Improv Exchange Podcast

Episode #145: Lois Deloatch

Lois Deloatch is a songwriter and vocalist known for her powerful contralto voice and distinctive blend of jazz, soul, blues, folk, and spirituals.  Her original compositions and interpretations of classic tunes resonate with purity and emotion, simultaneously intellectual and passionate. Shaped by and reflective of her early life as the seventh of ten children raised in a rural southern town, Lois’s music expresses cultural richness and timeless truths.

She has appeared in concerts throughout the United States and internationally, written and lectured on music, arts, and culture, and co-hosted a radio show. She has produced five recordings as a leader:  Roots: Jazz/Blues/Spirituals,  Closure, Holy Night, Sunrise, and Hymn to Freedom: Homage to Oscar Peterson, which garnered international accolades including selection as one of the Top 10 CDs of 2008 by JazzTimes Magazine’s Owen Cordle.

Lois has shared the stage with legendary musicians such as pianists, Willie Pickens, Ellis Marsalis, Ernest Turner, and Chip Crawford; drummer Ed Thigpen; trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and saxophonist Branford Marsalis as well as emerging jazz luminaries. 

Episode #144: Vinnie Sperrazza

Vinnie Sperrazza is a Brooklyn-based jazz drummer, composer, bandleader, author, and educator noted for his versatility and commitment to new music. Born in Utica, NY, Sperrazza moved to Brooklyn after completing his studies at William Paterson University, where he was mentored by pianist James Williams. He leads the groups Vinnie Sperrazza Trio, featuring Ethan Iverson and Michael Formanek, whose first album was released in March 2023, and Vinnie Sperrazza Apocryphal, with a new album coming later in 2023, featuring Loren Stillman, Brandon Seabrook, and Eivind Opsvik.

He is part of several collectives, including Ember, with Caleb Curtis and Noah Garabedian with a new album out August 2023, the Choir Invisible, with Chris Tordini and Charlotte Greve, and Landline, featuring Chet Doxas, Jacob Sacks, and Zack Lober. Additionally, he is a member of Matt Bauder’s Hearing Things, the Hank Roberts Sextet, Michael Formanek’s Drome Trio, and many other NYC-based groups. He tours regularly with the Mark Morris Music Ensemble, led by Ethan Iverson, playing Iverson’s scores and arrangements.

Also a committed writer, Sperrazza’s Substack entitled Chronicles has been active since October 2022 and features over 40 in-depth articles focused on the history of jazz and jazz drumming, with deep dives on well-known and lesser-known figures including Pete LaRoca, Ralph Peterson, and Phillip Wilson, among many others. An experienced clinician, Sperrazza’s teaching emphasizes fundamentals and awareness, principles upon which he’s built his musical life.

Episode #143: Shai Jaschek

Shai Jaschek is an Israeli-born guitarist, composer, and music educator in New York City. After first picking up the guitar at 10 years old, Shai has since dedicated his life to music,
playing and performing constantly.

Before establishing himself in NYC, Shai completed his Bachelor’s in Arts from Israel’s top jazz performance programs, such as “The Jazz Institute” at the “Rimon School of Music”, and the “Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance”. During this time, Shai sought the opportunity to seek mentorship from world-renowned musicians, such as trumpeter Avishai Cohen, saxophonist Eli Degibri, and composer Yoni Rechter. As their mentee, Shai developed his unique voice as a composer and improviser.

During his Bachelor’s, he played in different musical groups, such as The Haifa Big Band, and The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and became an in-demand guitarist in the Israeli music scene. These experiences led Shai to start his band, play his original compositions, and perform in clubs and festivals both in Israel and abroad.

Driven by his passion for jazz music, Shai relocated from Israel to NYC to pursue his music graduate studies and to be a part of the local jazz scene in the city. In 2021, Shai was granted a Master’s in music from Queens College, an institution with internationally acclaimed musicians, such as Antonio Hart, Mike Moreno, David Berkman, and Michael Mossman. After setting foot in NYC, Shai has been performing as a sideman in different bands and as a leader. His debut album, First Fall, was released in October 2023 and features his original compositions.

