Backstage at The Enharmonic

October 3, 2020 I am excited to welcome drummer, composer and band leader Sherrie Maricle to the podcast! I've long been a fan of her drumming, music and music-business acumen.  Today's chat begins with her early years begrudgingly playing a metal clarinet in the school band and comes full circle when we discuss the jazz institution that she's captained for nearly three swingin' decades, The DIVA Jazz Orchestra! 

From the drum set Sherrie leads The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, her quintet FIVE PLAY and co-leads the 3D Jazz Trio. From Carnegie Hall, she performs with The New York Pops and from celebrated stages everywhere, she is music director and drummer for Broadway star Maurice Hines. Sherrie is also a busy freelance performer and a published composer/arranger.

August 8, 2020 (originally released as a video interview on YouTube) This is a follow-up interview with Count Basie's favorite drummer, Harold Jones. 

American pop and jazz drummer Harold Jones is best known for his tours and recordings with Tony Bennett and for his five years with the Count Basie Orchestra. 

In a career spanning six decades, Jones has toured and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, B.B. King, and Ray Charles. He has also played with major symphony orchestras, including those in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vienna. 

Sean J. Kennedy and Harold Jones discuss the origins and invention of the drumstick bag!

Other topics include: Dealing with the COVID-19 shutdown, the upcoming premiere of the new big band chart by Philly Kroc Jazz Orch called "Stick Bag Jones", and a very special guest interviewer has some questions for Harold about some of his famous collaborators.

May 16, 2020 (originally released as a video interview on YouTube) This interview is with Count Basie's favorite drummer, Harold Jones.

American pop and jazz drummer Harold Jones is best known for his tours and recordings with Tony Bennett and for his five years with the Count Basie Orchestra.

In a career spanning six decades, Jones has toured and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, B.B. King, and Ray Charles. He has also played with major symphony orchestras, including those in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vienna.

[FYI: Harold contacted me a few days later with a fact check from the interview: "The engineer at Lucas Films is Leslie Jones (daughter of Spike Jones) The engineer in L.A. is Al Schmit. That said - I have had a lot of really good engineers. I'm a Lucky Boy!", H.J. 5/16/2020]

February 3, 2020 At long last I had a chance to chat with Susie Benchasil Seiter!  We've been trying to schedule this interview since late 2018 and I'm thrilled that it finally worked out.  The scheduling difficulties can be attributed to the fact that Susie is one of the hardest working musicians in show biz!  She's a conductor, orchestrator and mom of two beautiful baby boys. I had the opportunity to work with Susie a few times during the Evanescence/Lindsey Stirling world tour in 2018, and I've been a fan ever since.   

In the interview we discuss how she got the gig with Evanescence and Lindsey Stirling, her philosophy of conductors and conducting, where she first learned to conduct, the unexpected and lasting influence of a college chemistry teacher, the impact that famed Hollywood composer, Alan Menken had on her career choice, and the challenges of a being a female conductor in a male dominated profession. 

Susie Benchasil Seiter is a prolific conductor and orchestrator for film, television, video games, and live concerts. She recently completed a worldwide orchestra tour as conductor and music director for multiple Grammy-winning Evanescence and Billboard Music Award winner and YouTube sensation, Lindsey Stirling.  She's conducted orchestras all over the world, including including the Royal Philharmonic at London’s Apollo Hammersmith, The Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Madison Square Garden, the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap, and the Sydney Symphony at the iconic Sydney Opera House. 

Susie Seiter believes that orchestral music should be shared and celebrated by all generations, and she takes great pride in her contributions as a conductor and orchestrator. Originally from Baltimore, Seiter now calls Los Angeles home, where she lives with Chad and their sons. 

August 11, 2019 For as long as I can remember my next guest, Jim Catalano, has always been the face of Ludwig Drums for countless other musicians and me. Jim recently retired from Ludwig Drums after a 36+ year tenure and shared many stories and lots of great advice with me during this interview.  During our discussion, he recounts how first hearing a drum and bugle corps warming up in his backyard while growing up in Western Pennsylvania ultimately started him on the path for a career in music as both a performer and industry professional. 

Jim is an Adjunct Instructor of Drums / Percussion at The University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College.  In addition to his many freelance gigs Jim stays busy playing the drums for Truth in Jazz Big Band, Jazz Assemblage Big Band and French Quarter,  and even leads his own band, from the vibraphone, called VibeNation.

December 3, 2018 In the spring of 2017 I had the opportinity to meet and work with the suberb conductor, Joseph Modica. Joe was conducting the orchestra backing the sensational Italian pop-opera trio Il Volo, for their Notte Magica tour across north America.  Joe is one of the finest conductors I have ever played for, and a great guy too.  In the interview we discuss his first conducting experiences, some cool gigs (like working with John Williams!) and balancing a life in music.

Joseph Modica is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Redlands and the Director of Pastoral Music at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Hollywood, CA. Dr. Modica is the Conductor of the Festival Choir at the Idyllwild Summer Arts Camp and has prepared choruses for “Video Games Live” in Anaheim, CA and in collaboration with Trudell Orchestras, LLC , he contracted and prepared choruses across the country for the National Tour of “Star Wars – In Concert.” In 2002 Dr. Modica prepared the chorus for the American Ballet Theatre production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which was aired on PBS, and released on DVD as part of the Great Performances series. 

