Category: Vocals

After Hours featuring Cyrille Aimée, air date March 10, 2021

On By Charles BinghamIn Actor/Actress, Featured guest, VocalsLeave a comment

Join me for the March 10, 2021, edition of After Hours on KRBD Rainbird Radio (and later on KSTK and KCAW Raven Radio) as I’m joined in conversation with French jazz vocalist Cyrille Aimée.

Improvisation is not just a technique for Grammy-nominated artist Cyrille Aimée, it’s a way of life. The acclaimed vocalist ventured from singing on street corners in Europe to dazzling audiences at the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals; from sneaking out to sing in gypsy encampments in her native France to acting on Broadway; from braving the notoriously tough audiences at New York’s Apollo Theatre to being called a “rising star in the galaxy of jazz singers” by The New York Times.

Among countless accolades, Aimée won the Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition and the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. As an actress, Aimée co-starred with Bernadette Peters in a Stephen Sondheim tribute at New York’s City Center which inspired her to dig deeper into Sondheim’s repertoire, resulting in her fourth and most recent album, Move On: A Sondheim Adventure. She’s shared her story via master classes, a TEDx talk, and a few addresses at the Conference on World Affairs.

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Cyrille Aimée, originally broadcast on March 10, 2021. Click here to visit Cyrille’s personal website.

After Hours featuring Madeleine Peyroux, air date Oct. 19, 2020

On By Charles BinghamIn Featured guest, Guitar, Songwriter, VocalsLeave a comment

Join me for the Oct. 19, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with American jazz singer and songwriter Madeleine Peyroux.

Madeleine began her career as a teenager busking with her guitar on the streets of Paris, much like her idol Edith Piaf. She sang vintage jazz and blues songs before finding mainstream success in 2004, when her album Careless Love sold half a million copies.

Madeleine’s dusky voice was likened to that of Jazz greats Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Featuring top musicians Marc Ribot, Vernon Reid, Cyrus Chestnut, Charlie Giordano, Greg Cohen, Kenny Wollesen, Regina Carter, Leon Parker and James Carter, her 1996 debut album, Dreamland, included Madeleine’s renditions of Holiday’s Gettin’ Some Fun Out of Life, Bessie Smith’s Lovesick Blues and Fats Waller’s I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter.

Dreamland cemented Madeleine Peyroux as a ‘classic’ musical talent that was here to stay, and the soulful singer found herself touring the world, singing with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and opening for Cesaria Evora.

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Madeleine Peyroux, originally broadcast on Oct. 19, 2020. Click here to visit Madeleine’s personal website.

After Hours featuring Roberta Gambarini, air date Oct. 12, 2020

On By Charles BinghamIn Featured guest, VocalsLeave a comment

Join me for the Oct. 12, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with Italian-born jazz singer, now living in New York City, Roberta Gambarini.

Roberta moved to the U.S. in 1998 and won a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. A few weeks after her arrival in America, she entered the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition and came in third behind Teri Thornton and Jane Monheit.

She was invited to sing in New York City, where she met Benny Carter and James Moody. Moody became her teacher, mentor and friend.

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Roberta Gambarini, originally broadcast on Oct. 12, 2020. Click here to visit Roberta’s personal page on Facebook

After Hours featuring Jackie Ryan, air date Sept. 14, 2020

On By Charles BinghamIn Featured guest, VocalsLeave a comment

Join me for the Sept. 14, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with jazz vocalist Jackie Ryan.

Christopher Loudon from Jazz Times has called Jackie “one of the outstanding jazz vocalists of her generation and, quite possibly, of all time…rivaling the dexterous sass of Sarah Vaughan, the instinctive smarts of Carmen McRae and the scintillating verve of Diana Krall.”

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Jackie Ryan, originally broadcast on Sept. 14, 2020. Click here to visit Jackie’s personal website.

After Hours featuring Mindi Abair, air date Sept. 7, 2020

On By Charles BinghamIn Featured guest, Saxophone, VocalsLeave a comment

Join me for the Sept. 7, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with one of the most recognized and sought after saxophonists and vocalists Mindi Abair.

The two-time Grammy nominee has been electrifying audiences with her dynamic live performances and sax prowess since her debut album in 1999.

