Shaping Opinion

Jazz great Monty Alexander joins Tim to end 2020 and look ahead to a New Year. In this episode Monty talks about his own life, career, holiday traditions, and some interesting experiences with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Tony Bennett and many others. Ultimately, he talks about his gift and the act of giving. In this episode, we have a relaxed conversation with a man who’s enjoyed nothing less than a dream career in jazz.

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In the mid-1950s, Louis Armstrong made a visit to Jamaica. When he stopped in Kingston, he made a strong impression on one 13-year old member of the audience.

It was Monty Alexander, who at the time was starting to develop his own skills on the piano. Monty would later call the visit “inspirational.”

Since then, Monty has carved out a career and life in music that he could have only dreamed about as a child.

He had started playing the piano at four years old and could play by ear. He took classical music lessons when he was six, but by the time he was 14 he had taken an interest in jazz.

He started playing in clubs, and in recording sessions.  Still a teenager, he would later direct a dance orchestra called Monty and the Cyclones, which played in local clubs.

In 1961, his family moved to the United States and settled in Miami. It was at one club in Miami where Monty caught the attention of Frank Sinatra. The crooner was in the club to see another act, but someone told him about this young jazz piano player in the front room bar who quote – is swinging the room pretty good.”

Sinatra’s friend Jilly Rizzo was with the chairman of the board that night, and that led to Monty getting an invitation to go to New York City about a year later, where he would become the house pianist for Jilly Rizzo’s night club called “Jilly’s.”

We’d like to say at this point, that “the rest is history,” but there’s much more to the story. For Monty Alexander, that was just the beginning.

Links

* Monty Alexander, (Official Website)

* Monty Alexander, All Music

* Monty Alexander, LA Phil

Gratitude

Our thanks to Monty Alexander and Resonance records for allowing us to use portions of tracks in this episode from Monty's most recent release, "Love You Madly: Live at Bubba's."

About this Episode’s Guest Monty Alexander

Nearly sixty years after he moved to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica, his hometown, Grammy nominated pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience drawn to his vibrant personality and soulful message.

A perennial favorite at Jazz festivals and venues worldwide and at the Montreux Jazz Festival where he has appeared 23 times since 1976, his spirited conception is one informed by the timeless verities: endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, sophisticated voicings, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.”

In the course of any given performance, Alexander applies those aesthetics to a repertoire spanning a broad range of jazz and Jamaican musical expressions—the American songbook and the blues, gospel and bebop, calypso and reggae. Documented on more than 75 recordings and cited as the fifth greatest jazz pianist ever in T...

Santa Butch from Montana is a mall Santa and has been one for most of the past 20 years. He joins Tim to tell what it’s like to actually be Santa in the eyes of a child, and some of the stories from his years as spreading holiday cheer as Santa Claus.

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There’s a good chance you’ve done this. As a child, you went with your mom or dad to a department store or a shopping mall to see Santa Claus. In the typical routine, one parent would stay with you, wait in line, or ride the Christmas train, while the other parent would do the holiday shopping.

In the end, you’d have your big moment on Santa’s knee, telling him all the things you wanted for Christmas, that you were a good boy or girl, and you’d look for some sign, any sign, of his approval, telling you that you just might get what you asked him for. Then you’d have your picture taken with the jolly old elf.

Maybe later, you’ve had the chance to carry this practice forward with your own kids, and the holiday tradition continues.

So, when did this all start? History.com says that in 1841, thousands of kids went to a Philadelphia department store to see a larger than life figure of Santa Claus.

Other stores noticed and realized that if they could give shoppers a taste of a living and breathing Santa Claus, they could attract even more shoppers.

The first man to dress as Santa Claus was James Edgar, who dressed in his Santa suit in 1890 at his own store to draw children…and their parents…to his store. In the Mall Santa world, he’s the origin story. He’s the first department store Santa Claus.

Since then, for millions of children, no holiday season has been complete until they have had the chance to meet Santa Claus at a department store or a mall.

And an untold number of people have donned the red suit and cap, to play the role of St. Nick, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus.

In the spirit of the season, we thought we’d talk to one of those people. His name is Butch. He’s known in the mall Santa world as Santa Butch from Montana, and he’s been making spirits bright in that red suit since 2001.

Links

* Here Comes Santa Claus - with Face Masks and Plexiglass, Associated Press

* Why Do We Let Kids Sit On Santa's Lap?, Romper.com

* Five Things You Might Not Know About Mall Santas, Huffington Post

About this Episode’s Guest Santa Butch from Montana

“I actually signed my first contract in 1999, my first working year was 2001 in New Jersey, then seven years in Wilmington N.C., on to 2 more years in Louisville, Kentucky. This was all travel time that the photo company provides motel accommodations and rental car as well as round trip flight tickets.

