Making It! with Terry Wollman: Recent Episodes
EnterTalk
Welcome to “Making It With Terry Wollman”, the show that explores the secrets, successes and strategies for making it in the music biz.
In the studio, the classroom, and in my travels, I so often get questions about the creative process, so I created this show to focus on what it takes to have a lasting career in the ever-changing landscape of the music business. You’re really in for a treat, as I have invited my friends, some of the best and brightest in music, to share their stories. I guarantee you’re going to love it.
Time passes quickly, and I’ve learned that we should do what’s in our hearts, and do it well without apologies or excuses. I encourage you to create music in your own unique way and express your artistry with joy and abandon. Be willing to work uncompromisingly for what you believe in. Success will have a better chance of finding you when you live your life with integrity, focus, and passion. Be selfish with your discipline and selfless in your performance. And have fun. Remember, it’s called playing.
Terry Wollman moved from Miami to Los Angeles after graduating from the prestigious Berklee College of Music with a degree in Arranging. He quickly built a solid reputation as an in-demand Producer, Guitarist, Music Director and Composer. Terry has worked with an array of artists including Melissa Manchester, Billy Preston, The Crusaders, Little Richard, Wilson Phillips, Joan Baez, Joe Walsh, Keb’ Mo’, and Eartha Kitt, to name just a few.
Terry has produced artists including Tony Bennett, Dick Van Dyke, Dave Grusin with Alan Bergman, and Melissa Manchester’s 20th album “You Gotta Love The Life” with special guests artists Stevie Wonder, Joe Sample, Dave Koz, Dionne Warwick and Al Jarreau. Wollman’s debut album “Bimini” (1988) received worldwide critical acclaim. He recently released his 7th CD, a 25 year retrospective entitled “Silver Collection”. His first single “Welcome To Paradise” (featuring Terry with Dave Koz on alto sax) debuted at #1 Most Added on Billboard.
Rick Rodriguez served as the Mayor of Downey California in 2018. He is founder of RMI International, an international security firm that operates in 18 states and three countries. Rodriguez founded the company in 1996 after a lengthy career in private security.
Rick is a past president of the Downey Chamber of Commerce and current president of Gangs Out of Downey. His other volunteer work includes stints as chairman of Downey's Emergency Preparedness Committee, member of Downey Los Amigos Kiwanis, and member of Downey's Veterans Memorial Committee.
He is also a chaplain with the LA County Sheriff's Department and founder of the Living Tree Foundation, which helps returning Combat Veterans and their families.
Rodriguez, the son of migrant farm workers from Texas, grew up in El Monte, California. He and his wife Lupe have seven children and nine grandchildren.
http://www.rmiintl.com/
http://www.yourlivingtree.org/
Shelly was born Mashelle Clark in Brooklyn, New York. An original member and cofounder of The Honey Cone, Shelly has had a remarkable career. Beginning as a child star at the age of seven she headlined at the renowned Apollo Theatre and the Palace Theatre before making her Broadway debut with Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll in the celebrated hit musical "The House of Flowers."
Clark went on to dazzle audiences touring with Cab Calloway in his renowned Cotton Club Revue followed by her work with artists including Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, Little Richard, DJ Rogers and Richard Harris. She also toured nationally with The Ike & Tina Turner Revue as one of the historic Ikettes. With The Honey Cone, Shelly was part of creating an enduring legacy of Billboard No. 1 and Top 10 hits that garnered numerous gold records and esteemed industry awards.Shelly has been married to Verdine White, the iconic bass player and co-founder of Earth, Wind & Fire for 40 years.
Verdine White is best know as the visionary entertainer, producer, fashion trend setter and electrifying bass player of Earth Wind & Fire. Born and raised in Chicago, he easily might have followed his father’s footsteps into the field of medicine. It turned out however that music chose Verdine instead. He saw a Double bass in his high school orchestra class and there began his formal training.
In Verdine’s words… ”The instrument was standing alone in the corner of the orchestra class....tall, mysterious and majestic, so different from all the others, it called me and the love affair began."
Verdine honed his skills in local jazz clubs throughout Chicago and neighboring cities which allowed him to perfect his unique electric bass style and technique. Already an accomplished bassist, Verdine joined his brother Maurice White in Los Angeles to form one of the most successful POP and R&B bands of all time... Earth Wind and Fire.
https://www.verdinewhite.com
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialVerdineWhite
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialShellyClark/
https://www.thehoneycone.com
@verdine_white
@shellyclarkwhite
http://www.earthwindandfire.com
Ron Walters Jr is a keyboardist, composer, arranger, producer, and conductor. This Chicago native began his musical journey at an early age singing and playing drums in church. Heavily influenced by the music of Walter Hawkins, Andrae Crouch, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, Ron fell in love with the piano and never looked back. He went on to study with Chicago jazz piano legend Eddie Baker and composer/arranger William Russo. Ron graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Composition and a minor in Conducting.
In 2004, Barry Manilow took Ron "under his wing" as his new music director. Ron moved to Los Angeles and has served as Barry's conductor/MD/keyboardist ever since. With Mr. Manilow, Ron has performed on stages and TV shows all over the world. His most memorable experiences so far have been conducting and performing for the Nobel Peace Prize concert in 2010, and conducting both the Los Angeles Philharmonic and BBC Concert Orchestra in 2019. His conducting and playing earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Music Direction for the PBS special: "Barry Manilow Sings Songs of The 70's".
Ron’s new Christmas EP "Incredible Love” is currently available on all music outlets.
https://ronwaltersjrmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ronwaltersjr/
https://www.instagram.com/official_ron_walters_jr/
Ron Powell is an accomplished musician, clinician, author and educator with over 40 years of performance experience.
In addition to touring with Sergio Mendes for 20 years, as well as with Kenny G and Diana Ross for the past 30 years; Ron has recorded and performed with renowned artists including Black Eye Peas, Santana, Madonna, Maria Carey, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Justin Timberlake, George Duke, George Benson, Sheena Easton, Josh Groban, Lee Ritenour, Barry White, Brand New Heavies, Gloria Estefan, Boyz 2 Men, Annie Lennox, Pattie Austin, The Four Tops, Poncho Sanchez, Jeffery Osborne, Donna Summers, Peabo Bryson, Donny Osmond, The Supremes, The Commodores, Lou Rawls, India Irie, Michael Bolton, Patti Labelle, David Cassidy, Faith Hill, Al Jarreau, Boy George, Merv Griffin, Paula Abdul, Najee and Cirque De Soleil.
Ron has also played for The American Music and Grammy Awards, Smokey Robinson’s Motown Review, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno & Johnny Carson, American Idol and also has been a member in my band for many years.
http://www.ronpowellpercussion.com/
She thought she could and so she did. This California radio personality, concert event producer and global music innovator has been on the radio since she was 15 years old, starting her career on John Steinbeck's Cannery Row in Monterey, California in 1979. She has worked her way up and down the Coast to broadcast on many respected FM frequencies including The Wave in Los Angeles and KKSF in San Francisco.
Known in the music industry as a visionary in regards to Internet Broadcasting and music programming, Sandy has dedicated her talent to introducing the lifestyle vibe of contemporary jazz to millions around the world by keeping the sound fresh and warm. She believes that the genre is evolving and appealing to a new breed of listener who enjoys a diverse music mix. Shore describes it as a modern and robust blend that includes both the "relevance of pop and the depth of jazz."
Music is her life. Shore works personally with today's hottest jazz artists and recording labels, building successful branding by integrating marketing and social media. She also works closely with music producers consulting on radio singles and developing new artists, all the while spearheading SmoothJazz.com's event partnerships with jazz festivals all over the world.
LINKS:
http://smoothjazz.com
https://www.facebook.com/sandyshore4U
https://www.jazzweekender.com
Since arriving in California in 1988 from his native land of Sri Lanka, Hussain has become a first call bass player in Los Angeles. His feel, versatility and joyful attitude has kept his phone ringing for over thirty years. His presence is a joy to behold on the bandstand and in the studio, raising the level of musicality and inspiring both the audience and the musicians that he plays with.
Born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Hussain grew up surrounded by the richly varied traditional music of his country, but was also drawn to Pop, Jazz and R&B that he heard on the radio. He started singing in school choirs at 10, took up piano and accordion at age 12, and at 17 started playing electric bass.
After living in Europe for 6 years he moved to Los Angeles to study music at the Musicians Institute, where he graduated with the school’s highest honors. Armed with his bass, his passion and dedication Hussain’s stellar reputation has lead him to travel the world many times over, playing music with some of the most beloved artists of our generation.
His credits include Sergio Mendes, Tom Scott, Michael Bolton, Deniece Williams, Helen Reddy, Jim Messina, Joe Williams, John Raitt, Petula Clark, Freda Payne, Kenny Kirkland, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Lamont Dozier, Pauline Wilson, David Foster, Michael McDonald, Bobby Brown, Russell Ferrante, Dionne Warwick, Captain & Tennille, The Perri sisters, Chaka Khan, Crystal Gayle, Jonathan Butler, The Four Tops, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Phoebe Snow, Marty Stuart, Sam Moore, Steve Winwood, Whitney Houston, Tito Puente, Al McKay, Yanni, Dave Weckl Band, Carol King, Melissa Manchester, Christopher Cross, Stewart Copeland, Terry Wollman and Kenny G. Hussain currently tours and records as a member of Herb Alpert and Lani Hall’s quintet.
Hussainjiffry.com
https://www.facebook.com/hussain.jiffry.3/
https://www.instagram.com/hussain_jiffry/
vibratogrilljazz.com
Herbalpert.com
A founding member of the chart-topping contemporary jazz group Fourplay, East was 16 years old when he got his first break and found himself on the road with Barry White. The next time the phone rang, Quincy Jones was on the line. The calls kept coming and for the last forty years, East has been churning out hit songs with artists as legendary as Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand and Stevie Wonder.
His genre-crossing groove has earned him both the recognition – a Congressional Record for his contributions to the worldwide music community, for one – and the boundary-busting respect of his peers, illustrated by his current appearances on two hit records as diverse as Andrea Bocelli’s Passione and Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories. Suffice it to say, it’s been a busy four decades. “There are only so many hours in the day,” East concedes. “But for years, friends have encouraged me to record a solo album. Some for so long they’d given up. However the best music that I’ve made over the years has always been a collaboration with my friends, so I decided it was time to take the plunge.”
Communing with friends is a theme for East, so it was only natural that he team up with Yamaha Entertainment Group, with whom he has had a personal and professional relationship for over 30 years.“They have an undeniable world-wide presence, so when Chris Gero started this label and shared his vision, I was in from the first ask.” Less obvious to East, was how to approach stepping out as a lead artist. “I always felt, especially as a bassist, that a solo album was a very difficult thing to try to come up with. I’m used to a more supportive role playing as a sideman, which is why it’s taken me this long to actually get my head around what kind of record to make.”
But the uncertainty stopped there. “Chris said, ‘I don’t want to just make an album that you’d predict you would make. I want you to come away from it with that feeling of ‘What just happened?!’ He has all these ideas going on and he’s hearing symphonies in his head. It’s like Quincy Jones, where he has a knack of putting ideas and people together. Chris comes with an exceptional production value and wants everything to be epic, so we’re trying to bring that spirit to this record.” And spirited it is. Joined by a veritable who’s who of fellow musicians and vocalists, East immersed himself in the studio experience. “The thing I love most about the recording process is that you never know exactly what’s going to happen. I always leave room for that element of surprise because so often it’s what you didn’t plan on that turns into the focal point – that magical moment – on the record.”
One such moment is the triumphant re-imagining of Pat Metheny’s “Letter From Home,” where soaring orchestration contrasts poignantly with the track’s pensive mood. It’s exactly the kind of narrative in which East gravitates. “I tend to lean towards passionate ballads and I’ve asked Michael McDonald, one of my favorite singers, to join us on this record. There’s just so much emotion and heart in his music.” Destined to capture every heart is East’s duet on “Yesterday” with his 13-year old son Noah, who plays the piano. “Noah came to the studio, put the headphones on and the sound was so beautiful his face just lit up! It’s surreal to play with your son. You are changing his diapers one minute and the next thing, you’re making music with this person.”
East keeps it in the family with one of four co-written songs on the album, “101 Eastbound,” a tune penned along with brother Marcel East. Originally released over 20 years ago on Fourplay’s debut album and newly imbued with an exotic flair, the track captures the vitality of East’s diverse range. Glowing with meticulous attention to detail, East tackles the anthemic “America the Beautiful” with a ferocity befitting its title. “I travel around the world visiting many different countries but I must say, I always look forward to coming home.” East continues, “I kiss the ground because even on a rainy day, America is still so beautiful.”
One thing is certain – the world is listening to Nathan East. “Now that I have an association with ‘Get Lucky,’ a song that has been played around the world, we thought it would be fun to celebrate that part of my playing on the record. Why not keep the party going?! So Michael Thompson wrote a fun song in the spirit of that music and we called it ‘Daft Funk.'” And in the spirit of Nathan East, the album is energized with relentless generosity as he leads – and cedes – the way for his friends and fellow musicians to shine. As a result, “You can tell a difference in the way the music feels,” East explains. “They’re calling it a solo album, but I consider it everybody’s record.”
East admits, he’s been blessed with a gift. And it’s one that we’ll gladly accept.
Happy wife, proud mother, avid cook, lazy gardener. Certified Horticulturist. As a musical actress, Linda Griffin was an original cast member of Broadway shows Something Rotten! and The Drowsy Chaperone and can be heard on both Grammy nominated cast albums. She performed the role of Mrs. Shroeder/Narrator in Anyone Can Whistle at New York’s City Center. She has also been featured in the Broadway tours of Wicked, A Chorus Line, 42nd Street and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Linda created the role of Propsy in the world premiere of Minsky’s at The Ahmanson Theatre in LA, and more recently The Hollywood Bowl in Mel Brooks’ The Producers. Linda has been a member of Actors Equity Association for over 30 years.
Tom Griffin is a nationally recognized music director and conductor. Recent productions include Oliver, Sweeney Todd, The Music Man; West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie; the national tour of My Fair Lady… and Alabama Shakespeare Festival's production of Mary Poppins. He has been recognized for the Broadway revival of You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, and received the Garland Award AND Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Musical Direction. Tom was the music conductor of Disney's Beauty and the Beast on two National Tours.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lgriffin-creative/
https://www.facebook.com/lgriffincreative
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-griffin-78bb7983/
https://www.facebook.com/tom.griffin.musicdir
(Beautiful) Sound of Us - Terry Wollman (feat. Ray Jupiter & Donald Webber Jr.)
https://lnk.to/4weJapWt
Dave Pearlman has been playing pedal steel and guitar since 1968 and has performed with such notable artists as Dan Fogelberg, Phil Everly, Bill Medley, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Chuck Berry, Hoyt Axton, REO Speedwagon, Bobby Womack, Leslie Gore, Pat Boone, Michelle Shocked, Joe Walsh, Richie Furay, Al Jardine, Jesse Colin Young, Albert Lee, Terry Reid, and many others as well as having been recorded on many movie and television soundtracks and commercials. Dave ran a successful recording studio for many years and was given an award for engineering on a Grammy winning album as well as four Gold Albums and one Platinum Album. Dave now owns and operates Pearlman Microphones where he hand builds custom microphones for some of the top artists and studios in the world.
www.pearlmanmicrophones.com
www.rotundrascal.com
https://www.facebook.com/pearlmanmics/
Dr. Linda Spilker is a planetary scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who has participated in NASA and international planetary missions for over 40 years. Spilker’s mission roles include mission leadership as well as design, planning, operation and scientific data analysis. As Cassini Project Scientist Dr. Spilker leads a team of over 300 international scientists. She has worked in a science role on the Cassini project for 30 years and is a Co-I with the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer team. She previously worked on the Voyager mission for 12 years. She also conducts independent research on the origin and evolution of planetary ring systems and supports proposals and concept studies for new missions to the outer planets. She enjoys yoga and hiking in National Parks, including her favorite park, Yosemite. She is married, with three daughters and nine grandchildren.
Dr. Spilker received her PhD summa cum laude from UCLA in 1992 in Geophysics and Space Physics while also working at JPL. Dr. Spilker received her B.A. from Cal State Fullerton, and her M.S. from Cal State Los Angeles, both in Physics. She also received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Natural and Social Sciences from the California State University at Los Angeles in 1996, and the Distinguished Alumni award from the California State University at Fullerton in 2005. She has received a number of NASA awards including a NASA Outstanding Public Leadership Medal and two NASA Exceptional Service Medals.
Dr. Spilker has worked at JPL for over 40 years, her first and only job out of college.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4ULJTCPj0DRUe9zuIPl00Q
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/videos/index.html
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/overview/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrGAQCq9BMU
The Seventh Son in a family of musicians, Vail was blessed with wildly diverse influences. His professional career began straight out of high school headfirst into the club circuit around Seattle, west coast region, then national to international travel with dozens of different bands.
Connecting with Kenny G in Seattle early1986 set Vail on a unimaginable ride that continues to this day. Never content to be 'just a sideman' he continually developed his band leader and vocal skills with 6 solo CD's which brings us to the present;
The New Project..........'Around the World in 40 Years' Music and Musings from a Remarkable Career
Vail's new 'one-man' show integrates music and stories from world- wide performances and experiences not just with Kenny G (33 years and counting) but luminaries such as Herbie Hancock, Stevie Nicks, Keb' Mo', George Benson, Michael Bolton, James Ingram, Gil Scott Heron, MC Hammer, Steve Perry, The Arsenio Hall Show and David Cassidy as well as lesser known but highly respected artists like Eric Marienthal and Frank Gambale (both members of the Chick Corea Electrik Band) Patti Austin, Warren Hill, Young MC, Edgar Winter, Freddie Ravel, Carmine Appice, etc., etc., etc
With just a bass, a microphone and a looper ( a la Ed Sheeran) Vail electrifies audiences with joyfulness and mastery of the instrument unparalleled; there's a story behind every song, bringing unique perspective into the life of a world touring artist. Equal parts entertainment, inspiration and education, his show is available as a stand- alone concert performance for all audiences as well as a clinic/ seminar style suitable for music schools.
https://www.vailjohnson.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDO-3w0JI6w-xAYsNe-WCRA?view_as=subscriber
https://www.facebook.com/vailbass
https://twitter.com/TheRealVail
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/vail-johnson/118370562
The career of Bob James is long, varied and continues to evolve at every turn. From his childhood in Marshall, Missouri to present day, the music of this artist has captivated audiences throughout the world.
Discovered by Quincy Jones in 1963, James recorded his first solo album “Bold Conceptions” that year for Mercury Records. Fifty-eight albums and world wide recognition would follow through five decades as an award winning pianist, composer, music director and producer. While James has established himself as a true original in the jazz world, his music has also had a profound effect on the history of Hip Hop. His songs “Nautilus” and “Take Me to Mardi Gras” are among the most sampled in Hip Hop history.
www.bobjames.com
www.fourplayjazz.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv6ALYWxQtI
Conductor and choral arranger ALEXANDER LLOYD BLAKE is the Founder and Artistic Director of Tonality (www.ourtonality.org), a new choral ensemble focused on spreading a message of unity, peace, and social justice through a culturally diverse choral setting. Blake also serves as the Principal Associate Conductor of the National Children's Chorus (www.nationalchildrenshorus.com), where he conducts both the Los Angeles and New York City branches of the oldest and most experienced singers. Blake’s role will soon include diversity engagement to work toward a more diverse choral membership within the organization. He also serves as the Choir Director at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) (www.lachsa.net). As an arranger, Blake’s Wade in the Water was a featured arrangement at the North Carolina Music Educators Association convention in 2013 and is published with Santa Barbara Music Publishing. Blake has recently been requested for a commission by the New York City professional ensemble called Inspire to write a work on environmental justice. Blake was recently accepted in the Romano Gandolfi International Choral Conducting Competition in Parma, Italy as one of two conductors from the United States. Other musical activities include an opera conducting premiere at the 2019 Prototype Festival in New York City, and preparing choirs for live performances with UCLA Center for the Art of Performance. Performances include MacArther Fellow Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music and Holiday Sauce concerts and soon Rachel Fuller’s Animal Requiem and Alex Somers’ Dawson City: Frozen Time Live!
Film and TV Credits include singing on the soundtrack of Jordan Peele's "US," Disney’s “Lion King”, and Pixar’s upcoming “Spies in Disguise” film scheduled for release in December 2019. Blake also worked as the choral contractor and vocal arranger for Andy Grammer’s performance at the 2019 ARDYs (Radio Disney Awards).
Blake completed the Doctorate in Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California in 2019. His Master of Music was completed at the University of California Los Angeles in 2014 and Balck completed a Vocal Performance degree at Wake Forest University in 2010. Blake studied conducting at USC with Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe and Dr. Nick Strimple, he has previously studied with Donald Neuen, Dr. Brian Gorelick, Dr. David Hagy, and Dr. David Connell. He has studied composition with Dr. Dan Locklair and choral arranging with Morten Lauridsen.
www.facebook.com/alexanderlloydblake
IG: alexanderlblake
Twitter: @AlexanderLBlake
website: www.alexanderlblake.com
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution is a 2020 American documentary film, directed and produced by Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht. Barack and Michelle Obama serve as executive producers under their Higher Ground Productions banner.
"In the early 1970s, teenagers with disabilities faced a future shaped by isolation, discrimination and institutionalization. Camp Jened, a ramshackle camp “for the handicapped” (a term no longer used) in the Catskills, exploded those confines. Jened was their freewheeling Utopia, a place with summertime sports, smoking and make-out sessions awaiting everyone, and campers experienced liberation and full inclusion as human beings. Their bonds endured as many migrated West to Berkeley, California — a hotbed of activism where friends from Camp Jened realized that disruption, civil disobedience, and political participation could change the future for millions."
Nicole Newnham (Writer, Director and Producer) is an Emmy-winning documentary producer and director, four-time Sundance Film Festival alumnus and five-time Emmy-nominee. She has recently produced two virtual reality films with the Australian artist / director Lynette Wallworth: the breakthrough VR work Collisions, which won the 2017 Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches to Documentary, and Awavena, featured at the World Economic Forum in Davos and at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
Jim LeBrecht (Writer, Director and Producer) has over 40 years of experience as a film and theater sound designer and mixer, author, disability rights activist and filmmaker.
LeBrecht and BSA’s credits include some notable films. Just some of the titles that have garnered acclaim are The Blood of Yingzhou District, which won the Academy Award for short documentary in 2006, Minding The Gap, Unrest, The Force, The Island President, The Waiting Room, The Kill Team, Daughter From Danang, The Cockettes, We Were Here, and Audrie and Daisy.
https://cripcamp.com
Twitter:
@JimLeBrecht
@NicoleNewnham
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Heumann
This is how virtuoso guitarist Oz Noy describes his intoxicating blend of jazz, funk, rock, blues, and r&b.
Born in Israel, Oz started his professional career at the age of 13. By age 16, he was playing with top Israeli musicians and artists. By age 24, he was one of the most established studio guitar players in the country. Oz was also a member of the house band on Israel’s top-rated television show for more than two years.
Since his 1996 arrival in New York, Oz has made a huge impact on the local and international music scene. His unique and intoxicating style has broken all the rules of instrumental guitar music by focusing on the groove.
His latest album, released on Abstrack Logix, is called “Booga Looga Loo.”
