Alex Brown and I go way back — twenty years back. We met as freshmen in the jazz department at the New England Conservatory, lived together in Boston and later New York City, played countless gigs and jam sessions, and have been learning from each other ever since.

Alex is a GRAMMY Award-winning pianist and composer who’s performed with everyone from Yo-Yo Ma to Paquito D’Rivera. His playing blends jazz, classical, Latin, and contemporary influences, and The New York Times calls it “crystalline” with a “worldly approach.”

In this episode, we talk about:

• Whether jazz is even a genre anymore

• Why boundaries in music keep getting blurrier
• How skills from one instrument (or discipline) transfer to another
• The push and pull between technique and emotion
• Stories from our early days at NEC and beyond

Connect with Alex Brown:

• Website: https://www.alexbrownmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexbrownmusic
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/alexbrownmusic
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alexbrownmusic

Combining her sultry voice and electric guitar to create rock songs infused with blues and soul, Mary Spender’s songwriting showcases her virtuosic style of guitar playing as well as her wide vocal range.

Mary has amassed over 20 million hits on her YouTube channel with over 250k subscribers watching her weekly videos, predominantly targeted towards guitarists and singer/songwriters. Mary shares her own experiences or interviews prominent artists such as Santana, KT Tunstall and James Valentine (Maroon 5). Mary has found an interactive community who are incredible supportive of Mary’s independent artist status.

In late 2019, Mary released ‘Lone Wolf’ which she then toured in Europe supporting The Bros. Landreth finishing with a full band headline show in London in December.

Learn more at MarySpender.com

Sax Spy (Derek Crane) uncovers the best vintage and modern saxophone gear. A woodwind extraordinaire with a BM in Commercial Music from BYU, Derek has played with the Hugh Jackman World Tour, Zelda Symphony, and more.  

Learn more at https://saxspy.com

Saxophonist, multi-Instrumentalist, educator, producer & composer Danny Janklow is quickly gaining international recognition for his soulful and innovative musical voice. His heart-felt, passionate, and highly energetic music has reached and inspired thousands of listeners from Japan to Holland to Mexico. His live performances, often described as “emotionally charged” and “vibrant celebrations,” leave his listeners always wanting more…

Learn more at https://dannyjanklow.com/

Nahre Sol is a pianist and composer with an insatiable appetite for everything related to music composition, music theory, harmony, piano performance, practicing, and improvisation. Check out her legendary YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/nahresol