Choirs under Dr. Modica’s direction have toured in Italy, Australia, Hawaii, New York, Washington D.C., Washington and Oregon, Florida, and the Bahamas. In 2013, he conducted Mozart’s Requiem in Carnegie Hall, and his choirs have sung High Mass at Basilica San Marco in Venice and Basilica San Pietro in Rome, and have been fortunate enough to sing for Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

June 4, 2018 If I have ever interviewed someone that I could categorize as a character  it is definetly my next guest, saxman, Jerry Weldon!  Brimming with enthusiasm for life and jazz, Jerry has held the tenor saxophone chair with many of jazz music's founding fathers including Lionel Hampton, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Jimmy Cobb, to name but a few.  Most notably though it is his nearly 30 year collaboration with Harry Connick, Jr. that has made his saxophone playing known worldwide. 

In 1990, Jerry became a charter member and featured soloist with Harry Connick, Jr.'s newly formed big band. Since then Jerry has toured the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia with Harry.  Jerry can be seen daily as a member of the house band on HARRY, Connick’s daytime television variety show

January 10, 2018 I've been looking forward to this interview for a long-time, one of the most inspiring teachers I ever had, drumset player and percussionist extraordinaire Mr. Ray Deeley!  I was very fortunate to take private drumset and percussion lessons with Ray while a high school student ('85-'89).  Ray taught at numerous Catholic high schools through-out the Philadelphia area, and coincidentally one of his students at another school was Heather High, who I would later meet in the percussion ensemble at West Chester University, which eventually led to our marriage, four great children and a wonderful life.

After attending Mastbaum Vocational High School in Philadelphia with classmates the likes of Lee Morgan, Ray Deeley received a full scholarship to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Fred Hinger and graduating in 1955. After graduation he worked as a first-call drumset player and percussionist touring the world with A-List musicians and entertainers, including Vic Damon, Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Liberace, Milton Berle, Don Rickles and Julie Andrews, just to name a few. He also traveled with the Dick Clark American Bandstand tours to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong, performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, worked as a studio musician at Cameo-Parkway Records, and later taught drums and percussion for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Bucks County Community College and Immaculata University. Today Ray exercises daily, continues studying and practicing drums and percussion and performs for various musical artists throughout Philadelphia and South Jersey.

January 8, 2018 My first guest of the new year is award-winning drummer, author, educator Daniel Glass.  In this episode we discuss Daniel's unique experiences growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii in the 60's and 70's, his college days leading a Pink Floyd cover band, moving to Los Angeles and studying at the Dick Grove School of Music, manning the drum chair in Royal Crown Revue, his life as an educator, publishing and multi-media guru, and the importance of establishing 'your brand.'

Daniel Glass is an award-winning drummer, author, historian and educator. He is widely recognized as an authority on classic American drumming and the evolution of American Popular Music. A member of the pioneering swing group Royal Crown Revue since 1994, Daniel has recorded and performed all over the world with many top artists, including Brian Setzer, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, Jose Feliciano, Michelle Shocked, Mike Ness, Freddie Cole, Marilyn Maye, Air Supply’s Graham Russell and KISS frontman Gene Simmons. For two years running, Daniel was voted one of the top five R&B drummers in the world by readers of Modern Drummer and DRUM magazine. Since 2011, he has been the house drummer every Monday night at New York’s legendary Birdland Jazz Club.

October 12, 2017 My next guest started taking drum lessons at just 4 years old: Bernie Dresel!  Growing up in western Pennsylvania getting a healthy diet of polka and hillbilly music and eventually moving onto to study classical percussion and music education at the Eastman School of Music, Bernie has become one of the most in-demand recording and live drummers on the planet.  We talk about the challenges of breaking into the music business today and the patience that is required, how his classical percussion and drumset chops lead to more opportunities, the level of sight reading ability needed to be a studio musician, how music brings humanity to cartoons and movies, the impact of Buddy Rich, performing on the tv special celebrating Frank Sinatra's 80th, and the value of not using click tracks. 

Bernie Dresel has been one of the busiest studio and live musicians in the world as both a drummer and percussionist since moving to Los Angeles in 1983 after graduating from the prestigious Eastman School of Music. He has traveled the world, occupying the coveted drum chair for Grammy Award-winning Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band since its inception in 1999. And also, for an overlapping 15 years (1992 to 2006), he was the drummer for the multi-Grammy Award-winning Brian Setzer Orchestra, selling close to 4 million records. Modern Drummer magazine’s readers’ poll named Bernie “Best Big Band Drummer” and Drum! Magazine has put him on their list of “53 Drummers Who Made a Difference in the ’90s” as well as honoring him with a Drummie® for Best Big Band Drummer.  

Bernie Dresel’ s jazz orchestra, The BBB, is without question one of Los Angeles’ most exciting large jazz ensembles, if not on the planet. It is one of the most innovative and original hard-swinging large jazz ensembles ever. The BBB provides potent testimony to the sheer exhilaration of big band jazz...a combination of intense swing and fiery soloing, as well as tight ensemble playing, powered by Bernie Dresel’s extraordinary drumming talents.