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Episode #142: Kavita Shah

Award-winning vocalist, composer, and educator Kavita Shah’s latest album, Cape Verdean Blues, is the culmination of a diasporic quest to find a spiritual home. The carefully curated album of traditional Cape Verdean music is also a tribute to the charismatic and unapologetically individual artist Cesária Évora, and a love letter to her breathtaking archipelago and its welcoming people. On Cape Verdean Blues, Shah’s ethnographic research on the island of
São Vicente, and her bold self-possession have enabled her to achieve a rare feat: creating a world music album that feels like home.

At the heart of the 12-song album is “sodade,” an idiomatic word that doesn’t have a strict English
definition, but connotes a melancholy sense of transience that permeates Cape Verde, its music, and its free-spirited island population. “In this paradise in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I found a sense of home that has eluded me for
much of my 37 years,” Shah says. She continues: “When I look back, I realize that upon hearing Cesária’s voice nearly a decade ago, she was summoning me down a path I must continue walking in search of sodade.”

Shah is a global citizen and cultural interlocutor whose work involves deep engagement with the jazz tradition, while also addressing and advancing its global sensibilities. She is a lifelong New Yorker of Indian origin hailed for possessing an “amazing dexterity for musical languages” (NPR). Shah speaks 9 languages—she is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and French—and incorporates ethnographic research into original music.

She has researched traditional music practices in Brazil, West Africa, East Africa, Turkey, and India. To support her work, Shah has earned grants from the Jerome Foundation, Chamber Music America, Asian Cultural Council, and New Music USA. Shah holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Harvard, and a Master’s in Jazz Voice from Manhattan School of Music.

To date, Shah’s projects include Visions (2014), co-produced by Lionel Loueke; Folk Songs of Naboréa, which premiered at the Park Avenue Armory in 2017; and Interplay in duo with François Moutin, which was nominated in 2018 for France’s Victoires de la Musique for Jazz Album of the Year. Shah regularly performs her music at major concert halls, festivals, and clubs on six continents.

乐团 whose 2020 album “The Adventures of Pie Boy” won Best Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Recording and Best Arrangement (Bittersweet) at the 32nd Annual Golden Melody Awards and serves as music director for Tia Ray 袁婭維.

He has recorded, produced, performed and arranged for dozens of artists across Greater China, including David Tao陶喆, Li Ronghao 李榮浩， Matzka馬斯卡, Leah Dou竇靖童, Maobuyi 毛不易， Karen Mok莫文蔚， A-Lin, Kevin Sun and more. He graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he studied Jazz performance with Robin Eubanks. Hsieh plays Denis Wick mouthpieces and the Adams F5 Flugelhorn.

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Episode #141: Terence Hsieh

Terence Hsieh 謝燕輝 is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning producer, trombone, and trumpet specialist, and keyboardist from Durham, North Carolina who lives and works in Greater China. He is the bandleader of The Spice Cabinet 五香放克乐团 whose 2020 album “The Adventures of Pie Boy” won Best Instrumental Album, Best Instrumental Recording and Best Arrangement (Bittersweet) at the 32nd Annual Golden Melody Awards and serves as music director for Tia Ray 袁婭維.

He has recorded, produced, performed and arranged for dozens of artists across Greater China, including David Tao陶喆, Li Ronghao 李榮浩， Matzka馬斯卡, Leah Dou竇靖童, Maobuyi 毛不易， Karen Mok莫文蔚， A-Lin, Kevin Sun and more. He graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he studied Jazz performance with Robin Eubanks. Hsieh plays Denis Wick mouthpieces and the Adams F5 Flugelhorn.

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Episode #140: MaryLynn Gillaspie

MaryLynn was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated vocal jazz group, Rare Silk.

