Go with Elmo Lovano

It’s that time of year when Walter Afanasieff takes over the charts. Walter is the writer and producer of “All I Want for Christmas Is You”—the biggest Christmas song of all time—and he also produced “My Heart Will Go On.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. From writing and producing with Mariah Carey to working with Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Barbra Streisand, Walter has been behind some of the most unforgettable songs in music history.

He co-wrote dozens of hits with Mariah Carey, including “Hero” and “One Sweet Day”—the record-breaking duet with Boyz II Men that held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 weeks. And let’s not forget “My Heart Will Go On”—yes, the Titanic theme with Celine Dion—which earned him a GRAMMY for Record of the Year. Walter also won the Producer of the Year GRAMMY in 2000.

This year, he’s nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media for his song "Love Will Survive" with Barbra Streisand from the miniseries The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Walter co-wrote the piece with Hans Zimmer, Charlie Midnight, and Kara Talve, and produced it alongside Peter Asher.

In this episode, we dig into Walter’s incredible journey through the music world. From his early days working with Narada Michael Walden (fun fact: Walter played synths on “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) to collaborating with some of the biggest voices in history, Walter is an absolute legend. He’s also a dear friend, and I’m so excited to share our conversation with you today. Let’s go!

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Episode 57 - Elena Pinderhughes is one of the most sought-after musicians in today’s vibrant jazz scene. From touring with legends like Herbie Hancock, Common, and Chief Adjuah to performing the iconic “Mask Off” with Future on the Coachella Main Stage, Elena has already brought the flute to a new level. She’s a prominent figure in this wave of brilliant young musicians rising within the new jazz world.

The first time I heard her play flute, it was alongside the jazz world’s GOAT, Herbie Hancock, and I immediately knew she was different. Her sound didn’t just complement something already iconic—she elevated it. Since then, I’ve seen her perform with Terrace Martin, Lalah Hathaway, Snarky Puppy, and so many more. I wanted to understand how she’s achieved so much at such a young age.

I’d boil it down to these things: Intention, mind set, dedication, and a strong support system with her brother, Samora Pinderhughes.

Elena talks about her journey—from being a teenage jazz star to becoming a first-call collaborator across genres. She shares stories about working with Herbie Hancock, Chief Adjuah, Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, and Josh Groban, diving into the lessons she’s learned and how she’s crafted her unique sound. We explore the modern jazz scene, how she’s making her mark, and how she balances artistry with building a thriving career.

Elena Pinderhughes is a trailblazer in both jazz and pop culture, and there’s no question—her career is only going up from here.

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

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Follow Elena:

https://www.instagram.com/iamelena/

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Episode 56 - Dave King of The Bad Plus.

The Bad Plus is one of the world’s most exciting and innovative ensembles. Over the past 20 years, they’ve created a groundbreaking sound that blends jazz and avant-garde music in a way that’s uniquely their own—beautifully melodic, dark, twisted, soft, loud, simple, and incredibly complex, all in one.

Their drummer, Dave King, is one of my all-time favorite drummers. Creating a distinctive and instantly recognizable voice on an instrument is rare, but Dave achieved that right from their debut album.

Dave joined me in the studio to discuss the story of The Bad Plus—their beginnings, the feelings of success, their mindset and approach to writing music, and the process of creating their now-iconic cover songs. We talked about meeting artists like Aphex Twin and Black Sabbath, whose music they’ve covered, and hearing their reactions. We also dove into performing on Jools Holland, touring with The Pixies as a jazz trio, their new album Complex Emotions, Dave’s hilarious web series Rational Funk, and much more.

We hope you enjoy this fun and insightful conversation with the incredible Dave King!

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://rss.com/podcasts/gowithelmo

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https://www.instagram.com/thebadplus/

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Episode 55 - Quincy Jones was one of the most important humans in the history of music. At 91 years of age, we sadly lost the legend this week. Quincy touched us all in so many ways. Beyond his music and boundary-breaking life, Quincy was a friend, advisor, and investor to Jammcard. His support meant the world, changed our lives, and inspired us beyond explanation.

We’d like to take a moment to honor Quincy and share stories from the podcast of friends and collaborators of his, in hopes that it makes you smile, reflect, feel good, and learn even more about the amazing man he was. In this episode, we have stories from John JR Robinson, Michael Bearden, Ibrahim Maalouf, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Daru Jones, Jason White, Jeff Gitty, and our host, Elmo Lovano.

We hope you enjoy. We love you, Q.

