Trombonist Altin Sencalar was jump-started into the music world by his aunt and uncle who were both band leaders in Texas.  The city of Austin was the training ground for the young trombonist who quickly joined the music community and rose to the top with the help of relatives, educational opportunities and the all-important mentoring process from key individuals.  Being exposed to ethnic music set the table for young Altin who began incorporating Mexican rhythms like Salsa into his music.  Today, his perspective is eclectic enabling him to parlez this viewpoint into his instructional activities and recording projects.  A self-admitted 'hustler', Altin finds himself, now, traveling from New York to San Francisco and beyond periodically.  Currently, he holds the position of Visiting Professor of Jazz Trombone at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  As a recording artist for Positone Records, Altin Sencalar promises to provide us with a healthy diet of new and exciting music.  Enjoy the music and conversation of trombonist, Altin Sencalar.

Drummer Jason Lewis shows up for the first time in my Doodlin' Lounge with a composition from one of the combos that he co-directed as an instructor within the San Jose State University Jazz Department. He comes from a musical family and even took drum lessons from his father-in-law, keeping the love for music within the family constellation.  Today, Jason boasts a long resume of playing and recording with some of the most accomplished musicians in the South Bay and beyond.  His style is eclectic albeit not necessarily authentic by his own admission.  He is a wise percussionist who began with an interest in symphonic music but branched out into jazz at an early age.  Preferring to do 'side-work' rather than leading his own band, Jason has become a first call, top shelf drummer requested by local, regional and national musicians.  The tracks heard, interspersed with his dialog, come from a variety of recordings.  Enjoy a truly exquisite style of drumming from this veteran player and educator.

John Beasley wears numerous hats in the music world:  pianist, composer, arranger, band leader and so on and so forth... He has made quite a name for himself and gained the respect and admiration of his peers as well as the movers and shakers in the industry.  He has twelve Grammy nominations to his name and actually won two - one of which was for Best Instrumental Album.  He has worked with the Frankfort Radio Big Band for a number of years and is currently enjoying the release of their latest collaboration:  'Returning to Forever' (the music of Chick Corea re-imagined as John likes to say).  Recently his 'Monk'estra' recordings and public appearances have also raised his profile as a musician with eclectic tastes and universal appeal.  His musical partner Magnus Lindgren often accompanies him in the studio and on the road.  Fortunately, we caught John just before leaving for Europe and yet another tour.  Enjoy tracks from John's 'Returning to Forever' as well as a few from other recordings... all with John's vocal narrative.

Saxophonist Diego Rivera is riding high these days as a prolific recording artist; an active member of the Austin, Texas live music scene and the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Texas in Austin at the Butler School of Music.  After twenty years at Michigan State (where he matriculated and received his early teaching experience), Diego accepted his present position with great honor and has not looked back.  When asked about his curriculum at the University, he responded with "The students are the curriculum", intimating his adaptability to students and his willingness to individualize their learning experience.  He represents an educator with great empathy and understanding for his students; his philosophy of teaching involves compassion and understanding.  In his most recent recording, 'Ofrenda' (Positone Records), Diego has composed ten pieces to celebrate the season and rituals associated with 'the day of the dead' or Halloween.  In this episode of my Doodlin' Lounge, Diego verbalizes his story as various tracks from his discography swirl through... enjoy

The Hot Club of San Francisco (AKA 'Le Jazz Hot') has become an institution here in the Bay Area.  With guitarist Paul Mehling at the helm, this group has swung its way through small clubs and large theaters locally, regionally and nationally.  They even played various rooms in Hong Kong last year to enthusiastic audiences.  For decades now, they've spread the word (so to speak) of Gypsy Jazz and a myriad of its derivatives with passion, dedication and sheer love.  With their fifteenth recording hitting the streets this week, the Hot Club of San Francisco, shows no signs of slowing down.  With Django Reinhardt firmly in their minds, Le Jazz Hot claims not to be Gypsies but rather proud and dedicated followers of his music that originated in France many years ago. This new CD release - entitled 'Original Gadjo' - mixes authenticity with original and contemporary thinking to make for a most remarkable and entertaining presentation... Enjoy a glimpse of their music here in my Doodlin' Lounge.

Pianist Cyrus Chestnut graces my Doodlin' Lounge this evening.  As a professor at Howard University who teaches piano as well as vocal students, Cyrus continues to be a prolific recording artist and also manages to perform in topnotch jazz venues around the world when away from the classroom.  Chestnut started his musical career at the age of three, playing piano at the Mount Calvary Star Baptist Church at the age of six in his hometown of Baltimore, MD. By age nine, he was studying classical music at the Peabody Preparatory Institute in Baltimore. In the fall of 1981, Cyrus began jazz education in Boston, MA at the Berklee College of Music. In 1985, he earned a degree in jazz composition and arranging. While at Berklee, Chestnut was awarded the Eubie Blake Fellowship, the Oscar Peterson, Quincy Jones, and Count Basie awards for exceptional performance standards at the college.  Enjoy the music; the conversation and the wisdom from this amazing musician and spiritual man ...

New York based pianist, Marius Van Den Brink, began his journey in a small village of the Netherlands where the population was roughly 300 people - quite a contrast to the enormity of the Big Apple where Marius would later find his musical comfort zone.  'Making the Scene' was the method by which Marius gained notoriety.  He currently plays at Smalls in the Village each week and has managed to perform and record with such notables as Joel Frahm, Eric Wyatt, Stacey Dillard, Ingrid Jenson, Sean Jones and Jeff 'Tain Watts, to name a few.  His style is somewhat introspective but always intuitive and creative.  He creates moods with his music and often personalizes his compositions with references to his own world and life style.  Marius is a force to be reckoned with in the New York arena and beyond.  Enjoy his music and conversation in my Doodlin' Lounge

Henry Dickhoff is an internationally-recognized, award-winning pianist, organist, composer, and educator living in Chicago. He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1995 and has lived in Florida, Colorado, and Texas. Since becoming a professional musician at age 16, Henry has played domestically all over the United States,

In high school, Henry began to play the organ after receiving a scholarship from the Denver Organ Guild. He studied pipe organ privately at UNT with Dr. Andrew Lloyd, and served as the interim organist at Christ The Servant Lutheran Church of Denton, TX for the beginning of 2018. As a jazz organist, Henry released his first CD Running Start in 2013 with his Colorado-based organ trio. More recently, Henry’s co-led group Visceral Trio toured the midwestern United States during summer 2016, and released its debut EP in summer 2018. The EP includes all original compositions by Henry and guitarist Jack Roben that pay tribute to the organ trio tradition, while still including elements of modern jazz.  In this episode of my Doodlin' Lounge we are privy to tracks from a yet-to-be-released CD called 'Foul Play'...Enjoy