The Mindful Musician

Note: All music heard in this episode is from Noah's album Ripples. At the end of this podcast is the full track (10:21) entitled 'Ripples (for Margie).' Jazz pianist and composer Noah Baerman's tenacity and his cutting edge yet soulful music have made him an inspiring figure to a growing legion of admirers. Ten years after nearly walking away from the piano due to his struggles with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), an incurable connective tissue disorder with which he was born, Noah is playing and composing with more authority than ever. These challenges and his experiences as a foster parent have deepened his already fierce commitment to "message music." Noah earned his B.Mus. and M.M. from Rutgers University in the 1990s under the mentorship of Kenny Barron. Since then he has participated in and composed for numerous recordings, including eight CDs as a bandleader. His 2003 release Patch Kit features jazz legends Ron Carter and Ben Riley and revolves around his struggles with EDS ("Much more than just a commendable exercise in education and humanitarianism, this is a wonderful and inspiring musical journey that's a testament to the power of jazz, humor and positive energy to turn a challenging situation into one of joy and hope." - Joel Roberts, All About Jazz - New York). Patch Kit raised awareness and funds for EDS and led to an invitation from Marian McPartland to be a guest on her long-running NPR program Piano Jazz in 2005. Two compositions premiered on that show then appeared on his album Soul Force, a tribute to the life and message of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Soul Force featured Noah's writing for large ensemble, here featuring trombonist Robin Eubanks, percussionist Warren Smith and saxophonists Steve Wilson, Jimmy Greene, Wayne Escoffery and Claire Daly. In 2008 he was awarded a "New Works" grant from Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation. The resulting Know Thyself, an emotionally sweeping 65 minute suite for septet, was premiered at Wesleyan University's Center for the Arts and at the Jazz Gallery in New York and recorded for a 2010 release. Baerman lives in Connecticut, and has been gaining a strong reputation as an educator. He teaches at several institutions including Wesleyan University, where he directs the Jazz Ensemble and teaches graduate courses in music. His teaching concepts have been codified through nine well-regarded instructional books published by the Alfred Publishing Company. His blog, NB Pontificates, covers topics ranging from frank discussions of his experiences as a survivor of disability and child sexual abuse to his popular musical Top 10 lists and his own vegetarian recipes. In 2012 he was named Artistic Director of Resonant Motion, Inc., an organization that seeks to explore and deepen connections between music and social causes, as well as forming the Jazz Samaritan Alliance, a collective of accomplished artists working to compose and perform socially conscious music. Other projects in the works include a multi-media collaboration with photographer Carla Ten Eyck depicting survivors of cancer and other life-shaking challenges, a foster care-themed set of compositions titled "There But for the Grace," and a series of largely improvised collaborations with his wife, visual and performance artist Kate Ten Eyck. "It is an amazing gift to have a bright future in spite of adversity. I hope to create things of sufficient beauty that I can give that gift back many times over." - Noah Baerman The music on this podcast is from Noah's latest album "Ripples."

Ryan is an artist who was: A gator wrangler, an ambassador to Australia, a Bollywood star in India, a ghostbuster in South Korea, a coca war reporter in Peru, a performer in Malaysia, Singapore, and Lao. He also slept on a bench during a typhoon in Japan, dug toilets for Thai tsunami victims, hunted Hyena skulls in Kenya, climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, lived on the beach in Costa Rica - anyway, you get the idea. We did this via Skype as Ryan lives in South Korea Please check Ryan out. You will be entertained and inspired: http://ryanestrada.com https://twitter.com/forexposure_txt https://twitter.com/ryanestrada https://www.youtube.com/user/ryanestradadotcom Music: selections from Matts yoga album "An Enlightened World" (released in Hawaii only) stay tuned for: - compilation of freelance horror stories - Part 2 with Bert Padell - music industry advice from a legendary figure

Bert Padell is known as "The Accountant to the Stars." He is an investor, business manager, and a career planner with a roster of clients that has included Joe DiMaggio, P. Diddy, Madonna, Britney Spears, Whitey Ford, and way too many others to name. Bert was a batboy for the 1949 and 1950 New York Yankees. We talk about the changing music business, how he became the batboy for the NYYankees, deals he made for P. Diddy, racial issues that came up during his career, the future of the music business. Featured Music: Funky Digital by Matt Oestreicher

Bill Carbone is an ethnomusicologist, musician, and a writer. He teaches at Wesleyan University and Southern Connecticut State University where he teaches "Music of the World's People. " As a musician(drummer, writer, singer), Bill has worked with with renowned bands and artists like Max Creek, Zac Deputy, Melvin Sparks, Toussaint and the China Band, and the Z3. As a writer, Bill has been published in Wax Poetics, Modern Drummer, jazz.com, and in a long-running New Haven Advocate column. Find Bill Carbone here: http://www.billcarbone.com Bill on FB: https://www.facebook.com/billcarbone What is the "Chitlin Circuit" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitlin%27_circuit Film: The Girls in the Band http://thegirlsintheband.com/synopsis/ Very clever and funny Mike Judge film that we refer to several times: Idiocracy http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/ The 100 People Project http://www.100people.org/statistics_detailed_statistics.php http://www.100people.org/wp/the-100-people-project-an-introduction/ Some of the "Avant-garde" jazz musicians that we talked about: Anthony Braxton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Braxton Pheeroan akLaff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pheeroan_akLaff Sun Ra: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Ra Art Ensemble of Chicago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Ensemble_of_Chicago Music played on this podcast: Opening theme: Composed by Matt Oestreicher, used as an opening and closing theme of the film "We Cause Scenes." Performed by: Marissa Licata, Ervin Dede, and Egil Rostad at SST Studios in Weehawken, NJ.

This week I talk with entertainment lawyer Alan Johnson. His workshops "The Whole Music Business" help musicians gain essential information for their careers. His law practice straddles two widely disparate communities – Brooklyn, NY (Bushwick) and Greenwich, CT, each a center of its own niche discipline – Bushwick is the fastest emerging center of music and art in the country, and Greenwich is a prominent business and celebrity enclave. Alan also has a background which includes both advertising and work as a professional musician(drummer). Some topics we covered are: -the ever-changing music business -some history of music technology -ways for musicians to learn the business side of music Alan can be found here: http://www.alanjohnsonlaw.com NOTES: the other writer for the song Man In The Mirror that we couldn't think of (apologies!) is Siedah Garrett http://siedah.com The film about Shep Gordon that we referred to: http://supermenschthemovie.com This episode will appeal to: -people interested in getting a glance behind the scenes of the music business -people who want to make a career from their art -working musicians/aspiring musicians

EP. 1 FEATURING SHAWNA "SIR" CORSO Shawna is a musician, model, actor, choreographer. She has spent the last few years touring and making numerous tv appearances with Iggy Azalea, Sam Smith, and most recently with Stevie Wonder on his "Songs in the Key of Life" tour. We talked about her path through the music business. Includes shout outs to and stories about people she's met or worked with such as Tony Robbins, Iggy Azalea, producer/music director Onree Gill, Jojo, drummer Skeeter McMillian, Jeff Gitelman, and Marlon Saunders. I played a little keyboard at the end to get her to sing a bit...it worked! This episode will appeal to: - Shawna fans - Aspiring musicians/ people interested in how to get gigs in the music business - people interested in the inner workings of life in the music business - people who like honest conversation that explores underlying motivations and forces that shape us NOTES: future episodes will include professors, technology leaders, spiritual practitioners, artists, and more