Daniel “Sky” Szczepanski is a trumpet player based in New York City, born in 1993 in Warsaw, Poland. 

In the spring of 2020 Daniel graduated from Berklee Global Jazz Institute with aMaster’s degree in Music. Berklee helped him not only with improving his abilities in performance, but also in composing and in the field of social change, music education and awareness.

Today he joins The Jazz Podcast with Rob Cope to share his approach to music making and creativity. 

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Tara Minton talks with Sebastian Plano about his new album, 'Solo'. 

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Chris van Voorst van Beest is an American bassist and composer who grew up in Maine and lives in Brooklyn, NY. Hailed as "a double bassist with an exceptional ability to improvise," (Erminio Garotta - Sound & Vision) Chris has been fortunate to have performed and/or recorded with artists as diverse as Frank Kimbrough, Robert Glasper, Gabriel Kahane, and Joe Lovano. Known for his big sound and lyrical bass lines, Chris has emerged as a unique voice within New York's jazz and improvised music community, playing as a sideman in a variety of ensembles, leading his own trio, and writing original music; most recently releasing his debut record as a leader "Bye Design" (Adhyaropa Records). Also a frequent multi-genre collaborator, Chris has composed and performed incidental music for dance (Nest, w/ choreographer Kelly Ashton Todd), chamber music for a book (The Lamplighter), and is currently co-producing a record of Americana songs, to be released in early 2025.

As a writer, Chris is as much informed by a deep love of classical composers as he is by his heroes of jazz and popular music. Writing music for both improvisation and 'classical' settings, a listener can hear the influences spill into one another, evident in his most recent work Quintet for Winds (see Chamber Music page), which draws as much inspiration from the lush harmonies of Duke Ellington as it does the lively rhythms of Darius Milhaud. In 2017, Chris created his own chamber project Miniatures and Improvisations, putting together concerts that featured a broad program of short pieces for chamber trio, each work immediately followed by the musical response of an improvising trio, exploring the dialogue between the written and the unknown. Chris was awarded a Dutch grant for composition in 2010 to compose music for a children's story (The Lamplighter) and has been nominated three times for the Charles Ives Arts and Letters award.

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JAZZ & LA

‍Los Angeles has over a century of Black music history that most people don't know about.

‍Jazz arrived in Los Angeles on the Union Pacific rail line, straight from New Orleans into Watts, as Creole musicians came to Los Angeles in the early 1900s seeking to escape Jim Crow, drawn west by the booming entertainment industry, vaudeville touring circuits, and the promise of a more racially tolerant society. 

‍Jazz filled the supper clubs of Central Avenue, scored Hollywood films, and raised artists who changed music forever — shaping the sound of this city from the inside out.

Martin Ludlow chats to Rob Cope about creating a festival befitting of this great city. 

https://www.lajazzfestival.com/

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Tara Minton talks with fellow Australian, Jody Sternberg about her musical journey and debut album, "Sea of Love".

Trigger warning: discussions about racism and racially charged language.

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Without any exaggeration, Nikki Glaspie can be described as one of the best drummers in the world today. In addition to her own successful formation The Nth Power, she has already supported industry greats such as Beyoncé and Maceo Parker with her expressive and unique style.

Nikki has been dedicated to music since early childhood, which led her to singing and playing keyboards in church and finally falling in love with the drum set. During her youth, she was inspired by a wide variety of music, ranging from The Gap Band to Rage Against the Machine. 

While studying at Berklee College Of Music, she fortunately had the chance to learn from drum artists such as Dennis Chambers, Kenwood Dennard and Angelamia Bachemin. She also expanded her skills with mentors from around the university and the Boston music scene, including Horacio Hernandez, Dobbie Powell, Dave Grohl and J Dilla.

Aside from her five-year stint as an integral part of Beyoncé's backing band SUGA MAMA, she has also played with artists such as Chaka Kahn, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Destiny's Child, Dumpstaphunk and The Neville Brothers throughout her career.

Currently, she is focussing on her band The Nth Power, and today Rob Cope and Nikki preview the new album, Never Alone. 

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Tara Minton chats with Marc Palladino about his club above a family Italian restaurant in Cardiff and the upcoming shows featuring The Kyle Eastwood Band.

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Steve joins Rob Cope from Birmingham Conservatoire to discuss his career to date as well as his new album, Emboldened, for jazz orchestra and choir. 

The new album was being recorded at the time of the interview and so we're blessed to be joined by Jonathan Silk and then Josephine Davies during the episode. 

Click the link to find out more about the project as well as for information on how to support the project.

https://www.steve-banks.co.uk/jazz-orchestra-choir

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Vivienne Aerts talks to Tara Minton about her upcoming album recordedon a sailboat, 'Current'.

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Rob Cope joins Tara Minton to chat about his new album, Phoenix Vol. 1, which comes out Friday 12th June on Adhyâropa Records. They also chat about Rob's launch gig, happening the night before, Thursday 11th at Crazy Coqs in Soho. 

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