Five Questions with John di Martino

Pianist Benny Green says of GRAMMY® nominated pianist/arranger/producer, John di Martino: “John di Martino is one of my absolute personal favorite pianists of today. I consider him an unpretentious master with a golden heart. The range of human emotion he conveys is quite engaging to me. Blessed with a unique touch which reflects warmth, passion, humor, vulnerability, and adventurous, fearless exploration, […]

Five Questions with Kevin Pike

Composer/saxophonist Kevin Pike is known for his eclectic musical output. He has released over 15 albums, performs in a free jazz duo and other groups in Omaha. He publishes the DIY recording podcast “Look What I Made“. Kevin has a Jazz Studies degree from DePaul University where he also studied composition with George Flynn, Jeff Kowalkowski […]

Five Questions with Randy Brecker

GRAMMY® Award winning Jazz trumpeter and composer Randy Brecker has helped shape the sound of jazz, R&B and rock for more than four decades. His trumpet and flugelhorn performances have graced hundreds of albums by a wide range of artists from James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen and Parliament/Funkadelic to Frank Sinatra, Steely Dan, Jaco Pastorius and […]

Five Questions with Michael “Gooch” Gurciullo

From Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, to big band performances at Clint Eastwood’s ranch, to the lead/jazz trumpet chair in Wayne Newton’s band, trumpeter /vocalist Michael “Gooch” Gurciullo has been around, and back. Getting his musical education at North Texas State University, working with great jazz educators Rich Matteson, Dan Haerle, and Jack Peterson, […]

Five Questions with Marcus Lewis

Marcus Lewis has become one of the most in-demand trombonists in the Atlanta area. Lewis is a musician who creates jazz/improvised music with integrity and passion that resonates. Described as soulful, fiery and intuitive, Lewis focuses on the musical journey and conversational aspects of the jazz/improvised music genre. Marcus Lewis was born in Augusta Georgia in […]

Five Questions with Grover Lipkins

Grover Lipkins is considered one of the premier guitarists of the Midwest. Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, Grover took an interest in music early in life, inspired by his older brother, Grady. Since then he would be known for locking himself up in his room, teaching himself to play all different styles of guitar from […]

Five Questions with Karrin Allyson

“She’s been described as a “musician’s musician, …a complete performance by a complete artist —and for once the overused term actually makes sense — a complete artist, one of the jazz world’s finest.” — Don Heckman, The Los Angeles Times. Thirteen albums, — plus, a self-produced holiday album, Yuletide Hideaway, which won a four-star review from Downbeat and praise […]

Five Questions with Ray Vega

Native New Yorker, trumpeter, and composer Ray Vega is one of the innovators of the international jazz and latin music scenes. The Puerto Rican musician grew up immersed in the heart of two vibrant New York City music scenes,jazz and salsa. Vega has performed and recorded with Mongo Santamaria,Ray Barretto and New World Spirit, including the […]

Five Questions with Frank Catalano

Downbeat Magazine said of Frank Catalano’s playing: “full throttle front and center, a modal rocker that suggests John Coltrane energy in the 21st century.” High praise for the Chicago saxophonist, who began playing at age 7. He severed his right middle finger while working on a car engine when he was 16, but forced his hands […]

Five Questions with Steve Slagle

Multi-GRAMMY®-nominated, saxophonist/flutist, Steve Slagle was born in Los Angeles, CA, where he got his first saxophone, and later attended Berklee College of Music in Boston on a DownBeat scholarship. One of his first gigs, at the age of 18, was in the Stevie Wonder Band, in Boston. Often featured as a sideman, Slagle is a consummate leader, a bop […]