Keeping up with the Jazz world, Leander Young, carries out authentic conversions with and about musicians. Make sure to subscribe, leave a comment, and rating. Connect with us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @improvexchange #improvexchange www.improvexchange.com
Episodes
Sunday Jan 30, 2022
Sunday Jan 30, 2022
Multi-GRAMMY®-winning pianist/singer/composer Eliane Elias’ distinctive musical style has emerged as one of the most unique and immediately recognizable sounds in jazz. Elias blends her Brazilian roots and alluring voice with her virtuosic instrumental jazz, her classical and compositional skills, while she consistently displays her pianistic mastery and ability to integrate the many artistic roles she takes on.
With nearly 30 albums and over 2.3 million albums sold to date, Eliane Elias is critically acclaimed, has a strong presence on Spotify with 565,000 monthly listeners and over 22 million Spotify listens for her song “Little Paradise.” She has toured in 71 countries, is a four-time Gold Disc Award recipient, a three-time Best Vocal Album winner in Japan and winner of the 2018 Edison Lifetime Achievement Award in Holland to name a few accolades. Her 2019 album Love Stories was voted “Downbeat’s Best Album of 2019- Masterpiece” and as most of her previous releases, hit #1 on the jazz charts worldwide.
Eliane’s skills together with her charismatic personality, bring a wide spectrum of musical experiences and unique presentations to the audience. As Jazziz proclaimed, Eliane is “A citizen of the world” and “An artist beyond category.” In this episode, Eliane shares her background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Jan 23, 2022
Sunday Jan 23, 2022
Myele Manzanza is a drummer and composer who has rightfully earned himself a reputation as a visionary musician who is not afraid to experiment. Born in New Zealand to a Congolese master percussionist, and currently residing in London, Manzanza was raised listening to hip hop, jazz and dance music all of which strongly inform his current practice.
As a drummer and a sideman Manzanza regularly tours and collaborates with a broad range of artists across multiple genres including Theo Parrish, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Amp Fiddler, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Jordan Rakei, Ross McHenry, The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Ria Hall, Marcus Strickland, Recloose and Sorceress among countless others.
Manzanza has truly established himself on the world stage having being selected from over 20,000 applicants to participate in the Red Bull Music Academy in London. He has multiple solo album releases on esteemed international labels Sound Signature, First Word and BBE and is recognized as one of NZ top jazz musicians, having been nominated for the 2017 NZ Jazz Album of the Year for his sophomore album OnePointOne and 2020 APRA Best Jazz Composition for his work Mortality from the A Love Requited LP. In this episode, Myele shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Jan 16, 2022
Sunday Jan 16, 2022
Jonny was brought up in a musical family, his parents played in a country and western band along with his aunt and uncle that toured the UK with Chet Atkins. His Grandma on his father's side was a proficient pianist and his mother's parents played in the salvation army brass band. In this episode, Jonny shares his background, education, and musical journey.
At a very early age, Jonny became fascinated with the piano, it was through this instrument he would discover his love for music and singing. At the age of 14, Jonny played the Accordion that his grandfather bought for him and it was from this he found his passion for the instrument.
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Sunday Dec 19, 2021
Sunday Dec 19, 2021
Jihye Lee is a jazz composer and bandleader based in New York, highly regarded for her personal and adventurous storytelling approach to large-ensemble jazz. A native of South Korea, Lee had no jazz or classical training growing up, though she found success in Korea performing as an indie-pop singer-songwriter. She graduated from Dongduk Women’s University with a degree in Voice Performance, discovering her love of large-ensemble jazz only after beginning her studies at Boston’s Berklee College of Music in 2011. Confidently she began to explore her own identity and voice within this exciting, historically rich medium, winning Berklee’s Duke Ellington Prize just months after declaring her Jazz Composition major (and again the following year). Though she could never have anticipated this new path, she has followed it to greater heights, moving to New York in 2015 and earning a master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of the great Jim McNeely, with generous funding from school scholarships and the CJ Cultural Foundation. In this episode, Jihye shares her background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Dec 12, 2021
Sunday Dec 12, 2021
Over a career spanning more than 25 years, award-winning jazz guitarist Nigel Price has become widely acknowledged as one of the hardest working musicians in the business.
Musically, his blend of flowing bebop lines, deep blues sensibility, and his mastery of chording continue to delight audiences and fellow musicians alike. His career highlights include a support show for Gladys Knight at The Royal Albert Hall and an appearance on Van Morrison’s recent album Keep Me Singing.
Starting his professional career in his early 20s, Nigel toured Europe with various reggae and funk bands before settling on a solo guitar career and turning his attention to jazz. Citing early influences as Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, John McLaughlin, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Nigel honed his craft by attending gigs and sitting in with the players of the time.
Nigel has played on more than 50 albums including 5 as a leader, spent ten years with acid jazz outfit The Filthy Six, was a member of James Taylor’s band for 3 years (with whom he recorded 5 albums), and performed with the legendary David Axelrod. He has also taught at The International Guitar Foundation at King’s Place, London. In this episode, Nigel shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Monday Dec 06, 2021
Monday Dec 06, 2021
Nick Di Maria is a trumpeter, composer, podcaster, activist, and educator based in New Haven, Connecticut.
A graduate of Western Connecticut State University, Nick holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Performance. Nick has been a student Dr. Eddie Henderson since 2003. Other musical mentors include Dave Scott, Jeremy Pelt, Taylor Ho Bynum, and Rich Clymer. Nick also holds a Masters of Science in Music Education.
