Profiles With Maggie LePique

The John & Alice Coltrane Home and the Coltrane Family, in partnership with Impulse! Records, Detroit Jazz Festival, Hammer Museum, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, The New York Historical Society, and many more, have declared 2024-2025 to be THE YEAR OF ALICE, celebrating the extensive life work of spiritual leader, composer, and musician Alice Coltrane.

In addition to being an iconic and remarkably prolific musician, Mrs. Coltrane was a beloved and wise spiritual leader, a pragmatic person with a keen eye for business, and a deeply giving human, who emphasized the importance of charitable giving, education, and spiritual guidance.

My guest today, Michelle Coltrane, is a jazz vocalist and composer. She was born in Paris, France and was raised primarily in Long Island, New York by her mother, musician Alice Coltrane, and her step-father, saxophonist John Coltrane.

Michelle has performed and collaborated with artists such as Scott Hiltzik, Shea Welsh, Kenny Kirkland, Jeff Watts, Ronnie Laws, Billy Childs, Jack DeJohnette, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Reggie Workman, The Gap Band, McCoy Tyner and her brother Ravi Coltrane.

Michelle has performed internationally with the Sai Anantam Ashram Singers presenting the music of Alice Coltrane.

Her second album, Awakening, was released in 2017 and featured sung versions of her father, John Coltrane's, songs.

Michelle of course co-hosted the “Straight No Chaser” radio program with me here on KPFK in Los Angeles and she is chief creative officer of the John Coltrane Home, a non-profit organization.
September Events

"A Force For Good Day" - A John & Alice Coltrane Home Service Event at the Half Hollow Hills Community Library in Dix Hills, NY. Mark your calendar for this free event, featuring a young persons concert of Long Island student musicians. Saturday, September 14 | 1pm - 4pm.

LINES Ballet premiere  - as part of "The Year of Alice," the LINES Ballet will premiere a new work set to Alice Coltrane's transformative music. Thursday, September 26 | 7:30pm.
Tickets
Also in September, please check back for more Year Of Alice events at Shapeshifter Plus in Brooklyn. 

Source: https://www.alicecoltrane.com/
Source: https://thecoltranehome.org/
Source: https://store.ververecords.com/pages/artist/alice-coltrane


Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

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Don Was & The Pan Detroit Ensemble
Maggie LePique speaks with Don Was about his new musical group Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble. Don & the Ensemble are embarking on a West Coast run of concert dates in September 2024. Made up of stellar jazz musicians from his Detroit hometown, The Pan-Detroit Ensemble will perform a mix of new originals, interpretations of songs written by artists like Yusef Lateef, Olu Dara, and Henry Threadgill, and of course updated cuts from albums that Don recorded with Orquestra Was and Was (Not Was). Don’s Detroit roots still run deep and, we explore those roots and highlight his most recent musical love letter to that great city, The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, and so much more.
More on Don Was:
Don Was is one of music’s most significant artists and executives, exceling in multiple roles and serving as one of the industry’s beacons for integrity and forward-thinking. During this period of disruption and rapid evolution in the worldwide music business, Was remains committed to music as an art form and its importance to contemporary culture. As the President of Blue Note Records since 2011, Was is both the company’s leader and an ambassador for its music, charged with bringing the label’s 21st Century jazz artists and its expanding pallet of contemporary musicians to larger audiences. Was is also caretaker for Blue Note’s singular and historic catalogue of music, and is burnishing the label’s 80-year legacy by overseeing ongoing and extensive reissue campaigns that serve audiences in both the analogue and digital realms.
One of Was’s most noteworthy musical associations of the past two decades is with The Rolling Stones, for whom he’s produced their last four studio albums and a host of other studio and live recordings. Beginning with Voodoo Lounge in 1994 and continuing through Bridges To Babylon in 1997, A Bigger Bang in 2005 and Blue And Lonesome in 2016, Was’s work with the Stones has resulted in Platinum and Gold certifications in dozens of countries. He also oversees the band’s historic reissues, including Exile on Main Street in 2010, Some Girls in 2011 and Sticky Fingers in 2015, searching the band’s vaults and master tapes for lost jewels and bringing the projects to completion. He produced the band’s 2020 surprise single, “Living In A Ghost Town,” which was released amidst the global pandemic in April of that year.