Oz Noy has performed, toured and recorded with Richard Bona, Chris Botti, Gavin DeGraw, Harry Belafonte, Cyndi Lauper, Clay Aiken, Toni Braxton, Phoebe Snow, Nile Rogers, Dave Weckl, John Patitucci, The East Village Opera Company, Roger Glover, Bill Evans, Randy Brecker, The Gil Evan Orchestra, Warren Hayes, The Allman Brothers, Allen Toussaint, Eric Johnson, Mike Stern, John Abercrombie, Steve Lukather,Tom Scott, Don Was, Nelly Furtado, Natasha Bedingfield, Phillip Phillips, Andy Grammer, Angelique Kidjo, Matisyahu, Jennifer Hudson, Henry Butler, Gart Hudson, Don Henley, Patti Austin, Take 6, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Phil Ramone, Paul Shaffer, Dweezil Zappa, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Sting, Steve Perry, Allison Krauss Foreigner, Patty Smyth, Wiz Khalifa, Shelea, Jordin Sparks, Average White Band, Christopher Cross, TYP, Betty Buckley, Idina Menzel, Luke Nelson, Justin Timberlake, Bonnie Raitt, Lizzo, Dave Mathews, Cat Stevens and Scary Pockets.
http://www.oznoy.com
https://www.instagram.com- oznoyguitar
https://www.facebook.com/oznoymusic/
Rose Schindler (1929-) Born and raised in Czechoslovakia, Rose was deported to Auschwitz along with her parents, aunt, five sisters and two brothers when she was just 14 years old.
Max Schindler (1929-2017) From Cottbus, Germany, Max and his family were deported to Poland and sent to a forced labor group in 1942. Over a three year period, Max was sent to six concentration camps.
Despite these horrible beginnings, Max and Rose found each other and have been engaged in Holocaust activities for much of their lives. They are members of the ’45 Aide Society and involved in The Butterfly Project, whose mission is to educate students about the Holocaust. Rose has also been the president of the New Life Club, a local San Diego organization of Holocaust survivors.
They have been interviewed extensively by the news media and their video testimonies are included at the USC Shoah Foundation Institute – the organization founded by Steven Spielberg.
Max and Rose have earned many awards as well. They were honored to receive the Jewish Heritage Month Local Heroes Award from KPBS television in 2016. Rose was named one of the Cool Women of 2015 by the San Diego Girl Scouts, as well as a Woman of Valor during the 24th Annual Lipinsky Family Jewish Arts Festival. She was awarded an honorary high school diploma from La Jolla Country Day School in 2018, and awarded an honorary Master of Business Administration by the California International Business University in May 2019. A sought-after speaker, Rose continues to recount her story regularly at schools and events.
https://twowhosurvived.com/
instagram page: @twowhosurvived
https://www.facebook.com/roseschindlersandiego
https://www.facebook.com/twowhosurvived/
Saxophonist Boney James, whose style falls on the R&B and pop side of jazz, is a Soul Train award-winner and four-time Grammy nominee who has sold over three million albums. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts; he grew up in New Rochelle, New York before moving to Los Angeles with his family at the age of 15.
In 1985, James went on the road as a keyboardist with Morris Day, and eventually convinced Day that he should be playing saxophone instead. He spent four years playing with Day and also became an in-demand guest musician on tenor, alto, soprano, and flute, playing with Randy Crawford, Sheena Easton, the Isley Brothers, and Bobby Caldwell.
James made his debut as a solo artist with “Trust” in 1992 on Spindletop Records, which earned him a contract with Warner Bros. two years later.
His latest album “Solid” will be available on June 12, 2020 on Concord Records.
https://www.BoneyJames.com
Born into a musical family, Joe Vitale is a veteran musician and drummer whose career has spanned over forty-five years of touring, recording, song writing, and producing with legendary and Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame artists. Along with vocals, he also plays percussion, keyboards and flute. His drumming encompasses all styles of music. A dedicated professional, his quality of performance is evident in his resume.
Joe Vitale has played on over 70 Billboard charted albums. He has toured & recorded with such greats as Joe Walsh, The Eagles, Crosby Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Peter Frampton, Buffalo Springfield, Dan Fogelberg, John Entwhistle, Rick Derringer, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Carl Wilson, Don Felder, Boz Scaggs, Rick Springfield and many others.
Joe Vitale's performances & songs have appeared on many Television shows and Movies including: Jay Leno, David Letterman, Chevy Chase, SCTV, Arsenio Hall, The Drew Carey Show, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert, Saved by the Bell, Spy Games, Joe Dirt, The 40 Year Old Virgin, The Warriors, The Devil's Rejects, The Beverly Hillbilly's Movie, History of the Eagles, Fringe, That 70's Show and played and appeared in the movie Ricki and the Flash (Meryl Streep)…just to name a few.
Vitale has also co-produced albums for Joe Walsh, Stephen Stills, CSN & CSNY. His many songwriting credits include the classic Joe Walsh song, “Rocky Mountain Way,” and also, “Pretty Maids All in a Row,” from The Eagles classic album, “Hotel California,” both co-written with Joe Walsh.He has three solo albums, “Roller Coaster Weekend,” “Plantation Harbor,” and “Speaking In Drums,” and a book, “Back Stage Pass,” about his career in music. He’s also produced his son, Joe Jr.’s, first album, “Dancing with Shadows.” In 2011 Joe played drums for the historic “Buffalo Springfield Reunion” Joe Vitale is currently on tour with Joe Walsh.
You can read more about Joe on his website: www.joevitaleondrums.com
Roger Brown - President of Berklee College… on whimsy, being fearless and leaving a legacy
Roger H. Brown is the president of Berklee. Since his appointment in 2004, he has led Berklee during a period of unparalleled expansion that has included the launch of several pioneering institutes, such as the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Berklee India Exchange, the Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship, and the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice; overseen the creation of the world’s largest online music education system; created an international campus in Valencia, Spain; the construction of the Boston campus’s first, custom-built building; and the acquisition of New York’s iconic Power Station studio to create BerkleeNYC, a state-of-the-art recording facility and a hub of education and creativity. He also completed a merger with the Boston Conservatory to establish the world’s most comprehensive training ground for global careers in music, dance, and theater.
Brown is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson College and a graduate of the Yale School of Management. He cofounded Bright Horizons Family Solutions in 1986 with his wife, Linda Mason, and served as chief executive officer until January 2002.
A former codirector of the Save the Children relief and development effort in Sudan, he and Mason coauthored the book Rice, Rivalry, and Politics, which examines the management of emergency relief efforts. He has served as a management consultant for Bain and Company, was one of the founders of the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, and a cofounder of Horizons for Homeless Children, which serves the needs of homeless children throughout the Boston area.
Brown has been recognized for his humanitarian, educational, and entrepreneurial achievements by the government of Valencia, Spain with the Cruz de Honor; by the March of Dimes Franklin Delano Roosevelt Humanitarian Award; and by being named, along with his wife, as a Visionary Social Entrepreneur at the 2012 Social Venture Network’s Hall of Fame Celebration. In 2019, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Williams College and was honored at the Boston Arts Academy Foundation annual celebration to support BAA.
Peter Erskine has played the drums for sixty years. He appears on 700+ albums and film scores, has won 2 Grammy Awards plus an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee. Fifty+ albums have been released under his own name or as co-leader. He’s played with Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, Weather Report, Steps Ahead, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Diana Krall, et al, and has appeared as a soloist with the LA, Chicago, London, Oslo, Helsinki, BBC & Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. Peter graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and studied at Indiana University under George Gaber. He’s the Director of Drumset Studies at USC. petererskine.com artistworks.com
Born in Montreal, Gino Vannelli grew up in a family headed by his cabaret-singing father and a ‘keen-eared’ mother. Instinctively drawn to jazz as a child, Vannelli studied drums and music theory for five years before adding guitar and piano lessons to his musical journey. The urge to compose words and music followed not long after and at fourteen, Gino began his official singing career. Before his seventeenth birthday, Vannelli had signed with RCA Records of Canada, beginning a long and inspired career as a recording artist.
Whether performing piano-voice concerts in theaters, singing before symphony orchestras in concert halls, big bands or a pop ensemble to throngs of enthusiastic fans, Gino remains impassioned and true to his art as ever. In his own words… “The best works lie in the wake of reaching.”
Guitarist/Composer/Music Director/Producer Ray Fuller has intimately worked with such noted artists as Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, George Duke, Boney James, Branford Marsalis, Bebe & Cece Winans, Yolanda Adams, Brenda Russell, Everette Harp, Jeff Lorber, Najee and many others in his outstanding musical career.
In addition to his numerous recording credits and world tours, Ray’s guitar has been heard on television and film soundtracks including The Bodyguard, Leap of Faith, Thelma & Louise, Another 48 Hours, Boomerang, Meteor Man, Captain EO and The Prince of Egypt.
A graduate of Chicago's Kenwood Academy of the Arts, and later The American Conservatory of Music, Ray "The Weeper" Fuller has continued to make his mark in the entertainment arena.
Toni Basil began her career as a dancer and assistant choreographer working on the 1964 television show Shindig. This led to her choreographing multiple hit films including American Graffiti, Legally Blonde, Viva Las Vegas (featuring Elvis Presley), Tom Hanks’ directorial debut, That Thing You Do, and Quentin Tarantino’s latest Oscar Winning film, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (starring Leonardo DiCaprio). As an actor/dancer, her roles include Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Pajama Party, Village of The Giants, and Robin and the Seven Hoods with Frank Sinatra.
Toni is a multiple Emmy Award winning and Grammy nominated artist. Her double platinum smash hit song “Mickey” was installed in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of the groundbreaking singles of the 1980’s. She has choreographed and co-directed concerts for Tina Turner, David Bowie, Bette Midler, David Lee Roth, Mick Jagger, as well as many other artists. Basil was a member of the group that changed the face of dance… “The Lockers.”
Toni Basil has excelled in every entertainment medium… stage, music, commercials, television, film and video. Her unique form of artistic mastery is at the heart of all her work. She remains a true pioneer in the dance world, a visionary and a genuine American treasure. From judging street dance events internationally to her viral videos, Toni has always been on the cutting edge of pop culture, and shows no sign of stopping.
ROSEMARY BUTLER, the heroine of classic harmonies and rocking melodies, can hardly be compared to any other artist. Her vocal expertise is not only a technical marvel that demands respect (she has a 4-octave mezzo-soprano vocal range!), but it is a beautiful experience that the muses, themselves, would be jealous of.
Since she was a little girl, Rosemary found musical influences everywhere she went. Her family was full of music fans that encouraged her to learn how to sing, play piano, and read music. A trip to Disneyland changed her life forever when she was granted to opportunity to sing on the theme park’s radio station for all of its patrons. She grabbed the microphone from the DJ, belted out an improvised song right on the spot and has been hooked on the lime-light ever since. Her childhood house was near a Fender Guitar plant that she would often sneak off to and marvel at the guitars. There, she secretly learned about guitars without anyone in her family knowing! It was only a matter of time until she was singing and playing Beatles songs and “The House of the Rising Sun” and she never looked back.
The self-proclaimed “Valley Girl” began her career playing the bass guitar and singing in an all-girl Orange County based band called the “Ladybirds”. The band appeared on several L.A. area television shows and even opened for The Rolling Stones in 1964! Her obvious talent and keen ear for talent allowed her to form the all-female hard rock band “Birtha” that released two albums for ABC-Dunhill Records. After they split up in 1973, she became a back-up singer that gained popularity in her own right in the late 1970s and early '80s. Her vocals have appeared alongside talented artists like Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Neil Diamond, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Whitney Houston, Paul McCartney, Jackson Browne, Ray Charles, and many other A-list superstars. Rosemary won a “Telly” award for a compilation video of her performances with these artists that she put together as an introspective for her fascinating career.
www.RosemaryButler.com
https://youtu.be/l100Q80zTzs
Scott Page is a musician, technologist and entrepreneur. As a performer he is widely recognized as the saxophonist/guitarist for Pink Floyd, Supertramp, and Toto. He currently serves as CEO of Think:EXP, "a live immersive media company based in Los Angeles.” As an entrepreneur, Page formed Walt Tucker Productions, an audio video post-production company that included projects for The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Janet Jackson, Garth Brooks, Scorpions and others. He also co-founded 7th Level, Inc., an award-winning CD-ROM game and educational software company. At 7th Level he co-produced and directed Tuneland, the world’s first interactive musical cartoon (starring Howie Mandel), the globally lauded Monty Python interactive series, and was instrumental in the development of QD7; an interactive multimedia joint venture between Quincy Jones, David Salzman and 7th level. As an artist he continues to record and play live performances.
Page's industry acknowledgments include being named one of "The Top 100 Multimedia Producers" by Multimedia Magazine; the "100 Coolest People in Los Angeles" by Buzz Magazine; and one of "50 New Media Innovators" profiled in Pioneer Electronics' Multimedia Frontier.
https://twitter.com/iamscottpage
https://www.facebook.com/iamscottpage
https://thinkexp.co/
Nate Morton is the drummer for the House Band on NBC's TV show “The Voice”. He has toured with artists Natalie Cole, Chaka Kahn, Paul Stanley, Poe, the America Idol Band, Vanessa Carlton and Miley Cyrus.
His TV appearances include playing in the house band for Mark Burnett's Rock Star: INXS, Rock Star: Supernova, the Bonnie Hunt Show, MTV's Rock The Cradle and the Grammy Awards Show with Madonna.
Morton is endorsed by Pearl Drums, RhythmTech, Zildjian drumsticks and cymbals, Roland electronics and V-Drums and Remo drumheads. He is a graduate of the renowned Berklee College of Music, cites Animal from The Muppets as his primary influence and thanks his parents and his first drum instructor Grant Menfee for their early support of his musical aspirations.
In his own words, as Nate puts it… "The bottom line is I hit things with sticks for a living, and that's a pretty fun job."
http://www.fraudprophets.com
http://facebook.com/natemortondrums
http://facebook.com/fraudprophets
http://instagram.com/fraudprophets
http://youtube.com/c/natemortondrums
Craig Garber is the creator and host of the Podcast “Everyone Loves Guitar”. The first broadcast of this show was on August 31, 2017. Over 600 shows later, it has grown to be not only the largest and most popular podcast in the guitar niche, but it’s actually in the top 15% of all podcasts. His show features musicians covering genres from bluegrass to metal, and from more than 25 different countries.
Garber has a background in marketing, sales and communication, which has allowed him to experience a variety of job paths throughout his career. He has worked as a CPA, Financial Planner, in sales for wholesaling single family homes, flipping mobile homes & raw land, and creating and managing turn-key marketing programs for loan officers.
Perhaps more importantly, he also ran a Marketing Consulting & Copywriting practice, working in 110 different industries with over 300 clients.
Everyone Loves Guitar is my favorite music Podcast, or more accurately my 2nd most favorite after this show. If you enjoy listening to the backstory of successful people, you’ll love this show and you’ll love my guest today.
EveryoneLovesGuitar.com
facebook.com/EveryoneLovesGuitar
YouTube.com/EveryoneLovesGuitar
Instagram.com/EveryoneLovesGuitar
"Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time" is Director Barbara Bentree's first Feature Film.
In addition to being an Award-winning Film Director, Barbara is amultiple award-winning Vocalist / Musician. She started filmmaking by creating educational films, music videos, anddocumentary shorts before tackling her film about Dave Grusin.
Having a 35 year history with Dave Grusin, Barbara feels that "Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time" is the film she was destined to make. This film is not only a tribute to the extraordinary life and career of Mr. Grusin, it documents the "Golden Age" of television and film music. The movie also examines the heady time when Grusin's own record label (GRP Records) was at the forefront of transforming the music industry from analog to digital. The music industry has never been the same.
Website:
http://grusinfilm.com
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70JPFxsXc_E
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/grusinfilm
Radio host, DJ and producer Raul Campos creates a mix of emerging artists and current favorites, from soulful grooves and fresh remixes to Latin rhythms and indie rock.He established a residency in the early 90s on Power 106FM's longest running after hours mix show Power Tools, along with Richard Vission and Swedish Egil, cutting his teeth banging out production and mega-mixes. But it was in a basement in Santa Monica that Raul would find a home at public radio station KCRW 89.9FM. Under the attentive and personal mentorship of renowned Music Director Nic Harcourt and embracing KCRW’s devotion to diversity, Raul secured a weekly show in 2000, where today, you can listen to him on weekends.
Campos still loves to rock the club and has been billed along with some of the world's biggest talents, including Kaskade, deadmau5, Louie Vega and Paul Van Dyk, to name a few. He's opened for some of music's greatest artists including Martin Gore (Depeche Mode), Stevie Wonder, Cafe Tacuba, Moby and Lionel Richie. He's also been the official host of the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) for the last 13 years.
www.KCRW.com/raulcampos
www.PiliRaulandLaMusica.com
www.RaulCampos.com
Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, Pat is an accomplished pianist, composer, producer and arranger, as well as a highly respected studio musician. If you watch television, listen to the radio, or go to the movies, you have heard Pat and some form of his music.
Pat has toured Japan, South America, Europe and the U.S. with such artists as Michael McDonald, Carmen McCrae, Olivia Newton John, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Larry Carlton, Woody Herman and many others. Pat has recorded with many artists including Natalie Cole, Trisha Yearwood, Ernie Watts, Carmen McCrae, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Kenny Rogers, Travis Tritt, Peter Cetera, Woody Herman, Scott Henderson, and Michael McDonald. His talent spans the musical spectrum of jazz, pop, R&B, gospel, and country.
During his L.A. years, Pat played on many movie and TV scores, including Star Trek - Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Murphy Brown, Dionne Warwick & Friends, Growing Pains, Major Dad, Spencer For Hire, The Grammy Awards and many more. He played for various artists on the Tonight Show, Arsenio Hall, & Conan O’Brien.
Pat was also the musical director for Carmen McCrae, CeCe Winans TV show, the Billy Gilman Christmas special, the Dove Awards, and the Manilow Country TV special (Barry Manilow).
Living now in Nashville TN, Pat continues his successful career composing, recording, performing, producing, arranging and teaching. He has composed, produced and performed on hundreds of underscores heard on a variety of media all over the world. Pat taught jazz piano, combos, and improvisation at Middle Tennessee State University, and was an Associate Professor of Jazz Studies at the University Of North Texas.
Pat has recorded six solo jazz albums of his own, the third one being a collaboration with Lyle Mays. “True North” and his new album “Birdhouse” are available at patcoil.com, cdbaby.com and I-Tunes. Pat currently tours with Michael McDonald and Lynda Carter. He also makes numerous appearances with his own group. Pat is currently working on a new release of his original music, “Music For Humans….and Other Species”.
www.patcoil.com
Tarell Alvin McCraney is an acclaimed writer. His script IN MOONLIGHT BLACK BOYS LOOK BLUE is the basis for the Oscar-winning film MOONLIGHT directed by Barry Jenkins, for which McCraney and Jenkins won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He wrote the film HIGH FLYING BIRD which premiered on Netflix directed by Steven Soderbergh.
McCraney’s plays include MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT (co-written with Tina Landau), THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS trilogy, HEAD OF PASSES, WIG OUT!, and CHOIR BOY which was nominated for four Tony Awards.
McCraney is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Grant, the Whiting Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, the Evening Standard Award, the New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award, the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, the Windham Campbell Award, and a USA Artist Award.
He is currently Chair of Playwriting at Yale School of Drama; an ensemble member at Steppenwolf Theatre Chicago; and a member of Teo Castellanos/D-Projects. McCraney is currently working on an original scripted TV series, DAVID MAKES MAN, for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network, produced by Michael B Jordan and Page Fright Productions.
http://www.oprah.com/app/david-makes-man.html
Guitarist/composer Chris Standring was born and raised in England, classically trained at the London College of Music, and further honed his skills during a decade spent working for the BBC as well as a number of theatrical orchestras on London's West End. From there he relocated to Los Angeles, becoming a top session player recording with everyone from Bebe & Cece Winans to Jody Watley and Carole Bayer Sager.
Celebrating an extraordinary and prolific 20 years since the release of his debut album Velvet, Standring spins his trademark “retro-meets-modern” vibes in fresh, and unexpected directions. Since launching a very successful, creative and lasting international career as a solo Artist in 1998… he has released 12 solo albums, and continues to dominate radio and the Billboard charts with his original music. His latest album is called “Sunlight”.
www.chrisstandring.com
facebook.com/Standringc
twitter.com/chrisstandring
instagram.com/chrisstandring1
https://www.youtube.com/user/chrisstandringmusic
D'Addario is a manufacturer of musical instrument strings and accessories for fretted and orchestral instruments. It is a family-owned business that is one of the largest string manufacturers in the world.
Originally located in Lynbrook, New York, the business continued to expand and in 1994 moved to its current facility in Farmingdale, New York with its European headquarters located in Newcastle, England. The company is still owned and operated by the D'Addario family, with 13 family members among the 1,000 employees of the company.
D’Addario was founded 45 years ago in 1974. My guest today, Rob Cunningham, has been working with them for 23 of those years. Rob earned a degree in audio Recording Technology and Marketing, had a record deal in the 80’s, and currently performs 75-80 shows a year. He currently holds the position of Brand Manager at D'Addario & Company, Inc.
www.daddario.com
http://www.daddariofoundation.org/about
Eric Redd first gained attention at the age of 12 as one of the youngest dancers on the LA club scene when he was discovered by one of the nation’s top choreographers. This discovery and mentorship led to a scholarship at the California Institute of the Arts where Eric earned his Bachelor’s degree in performing arts.
While on tour in Europe as an apprentice, Eric worked as a session singer for Global Records in Germany. During this time his vocal prowess caught the attention of a producer working at Jive Records in England which quickly led to his first recording deal as a solo artist. Eric enjoyed the experience of working in a recording studio and decided to hone his singing and songwriting skills.
Upon his return to the United States Eric began writing and recording compositions for television and served as a music supervisor for Black Entertainment Television (BET) in the new programming department. He continued performing, touring, and recording with artists as diverse as K.D. Lang, Coolio, The Sara Lee Band, and Ani DiFranco. Encouraged by many to audition for theatre, Eric soon found success as a Broadway performer with fans and critics responding favorably to his appearances in Cats, La Cage Aux Follies, Body and Soul, and Starlight Express. His performance in the Los Angeles production of Dreamgirls was critically acclaimed.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericreddmusic
Facebook artist page: https://www.facebook.com/EricReddMovement/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericreddmusic/
Website: http://www.ericredd.com
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Redd
Ashling Cole also known as Biscuit hails from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area. Her transformative live performances are legendary and inevitably take you on a musical journey, spiritually and emotionally.
She spans worlds of R&B, jazz, funk and gospel effortlessly. Ashling currently tours with legendary bassist Larry Graham as the lead singer of Graham Central Station. You may have also seen her sharing the stage with such icons as Sheila E, Carlos Santana, Bootsy Collins, Marcus Miller, Dave Koz, Chris Botti, Michael McDonald, Keb Mo, Jonathan Butler, Kirk Whalum and one of her great mentors, Prince.
In 2015 Ashling released her first solo project "Where Love Began", an EP of five songs she wrote, arranged and co-produced with guitarist, Cam Perridge and recently wrote and released “The Other Side of Yes” and "Have Your Way" with producer Yaahn Hunter, Jr., the first of a grouping of inspirational/gospel songs available on all media platforms.
You can catch Ashling Cole on the annual Dave Koz Cruise supporting main stage artists as well as in her own show or teaching her workshop “Finding Your Voice”.
She is a worship leader at Life Restoration Ministries in Oakland, CA.
More info and show dates can be found at www.AshlingCole.com
http://www.gofundme.com/heal-ashling
https://www.facebook.com/ashlingcolesings
Instagram: ashling.cole
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2u2pTfRYD3wgB7FKfRQZlg?si=ftGQgNAIQBSC5zIaAmo-UQ
Twitter: ashling_cole
https://www.youtube.com/user/acole284
Jonatha Brooke has been writing songs, making records and touring since the early 90's. After four major label releases, she started her own independent label, Bad Dog Records in 1999, and has since released eight more albums - her two most recent, the companion CD to her critically acclaimed, one woman, Off-Broadway musical My Mother Has Four Noses; and 2016's Midnight. Hallelujah.