I took a couple years off to retire from my regular work. Retired in January 2013 and became a snow bird from our home in Montana to Apache Junction Az. I started at a mall in Phoenix in 2013 and have been there since.

My wife joined me in traveling 2008 thru 2010. So, I have spent 17 of the last 21 years as a Mall Santa.

I do it because I enjoy the children, the families, the not really knowing what is next.

International recording artist Jonathan Butler joins Tim to talk about Christmas and how despite all of the adversity he’s faced in his life, his story is one of hope, of inspiration, and of happiness. Jonathan is an accomplished jazz creator and performer who gained fame in pop music, R&B, jazz and worship music.  In this episode, Jonathan recalls his own holiday memories and how he taps spirituality in his own music.

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Jonathan Butler is a singer-songwriter. He’s a guitarist, and while he’s known well in jazz circles, his influence doesn’t stop there.

He’s now 59 years old, and was born in South Africa in an atmosphere dictated by apartheid. He was raised in poverty, a kind of poverty that few places in the world see.

But he had one thing that would lift him from that poverty and help him make a difference in the world. He had a love and a talent for music.

And thanks to that, he would become the first non-white artist to be played on South African radio. He would appear on national television and become a celebrity, but more than a celebrity, a role model.

He was a young boy when his father gave him a homemade, one-string guitar.  From there, Jonathan Butler started to flourish. As a young teen, he won a local talent contest.  This led to an opportunity to perform with a touring musical company throughout South Africa.

Every now and then, he would perform at lavish concert halls for whites only, places where he would not be allowed to use the bathroom. Over the course of a week, he’d play in these concert halls, and alternately at some rundown facility before a local community.

Jonathan was 13 years old when he was discovered by British record producer Clive Caulder. Clive signed Jonathan to a record contract with his Jive Records label.

Jonathan’s first single was the first song by a black artist played by white radio stations in South Africa and it won the South African equivalent to a Grammy®.  That was the first major barrier he was able to break down.

Eventually, he’d be nominated for Gammy awards and take his place in popular music.

As impressive as all of that may be, the reason we’re talking to Jonathan today centers on a different level. In 2020, the world has been met with unprecedented challenges, and yet here we are in the midst of the holiday season. This is a spiritual time. A time for positivity. A time to be uplifted and inspired. And that’s why we’re talking to Jonathan Butler.

Gratitude

Our thanks to Jonathan Butler for his permission to use tracks of his music in this production.

Links

* Jonathan Butler (official website)

* Jonathan Butler, AllMusic.com

* Nelson Mandela Foundation (official website)

About this Episode’s Guest Jonathan Butler

The youngest of 12 children, Butler grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, ruled by Apartheid and segregation.

Butler began his singing career at age 7, releasing his first album in 1973. He made history by being the first black artist played on white South African radio while earning three gold records (“Please Stay” went double gold and “I Love How You Love Me” went gold) in 1975 as he became a teenager.

More than a decade later, Jonathan moved to London after signing with Jive Records and released his first album internationally. The self-titled set went gold in 1987 in the United Kingdom and in the USA. He received Grammy nominations for Best R&B Song for his R&B-pop vocal hit “Lies” and for Best Jazz Song...

Sharyl Attkisson joins Tim to talk about her latest book and the current state of the news media in society.  Her book, “Slanted: How the news media taught us to love censorship and hate journalism,” centers on that dynamic called “The Narrative,” which appears to drive so much news coverage we see today. Sharyl talks of her many years as a network reporter and the way the media covers news today.

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Sharyl Attkisson has been a working journalist for more than 35 years. She’s the host and managing editor of a nonpartisan Sunday morning TV program called, “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.”  She’s a contributor and contributor on numerous other news programs, and she’s an author.

In addition to her most recent book called “Slanted,” she wrote another best-seller called The Smear. Both books get into detail about what goes on behind the scenes in the news media. How some stories see the light of day, while others are sure never to see the light of day.

Sharyl has covered presidents. She’s won five Emmy Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting. She’s worked at CBS News, PBS and CNN.

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Links

* Slanted: how the news media taught us to love censorship and hate journalism, by Sharyl Attkisson (Amazon)

* Sharyl Attkisson Official Site

* Sharyl Attkisson on Twitter

* Full Measure News

* Busted! After lawsuit thread the New York Times goes into full retreat, NewsThud.com

* Just the News

Hallmark artist and creator Tammy Haddix joins Tim to talk about one of America’s more lasting holiday traditions, our holiday ornaments and decorating the Christmas tree. Tammy tells her own story as a member of the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Studio, as a mother and a wife, and how all of that comes to play when she helps make the holidays that much more special for Americans across the country.

