Shows
Give Yourself Some Leeway: Burnout Recovery for High Achievers#153 Jeffrey Siegel: How to Honor your Energy and Priorities without Sacrificing AmbitionWant to be a guest on the podcast? Apply to appear on the show here:https://forms.gle/9jtBomLzkS9ELrDJA*******Jeffrey Siegel, M.Ed., is a men’s health and wellness coach, writer, and mindfulness teacher at Harvard University. He specializes in the psychology of eating and integrative self-care, helping high-performing men build balance, resilience, and confidence in their bodies and lives. In this episode:- Men & the Burnout Loop- Why men often fall into cycles of overwork and self-neglect.- How to...2025-02-1754 min
The MUSCLE GROWTH PodcastTMGP Ep 34 with health coach, wellness consultant mindset expert Jeffrey Siegel part 2Jeffrey Siegel is a prominent health coach and educator known for his integrative approach to wellness, particularly in the realm of men's health. He is the founder and CEO of Jeff Siegel Wellness, where he empowers individuals, especially men, to regain energy, confidence, and balance in their lives. His coaching philosophy emphasizes a holistic view of health, combining mindfulness, movement, and education to foster transformative change in his clients' lives.
### Background and Education
Siegel's journey into health coaching was influenced by his personal battles with an eating disorder during his teenage years. This experience led him to seek help and...2025-02-1357 min
The MUSCLE GROWTH PodcastTMGP Ep 33 with health coach, wellness consultant, and mindset expert Jeffrey SiegelJeffrey Siegel is a prominent health coach and educator known for his integrative approach to wellness, particularly in the realm of men's health. He is the founder and CEO of Jeff Siegel Wellness, where he empowers individuals, especially men, to regain energy, confidence, and balance in their lives. His coaching philosophy emphasizes a holistic view of health, combining mindfulness, movement, and education to foster transformative change in his clients' lives.
### Background and Education
Siegel's journey into health coaching was influenced by his personal battles with an eating disorder during his teenage years. This experience led him to seek help and...2025-01-3051 min
KBACH's Heart of the ArtsDances for the Ears in Scottsdale with Jeffrey SiegelPianist Jeffrey Siegel continues his 46th season of Keyboard Conversations at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, January 14 at...2025-01-1008 min
Real Food Mental Health007: A Mindful Approach to Disordered Eating with Jeffrey SiegelEpisode SummaryIn this episode, we discussed a topic that isn't talked about enough. We often hear about things like intuitive eating, especially in a university setting, but is that a healthy approach? Today's guest is Jeffrey Siegel who has navigated the journey of disordered eating, body image issues, and poor health to find an approach that helps foster self love, improved body image, all while eating a healthier diet.Jeff teaches at Harvard University and also runs a private practice as a life coach for men, teaching mindfulness and other healthy lifestyle factors.2024-12-1246 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 993: New Holiday Jazz for You AllThere's a bumper crop of new Holiday Jazz out there folks, so i you are looking for last minute enjoyment for Christmas and Hanukkah (and all the rest of the seasonal celebrations) you can listen to Podcast 993, featuring: Nick Maclean - "Christmas Time is Here" from his single on Browntasauras Records Christian Sands - "Do You Hear What I Here" from Christmas Stories George Burt0n - "The Holly and the Ivy" from Yule Log Rich Wiley - "Silver Bells" from Boptism Christmas George Gee Swing Orchestra - "Winter...2024-12-071h 00
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 992: A Conversation with Sivan Arbel At its heart, Oneness is Israeli-born vocalist/songwriter/arranger Sivan Arbel’s musical response to the divisions she sees in society. Seamlessly blending Eastern and Western influences, she invites listeners to embrace their cultural and ideological differences and yet recognize the universal connections that bind us all. A tall order in late 2024. Oneness echoes this hopeful idealism by envisioning what is possible. Growing up in an environment where diverse cultures coexisted fueled her lifelong curiosity and desire to explore and integrate different musical influences. As a follow-up to 2016’s Broken Lines and 2019’s Change of Light, which was selected a...2024-12-0723 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 991: A Conversation with Mauricio Morales On its own merits, the music on Seven Days, Mauricio Morales’ latest album, speaks with a strong, persuasive creative voice. The respected bassist-composer-bandleader’s fourth album presents seven distinctive compositions for sextet, with sophisticated shifts in mood and musical structure. In a mode of decidedly modern jazz which also manages to be easy on the ear and heart, the music also benefits from bold, integrated playing and soloing by his young allies from both the east and west coasts--connections made when the Mexican Morales lived and studied in Boston before settling in his current adopted hometown of Los Angeles. 