Jonatha has co-written songs with Katy Perry and The Courtyard Hounds. She's also written for four Disney films, numerous television shows, and she composed and performed the theme song for Joss Whedon's Dollhouse.
In 2014 Ms. Brooke debuted her one woman musical, My Mother Has Four Noses, at the Duke Theater on 42nd Street, in NYC. The show ran for 3 months, to rave reviews, and was a critics’ pick in the NY Times. She performed a month-long run of My Mother has 4 Noses at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis in 2018. Jonatha is currently touring nationally and internationally, teaching songwriting workshops along the way, and working on two new musical projects - Quadroon, with the late legendary jazz pianist/composer Joe Sample; and Switched with playwright Geoffrey Nauffts.
Jonatha is the recipient of a McKnight Artist Fellowship Grant for 2018. She released an EP of new songs in April of 2019, titled, Imposter and is touring in support of it.
https://jonathabrooke.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jonathabrooke
https://www.instagram.com/jonathabrooke/
https://twitter.com/jonathabrooke
https://www.youtube.com/user/jonathabrooke
Starr Parodi first entered the public eye as part of the house band on the hit late-night Arsenio Hall Show. Since then she has created scores for numerous films, television series, and iconic movie trailers, and her solo work has been featured on NPR, KCRW and iHEART Radio. Her darkly innovative production/arrangement of the JAMES BOND Theme (RIAA Gold Record) was credited by Forbes magazine as "reinventing the modern action movie trailer."
As a multi award-winning composer, Starr is the first woman to have her orchestral works performed in the 85-year history of the Laguna Pageant Of The Masters, where she is currently a featured composer. As a solo artist, she recently released a neoclassical album THE HEART OF FRIDA, which celebrates the life, art and courageous spirit of beloved Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The album won awards for Solo Piano Album of the Year from both The International Radio Broadcasters, and Solopiano.com.
In 2017, as part of "The Women in the World Summit," the NY Times invited Starr to Lincoln Center to conduct “To All The Little Girls,” a musical performance she produced which celebrates the potential of young women.
A trailblazer onstage and in the studio, Starr is the current president of the Alliance for Women Film Composers and is widely recognized as a leader in expanding the reach of women in the arts as a composer, producer, performer and cultural visionary.
https://www.starrparodi.com
Michael Laskow has been helping songwriters, artists, and composers become successful in the music business since 1974. He began his career as an engineer at Criteria Studios in Miami during the studio’s golden era of the 1970s.
Some of the artists Laskow worked with include Eric Clapton, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Neil Young, Firefall, Melanie, Joe Cocker, and many more. Helping independent songwriters, artists, and composers get their music heard by record labels, publishers, and film and TV music supervisors became his passion.
Michael founded TAXI, the world’s first independent A&R company in 1992. For more than 27 years Laskow and his team of music industry experts have helped thousands of musicians land Indie and Major Record Label deals, Publishing deals, and countless Placements in Hit TV Shows, Feature Films, TV Commercials, and Movie Trailers.
You can learn more about TAXI at https://www.taxi.com/
ISAIAH JOHNSON has appeared on and off Broadway, working with Al Pacino and Daniel Sullivan in The Merchant of Venice, Kevin Spacey and Sam Mendes in Richard III, Kelli O'Hara and Michael Greif in Far From Heaven, Roger Rees and Alex Timbers in Peter and the Starcatcher, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail in Hamilton (lab production), and on various projects with Norm Lewis, Bill Condon and Randy Newman. He has also been a guest star on CBS' "Person of Interest" and the Cinemax series "The Knick." Isaiah received a BFA from Howard University and an MFA from NYU's Tisch Grad Acting.
Legomyankles.com
https://www.theatrebayarea.org/page/sparkhttps://www.theatrebayarea.org/page/spark
The Instagram and Facebook: isaiahslamentTwitter as @ZaiahJohnson
Kristin Kagetsu is one of the co-founders and chief executive officer of Saathi, a social enterprise dedicated to providing an end-to-end solution for sanitary protection to women in India. Saathi aims to empower local communities via a local supply chain, give girls and women access to safe and sustainable feminine hygiene products, and find a solution for upcycling pads into compost, biogas, and biodigesters to reduce carbon emissions.
Tarun Bothra is one of the co-founders & CTO at Saathi who leads the R&D, Product Development, Technical, Legal & Corporate Operations teams of Saathi to develop the highest quality product and ensure that the supply chain is completely sustainable for zero impact on the environment. He believes sustainability is important for our survival in the future and wants to give back to the masses. Saathi is combining both of those goals in providing a sustainable high-quality product to women everywhere. With innovative technology and business model, Saathi sets a new standard for feminine hygiene.
http://www.saathipads.com/
A life-long music professional, Christy has toured the world as a Top 20 Adult Contemporary Artist in addition to having an extensive sidelining career, where she experienced the world and the studio with such music legends and popular acts as Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews, Gnarls Barkley, Engelbert Humperdinck, and has performed in hundreds of concerts around the United States and abroad as Conductor/Keyboards of the Grammy-winning band Mannheim Steamroller. She is also the first woman conductor of the hit Broadway musical Wicked, and has over two decades worth of studio music credits as a singer, songwriter, keyboard player, and composer/arranger (titles that include Star Wars Rogue One, Star Trek Beyond, Jurassic World, and Planet of the Apes). In true renaissance fashion, Christy has received a Garland Award, LA Scenie Award, and an LA Weekly award for Musical Direction, is a Tanglewood Institute Fellow, a United Nations Festival of Excellence Guest Artist, Creator/Producer of the hit BMI and Society of Composers and Lyricists live film music community event “Songs, Shorts, and Scores," and a Billboard and ASCAP Songwriting Award recipient. Christy also holds a Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate from Stanford University, a Master of Music degree in Media Writing and Production, as well as a Bachelors of Music degree in Keyboard Performance from the University of Miami. She is also the Founder of ProMusicDB.org: the professional music credits database and archive (https://ProMusicDB.org), whose mission is to promote, preserve, foster, and advance careers in music in the digital world, and she has been a guest speaker at national music industry and academic conferences including Music Biz, the American Library Association, and the Music Library Association. (find ProMusicDB on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/promusicdb)
https://christycrowl.com
https://www.facebook.com/christycrowlofficial
https://promusicdb.org
https://www.facebook.com/promusicdb
Tony van Veen began his music career as a punk rock drummer and worked his way up to becoming the CEO of AVL Digital Group, the parent company of Disc Makers and CD Baby. Currently, he is the CEO of the newly formed DiY Media Group. He has spent over 30 years helping independent artists release, distribute, and promote their own music and movies.
Disc Makers is the world leader in CD and DVD manufacturing for independent artists and filmmakers, producing over 60,000 independent titles a year. CD Baby, the largest independent music store and digital distributor in the world with 750,000 artists and close to 10 million songs in its catalog, is the biggest content provider to iTunes, Amazon, and streaming service providers like Rdio and Spotify.
In 1987 Tony began his career with Disc Makers starting as a sales and marketing associate… and with a life of dedicated focus, vision, passion, success, and extreme challenges followed by new successes… he is joining me today to share his story.
www.discmakers.com
www.merch.ly
www.bookbaby.com
Dr. Michael A. Franklin is the chair of the graduate Transpersonal Art Therapy program at Naropa University and founder of the undergraduate art therapy program and the Naropa Community Art Studio. Throughout his career, Michael has practiced as a clinician and educator, directing the art therapy programs at the College of St. Teresa and Bowling Green State University. Michael lectures and leads workshops internationally and has published over thirty papers on various subjects including aesthetics, self-esteem, AIDs iconography, interpretive strategies, community-based art therapy, arts-based research, and contemplative approaches including yoga, meditation and visual empathic methods. Michael's current research focuses on integrating art therapy/education, social engagement, yoga philosophy, and meditation. This investigation has culminated in the recent publication of: Art as Contemplative Practice: Expressive Pathways to the SELFwith SUNY Press.
http://www.artisyoga.com/
A favorite singer of legendary producer David Foster, Nita has sung with some of the most famous voices of our time. She sang the original demos for Whitney Houston’s standards, “I Will Always Love You”, “I Have Nothing” and “I Look to You” working with producers David Foster and Walter Nelson Jr. Having toured with Andrea’ Bocelli as a guest duet artist, as well a featured vocalist on tour with jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, Nita has performed with some of the great singers of our time including Michael Bolton, Lionel Ritchie, Yolanda Adams, Patti LaBelle, Barbara Striesand, Patti Austin, Josh Groban, and Michael Buble’. She has entertained thousands as well hundreds in her own intimate one woman shows, charity galas and corporate events; her expansive talent and humor continues to find new avenues to be expressed.
A former Miss Louisiana and Grand Champion Hall of Fame Star Search Winner, Nita’s stellar vocals blend, jazz, pop, and classical into her own unique sound. She has performed on stage including four world premiere’s musicals: “Ragtime”, “Ten Commandments the Musical”, “Breaking Through” at Pasadena Playhouse, and most recently as Mom Winans in “Born For This” at the Majestic Theater in Boston, The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA, Alliance Theater and the Arena Stage in Washington D.C.
Also, she has recorded 4 independent records, appeared in movies, television shows and multiple studio recordings. Nita penned an award-winning memoir entitled: Finding My Voice, started a 501c3 non-profit www.inaworldwithbooks.org, that has given nearly 7000 underserved children new books.
She is the mother of two beautiful emerging stars, Skye and Liisi LaFontaine. The best is yet to come.
http://nitawhitaker.com/
Paul Brown's talents as producer/engineer have earned him two Grammy Awards and an impressive string of over 60 number one hits on Radio and Records' smooth jazz chart. In an career spanning multiple decades, Brown has worked on projects for artists including Luther Vandross, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Kirk Whalum, Patti Austin, Larry Carlton, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Boney James, Peter White, Jeffrey Osbourne and Bobby Caldwell, among many others.
Born in Los Angeles to musician parents who sang with Mel Tormé, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, Brown started playing drums at age five and picked up his first guitar two years later. During high school, he played in various bands and first began working as an assistant engineer in a studio when he was 15. After studying music and math at the University of Oregon, Brown returned to L.A. and began his rise to fame producing, composing, and engineering for a bevy of artists from across the R&B, pop, and contemporary jazz spectrum.
Paul Brown, welcome to Making It.
http://www.paulbrownjazz.com
Grammy® Award-winning artist T.J. Troy brings virtuosity, style, knowledge and experience to the broad range of percussion music he champions. From the deep traditions of Indian and Middle Eastern percussion, to the rich complexity of Contemporary Classical Music, to the sheer power of modern drumset playing, T.J. has developed lines of symmetry and expression that allow him to move freely between styles.
Moving to Los Angeles in 1983, Kevin first met with Keyboadist/Producer George Duke on a demo session, which led to 10 years of collaborating and session work under the guise of George for many projects including playing on records for George Duke, George Howard, Howard Hewitt, Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind, & Fire), Stanley Clarke, Al Jarreau, Dale Bozio, Stephanie Mills, Japanese singer Hideke Seijo, Irene Cara, TV themes and commercials to name a few...
Also stemming from this was a 30 year touring span as a guitarist with artists as Chaka Khan, George Duke, George Howard, Philip Bailey, Diana Ross, Freddie Jackson, Peabo Bryson, Howard Hewitt, Gerald Albright, Rick Braun, and Jeffrey Osborne.
45 years of experience as a professional guitarist for recording sessions and touring. Toured worldwide with Diana Ross for 25 years as guitarist and Musical Director. Currently touring and recording with Jeffrey Osborne. Also a BMI songwriter and producer/engineer in a self owned professional recording studio, as well as a long time writer for Los Angeles based music library LAPM, Los Angeles Post Music. TV shows and networks include HGTV, The Food Network, numerous appearances on David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. Also HBO, Top Of The Pops (UK), Soul Train, Martha Stewart, and Inside The Actors Studio with James Lipton
Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Perla Batalla consistently earns critical acclaim for her unique voice and culture-merging compositions. Formerly a Leonard Cohen back-up singer, the Los Angeles born vocalist launched her solo career with Cohen’s encouragement. Since then she’s recorded seven albums, been featured in films and television, and taken her unique sound on tour in some of the most prestigious venues around the world. The L.A. times writes, “Batalla is comfortable in both English and Spanish, proud of her mestiza heritage, musically adventurous and always accompanied by impeccable performers…. above all, she is a born storyteller with a rambunctious sense of humor.
Jerry Hey is an American arranger, producer
and session musician who has played on
hundreds of commercial recordings.
He has arranged and played trumpet for artists
including Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones,
Barbra Streisand, Toto, Frank Sinatra, Barry
Manilow, Diana Ross, Al Jarreau, The
Manhattan Transfer, Chaka Kahn, Tom Petty,
Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, Phil
Collins, Patti Austin and Joni Mitchell.
He has also written arrangements for Celine
Dion, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Chicago,
Dirty Loops, Cirque du Soleil, Anita Baker, John
Mayer, Mary J Blige, Seal, The Temptations,
The Simpsons and Earth Wind & Fire.
Jerry was an arranger and original member of
the group “Seawind” and he is also a multiple
Grammy Award winner.
Save someone today, Become a Bone Marrow Donor at https://bethematch.org/
Making It as a Jazz and Pop Vocalist Jane Monheit
Jane Monheit (born November 3, 1977)[1] is an American jazz and pop vocalist. She has collaborated with John Pizzarelli, Michael Bublé, Ivan Lins, Terence Blanchard and Tom Harrell, and has received Grammy nominations for two of her recordings.
Lisa Casoni has a sales and marketing background, working for such companies as Coldwell Banker, Giorgio Armani, and Prada. From 2005-2010 she was Communications and Marketing Manager for Claims Resource Services located in Campbell, CA. Lisa moved to Ojai, CA in 2010 and in 2013 she was a co-creator of the Ojai Art Festival. Later that year, with Heather Stobo, she took over management of The Porch Gallery Ojai located in a historic building in downtown Ojai. in 2015, the couple founded Porch Girls Productions to represent emerging and established artists and produce artistic events throughout the Ojai Valley. In addition, Casoni was a Co- Creator and principal Marketing Director of the Ojai Art Festival.
As a child living in New York City, Al Schmitt would catch the subway on weekends to spend the day at his uncle’s recording studio, observing different engineering techniques. At 19, Schmitt began working with Tom Dowd at Apex Studios in New York City. He worked as an independant engineer at Atlantic Records and Prestige Records, and after moving to California, he started working at Radio Recorders. RCA Records hired Schmitt as a staff producer for their label and a staff engineer at their Hollywood studio. This let Schmitt develop his wide-ranging engineering skills by working with the various pop, jazz, classical, and country … With an unparalleled 24 (twenty-four) Grammy Awards for engineering, Schmitt epitomizes great recording through decades of technological change. The legendary and world-renowned recording engineer received a Grammy in 2002 for Diana Krall’s “The Look of Love.” Schmitt, who has worked with Krall on her past five albums. Up one aisle you’ll find Frank Sinatra, Henry Mancini, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Miles Davis; up another you’ll bump into Jefferson Airplane, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers and Steely Dan. Round a corner and you’ll encounter Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, Madonna, and Quincy Jones mingling with Michael Jackson, Diana Krall, Celine Dion, Paul McCartney, and Michael Buble. Schmitt captured his first Grammy for Best Engineered recording in 1962 for Henry Mancini’s “Hatari”. Nine subsequent Grammy’s in the same category stretched through the decades: 1976: George Benson’s “Breezin'”, 1977: Steely Dan’s “Aja”, 1978: Steely Dan’s “FM”, 1982: Toto’s “Toto IV”, 1991: Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable,” 1996: Quincy Jones’ “Q’s Jook Joint,” Diana Krall’s “When I Look In Your Eyes,” and two Latin Grammys with Luis Miguel.Al Schmitt’s celebrated engineering and mixing skills are showcased on over 150 gold and platinum albums. In ’97 Al became an inductee into the TEC Awards Hall of Fame. In 2015 Schmitt became the first recording engineer to be presented with a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in front of Capitol records.
Thom Rotella - Making It as a Professional Instrumentalist and Composer
Now a talented instrumentalist and composer, Thom Rotella has achieved both critical and commercial success. He has produced and recorded 11 CDs as a leader that have garnered listeners throughout the world for many years. He has also had a thriving career writing and playing for television and films, as well as being an in-demand session player.
Rotella has performing and recording credits with a wide variety of world-renowned artists across the musical spectrum, including Norah Jones, D onna Summer, Frank Sinatra, Cher, The Beach Boys, Phil Spector, Lionel Richie, Bette Midler, Luciano Pavarotti, Seth MacFarland, David Foster, Stanley Turrentine, Tom Scott, Rick Braun, Gerald Ablright and Gregg Karukas.
Vicki Randle - Making it as The First Female Member of the Tonight Show Band
Vicki Randle (born December 11, 1954 in San Francisco, California) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist(primarily acoustic guitar and percussion) and composer, known as the first (and only) female member of The Tonight Show Band,starting with host Jay Leno in 1992.
She began her career as a singer-songwriter/guitarist, playing in such venues as the Bla-Bla Cafe and The Ice House. She also recorded and toured with several women's music artists, such as Cris Williamson, Ferron, and Linda Tillery.
Vicki continued her association with Jay Leno under his new five-nights-a-week "The Jay Leno Show" on NBC as a musician with Kevin Eubank's renamed "Primetime Band." The show premiered Sept. 14, 2009. She returned to The Tonight Show with the primetime show's cancellation.
Luis Conte - Making It as a Top Percussionist with Madonna, Ray Charles, Phil Collins, Santana
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Luis Conte’s genius stems from his ability to integrate the powerful rhythms of his native Cuba with the American necessities of American pop music. His long and varied career has included numerous Hollywood film scores and mega-successful albums with Madonna, Ray Charles, Phil Collins, Santana, Shakira, Jackson Browne, Sergio Mendes, Cachao, and a multitude of other artists too numerous to mention.
Born in Santiago, Cuba, Luis spent the first 15 years of his life soaking up the rich musical heritage of “El Son” and Carnival. "Life in Cuba is all about enjoying life, and music is central to that lifestyle," Luis says. "Music is almost like food to Cuban people.” While immersed in the music of his native Cuba, Luis also developed a passion for Rock & Roll, R&B soul music, jazz, and the Beatles.
At 15, looking for freedom, Luis emigrated to Madrid, Spain. He soon had another opportunity to travel, this time to Hollywood. In California, Luis stayed with a cousin and attended Hollywood High School, playing guitar in numerous rock bands throughout his teens.
After high school, Luis met John Monteallegre, who reunited him with Cuban drums at LA City College. By the time he was 18, Luis was intensely interested in drumming and took every opportunity to play and to learn, drawing his inspiration from a deep source of rhythm absorbed during his youth in Cuba.
Since then, Luis has become one of the most respected and recorded percussionists in the world.
Bruce Vilanch - Making it as Jokesmith of the Entertainment World
Bruce Gerald Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter, and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award winner.
Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint as a celebrity participant on Hollywood Squares while working behind the scenes as a head writer for the show. In 2000, he performed off-Broadway in his self-penned one-man show, Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous.
Since 2000, Vilanch has been the head writer for the Oscars, after being an Oscar program co-writer for the previous ten years. He is also a featured writer for the Tonys, Grammys, and Emmys.
Vilanch was the subject of the documentary Get Bruce! The film included interviews with Bette Midler, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, and Whoopi Goldberg. Vilanch's mother, whom he credits with developing his sense of humor, also appeared in the documentary.
Please welcome my guest today… Bruce Vilanch.
Emily Elbert, American Singer-Songwriter and Guitarist
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http://www.emilyelbert.com/
We Who Believe in Freedom, the fifth album from Emily Elbert, provides both a thoughtful meditation on the status quo and heartening call-to-action for our inner activist. In a merging of groove-laden soul and introspective folk styles, Elbert shares her reflections on today’s political climate, and also brings a new light to the work of revolutionary artists like Marvin Gaye and Pete Seeger. In intimate, stripped recordings, Elbert’s voice and guitar work serve as clear channels for messages of peace and justice, as relevant now as ever before.
In 2018, L.A. Weekly named Emily among the “Best of L.A. Music”, noting that “Elbert would be considered remarkable just for her guitar playing, which segues from hard-edged funk and blues to subtle jazz intricacy. But she’s an equally adept vocalist, weaving her soulful phrasing nimbly within the rhythms of her guitar chords.” In addition to her solo work, Emily has contributed her voice and guitar to projects by Esperanza Spalding, Dweezil Zappa, and Phish’s Mike Gordon, and co-wrote Bruno Major's viral hit “Easily.” On tour, she has opened for artists like G. Love & Special Sauce, Emily King, Leon Russell, and Richie Havens, and played 1200+ independent shows in 30 countries around the world.
In the opening song on her new album, Elbert beckons to listeners, “hold on for the healing, family / all voices needed / to speak up and to listen, to act on intention / we’ve got work to do.” This album is an expression of her own work, a true prayer for peace and justice - in turn, providing a soundtrack for progress to come. We Who Believe in Freedom was released on all platforms in October 2018.
Tuck & Patti - Making It in Love and Jazz
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For 40 years this unique, genre-crossing vocal/guitar jazz duo has cast its passionate musical spell worldwide, capturing the hearts of lovers, the respect of jazz buffs and the jaw-dropping awe of guitarists and singers.
To understand Tuck & Patti, start with the wellspring of love within them, then their music begins to make perfect sense. Married 37 years, Tuck Andress and Patti Cathcart continue to stoke the fires, not only of their own love, but also of their love of life and their passion for making music together. They have a long-standing tradition: Minimalist arrangements featuring Tuck's extraordinary virtuosity and Patti's rich mezzo soprano.
Patti, renowned for her remarkable ability to touch hearts directly with her voice, exudes the soft, centered yet powerful graciousness of a gospel singer; Tuck almost wears his brain on his skin, anticipating the thousands of musical decisions he'll have to send to his ten fingers during the course of a performance. Seeing the virtuosity and complexity of Tuck's guitar work, most are surprised to learn that Patti is the actual writer, arranger and producer. Without even blinking, Tuck-the-problem-solver brags, "Patti writes and arranges; I am just the orchestra."
https://www.tuckandpatti.com/
Marilyn Tam PhD is a speaker, author, consultant and board certified executive leadership coach. She was formerly the CEO of Aveda, President of Reebok Apparel and Retail Group, Vice President of Nike, and a successful entrepreneur who built four companies.
Marilyn is a writer for Thrive/Medium on how to create a happy, healthy, successful, and dynamically balanced business and life. Brand Channel lists her as one of the four most prominent names in Ethical Business globally. She is one of the top 100 leadership speakers in the world according to Inc Magazine.
Her life is an inspiring example of what can be achieved if one follows their dreams. Marilyn grew up as an abused and neglected child in Hong Kong, left home as a teen to come to America alone, and went on to achieve international business and humanitarian success.
Her award winning book, “The Happiness Choice”, shows how and why happiness is crucial for business productivity and success, and for your physical, emotional, spiritual and financial health.
http://www.marilyntam.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilyntam
David Garibaldi - Making It as Tower of Power's Drummer
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Born and raised in the San Francisco bay area, David began playing drums in elementary school at the age of ten. At age seventeen, he started his professional career, and in 1966 joined the United States Air Force where he became a member of the 724th USAF band stationed at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington.
Upon leaving the military in 1969, he returned to the bay area and on July 23, 1970 joined the legendary Tower of Power. It was in this setting that David became one of the most influential drummers of his generation and became known as an innovator in funk drumming.
As a writer and performer David has worked with such artists as Patti Austin, Natalie Cole, Mickey Hart's Planet Drum, Boz Scaggs, The BBC Orchestra, Gino Vannelli, Talking Drums, The Buddy Rich Orchestra, Ray Obiedo, Wishful Thinking, Poncho Sanchez, and many others.
