Mark Shilansky's Talking Music Podcast

Mark interviews drummer extraordinaire Les Harris, Jr, where they just scratch the surface of Les's illustrious career playing with some of New England's and the World's finest jazz musicians, including local faves, vocal group "The Ritz."  Watch for Part II of this interview, where Mark talks to other generations of this musical family.  Songs featured, with Les on drums: "Perdido" (The Ritz - Movin' Up), "Serenade to a Bus Seat" (Trent Austin - Trumpet 102), "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" (April Hall - Room for Two), "Field of Greens" (Mark Kleinhaut, featuring Bobby Watson - A Balance of Light), "Basically Blues" (The Ritz - Movin' Up), "To You" (The Ritz - Flying), "Music In the Air" (The Ritz - The Ritz), "Pilot House Blues" (Tommy Gallant - piano, Jim Howe - bass), "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)" - Paul Broadnax.

The Forge (http://www.theforgemusic.com) are a traditional Irish music group, of whom Brian O'Donovan (A Celtic Soujourn - WGBH) says "A new band shows up on the scene and immediately seems destined to make an impact.  The Forge are a bright new name in the American Irish music scene. Paying homage to their traditional roots while creating something new.”  The members, Maeve Gilchrist (harp, voice), Cara Francowicz (fiddle), Nicole Rabata (Irish Flute), and Anna Colliton (Bodhran) are all distinguished as soloists and side musicians on other projects across the musical spectrum, but decided at a session in the wee small hours at a music festival to become a group.  This was a very informational chat for me, as the Forge shed light on their embellishment and arrangement techniques.  Music featured includes selections from the group's website (Dever the Dancer, Sweet Rosemarie, The Blackbird, and  and a set made up of Bold Dougherty/Palm Sunday/The Legacy) plus a selection from Maeve Gilchrist's CD Song of Delight (called "Take off Your Coat") which I included to illustrate Maeve's harmonic invention and way of crafting an intro to a tune.

Mark interviews Saxophonist/Author/Composer/allaround Great Guy Tom Hall, about his Improvlive365 web show, and much more.  Musical selections include tracks from Session III (with Tom, Jeff Galindo, Marty Ballou), the Bruce Katz Band, and April Hall.

Mark talks to vocalist and songwriter April Hall, about her history of music-making, from her days at Berklee (eventually singing with Billy Joel, Rosemary Clooney, and Chaka Khan), to her solo records in the folk/pop and jazz idioms.  They talk about their awkward meeting, and Mark confesses some deep-seated resentment.  Music includes selections from April's CDs "Something Like That," "Fun out of Life," and the soon-to-be-released "Room for Two," which is comprised solely of DUO performances, and which will enjoy a CD release party at the Regattabar on June 2, 2012.

Mark has the distinct honor to interview the vocal group New York Voices!  Following in the footsteps of such groups as Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, and the Manhattan Transfer, NYV serves up a blend of tight jazz harmonies, scat singing, and displays of virtuosity, emulating big bands and other instruments, along with an embrace of Pop, Soul, and Latin music.  Mark discusses the group's inception, some humorous and profound milestones in their career, changes in line-up and musical direction, and the group's present and future, including new projects and the opportunity for vocal students and educators to study with them this summer at the NYV vocal jazz camp at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.  Musical selections include "Darn that Dream", "Giant Steps," "The World Keeps You Waiting," "Loves Me Like a Rock," "Cecilia," and "Answered Prayers."  Check out more by the New York Voices on itunes and Amazon, and at their website http://www.newyorkvoices.com

Lisa Thorson is a wonderful jazz singer and voice teacher and basically a Boston institution.  You need to hang with her and hear her perform to experience the true magnitude of her greatness, but satisfy yourself for now with this interview, where we talk about jazz pedagogy, our shared history, her journey through living with a debilitating injury, and much more.  Music includes Her Eyes - M.S. (James Pisano) from "Other Voices", Falling in Love with Love - Loesser (performance by Sheila Jordan), Do Nothin' til You Hear From Me - Ellington/Russell, arr. Shilansky, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Arlen/Kohler, arr. Tim Ray, The Nearness of You - Washington/Carmichael, Resonance - Thorson/Bill Coon, Out to Sea - Harrell/Pyle (Lisa and Cho Yoon Seung), I Mean You - Monk, arr. Shilansky

We're BACK!  We did a live podcast interview/performance at the Lilypad, one of the area's best small performing venues, with one of the best pianos in town.  We interviewed my friend David Thorne Scott about his hometowns and his new CD.  We talked and jammed with the lovely and talented singer/songwriter Sarah Brindell.  We shared stories with bassist and composer Mark Poniatowski.  And we talked briefly but memorably with drummer (and recording engineer... he recorded the concert for this one!) Dave Jamrog about his new project Junktronique.

Adrian Sicam is a singer/songwriter/keyboardist who joins Mark in a car conversation en route to a function gig with their sometime musical home: the Hip Pocket Orchestra.  Ade and Mark discuss Ade's time at Syracuse University, the world of musical theatre, the legendary funk/spoken word band Neon Grandma (of which Adrian was a founding member), Star Island, Adrian's solo record "Hey Stranger," and the trials and tribulations of the living as an artist.  Music: "You Behave" (Shilansky), "Skylark" (Carmichael/Mercer, arr. Sicam/Shilansky), "I Cover the Waterfront", "Funky Lover" (Sicam, perf. by Neon Grandma), "So Low" (Sicam), "Jazz and Sushi" (Sicam), and "Change Your Mind" (Sicam)

Christine Fawson plays trumpet and sings on her own projects and as the Alto in the group Syncopation.  She speaks her mind honestly, and doesn't tolerate B.S. from anyone, including her friends.  We discuss the Mormon faith (quite controversially, I might add), Women in Jazz, Berklee, and much more.  Visit her at http://www.christinefawson.net  Episode Music: "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" (U2, as performed by Syncopation), Don't Fence Me in (Berlin, performed by Fawson), Invisible War (Julia Fordham, by Syncopation), Avalon (Fawson), Wonderful You (by Syncopation, music by Hiromi Uehara, Lyrics by Fawson), and "Betcha By Golly Wow" (Syncopation, words and music by Linda Creed and Thom Bell).

Mark talks to singer/songwriter/guitarist Kate Schutt.  Originally from Pennsylvania, Kate spent time in Boston and then many years in Guelph, Ontario before settling in her current locale of NYC.  A slew of great recordings make up her body of work, including "No Love Lost" (the one Shilansky is on, also Shilansky-pal Dave Jamrog, w/string arrangements by Jeff Louie and a special appearance by Toni Lynn Washington), and "The Telephone Game," (featuring Orrin Evans, Terri Lynn Carrington, John Ellis) a project made in conjunction with the innovative Artistshare label.  Kate and Mark talk about all this, as well as studying Chinese, why someone would bail on Harvard to go to Berklee (!!?), the life of a self-managing/producing artist, and much more.  If you've heard other interviews with Kate (she has been making some major waves in the industry, including being featured on NPR's "Song of the Day"), this one is different, because in this one Kate addresses how she "left it all behind" and dropped out of the biz for a significant period of time, to do volunteer work, and she discusses this in moving detail.  Songs include: "The Moon Got Broken", "Our Legs are Burning," "Glamorous Life" (a Sheila E cover!), "You Can Have the Sky," and "Raining."