Source: https://donwas.com/
Source: https://www.bluenote.com/

Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

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Maggie speaks with four-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, performer, composer, conductor, arranger, producer, a composer for recordings and film, as well as one of the most celebrated acoustic and electric bass players in the world, Stanley Clarke. Stanley and Maggie discuss his forthcoming new album, as well as some of the upcoming highlights of his 2024 tour, stopping at the 67th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Saturday September 29, 2024.
MJF 67 September 27-29 2024
Stanley Clarke has attained “living legend” status during his over 50-year career as a bass virtuoso. He is the first bassist in history who doubles on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity and the first jazz-fusion bassist ever to headline tours, selling out shows worldwide. A veteran of over 40 albums, he won the 2011 Best Contemporary Jazz Album Grammy Award for The Stanley Clarke Band. Clarke co-founded the seminal fusion group Return to Forever with Chick Corea and Lenny White. In 2012 Return to Forever won a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Forever. Four-time Grammy Award winner Stanley Clarke is thrilled to be back on the road with his exciting new band 4EVER. Already in 2022/2023 the tour has played international and domestic venues with immense success. The Stanley Clarke N•4EVER tour’s emphasizes Clarke’s jazz fusion legacy. As expected, for this tour Clarke will be performing exciting new and sophisticated arrangements. True to the evolution of jazz fusion, expect a powerful combination of jazz harmony and improvisation with rock, funk, R&B, hip-hop and electronic music influences. Joining Clarke, 4EVER’s young band members bring a dynamic, youthful energy and freshness to the music. All extraordinarily consummate musicians and performers, the 4EVER band includes Jeremiah Collier on drums, Beka Gochiashvili on piano and keyboards, Colin Cook on guitar, Emilio Modeste on saxophone and, of course, Stanley Clarke on acoustic and electric bass. This band is a true concert band with a big jazz band sound. They excel in creating an electrifying performance, always pushing the boundaries of their instruments.

https://stanleyclarke.com/stanley/
https://broadstage.org/tickets-shows/calendar/future-sounds-of-jazz/
https://montereyjazzfestival.org/?utm_source=kpfk&utm_medium=referral
https://mackavenue.com/

Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

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Serj talks with Maggie about his new book Down With The System: A Memoir (of Sorts)  In DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM, Serj presents readers with a memoir that is far more than just a rock 'n' roll fable. It's an immigrant's tale, it’s an activist's awakening, and it's a spiritual journey from darkness toward light. And all of this comes down to the fact that Serj himself has had the chance to live an extraordinary life—thanks to a combination of luck, circumstance, struggle, talent, and spiritual awakening.

Braiding together Serj’s thought-provoking insight with heartfelt and poetic prose, DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM retraces Serj’s remarkable and unlikely journey, and explores what it’s taught him—about music, about art, about activism and about himself. It’s an unforgettable ride that will leave you breathless—and an absolute delight for new fans and old ones alike.

An exhilarating, thoughtful, and beautifully written debut memoir by musician, songwriter, and lead singer-lyricist of Grammy award-winning metal band, System Of A Down, Serj Tankian.

Check out Maggie's first interview with Serj Tankian from October of 2020.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1798623/episodes/9231906


Source: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/serj-tankian/down-with-the-system/9780306831928/?lens=hachette-books
Source: https://serjtankian.com/
Source: https://kavatcoffee.com/



Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

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Don Randi is a keyboard player, bandleader, longtime nightclub owner (no easy feat in L.A.) and a veteran of one of the most prolific and successful group of Los Angeles studio session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew.
He began his career as a professional pianist and keyboard player in 1956, gradually establishing a reputation as a leading session musician. In the early 1960s, he was a major contributor, as musician and arranger, to producer Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound". He also played piano on "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," by Nancy Sinatra, and The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations". He's  played on over three hundred hit records, working with musicians such as The Ronettes, Darlene Love, Linda Ronstadt, Quincy Jones, Cannonball Adderley, Herb Alpert, Neil Diamond, The Jackson 5, James Brown, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Zappa and many, many more!

He appeared on, and wrote for, many motion picture and television soundtracks, commercials and pop albums during the 1960s and 1970s. He also recorded albums of piano jazz music under his own name and as the leader of a trio with Leroy Vinnegar and Mel Lewis. These included Feelin' Like Blues (1960), Where Do We Go From Here (1962), Last Night (1963), and Love Theme From "Romeo And Juliet" (1968).