Currently, David is once again performing and recording with the Tower of Power. In 1998, after an eighteen-year "break", he rejoined the group for some "unfinished business".
Amongst David's many achievements:
• Modern Drummer Magazine - Readers Poll Winner "Traditional R&B/Funk" category eight times. Five consecutive years from 1980-1985, another in 2003, again in 2007, and yet again in 2009. His name now permanently resides in that polls honor roll category for his lasting contributions to the percussive arts.
• DRUM! Magazine - Readers Poll winner - 1998 Best Percussion Video "David Garibaldi featuring Talking Drums".Readers Poll winner – 2007 Drum Book of The Year, “The Code of Funk”
• 1982-1989 percussion faculty at the Dick Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, California.• International clinician since 1980.
• A featured columnist for Modern Drummer Magazine since 1979, and contributor to many other international drum publications.• Drum Loop CD: “Tower of Funk Classic Funk and R&B Drum Loops”• Educational videos, and DVD’s:"Tower of Groove, Part 1” (VHS) "Tower of Groove, Part 2" (VHS)"David Garibaldi Featuring Talking Drums" (VHS – DVD Fall 2009) “David Garibaldi Tower of Groove: Complete” (DVD)“Lessons: Breaking The Code” (DVD)• Drum set instruction books:"Future Sounds" "The Funky Beat""TimbaFunk" (Talking Drums, featuring Michael Spiro and Jesus Diaz) "Tiempo" (Talking Drums, featuring Michael Spiro and Jesus Diaz) “The Code of Funk”“Off The Record”
• David's first book, "Future Sounds", was rated one of the 10 greatest drum books by Modern Drummer Magazine (August 1993)• Slagwerkkrant Magazine (The Netherlands)Readers Poll winner - 1997 Drum Book of The Year, "The Funky Beat"• David was presented with the Guitar Center Legends Award in 2008.• Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame 2012• Artist-In-Residence:Drummers Collective - New York, New York Accademia Musica Moderna - Milan, Italy
• Endorsed by the following companies: Yamaha DrumsSabian Cymbals Vic Firth Sticks Latin Percussion Remo Drum Heads Audix MicsThe Buttkicker
Lenny Castro - Making It as Top Percussionist in the Industry
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They say that music is the language of the soul, and nothing could be truer for this Musician. Lenny Castro was born in New York City on Sept. 19th. 1956. He began playing in Salsa bands with Johnny Colon and Eddie Palmieri at the age of 14. At age 19 he was discovered by Melissa Manchester and shortly after moved to L.A. with Melissa’s band, quickly establishing himself as a first call studio musician.Lenny has recorded and toured with artists including Melissa Manchester, Rolling Stones, Elton John, U2, Joe Sample, Toto, Boz Scaggs, Ricky Lee Jones, Wayne Shorter, Adele, Glen Frey, The Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, George Benson, Steve Lukather, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rufus and Chaka Kahn, Kid Rock, Liza Minelli, Maroon 5, Dave Koz, Micheal Bublè, Justin Beiber, Justin Timberlake, David Sanborn, Amy Grant, The Crusaders, The Wallflowers, Tom Petty, Dolly Parton, Clint Black, Dwight Yoachum, Rod Stewart, Al Jarreau, Bette Midler, George Duke, Joe Cocker and Joe Bonamassa.
His new solo album is called “Hands of Silk and Stone.” Please welcome my guest today, Lenny Castro.
Ernie Watts - Making It as a "First Call" Saxophonist (Marvin Gaye, Frank Zappa, Tonight Show Band)
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Two-time Grammy Award winner Ernie Watts is one of the most versatile and prolific saxophone players in music. It has been nearly 60 years since he first picked up a saxophone, and from age sixteen on he has been playing professionally, initially while still attending school. Watts has been featured on over 500 recordings by artists ranging from Cannonball Adderley to Frank Zappa, always exhibiting his unforgettable trademark sound.
His signature sound was heard on countless TV shows and film scores, and recorded with Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, the Commodores, Earth Wind and Fire, Diana Ross, the Jacksons, Barry White, Bill Withers, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, and pop acts Glenn Frey, Carole King, Steely Dan, Stevie Nicks, Herb Alpert, Elton John, and a live recording, ‘Still Life”, with the Rolling Stones when he toured with them in 1981. A record with James Brown, “Soul On Top,” had James singing standards. Jazz artists recorded with included Sarah Vaughan, Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Cannonball Adderley, Arturo Sandoval, Herbie Hancock, Henry Mancini, and Doc Severinsen, (Watts also was in Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show band for 20 years, from 1971 to 1991.)
https://www.erniewatts.com/
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Michael Cole is an American actor. His career includes a leading role as Pete Cochrane on the television crime drama The Mod Squad, which ran 1968 to 1973.
Cole has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, beginning in 1961 with a role in the film drama, Forbid Them Not. Other film credits include the role of Mark in the 1966 science fiction film, The Bubble, later re-titled Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth, Spivey in the western Chuka (1967), Alan Miller in The Last Child (1971), which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award,a nd as Cliff Norris in Beg, Borrow or Steal (1973). He did a great deal of stage work after The Mod Squad went off the air, such as Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.
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Jeff Paris is an accomplished keyboardist, guitarist, singer and award winning songwriter. “
He has performed with Ringo Starr, Bill Withers, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Dan Fogelberg, Bonnie Raitt, Keb' Mo', Frankie Valli, Dave Stewart, Cinderella, Y&T, and Eric Burdon.
Jeff’s songs have been recorded by artists including Tower of Power, Jeffrey Osborne, Slash, George Duke, Sheena Easton, Billy Preston, Lita Ford, Vixen, Mr. Big, Johnny Halliday, Valeria Lynch, Coco Montoya, Robert Cray and Keb' Mo'.
YOUTUBE LINKS
UK MTV “Gods of AOR” interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnxWaMJ5O-8&t=0s&index=2&list=PLz2q_1UmsUNmldVZI1gGbGFiSDRIq5oH0
“Waiting For Love” – Top 10 single by Jeff Paris and Brett Walker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to0UO82kGtI
Mr. Big “Lucky This Time” by Jeff Paris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5tyMcWJ5D8
Lita Ford “Gotta Let Go” by Jeff Paris and Lita Ford
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0bkMDbebxc
Beth Lapides - Making It as a Comedian, Writer and Performer
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Beth Lapides is the creator of UnCabaret, now celebrating it’s 25th year. She’s hosted and produced it as a live show as well as for Comedy Central, Amazon and Comedy World Radio. She’s appeared in or on Sex and The City, NPR’s All Things Considered, Politically Incorrect and written for O Magazine, Elle Decor and all the LA Weekly, LA Times, Los Angeles Magazine and LA Yoga. She coached thousands of creatives, won numerous NEA’s and is the author “Did I Wake You?”. Her latest one woman show is “100% Happy 88% of The Time” which she has toured nationally and is currently writing as a memoir.
Frenchie Davis - Making It as an Actress and Vocalist
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Songbird, Frenchie Davis is a world-renowned vocalist from Los Angeles, California and a graduate of Howard University. Her Theatrical credits include the Broadway cast of RENT, Dreamgirls, Cinderella Enchanted, Jesus Christ Superstar, and the National Tour of Ain’t Misbehavin’, for which she earned a Grammy Nomination. She was also a top-five finalist on the first season of NBC’s The Voice; a featured performer in Wanda Sykes’ Herlarious; and she's done voice over work on the hit Nickelodeon cartoon, Wonder Pets. An outspoken advocate for artists, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color, Frenchie continues to wow audiences with her unique and versatile talent. She is currently enrolled in graduate school, earning an MBA in music business and she sits on the national advisory council for Human Rights Campaign's Historically Black Colleges and Universities project.
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialFrenchie/
https://www.instagram.com/frenchiedavis/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/frenchiedavis?lang=en
“When people ask me about my blindness, I tell them, ‘I didn’t pay the electric bill on time…so they cut the lights out on me!’” – Ellis Hall
Through the ages, there have been a number of famous blind African American male entertainers in Gospel, Blues, Soul and Pop but few as unilaterally gifted as Ellis Hall. What other man can claim to have written 3,800 songs, sung at the funeral of Helen Keller at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York and before Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, Africa, been a member of Oakland Soul band Tower of Power and a lead voice for the animated California Raisins, been nominated for a Ovation Theater Award for his very first stage role in “The Gospel At Colonus” (in which he sang, acted, and walked the stage and stair props mostly unattended), and penned the official song of the city where he grew up: Claxton, Georgia. Welcome to the unprecedented greatness of Ellis Hall.
When it comes to music, Ellis Hall does it all. He is a seasoned and accomplished vocalist in possession of a powerful 5-octave range. He is a songwriter, arranger, producer and educator. Across a career of 40-plus years and counting, Ellis Hall has proven himself as an all-around performer that has entertained audiences on five continents, sharing stages with giants ranging from James Taylor, Natalie Cole, Patti LaBelle and Toby Keith to Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Bobby Womack, George Duke and Sheila E. His reputation of excellence earned Ellis the moniker, “The Ambassador of Soul.”
www.Ellishall.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialEllisHallMusic/
Twitter: @ellishallmusic
Instagram: @ellishallmusic
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EllisHallMusic/videos
After having been heard drumming with Toni Basil’s band by composer Danny Elfman and his longtime orchestrator, Steve Bartek, Johnny Vatos Hernandez was hired as a session drummer on Elfman’s first film score, “The Forbidden Zone”. Hernandez joined the original lineup of the famous band, Oingo Boingo, a position he held for seventeen years, until their breakup in 1995. During that time, the band released eight albums, toured the world and played thousands of concerts.After the breakup of Oingo Boingo, Hernandez joined the band, Tito and Tarantula and was featured in the Robert Rodriguez film, “From Dusk Till Dawn.” He had a rewarding time, touring Europe with Tito until 911, but at that point, he decided to return to Los Angeles to play jazz again. In the 1990s, Hernandez returned to regular session work for composers, like Jason Johnson, Steve Bartek and Bear McCreary. He was the drummer for Bear McCreary’s hugely popular “Battlestar Galactica” live orchestra concerts.For the past seven years, Hernandez has been touring with his own, Boingo Dance Party, a high energy, wild Oingo Boingo music show that features former members of Oingo Boingo. As well, Hernandez is the drummer for the Don Kubec Big Band and recently formed his own avant-garde group, Vlatko, featuring composer and arranger, Michael Vlatkovich on trombone (with whom Hernandez has played professionally for the past forty years). Vlatkovich is one of the leading talents among the Los Angeles improvisational scene. Playing unrestricted free style music always will be good for Hernandez’s soul.
http://www.oingoboingodanceparty.com/
https://www.facebook.com/oingoboingodanceparty/
As a bassist, singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist, Chazz has recorded and performed with artists as talented and diverse as Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Chuck Mangione, Wilson/Phillips, Karla Bonoff, Perla Batalla, David Pack (Ambrosia) Chaka Khan, Maureen McGovern, Gregory Hines, Raquel Welch, Ann Jillian, Sheena Easton, Vonda Sheppard, Tony Orlando and many others.He can also be heard singing the title theme and playing bass on NBC’s “Saved By The Bell” which has aired continously from 1989 to today.Chazz has appeared on numerous recording for television and film soundtracks, commercials, jingles and many recording projects.He is a long standing member of AFTRA/SAG and endorses Sadowsky Guitars NYC.
WEBSITE LINKS:
www.chazzfrichtel.com.
www.c-squaredcoffeeroasters.com
Now more than a decade and a half into his world travels as soloist and horn section anchor with Paul Simon, Andy Snitzer had a blast cavorting with musical gods throughout 2014 and 2015, on the historic “On Stage Together Tour” featuring the legendary singer/songwriter and Sting. Adding more history to those frequent flier miles, the versatile saxophonist toured the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. Now, a few years after soulfully chronicling life on the road (on his groundbreaking 2011 album Traveler), Snitzer explores and celebrates intimate places closer to heart and home, with American Beauty.
The lush and melodic, sonically adventurous set artfully blends retro touches in groove and instrumentation with electronic-driven soundscapes and pattern-based motions. While keeping the rich, emotional thrust of his horn front and center, the creatively restless composer and artist continues to expand the textural palette he inaugurated on Traveler (and continued exploring on 2013’s The Rhythm). And after some years away from playing his alto sax, Snitzer happily rediscovers its impactful voice on five tracks of American Beauty – “On and On “She Loves Me,” “American Beauty,” “Willow” and “Montreal.”
Jeremy Black is a co-founder of Sambazon Acai. Taking the leap from a successful career as a financial planner, Jeremy joined brother Ryan Black (CEO) and friend Ed Nichols in early 2000 to introduce açaí to the U.S.market. In addition to helping create global awareness and demand for an unknown fruit, the team pioneered a sustainable business model in the Amazon to import organic, fair trade superfoods.
Jeremy was a key player in Sambazon’s rapid growth from startup to a $100+ Million dollar global brand. From meager beginnings of one product at a handful of juice bars around Southern California, Jeremy spearheaded the development of the brand, the products and the marketing for a full portfolio of products in frozen, juice, energy and supplement categories that are now sold in health food stores, juice bars and conventional grocery stores across the globe. Over the past 17 years, Jeremy helped the Sambazon team create an entirely new category in the natural foods category and a business that creates positive socio-economic and environmental change.
As an avid surfer, yogi and snowboarder, Sambazon has become a way of life for Jeremy, providing organic energy for worldwide travels and active pursuits.
His latest project Zuma Sanctuary is an Airstream glamping retreat near his home in Malibu, CA.
Jeremy attended Pepperdine University on an academic scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
www.sambazon.com
https://vimeo.com/jbsamba
@sambazon
@jbsamba
@zumasanctuary
Paul JacksonJr. has appeared on the recordings of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, B.B. King, Selina, Jennifer Lopez, Luis Miguel, Jewel, Amy Grant, Bebe & CeCe Winans, Boney James, Kenny Rogers, Al Jarreau, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Joe Sample, Barry White, Chicago, and many others. Also on the underscore of many motion pictures such as "Get On Upâ€, "Zootopiaâ€, and "The Color Purpleâ€. More recently, Paul contributed his playing styles and composing chops to the Daft Punk CD, which garnered 5 Grammy Awards, was the #1 album in 104 countries and garnered Paul Grammy recognition for his contribution to the Album. He attributes all of his success to his Lord Jesus Christ, and the sacrifices made by his mother and father.
His current CD, "Storie From Stompin Willie" garnered him 2 #1 singles at jazz radio. He was nominated for a grammy on his first solo project "I Came To Play". Now Paul is working on a new solo CD entitled "More Stories" as well as a new project for the group Jazz Funk Soul featuring Paul, Everette Harp and, Jeff Lorber.
http://pauljacksonjr.com
https://www.facebook.com/PaulJacksonJrFanPage/
https://twitter.com/pauljacksonjr
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=paul+jackson+jr
Amy Keys has sung backgrounds for numerous artists including: Sting, Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Ringo Starr, Jason Mraz, One Republic, Sam Smith, Josh Groban (for whom she both sang and created vocal arrangements), Stevie Wonder, Seal, Neil Young, Randy Newman, Chaka Khan, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Al Green, Queen Latifah, NeYo, Heart, Gavin Degraw, Phil Vassar, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Brooks and Dunn, Sarah Mclachlan, Tina Turner, Michael McDonald, Patti LaBelle, Mary J. Blige, Brian McKnight, Al Jarreau, Natalie Cole, Donna Summer, Toni Braxton, Wilson Phillips, Diana Ross, Tito Puente, Christopher Cross, Charice, and many others.
Amy is an accomplished writer with numerous credits including the promotional themes for “The Amazing Race” (CBS TV) and “Martial Law” (CBS TV) and most recently a song for “Law and Order, CI” (which she performed for the show.) She is also writing/singing with Mitch Marlow…formerly of Filter.
Darius Gagne - Making It Financially as an Entertainment Professional
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Darius Gagne is the Chief Investment Officer at Abacus Wealth Partners overseeing $2 billion in assets. He is also a financial advisor at Abacus, specializing in financial, estate and investment planning for entertainment professionals, executives and entrepreneurs. Darius is a physicist by training, earning his PhD at UCLA. He applied his quantitative training to the financial industry starting in 1996 as a quantitative analyst ("quant") on Wall Street, having worked at UBS, Merrill Lynch, and PIMCO. He started his first wealth management firm in 2005, which he eventually merged with Abacus.
www.Facebook.com/abacuswealth
https://abacuswealth.com/
https://abacuswealth.com/team/darius-gagne/
Josh Sklair - Making It Beyond School as a Working Guitarist
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In 1978 Josh Sklair attended Berklee School of Music (Boston, MA) and in 1979 graduated from the Guitar Institute of Technology (Musicians Institute) Hollywood, California..As an active guitar player in the Los Angeles Josh worked with composers and producers including Phil Ramone, Diane Warren, Lamont Dozier, John Snyder, Desmond Child, Randy Jackson, Albert Hammond & Barry Beckett.In 1979 Josh was hired as guitar player/Conductor by singer Jon Lucien, for his performance at Carnegie Hall and two nights at the Roxy Theater, Los Angeles that featured both Jon Lucien and Herbie Hancock with an all- star band.Josh toured the US in the early 80’s with Philadephia Internationalrecording artists the Jones Girls.
Throughout the 80’s Josh also worked as the “house guitar player” for the Dick Clark Good Old Rock’n’Roll Show, backing legends like Chuck Berry, Bo Didley, Del Shannon, Little Anthony, the Shirelles, the Coasters, the Drifters, Mary Wells, Martha Reeves, Freddy Cannon and many more of the original pioneers of Rock’n’Roll and R&B.In 1985 Josh Sklair became guitarist and subsequently Musical Director for the legendary Etta James, co-producing over a dozen albums, including the Grammy-award-winning “Let’s Roll”, (Best Contemporary Blues Album, 2003) and “Blues to the Bone”( Best Traditional Blues Album 2004).Also playing guitar and handling pre-production on 4 Jazz album collaborations with the great Cedar Walton, including the Grammy Award-winning “Mystery Lady - a tribute to Billie Holliday”.Josh continues to tour and record with artists including Paul Anka, SophieB. Hawkins, the Blues Brothers, Jeffrey Osborne and Stevie Wonder.
Through the 90’s, Josh also worked extensively on Movie & TV soundtracks including Melrose Place, Beverly Hills 90210, Models Inc., Pacific Palisades (the “Spelling” shows), also featured on the originalWalker Texas Ranger theme and has co-written for movies & television working with composers David McHugh, Steve Tyrell, Tim Truman and PJ Hanke.
http://joshsklair.com/
Sy Smith - Soul From The Underground
Hear more shows like this at https://entertalkradio.com/makingit
Sy Smith has long since solidified her place in the world of underground soul music (she’s often called “the hardest working woman in underground soul”). This Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and producer helped cultivate the nu-soul scene in that city more than 10 years ago, a scene which now easily boasts some of the most progressive artists of that genre to date, some of whom came directly from Smith’s own band line-ups (including Thundercat and Kamasi Washington). Her catalog includes 5 studio albums, with contributions from a who’s who of producers (James Poyser of The Roots, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest and Nicolay of The Foreign Exchange). All 5 of her albums, including her brand new project “Sometimes A Rose Will Grow In Concrete” have been heralded by critics around the world for Smith’s lyrical dexterity, her vocal whimsy (often colored with a very distinctive rhythmic swing that’s all her own) and her ability to spin a story like few others in soul music. Listeners often remark on Smith’s vocal range, which moves effortlessly from a speakeasy, gritty alto all the way to a stratospheric soprano whistle register reminiscent of the late Minnie Riperton.
Website/Social Media Links:
www.sysmith.com
facebook.com/sysmithmusic
instagram.com/syberspace
youtube.com/sysmith69
Randy Crenshaw has been described as “the Swiss Army knife of L.A. session singers.” Randy has earned degrees from Willamette University’s College of Music, Salem, Oregon (a Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance) and from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts (a Diploma in Commercial Arranging). Randy’s professional background includes orchestral and big-band trumpet playing, playing a variety of Renaissance and pre-Baroque wind instruments at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, singing country music, arranging for and singing with such groups over the years as Boston-based oldies/doo-wop a cappella quintet No Strings Attached, the Berklee Vocal Jazz Choir, a cappella vocal jazz quintet Terra Nova (1987 Hennessy Jazz Search grand prize winners), a cappella world beat/R&B sextet Wahoo Do-Re (formerly Vocal Nation), contemporary Christian vocal group Haven (from the radio broadcast “Haven Today”), and acclaimed a cappella vocal jazz quartet Just 4 Kicks (with four CDs released on their own Kickboyz Records label).
He lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area and is a Grammy-nominated, in-demand freelance session vocalist, voiceover artist, and vocal arranger with hundreds of major film, television, commercial, and record credits to his name. Many of his award-winning vocal jazz compositions and arrangements are available through University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press, Greeley, Colorado (uncjazzpress.com), Sound Music Publications, Edmonds, Washington (smpjazz.com)and of course, in the Stuff 4 Sale section of this very website!
He is currently a member of the wacky 5-person Hollywood improv comedy/voiceover/character singing/loop group “The Cleanup Crue,” where he very rarely disciplines his inner child.
http://www.randycrenshaw.com/
Born in a small rural town, Mount Vernon, Washington, Cheryl Bentyne was born swinging. Her father was a band leader, and to this day she attributes her deep-seeded roots in classic, jazz, and swing to singing with him on Saturday nights from age 14 through High School… while Cheryl’s mother drove her to piano lessons. What seems as natural as breathing out and breathing in was at that time paving the way for her life.
In 1979 Cheryl joined Manhattan Transfer and dove head first into rehearsals, as well as the studio, to record her first album with them. This collaboration with her new singing partners has garnered ten Grammy’s to date. You can hear Cheryl on Manhattan Transfer’s brand new album “The Junction” as well as on her latest solo album “Re-arrangements of Shadows”
http://www.cherylbentyne.net/
http://manhattantransfer.net/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rearrangements-of-shadows/1287590103
Patti Linsky had been the Cantor at Temple Ahavat Shalom for over 24 years when a life-threatening condition derailed her plans and dreams for the future. Following a lengthy recuperation, Patti realized that a consequence of her surgery, which nearly took her life, was that her singing voice had been compromised and she would no longer be able to perform her duties as Cantor. In 2010, retired from her position.
She was forced to look within, "If I am not a Cantor, then who am I?" With that question, she embarked on her spiritual quest, searching for her next chapter. Patti actively chose to be open to every possibility. In doing so, she enrolled in a Woman's Empowerment Course in which she was asked to write a bucket list. One of the ten items stood out and hit a resonant chord -- she wanted to perform a one- woman show so that she could tell her story. This creation, she felt, would feed her soul, give her an opportunity not only to explore her own path and find strength and vision, but also empower others to believe that they are "enough."
Being "enough" is pinnacle to Patti's spiritual awakening. In 1996, Patti was in an automobile accident resulting in severe back and neck injuries. Soon after, she underwent surgery for a hernia -- her doctor accidentally cut a nerve in her leg. Following was a decade of descent into painkillers and alcohol in an effort to mask her physical and emotional pain. In 2007, Patti entered, and remains, in recovery -- "It was the first time in years that I felt authentic, the first time I experienced real
feelings."
Altar EGO is the creative, energetic, spiritual child of Patti's extraordinary journey. This is a story of Patti's passion for music and religious commitment. It is also a story of battling addictions, self-worth, recovery and ultimately redemption. As a singer/songwriter, Altar EGO is told through her very
personal compositions and stories peppered with her unique humor, wisdom and zest for life.
