Fresh Coast Jazz Backstage

Carl is joined by the solo artist and jazz pianist, Kayla Waters. Kayla has been making waves in the industry with her powerful performances while also being an advocate for her fellow artists and creating a positive change in the music industry. She talks about how she fell in love with music and tinkering on the piano when she was as young as 10 months old.

She shares how her father is one of her greatest sources of inspiration growing up and being an artist. Tune in to this episode and get to know more about her as an artist that is passionate about wanting to create music that will lift people up and be in a moment of solace.

Episode Highlights: 

01:29 I just fell in love with music. I fell in love with the piano. To be honest with you, I didn’t think I was gonna be a solo artist. 

08:51 Just having an example right in front of me, you know my dad, that was just a big inspiration for me. 

22:47 I’m really an advocate for representing musicians and fair rights then just creating positive change for the music industry so it doesn’t just stop at me being an artist. I really want to be an advocate for musicians. Creating outlets and opportunities for musicians to thrive. 

30:20 I want to write something that will lift people up and take ‘em to this open portal, this glimpse of peace, this glimpse of feeling, this glimpse of love amidst everything that’s been going on. 

47:06 To be honest with you, how I play on stage is really how I play at home. I honestly feel that when I’m performing, people are just really getting an inside scoop of how I am when I play right here at home.   

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Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Kayla Waters 

In this episode Carl is joined by Dee Lucas who has been in the game for 20 plus years now. He is an accomplished saxophone player and composer with 9 albums and multiple top songs to his credit. On his latest release “The Time is Now”, he is joined by the likes of David P. Stevens, Adam Hawley and Blake Aaron.

In the interview Dee shares why he decided to be a musician, the story about his music, his process on making music and much more. In the ‘Bout it or Doubt it’ segment, Dee shares his opinions about the category of Travel and Leisure. Tune in to this episode and listen to his music. Hot Ice, Full Tilt and The Time Is Now.

Episode Highlights:

05:08 - One is perseverance, because this business is tough and it will rent you out and ring you out if you are not tough.

08:44 - You can be the most badass cat on your instrument but if you don't have that fan base or don't know how to get out there on social media and work that social media, it's a death trap for the audience and for the promoter.

20:58 - I just like the fact of collaborating with someone else. If I did all the writing myself I truly feel I will find myself writing a song over and over again.

23:34 - I feel that within my passion, there’s a purpose and my purpose is to connect with the audience and make them feel a certain way.

41:11 - Continue to work, continue to get better and always network because you can't do this alone. No one succeeds by themselves.

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Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Dee Lucas

In this episode Carl is joined by Kim Scott, one the hottest contemporary jazz artists on the scene right now. Her billboard #1 charting album, Shine, has been a mainstay on smooth jazz radio for the last few months. She has 5 albums to her credit, she has collaborated with some of the top names in the business and she is also a member of the all-female super group Jazz in Pink. She is a smooth jazz flautist, a classical flautist, a flute professor and a radio show host.

Kim shares how she is balancing time, her work as a classical flautist, her musical influences and much more. In the ‘Bout it or Doubt it segment Kim shares her thoughts about the category Food and Beverage. Tune in to this episode and learn more about Kim Scott.

Highlights:

09:50 - If you`re not affecting the listener you're not doing your job. If you`re not feeling what you're playing and being emotionally vulnerable to the music then you can`t convey an emotion to the listener.

14:24 - I like audiences that are open to possibility, I don't want people to  try to sound like each other, I love people when they're authentic to themselves.

23:23 - You love to be able to send people away from your show uplifted in a better state of mind and move, that is just the best thing in the world.

39:18 - Be fearless, be unapologetic of who you are because you're unique and you`re here to serve a better purpose once you figure that out.

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Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Kim Scott

Eric Essix began as a fusion and contemporary jazz bandleader in the early 90s. He appeared on the scene with two recorded albums of light pop, fusion, and modern material for Nova. His subsequent releases for Zebra Records showed a shift from his established smooth funk “1998's Small Talk” to a more mature, bluesier style with a distinct Southern feel “Southbound, released in 2000”.

Eric talks about his experiences throughout the years, his process of making music, his musical influences, his experiences collaborating with other artists and much more.  In the “Bout it or Doubt it” segment, Eric shares his opinions on Virtual Reality and Electric Cars. 

Highlights: 

02:13 I reach a point invariably, over about a 12 to 16 month period, where I just have to write and create and get something out.