2024-12-0525 minKBACH's Heart of the ArtsA Few of Our Favorite Things in Scottsdale with Jeffrey SiegelPianist Jeffrey Siegel begins his 46th season of Keyboard Conversations at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, December 10 at 7...2024-12-0407 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 990: A Conversation with Janis Siegel and Yoran Gershovsky With The Colors of My Life: A Cy Coleman Songbook, Manhattan Transfer founding member and Grammy Award-Winning vocalist Janis Siegel and acclaimed pianist/arranger/musical director Yaron Gershovsky, together have co-produced their first duo songbook album. And it comes from a classic “When a door closes, a window opens” moment. The Manhattan Transfer performed its final concert a year ago, bringing to a close one of the most storied chapters in vocal jazz history. With their scintillating live performances and memorable recordings, The Transfer bridged the gap from the fabulous four-part harmony groups of the thirties and forties an...2024-12-0331 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 989: A Conversation with Youn Sun Nah Long hailed for her style-blurring renditions of artists spanning Tom Waits and Jimi Hendrix to Marvin Gaye and Metallica, Elles sees Youn Sun Nah bringing her remarkable voice and unique perspective to a range of songs that have deeply fueled her own indescribable musical approach, all made famous by such iconic female artists as Björk, Sarah Vaughan, Grace Jones, Roberta Flack, Edith Piaf, Grace Slick, Maria João, and more. Recorded in New York City alongside acclaimed pianist Jon Cowherd (Brian Blade, Cassandra Wilson, Lizz Wright) and producer/musician Tomek Miernowski, Elles spans a wide array of songs...2024-11-0827 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 988: A Conversation with Orrin Evans No Cowards in Our Band is a musical drama telling the story of renowned activist and abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) through his own words. With the performance just days before the 2024 Presidential Election, the piece is a striking reminder of the power of the pen, the voice, and the vote. Based on a libretto by Anthony Knight, Jr. and interwoven with Negro spirituals arranged by GRAMMY-nominated jazz artist Orrin Evans, No Cowards in Our Band stars actor, artist, and TV personality Masud Olufani as Frederick Douglass performing with a trio of opera singers, the “moving and electrifying performer” (Wall...2024-10-2726 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 987: A Conversation with Tord Gustavsen Tord Gustavsen has gone down many musical paths in his still-blossoming career. Classically trained and educated in musicology, Tord also has a deep knowledge of jazz, which he has seamlessly integrated with the folk and religious music of his upbringing in Oslo. In many ways a quintessential ECM artis (though in our conversation he says he did not think this was originally the case), he has performed and recorded in any number of traditional jazz formats, as well as integrating choirs, singers and world music into his sound. With Seeing, Tord begins an intricate new chapter in hi...2024-10-0832 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 986: Previewing the Hudson Jazz Festival with Cat Henry I’m always happy to preview jazz festivals across the US on Straight No Chaser. The big ones like Newport or Monterey are always great, and regional festivals like those held in Saratoga or by NJPAC are a blast. But I have a special place in my heart for the cities and towns who present festivals, places like Northampton, MA, or Burlington, VT, Hartford, CT or Portland, Oregon, or in the case, Hudson, NY. Scheduled in February in years’ past, the 2024 Hudson Jazz Festival marks the festival’s official move to October, offering music lovers the chance to get ou...2024-09-2232 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 985: A Conversation with Dan Siegel Pianist and keyboardist Dan Siegel has covered a broad swath of the jazz spectrum over the course of his four-and-a-half