In addition to Patti's one woman show, she remains active in the Jewish community as a freelance Cantor officiating at services, Lifecycle events, performing in concerts, recording in the studio and as visiting Artist-in-Residence.
http://www.pattilinsky.com/
Undeniably, one of the most successful and prolific producers/songwriters/arrangers in contemporary music, Barry Eastmond has racked up over sixty gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums on some of the most important artists in pop and R&B, with incredible cumulative sales of over 80 million copies worldwide. Respected and acknowledged for his stellar work with internationally-known legends such as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Barry White, Anita Baker, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight, the award-winning multi-talented music man has been responsible for hit records for a diversity of major artists including Britney Spears, Brandy, Faith Evans, Michael Bolton, Vanessa Williams, Freddie Jackson, Billy Ocean, Kenny Lattimore, Regina Belle and Tamia, among others.
Jo-Ann Geffen, founder and President of JAG PR, began her four decade career in New York where she worked with comics, then music stars, some of whom she still represents. Her expertise expanded to other areas, notably television and books, and after moving to Los Angeles in the ‘70s and setting up shop there, the client list expanded to include branding and promoting products, corporations, websites and more. In addition to the Commodores, one of her first successes was helping to brand Body by Jake which went on to become a phenomenon in the fitness world. She has also been a personal manager for the Commodores, Michael Cooper, Club Nouveau, Chaka Khan and David Cassidy, and has licensed the name and likeness for the Commodores, Rick James, David Cassidy and others. Another aspect of the business is talent booking which she has successfully accomplished for domestic and international events, TV shows and concert promoters. Crisis management is another area in which she excels, representing several high profile people and cases in and out of the entertainment industry, working closely with and usually hired by the clients’ legal counsel. This aligns with her integrity and goal to help to make a difference in the world which is largely displayed by her support of and work for several non-profits including Cancer Schmancer, weSpark Cancer Support Center and Mending Kids, to name a few.
https://www.jagpr.com/
Grammy nominated saxophonist and flautist, Najee has made a career following his heart and keen musical intuition by pushing musical boundaries, all of which have made him an international pioneer in the music industry. Having collaborated with everyone in the music business from Prince, Quincy Jones to Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Herbie Hancock, Najee’s technical agility, grace, compositional prowess, unbridled passion and fearless genre bending have made him one of the most sought after musicians of his generation. With two Platinum and four Gold albums under his belt, Najee is an icon whose musical vision spawned an entire new genre by fusing the music close to his heart (R&B and Jazz).
Najee's New Album, "Poetry In Motion" Pays Homage to Prince & Al Jarreau & Unites Najee with All-Start Line Up Including Will Downing, Maysa, Eric Roberson, Incognito & More.
https://www.najeeofficial.com/
As president and CEO of The Craig Zinn Automotive Group, Craig is the authorized dealer for Toyota of Hollywood, Lexus of Pembroke Pines, Spyker of Pembroke Pines, Acura of Pembroke Pines, Lexus of North Miami, Spyker of Miami and Subaru of Pembroke Pines.
Success, by Craig Zinn’s standards, is not measured by the number of dealerships owned – it is the partnership of this growth and the actions taken to better himself, his clients and his community. After all, Craig has made his company’s mission “to be South Florida’s finest automobile dealership group, known for superior products, community involvement, and for helpful, courteous, and caring associates dedicated to delivering the ultimate client service experience.”
https://www.czgroup.com/
For more than forty years, Robert Klein has entertained audiences, and he continues to have an acclaimed career in comedy, on Broadway, on television, and in film.
He was a member of the famed “Second City” theatrical troupe in Chicago, has been nominated twice for a Grammy, received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor, and won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for his performance in the hit Neil Simon musical, “They’re Playing Our Song.”
In 1975, Klein was the first comedian to appear in a live concert on HBO. You may also recognize him from his more than 100 appearances on “The Tonight Show” and “Late Show with David Letterman.” Currently, he can be seen on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” where he is a show favorite.
Born in the Bronx, Robert, a lifelong New Yorker, makes his home in Westchester and New York City.
http://robertklein.com
Will Lee is an American bassist known for his work on the Late Show with David Letterman. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Lee has recorded and toured with countless legendary artists, and performs with his Beatles tribute band, The Fab Faux which he co-founded in 1998.
Lee took up drums after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, and by the time he was 12 had formed his first band in Miami. The band members each earned $9 a night playing the popular surfing tunes of the 60s.
In 1982, Lee became one of the original members of The World's Most Dangerous Band, the house band on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman. He holds the distinction of playing with Paul Shaffer, on both Late Night and the Late Show, longer than any other member of the CBS Orchestra.
Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxLfVAC3nGQ&t=528s
http://willlee.com/
Gianni was born in Italy in 1978 and he is one of the greatest Italian musician in today’s panorama.
Gianni Vancini has become "a name" in today's US contemporary jazz scene. His solo career started in 2010 with the release of his first album "SOULS UNITED". Entirely made in the Netherlands with famous producer Thomas Bank, the album features lots of great guest appearances like: Eric Marienthal, Umberto Tozzi, Andrea Mingardi. SOULS UNITED soon became a great passpartout for the United States, Gianni's first single "Grapes" gained significant airplay in the major radio charts.
In 2012 Gianni started to explore the US music scene also sharing the stage with big names in the industry such as Gerald Albright, Eric Marienthal, Jeff Lorber, Eric Darius, Dave Koz, Elan Trotman, just to name a few.
Gianni Vancini’s new album exit is announced for the beginning of 2018 and it is awaited from all the contemporary jazz experts and lovers.
http://www.giannivancini.com/
https://www.facebook.com/giannivanciniofficial/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Inz78/videos?view_as=subscriber
Known throughout the world as the Queen of Sass, Aubrey Logan has appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, American Idol, The Goldberg's and with Pharrell Williams at the Grammy Awards. She has toured extensively as a guest artist with Postmodern Jukebox, she's featured in over 150 shows throughout Europe and the U.S, including their recently taped PBS special. With millions of YouTube views, she's just finished her first full album of songs entitled “Impossible,” which reflects her inimitable, fun and quirky style. Released independently, “Impossible” immediately charted at #2 on the iTunes Jazz list, and it also got a spot on Billboard. Complete with the first-place award-winning song “Pity Party,” which won in the USA Songwriting Competition, Aubrey is touring with songs from “Impossible” all around the US and Europe as we speak.
www.facebook.com/aubreyloganmusic
www.youtube.com/aubreyloganmusic
www.instagram.com/aubrey_logan
www.aubreylogan.com
For more shows like this one, visit http://entertalkradio.com/ and Connect To All Things Music.
Donald Webber Jr. is an actor, known for The Wiz Live! (2015), Ted White-Knockelby Pursues the American Dream (2008), Buckeye (2015). He is currently featured in the cast of the Broadway hit show “Hamilton”.
Twitter.com/donaldwebber
Instagram.com/donaldwebber
Broadwaycares.org
Alz.org (Alzheimer’s Association)
Rainn.org (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
For more shows like this one, visit http://entertalkradio.com/ and Connect To All Things Music.
Yvette Cason is an American television, theatre, and film actress, singer, and a former Miss Black America from Washington, D.C. She starred in DREAMGIRLS on Broadway… and in 2006 played May, the mother of Deena Jones, portrayed by Beyoncé Knowles in the feature film version of Dreamgirls.
Cason returned to Broadway in PLAY ON, for which she won an Ovation Award for Supporting Actress. Most recently she performed to rave reviews in the musical SHOUT SISTER SHOUT, The Rosetta Tharpe Story, at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Her early musical training was at The Sewell Music Conservatory in Washington, followed by her studies at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Yvette has toured and sang with some of the industries most elite artists… such as Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, David Foster, Najee, and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.
This past year Yvette had the pleasure of recording her Christmas EP “The Spirit of Christmas”, produced by Sylvia MacCalla.
She is currently working on bringing the music and life story of the iconic Ella Fitzgerald back to the stage in 2018.
Yvette just learned that she is a nominee for a 2017 LOS ANGELES OVATION AWARD as Featured Actress in a Musical in “SHOUT SISTER SHOUT”. She is also a nominee for the 2017 NAACP Theatre Award for the play BARBECUE, presented at the Geffen Theatre.
https://www.facebook.com/yvette.cason.5
https://www.instagram.com/vetevet/
https://twitter.com/YvetteCason
For more shows like this one, visit http://entertalkradio.com/ and Connect To All Things Music.
Southern-born guitarist/vocalist Kat Dyson relocated to Los Angeles from Montreal via Minneapolis where she was a featured guitarist & vocalist with Prince as a member of the New Power Generation. Her contributions to this musical alliance can be heard on the recordings: Emancipation, The Truth and Newpowersoul.
Along the way, she has performed with renowned artists including Cyndi Lauper, Natalie Cole, Ivan Neville, Donny Osmond, rap artist T.I., Seal, Sheila E.,Joi, George Clinton and the P-Funk AllStars, Musique Soulchild, Phoebe Snow, Res, The Winans, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams, Big Mamma Thornton, Ben E. King, Bo Diddley, Odetta, Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir, Celine Dion and many others.
Her studio work includes sessions for Keb Mo’, Ziggy Marley, Sheila E., Dave Stewart, Mick Jagger, Jeff Healey, Jamaican producers Sly and Robbie, Cat Cooer of Third World and Bernie Worrell. Before joining forces with Prince, Ms. Dyson was a contributing guitarist and vocalist on the multi-platinum Cyndi Lauper greatest hits album, “12 Deadly Cyns”, along with ‘Sisters of Avalon”, ”At Last” and “The Body Acoustic.
Since 1998, Ms. Dyson has also been a fixture on such talk-show house bands as The Wayne Brady Show, The Donny & Marie Show and The Magic Hour with Sheila E.
She tours with Italian rock artist ZUCCHERO, and is a member of the rock trio, CHALLENGE with T.M.Stevens and Cindy Blackman-Santana. She also continues to be a go-to guitarist playing for Black Rock Coalition events such as THE BRC all female orchestra. In addition to releasing her EP ‘COLOUR KOMMENTARY, she continues composing music for television and film in Los Angeles.
In the May 2017 edition of Guitar Player, she made the 50 Sensational Female Guitarist List and is included in the compilation SHE ROCKS, VOL.1 on FAVORITE NATIONS RECORDS, Steve Vai's label.
https://www.instagram.com/kittykatdeezy/
https://www.facebook.com/KAT-Dyson-164365916980620/
http://www.katdyson.com/
Having amassed 21 Grammy nominations, four statues and three Emmy wins, Gordon Goodwin is the most decorated big band leader in the 21st century. He is leader of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, an internationally known ensemble with a reputation as one of the most exciting large ensembles in jazz.
The BPB has released seven critically acclaimed records, its most recent being Life in the Bubble, which garnered four Grammy Nominations, and won the Grammy for “Best Large Ensemble Album.”
Gordon’s composing for film and television has garnered him three Emmy Awards. He has written and worked with artists like Ray Charles, Christina Aguilera, Johnny Mathis, John Williams, Natalie Cole, David Foster, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, and Quincy Jones, to name a few. His charts are played all over the world, and along with his method books and CDs, have been a robust source of inspiration and learning for thousands of young musicians.
Goodwin is the host of a popular new radio program called “Phat Tracks with Gordon Goodwin,” airing weekends on KJAZZ, America’s jazz and blues station. His newest recording “An Elusive Man” is due for release in fall 2016.
www.bigphatband.com
John Carruthers has established himself as a leading expert on guitars and amplifiers as a designer, builder and repairman. Working along side Leo Fender at Music Man, John helped improve the quality of the product line and years later helped establish a series of instruments for Yamaha including their electric bass and acoustic guitar line. John’s reputation grew in part due to a decade long column he wrote for Guitar Player Magazine, and his dedication to teaching.
Over the years John has worked on instruments for artists including the Rolling Stones, Byrds, Doors, Eagles, CSNY, Fleetwood Mac, REO Speedwagon, Survivor, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Lee Sklar, Chuck Rainey, Jimmy Johnson, Alphonso Johnson, Bob Weir, Tommy Tedesco, Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Lee Ritenour, Larry Coryel, Kenny Loggins, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton, Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Elvis Presley, James Burton, Heart, Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, James Taylor, Devo and many more. John’s amazing career as a master luthier has spanned nearly 50 plus years.
Six-time Grammy® nominated German-born composer/arranger/conductor CHRIS WALDEN has scored more than 40 feature and TV films, and has written more than 1500 orchestral and big band arrangements for artists including Diana Krall, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Rihanna, Barbra Streisand, and orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Pops, and many more. He has worked closely with producers David Foster, Tommy LiPuma, and Phil Ramone.
He most recently wrote arrangements for the Academy Awards (Oscars®), he arranged for and conducted the Kennedy Center Honors and he arranged the National Anthem for Jennifer Hudson's performance at the SUPER BOWL XLIII. His recent film credits as a composer include the feature film "King Of Herrings", TV movies "Alien Siege", "Crimson Force", and Gene Wilder's "The Lady in Question". Since 2007 Walden has also been a principal arranger for "AMERICAN IDOL" and was an arranger for "THE TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno". He has been musical director on many TV shows and series, and has worked on more than 100 CDs. As an arranger and bandleader he has worked with jazz artists including Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, Tierney Sutton, Arturo Sandoval, and the Count Basie Orchestra
A graduate of Harvard Business School, Ken Kragen's illustrious career far transcends the music and entertainment industries where he has spent many incredibly successful years. He has managed some of the world's most important entertainers, including Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Olivia Newton John, The Bee Gees, Burt Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers and many others. He was the creator and organizer of the historic humanitarian projects "We Are the World", "Hands Across America", and Cisco System's "NetAid". Amazingly over 95% of the acts he managed have become stars, and 90% of the projects he created and spearheaded have achieved success.
Kragen has also produced a variety of film and television projects, ranging from the ground-breaking "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" on CBS to Kenny Rogers five '"Gambler" movies, and numerous series, mini-series and films.
Ken now teaches a terrific 10-week undergraduate course at the Herb Alpert School of Music on the UCLA campus. Called “Stardom Strategies for Musicians”
Kragen is most proud of receiving the United Nations Peace Medal for the creation of "Hands Across America", and "We Are the World", making him one of a mere handful of private citizens to receive this honor. Among dozens of other awards Ken Kragen has been celebrated by the NAACP, the Los Angeles Advertising Women, and the Boys And Girls Club of America. He received two MTV Awards, an American Music Award, several Emmy nominations, EBONY's American Black Achievement Award, Manager of the Year Award from the Conference of Personal Managers and the International Citizen Of The Year Award from the International Visitors Council. He was Alumnus of the Year at his Alma matter, the University of California, Berkeley. He is the only individual ever elected President of both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music. He has served on several charity Boards including The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, Community In Schools and USA for Africa
To mark the anniversary of Making It with Terry Wollman, we invite back Melissa Manchester, Terry's first guest on the show, to interview Terry Wollman!
Terry Wollman moved from Miami to Los Angeles after graduating from the prestigious Berklee College of Music with a degree in Arranging. He quickly built a solid reputation as an in-demand Producer, Guitarist, Music Director and Composer. Terry has worked with an array of artists including Melissa Manchester, Billy Preston, The Crusaders, Little Richard, Wilson Phillips, Joan Baez, Joe Walsh, Keb’ Mo’, and Eartha Kitt, to name just a few.
Terry has produced artists including Tony Bennett, Dick Van Dyke, Dave Grusin with Alan Bergman, and Melissa Manchester’s 20th album “You Gotta Love The Life” with special guests artists Stevie Wonder, Joe Sample, Dave Koz, Dionne Warwick and Al Jarreau. Wollman’s debut album “Bimini” (1988) received worldwide critical acclaim. He recently released his 7th CD, a 25 year retrospective entitled “Silver Collection”. His first single “Welcome To Paradise” (featuring Terry with Dave Koz on alto sax) debuted at #1 Most Added on Billboard.
Let’s hear it for the boys! More than 25 years after Melissa Manchester released Tribute, her 1989 album that honored the great female singers who influenced her, she turns the tables with The Fellas, a radiant encomium to the men, including Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin, and the iconic songs they made famous.
Singing with a verve and emotional vulnerability that immediately captivates, the Grammy winner inventively reimagines these be-loved standards. She turns “Chances Are” into a sly bossa nova and scats with seemingly impossible ease on “Love Is Just Around The Corner,” while bringing an understated urgency to “Night and Day.”
Many of these tunes embedded themselves into Manchester’s musical DNA while she was growing up on New York City’s Up-per West Side. “These were the artists and songs that were on the radio as my family ate dinner,” she says. “I am deeply familiar with this world.” Indeed, Manchester brings a nuanced understanding to the songs’ delicate phrasing and lyrical construction that would baffle lesser singers.
With The Fellas, Manchester completes a journey that began more than a quarter century ago, while also creating an exciting new chapter for her and her fans. And she’s already thinking ahead to a possible second volume. “With all of these singers, for every song I chose, there were 20 more I could have chosen,” she says. “There’s so much music to mine. I’m happy to be my fans’ guide.”
Seymour W. Duncan is an American guitarist and guitar repairman and a co-founder of the Seymour Duncan Company, a manufacturer of guitar pickups, bass pickups, and effects pedals located in Santa Barbara, California. Born in New Jersey, Duncan grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, during a time when electric guitar music grew into greater acceptance.
Duncan began playing clubs and during one show, his Fender Telecaster's lead pickup broke, forcing him to play the rest of the night on the rhythm pickup. Necessity being the mother of invention, Duncan rewound that lead pickup on a record player spinning at 33 1⁄3 rpm.
While he developed his playing skills, Duncan's knowledge of how guitars work grew. Duncan took every chance he had to talk with players about guitars, tone and electronics. After spending time with musicians such as Les Paul and Roy Buchanan, Duncan realized that it was his guitar, and not his playing, that prevented him from producing those wonderful tones that defined great players. Suddenly, and forever, Duncan was hooked on the dynamics and character differences of pickups.
As Duncan tinkered with materials and techniques, his bag of tricks grew and grew. At Les Paul's suggestion, he moved to England in the late 1960s where his intention to play soon mixed with the opportunity to further his pickup research working in the Repair and R&D Departments at the Fender Soundhouse in London. It was here that he did repairs and rewinds for such artists as Jimmy Page, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Frampton and his guitar hero Jeff Beck. It was through his work with Beck in particular, that Duncan honed his pickup winding skills—some of Duncan's first signature pickup tones appear on Beck's early solo albums. Duncan's sabbatical in England resulted in a flock of new fans and friends.[2] Duncan came back to the United States and eventually settled in California. He established contact with people such as Leo Fender, Les Paul and Seth Lover (inventor of a humbucking pickup) and continued learning about and making pickups. Demand for his custom pickups grew and in late 1978 together with Cathy Carter Duncan, he started his own company, Seymour Duncan Pickups. Today the company has over 120 employees.
Fender Custom Shop makes a Seymour Duncan Signature Esquire. Duncan is still involved in designing and fabricating pickups at the factory as well as playing guitar and making appearances at clinics and conventions.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/
Ndugu Chancler is a drummer, percussionist, producer, composer, clinician, and educator. As a studio musician, Ndugu has recorded with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, John Lee Hooker, Kenny Rogers, and Michael Jackson. Working on Thriller and Bad, Ndugu was the drummer on the hit single Billie Jean. Ndugu has also played on a number of Movie Soundtracks such as, An Officer and a Gentleman, Indecent Proposal, and The Color Purple.
As a songwriter, Ndugu co-wrote hits for Santana, including "Dance Sister Dance", "Reach For It" for George Duke, and "Let It Whip" for the Dazz Band. His production credits include Flora Purim, Bill Summers, Toki, along with his own solo recordings; Ndugu and the Chocolate Jam Co., and Ndugu Chancler.
Ndugu has co-produced recordings for Santana, George Duke, The Crusaders, Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Tina Turner, and a group he co-leads with Patrice Rushen, and Ernie Watts, The Meeting. These associations have brought many Gold and Platinum albums and Grammy Awards. Ndugu Chancler is on the Faculty at The University Of Southern California, in the Jazz Studies and Popular Music Departments.
Cameron Smith has been an internationally recognized TV personality since 1976 as the teen host for Canada’s DISCO DAZE produced by ITV in Edmonton, Alberta.
At 20 he moved to the United States to pursue a radio and television career with stints at KATT, KZBS, KHYI, KODZ, KOAI and CBS 11 KTVT. Smith co-hosted and produced the legendary Wolfman Jack show on KODZ and was the morning host of Smooth Jazz 107.5 The Oasis in Dallas.
Cameron is currently the Program Director and mid day host at the all new Oasis Modern Jazz at CBS Radio in Dallas. Senior Account Director at CBS radio in Dallas, the Arrtistic Director of the Bishop Arts Jazz Series at the Bishop Arts Theater Center in Oak Cliff Texas and Warren Hill’s Can Cun Jazz Festival. He also serves as co-host of the Dave Koz and Friends at Sea cruise each year and host and curator of the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta Indonesia and artist in residence at the Bishop Arts Modern Gallery.
As the Executive Producer of Smooth Jazz TV he founded, syndicated and hosted more than 320 episodes of the show over 14 seasons broadcast in more than 30 major US markets and carried globally on 15 airlines in 11 different countries.
He’s interviewed hundreds of artists for television including Al Jarreau, Sting, George Benson, Chris Botti, Aaron Neville, Brian McKnight, Patti Austin and many others. His long form syndicated radio interviews span the pantheon of Jazz from John Hendricks to John Patitucci, David Sanborn and Randy Brecker.
Film work includes the lead role as Adam Goodnight in Bernie Pollack’s Jazz noir drama THE RIFF winner of the director’s choice award at the American Black Film Festival (2001).
As a writer his syndicated Jazz columns have appeared in Jazziz, Wine and Jazz, Arizona Vines and Wines and others.
He was a 20 year at large board member of the Dallas Black Dance Theater.
Awards include seven time nominee and 2011 winner of the Smooth Jazz Broadcaster of the Year as well as the CBS Radio X Award winner in Dallas in 2014.
https://www.facebook.com/jazzhost
http://www.oasisfm.com/
Susan Davis is the Director of Events for the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, California. She grew up on Long Island and graduated from Emmanuel College in Boston with a BA in Art History. Susan lived in New York, Boston, Chicago, Houston and Detroit before moving to Southern California.
In 2000… At the age of 47, she found herself newly single and new to California. Finding herself on her own, she needed to get a career going. Susan had some corporate middle management experience with The Hartford Insurance Co and had a deep LOVE OF ART and MUSIC. As fate would have it, she lived down the road from The Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters, in Laguna Beach, CA.
She took an entry-level job at The Festival of Arts to get a foot in the door… and rather quickly saw an opportunity when another job opened as the Director of Special Events, which she applied for and was hired. That was in 2001. Susan took the job and during the course of the next 16 years, developed a summer concert series presenting world-class musicians to their stage over 55 consecutive nights.
Of her many life achievements, her 2 greatest achievements are her two adult daughters who are both very artistic and creative.
https://www.foapom.com/
Jean-Luc Ponty is a pioneer and undisputed master of violin in the arena of jazz and rock. He is widely regarded as an innovator who has applied his unique visionary spin that has expanded the vocabulary of modern music.
Ponty was born in a family of classical musicians on September 29, 1942 in France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano. At sixteen, he was admitted to a prestigious conservatory in Paris, graduating two years later with the institution's highest award, Premier Prix. In turn, he was immediately hired by a major symphony orchestra, where he played for three years.
While still a member of the orchestra in Paris, Ponty picked up a side gig playing clarinet (which his father had taught him) for a college jazz band that regularly performed at local parties. It proved a life-changing jumping-off point. A growing interest in the jazz sounds of Miles Davis and John Coltrane compelled him to take up the tenor saxophone. Fueled by an all-encompassing creative passion, Jean-Luc soon felt the need to express his jazz voice through his main instrument, the violin.
