Mike Jeffers Audio Experience

In this episode of Around Town with Mike Jeffers, he talks with Claire Jefferys, wife of acclaimed New York musician Garland Jeffreys, about her powerful new documentary, “Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between.”

Co-directed with filmmaker Evan M. Johnson, the documentary explores the extraordinary life of Garland Jeffreys—an artist who broke boundaries as a biracial rock & roll trailblazer, poet, and activist. From the streets of Brooklyn to international stages, Garland’s story unfolds through archival footage, rare performances, and insightful interviews.

Claire shares the behind-the-scenes journey of making the film and offers a firsthand look into the interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Harvey Keitel, Laurie Anderson, and many more. These tributes from friends and collaborators paint a vivid picture of Garland’s influence on music and culture over the last several decades.

 Don’t miss the exclusive screening of the documentary on June 28, 2025, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. The event will include a Q&A with the filmmakers and special appearances by Jon Langford and Nicholas Tremulis, both of whom have personal connections to Garland’s work and legacy.

Get tickets and information here: http://bit.ly/3G4Y6wd

In this Chicago Jazz Magazine interview, Mike Jeffers talks with two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling about his upcoming performance at Ravinia on Father’s Day, June 15th, inside the intimate Martin Theatre.

Kurt shares insights into his new project celebrating Weather Report, featuring original member and legendary drummer Peter Erskine. The conversation also touches on Kurt’s deep dive into the music and original members which sheds new light on why the group was ahead of it's time. 

🎙️ Presented by: ChicagoJazz.com

🎫 Tickets to Ravinia Show: www.ravinia.org

#KurtElling #ChicagoJazzMagazine #JazzPodcast #WeatherReportTribute #PeterErskine #LiveJazzChicago #RaviniaFestival

Episode 085 Mike talks with Geoff Bradfield and playing with his group Tenor Time at the Green Mill and Juli Wood honoring others jazz musicians at Andy's Jazz Club.

Episode 084 Around Town with Mike Jeffers and Jake Shapiro, Ritchie Goods and Chien Chien Lu. Jake discusses his upcoming gig at the Kenilworth Assembly Hall and Ritchie and Chien Chien discuss the challenges of touring.

Episode 083 Mike Jeffers interviews Anne and Mark Burnell about their upcoming Halloween gig at Rhapsody and Clark Sommers tells us about his Release Party of "Feast Ephemera" at the Green Mill.

Around Town with Mike Jeffers Episode 082 with Eric Jacobson and Brett Dean.

Episode 081 Steve Sedergreen talks iwht Mike about his upcoming gigs with Pat Mallinger and Ty Cooper, how Chicago compares to Melbourne and playing at a young age with his dad and other great musicians. He will be here October 20 for a house concert and October 21st at Pianoforte.

Episode 077 of Around Town with Mike Jeffers features an interview with Christian Dillingham previewing his upcoming performance at the Chicago Jazz Festival Sunday September 3 at the Von Freeman stage (north promenade) 1:50-2:45pm.

Episode 074 of Around Town with Mike Jeffers features an interview with pianist Theodis Rodgers Jr. previewing his upcoming performance at the 2023 Chicago Jazz Festival.