In 1970, he opened the Baked Potato Jazz Club, and formed his own group, Don Randi and Quest, as the house band. The band have subsequently recorded over 15 albums and were nominated for a Grammy in 1980 for the album New Baby.

In 2008, as a member of the "Wrecking Crew", Randi was inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk.

Source: https://www.last.fm/music/Don+Randi/+wiki
Source: https://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com/
Source: https://www.thebakedpotato.com/

Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

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Maggie speaks with Zev Feldman, an internationally recognized, independent record producer and the Co-President of Resonance Records in Los Angeles. He is also a consulting producer of archival and historical recordings for Blue Note Records. Zev & Maggie discuss Live In France: The 1966 Concert In Limoges is a previously unissued live solo recording of the "Godmother of Rock n’ Roll," Sister Rosetta Tharpe, captured at the auditorium of the Grand Theatre in Limoges, France on November 11, 1966. This is an official release on producer Zev Feldman's new Deep Digs record label. It is released in partnership with Elemental Music, and in cooperation with the Sister Rosetta Tharpe Estate and INA France.
Transferred from the original tape reels, this recording was restored and mastered by multi-GRAMMY award-winning engineer Michael Graves at Osiris Studio, with lacquers cut by the legendary Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios. The limited-edition 180-gram 2-LP edition (and deluxe CD) includes an extensive insert with rare photographs by Jan Persson, Hans Harzheim, Don Schlitten and Burt Goldblatt; two sets of liner notes by American and French Tharpe biographers — Gayle Wald (Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe) and Jean Buzelin (Sister Rosetta Tharpe: La femme qui inventa le Rock 'n' Roll); as well as statements by Susan Tedeschi, Henry Rollins, Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland, Billy Gibbons, Brian Ray and Rhea Hamilton. Special Record Store Day Edition - Available April 20th

Source: https://www.elemental-music.com/classic-blues/4810-sister-rosetta-tharpe-live-in-france-the-1966-concert-in-limoges-8435395503706.html
Source: https://www.elemental-music.com/content/4-about-us
Source: https://resonancerecords.org/about/

Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

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Maggie speaks intimately with Robby Krieger about his debut recording with his latest group, The Soul Savages. Joining Robby on this all-instrumental odyssey of psych-rock soul are top-shelf composers, instrumentalists, and bandmates. Bassist-songwriter Kevin “Brandino” Brandon co-wrote and recorded with Robby on the Singularity album, and he has won over half a dozen Grammy awards as well as three Emmy awards. His extensive resume includes credits with James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, and Beyonce. Keyboardist-songwriter Ed Roth is a Grammy-nominee known for his work in jazz, rock, and pop, and a robust resume that includes working with Ringo Starr, Brothers Johnson, Coolio, Shuggie Otis, and Annie Lennox.

And drummer-songwriter Franklin Vanderbilt brings savage to the band’s soul with his fatback groove and jazzy nimbleness. Among others, his credits include drumming for legendary Chaka Khan, recording with fusion jazz pioneer Stanley Clarke, and touring worldwide with Lenny Kravitz.

Robby Krieger knows that when you assemble the right bunch of musicians, and trust in the creative process, magic happens. As a founding member of The Doors, the guitarist intuitively understands the beauty of free-flowing collaboration and telepathic group interplay. This is evident on Robby’s self-titled debut release from his new band, Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages, out January 19, 2024 on The Players Club / Mascot Label Group.

Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages was recorded old school style with a bunch of friends jamming and recording in a relaxed studio setting. Tracked at Robby’s own Love Street Studios in Glendale, California, it finds Robby stretching out over cinematic groove music inspired by classic soul, 1960s jazz, blues, rock, psychedelic rock, and beyond.