So Ponty found himself leading a dual musical life: rehearsing and performing with the orchestra while also playing jazz until 3 AM at clubs throughout Paris. The demands of this doomed schedule eventually brought him to a crossroads… so he made a choice and took a chance with jazz, with a powerful sound that distinguished himself with be-bop phrasings and a punchy style influenced more by horn players than by anything previously tried on the violin.
His notoriety grew with remarkable leaps and by 1964, at age 22, he released his debut solo album. Since that time Ponty has been recording and touring the world with his own groups and has done collaborations with other great musicians including Allan Holdsworth, Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke, West African musicians, Bela Fleck, Lalo Schifrin, Chick Corea and Return To Forever IV, violinists Nigel Kennedy, Mark O'Connor, L. Subramaniam from India, singer Jon Anderson from Yes, and his daughter pianist-singer-composer Clara Ponty. Jean Luc has also performed his music with symphony orchestras in the U.S.A, Canada, Japan, Western and Eastern Europe, Brazil and Russia.
http://ponty.com/
George Adjieff is the CEO of Westlake Pro and co-manages their mission and vision with Joe Taupier. George has over 25 years of experience in every aspect of the Audio industry.
He has met and worked with everyone… from Ronald Reagan to Ray Charles to Ringo Starr, and everyone in between including all of the major film lots, The Grammys and Academy Awards.
Prior to working in his current capacity in the Audio industry, George worked as a professional musician and composer, and performed with a variety of bands and artists including Bob Hope and The Smothers Brothers. As a composer, his music can be heard in numerous television shows from Friends to The Sopranos, and commercials for Nike and Kawasaki to name a few.
George has been involved in several community-based projects. Locally, in Los Angeles, he works with The Boyle Heights Technology Youth Center.
Nationally, he assists in ongoing work with the Phoenix House Foundation. Off the clock George spends much of his leisure time working on culinary techniques and recreating dishes from chefs like Ferran Adria, Jose Andreas and Thomas Keller. George has a degree from the infamous Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Please welcome today’s guest George Adjieff.
https://westlakepro.com/
Michael R. Morris has blended his tax law expertise with his passion for music and entertainment, resulting in a practice that is unique. As a former trial lawyer for the IRS and a Certified Specialist in Taxation Law, Michael provides insightful resolutions to his clients’ complicated tax, estate and business transaction issues. In the entertainment industry, Michael has developed a strong reputation of providing valuable and effective business solutions in areas such as copyright and contractual matters. Although Michael’s core competency is within the tax arena and entertainment, he has developed significant expertise covering a wide range of businesses. His diverse client base includes major studio executives, recording artists (including Grammy winners), production companies, film and TV composers, talent agencies, payroll companies, skin healthcare companies, post production houses, software companies, and an award-winning winery.
http://theccc.org/
https://www.aimp.org/
http://www.aes.org
https://www.grammy.com/
Kiki Ebsen is a dynamic singer, songwriter, musician and artist whose vast musical range combines elements of jazz, pop, classical and rock. Whether singing standards from the Great American Songbook, classic rock covers or her own original compositions, Kiki has a style that is uniquely her own. For over 20 years, Ebsen was heralded as a talented vocalist and gifted keyboard player, supporting Grammy-winning and platinum-selling artists, including Christopher Cross, Al Jarreau, Tracy Chapman, Michael McDonald, and Boz Scaggs.
Best known today as a popular solo singer and ensemble vocalist, Kiki performs regularly in three productions she created. There’s "To Dad with Love: A Tribute to Buddy Ebsen", a multimedia jazz/cabaret homage to her father; "An Evening with Kiki Ebsen", focusing on her original songs and uniquely styled covers and standards; and, "Kiki Ebsen’s Joni Mitchell Project", a collection of top Los Angeles musicians including Grant Geissman, Terry Wollman, Matt Starr, and Steven Lawrence, performing a wide variety of songs penned by the iconic Joni Mitchell.
Artie Butler was discovered by the legendary team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
He has been involved in every phase of the music industry. Awarded over fifty gold
and platinum records, multi-Emmy and Grammy nominations, his credits are literally
too numerous to mention.
A small sampling of his associations includes:
Records
"Solitary Man" & "Cherry Cherry" & “Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon” - Neil Diamond
"Copacabana" & "Even Now" & "Can't Smile Without You" - Barry Manilow
"Feelin' Al-Right" - Joe Cocker
"I Know I'll Never Love This Way Again" - Dionne Warwick
"Laughter In The Rain" - Neil Sedaka
"Neither One Of Us Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye" - Gladys Knight & The Pips
“Sally Go ‘Round The Roses” - The Jaynets
"The Boy From New York City" - The Ad-Libs
“The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” – Vicki Lawrence
“You And Me Against The World” – Helen Reddy
Movies- "What's Up Doc?" - Barbra Streisand - Warner Bros.
"For Petes Sake" - Barbra Streisand - Columbia
"The Rescuers" - Animated Feature - Walt Disney
Theater- “The People In The Picturee” - Roundabout Theater - Original Broadway Premier
Co-composed score with Mike Stoller Book & Lyrics – Iris Rainer Dart
Artie has worked with the best of the best - Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong, Neil Sedaka, B.B. King, Neil Diamond, Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Dionne Warwick, Bernadette Peters, Helen Reddy, Mac Davis, Bobby Darin, Dinah Washington, Andy Williams, Liza Minelli, Joe Williams, Johnny Mathis, The Coasters, The Drifters, Ben E King etc.
His song "Here's To Life" recorded by Shirley Horn and Barbra Streisand was nominated for two Grammy awards in 1992, is rapidly becoming a part of the new American Songbook. He is a three time Emmy nominee, including a nomination for his outstanding work on the CBS mini-series "SINATRA" based on the life of Frank Sinatra.
His arrangement and featured piano work on Joe Cocker’s hit record "Feelin' Alright" remains a true classic in American pop music and rock & roll. His songs have been sung by Barbra Streisand, The Rolling Stones, Dionne Warwick, Barry Manilow, Shirley Horn, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Peggy Lee and others.
He’s also known for his wonderful sense of humor. Artie Butler started in the famous Brill Building and made some of the most significant contributions to that fabled and historic era.
http://artiebutler.com/
Brian Lucey makes recorded music connect with immediate impact and a timeless result… and this makes people money and fans.
With 50 clients a month from all over the world, in every style and success level, Brian Lucey masters records for artists like the Black Keys, Depeche Mode, Dr. John, Chet Faker, The Pretenders. The Kills, Arctic Monkeys, Cage The Elephant, The Last Shadow Puppets, David Lynch with Ringo Starr, Ani DiFranco and Michelle Branch. Royal Blood’s album “How Did We Get So Dark” is currently the UK number one selling album. Shania Twain and Liam Gallagher come out soon as well as Lucinda Williams and Marilyn Manson's new albums.
Brian transitioned from musician to engineer only 17 years ago and he's been responsible for the mastering on six Grammy winners since The Black Keys “Brothers” 2010 album, as well as multiple gold and platinum sellers… yet most of his clients are aspiring artists who get a fair price and the best work possible to help their careers.
Michael Thompson was born on February 11, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York & raised on Long Island. He started playing guitar at age 9, and after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, was inspired to be a musician. At age 19, he left New York for Boston to attend The Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee, M.T. met many of the musicians that he would later work with in the Los Angeles music scene. After going to Berklee for two years, Michael got a gig with local R&B artist “Ellis Hall”. He toured and recorded with this group for four years.
In 1977, Michael met his wife Gloria, and in 1979 they moved to Los Angeles to begin his studio career. Upon arrival Michael got a gig touring with Joe Cocker. During that first year money was tight and Michael had to drive a cab to survive financially. After his cab gig, he landed a year-long world tour with Cher.
When he returned home Michael began honing his craft playing on songwriter publishing demos and any sessions that were offered. Those sessions lead to working on the popular T.V. show Fame, which he played on for four years, which lead to playing on Miami Vice for its last season.
In 1989, Michael got his first opportunity to work with mega producer David Foster which led to him playing on multiple hit productions over the next fifteen years.
Michael has recorded with artists including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, ‘N Sync, Toni Braxton, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Joe Sample, the Scorpions, Vince Neil, Christina Aguilera, Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey, Bette Midler, Madonna, Babyface, En Vogue, Gloria Estefan, Stanley Clarke, and Ricky Martin.
Adam Berry is a GRAMMY® and Emmy award-winning composer, songwriter and producer who has scored over 500 episodes of television and 15 feature films. Adam's career began in 1997 when he was asked to write a demo for a new Comedy Central series, "South Park." His demo secured him the job, and his guitar and mandolin music became the signature sound of the show. Adam scored the first 4 seasons of South Park and played bass guitar in Matt Stone's and Trey Parker's punk band, DVDA. In 1998 Adam began working for Disney, composing scores for five series and three movies, including one of Disney's most popular and longest-running shows, "Kim Possible." In 2005 Adam received his first Emmy nomination for his underscore music on "Kim Possible." Adam returned to Comedy Central in 2007 to write music for "The Sarah Silverman Program." In addition to writing the underscore, Adam worked with Sarah and the cast, recording and producing the songs for the third season. When Dreamworks/Nickelodeon's, "Penguins of Madagascar" went into production, Adam was hired as composer. He wrote the main title theme, the underscore and co-wrote the songs. Between 2010-2014, Adam was nominated for eight Emmy awards and two Annie awards for his work on the show, winning an Emmy in 2011 for "Outstanding Achievement in Musical Direction and Composition" and again in 2012 for "Outstanding Original Song." In 2016 Adam co-wrote, produced and arranged the album "White Sun II" with the band, "White Sun." The album won a GRAMMY® for Best New Age album, hit #1 on the Billboard New Age Music chart, and #2 on the Billboard World Music chart. Adam is currently working on the new Amazon series, "Lost in Oz," and the upcoming Disney series "Big Hero 6."
http://www.adamberrycomposer.com
http://www.whitesun.com
Michael Thompson has recorded with artists including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, 'N Sync, Toni Braxton, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Joe Sample, the Scorpions, Vince Neil, Christina Aguilera, Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey, Bette Midler, Madonna, Babyface, En Vogue, Gloria Estefan, Stanley Clarke, and Ricky Martin.
Michael was born on February 11, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York & raised on Long Island. He started playing guitar at age 9, and after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, was inspired to be a musician. At age 19, he left New York for Boston to attend The Berklee College of Music. While at Berklee, M.T. met many of the musicians that he would later work with in the Los Angeles music scene. After going to Berklee for two years, Michael got a gig with local R&B artist “Ellis Hall”. He toured and recorded with this group for four years.
In 1977, Michael met his wife Gloria, and in 1979 they moved to Los Angeles to begin his studio career. Upon arrival Michael got a gig touring with Joe Cocker. During that first year money was tight and Michael had to drive a cab to survive financially. After his cab gig, he landed a year-long world tour with Cher.
When he returned home Michael began honing his craft playing on songwriter publishing demos and any sessions that were offered. Those sessions lead to working on the popular T.V. show Fame, which he played on for four years, which lead to playing on Miami Vice for its last season.
In 1989, Michael got his first opportunity to work with mega producer David Foster which led to him playing on multiple hit productions over the next fifteen years.
Danny Gold Director, Producer, Writer A seasoned director, producer, and writer with expertise in developing, producing and directing original material across multiple platforms including television, new media, feature films and theater. Danny has produced and directed projects for the History Channel, MTV, ABC Family (now Freeform), and HBO as well as Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros., Sony, Dreamworks, The Weinstein Company and Disney. He also has extensive background in feature films including developing and Executive Producing the Agent Cody Banks franchise for MGM. Danny co-directed the award winning feature documentary “100 Voices: A Journey Home”. Danny’s most recent directorial effort, “If You’re Not In The Obit, Eat Breakfast”, starring Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Dick Van Dyke, Norman Lear, Kirk Douglas, Betty White, Tony Bennett and Jerry Seinfeld premiers on HBO this summer.
Emmy nominated composer, Miriam Cutler, has an extensive background scoring for independent film & TV projects. She is a TV Academy Executive Branch member, and Motion Picture Academy Documentary Branch member.
Her passion for documentary film has led to an inspired career as a film composer: Oscar nominated KINGSPOINT (HBO) and POSTER GIRL (HBO), Emmy winners GHOSTS OF ABU GRAHIB (HBO) and ONE LAST HUG (HBO), VITO (HBO), Emmy nominated THE HUNTING GROUND (CNN), ETHEL(HBO), THIN (HBO), DESERT OF FORBIDDEN ART (PBS), , BAFTA-nominated LOST IN LA MANCHA (IFC), Sundance winners AMERICAN PROMISE (PBS), SCOUTS HONOR (PBS) and LICENSE TO KILL (PBS), and Peabody Award-winning THE CASTRO.
Her enthusiasm for documentaries has led her to becoming part of the production team. Miriam Co-Produced and scored ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT (OWN) and now is embarking on her second project as a Co-Producer of DARK MONEY. Other recent award winning films include A PLASTIC OCEAN and FINDING KUKAN.
Miriam has served numerous times as a Lab Advisor for the Sundance Institute Documentary Composers Lab, and on film festival and awards juries including Sundance, Ashland, Bend, AFI, Independent Spirit Awards and IDA Awards. She is also a long time board member of The Society of Composers and Lyricists.
She has co-produced two Grammy-nominated live jazz albums on PolyGram/Verve for Joe Williams, and albums for Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, and Marlena Shaw as well as independently released albums of her own songs and soundtracks. In 2014, Miriam traveled as a film expert to Malaysia and in 2017 to Tbilisi, Georgia for the American Film Showcase, a cultural exchange program sponsored by the US State Department and USC. She recently completed a Composer in Residence at Columbia College of the Arts, Chicago.
http://www.miriamcutler.com/
http://theawfc.com/
https://www.thescl.com/Miriam-Cutler
John Shaw was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1944 and lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico for the first year of his life. His family moved to Miami in 1946 where his father taught at the University of Miami for 19 years, before becoming Vice President for Development at Miami Dade College. John’s mother was a first grade teacher, and John followed suit along with 2 of his 3 siblings who also became lifelong teachers.
After high school John attended the University of Miami completing his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics, prior to attending Harvard University for an MAT Degree in Mathematics. After graduating from Harvard he began his career by spending his first 4 years teaching at Melbourne High School near Cape Kennedy Florida, followed by a 4 year tenure at North Miami Beach Senior High School where we first met. The next 7 plus years were dedicated to teaching other teachers in his school district. It was at that point of his career that John was invited to join the faculty of the newly opened “New World School of the Arts”, which was patterned after the "Fame" High School of Performing Arts in New York.
John currently lives in Miami with his wife Diane. Their daughter Katy lives in Portland Oregon, and their son Matthew lives with his wife Kaitlyn in Austin, Texas.
John has been "retired" for over 9 years, but that's kind of a misnomer as he is still teaching privately and continues to live an inspired and very creative life.
NWSA.mdc.edu (New World School of the Arts)
NAAPD.org (North American Academy of Piping and Drumming)
Christjourney.churchonline.org
Paula Salvatore has been an anchor of excellence in the L.A. recording world for many years. As Senior Director and Manager of Capitol Studios for 24 years, and currently as the Vice President/Studios, Paula has been an integral part of recordings for top line artists such as James Taylor and Tony Bennett and has worked alongside Grammy legend Al Schmitt with artists including Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Barbra Streisand, Sinatra and others.
When Studio A was renovated and re-opened in 1990, Paula helped establish Capitol Studios as a leading facility for Film & TV Scoring projects, hosting renowned composers such as Dave Grusin, James Newton Howard, Michael Giacchino, and Tom Newman. Studio A & B’s adjoining rooms (separated by a retractable wall) are amongst the most unique and popular rooms for orchestra sessions, live shows, events and film shoots. Hosting the pre-records and, for several years, the live broadcast of the annual Academy Awards have helped set the standard for excellence.
Paula established her management career working at Kendun Studios with Quincy Jones and George Benson, and numerous R & B legends. Moving to Sound City in the 80's, she worked with artists such as Tom Petty, Pat Benatar, Rick Springfield and Fleetwood Mac, as well as heavy metal and “hair” bands like Guns & Roses, Warrant and Poison.
Musician, producer and now director, Dave Grohl of the FooFighters, featured Paula in his critically acclaimed 2013 documentary, Sound City. She also co-wrote and performed the end title theme, entitled “Sound City”. The studio business has been Paula’s life journey and she is held in high regard amongst her colleagues and industry peers. Many successful engineers have come up through the ranks under her guidance and Paula’s commitment and loyalty has earned her the respect of her renowned clientele.
Tariqh Akoni has managed to pack an impressive array of experiences in his 25 years in the music industry. A perpetual student of the art, Tariqh has been a composer, songwriter, studio musician, educator, musical director, multi-instrumentalist and clinician.
A native of Santa Barbara, Tariqh studied contemporary classical composition at the University of California at San Diego before deciding to pursue performance at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. A highlight of his experience at Berklee was his private studies with Jazz luminaries Jerry Bergonzi and Rick Peckham.
While Berklee occupied Tariqh’s days, he spent his nights accumulating his “10,000 hours” playing in the jazz clubs of Boston. Typically four sets a night, five days a week. It was during this period that Tariqh first toured internationally, living in Thailand, Indonesia and Korea before being introduced to legendary saxophonist Walter Beasley who mentored Tariqh and encouraged him to move out West to pursue his career.
Since moving to Los Angeles in 1997, Tariqh has amassed an extensive and eclectic resume. He has worked with such distinguished artists as: country singers LeAnn Rimes and Lee Ann Womack; jazz icons George Duke, Tom Scott, and Bobby Watson; pop artists Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys; and classical artist Josh Groban. He has also appeared with a host of greats including Babyface, Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock, Luther Vandross, Patti Labelle, Natalie Cole, Huey Lewis and the News, Nick Lachey, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire and many others. Most recently, Tariqh has worked as Musical Director for Rock Superstars Weezer and Josh Groban and completed highly successful tours with Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder (including a performance at the Silver Jubilee concert for the Queen of England) and super producer David Foster (appearing in his DVD “Hit Man Returns”).
As an educator and clinician, Tariqh served as Chairman of the Guitar Department at the LA College of Music for 5 years where he wrote 10 books including their pedagogical series ‘String Theory. In addition, he has conducted master classes and clinics internationally at the Guildhall Academy in London, Fermatta in Mexico, USC and the Berklee College of Music.
After living in Pasadena for 15 years, Tariqh returned to Santa Barbara in 2011 and while still a sought after Musical Director, studio musician and accompanist Tariqh has added producer, composer and songwriter to his list of accomplishments.
Jamie has recorded and or toured with some of the biggest legends in the music , from Jean Luc Ponty, Chick Corea, Manhattan Transfer , Lenny White in jazz to rock stars like Bryan Adams, and Eric Burden from the classic rock band the "animals". In funk with Chaka Khan and others. Gloria Trevi was the no 1 latino pop artist for a decade
and Jamie was her guitarist both on record and in touring when available. Seinfeld, Married With Children, Who's the Boss , are among some of the top TV shows where
Jamie's guitar can be heard, along with major motion picture for Disney, as well as movies like JFK, SPY Hard ( leslie neilson) and Thomas Crowne affair.
For the last decade Jamie has made his mark as a TV composer with more than 80 compositions on network tv, from Superbowl to documentaries. His music is heard daily
on ESPN,. Animal planet, food network, discovery and history channels as well.
Hear The Silence is Jamie's book , which is a book written to help others through depression, and PTSD. Its a celebration of life after Jamie lost everything in the 1994
Northridge California earthquake.
Jamies released 5 solo albums and in 2017 two of his most popular . Happy Road is a music CD that is centered around serenity , peace and meditation
and Cat Nap just released is a melodic journey with prog and world music elements.
In may of this year Jamie re joins Jean Luc Ponty for a reunion tour in the US with the Atlantic Years Band. This band sold more than 4 million albums and was
the most successful of all of Jean Luc's years.
Peter Gordon is the Director of Berklee College of Music’s Los Angeles office and has been the college’s senior west coast representative for more than 23 years. The Berklee Center in LA was the college’s first satellite office and it has helped create one of the most effective alumni networks in the music industry. Peter’s role includes building strategic relationships for the college within the music and entertainment industry, all geared towards creating internship opportunities for undergrads and career opportunities for the alumni.
Originally from Australia, Peter began studying flute at the age of eight and was soon active in regional youth orchestras in both Perth and Sydney. He discovered the world of improvisation in the late ‘60s when both Jethro Tull and Traffic burst onto the scene, and he eventually decided to attend Berklee. After graduating with a Performance degree, he joined Berklee’s woodwind department and was on the faculty from 1978-1984.
After moving to L.A. in 1985, his freelance performance career began with 3 years touring as part of the Tom Jones horn section, and has subsequently included 3 CDs as a solo artist and recording sessions for numerous film, TV and video game scores and soundtracks.
Peter currently also serves as Program Committee Chair for the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, is a member of the Society of Composers & Lyricists, BMI, and the Musicians Union. His extended education includes an MBA from Pepperdine University.
Butler began his singing career at age 7, releasing his first album in 1973 and winning the Best New Artist Grammy in South Africa at age 12. He made history by being the first black artist played on white South African radio while earning three gold records. His songs “Please Stay” went double gold and “I Love How You Love Me” went gold in 1975 as he became a teenager.
More than a decade later, Butler moved to London, England after signing with Jive Records and released his first album internationally. The self-titled set went gold in 1987 in the United Kingdom and in the USA. He received Grammy nominations for Best R&B Song for his R&B-pop vocal hit “Lies” and for Best Jazz Song for his instrumental “Going Home”. His genre busting material received abundant airplay in multiple radio formats: pop, urban, contemporary jazz, adult contemporary and gospel. Butler’s 2004 album “Surrender” went gold in South Africa where he remains a superstar.
In concert, Butler remains a captivating and powerful performer, pouring his heart into selections from his immense catalogue. In additions to being a popular draw at headline dates, festival shows and music cruises, Butler thrives on interacting with his fans. For the past 4 years, he has led a group of 35 guests each fall on the Jonathan Butler Safari, during which he shares his South Africa by visiting important landmarks in his life, as well as historic locales such as the prison on Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was jailed.
During an extraordinary musical life that has unfolded in the public eye, Butler has seen and endured a lot. He’s watched his country turn itself inside out for the better – much like he has done with his own life. Living and witnessing the brutalities and injustice of oppression as a celebrated child star while at the same time not permitted to enjoy basic human rights, indulgence naturally became his coping device. If not for a spiritual intervention, his light would have been extinguished long ago on the dark path of abuse and self-destruction. His music has purpose, providing comfort and genuine inspiration. When he sings, he testifies to the glory and healing power of love. When he plays guitar, his fingers innately find notes of passion and divinity. Jonathan Butler’s recording career has carried him far, far beyond his wildest dreams. He’s living his dream and that is a blessing for us all.
Abraham Laboriel Sr. is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. Guitar Player Magazine described him as "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Born and raised in Mexico City to Honduran (Garifuna) parents, he received his earliest training from his father… a gifted composer and guitarist.
Abraham was a founding member of pioneering jazz groups Friendship with Ernie Watts, Lee Ritenour, and Alex Acuna as well as the band Koinonia with Justo Almario and Alex Acuna. He has recorded and performed with a remarkable array of jazz artists including Al Jarreau, Dianne Reeves, George Benson, Larry Carlton, Dave Grusin, Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock, Joe Lovano, Manhattan Transfer, Joe Sample, the Crusaders, Kirk Whalum, and Joe Williams.
Additionally, Laboriel has recorded with a variety of artists including Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Clint Black, Henry Mancini, Burt Bacharach, Herb Alpert, Barbra Streisand, and Placido Domingo.