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The Christmas tree made its American debut in the 1700s. German mercenary soldiers who were fighting in the Revolutionary War brought the Christmas tradition with them.

But it wasn’t until German and English immigrants came to America in the 1840s and decorated those trees with ornaments that the trees and the ornaments would become hugely popular.

Back in 1973, Hallmark introduced a new line of Christmas ornaments. The line consisted of six glass ball ornaments and 12 yarn figures. These are considered the first in a line the company calls its “Keepsake Ornaments,” combining a touch of Hallmark creativity and polish, with a feel of homemade warmth.

Since that humble start, the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament line has brought more than 9,500 Keepsake Ornaments to America.

The way the company describes it, Hallmark wanted to create ornaments with magical qualities that recalled a nostalgic feel, that celebrated holiday traditions, that recalled Christmas memories.

If you were to visit your nearby Hallmark store, or visit the company’s online site, you’d find a wall packed with a Hallmark Keepsake ornament for nearly every taste or sentiment.

Everything from characters from your favorite movies or sports teams, to your favorite cartoon characters or holiday traditions, all artfully depicted in brilliant detail.

Tammy Haddix has worked in the Keepsake Sculpting Studio since 1996, and has been with Hallmark for 32 years.

Links

* Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments, (Official Site)

* Hallmark Ornaments by Year, HookedOnHallmark.com

* Keepsake Ornament Club, (Official Site)

* The Story Behind Those Precious Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments, Southern Living

About this Episode’s Guest Tammy Haddix

Tammy Haddix is a Master Artist and has worked at Hallmark for 32 years, the first eight were spent illustrating everything but cards. Then in 1996 she transferred to the Keepsake Sculpting Studio and began a 24-year sculpting career that she absolutely loves.

New York Times best-selling author Nathaniel Philbrick joins Tim to talk about the story behind those pilgrims and the Mayflower in a way that covers much more than that first Thanksgiving. Nathaniel has authored many best sellers, but the one we’ll focus on in this episode is must-reading for anyone who wants to get the full story of Thanksgiving’s origins in America. The book is called simply, “Mayflower.” This episode marks the 400th anniversary of that world-changing voyage.

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It’s been 400 years since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in the New World. The world was a much different place then than as it is now, in many ways, but for the sake of this episode the place to start is the practice of religion. Keep in mind, this is long before 1776 and the Declaration of Independence.

The Pilgrims lived under a king. King James, to be precise. And that king did not allow for freedom of religion. The Church was the state. The state was the Church. It was the Church of England. And for all intents and purposes, the king was god on earth.

If you did not recognize his church’s absolute authority over your life, you were persecuted, perhaps imprisoned and sometimes even executed, all because you did not believe in that church’s doctrines and teachings.

There were two groups who opposed this. The Puritans wanted to create change from within. And the separatists wanted to flee. They just wanted to leave England for a better place, where they could practice their religion according to their own conscience.

So, they did. In 1608, 12 years before the Mayflower, a group of separatists sailed from England to a town in Holland called Leiden.  They went to Holland to worship their God the way they wanted.

And while they did experience religious freedom in Holland, they also found the rules had changed from what they were used to. The Dutch craft guilds did not accept them because they were migrants.  They found themselves on the lowest rungs of the caste system. They worked the lowest jobs for the lowest pay.

The separatists also felt that the secular culture of Holland provided too much temptation for their children and worried it would lure them away from their faith.

That’s when the separatists decided to uproot and sail to the New World, where they could live and practice their faith on their own terms.

They returned to London to organize and get funding from a successful merchant.

The separatists then hired a merchant ship called the Mayflower and 40 separatists boarded it in September 1620.  The 40 separatists were joined by others. A total of 102 passengers sailed on the Mayflower for the rugged shores of that New World.

In November of that year, they arrived at a place where a huge rock dominated the shore line. A rock they would dub Plymouth Rock, and that is where life in the New World – for them – began.

Nathaniel Philbrick’s book about the Mayflower is about more than one voyage and eventually the Thanksgiving story, though that is our focus today. He followed the separatists – the Pilgrims – through a 50-plus year history in the New World.

Links

* Nathaniel Philbrick, author page

* Mayflower: Voyage, Community, War, by Nathaniel Philbrick, Amazon

* The Mayflower, History.com

* The Mayflower Compact, Yale.

