from South Korea, Eunmi has been living in New York City since 2020.

 

In this episode, we talk about how Eunmi crafted INTROSPECTION from the disparate musical traditions of big band jazz, post-bop, chamber music and even Brazilian music. Though her compositions are very contemporary, they are also subtly shaded with Eunmi’s Korean culture, creating a unique and musically diverse palate.

Season 4 Episode 11 Shana L Redmond

In this episode of All That’s Jazz, we talk with Shana L. Redmond, professor of English and Comparative Literature at the Center for the Study of Ethnicity & Race at Columbia University. She is past president of the American Studies Association and a recipient of a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship. Dr. Redmond is the album notes author for the critically acclaimed Verve Record’s new release titled ‘Nina Simone: You’ve Got To Learn.’

 

Here’s the backstory: On July 2, 1966, the Newport Jazz Festival witnessed a legendary six-song set by Nina Simone that has remained etched in the memory of music aficionados for over half a century. Now, this previously unknown and unreleased recording of the unforgettable concert is available for the world to hear. 

Our conversation is centered on the backstory of Nina Simone’s Newport set, but it is also wide-ranging discussion of the woman, songstress, and ardent activist who spoke truth to power for her generation.

 

We learned a lot. We know you will, too. 

Season 4 Episode 10 Dr. Javier Nero

One of the most intriguing albums we’ve recently encountered is also the subject of our conversation with one of our most intriguing guests.

 

Javier Nero has many titles: trombonist, composer, arranger, educator; Doctor of Musical Arts  with a cognate (minor) in classical trombone performance at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and. along the way, he’s also a Staff Sergeant in the US Army with the Army Band’s premier musical unit: “The Pershing’s Own” and  as part of the pop element with the US Army Blues, a big band comprised of some of the nations most talented musicians. His musical career has been shaped by such jazz luminaries as Carl Allen, Steve Turre, John Daversa, Shelly Berg and Brian Lynch. 

Javier has two album releases as a leader to his credit, the 2020 recording “Freedom”, and his recently released second album on the Outside In Music label called “Kemet:the Black Land” which is a tribute to this ancient Egyptian, highly-advanced Black civilization. It’s a backstory as fascinating and diverse as the man himself.

Season 4 Episode 9 Ricky Riccardi

Ricky Riccardi is the director of research collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum, located in the Corona section of the Queens in New York. In 2022, Ricky won a Grammy Award for “Best Album Notes”  The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Victor Studio Sessions 1946-1966 on Mosaic Records.

 

In this “Catching Up With” episode, we find out what he’s been up to and also learn about the newly opened Louis Armstrong Center, located directly across the street from Armstrong’s fabled home-turned-museum. 

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.