Nick is also Director of the Outer Space Jazz Series, a local, weekly jazz showcase at the Outer Space club in Hamden, CT. Nick has worked with musicians of the highest caliber. In the 2012-2013 season Jeremy Pelt, Wayne Escoffery, Peter Bernstein, and Jimmy Greene have performed at the series. Nick also directed the now annual O.S. Jazz Festival which consists of bands from all over the state performing originally composed jazz. In this episode, Nick shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Monday Nov 29, 2021
Monday Nov 29, 2021
Drummer, composer and bandleader Mareike Wiening has distinguished herself bringing “a planar modulating harmonic language and a propulsive drift” (Giovanni Russonello, New York Times) to the most compelling jazz music of today. Ms. Wiening’s music was described as “thoroughly modern, progressive jazz, Mareike Wiening’s album Crosswalk has many layers that unfold with each repeated hearing; she will most definitely become a leading part of the jazz scene in the years to come.” (All About Jazz)
Her new album Future Memories, which follows her critically acclaimed debut album Metropolis Paradise.
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Sunday Nov 21, 2021
Sunday Nov 21, 2021
For more than forty years, drummer Louis Hayes has been a catalyst for energetic, unrelenting swing in his self-led bands, as well as in those whose respective leaders reads like an encyclopedia of straight-ahead post-bop modern jazz.
Hayes himself an authentic architect of post-bop swing, began his professional activities at the tender age of 18. He started with tenor saxophonist, flutist and oboist Yusef Lateef who like Hayes is a Detroit native (other jazz luminaries hailing from the "motor city" include the Jones brothers, Elvin, Hank and Thad, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Tommy Flanagan, and many others). After the stint with Lateef, Hayes went on to rhythmically propel groups led by pianist Horace Silver, legendary saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, and pianist Oscar Peterson. These positions were augmented by countless recordings on the Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside and other labels with the likes of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Jackie McLean, Wes Montgomery, Cedar Walton, Dexter Gordon, Woody Shaw, George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, and the list goes on. In this episode, Louis shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Oct 31, 2021
Sunday Oct 31, 2021
Eric Wyatt is a saxophonist who plays tenor, alto, and soprano sax. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Eric was taught music by his dad, Charles Jolly Wyatt, who played in the army band in Germany. His dad moved to Harlem in the early 50’s just in time to play with many of the world’s greatest players. Eric can recall stories of his dad taking him to concerts where he would sometimes drive the band members in the family station wagon. Eric at 11 years old drove with his father in 1972 to Storrs, CT with bassist Larry Ridley and pianist Albert Dailey.
The band leader was Eric’s godfather Sonny Rollins. Jim Hall was on the gig as well. This inspired Eric at a young age to hear his first live concert. Some of his dad’s friends were Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dexter Gordon, Gary Bartz, Big Nick Nicholas, Gilley Coggins, Wilber Ware, and Dizzy Gillespie. Eric went with his dad to see Miles Davis at the Bottom Line club and went backstage after the gig.
Eric began on alto and studied at Kingsborough Community College. He also went to Lehman college where he studied with pianist Stanley Cowell. He had some opportunities early in his career to write and license an original song to channel 5 in NY for a tv news show called Black News with host Bill McCreary in 1985.
He went on to switch to tenor after his dad passed in July 1989. He met and studied with a Brooklyn legend named Arthur Rhames who inspired him. The lessons he learned from Arthur helped to put Eric on the right track. Eric started playing in Europe as a leader in Sept 1996 performing in Paris, France at the La Villa Jazz Club. Dany Michel brought him there 2 times and Eric made connections in Europe and took his quintet to the Half Note Jazz Club in 1998 and 1999. He has played as a leader in Moscow, Russia, as well as in Slovakia, Prague, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Athens in Greece, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.
He has 5 recordings as a leader and has played as a sideman on CDs with Kenny Garrett, Jeff Tain Watts, Bob Crenshaw, Al Foster, Rufus Reid, Warren Wolf, Wallace Roney, and Steve Jordan. His Cds currently out today are Borough Of Kings, Positone, Look to the Sky, and The Golden Rule 4 Sonny, and A Song of Hope. In this episode, Eric shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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Sunday Oct 24, 2021
Sunday Oct 24, 2021
Trumpeter, composer, and educator Jared Hall hails from Spokane, Washington. He studied at Whitworth University, the Indiana University Jacobs School Of Music, and The University Of Miami’s Frost School Of Music, where he received the degree Doctor of Musical Arts in 2015. His primary teachers include Terence Blanchard, Joey Tartell, Dan Keberle, Whit Sidener, David Baker, and Brian Lynch, under whom he pursued his doctoral studies. Hall is the winner of the 2013 National Trumpet Competition - Jazz Division, and has performed and recorded with Paquito D'Rivera, Bob Hurst, John Daversa, Arturo Sandoval, Maria Schneider, Vincent Herring, Peter Erskine, Dave Liebman, Alan Pasqua, Brian Lynch, Ira Sullivan, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Terence Blanchard, Rick Margitza, Wycliffe Gordon, David Binney, George Benson, Gloria Estefan, Fred Hersch, Shelly Berg, the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, the Frost Concert Jazz Band and the Henry Mancini Jazz Septet directed by Terence Blanchard, among many others. In this episode, Jaded shares his background, education, and musical journey.
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