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://rss.com/podcasts/gowithelmo

"12 Notes - On Life and Creativity" by Quincy Jones:

https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/12-notes_9781419752568/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabynaDtNUdXOBOaXDtDkkSt0teqebahWgJli3HCok8V23uRuDxzZyribBw_aem_JuCN7S9ncDfRjordzqqphQ

Watch "Trap Jazz" Featuring Quincy Jones on Hulu:

https://www.hulu.com/movie/trap-jazz-8e800478-3707-47ae-b39f-2838d33b6d00

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Episode 54 - Jason White is one of the greatest choir directors, vocal producers, and contractors in the world. He's best known as the leader of Kanye West's Sunday Service Choir, which took the world by storm in 2019, and he's worked with so many other legends as well. He worked with Beyoncé on her GRAMMY-winning "Break My Soul" (and we talk about that session in this episode), Will Smith on his first new music in years and re-emerging in the public eye (which we also talk about), Harry Styles, Elton John, T.I., Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston, Kurt Carr, and countless others. We talk about how Kanye's Sunday Service started, how he built it with Phil Cornish, Ye, and other key people; its rapid growth; employing hundreds of people; and the high-stakes preparation for their iconic Coachella performance, and so much more.

Jason dives into what it takes to blend spiritual roots with mainstream appeal, sharing stories from Sunday Service's beginnings and growth, understanding Ye and his own language, his unique role in the industry as a vocal contractor and his experiences with high-profile artists, from behind-the-scenes studio sessions with Beyoncé to Elton John and Andrew Watt. Jason also reflects on the power of choirs in music production, what it means to be a true leader, and how faith influences his work in the mainstream music industry. We have a great time, share valuable insights, fun stories and more. We hope you love the show. Let's go!!!

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://rss.com/podcasts/gowithelmo

Follow Jason:

https://www.instagram.com/jasonwhiteco/

Follow Elmo Lovano:

https://Instagram.com/elmolovano

https://Twitter.com/elmolovano

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Episode 53: Kris Pooley is one of the most successful musical directors in the game, known for his long relationship as MD for Katy Perry, music directing American Idol for the last 8 seasons (going on 9), and working with Gwen Stefani, Kesha, Demi Lovato, Pink, Smashing Pumpkins, Morrisey, Jane's Addiction and so much more. We dive deep into his career, how he landed these gigs, his creative process behind directing major performances like Katy Perry’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, and his unique perspective of balancing these live shows all while working as the music director for American Idol (which is an intense 7 day a week gig when in season).

Kris gives advice on the importance of fostering strong relationships and reflects on the valuable lessons he’s learned while working in the industry. We talk about his future ambitions, what it’s like running his business day-to-day, and how he can stay home while still music directing these big acts. We also love that Kris is a fan of metal and listens to Meshuggah (daily). This was most important to Elmo. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. Let’s go with the incredible Kris Pooley!

0:00:00 - INTRO

0:03:29 - DETROIT

0:03:57 - WORKING WITH GWEN STEFANI, KATY PERRY, DEMI LOVATO, P!NK, KE$HA

0:05:38 - GETTING THE GWEN STEFANI GIG

0:10:05 - NIN - KRIS’ NINE INCH NAILS AUDITION

0:11:42 - GWEN STEFANI, BARRY SQUIRE, FILM COMPOSING

0:14:38 - BECOMING A MUSIC DIRECTOR

0:15:59 - GETTING THE GIG WITH KATY PERRY

0:17:51 - WORKING WITH CREATIVE DIRECTOR BAZ HALPIN, SILENT HOUSE

0:21:08 - CHANGING SETS FOR ONE-OFF SHOWS

0:22:02 - TOURING, GLEE TV SHOW

0:23:10 - PAUL MCCARTNEY STORIES

0:25:30 - MUSIC DIRECTING WITHOUT TOURING, KESHA

0:26:53 - SUPERBOWL WITH KATY PERRY

0:31:46 - GREATEST LESSON LEARNED FROM KATY PERRY

0:33:40 - TONY ROYSTER JR.

0:36:47 - ARRANGING FOR P!NK

0:38:12 - HOW HE GOT THE AMERICAN IDOL MD GIG

0:40:38 - WHAT IT’S LIKE TO MUSIC DIRECT AMERICAN IDOL

0:44:21 - AMERICAN IDOL BAND, RELATIONSHIP WITH CONTESTANTS

0:48:40 - FIGURING OUT WHAT TO PLAY WITH CONTESTANTS

0:49:53 - WORKING ON TV VS. ARENA TOURS

0:51:03 - CHALLENGING MOMENTS WORKING WITH OTHER DIRECTORS

0:52:12 - BUILDING A BUSINESS, KRIS POOLEY’S TEAM

0:56:22 - KRIS’ 5 YEAR PLAN

0:57:28 - SMASHING PUMPKINS, MEETING HIS WIFE GINGER POOLEY

1:00:21 - BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS

1:01:22 - KRIS AND KATY PERRY USING JAMMCARD FOR HIRING

1:02:58 - WHAT KRIS LOOKS FOR WHEN HIRING SOMEONE

1:04:06 - LESSONS LEARNED FROM WORKING WITH STARS

1:07:08 - METAL TALK…GOJIRA, MESHUGGAH, KNOCKED LOOSE, SLIPKNOT

1:10:01 - KRIS POOLEY’S UNRELEASED ALBUMS, RULE FOLLOWER PROJECT

1:11:48 - METAL MUSIC

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://rss.com/podcasts/gowithelmo