decade career, from straight ahead swing to sleek contemporary sounds. While that’s a testament to Siegel’s multi-faceted talents and restless curiosity, it’s also the result of the diverse array of collaborators that have joined him along the journey – a roster that includes Bela Fleck, Steve Gadd, Larry Carlton, Ernie Watts, Ottmar Liebert, Lee Ritenour, Brian Bromberg, Eric Marienthal, Bob Sheppard, Boney James, Alex Acuña and others. Siegel’s twenty-third release, Unity, is the latest and one...2024-09-1727 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 984: A Conversation with Ethan Margolis AKA Emagerio ‘Genre-fluid’ is a great word to describe the music of guitarist Ethan Margolis, aka “Emaginario.” A life-long student of music, he has traveled the world from his native Cleveland to bring African diaspora-Caribbean sounds and flamenco stylings to his musical base of the blues and folk-rock. Margolis has evolved into a creative and worldly artist, whose deep connections with flamenco, jazz, blues and even punk coalesce into a unique musical voice. Elements of that Margolis style can be heard coming to fruition on his latest album, Interlude of the Duende (released on Ropeadope), in trio form with a pair of j...2024-09-1136 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 983: A Conversation with Norma WInstone Norma Winstone has been a one of a kind musician in the jazz scene for more than fifty years. A unique artist as both jazz vocalist and lyricist, and ability to sing in ensembles from Big Bands to Avant-garde ensembles to intimate duets and trios have made each release in her distinctive career a “must hear.” Her first ECM recording in six years, Outpost of Dreams, finds Norma in a new duo with pianist Kit Downes. Norma brings her poetic sensibilities to new pieces by Downes as well as compositions by Carla Bley, Ralph Towner, and John Taylo...2024-09-0832 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 982: A Conversation with Greg Skaff A reliably swinging presence and facile improviser on the New York scene since the late ‘80s, guitarist Greg Skaff has shared the bandstand with such jazz greats as Stanley Turrentine, Freddie Hubbard, David “Fathead” Newman and Ralph Peterson Jr., as well current notables like Mike LeDonne, David Hazeltine, Orrin Evans, Ben Allison, Jim Rotondi and Joe Farnsworth. He has also toured and recorded with “Queen of R&B” Ruth Brown and jazz diva Gloria Lynne and recorded seven albums as a leader. Skaff’s latest, Re Up, recorded with bassist Ugonna Okegwo and young drumming sensation Jonathan Barber, follows th...2024-08-1432 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 981: A Conversation with Conrad Herwig, Part TwoThe Latin Side of McCoy Tyner is Conrad Herwig’s latest reimagination of music from his musical heroes, and in this case, former boss on the bandstand. Backed by a band that includes his closest friends and long-time collaborators, including Craig Handy (tenor & baritone saxophone), Alex Norris (trumpet & flugelhorn), Bill O'Connell (piano), Ruben Rodriguez (bass), Robby Ameen (drums), and Camilo Molina congas & bata), the new album is a worthy companion to previous entries in the “Latin Side” series, Luques Curtis and Eddie Palmieri sit in on a track each. Well-known as an anchor of the Mingus...2024-07-1937 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 980: A Conversation with Conrad Herwig, Part OneThe Latin Side of McCoy Tyner is the latest installment in a critically-acclaimed series that started in 1996 with The Latin Side of John Coltrane. It's the work of Conrad Herwig, a musically gifted, bilingual artist, a master trombonist who grew up admiring jazz's greatest practitioners but, at the same time, cutting his Latin Jazz teeth with legends such as Mario Bauza, Tito Puente, Paquito D'Rivera and the great pianist and composer, Eddie Palmieri. Herwig called McCoy Tyner his boss for a number of years, so bringing his reimagination skills to the legendary pianist’s music is...2024-07-0831 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 979: Previewing the Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival with Danny Melnick An early highlight of the summer for jazz fans in the US Northeast is always the Freihoer's Saratoga Jazz Festival, held on the grounds of the lovely Saratoga Performing Arts Center ("SPAC"). This year's lineup should please almost any jazz fan, bringing ta wide ranging lineup to two stages on June 29 and 30. Want the inside scoop on the festival? listen to Podcast 979 as festival organizer Danny Melnick talks about the acts, the scene and the background on a great weekend of music. The