He is also in demand in the Latin music world… recording and performing with Ruben Blades, Julio Iglesias, Paco de Lucia, Roberto Carlos, Luis Miguel, Ana Gabriel, Juan Gabriel, Jose Jose, Dori Caymmi, Djavan, Gilberto Gil, Joao Gilberto, Ivan Lins, Patricia Sosa, and Marco Antonio Solis. He has played bass on dozens of movie soundtracks from Tootsie and Terms of Endearment to Forrest Gump, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, MI4, Frozen Inside Out and Jurassic World. He can currently be heard as the bassist on the theme of Hawaii 5-0.
Abraham has also contributed to many of the best loved Gospel and worship recordings of the past few decades. He has recorded with Andrae Crouch, Take Six, Keith Green, Second Chapter of Acts, Phil Driscoll, the Imperials and Chuck Girard. He played on the debut (and subsequent) albums of the Winans, Bebe and Cece Winans, Donnie McClurkin, and Helen Baylor. He played on the pioneering worship series from Integrity Music including Ron Kenoly, Alvin Slaughter, Don Moen, Marcos Brunet, and many others. He has collaborated with the Spanish pastor and worship leader, Marcos Vidal.
Abraham is in demand as a teacher of music and worship in settings as diverse as Berklee College of Music, Shepherd University, the University of Pittsburgh, and as a teacher and visiting worship leader at Saddleback and Willow Creek Community Churches and other churches throughout the United States and the world.
With a last name associated with musical excellence, Selina Albright is a soulful singer-songwriter with versatility that comes from years of listening to many origins and languages of music. Her angelic tone adds character and emotion to any ballad, yet her powerful wailing and energetic stage presence commands attention.
Albright developed her onstage charisma and vocal technique from being exposed to legendary artists, such as Whitney Houston, Take Six, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Beyonce, Lalah Hathaway, and Tina Turner. Her intimate, connective writing style comes from experiences and aspirations from her own life, so that when you listen to her music, you are introduced to a private piece of who Albright is, has been, or is becoming.
The artist appears on Gerald Albright's Grammy-nominated projects, dating back to 1997, with such titles as “Live To Love,” “Smooth,” ”Slam Dunk,” and “G.” She wrote and performed the lyrics for the title track of Gerald Albright’s Grammy-nominated collaboration with Norman Brown, entitled “24/7." Most recently, Albright was featured on Peter White's 2016 release "Groovin'."
Selina Albright’s R&B/Soul 2013 release entitled "Brighter" topped the UK Soul Chart for four weeks, and her sassy 2010 Jazz original "You and I," was featured on iTunes' "Top 100 Downloads" list in 2010! Her most recent release “Sun Comes Up” (2016) has outperformed all previous releases, and her new full-length project entitled "Conversations" will release on March 17, 2017!
Aside from her R&B/Jazz releases, the artist has also joined forces with Electronic Dance Music DJ duo Manufactured Superstars. A major highlight of her career was their performance of "Serious" for the Las Vegas Electric Daisy Carnival in 2011, for over 200,000 high-energy ravers and fans!
Selina Albright has graced the stage the world over with many artists, such as pianists Jeff Lorber, George Duke, Joe Sample, Brian Simpson, Brian Culbertson, Keiko Matsui, and David Benoit; guitarists Peter White, Nick Colionne, Norman Brown, Jonathan Butler, Jeff Golub, David P. Stevens, JJ Sansaverino, Adam Hawley, and Matt Marshak; bassists Marcus Miller and Gerald Veasley; saxophonists Gerald Albright, Dave Koz, David Sanborn, Kirk Whalum, Steve Cole, Boney James, Jeff Kashiwa, Richard Elliot, Marion Meadows, Gianni Vancini, Eric Darius, Jackiem Joyner, and Candy Dulfer; trumpeters Hugh Masakela, Rick Braun and Patches Stewart; vocalists Chaka Khan, Will Downing, Eric Roberson, Regina Belle, Algebra Blessett, Tony Momrelle, and The Temptations; and bands Pieces of a Dream and Four80East.
Randy Johnson is the playwright / director of the 2016 Tony Award nominated musical A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN which has toured the country since inception in 2011 breaking box office records at almost every venue.
Randy's work has also been seen across the country and worldwide in such venues as The Savoy Theatre in London’s West End, Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, The Apollo Theatre, Wembley Arena, Grand Ole Opry, The Ryman Auditorium, Off Broadway, Regional Theatres across the United States and Canada, Las Vegas and Arena’s worldwide. As a published playwright and director he has created theatrical musical portraits of such icons as Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley. Louis Prima and Keely Smith, and Conway Twitty.
Randy is the original producer of ALWAYS, PATSY CLINE which under his aegis became one of the most produced musicals of all time (American Theatre Magazine). He co-produced the West Coast Premiere of Larry Kramer's THE NORMAL HEART starring Richard Dreyfuss and Kathy Bates. He has worked with some of our greatest talents of our time including Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Melissa Manchester. Audrey Hepburn, and Katharine Hepburn. Not to mention the remarkable diversity of his direction of The Las Vegas production and world premiere of Mike Tyson’s UNDISPUTED TRUTH and staging of Pope Benedict’s final appearances in New York City.
His groundbreaking production of ELVIS THE CONCERT that reunited Elvis (via video) and his original musicians has been seen in venues worldwide and on PBS for 16 years. He executive produced the original cast albums of A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN and ALWAYS PATSY CLINE. His projects have broken box office records, earned a 2014 Tony Award nomination, made the Guinness Book of World Records, and have consistently surpassed expectations. Never one to stay in just one medium of entertainment he continues to explore and create new horizons for himself and his audience.
His latest musical SHOUT , SISTER, SHOUT!
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - The Gospel of Rock , The Spirit of The Blues .
will premiere summer 2017 at the Pasadena Playhouse.
At the age of thirteen, Stephen Bishop found himself at a crossroads. A clarinetist with hopes of becoming a History teacher, he was forever changed after watching the Beatles one night on "The Ed Sullivan Show." His brother Denny bought Stephen an electric guitar and a "Mel Bay" chordbook and turned his stereo into an amp so Stephen could play music. Stephen began to learn to play guitar and make up his own chords as well, writing his first song, "Surf's Turf.." a pathetic sounding intrumental. He formed a band called, "The Weeds" and began to play at local fraternity parties incorporating his own original songs with various songs from top 40...
Stephen made a trip to Los Angeles at 17... eventually landing a publishing deal at $50 a week. After years of trying to make it, a good friend, Leah Kunkel got some of Stephen's songs to Art Garfunkel, who wound up recording two of them on his gold recording, "Breakaway."
He started playing around town singing his songs in person for artists like, Barbra Streisand...Bette Midler..Diana Ross." Shortly thereafter, he was signed to ABC Records who released his first album, "Careless." He had two hits from the album.."Save It For a Rainy Day," and "On and On"..
Soon the album went gold, as well as his next album, "Bish." He sang the hit theme,"It Might Be You," for the movie, "Tootsie," as well as writing and/or singing 13 other films including, "Animal House."and composing "Separate Lives," for the film "White Nights." His songs have been recorded by: Beyonce, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Barbra Streisand, Art Garfunkel, Steve Perry, Stephanie Mills, Kenny Loggins, Johnny Mathis, Phoebe Snow, David Crosby, The Four Tops, Aswad and Pavarotti. He appeared as the "Charming Guitar Player" in "Animal House," wherein John Belushi slammed his guitar to smithereens in the Toga Party scene. Stephen was nominated for two Grammys and awarded an Oscar nomination for his song, "Separate Lives," which became a No. 1 hit for Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin. In Eric Clapton's autobiography, Eric mentions Stephen as "One of the great singer songwriters."
Stephen just released his 25 year Anniversary Album, "Bowling in Paris," Remastered with new artwork and the
album features Sting on bass and vocals, Eric Clapton and Phil Collins and is produced by Michael Omartian and Phil Collins.
Stephen has released two new albums last year.."Be Here Then," a new studio album and "Stephen Bishop LIVE," an album of his hits and popular favorites as well as a few new songs. He has also returned from a successful tour in Asia last year.. "His newest single is called, "Pretty Baby." from his new studio Album, "be here then." Recently, Beyonce released her Platinum Beyonce Album which includes, "Ring Off.." co-written by Stephen and Beyonce. Stephen just released his newest album, “Blueprint,” Produced by Jon Gilutin.
Charles Fox was born and raised in New York City, graduated from the High School of Music and Art, and continued his formal musical education and composition studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He studied jazz piano with Lenny Tristano and electronic music with Vladimir Ussachevsky at Columbia University. He began his career playing the piano, composing and arranging for such salsa legends as Ray Barretto, Joe Quijano and Tito Puente, as well as writing theme music and arrangements for Skitch Henderson and the Tonight Show Orchestra.
Charles has composed music for hundreds of songs for records, motion pictures and television. Among the many legendary and diverse recording artists who have recorded his songs are Roberta Flack, Sarah Vaughan, Barry Manilow, Jim Croce, Fred Astaire, Luther Vandross, Johnny Cash, Lena Horne, George Shearing, The Boston Pops, Jack Jones, Tito Puente, Goldie Hawn, Carly Simon, Johnny Mathis, Shirley Bassey, Crystal Gayle, Lori Lieberman, Sergio Mendes, Maureen McGovern, Olivia Newton John, Lauryn Hill, and Ice T.
Among his works for theater, in collaboration with lyricist Norman Gimbel, are “The Eleventh” and “A Midsummer Night's Dream”. In collaboration with Hal David, he has composed the musicals “The Chosen” and “The Turning Point”. Other song collaborators include Paul Williams, Bob Crewe, David Zippel, Sammy Cahn, Carly Simon, Carole Bayer Sager and Marilyn and Alan Bergman.
He has composed the musical scores for over 100 motion pictures and television films including “Barbarella”, “Nine to Five”, “Goodbye Columbus”, and “Foul Play” for which he received one of his two Academy Award nominations. The other was for the film “The Other Side of the Mountain”. Among his popular songs are "Ready to Take a Chance Again," "I Got a Name," and "Killing Me Softly with His Song," for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Song of the year. His TV shows and theme songs include “The Love Boat”, “Happy Days”, “Laverne and Shirley”, “Wonder Woman”, “The Paper Chase”, “Wide World of Sports”, “Monday Night Football” and “Love American Style, for which he received two Emmy Awards.
In addition to his popular works, Charles has composed music for the concert hall and ballet. In 2009, Charles conducted the Poland National Opera Company Chorus and Orchestra in a performance of his Oratorio, “Lament and Prayer” based on the words of Pope John Paul II. In 2010, he conducted the world premiere of his “Fantasie, Homage a Chopin” which he was commissioned to compose by the Polish Government to honor the 200th birthday of Chopin. He has conducted symphony orchestras performing his music worldwide in Budapest, Prague, Poland, Caracas, London, Israel and Tokyo as well as in the US.
Charles was inducted into the Songwriter Hall of Fame in 2004. He was awarded Lifetime Achievement awards from the Society of Composers and Lyricists and BMI and is a Governor of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
www.charlesfoxmusic.com
www.100voicesmovie.com
Nine-time GRAMMY® nominee and saxophonist extraordinaire Dave Koz has established himself as a platinum-selling artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, radio host and instrumental music advocate. He has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has charted nine No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Album chart, including 2015’s Collaborations: 25th Anniversary Collection (Concord Records), a retrospective album that features some of his most memorable creative partnerships – including duets with such artists as Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, Michael McDonald, Barry Manilow and Luther Vandross – plus three newly-recorded tracks.
Koz is known for such hits as “You Make Me Smile,” his signature song, “Castle of Dreams,” “Can’t Let You Go” featuring the late Luther Vandross, “Together Again,” “Honey-Dipped,” “All I See Is You,” and “Faces of the Heart,” which was the theme song for “General Hospital” for more than 10 years.
Dave is constantly touring, with annual summer and holiday tours, and the highly successful Dave Koz & Friends At Sea. His two sold-out 2017 "Venice and Beyond" voyages brought his tally of sold-out cruises to seven. In 2018, he’ll venture to Scandinavia and the Baltic on two back-to-back cruises. Koz also continues to flex his mass-communications muscles as a radio personality. As host of his syndicated “Dave Koz Radio Show,” he has been broadcasting coast-to-coast for more than 22 years. In the spring of 2014, he launched “The Dave Koz Lounge,” which airs Sundays on SiriusXM (Satellite radio), and “Dave Koz & Friends Radio,” a 24-hour-a-day radio channel personally curated by Dave on JAZZRADIO.com, a multichannel internet radio service.
Koz has served as global ambassador for the Starlight Children’s Foundation for over 21 years. He founded KOZ Wines in 2009 as another avenue to support the foundation. Dave donates all his proceeds from KOZ Wines, which are available at Whole Foods Markets® and other retailers and during select periods at California Pizza Kitchen, to Starlight. He has also joined forces with Cary Hardwick and Laurie Sisneros, partners and owners of Spaghettini in Seal Beach, to open Citizen, a new restaurant in Beverly Hills.
Greg Manning is a Berklee College of Music alum and an amalgam of cultures. He was born in Nigeria and raised in Switzerland. Greg moved to Los Angeles in 2002 and has had an incredible career. He is a three-time certified platinum producer for Universal Music Switzerland, and has had several Swiss Chart toppers since 1996.
Greg is the former keyboardist and music director for GRAMMY Award-nominated artist Jonathan Butler… and keyboardist for Mindi Abair, Gerald Albright, Will Downing, Richard Elliot, Brian McKnight, Chante Moore, and Kirk Whalum, just to mention a few.
After touring extensively for ten years throughout the U.S., Europe, South Africa, and the U.K., Greg made a conscious decision to come off the road. Not too long thereafter, he started composing music for film and television.
As an artist, his own music is the union of jazz, soul, and funk… and has been described as “Soul-Jazz at its best”... which can clearly be heard on his latest album “Sugar and Spice”. Released on Kalimba Records, the title track recently reached #5 on Billboard, spending 20 weeks on the charts.
Dave Koz
Nine-time GRAMMY® nominee and saxophonist extraordinaire Dave Koz has established himself as a platinum-selling artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, radio host and instrumental music advocate. He has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has charted nine No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Album chart, including 2015’s Collaborations: 25th Anniversary Collection (Concord Records), a retrospective album that features some of his most memorable creative partnerships – including duets with such artists as Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, Michael McDonald, Barry Manilow and Luther Vandross – plus three newly-recorded tracks.
Koz is known for such hits as “You Make Me Smile,” his signature song, “Castle of Dreams,” “Can’t Let You Go” featuring the late Luther Vandross, “Together Again,” “Honey-Dipped,” “All I See Is You,” and “Faces of the Heart,” which was the theme song for “General Hospital” for more than 10 years.
Dave is constantly touring, with annual summer and holiday tours, and the highly successful Dave Koz & Friends At Sea. His two sold-out 2017 "Venice and Beyond" voyages brought his tally of sold-out cruises to seven. In 2018, he’ll venture to Scandinavia and the Baltic on two back-to-back cruises. Koz also continues to flex his mass-communications muscles as a radio personality. As host of his syndicated “Dave Koz Radio Show,” he has been broadcasting coast-to-coast for more than 22 years. In the spring of 2014, he launched “The Dave Koz Lounge,” which airs Sundays on SiriusXM (Satellite radio), and “Dave Koz & Friends Radio,” a 24-hour-a-day radio channel personally curated by Dave on JAZZRADIO.com, a multichannel internet radio service.
Koz has served as global ambassador for the Starlight Children’s Foundation for over 21 years. He founded KOZ Wines in 2009 as another avenue to support the foundation. Dave donates all his proceeds from KOZ Wines, which are available at Whole Foods Markets® and other retailers and during select periods at California Pizza Kitchen, to Starlight. He has also joined forces with Cary Hardwick and Laurie Sisneros, partners and owners of Spaghettini in Seal Beach, to open Citizen, a new restaurant in Beverly Hills.
Matt LaPoint works in Los Angeles in the fields of recording technology, music production, and education. He is the West Coast Representative for MOTU, a music technology company. As a recording engineer, Matt works on a wide range of projects from score mixes to full album productions. He teaches sound design in the film department at Art Center College of Design and works as a freelance studio consultant. Matt draws on his background as a composer and musician in all facets of his work.
Matt’s production work can be heard on scores and songs for Disney, CBS, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, A&E, BSX Records, Lifetime Television, USA Network, Threshold Animation Studios,
Immediate Music and others.
Matt LaPoint
http://mattlapoint.com/studio/
MOTU
http://www.motu.com
Westlake Pro
https://westlakepro.com
SPECIAL NAMM BROADCAST, with John JR Robinson, Terry Wollman, and guest Phil Perry!
Join us as we welcome two of our EnterTalk Radio network hosts, John JR Robinson, the most recorded drummer in history (with Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Madonna, & more), and Terry Wollman, guitarist and producer (with Tony Bennett, Melissa Manchester, Keb' Mo' & more). They are joined by R&B Legend Phil Perry. Listen in as they talk about their careers together and upcoming projects of theirs!
Jim Caruso made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the smash hit Liza’s At The Palace!, singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of the late, great Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. The show was honored with a 2009 Tony Award for Best Special Event and the recording was nominated for a Grammy.
For his nightclub work, Caruso has won six MAC Awards and two BackStage Bistro Awards for sold-out shows at Birdland, The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and The Russian Tea Room. He has also performed at clubs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Palm Beach and London.
His recent studio recording, “The Swing Set,” was called “a top drawer, first-rate swinger” by Jazz Times and “a completely entertaining experience” by All About Jazz. His first CD, "Caruso Live and In Person," went to number one on both the album and singles charts at Outvoice.com. Jim was featured in a Tribute to Kander & Ebb at Carnegie Hall, backed by the New York Pops, and performed in a Tribute to Hope & Crosby in an evening hosted by Michael Feinstein at Zankel Hall. He and singer/pianist Billy Stritch are regular performers at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel in NYC.
With his award-winning jazz vocal and comedy trio, Wiseguys, he performed in an all-star Inaugural extravaganza for President Clinton, and were then invited to sing at his First State Dinner at the White House in an evening hosted by Lauren Bacall. The trio performed in concert at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and in "the big room" with Rosemary Clooney.
On the small screen, Jim was seen co-starring with Kathie Lee Gifford on Showtime Television in “Personal Assistant,” which was written and directed by Charles Busch. He also co-starred on the Nostalgia Network variety sit-com, “Café DuArt” for two seasons.
As a writer, Jim has contributed to InStyle Magazine, Theatermania and InTheater Magazine He has produced and booked television talk and entertainment programs like "Jim J. & Tammy Faye" and "Fox After Breakfast," and was a Field Producer for E! Entertainment Television, working the red carpets, conducting interviews for "Celebrity Profiles" and covering the Tony Awards.
Caruso hosted "Broadway On Broadway" in Times Square for a crowd of 100,000 theater fans, hosted MAC Awards at Town Hall in Manhattan and co-hosted the Drama Desk Award webcasts for four years. His radio series was heard on BroadwayWorld.com for four years, and his podcast “Here! On Broadway” was honored with a Summit Award. He can currently be heard on Legends 100.3 FM Radio with his weekly “New York Minute” segment.
For the past fifteen years, he has hosted a weekly Monday night showbiz bash at Birdland called "Jim Caruso’s Cast Party,” which has brought him two BroadwayWorld Awards, a New York Nightlife Award, MAC Award and the Sidney Meyer Award. He’s taken celebrity versions of the Party to Lincoln Center and Town Hall in New York, and celebrated local talent at venues in London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and on the high seas. The weekly “Broadway at Birdland” series he produces has also been honored with a Nightlife Award.
Phil Perry (born January 12, 1952 in Springfield, Illinois) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician.
He has recorded with artists including Lee Ritenour, Michel Colombier, Dave Grusin, Don Grusin, Freddie Hubbard, George Duke, Najee, Bill Withers, Barbra Streisand, June Pointer, Johnny Mathis, David Benoit and Russ Freeman, Sergio Mendes, Bobby Womack, Chaka Khan, Fourplay, George Benson and Will Downing to name a few.
Jazz Times Magazine captured the heart and soul of Phil Perry when they declared that he creates “joyous, romantic magic.”
The Los Angeles Times raves,
“Perry has tremendous range spotless falsetto, and his sheer enthusiasm... amazing pipes, ”while Smooth Jazz Magazine declares that Phil’s voice,
“consistently oozes that natural sweetness and sincerity that can only come from a singer of his high caliber.”
International recording artist, Phil Perry’s flawless falsetto, velvety smooth pipes and keen musical sensibilities have made him one of the greatest voices in the Music Industry. It is no wonder why Down Beat Magazine once dubbed Perry as “The Pavarotti of Jazz.”
Phil Perry’s upcoming album “Breathless” will be released on February 24th on Shanachie Records.
GARY AUSTIN, one of the country’s premiere improvisational acting teachers, is the Founder and Original Director of The Groundlings, Los Angeles’ premier character-based improvisational theatre company.
Gary began his professional career as a performing member of San Francisco’s famed improvisational company, The Committee, where he worked with Second City’s Del Close. His work has been featured on NPR’s ”Fresh Air,” in major trades and in several books, including Acting Teachers of America by Ronald Rand, The Actor’s Guide to Qualified Acting Coaches, by Larry Silverberg, and The Funniest One in the Room – The Lives and Legends of Del Close by Kim “Howard” Johnson.
Gary’s students work throughout the world of entertainment as actors, singers, comedians, writers, directors and producers. His students include Academy Award winner Helen Hunt, Paul Feig (Director Bridesmaids), Helen Slater, Lisa Kudrow, Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman), the late Phil Hartman, Academy Award & Emmy nominee Lindsay Crouse, Tony winner Lillias White, Jennifer Grey, the late Pat Morita (Oscar nominee), Donna Summer, Loretta DeVine, Mark Dacascos (Iron Chef America & Hawaii Five-O), Robert David Hall (CSI) and Daphne Zuniga.
Gary holds a BA Degree in Theatre from San Francisco State University. He is Producer and Artistic Director of The Gary Austin Workshops and teaches, directs and performs in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington DC.
www.garyaustinworkshops.com
REAL. TIMELESS . BEAUTIFUL . STORY TELLER
These are the words that describe radio personality Keri Tombazian.
Keri Tombazian is one of those chicks. Born and raised in Southern California, she is growing her garden in the spot where she was planted. Keri's passion is people and she brings a deep love of humanity to every relationship and every script.
Through her diverse experience in narration, commercials, and promos, Keri has developed a tuned ear and keen ability to carry the heart of the writer’s intention to the microphone. Technically, she is a human stopwatch - nailing times, matching music-beats, and shaving tenths of a second off a read.
Keri Tombazian enjoys dual success as a voiceover actress and radio personality... she began tickling the ear of Southern Californians on late night radio as a teen and built the foundation of what would become a long-standing relationship with So Cal folks.
At home in the booth, and on stage, she emcees concerts and live events, is a keynote speaker, and above all, counts her devotion to her husband and three thriving kids the key to her success.
So make yourself comfortable and listen to Keri's stories of her life as a trail blazer on Los Angeles radio and of growing up in the epicenter of the American cultural/music revolution.
2014 Grammy® Award Winner, ‘Peace Ambassador’ and US Billboard #1 artist Ricky Kej is an internationally renowned Indian Music Composer, Producer and Conservationist. Ricky's Grammy® winning album "Winds of Samsara" was based on the ideals of peace by Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Ricky was also a featured musician on a Grammy Winning album and 2 Grammy Nominated albums at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
Ricky Kej composed and produced his latest album ‘SHANTI SAMSARA’, which was launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande in the presence of World Leaders at the United Nations COP21 Paris Summit. Ricky went on to performing music from this album at the United Nations General Assembly, NY among other venues worldwide.