Jazz Renaissance man John Beasley joins Tim to talk about his multifaceted career and life in jazz music.  He’s a jazz pianist, a composer, an arranger, a music director and a producer. And chances are you’ve heard some of his work through film, TV or commercials. In this episode, John talks about his a one-of-a-kind music lineage and how he balances his many music loves.

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John Beasley was born in Louisiana, the birthplace of jazz music. So, you’d think that if he chose a life in music that might be his focus, but it is so much more than that.

John comes from a long line of musicians. His father was a bassoonist, pianist and composer. John’s mother was a brass instrumentalist, a band conductor and an orchestrator. His grandfather was a trombonist.

Needless to say, John grew up around music and musicians. He learned how to play the trumpet, the oboe, the drums, the saxophone and the flute – all mainly because his mother needed wind instrumentalists for her bands.

When John was 17 years old, Julliard, the legendary music school in New York City, offered John a scholarship for oboe at the young age of 17. He turned it down.

Instead, he decided to start playing in clubs, even before he reached the legal drinking age. Not long after, he’d embark on his first world tour with Sergio Mendes, the Brazilian artist. He then spent eight years with another jazz icon, Freddie Hubbard.

Meanwhile, he had his own band called Audio Mind. And that’s just the beginning.

Today, John Beasley is a musical Renaissance Man. He’s a performer, a creator, a producer and his work spans forums from live venues to major film and television productions.

Gratitude

Our thanks to John Beasley for his permission to use some of his audio tracks as the soundtrack for this episode.

Links

* John Beasley Music

* Thelonious Monk, Biography.com

* Charlie Parker, Biography.com

* MONK'estra Plays John Beasley, Mack Avenue

PR veteran and whistleblower Paula Pedene joins Tim to tell her story of what it’s like to blow the whistle on government waste and other improper practices, including manipulation of VA Hospital waitlists that may have cost patients their lives. When Paula became aware of it all, she spoke up, paid the price and now has a story to tell about what it’s like to be a whistleblower.

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The federal government established its Whistleblower Protection Program to make sure federal employees or contractors don’t have to worry about reprisals if they disclose allegations of serious wrongdoing or gross mismanagement.

This all falls under the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 which specifically prohibits reprisal. The act states that it is unlawful for agencies to take or threaten to take a personnel action against an employee because he or she disclosed wrongdoing.

A personnel actions could be anything from a poor performance review or a demotion, to suspension or termination. The act expressly prohibits retaliation for filing an appeal, complaint, or grievance; helping someone else file or testifying on their behalf; or cooperating with or disclosing information to the Office of Inspector General.

So, what kind of disclosures are protected?

* a violation of any law, rule, or regulation

* mismanagement

* a gross waste of funds

* an abuse of authority

* a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety

That all sounds good on paper, but as we’ll find out today, it gets a bit more complicated in real life.

Paula Pedene is the former chief spokesperson for the VA Hospital in Phoenix. After she complained up the chain of command about mismanagement at the hospital, she was demoted and had her desk moved to the basement in the building. A sort of office space solitary confinement. And that was the result of her first attempt to draw attention to some major management issues. A second whistleblower experience would follow.

That’s an overview, but as Paula says, this all didn’t happen overnight. This is a special episode in honor of Veterans Day.

Links

* Paula Pedene and Associates

* For Whistleblowers, a Bold Move Can Be Followed by One to Department Basement, Washington Post

* Meet Paula Pedene, former VA Whistleblower Now Phoenix Veterans Day Parade Organizer, Phoenix Business Journal

About this Episode's Guest Paula Pedene

Paula Pedene has a well-earned reputation as a public relations strategist and counselor in both government and non-profit realms. She demonstrates a proven ability to envision and build mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its stakeholders that results in winning outcomes.

Pedene became a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Public Affairs Officer in 1991 and credited her Public Relations Society of America learning and leadership as her guiding light. She has earned three PRSA Silver Anvil awards and additional awards including:

* PRSA Silver Anvil, Institutional Programs (2004)

* PRSA Silver Anvil, Reputation Management (2007)

*

Jazz great Bob Mintzer joins Tim to talk about  his career in jazz, his body of work, his life in music. Bob is one of the world’s leading jazz saxophonists. He’s classically trained, but a self-taught jazz artist, who talks about the music and how the current pandemic is setting the stage for what’s next.

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Bob Mintzer is a saxophonist, he’s a woodwind specialist, he’s a composer and arranger, and he’s a music educator.