Festival scehdule (subject to change) is: Saturday, June 29th Amphitheater...2024-06-0628 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 978: A Conversation with Edy Forey Those who cover music love to categorize the music and musicians we focus on. I put myself all too often into this group. What should I call it? Is it Acid Jazz? Post Bop? Downtown Loft? But far too often muscians fall in between the cracks of these often arbitrary categories, and we are left looking for new descriptive words. Often the words fail us. The UK-based duo Edy Forey are definitely in those cracks, even if they call their music “Urban Jazz.” What does that sound like, and where does it come from? Listen to Podcast 978, my con...2024-06-0427 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 977: A Conversation with Nicola Caminiti ""In a world where it's easy to be cynical and bitter, what strikes me most about Nicola and his music is the pure joy and excitement that he brings and carries with him at all times. To be present in the euphoria of this art form is the most difficult skill the way I see it and many young artists seem to ignore that simple and powerful fact. Nicola, in addition to being an accomplished instrumentalist and composer, possesses that ineffable quality that draws us to his music." - Rio Sakairi, the artistic director of The Jazz Gallery, NYC,...2024-06-0332 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 976: A Conversation with Zaccai Curtis Zaccai Curtis continues to be one of the most engaging piano players of the past decade. Whether as a band leader (alone or with his brother Luques) or backing the likes of the late Ralph Peterson, Lakecia Benjamin and Cindy Blackman Santana, his strong sense of rhythm and deep knowledge of Latin and Afro-Cuban sounds and Bebop chords make him a cornerstone of those artist’s sounds. Cubop Lives! is an album that stands as the culmination of his work as a composer/arranger, performer, and educator steeped in the Afro-Cuban Jazz tradition. Backed by Willie Martinez (drum...2024-06-0138 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 975: A Conversation with Charles McPherson, Part Two Podcast 975 continues my conversation with the great Charles McPherson. A giant of the saxophone, Charles is a product of the rich jazz city of Detroit, where he was mentored by the late Barry Harris. His closest childhood friend was the future trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer; the two later played together with the iconic Charles Mingus, with whom McPherson would tour and record for more than a decade. McPherson and Hillyer lived just blocks from the famed Blue Bird Inn, a renowned jazz club where the house band included Harris, Pepper Adams, Paul Chambers, and Elvin Jones. His new...2024-04-2529 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 974: A Conversation with Charles McPherson, Part OneReverence is Charles McPherson’s first release for Smoke Sessions Records, and a few listens reveal why he’s been held in such reverence for the last 64 years. The album captures a scintillating live performance from Smoke Jazz Club, where McPherson is joined by his remarkable current group featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Jeb Patton, bassist David Wong, and drummer Billy Drummond. The set is a showcase for McPherson’s gifts as both composer and soloist and bridges his deep and far-reaching exploration of the full jazz spectrum. Reverence kicks off a yearlong series of live recordi...2024-04-2337 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 973: A Conversation with Linda PurlYou’ve probably seen Linda Purl act more often than you’ve heard her sing. Besides being Richie Cunningham’s girlfriend and Fonzie’s fiancée on Happy Days, Matlock’s daughter Charlene Matlock, and Pam’s Mom/Steve Carell’s girlfriend on The Office, she has had stints on Homeland, True Blood, and Hacks. She has starred in over 45 made-for-TV movies and is currently recurring on The Bold and the Beautiful. She’s been on the Broadway stage and a number of Off-Broadway productions, performing roles from Shakespeare to the one-woman theatrical presentation of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Think...2024-04-2031 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 972: A Conversation with Dane Alderson of Yellowjackets Since Yellowjackets’ eponymous 1981 debut album, the group has hewed its own creative path, influencing colleagues with enviable compositional craftsmanship and an ever-shifting blend of influences. In many ways Yellowjackets embody both continuity and renewal, with founding pianist/keyboardist Russell Ferrante providing