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Oakland born Alexander Taite has had the passion and talent for music all his life. He started on piano at age 8 and by age 16 had completed high school studies and went on to teaching at Oakland School for the Arts right after college. He's known as an opera and choral singer director throughout the Bay Area and has created a one-man show called Deep River: The Flow of Negro Spirituals Through Time.

Alex has sung every season with the San Francisco Opera since 2007 and has directed myriad choruses, choral projects, and been in bands. In this episode we...well honestly, we laugh a lot. This was a particularly fun conversation. We cover Alex's career, his life's work dedication to negro spirituals and how he continues to learn the depths and nuances of this mostly overlooked and forgotten part of both black and musical history. In addition to directing and singing, Alex is a vocal coach and his role with students takes on a variety of forms.

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Evie Ladin, is a dancer, banjo player, singer/songwriter, square dance caller and so much more. Her childhood was rooted in the then emergent world of folk music and dance, and the sounds of Appalachian traditions. Her art brings the light of these many talents together as a performer who can also be experienced as one of three in: Evie Ladin Band. The Band includes percussionist Keith Terry, and instrumentalist Erik Pearson. 

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It's often said of living in the city (any city really!) that we can't have nice things. Well, for Oakland, California that's not the case when it comes to Evie Ladin Band. Evie and Keith are 2/3 of the act that explores the depths of banjo, vocals, bass and strings with songs that tug the heart, make you wanna get up and country dance and more. Along with instrumentalist, Erik Pearson, the trio that is Evie Ladin band delights and entertains anyone who can listen and watch.

This conversation with Evie and Keith talks about the formation of Evie Ladin Band and the power that moves them in collaboration with third band member, Erik Pearson forward. 

More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.

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A performance art of rhythm, claps, slaps, stomps and sounds that is a feast for the senses--especially if you're actually doing it--is something Keith Terry calls body music. He describes it as music that can be seen and dance that can be heard and in this conversation he shares his journey from drummer to body music master. Keith is the life partner of Evie Ladin who will be featured in later episodes and together they collaborate when they perform as part of the trio called Evie Ladin band. 

Liner notes and links to videos of Keith doing his body music can be found at: https://agilevocalist.com/2024/11/05/a-world-of-percussion-with-keith-terry/

More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.

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From her current role as a MOTION vocalist and improviser sharing the stage every Monday with Bobby McFerrin in Berkeley to her 3 Grammy nominations Destani Wolf's sound has been on over 40 albums. During the pandemic, this original Cirque du Soleil vocalist delved into sound frequencies and healing--she finishes our episode with a little audio bath of both her sound bowl playing and voice. A rich and delightful episode. 

More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.

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Mx. Flamenco is a dancer, actor, singer and comedienne who shares her unique blend of performance with the San Francisco Bay and beyond. In this conversation we explore the sounds of flamenco as a dance form and how she brings it together in her ongoing series of world premiere collaborations with artists of other genres. Tachíria is working on her one-woman show and finishing her Masters degree after being a working professional flamenco dancer since the age of 14. 

More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.

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Part two with Edgardo covers the power of music that's connected to dance forms, origins of Edgardo's band, Candela, and his eye-opening process of how he used to create original music as he was waiting tables in a restaurant.

• If you find yourself in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2024, check out Edgardo's newest on Thursday nights at Fame Venue in San Francisco. Come hear the music and dance!

Be sure you don't miss part 1 of the conversation here. 

More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.

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Edgardo Cambón is a Uruguayan-born singer who fell in love with percussion after setting aside guitar and getting early exposure singing as a young boy. As a teacher band leader and Latin music business man now, Edgardo continues to perform. His musical career has taken him throughout South America, Europe, and Africa. Since1986, he's been in high demand in the U.S.

In this two-part conversation, we cover his career, his love of music and how he discovered drums by treating his guitar first as a percussion instrument. Edgardo brought a unique vision of his music to the U.S. and we talk about his artistic process and current musical endeavors in part 2 of the conversation. Watch for that continuing part 2 of this episode in May. 

More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.

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Poet Ali is a poet, compelling performer, lyricist, performance artist and inspirational speaker whose performances and presentations focus on connection with ourselves and our environments. As a soulosopher and entertainer, he is a inspires us to use our gifts to catalyze self-discovery and well-being. As an Iranian-American, Ali gives talks for both youth as well as adult audiences and his unique form of spoken word stands out and isn't easily categorized.

His TED Talk, the Language of Being Human, has been viewed more than 1 million times on YouTube and is frequently used middle school educational  resource.  @PoetAli  

More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.

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21 Guests and 27 episodes later, Agile Vocalist has hit its three year mark (which is kind of amazing for a podcast). Thank you to my season 3 guests:
Cellista, Alphabet Rockers, Rob Jensen and Warren Trezevant, Sonic Runway creators, sound healer & instructor, Melissa Felsenstein, taiko artist Janet Koike, and carillonist, Simone Browne for their amazing sound and arts stories in season 3!

Listen to this epsiode to learn how to get yourself listener gifts to unleash your inner vocalist (and upgrade your wellness). You'll also get a sneak peep about our upcoming guest!

More about Agile Vocalist, including artist biographies, liner notes and additional visual material for every episode can be found on the Agile Vocalist web site.

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