Bite-Size Jazz

Based out of Salt Lake City, the band Le Dad and The Ninos say they were influenced by genres such as R&B, soul and jazz. Their music is a mesh of styles, kind of like their name, a purposely non-sensical mix of French, English and Spanish. They recently released a single, "Nowhere Else I'd Rather Be," which they say is dedicated to Le Mom (who they're still looking for, by the way). 

They also give us a preview of their next single "I Won’t Wait," a musical tribute to a dear friend and fellow musician who passed away far too young. “No one spoke music like Brooks did. It was like he put all his pain and darkness into the music and it came straight through the instrument.” The song serves as a reminder of the limited time available in this life, and emphasizes the importance of showing we care while we still can. 

They plan to release the full album in late summer, recording tracks in the meantime from the drummer’s basement and a friend’s studio and dreaming of touring the US, the world, then possibly Mars and the universe they tell me. 

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"I'm concerned with the lineage, and excited by the lineage of the music and the lineage of humanity, knowing that in order to understand what's going to happen in the future, we have to understand and excavate things about the past." 

⁠Emmet Cohen discusses the importance of understanding the history and music of the jazz greats, before pushing the music forward into the future. His album Future Stride does just that, resurrecting 20s classics like "Dardanella" but also using modern techniques such as overdubbing on originals like "Little Angel." ⁠

Emmet Cohen is a serious student of the lineage of jazz. Jazz is a bit of a paradigm — it leans heavily on the influence of its predecessors, but encourages musicians to endlessly test its limits. However, one must clearly understand the history before beginning to push forward.

Emmet's album Future Stride does just that. Stride is considered a piano technique of the past, but he isn't afraid to embrace modern techniques while playing it. For example, he resurrects the 20's classic, "Dardanella" — a right of passage for early pianists. Rather than play it solo as many virtuoso pianists have done before, Emmet gives it a modern twist by arranging it for his trio. Rounded out with Kyle Poole on drums and Russell Hall on bass, this trio gives the song new life.

Additionally, Emmet includes original compositions like "Little Angel," "Reflections at Dusk," and "Toast to Lo." "Toast to Lo" is dedicated to Lawrence 'Lo' Leathers, a dear friend and mentor. To give some context, Lawrence was the drummer for two of Cécile McLorin Salvant's Grammy Award-winning albums. Unfortunately, he passed away while still in his prime, leaving a whole in the hearts of many New York musicians. Lawrence encouraged Emmet during his early days in New York, telling him, "It doesn't matter if the other musicians know more than you. If you come in with heart, passion, and some fire — you'll be great."

Listen to the full interview with Emmet Cohen to learn more about the inspiration behind his latest album, Future Stride.

Resources:

earn more about Emmet Cohen at his website. You can find Future Stride anywhere you stream music. It's also available for purchase from Amazon Music. 

Enjoying Bite-Size Jazz? You can support the podcast by Buying Me a Coffee! You can also leave a review, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I’d love to connect with you!

Jazz pianist Ramon Valle has a palpable enthusiasm for life — and more especially for jazz. Raised in Cuba, he was surrounded by the sound of improvised street music. Ramon's grandpa introduced him to the music of classical giants during the day, and his father played records by Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong while sharing milk and chocolate by night.

Those recordings were Ramon's jazz piano teacher. He listened so many times that he could sing them by heart. When a chance encounter with a professional jazz musician lead to an invitation to Europe, Ramon jumped at the chance. After his first European tour, Ramon realized he needed to stay in order to pursue his musical dreams. He's made Holland his home ever since.

Over the years, Ramon has learned many lessons about performing. The most important lesson? Surrendering to the music — let the music speak for itself. Ramon says, "When we play with ego, we play music from yesterday. You can't be present when you have an ego."

Listen to the full interview with Ramon Valle to learn more about his musical path. He opens up about the music of his native Cuba and the inspiration behind his album Inner State.⁠

Learn more about Ramon Valle at his website. You can find Inner State anywhere you stream music — it's also available for purchase from Amazon Music.

Enjoying Bite-Size Jazz? You can support the podcast by Buying Me a Coffee! You can also leave a review, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I’d love to connect with you!

Veronica explained that the concept for this album started years in advance - she wanted to have a record that was a commentary on global issues, but not a political activism album. "This Bitter Earth" does just that, talking about issues like racism, sexism, and domestic abuse among others. She does so in a witty, sarcastic way that gives way to her real opinion. But, she as she sings in the title track, if we all come together in the end, "this bitter earth may not be so bitter after all." ⁠

⁠And of course, Veronica will blow you away with her singing, as will the band with her! Tune in, you'll love hearing from Veronica! ⁠

Resources: 

Enjoying Bite-Size Jazz? You can support the podcast by Buying Me a Coffee! You can also leave a review, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I’d love to connect with you!

Join me in conversation with vibraphonist Patricia Brennan as we discuss her solo album, Maquishti! ⁠We talk about the effects she uses in her music, her improvisation style, why she decided to do a solo album and more!⁠

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Enjoying Bite-Size Jazz? You can support the podcast by Buying Me a Coffee! You can also leave a review, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I’d love to connect with you!

Gretchen Parlato, the award winning, Grammy-nominated, internationally touring jazz vocalist, just released a new album FLOR - available today - which is her first album in several years after taking a step back to focus on being a mom! ⁠

⁠We talk about the songs on the album - why it was inspired by Brazilian Music, why she included a David Bowie song - and dive into her decision to focus on motherhood and how that changed her music!! 

Resources

Enjoying Bite-Size Jazz? You can support the podcast by Buying Me a Coffee! You can also leave a review, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I’d love to connect with you!

Down to earth, good humored, talented; any of these adjectives would perfectly describe trumpeter Derrick Gardner. He's a professor at the University of Manitoba, as well as a gregarious bandleader and composer. Join me as we talk about his various projects with his past band, The Jazz Prophets, his latest project, the Big DIg Band. 

Resources

Enjoying Bite-Size Jazz? You can support the podcast by Buying Me a Coffee! You can also leave a review, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I’d love to connect with you!

Join me in conversation with Melissa Aldana as she talks about the life of artist Frida Kahlo and how it inspired the music of her album "Visions." We also talk about her experiences on the jazz scene in NYC, including the time she got to play with Roy Hargrove at a jam session. 

Resources

Enjoying Bite-Size Jazz? You can support the podcast by Buying Me a Coffee! You can also leave a review, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I’d love to connect with you!

Lenore Raphael is a veteran of the New York and New Jersey jazz scenes! She's had an abundant life full of music - she started out playing piano at the age of 3 and performed at Carnegie Hall as a child prodigy. As an adult, she pursued a career as a classical pianist until she heard a record by Oscar Peterson and completely changed the direction of her music. Check out the episode to hear more of her story, and hear music from her album, "Reunion."

Join me in conversation with Jihee Heo as we laugh about the adventures of teaching piano, her love/hate relationship with New York City, and discuss the inspiration behind her latest album "Are You Ready?"

Resources

Enjoying Bite-Size Jazz? You can support the podcast by Buying Me a Coffee! You can also leave a review, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I’d love to connect with you!