the four-decade thread first joined by Will Kennedy, who took over the drum chair from 1987-99 and returned to the fold in 2010. Bob Mintzer, a Jacket since 1990, contributes on tenor and soprano saxophones and EWI. The bass chair in Yellowjackets has been held by some mighty players over the years, beginning with the legendary Jimmy Haslip, and then Fel...2024-03-3028 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 969: A Conversation with Fernando TruebaFernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal’s Bossa Nova-themed animated film They Shot the Piano Player will be in wide release nationwide from Sony Classic Pictures this week. Trueba and Mariscal are the duo behind the 2012 Academy Award nominated Chico and Rita, and their latest work features a who’s who of the best of Brazilian music, including João Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Vinicius de Moraes, Milton Nascimento and Paulo Moura. The film follows a New York music journalist who goes on a quest to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of young Brazilian piano virtuoso...2024-03-2620 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 971: A Conversation with George Coleman, Part Two The legendary George Coleman’s latest project is a release from hard-bop supergroup One For All, an album appropriately called Big George on Smoke Sessions Records. One For All is composed of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, trombonist Steve Davis, pianist David Hazeltine, bassist John Webber, and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Coleman joins the group on three tracks, the Rotondi original “Oscar Winner,” standard “My Foolish Heart,” and Hank Mobley’s “This I Dig of You.” Coleman is approaching his 89th birthday, and still plays with the classic sense of Memphis blues that is his birthright. Underrated as a leader...2024-03-1431 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 970: A Conversation with George Coleman, Part One New York’s premier hard-bop supergroup, One for All has evolved over the course of its quarter-century history from a sextet of young torchbearers to an assemblage of the music’s most revered traditionalists. Just how in-demand these six artists have become can be traced by the span of time that elapses between albums. 2016’s The Third Decade followed its predecessor by five years; seven years of that decade have now passed before the band’s long-awaited follow-up, Big George. Due out March 15, 2024 from Smoke Sessions Records, Big George features the unparalleled line-up of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, trumpet...2024-03-1229 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 968: A Conversation with Ada Rovatti Italy-born, Long Island, New York-based saxophonist and arranger Ada Rovatti’s seventh album as a leader, The Hidden World of Piloo is deeply personal, and stylistically varied. It features six improvisationally rich instrumentals that include blues grooves, samba vibes, straight-up lyricism, melancholic balladry and a comedic finale. Two songs include strings; another features the dobro, a country instrument unlikely to be in a jazz song. In a change for Ada, several compositions showcase top-tier vocalists, including jazz-poll champion Kurt Elling, the Netherlands jazz singer Fay Claassen, German pop/jazz star Alma Naidu and fired-up R&B singer Niki Haris...2024-02-2836 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 967: A Conversation with Sullivan Fortner, Part TwoIn Part One of our conversation, pianist and composer Sullivan Fortner talked about the creation of his latest release, the creative two-disc Solo Game. One disc is solo piano, the result of a curation in the studio with his mentor Fred Hersch, and the other electric keyboard and other musical toys to create both composed through and improvised soundscapes. Part Two talks about future Fornter projects, like his coming performance with the National Symphony in `Washington DC to salute Duke Ellington and a choir-based recording to begin later in the year. We also talk about his work w...2024-02-1920 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 966: A Conversation with Sullivan Fortner, Part One The latest release from the rising star Sullivan Fortner shows off two very different sides of his musical pallet – lyrical and moving solo piano, and electronic explorations. Both will leave you wanting more, and to hear what he has next up his sleeve. Frustrated by his lack of musical outlets during the pandemic, “Game,” the second of two discs that make up Solo Game came first. Visiting a studio in Brooklyn to consider a project, Fortner began