07:26 I was a senior in high school and started off when I was a freshman being really, really into Jimi Hendrix.

10:40 That was a great band called Modern Man, we had so much fun and the improvisational aspects of it was great but I just felt like there was something missing for me personally as a musician and I figured it out in 1999.

16:38 Having my own record label and feeling that that was something that I not only wanted to do but needed to do has blessed me in a lot of ways to be able to put out the music that I want to put out. 

19:00 Wanting to express myself through my instrument in this manner is what I've always wanted to do. 

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Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Connect with Eric

Website

In this special 50th episode of Fresh Coast Jazz Backstage, we will be learning more about the founder of the Podcast, Carl Brown. Carl shares his background, the business that he retired from, personal development, and how he is preparing for the upcoming Fresh Coast Jazz Festival.

Fresh Coast Jazz Festival founders Carl and Nicole Brown felt compelled to make a positive impact on the community.  Just before Carl’s father, James Brown, passed away from cancer, he instructed Carl to, “Always think of others more highly than yourself.”  Carl and Nicole had already started the James and Reopa Brown Scholarship to honor his parents, but they wanted to make a greater philanthropic impact on their community. They began brainstorming how to raise the necessary funds.

In 2017, while Carl and Nicole were attending the Indianapolis Jazz Festival, Nicole got a glint in her eye. She leaned over to Carl and said, “This is what we should do, start a jazz festival to benefit our community.” And, the concept of the Fresh Coast Jazz Festival was born!

The Fresh Coast Jazz Festival aims to establish a world-class, annual jazz festival in the City of Festivals.  The philanthropic goal is to raise $1 million dollars, to provide deserving underserved young people with financial assistance for college, to provide grants to area public schools to help support their music programs, and to provide funds for medical research and to assist those suffering from serious/terminal illnesses.

Highlights:

10:09 - The biggest part about it for me is faith. I try to make sure in my life, I have given my life to God. God will be the most important in my life.

20:08 - Music is my muse, it is my companion. My wife is certainly the most important companion that I have but other than my wife, my family, my relationship with God. Music is the thing that I turn to.

33:08 - We work hard at it and it was really born out of a tragedy in my life. The Bible talks about God giving us beauty from ashes.

59:38 - One of the things that I do is that I teach marketing classes for entrepreneurs and I`m actually in the process now of getting those classes put up online.

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Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Carl is joined by Phillip "Doc" Martin, a top-notch practitioner in two different professions. Phillip is a smooth and contemporary jazz artist with seven albums and multiple top songs, while also being an accomplished dentist. He shares how he enjoys the best of both worlds in this episode. He also talks about his experience of the very first time he heard his song on the radio and how collaboration with others inspired him a lot with his music.

Phillip shares more about how the process of making music has evolved over time and how the current process feels less personal to him. Tune in to this episode to get to know more about Phillip and how he finds the artistry balance between the two things he’s passionate about.

Highlights

01:21 It was a lot harder back in the day when I was working for different demo offices but now that I own my own practice, I kind of make my own schedule. 

06:27 A lot of times, I collaborate with different producers and they come up with ideas and that inspires me to do certain things and take my music in different directions. 

16:32 Sometimes we just go to the studio and play everything live, that’s what we did back in the day. Today, it would never happen, which is crazy.  

32:36 The flavor is totally different than anything I’ve ever done. It was like really smooth jazz or whatever but it’s cool you know, it’s good for radio and all that but I want my classic sound to still be on the album. 

44:56 You need to appreciate what you got now because this could be it. This could be the best it is and you sit there complaining. 

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Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Connect with Phillip 

Website

In this episode Carl is joined by Kim Scott, one the hottest contemporary jazz artists on the scene right now. Her billboard #1 charting album, Shine, has been a mainstay on smooth jazz radio for the last few months. She has 5 albums to her credit, she has collaborated with some of the top names in the business and she is also a member of the all-female super group Jazz in Pink. She is a smooth jazz flautist, a classical flautist, a flute professor and a radio show host.

Kim shares how she is balancing time, her work as a classical flautist, her musical influences and much more. In the ‘Bout it or Doubt it segment Kim shares her thoughts about the category Food and Beverage. Tune in to this episode and learn more about Kim Scott.

Highlights:

09:50 - If you`re not affecting the listener you're not doing your job. If you`re not feeling what you're playing and being emotionally vulnerable to the music then you can`t convey an emotion to the listener.

14:24 - I like audiences that are open to possibility, I don't want people to  try to sound like each other, I love people when they're authentic to themselves.