His repertoire of work consists of 15 studio albums released internationally, over 3,500 commercials and 3 feature films. He scored music for the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup 2011, held in Dhaka-Bangladesh
Ricky was recently awarded the United Nations "Global Humanitarian Artist" Award. Among other awards to his credit, he has also won Producer of the year at the South African Music Awards (S.Africa), Album of the year at the Zone Music Awards (New Orleans), GIMA and Mirchi Music Awards in India. Ricky is also conferred with the title "Pride of Karnataka" and “Youth Icon of India".
Ricky Kej is a Conservationist, Animal Rights activist and an Ambassador for “Save the Children”. He is also a musical ambassador for Project Peace on Earth, a Los Angeles-based organization and Artistic Ambassador for EMMA for Peace (Europe). He actively works for raising standards of music education in India and to set up a pension fund for old and infirmed musicians. He also promotes Gender Equality in Workplace through various forums.
Kenny James is one of the most sought after entertainers around the globe. He debuted at the world famous Apollo Theater in New York at the age of nine, and began his professional career during his senior year in high school performing in his hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut. After moving to Los Angeles in the 80’s Kenny was hired as the lead singer of the group The Hues Corporation known for their #1 smash hit “Rock The Boat. He toured extensively with the group throughout the world.
As a solo performer Kenny has performed on television shows including The Gong Show, The Arsenio Hall Show, The Rick Dees Show, You Write The Songs and The Merv Griffin Show. Kenny is best known to television audiences for his amazing 13 consecutive winning appearances on the hit syndicated show Star Search, for which he won the grand prize for Male Vocalist.
Kenny went on to record and perform with saxophone great Tom Scott on his award winning album “Target” for Atlantic records. Kenny’s versatility as a singer, songwriter and actor has taken him to venues around the world as a featured artist at Radio City Music Hall, The Roxy Theater, The Tropicana, and the Las Vegas Hilton… opening for Joan Rivers and Don Rickles.
Kenny is currently headlining on Royal Caribbean’s 21 ship fleet taking him literally around the world.
Robert Thomas Jr. is an American jazz percussionist and hand drummer. He is known as an innovator in Be-bop and has been nominated for two Grammy awards. He is also a visual artist.
Born in Miami, he was encouraged by his fifth-grade teacher to play music, and not having an instrument, Thomas learned to play percussion on his desk. He sang in the choir at Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church, and at age sixteen, began playing percussion with the Broomfield Family, a local group that performed in churches and nightclubs.
After graduating from high school, Thomas studied at Miami-Dade Community College. During this time, he discovered jazz, and began to play with an array of artists including Jet Nero, Ira Sullivan, Billy Marcus, Zoot Sims, Thad Jones, Monty Alexander and Mel Lewis. In the late 70s, Thomas played at a benefit with Jaco Pastorius. Soon afterward, Thomas auditioned with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter's jazz fusion group Weather Report at a live performance in New Haven, Connecticut. Thomas said afterward that they were looking for someone to play Be-bop, rather than Latin-style percussion. He settled in France, and continued to play with Weather Report until 1986. After the group disbanded, Thomas resettled in Miami, and shortly afterward released “In the Dreamtime”, a solo CD of his own music. He continued to work with Zawinul until 1994.
In addition to Weather Report, Thomas has performed with The Zawinul Syndicate, Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth Band, Stan Getz, David Sanborn, Carlos Santana, Eddie Harris, Branford Marsalis, Herbie Mann, Ahmad Jamal, Roberto Perera… and world artists including sitar player Amitava Chatterjee and African artist Vinx. Thomas maintains an extensive discography on which he plays an eclectic mix of instruments including conga drums, wind instruments, guitar and the African bow harp.
Thomas is married to Jane Thomas and has a son, Spencer.
Two-time GRAMMY nominee Mindi Abair has made her mark as one of the most recognizable saxophonists in the US. You may know her as the saxophonist on American Idol, or the only saxophonist to tour with rock legends Aerosmith since 1973. You may have seen her on stage with Bruce Springsteen for a historic night at the Beacon Theater, or tuned in as she joined Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra on the Late Show with David Letterman, sat in with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, caught her recent appearance at The Grand Ole Opry, or recognized her as Al Pacino’s sax player in the movie Danny Collins.
Her eight solo CDs have garnered ten #1 radio hits, seven top 5 spots and two #1 spots on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz album chart. Abair received a 2014 GRAMMY® nomination in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category for Summer Horns, a #1 recording with her friends Dave Koz, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot, and more recently received a 2015 GRAMMY® nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for her solo cd Wild Heart featuring friends Gregg Allman, Joe Perry, Trombone Shorty, Booker T. Jones, Keb’ Mo’, and Max Weinberg.
She authored the book “How To Play Madison Square Garden - A Guide to Stage Performance” and serves as a National Trustee for the Recording Academy.
The artists she’s toured with and/or recorded with are a testament to her talent: Aerosmith, Gregg Allman, Keb’ Mo’, Joe Perry, Bobby Rush, Lalah Hathaway, Duran Duran, Adam Sandler, Lee Ritenour, The Backstreet Boys, Booker T. Jones, Jimmy Webb, Mandy Moore, Max Weinberg, Bill Champlin, David Pack, Mocean Worker, The Ides of March, Rick Braun, Teena Marie, Bobby Lyle, Jonathan Butler, and Peter White.
Rick Turner has been repairing, restoring, and building stringed instruments since his high school days in the early 1960s. He formally apprenticed as a luthier in Boston in 1963, played guitar professionally for several years, and then committed to production guitar making in the early 1970s. He has built and repaired instruments for members of Fleetwood Mac, the Grateful Dead, the Police, the Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Doobie Brothers, the Youngbloods, Men at Work, Van Morrison, Ry Cooder, David Lindley, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell, the Beach Boys, Ricki Lee Jones, Bela Fleck, and many others. Rick currently runs a small guitar factory in Santa Cruz, California, called “Rick Turner/Renaissance Guitars”.
An award-winning composer, arranger, vocalist, and jazz pianist of extraordinary range and sophistication, BILLY STRITCH breathes new life into the Great American Songbook, all the while bringing an easy sense of humor and showmanship to his performances.
Born and raised in Sugar Land, Texas, Billy Stritch got his start at age 12, playing piano at his neighborhood First Presbyterian Church. Word spread about the child prodigy, and the local country club hired him for a four-year weekly gig in the piano bar. The dreaded requests came in droves, prompting Billy to rush home and learn all the requisite standards, which would subsequently fill his tip bowl! Inspiration came from jazz greats like Oscar Peterson and George Shearing, but his older sister’s love for Elton John and Billy Joel opened up a new world of pop music which informs his playing to this day. After being turned on to singers like Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Mark Murphy and Carmen McRae, Stritch started to find his own voice to use in conjunction with the piano mastery.
Billy Stritch has collaborated with a diverse group of artists including Liza Minnelli, Jim Caruso, Marvin Hamlisch, Michael Feinstein, Mel Torme, Carol Channing, Natalie Cole and currently Tony Bennett.
Originally trained as a musician, Sam Daley-Harris played percussion instruments in the Miami Philharmonic and was Terry Wollman's high school music teacher. Sam went on to found the anti-poverty lobby RESULTS in 1980, co-found the Microcredit Summit Campaign with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus and FINCA founder John Hatch in 1995, and found the Center for Citizen Empowerment and Transformation in 2012.
After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Muhammad Yunus said: “…. no other organization has been as critical a partner in seeing to it that microcredit is used as a tool to eradicate poverty and empower women than RESULTS and the Microcredit Summit Campaign.” Daley-Harris is the author of Reclaiming Our Democracy: Healing the Break Between People and Government. In 2010, Ashoka founder Bill Drayton said, “Sam Daley-Harris is one of the certified great social entrepreneurs of the last decades.”
sam@empoweringcitizens365.org
@samdaleyharris
www.citizenempowermentandtransformation.org
www.reclaimingourdemocracy.org
Suggested Sites:
www.results.org - RESULTS, ending global and domestic poverty
www.citizensclimatelobby.org - Citizens Climate Lobby
www.fcnl.org - FCNL, Ending Mass Incarceration
www.americanpromise.net - American Promise, overturning Citizens United
Internationally acclaimed American pianist Althea Waites has concertized extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia as a brilliant soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative artist. In addition to performances on concert stages around the world, she has also participated in numerous festivals including Aspen, Tanglewood, the Yale Summer Festival, the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the Idyllwild Arts Festival.
Praised by the Los Angeles Times for “superb technique and profound musicality,” Ms. Waites has a long and distinguished history of recording new music by American composers and has received several honors and commendations for her work.
She has also been guest soloist for National Public Radio’s Performance Today, KQED in San Francisco, KCET in Los Angeles, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Geneva Conservatory of Music in Switzerland, Wigmore Hall in London, Merkin Hall in New York City, concerts for the World Music Program in Jakarta Indonesia, Phillips Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Her recording credits include a CD of music by African-American composers, Black Diamonds, which was released in 1993 to rave reviews, and Along the Western Shore, featuring works by California-based composers.
Ms. Waites received the Bachelor of Music degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, and the Master of Music degree in piano from Yale University School of Music.
In addition to maintaining her concert schedule, Ms. Waites is currently on the faculty of the Cole Conservatory of Music at Cal State University/Long Beach, and is in demand for recitals, residencies, and master classes throughout the United States.
JULIE BUDD began her professional career at the tender age of twelve, after winning a talent show while vacationing with her family. In the audience, was renowned Producer/Orchestrator, HERB BERNSTEIN, who recorded some of the greatest artists ever known to music, including singer/songwriter LAURA NYRO. While producing Nyros’ first hit album, Bernstein was also recording the eminent TV Talk-Show Host, MERV GRIFFIN. Herb immediately took Julie under his wing and introduced her to Merv at a recording session, in New York City. And there, as legend would have it and fate would allow, he heard her sing, “This Mini Girl with the Maxi Voice” and invited her to appear on THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW.
What followed as Budd’s career blossomed, were over a hundred more invitations from Merv to guest appear on his show; and over a hundred more show-stopping performances by JULIE BUDD!
Soon Julie was guest appearing on such must-see TV as: The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, The Carol Burnet Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and every other major TV and variety show in the country.
In the years that followed, Julie performed and co-starred with some of the most legendary stars in show business history, including: FRANK SINATRA, DANNY THOMAS, JOAN RIVERS LIBERACE – to name just a few.
Today Julie continues to perform concerts, nationally and internationally, while adding some of the most prestigious stages to her roster: Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, London Palladium, Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center and many of the finest Las Vegas Showrooms.
Ray Parker Jr. is an American guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer and actor. Parker is known for writing and performing the theme song to the movie Ghostbusters, for his solo music, and for performing with his band, Raydio, and with Barry White.
Parker first gained recognition during the late 1960s as a member of the house band at the legendary 20 Grand nightclub. At 16, he recorded and co-wrote his first songs with Marvin Gaye. Parker was also employed as a studio musician as a teenager and his unique style was a key element on "Want Ads", a number one single for Honey Cone.
In 1972, Parker was a guest guitarist on Stevie Wonder's funk song "Maybe Your Baby" from the Talking Book album. He went on to become the lead guitarist for Stevie Wonder when Wonder served as the opening act on the Rolling Stones 1972 tour.
In 1973, he became a sideman in Barry White's The Love Unlimited Orchestra, before creating Raydio, an RB group, in 1977. Raydio quickly scored 2 Top 10 hits, each selling over a million copies.
Parker also wrote songs and did session work for artists including
The Carpenters, Rufus and Chaka Khan,
Aretha Franklin, Deniece Williams,
Bill Withers, Jean-Luc Ponty,
The Temptations, The Spinners, Boz Scaggs,
David Foster, Gladys Knight and the Pips,
Herbie Hancock, Tina Turner, and Diana Ross.
Ray Parker is a unique artist, multi talented, and a force to be reckoned with.
Grant Geissman is a popular Contemporary Jazz recording artist, guitarist and Emmy-nominated TV composer. The talents and gifts of this artist are as diverse as The Many (many, many) guitars he owns and loves.
As a studio guitarist he has recorded with such artists as Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello, Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Paula Abdul, Ringo Starr, Keiko Matsui, David Benoit, Placido Domingo, Luis Miguel, Julio Iglesias and Chuck Mangione.
He has also played on the scores for such TV shows as Two and a Half Men, Monk, Mad Men, Touched by an Angel and Dawson's Creek. His film credits include Because I Said So, Austin Powers/The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Majestic, and Anaconda.
Grant’s discography of 15 solo albums has just a few of his friends playing along with him as special guests, including Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione, Tom Scott, Mike Finnigan, and Patrice Rushen. He writes, arranges, plays, lives and breathes music, modest and humbly happy to be following his first… and only choice of profession for his entire career to date.
Today we are broadcasting live in Van Nuys, California. I am at the Xotic Guitars Effects showroom with Product Specialist Kenny Echizen. Kenny is a Session Touring Guitarist, Recording Artist, Educator, and Clinician. He is a Product Specialist for both Taylor Guitars and Xotic Guitars Effects. Kenny’s recording credits include The Voice, One Life To Live, Disney, X Factor, True Blood, Hunger Games (TV show), Dominos Pizza, and Sons of Anarchy. His touring credits include performing with an eclectic group of artists including Taylor Dayne, U-KISS, Kamran Hooman, Jake Simpson and many more.
Let me tell you a little bit about Xotic Guitars Effects, the company that Kenny represents. For nearly 20 years, Xotic has been a leading innovator in sound, design, and tone. The roots of Xotic go back to a small garage in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California, back in 1996. The one-man company began by producing and designing high-quality bass guitars and preamps. The company grew slowly and steadily over the next 10 years… and went on to release the Xotic AC Booster, RC Booster, and BB Preamp. As Xotic's brand came to be more recognized throughout the market, the demand for its products became too great to stay working out of their tiny garage in San Fernando Valley. To make way for the future, a change was needed and so they moved to its current location in Van Nuys, CA. … where Xotic continues to design and manufacture world class guitars, basses, and pedals.
I am excited to be at the Xotic Showroom with my guest Kenny Echizen.
Tina is an acoustic and electric cellist, recording artist, and composer. With a multi-faceted career and mastery in a wide range of genres as a live performer, she can also be heard as a featured soloist in many Film, TV, and Game scores.
As a classical soloist, Tina's engagements with orchestras around the world include the San Diego Symphony, the State of Mexico National Symphony, the Thessaloniki State Symphony in Greece, the Petrobras Symphony in Brazil, and the Vancouver Island Symphony in British Columbia. This year, Tina toured as a featured guest with blues legend Joe Bonamassa performing at Carnegie Hall and with Hans Zimmer in his first arena tour around Europe. She was a soloist in Cirque Du Soleil's Michael Jackson "The Immortal" World Tour from 2011-2013 performing in sold out arenas around the world on her electric cello. The tour performed to over 3.7 million people and is one of the highest grossing tours of all time. At the Grammy Awards this year, she performed with Skrillex, Diplo, and Justin Bieber.
Tina has been featured on the scores of Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man 2, Batman vs Superman, The Monkey King 2, Clash of the Titans, Red Riding Hood, Abduction, Olympus Has Fallen, Escape Plan, CSI:NY, Vikings, The Borgias, Sleepy Hollow, Dominion, Iron Chef, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (as Octavia,) Blizzard's Diablo III and Hearthstone, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, and Journey, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack.
Most recently she is recording Electric and Acoustic Cello Solo for Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and working on her newest album.
Glenn Wollman has dedicated his life to medicine and healing. For more than thirty years Dr. Wollman has practiced Emergency Medicine in major city trauma centers and in rural emergency departments throughout the country.
Serving as a Physician, Medical Director of multiple Emergency Departments and as Chief Regional Medical Director for a National Emergency Medicine Group has exposed him to the highest levels of stress. Dr. Wollman has taken care of tens of thousands of people in the most critical of life-threatening situations. He has been a leader in guiding and assisting other physicians and medical personnel in coping with the challenges of taking care of people in crises. Through his own personal experience and study he has developed a unique approach to “life balance”.
Throughout his extensive career as a doctor, professor and lecturer, Glenn Wollman has effectively used a combined scientific and holistic method of treatment. As a Medical Guide he shares his comprehensive knowledge on life balance, Qigong, sleep, meditation, stress management, breathing, relaxation techniques, and healing in communities around the country and the globe.
The Six Aspects to Optimal Health
1. Nutrition
2. Exercise
3. Stress management
4. Sleep management
5. Patterns of Behavior
6. Spirituality
http://www.glennwollman.com/
http://www.yogahub.tv/
http://www.terrywollman.com/discography/sleep-suite-2004/
Allan Rich is a two time “Oscar”, “Grammy” and “Golden Globe” nominated songwriter. His songs have sold over 65 million copies. He has written hit songs for Natalie Cole, “I Live For Your Love”, James Ingram’s #1 pop hit “I Don’t Have The Heart”, Whitney Houston’s “Run To You” from the 45 million selling “Bodyguard soundtrack”, Kenny Loggins’s #1 hit “For The First Time”, “I Drive Myself Crazy’ from N Sync’s 10 million plus selling CD, “Before I Fall In Love, as well as two #1 dance singles “Stronger” and “Walk Away” by Kristine W.
Allan has had his songs recorded by everyone from Barbra Streisand, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Luther Vandross, Patti La Belle, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Oleta Adams, Peabo Bryson , Toni Braxton, Charice, Keb’ Mo’ and Barry Manilow .
He and his longtime writing partner, Jud Friedman, have been writing hit songs together for 26 years.
Three time GRAMMY award-winning singer, songwriter, guitarist and contemporary blues artist, Keb’ Mo’, has cultivated a reputation as a modern master of American roots music through his live and studio performances. In his newest release, Keb’ Mo’ Live – That Hot Pink Blues Album he delivers some of his best material in the most authentic form, through live recordings. Recorded while on tour in 2015, the double-disc album features 16 live recorded songs from Keb' Mo's extensive catalog. Several of the tracks are songs off his most recent album, BLUESAmericana, which garnered Keb’ Mo’ a 2015 Blues Music Award from the Blues Foundation, three 2015 GRAMMY award nominations and multiple other achievements.
Peter Kelsey is an award winning recording and mixing engineer who has earned 4 Emmy's, 1 Grammy and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Born in the UK, Peter began his remarkable career at the infamous Trident Studios in London. He has worked with artists including Elton John, Tina Turner, Kenny Loggins, Brian Eno, David Bowie, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Peter Asher, Graham Parker, Weird Al Jankovic, Weather Report, Jean-Luc Ponty, Kitaro, Veronique Sanson, Joe Zawinul, Rupert Hine and Dick Van Dyke
His television and film credits include Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, CSI, The Middle, Arrested Development, Chicago Hope, Knots Landing, The Practice, Picket Fences, Thirty Something, Turbo Power Rangers, My Name Is Earl and No Pain No Gain. Please welcome my guest Peter Kelsey.
Born in New Orleans on New Year’s Day to a classical pianist mother and a family of artists, Melanie Taylor’s rich, eclectic musical heritage has helped guide and define her own artistry ever since.
As a recording artist for Capitol Records, with the dance music duo, Bardeux, Melanie landed a Top Five single on the Billboard Dance charts. Melanie’s holiday CD, This Christmas, weaves an artfully unique tapestry of her favorite Christmas songs and her latest CD, entitled “The Road I’m On”, is an inspired combination of originals and covers of fresh arrangements with her own unique spin.
As one of Bette Midler’s infamous and legendary Harlettes for nearly a decade, Melanie Taylor has been seen twirling and singing on the Emmy Award winning, “Diva Las Vegas”, and with Barry Manilow on his Emmy Award winning special, Manilow: Music and Passion.
Melanie has been an in-demand featured vocalist on major world tours, film and television, and shared the stage with such artists as David Foster, John Mayer, Stevie Wonder, Donna Summer, Barry Manilow, Chaka Khan, Ashford and Simpson, Billy Preston, Chris Botti, Barbara Streisand, Ray Charles, Elton John, Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow, Michael McDonald, Jackson Browne, Sarah McLachlan, Tears for Fears, Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Ronnie Spector, Jeffrey Osborne, Brian Wilson, Jim Belushi, Sheena Easton, Paula Abdul, Jeff Barry, Dionne Warwick, Melissa Manchester, Carole Bayer Sager, Dave Koz, Willie Nelson, Deepak Chopra, Joe Walsh, Steven Tyler, and as the first female vocalist to sing with the legendary rock band Aerosmith on their Music From Another Dimension album and tour in 2012.
The passionate, emotional, and enjoyable pleasure that is first experienced when hearing a song is almost always felt when hearing that recording on the radio.
Radio airplay is one of the key cornerstone elements in the marketing of a recording artist. Radio airplay has been compared to the border to the marketing puzzle – all of the other elements fall into place more easily once the border is established.
Gorov Music Marketing is regarded as the top promotion firm in the Smooth Jazz radio format. Their experience, knowledge, and relationships with radio and recorded music have helped many musicians establish their careers. Artists they have worked with… in addition to myself, include Melissa Manchester, Dave Koz, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Diana Krall and Herb Alpert. Many artists have “grown up” with The Gorov’s, and have sought their musical counseling since the 1980’s.
The father-son promotion team of Cliff Jason Gorov have specialized in consulting/marketing and Smooth Jazz and Smooth A/C radio promotion for over 20 years. They have a combined 65+ years… of music business history.
Two of the world’s most distinguished
lyricists, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, have been contributing to the Great
American Songbook for more than five decades.
During their celebrated career, Alan
and Marilyn’s songs have been nominated for sixteen Academy Awards, for which they have won three: "The
Windmills of Your Mind" in 1968, "The Way
We Were" in 1973, and
the score for "Yentl" in 1984. "Windmills"
and "The Way We Were" also
earned Golden Globe Awards, and "The Way We Were" earned two Grammys.
The first songwriters to be nominated
for three Academy Awards for Best
Song out of the five nominated songs, 1983 brought them nominations for "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"
from "Best Friends;" "It
Might Be You" from "Tootsie;” and "If We Were In Love" from "Yes, Giorgio.”
In 1984, they again received three
nominations: for the score for “Yentl”
(for which they were awarded the Oscar)
and two for the songs, "The
Way He Makes Me Feel" and "Papa, Can You Hear Me?”
In 1995, they wrote the Golden Globe, Academy Award and Grammy
nominated song “Moonlight” performed by Sting in the Sydney Pollack film,
“Sabrina.” Among
their principal collaborators are Michel Legrand, Dave Grusin, Johnny Mandel,
John Williams, Quincy Jones, James Newton Howard and the late Cy Coleman, Henry
Mancini and Marvin Hamlisch.
Alan Marilyn’s long list of television credits includes the theme
songs for "Maude," "Good Times," "Alice”, "Brooklyn Bridge “ and
“In the Heat of the Night."
They have received four Emmy
Awards: For the award-winning drama,"Sybil,” and
for the first made-for-TV dramatic musical, "Queen of the Stardust
Ballroom”. Another for their original song “Ordinary Miracles”, from
the HBO Special “Barbra Streisand: The
Concert.”
They won their fourth Emmy for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for “A Ticket to Dream” from AFI’s 100 Years
100 Movies Special.
Among their songs are… for Frank Sinatra “Nice ‘n’ Easy”, for Ray
Charles “In the Heat of the Night”, for Fred Astaire “That
Face”, and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”, “What
Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?",
“So Many Stars”, “The Summer Knows”, “Where Do You Start?”, “On My
Way to You”, “You Must Believe In
Spring”, to name but a few.
Alan and Marilyn are
currently working on projects with Michel Legrand and playwright, Josh
Ravetch. They have just completed two
songs with composer Dave Grusin. “Hurry
Home” for the film “Max Rose” premiering this month and “Just
Getting Started” for the “Vitality After 90” film to be released later this
year.
Melissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She has studied songwriting at New York University with Paul Simon and beginning in the 1970s, she has recorded generally in the adult contemporary genre. She has also appeared as an actress on television, in films, and on stage.