Follow Kris:

https://www.instagram.com/krispooley/

Follow Elmo Lovano:

https://Instagram.com/elmolovano

https://Twitter.com/elmolovano

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Episode 52! Please welcome the incredible Dexter Hercules, drummer for Ed Sheeran, to discuss his career journey from coming up in London’s music scene to currently performing in stadiums around the world. Dexter shares his experiences playing for The Voice UK, how he got the gig with Ed Sheeran, what it’s like playing stadiums, navigating the world of drum clinics, left handed drumming, the big reason why he learned how to read music, his passion for community-building through music, and more. We dive into his unique drumming style, the role of versatility in the music industry, and how London's session scene has grown over the years. Let’s go with one of the top UK session drummers, Dexter Hercules!

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://rss.com/podcasts/gowithelmo

Follow Dexter:

https://www.instagram.com/dhercs/

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https://Instagram.com/elmolovano

https://Twitter.com/elmolovano

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Episode 51 is with the legendary Adam Blackstone. Adam is one of the most successful musical directors of all time, and a multi-GRAMMY-nominated artist himself. He’s been the musical director for Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, Eminem, Jill Scott, Dr. Dre, and countless others. Adam has musical directed four Super Bowl Halftime Shows in the last six years, including the 2022 performance with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar—where he took home the Emmy for Best Musical Direction. We go deep in this interview on how he got where he is, how he continues to grow, nurturing relationships, balancing his musical director life with his artist life and his family life, his relationships with Questlove, Jay-Z, and the music world. This interview is packed with information, knowledge, and insight, so sit down, soak it all in, and enjoy the wisdom from one of the music industry's true leaders.

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://rss.com/podcasts/gowithelmo

Follow Adam:

https://www.instagram.com/adamblackstone/

Follow Elmo Lovano:

https://Instagram.com/elmolovano

https://Twitter.com/elmolovano

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Wooo it’s Episode 50 of Go With Elmo! Thank you for listening. We hope you’re enjoying it and finding value in the conversations!

For this landmark episode we sit down with legendary drummer and musical director Teddy Campbell, whose impressive career spans performances with industry giants like Stevie Wonder, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, Alicia Keys, 98 Degrees and as the house drummer for The Oscars, American Idol and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Teddy shares stories from in the studio with Stevie Wonder, playing as the house drummer for the biggest TV shows in the world, his long working relationship with Rickey Minor, mentoring young artists, and reflecting on his early days MD’ing for pop superstars. We also explore how the music industry is changing, his thoughts on social media, the importance of mentorship, and where live drumming is headed.

Teddy’s journey is a true testament to his adaptability and passion for music. In this episode, he opens up about his family life, balancing relationships, and what he hopes to be remembered for.

It’s a deep dive into a fascinating career, full of anecdotes, wisdom, and inspiration. Don't miss this special 50th episode!

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://rss.com/podcasts/gowithelmo

Follow Teddy:

https://www.instagram.com/teddycampbellband/

Follow Elmo Lovano:

https://Instagram.com/elmolovano

https://Twitter.com/elmolovano

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Episode 49 is with the incredible composer, conductor, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, Miguel Atwood Ferguson. We delve into Miguel's extensive career, having participated in over 600 recordings and 2,500 shows. He shares key insights from these experiences and his role in the next legendary LA movement alongside talents like Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, Flying Lotus and Terrace Martin.

Miguel recounts the artist's journey—meeting Thundercat for the first time, their collaboration, and the lessons learned along the way. We get a glimpse into his approach to blending classical music with hip-hop and working with icons such as Flying Lotus and Anderson .Paak. From arranging over Flying Lotus' music to performing with the Metropole Orkest and doing strings on Anderson .Paak & Smokey Robinson’s “Make It Better,” he reveals the intricacies of handling entrepreneurship as a musician, the process of becoming a "one-man orchestra," and how budgets impact the execution of creative ideas.

We also touch on his personal life—being a dad, lessons from his solo album "Les Jardins Mystiques Vol.1," and his experiences performing alongside legends like Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, and John Williams. This enlightening conversation offers a deeper understanding of the role of a conductor, the importance of getting your work credited as a writer, and the transformative power of music across genres. Tune in to hear how Miguel continues to inspire and shape his musical world.

‘Go with Elmo Lovano’ is a weekly podcast where Elmo interviews creatives and entrepreneurs in music on HOW they push forward every day, got where they are in their careers, manage their personal lives, and share lessons learned and their most important insights.

Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!

Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: https://rss.com/podcasts/gowithelmo

Follow Miguel:

https://www.instagram.com/miguelatwoodferguson/

Follow Elmo Lovano:

https://Instagram.com/elmolovano

https://Twitter.com/elmolovano

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