23:23 - You love to be able to send people away from your show uplifted in a better state of mind and move, that is just the best thing in the world.

39:18 - Be fearless, be unapologetic of who you are because you're unique and you`re here to serve a better purpose once you figure that out.

Contact

Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Kim Scott

Today Carl is joined by Alex Bugnon, a swiss born musician, composer and band leader. He released his first album Love Season in 1989 which received several awards and critical acclaim. He has released ten more widely heralded projects since that debut. He is a regular on the jazz festival touring scene and is always able to get the crowds going.

In this episode Alex shares his musical influences, how he describes music, his process for creating music and much more. In “Bout it or Doubt it”, hear Alex’ thoughts about Art Collecting and Gardening. Tune in to this episode and hear his music - Okra, Scirocco and Southern Living.

Episode Highlights:

01:24 - When I started it was new and so unexpected because my career choice was to be a songwriter and a producer. I was on the road with Najee when his record company asked me if I wanted to record an album.

08:43 - I kept that rhythm in my mind and I came up with something new, so you will never know where it is coming from, most of it is very organic and they come from the romantic part of myself.

20:09 - I love the way he spent his days. He was so regimented and I love that. First thing in the morning he was listening to music and then he rehearsed then more practice more listening and I love that and I was like, this is what I want to do.

44:00  - I was not serious enough and sometimes I regret that, I was not serious enough in school. Whatever you choose, do it all the way.

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Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Connect with Alex

Website

In this special 50th episode of Fresh Coast Jazz Backstage, we will be learning more about the founder of the Podcast, Carl Brown. Carl shares his background, the business that he retired from, personal development, and how he is preparing for the upcoming Fresh Coast Jazz Festival.

Fresh Coast Jazz Festival founders Carl and Nicole Brown felt compelled to make a positive impact on the community.  Just before Carl’s father, James Brown, passed away from cancer, he instructed Carl to, “Always think of others more highly than yourself.”  Carl and Nicole had already started the James and Reopa Brown Scholarship to honor his parents, but they wanted to make a greater philanthropic impact on their community. They began brainstorming how to raise the necessary funds.

In 2017, while Carl and Nicole were attending the Indianapolis Jazz Festival, Nicole got a glint in her eye. She leaned over to Carl and said, “This is what we should do, start a jazz festival to benefit our community.” And, the concept of the Fresh Coast Jazz Festival was born!

The Fresh Coast Jazz Festival aims to establish a world-class, annual jazz festival in the City of Festivals.  The philanthropic goal is to raise $1 million dollars, to provide deserving underserved young people with financial assistance for college, to provide grants to area public schools to help support their music programs, and to provide funds for medical research and to assist those suffering from serious/terminal illnesses.

Highlights:

10:09 - The biggest part about it for me is faith. I try to make sure in my life, I have given my life to God. God will be the most important in my life.

20:08 - Music is my muse, it is my companion. My wife is certainly the most important companion that I have but other than my wife, my family, my relationship with God. Music is the thing that I turn to.

33:08 - We work hard at it and it was really born out of a tragedy in my life. The Bible talks about God giving us beauty from ashes.

59:38 - One of the things that I do is that I teach marketing classes for entrepreneurs and I`m actually in the process now of getting those classes put up online.

Contact

Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Bob James is a keyboardist, arranger, and record producer who plays Jazz in America. He created the band Fourplay and composed "Angela," the tune that serves as the anthem for the TV program Taxi. His first seven albums' music has frequently been sampled, helping to create hip hop.

Bob James discusses his life experiences, the process he uses to create music, the music that has influenced him, working with other artists, and a lot more. Bob expresses his viewpoints in the segment "Bout it or Doubt it" with the topic of Travel and Leisure. 

Highlights: 

02:02 Discovering that they're listening to my music or that they heard some song from one of my recordings that I almost forgot about just reminds me of the amazing aspect of recorded music.

08:34 Improvised, so such a kind of a free concept from the very beginning and when I first fell in love with the idea of this music, my favorite aspect was not totally planned.

11:46 The company's called Evolution. I've really had a wonderful new friendship with them and I love the way they've treated my work with quality.

28:27 I do love the unknown aspect of new music. I love to come into my studio with a blank sheet of music paper and no plan about what I'm going to do.

36:28  I still believe to this day that the bulk or the meat, the most organic deepest aspects of the Jazz art come out of the black community.

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Fresh Coast Jazz Festival

Connect with Bob James

Website