Impropod Podcast

"And then I stood at the top of the stairs looking down the stairwell into the conference exposition area. I took a moment and I started crying because in that moment I was aware that my career had been over 20 years ago"

California-based singer, songwriter and composer Glenda Benavides shares her artistic journey, including a pivotal experience at a music conference in Cannes that challenged her ambitions and ultimately led her to rethink her career. She talks about the unexpected connections that have shaped her creative path, her work across music, film and storytelling, and the healing power of music to express and process emotion. Glenda also discusses her current projects and her commitment to planting trees through every purchase made on her website.

They discuss:

◼ How Glenda’s journey to a music conference in Cannes became a moment of overwhelm, self-doubt and ultimately a new beginning for her artistic career

◼ How music can reflect the emotional arc of a story, from excitement and discovery through shock and heartbreak to release and healing

◼ How an unexpected online connection with music producer Gene Williams led to a creative partnership and a new way of living and working

◼ How improvisation can transform personal stories into emotional soundtracks, creating moments of connection, reflection and discovery

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◼On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC34WsYcP0CO0urZJJLz1tOw

◼ See this episode on the podcast map at: https://www.impropod.com/

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◼On LinkedIn @luke-tomlinson-917ab6252/

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San Fransisco based mentalist and magician, Daniel Chan, talks about his journey to becoming the The Millionaires' Mentalist and the power of networking. He discusses reinventing his career during the pandemic and performing for high-profile clients. Daniel also tells stories from his early days performing in restaurants and a pivotal encounter at an exclusive party that changed the way he approached his career, all accompanied by Luke’s improvised piano soundtracks.

They discuss:

◼ How discovering magic in a San Francisco magic shop inspired Daniel to pursue a career as a professional magician and mentalist

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◼On instagram @danchanmagic

Notable Mentions

People Mentioned

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Birmingham-based choir master and composer Ruairi Edwards talks about how he learned to conduct, and the process he went through from pianist to conductor. He also tells an interesting story involving Bobby McFerrin, all with a unique soundtrack.

Ruari shares his journey from pianist to conductor, highlighting the challenges and mentorship that shaped his career. A significant moment discussed is his experience conducting Mozart's Requiem, which solidified his identity as a conductor. The episode delves into the emotional impact of music, the importance of personal connections, and the balance between technical skill and creativity.

Throughout the episode, Luke creates spontaneous piano soundtracks to Ruairi’s stories, capturing the uncertainty of learning, the development of musical fluency, and the warmth of human connection. They also explore improvisation, musical intuition, technical knowledge, mentorship and what it means to truly make someone feel seen.

They discuss:

◼ How learning to conduct involves overcoming failure, developing technique and eventually finding your own unique musical expression

◼ How conducting Mozart’s Requiem became a pivotal moment in Ruairi’s journey towards confidence and musical identity

◼ How an unexpected meeting with Bobby McFerrin in New York became a powerful lesson in kindness, connection and making people feel seen

◼ How improvised piano can capture the emotional journey of a story, from uncertainty and dissonance to warmth, fluency and connection

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Mentioned in this Episode:

◼Song Exploder podcast - Maddison McFerrin

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Montreal (Canada) based clarinetist, teacher, poet Founder of the Modern Artist Project Kristine Dizon, discuss's her relationship to music and teaching methods. She also tells a story about pastries and friendship, and recites a poem about death and silence, which Luke improvises a simultaneous soundtrack to.

The conversation delves into the balance between technical musical knowledge and emotional expression, and how improvisation can help musicians move beyond worrying about what is “right” or “wrong” and instead play with intention, feeling and spontaneity.

They discuss:

◼ How a long-distance friendship, a shared love of pastries and a flight across Canada inspire an improvised soundtrack of distance, connection and reunion

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DJ & chef Kim Anandi tells an entertaining story involving his dislike for the band ABBA and why never plays it, and recounts an interesting cop drama about a nighttime Goan trip on a moped with no working lights, police checkpoints and a dramatic escape.  Luke transforms the story into music, capturing the tension and pursuit.

They discuss:

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Texas based motivational public speaker and personal trainer Ross Alexander of war room speakers club  talks about how he overcame great adversity to become successful. A journey through professional weight lifting and collegiate cheer leading, he also tells the emotional story of when his son was born reflecting on the excitement, uncertainty, worry and overwhelming love of that unforgettable day.. All with a unique spontaneous soundtrack!

