Episodes

Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Episode #48: Nadje Noordhuis
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Described as "one of the most compelling voices to emerge on her instrument in recent years", Australian-born-based trumpeter/composer Nadje Noordhuis possesses one of the most unforgettably lyrical voices in modern music. Her deeply-felt, clarion tone and evocative compositional gift meld classical rigor, jazz expression, and world music accents into a sound that is distinctively her own. Noordhuis was one of ten semi-finalists in the 2007 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition and was selected as a Carnegie Hall Young Artist in 2012. Based in New York since 2003, she is a member of the multiple Grammy-winning Maria Schneider Orchestra, Grammy-nominated Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, and the Grammy-nominated Anat Cohen Tentet. In this episode, Nadje shares her background, education, and musical journey.
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Sunday Mar 14, 2021
Episode #47: Amanda Monaco
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
Sunday Mar 14, 2021
Guitarist/composer Amanda Monaco has performed at venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, Jazz Standard, and Flushing Town Hall, and with artists such as Milt Hinton, Steve Wilson, Rufus Reid, and the Mingus Orchestra. She has released eight albums to date and her current jazz projects include her eclectic quartet Deathblow, rambunctious organ quartet Glitter, an all-female jazz sextet Lioness. Her New Music ensemble The Pirkei Avot Project performs her original music with lyrics from selected verses (from a collection of rabbinical teachings with the same name) compiled in the third century C.E. An educator since 1990, Amanda is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music where she teaches private instruction, labs, and guitar ensembles. In this episode, Amanda shares her background, education, and musical journey.
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Sunday Mar 07, 2021
Episode #46: Jihee Heo
Sunday Mar 07, 2021
Sunday Mar 07, 2021
Born in Incheon, South Korea, Jihee Heo is a New York-based jazz pianist, composer and keyboardist. Heo holds a Master of Music degree (Jazz Piano Performance) from Manhattan School of Music (2013), and a Bachelor’s Degree (Jazz Piano Performance) from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (2008). Heo has performed at acclaimed festivals and venues such as The Washington D.C. Jazz Festival, O+ Festival, Leverkusen Jazz Festival, The International African Arts Festival, The Jersey Shore Festival, Bergen Pac, Harlem Stage, National Sawdust, The Bitter End, Arthur’s Tavern, Rockwood Music Hall, Nublu, Cornelia Street Cafe and Brooklyn Bowls, among others. In this episode, Heo shares her background, education, and musical journey.
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Sunday Feb 28, 2021
Episode #45: Terri Lyne Carrington
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
Multiple Grammy Award–winning drummer, producer, and educator Terri Lyne Carrington has recorded and toured with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Dianne Reeves, David Sanborn, John Scofield, Diana Krall, Yellowjackets, Cassandra Wilson, Kassa Overall, and countless other jazz luminaries. Carrington made history as the first woman to win a Grammy Award in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category for Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue, a reimagining of the Duke Ellington classic. Her collaborations with Esperanza Spalding and Geri Allen, as well as her female-driven Mosaic Project recordings, have received critical acclaim. She is Zildjian Chair in Performance at Berklee College of Music and received an honorary doctorate from the college in 2003 as well as a bachelor's degree in 1983. She also serves as artistic director for the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival and Berklee's Summer Sessions: Women’s Performance Program, and is co-artistic director of the Carr Center in Detroit, Michigan. Carrington is also going for her fourth Grammy after receiving her fifth nomination for her Album "Waiting Game". In this episode, Carrington shares her background, education, and musical journey.
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Sunday Feb 21, 2021
Episode #44: Jonathan Barber
Sunday Feb 21, 2021
Sunday Feb 21, 2021
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
Episode #43: Andrew McGowan
Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
Andrew McGowan is a New Orleans born pianist who played with renowned artists such as Jason Marsalis, Joe Dyson, and Sasha Masakowski in New Orleans as well as bands such as The Stooges Brass Band and The Session at venues such as Snug Harbor, The Jazz and Heritage Festival, and also many international clubs and festivals such as the Edinburgh Jazz festival and South by Southwest. After moving to NYC in 2016, Andrew played at major jazz clubs in NYC such as Blue Note, Minton’s, Dizzy’s, Smalls, and Fat Cat.
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Episode #42: Eric Reed
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Through more than a quarter-century as a first-caller on the jazz scene, Eric Reed has articulated this inclusive conception as a leader of numerous ensembles, solo performer, composer, producer, educator, and sideman with numerous artists, including extended stints with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Buster Williams, and Wynton Marsalis. Whatever the context, whatever the style, he consistently animates the flow with fresh ideas, virtuosic chops, intellectual clarity, and an unwavering will to groove. In this episode, Eric shares his background, education, and musical journey.
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Episode #41: Art Hirahara
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Episode #40: Nathan East
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Nathan East is one of the most in-demand bassists of all time. A founding member of the chart-topping contemporary jazz group Fourplay, Nathan was 16 years old when he got his first break and found himself on the road with Barry White. The next time the phone rang, Quincy Jones was on the line. The calls kept coming and for the last forty years, Nath has been churning out hit songs with artists as legendary as Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, and Stevie Wonder. In this episode, Nathan shares his background, education, and musical journey.
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com

Sunday Jan 03, 2021
Episode #39: James Hudson
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
London-based jazz vocalist James Hudson has all of the unique qualities that epitomize the 21st-century crooner. An assured and charming performer, his natural affinity with an audience is complemented by effortless vocals, tasteful phrasing, and interpretive prowess.
James’s debut album 'TOMORROW', set for release in February 2021, will be the biggest milestone of his career so far. Over a year in the making, the album features James and his band performing brand-new interpretations of classics from The Great American Songbook. Greatly influenced by Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughan and Tony Bennett, James is fuelled by a desire to play his part in keeping jazz standards alive. In this episode, James shares his background, education, and musical journey.
If you enjoyed this episode please make sure to subscribe, follow, rate, and/or review this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc.
Connect with us on all social media platforms and at www.improvexchange.com