The group started in Boulder, CO. Their very first album, New Weave flew to the top of the Billboard Jazz charts and received 2 Grammy nominations. MaryLynn and the group toured the world singing in the US, Europe, and Japan.

Rare Silk received acclaim working alongside artists such as Miles Davis, Branford Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, and as an opening act for Spyro Gyra and BB King. Their touring took them to some of the best venues in the country - The Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Blues Alley in DC, New York Jazz clubs, and Boston Globe Jazz Festival, to name a few. Her experience working within this environment gives MaryLynn a rich history in the Jazz idiom.

MaryLynn’s return to singing began about 11 years ago. She performs locally at Suter Du Bose’s Caffe Sole and in Denver with different musical configurations.

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Episode #139: Nicole Zuraitis

Nicole Zuraitis is a 2X GRAMMY-nominated jazz singer-songwriter, pianist, and arranger, New York-based bandleader and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. With a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” (Jazz Police), Nicole has positioned herself as one of the top artists and "prolific songwriters" (Broadway World) to watch in jazz and beyond.  

As a recording artist, Nicole has released five albums as a leader, and her sixth album How Love Begins, co-produced with eight-time GRAMMY-winner Christian McBride, was released July 7th, 2023, featuring all original music. It was nominated for BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM for the 2024 GRAMMY® awards…. holy cow.

Besides leading her quartet, Nicole is the premier vocalist for the Birdland Big Band and frequently headlines iconic NYC jazz clubs like Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, Birdland, the Blue Note, the Carlyle, 54 Below, and the late, great 55 Bar. She has appeared as a featured soloist with the Savannah Philharmonic, Asheville Symphony, and Macon Pops. She has supported iconic singers like Melanie, Morgan James, Darren Criss, and Livingston Taylor on piano and vocals. 

Nicole's arrangement of Dolly Parton's Jolene, co-written with renowned drummer and bandleader Dan Pugach, was nominated for a 2019 GRAMMY®, springboarding her career and making her a household name in the modern-day jazz landscape. In 2020, she was named in the top 40 under 40 for 2020 in Connecticut Magazine, and her weekly live stream during the COVID-19 crisis, "Virtual Piano Lounge," was featured in Forbes Magazine. 

Nicole has collaborated with an extensive list of luminaries, including Christian McBride, David Cook, Gilad Hekselman, Veronica Swift, Benny Benack, Stephen Feifke, Cyrille Aimee, Antonio Sanchez, Dave Stryker, Omar Hakim,  Rachel Z, Helen Sung, and Bernard Purdie. She is a proud educator and currently vocal faculty at NYU, SUNY Purchase, and the Litchfield Jazz Camp. 

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Episode #138: Sean Mason

Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Sean Mason taught himself to play piano by ear at the late age of 13. Driven by an insatiable passion for learning, Sean’s piano virtuosity evolved into a distinctive language, marking his unique presence in the jazz scene.

Sean’s educational path unfolded from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro to Juilliard in New York City. This transformative transition defined Sean as an artist seamlessly blending his Southern roots with the cosmopolitan essence of New York City.

As the bandleader of the Sean Mason Quartet, Mason directs an ensemble celebrated for bringing to life his highly melodic, original compositions. Sean’s influence also extends beyond the stage. In 2022, his artistry gained national recognition through a feature on NPR’s Jazz Night in America, on the “Youngbloods” series. His versatile musical expressions also found a place in the soundtracks of Emmy-nominated Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre (2021) and Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020).

In 2023, Mason released his debut album, “The Southern Suite,” on Blue Engine Records, the label of Jazz at Lincoln Center. This record firmly establishes Mason among the vanguard of jazz musicians, pushing the genre’s boundaries with innovative compositions.

Since 2019, Mason has recorded and performed with acclaimed luminaries Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, and Catherine Russell. Through these collaborations, Mason has seamlessly weaved his jazz roots with blues and gospel influences, showcasing his remarkable musical dexterity.

