Join me for the Feb. 22, 2023, edition of After Hours on KRBD Rainbird Radio as I’m joined in conversation with jazz pianist Emmet Cohen.
A multifaceted American jazz pianist and composer, Cohen is one of his generation’s pivotal figures in music and the related arts.
Leader of the Emmet Cohen Trio and creator of the Masters Legacy Series, he is an internationally acclaimed jazz artist, a dedicated educator, the winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards, and a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.
Cohen headlines regularly at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Village Vanguard, and Birdland, and has appeared at the Newport, Monterey, and North Sea jazz festivals. His artistry has taken him to venues and festivals in more than 30 countries. Cohen’s entrepreneurial energies led to his developing “Live From Emmet’s Place,” a live-streamed “Harlem rent party” that unites a worldwide audience via tens of millions of internet views.
Cohen has released more than 10 albums as leader and has performed or recorded with Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Jimmy Cobb, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Tootie Heath, Houston Person, Christian McBride, and Kurt Elling.
Join me for the Feb. 1, 2023, edition of After Hours on KRBD Rainbird Radio as I’m joined in conversation with jazz pianist Eugene Maslov.
A piano prodigy from St. Petersburg, Russia, now residing in the USA, Eugene is a critically acclaimed pianist, composer and arranger deeply rooted in contemporary post-bop jazz. Whether performing as leader or sideman, Eugene is a first-rate artist and his passion for music continues to inspire legions of jazz fans from around the globe. He has recorded and performed with Shirley Horn; Toots Thielemans; Gary Burton; Hubert Laws; Omar Hakim; Eddie Gomez; Vinnie Colaiuta and Bob Sheppard to name a few.
Eugene’s continued development of classical and jazz techniques have resulted in a series of ground-breaking CD releases as leader. Where the Light Comes From“, brings his prolific experience and encyclopedic knowledge of jazz form and improvisation to a format with a balanced concept, astutely and poetically rendered within the tight chemistry of his backup musicians, which include Laws and Colaiuta.
His latest CD titled, “Holiday Classics” is a masterpiece in solo jazz and classical crossover piano. Eugene’s latest album is beautiful collection of timeless classic Holiday and Christmas songs.
Join me for After Hours Alaska at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, on KRBD public radio in Ketchikan, Alaska, as I’m joined in conversation with jazz pianist Christian Jacob.
Christian is a multi-Grammy-nominated pianist and arranger and first gained widespread exposure as music director for Maynard Ferguson and later as leader of the Christian Jacob Trio and co-leader of the Tierney Sutton Band.
“A post-bop modernist touched by the souls of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. … Pianist Christian Jacob is a wonderful player whose crystalline melodies and expansive harmonies mark him as someone to keep an ear on.” ~ JAZZ TIMES
Born in Lorraine, France, Christian fell in love with classical music at age 4 and discovered jazz at age 9. After graduating with “First Prize” from the Paris Conservatory, Jacob came to America to focus on improvisation at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. While attending Berklee, Christian won a number of awards, including the Oscar Peterson Jazz Masters Award, the Great American Jazz Piano Competition and “Downbeat” magazine’s distinction as Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist. He went on to teach at Berklee, tour with Maynard Ferguson, perform and record with a number of jazz legends and was listed by The Japan Times as one of the best-selling foreign jazz pianists in Japan. His extensive discography includes five critically acclaimed trio recordings and seven Grammy nominations from his alliance with vocalist Tierney Sutton, drummer Ray Brinker and bassists Trey Henry and Kevin Axt. Christian also received a Grammy Nomination as an arranger with The Phil Norman Tentet.
While Christian performs year round, his arranging skills are also highly sought after. He has been arranging for the Swiss Youth Jazz Orchestra since 1990 and The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra since 2005, featuring such talented artists as John Scofield, Billy Cobham, Charlie Haden, Phil Woods, Joe Lovano, Ron Carter and Gary Burton. Christian’s latest collaboration has been with renowned Japanese composer Kunihiko Murai and Maestro Jorge Calandrelli.
In 2014, Christian released his first solo piano recording, Beautiful Jazz: a private concert, aptly titled as this intimate solo recording is a dedication to the music that drew him away from the classical world and introduced him to the beautiful world of jazz. Recorded in pure analog and available as a limited edition vinyl LP.
In 2016, the original score to director Clint Eastwood’s box-office smash “Sully”, was created by Christian, The Tierney Sutton Band and Clint Eastwood. It was a fulfilling moment, to orchestrate his and the band’s music for a 70-piece orchestra and hear it live with the brilliant Conrad Pope conducting. The following year Eastwood asked Christian to compose the music for his next film, “The 15:17 to Paris.”
Join me at 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening, Nov. 3, on KRBD in Ketchikan, Alaska, on After Hours Alaska, as I’m joined in conversation with with Havana-based pianist and composer Harold López-Nussa. This show also will air from 8-10 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, on KCAW in Sitka.
Harold sets out to capture that stirring sensation with an exhilarating marriage of jazz and Cuban pop music, defiantly standing up to the doubters who failed to share his radical vision. We will explore a favorite jazz venue of his: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, in Seattle, and delve into how he made his musical dreams come true.