Throughout the episode, Luke creates spontaneous piano soundtracks to Ross’s stories, turning his experiences into music. Ross describes hearing his college journey transformed into a musical “ascension”, from heaviness and uncertainty towards lightness and achievement. He also explores how the music helped him revisit memories and emotions in a surprisingly therapeutic way.

◼ How overcoming adversity,  years of hard work can inspire an improvised soundtrack of struggle, determination and eventual triumph

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◼On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC34WsYcP0CO0urZJJLz1tOw

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Songwriter, saxophonist and multi instrumentalist Luke Marzec tells a story of surviving in a tent during a heavy storm on acid, and the log to leg race while at the Bodgers ball, where traditional woodworking, folk songs and campfires create the feeling of stepping back into a pre-industrial world. Featuring Luke M on saxophone and some great musical insight. 

The conversation explores how music can capture the shape and atmosphere of a story rather than simply illustrating it. They discuss using dissonance to represent tension, harmony to suggest different eras, and melody as an anchor when moving between contrasting musical worlds.

Luke also picks up the saxophone and improvises, before discussing the differences between playing a single-note instrument and the piano. Together they explore medieval harmony, modern life, musical pastiche, reharmonisation and how a familiar melody can be transformed simply by changing the harmony underneath it.

They discuss:

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Rob Hopkins, a key figure in the Transition Town movement, and host of the podcast what if to what next. Tells the story of creating a community experience involving projection mapping & composer Brian Eno. For the 1st time Luke improvises to a story set in the future, they discuss the power of positive intention and its relationship music. The episode highlights themes of time, creativity, and the role of music in shaping future possibilities.

They discuss:

◼ How a walk across Dartmoor inspires an improvised soundtrack of changing landscapes, weather, darkness and expansive open spaces

◼ How a community campaign to save a former milk factory in Totnes led to a magical projection event with Brian Eno, blending music, light and collective imagination

◼ How improvisation can turn uncertainty about the future into music, creating a soundtrack for hope, possibility and imagined moments yet to come

◼ How music and imagination can help us envisage different futures, challenge what seems possible and create a more multisensory connection to the world we want to build

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◼ See this episode on the podcast map at: https://www.impropod.com/

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◼On LinkedIn @luke-tomlinson-917ab6252/

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Hanna Smith, a bookseller and linocut artist inspired by folklore, nature and the occult, joins Luke to explore the connection between storytelling and improvised music. She tells some vivid stories from her time living in Vanuatu, including a visit to an active volcano that takes a dramatic turn, and a narrowboat adventure on the London canals when a failing engine leaves her drifting through the darkness.

Together, Luke and Hanna explore how stories have their own rhythm, with tension and release, movement and stillness, and how improvised music can capture the atmosphere, emotion and changing pace of a story.

◼ How a trip to an active volcano in Vanuatu transforms from idyllic tropical paradise into a dangerous moonscape, inspiring music that captures beauty, awe, energy and sudden danger

◼ How a narrowboat journey from London turns into an unexpected adventure when the engine fails, using music to reflect movement, panic, uncertainty and eventual calm

◼ How storytelling and music share a natural rhythm, with tension and release, highs and lows, space and movement creating a musicality within every story

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Sandy talks about the weird effects of being struck by lightning, gives some fascinating insight into her relationship with music, & tells a story involving South African bishop Desmond Tutu and his chair...

 Themes of memory, fear, cultural dynamics, and the impact of music on storytelling are explored, creating a dynamic and reflective conversation that underscores the power of narrative and sound.

They discuss:

◼ How an improvised piece of music transports Sandy to the Himalayas, blending memories of rhododendrons, childhood experiences and imagined landscapes

◼ How a meeting with Bishop Desmond Tutu in apartheid-era Soweto inspires music that moves from warmth and lightness to fear, tension and the darker realities of life under apartheid

◼ How being struck by lightning twice left Sandy with strange changes in her sense of space, reality and identity, and how improvisation helps express the fractured energy and emotion of those experiences

◼ How sharing deeply personal memories and hearing them transformed into music can reveal unexpected layers of emotion, creating a different way of seeing and processing a story

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◼On Instagram:@krumplicards

◼ See this episode on the podcast map at: https://www.impropod.com/

Follow Luke 

◼On LinkedIn @luke-tomlinson-917ab6252/

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