Music has been a part of his life from an early age. H started by learning to play piano by ear. He moved on to guitar, the clarinet, drums, and then finding the instrument that would help define his musical legacy, the saxophone.

And while many may fall in love with music at a young age, for Bob, he realized that music would be his life’s work in 1969 when he was a teenager. That’s when he received a scholarship to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, and where he saw the kind of commitment was required to become a full-time musician. At Interlochen, Bob met Peter Erskine, who became a colleague and a friend for life.

Links

* Bob Mintzer website

* Bob Mintzer, USC

* Yellowjackets Jazz

About this Episode's Guest Bob Mintzer

Bob Mintzer

Bob Mintzer is a saxophonist, woodwind specialist, composer/arranger, educator, born January 27 1953 in New Rochelle, New York. He formed a connection to music at a very early age, primarily through playing piano by ear, and later moving on to guitar, clarinet, drums, and eventually saxophone. Bob played clarinet and later saxophone in school band programs while playing guitar and keys in garage bands through high school.

The turning point which solidified Bob’s connection to music as a life long endeavor came in 1969, when he received a scholarship to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. There he saw first hand what kind of commitment was involved in becoming a full time musician. It was at Interlochen that Bob met Peter Erskine, who became a colleague which continues to this day some 50 years later.

Bob attended the Hartt School of music 1970-72 and the Manhattan School of Music 72-74. He was a clarinet major in both institutions while teaching himself jazz and getting together with musicians outside of school. Hartford had a small band of musicians playing jazz every night, which provided an opportunity for Bob to play regularly. In NYC the loft scene was in full swing, and Bob developed many connections in the loft sessions that were taking place nightly, sometimes until 6 in the morning.

In 1974, upon finishing his year at MSM, bob joined the Tito Puente Orchestra and simultaneously did some touring with Eumir Deodato. 1975 brought an opportunity for Bob to join the Buddy Rich band and toured steadily with that band for 2 plus years. The ability to play every night, travel the world, and begin to write arrangements was a golden opportunity.

By 1978 Bob was playing with several small jazz groups (Stone Alliance, Teruo Nockamura, a short encounter with Art Blakey, Joe Chambers, Mike Manieri) and was asked to join the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. Bob played with Thad and Mel for 6 months, and later with Mel, as Thad had moved to Europe. In 1980 Bob arranged a project for the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra to be recorded live at the Montreal Jazz Festival of the music of Herbie Hancock.

In 1981 through 1982 Bob was a member of the Jaco Pastorius Word of Mouth band., playing tenor sax, bass clarinet, and doing some arranging/composing for both the big and small band components.

U.S. Medal of Honor awardee Sgt. Leroy Petry joins Tim to tell his Medal of Honor story, from a life and death battle in Afghanistan to the very definition of the word, “honor.” Sgt. Petry is a retired U.S. Army Ranger who is one of the few to receive the military’s highest honor, and one of the very few medal recipients who have survived to tell their own story.

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In April of 1862, a group of Union Soldiers in the middle of the Civil War had an assignment. They were supposed to make it across Confederate lines to steal a Confederate train car and ride it to Union lines. Along the way, they were supposed to destroy track and depots, cutting off the Confederate supply lines and transportation.

That group of Union solders was called “Andrews Raiders.”  Twenty-five men volunteered for the mission that ended in a dramatic train chase and capture by Confederate forces.

Eight of the original 25 volunteers escaped. Three were declared missing. Another eight were hanged. Among those who were executed was leader James Andrews. Another six found their way back to the Union Army as part of a prisoner exchange a year later.

That following March, the survivors met with President Lincoln who thanked them for their service and their efforts in the daring mission, and he told them they’d be the first to receive a new honor. The Medal of Honor. And with that, he had a prototype of the medal and gave it to the youngest member of the group, Private Jacob Parott.

Jacob Parott was the first in the Army to receive what is now regarded as the highest honor any member of America’s military can receive.

The Medal of Honor is the award for valor in combat for all members of the armed forces.

Since 1862, more than 3,400 such honors have been bestowed, many if not most of them, posthumously. Not many who earn such an award, live to talk about it.

Today, the Medal of Honor is awarded sparingly to service members who as the Army says are, “the bravest of the brave; and that courage must be well documented.”

Since the medal is awarded sparingly, and so many of those who receive it die in combat, there are few recipients alive today to tell their story. Retired Sgt. Leroy Petry of the U.S. Army Rangers is one of those few warriors.

The U.S. Army Ranger Creed

Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor, and high esprit de corps of the Rangers.

Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite Soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other Soldier.

Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one-hundred-percent and then some.

Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained Soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor.

Rangers lead the way!