Harold’s music reflects the full range and richness of Cuban music, with its distinctive combination of classical, folkloric and popular elements as well as its embrace of jazz improvisation and interaction. Harold studied classical piano at the Manuel Saumell Elementary School of Music, the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory and the Instituto Superior de Artes (ISA). His career gracefully spans styles, from his recording of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Fourth Piano Concerto with Cuba’s National Symphony Orchestra to his featured role on the album Ninety Miles, playing alongside jazz stars David Sánchez, Christian Scott and Stefon Harris. His new recording, Te Lo Dije, is the ninth album in a catalogue that includes exquisite classical pieces, mesmerizing solo creations and explosive jazz trio outings.
Please accompany me for a very special edition of After Hours as I’m joined in musical conversation with Ketchikan’s own drummer, composer, arranger, producer, pianist and singer Austin Hays as we explore making music for video games, the connection between music and math, and exploring bipolar through music.
Tune into this exclusive interview at 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening, July 28, on KRBD Rainbird Radio in Ketchikan.
Born and raised in Ketchikan, Austin has been playing drums since age 5, and also has taken up piano, composing/arranging, and singing. Austin attended Cornish College of the Arts from 2008-13. He enjoys producing his own shows, and currently resides in his hometown as a private music teacher and working musician.
Missed the show? Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Austin Hays, originally broadcast on July 28, 2021. Click here to visit Austin’s Facebook page for his Austinato music studio, and click here for his SoundCloud music page.
Join me for the March 1, 2021, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio (and later broadcast on KRBD Rainbird Radio and KSTK) as I’m joined with multi-Grammy-nominated and Emmy-nominated pianist, composer, arranger, music director and producer John Beasley.
John was born in Shreveport, La., and grew up in Texas. His parents and grandfather taught music, and in his teens he played guitar, saxophone, drums, oboe, and piano.
John played keyboard for Freddy Hubbard and Miles Davis and has performed with a wide variety of artists like Dianne Reeves, Sergio Mendes, Ivan Lins, Christian McBride and so many more. He was the lead arranger for 10 years on American Idol. When not involved in his projects or others, John conducts master classes and clinics around the globe.
Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring John Beasley, originally broadcast on March 1, 2021. Click here to visit John’s personal website.
Join me for the June 8, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined for an uplifting and stirring conversation with jazz vocalist and pianist Diane Schuur.
Nicknamed “Deedles”, she’s been blind since birth due to retinopathy of prematurity but has been gifted with absolute pitch memory and a clear vocal tone.
Stephen Holden, from the New York Times says, “Her voice is impressive in its size, range and brightness. A song can suddenly fly up an octave into little-girl squeals, then make a swan dive into the murky depths. She uses her twirling vibrato as a rhythmic punctuation. After drawing out a note, she dispenses that vibrato like a cherry on a sundae.”
Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Diane Schuur, originally broadcast on June 8, 2020. Click here to visit Diane’s personal website.
Join me for the May 25, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined for an uplifting and stirring conversation with Eliane Elias.
Eliane has had a distinguished career spanning nearly 30 albums, and is a multi-GRAMMY winning pianist/singer/composer. Her distinctive and intoxicating musical style has emerged as one of the most unique and immediately recognizable sounds in jazz.
With more than 2.2 million albums sold to date, she blends her Brazilian roots and alluring voice with her virtuosic instrumental jazz, classical and compositional skills, while she consistently displays her pianistic mastery and ability to integrate the many artistic roles she takes on. Jazziz Magazine describes Eliane as “an artist beyond category.”
Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Eliane Elias, originally broadcast on May 25, 2020. Click here to visit Eliane’s personal website.
Join me for the March 2, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined in conversation with with Benny Benack lll.
Benny has proven to be a rare talent: not only a fiery trumpet player with a stirring command of the post-bop trumpet vernacular in the vein of Kenny Dorham and Blue Mitchell, but also a singer with a sly, mature, naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold, performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of originally composed vocalese (complex solos with written lyrics). And he’s a highly capable pianist as well.
Benny performs widely as a frontman for Postmodern Jukebox, the vintage music collective famed for canny old-school covers of modern pop.
Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Benny Benack III, originally broadcast on March 2, 2020. Click here to visit Benny’s personal website.
Join me for the Feb. 24, 2020, edition of After Hours on KCAW Raven Radio as I’m joined for an uplifting and stirring conversation with pianist, organist, vocalist, composer, arranger and producer based in the NYC area Matt King.
His latest recording as a leader, “Monk In Brazil,” features the iconic compositions of jazz legend Thelonious Monk, arranged by King in various Brazilian genres. This trailblazing music is earning rave reviews from notable artists in both the American and Brazilian jazz worlds:
“A brilliant triumph, melding the wittiness of Monk’s melodies and the infectiousness of Brazilian rhythms. Matt King’s piano playing is always stellar; his solos sparkle with such clarity and solid creative ideas. If you love Monk and Brazilian music, get ready to party! BRAVO!” (Rufus Reid)
Click this link to listen to the After Hours show featuring Matt King, originally broadcast on Feb. 24, 2020. Click here to visit Matt’s personal website.
After Hours Alaska 