You may know Mindi as the featured saxophonist on American Idol, sitting in with Paul Shaffer on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, or as the first solo saxophonist touring with Aerosmith since 1973. She has garnered twelve  No. 1 radio hits in the jazz and blues world, two No 1 spots on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Album Chart and two  No. 3 spots on the Billboard Blues Album Chart.

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Mindi Abair, originally broadcast on Sept. 7, 2020. Click here to visit Mindi’s personal website.

After Hours featuring Denise Donatelli, air date Aug. 24, 2020

On By Charles BinghamIn Featured guest, VocalsLeave a comment

Join me for the Aug. 24, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with multi- Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Denise Donatelli.

In addition to her four Grammy nominations, The Los Angeles Jazz Society, whose voting advisors include Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Johnny Mandel, have honored Denise with the 2012 Jazz Vocalist of the Year award. Denise has also been elected the Downbeat Critics Poll Female Vocalist Rising Star for the past four consecutive years.

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Denise Donatelli, originally broadcast on Aug. 24, 2020. Click here to visit Denise’s personal website.

After Hours featuring John Pizzarelli, air date Aug. 17, 2020

On By Charles BinghamIn Featured guest, Guitar, VocalsLeave a comment

Join me for the Aug. 17, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with world-renowned guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli.

John has been hailed by the Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.” The Toronto Star pegged him as “the genial genius of the guitar.” And the Seattle Times saluted him as “a rare entertainer of the old school.”

Established as one of the prime contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook, Pizzarelli has expanded that repertoire by including the music of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim and the Beatles. His themed shows, often performed with his wife, Jessica Molaskey, suggest there is no limit to Pizzarelli’s imagination or talent.

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring John Pizzarelli, originally broadcast on Aug. 17, 2020. Click here to visit John’s personal website.

After Hours featuring Laura Anglade, air date Aug. 3, 2020

On By Charles BinghamIn Featured guest, VocalsLeave a comment

Join me for the Aug. 3, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with up-and-coming Montréal-based jazz vocalist Laura Anglade.

Laura is currently making a name for herself on the Canadian jazz scene and beyond. Originally from a small village in the south of France and raised in Connecticut, she is influenced by her parents’ gypsy jazz and classical backgrounds.

Some of her inspirations include Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Anita O’Day, Shirley Horn and Blossom Dearie. Laura has made several appearances on the New York, Québec City and Toronto jazz scenes, and performs regularly at local venues, including Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill and Dièse Onze.

She has also performed in numerous jazz festivals including the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Her debut album “I’ve Got Just About Everything”, which came out in June 2019 on Justin Time Records, has been met with praise by critics and fans alike.

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Laura Anglade, originally broadcast on Aug. 3, 2020. Click here to visit Laura’s personal website.

After Hours featuring Stephanie Nakasian (mother) and Veronica Swift (daughter), air date July 27, 2020

On By Charles BinghamIn Featured guest, Vocals1 Comment

Join me for the July 27, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with jazz vocalist Stephanie Nakasian and her daughter, Veronica Swift, also a jazz vocalist.

Stephanie is an exciting, well-seasoned vocalist and master of innovative jazz improvisation, completely authentic with a fresh and vibrant sound of her own. She came to international attention in the mid-1980s, when she toured with the great Jon Hendricks.

At 26, her daughter, Veronica Swift, inow is being recognized around the country as one of the top young jazz singers on the scene today, touring with pianist Benny Green and trumpeter Chris Botti.

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Stephanie Nakasian and Veronica Swift, originally broadcast on July 27, 2020. Click here to visit Stephanie’s personal website, and click here to visit Veronica’s personal website.

After Hours featuring Dena DeRose, air date July 6, 2020

On By Charles BinghamIn educator, Featured guest, Piano, Vocals1 Comment

Join me for the July 6, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with jazz pianist, vocalist and educator Dena DeRose.

Although she began her career just as a pianist, medical problems with her hand forced her to become a vocalist as well. Dena has been chosen by Downbeat’s Critic’s Poll as an “artist deserving wider recognition,” and All About Jazz anointed her as “Jazz Artist of the Year” and “Best Jazz Album.” She has been featured on NPR’s “Morning Edition” and Marian McPartland’s “Piano Jazz” several times.

Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Dena DeRose, originally broadcast on July 6, 2020. Click here to visit Dena’s personal website.