Source: https://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/collections/robby-krieger
Source: https://www.allmusic.com/album/robby-krieger-the-soul-savages-mw0004139373
Source: https://www.amazon.com/Robby-Krieger-Soul-Savages/dp/B0CMJ8MZD6


Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

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RON KOVIC served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. He was paralyzed from his chest down in combat in 1968 and has been in a wheelchair ever since. Along with Oliver Stone, Kovic was the coscreenwriter of the 1989 Academy Award–winning film based on Kovic’s best-selling memoir Born on the Fourth of July (starring Tom Cruise as Kovic). Hurricane Street (2016) detailed Kovic’s efforts to organize the American Veterans Movement in 1974, fighting for better treatment of injured and disabled veterans. His latest work is A Dangerous Country.
Ron Kovic, author of Born on the Fourth of July and one of the country’s most powerful and passionate antiwar voices, completes his Vietnam Trilogy with this poignant, inspiring, and deeply personal.
Maggie has an extended conversation with Ron Kovic about his new book which completes his Vietnam Trilogy and his deep and personal story of his time in Vietnam, returning home and how his political views shifted tremendously. 

Source: https://www.akashicbooks.com/author/ron-kovic/
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Kovic

Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

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Maggie LePique and Charlie Pignone discuss Platinum which celebrates the 70th Anniversary of Frank Sinatra signing to Capitol Records, a moment that transformed his career and solidified his standing as one of the greatest interpretive singers of all time. From 1953 – 1962, Sinatra recorded more than three hundred songs for Capitol, the majority of them included on the landmark ‘concept’ albums Sinatra pioneered. It is arguably the finest body of recorded work in popular music.
The 44-track set features a cross-section of his most beloved songs and sought-after rarities. From the swinging “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and ebullient “Come Fly With Me” to the breathtaking “Moonlight in Vermont” and torch song “Only The Lonely,” the set also includes previously unreleased tracks culled from the Capitol vaults along with alternate takes, a test track, radio spots and session takes that reveal Sinatra’s in-studio artistry.

Platinum was curated by Charles Pignone, President of Frank Sinatra Enterprises.

Throughout his seven-decade career, Frank Sinatra performed on over 1,400 recordings and was awarded 31 gold, nine platinum, three double platinum, and one triple platinum album by the Recording Industry Association of America. The three-time Oscar® winner also appeared in over 60 films and produced eight motion pictures. Sinatra was awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Recording Academy, The Screen Actors Guild, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as well as the Kennedy Center Honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal. Frank Sinatra demonstrated a remarkable ability to appeal to every generation that continues; his artistry still influences many of today’s music superstars. He remains a legend and an inspiration worldwide for his cultural and artistic contributions. For more information about Frank Sinatra, visit sinatra.com.
Source: https://www.sinatra.com/

Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

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 Experience Hendrix & Legacy Recordings released Jimi Hendrix Experience: Hollywood Bowl August 18, 1967.  This live concert performance was captured just five days before the US release of Are You Experienced, their album debut.  Amazingly, not a single second of this two-track live recording has ever been released before in any capacity, either via official channels or otherwise.

During their set, The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding) blazed through originals such as “Purple Haze,” “The Wind Cries Mary,” and yet-to-be-released classics “Foxey Lady” and “Fire,” as well as their own re-imagining of favorites Bob Dylan (“Like a Rolling Stone”), The Troggs (“Wild Thing”) and Muddy Waters (“Catfish Blues”). Having already conquered the band’s UK base as well as Continental Europe over the previous ten months, the vast majority of the 17,000 plus Los Angeles concert goers were there to see headliners The Mamas & The Papas and were caught off guard by Jimi Hendrix’s electrifying musicality and showmanship.

John McDermott is the director, writer and producer who has long been associated with the legacy of Jimi Hendrix.  He has served as the Catalog Director for the Jimi Hendrix family company Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. for nearly three decades.  Together with Janie Hendrix and Eddie Kramer, McDermott has co-produced every Jimi Hendrix CD and DVD release, including 1999’s Grammy Award-winning Band Of Gypsys, 2014’s Emmy Award-winning Hear My Train A Comin’ and the recent Grammy nominated Music, Money, Madness: Jimi Hendrix In Maui.   His most recent project is Jimi Hendrix Experience: Hollywood Bowl August 18, 1967.

Source: https://www.jimihendrix.com/music/hollywood-bowl-august-18-1967/

Host Maggie LePique, a radio veteran since the 1980's at NPR in Kansas City Mo. She began her radio career in Los Angeles in the early 1990's and has worked for Pacifica station KPFK Radio in Los Angeles since 1994.

Support the show