In a realm populated by accomplished artists, Sean Mason stands out as one who pays homage to tradition while fearlessly exploring new horizons in jazz. His melodies transcend mere notes, resonating with the soulful echoes of North Carolina, the rhythmic pulse of New York, and a mosaic of influences that collectively define his distinctive sound.

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Episode #137: Kevin Sun

Kevin Sun is a Chinese-American saxophonist and composer. His music has been called “...intense, harmonically virtuosic and compositionally complex" (DownBeat Magazine), and he has released five albums to date—most recently a double album entitled The Depths of Memory in October 2023. Sun has also released album four with the bands Mute, Earprint, and Great On Paper, and he appears on recordings led by Jacob Garchik, Dana Saul, Xiongguan Zhang, and Elijah Shiffer.

In addition to performing in the U.S., Sun has performed extensively in China and previously served as the Artistic Director of the Blue Note China Jazz Orchestra from 2018 until 2020, leading performances of the BNCJO at the Blue Note Beijing with guest artists such as Rudresh Mahanthappa, Kris Davis, and Ingrid Jensen. He performs every Tuesday at Lowlands Bar in Brooklyn, where he has been in residence since September 2021 with support from Keyed Up!, a program of the nonprofit organization Jazz Generation.

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Episode #136: Matt Zimbell

For the past 44 years percussionist/producer / composer Zimbel has led the Juno Award-winning nine-piece global / jazz collective Manteca which he cofounded with bassist Henry Heillig in 1979. The group has recorded 14 full-length CD’s, toured the world and shared stages with Miles Davis, Weather Report, Van Morrison, Ella Fitzgerald and become one of Canada top selling domestic jazz artists. Manteca’s most recent CD “The Offspring Project” was released globally on September 15, 2023.

Zimbel has been professional percussionist since 1973 and has recorded more than 50 albums with artists such as Daniel Lanois, Cano, Ellen McIlwaine, Lorraine Segato, Lennie Gallant, Phil Dwyer, Lyne Tremblay, West Trainz, Nancy White etc. He has performed live with Leonard Cohen, Robert Paquette, France D’amour, Kevin Parent, Florence K, Ritchie Cole and many others. He has also been a music and broadcast producer and artistic director with credits that include The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction of Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn, Stephan Venne and Beau Dommage in 2017 at Massey Hall, The Pan Am Games opening in Toronto with Cirque du Soleil for CBC, Canada Day on Parliament Hill, 2001, 2005, 2011, Canada’s Cultural program at Expo 2005 in Japan and Dubai 2020 and album productions for Lyne Tremblay, Lorraine Segato, Phil Dwyer, Manteca, American Dumpster, Lennie Gallant and others. Manteca’s archives have been collected by the National Library of Canada since 1993.

In addition to Zimbel’s work as a musician, he is a published writer, broadcaster, filmmaker and creator of original radio and television programs. In the fall of 2018 he created, wrote and hosted the 7 hour limited series for Jazz FM in Toronto called “Road Stories”. Matt has also co-created and hosted numerous prime-time national radio and television programs for

CBC including (Café au Lait 93 & Rad Radio 95) and was awarded the Toronto ACTRA Award for best radio host in 1986 for his CKLN show “Breakfast of Champions”. In November of 2020 he launched the original podcast “Yes We Canada” which completed its’ first 26 episode season and is currently producing season two. Zimbel has hosted feature interviews with Leonard Cohen, Robbie Robertson, Buffy St. Marie, Emmy Lou Harris, Shirley Temple Black, k.d. Lang, Steve Allan, Etta James and author’s Ann Rice and James Michener among many others.

He has written, directed and produced numerous documentaries, the most recent of which was the 2015 feature documentary “Zimbelism” on his father, the renowned photographer George Zimbel, which he co-directed with Jean Francois Gratton and which appeared in festivals all over the world including Beijing, Shanghai, London, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Salem and Toronto’s Hot Docs where it was a finalist for the audience award.

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