employing a range of instruments and effects — Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, Moog, vocoder, celesta, chimes, drums, an immense variety of percussi...2024-02-1729 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 965: A Conversation with Giorgi Mikadze Giorgi Mikadze (pronounced “Gih-ohr-gih Mih-kahd-zeh”) is a pianist who values his heritage and roots, having been born and raised in Georgia, at the foot of the Caucasus mountains. While his training and early carer arch may have seemed typical for an aspiring jazz musician – classical training, Berklee and Manhattan School of Music studies, time on the road with his elders – his choice of music is not. Rather than concentrate on the Great American Songbook or record only his own compositions, Giorgi has adapted Georgia music, from folk songs to movie scores. This process comes to a new high wit...2024-02-0339 minKBACH's Heart of the ArtsPianist Jeffrey Siegel presents "A French Feast"Jeffrey Siegel (pictured) continues his Keyboard Conversations series at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Tuesday, February 6 at 7:30pm...2024-01-3108 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 964: A Conversation with Nitai Hershkovits Following in the footsteps of the giants of solo piano who have recorded for ECM Records, Call on the Old Wise is Nitai Hershkovits’ first record as a leader for the famous label, presenting his powerful pianistic ingenuity in a largely improvised solo setting. A veteran of Oded Tzur’s quartet (he appears on Isabela and Here Be Dragons), Nitai was also a mainstay of Avishai Cohen’s trio from 2011 to 2016. The album is partially dedicated to Nitai’s former piano teacher Suzan Cohen, with whom he studied in Jerusalem and who according to Nitai is the mentor to wh...2023-12-3131 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 963: A Conversation with Buster Williams As 2023 comes to a close, Straight No Chaser posts a few conversations with artists who produced memorable albums this year. Today’s podcast features bassist Buster Williams, who released Unalome on the Smoke Sessions label this past winter. While the band on Unalome is familiar – drummer Lenny White, pianist George Colligan, alto saxophonist Bruce Williams and Vibes master Stefon Harris are all long-time running partners – the album adds vocalist Jean Baylor for covers and Williams originals that take his music in a less familiar territory. One of the most revered bassists of the last half century, the Grammy...2023-12-2926 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 962: A Conversation with Dominic Miller Dominic Miller may be best known to the world as Sting’s “right-hand man on guitar” and co-writer of “Shape of My Heart,” among the ex-Police bassist's other pop hits. But the multi-faceted Miller has a completely different outlet for his improvisatory talents as well. Vagabond is the guitarist’s third recording for ECM, and might prove his most poetic tale to date. After Dominic’s debut Silent Light (2017), which captured the guitarist in solo performances with occasional percussive injections by Miles Bould, Absinthe (2019) found him expand his subtle instrumental sketches in a quintet lineup. For Vagabond, the guitarist has co...2023-12-2830 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 961: A Conversation with Ralph Towner, Part Two On Part Two of our conversation, guitarist Ralph Towner talks about his growth as a guitarist from his early days playing trumpet and piano, through his time with influential bands like the Paul Winter Consort and Oregon, and then his many solo, duo and trio recordings. We talk about his work with Wolfgang Muthspeil and Slava Grigoryan (From a Dream and Travel Guide in 2008 and 2013) as well as his favorite duo recordings, especially those with bassist Gary Peacock. We also discuss some of his other collaborations, including his brief brush performing with Weather Report in 1972. At First...2023-12-2717 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 960: A Conversation with Ralph Towner, Part One At the age of 83, guitarist Ralph Towner continues to write, perform and improvise on the highest of musical levels. He has been an ECM artist for more than fifty years, appearing in many different contexts, one of the most important being a run of solo recordings which began with Diary in 1973. At First Light is the latest addition to the solo guitar series. Never one to be pigeon-holed as an interpreter and composer of a specific type of music, this release features new and old Towner pieces, as well as tunes from Broadway musicals and the much-covered Irish traditional air...2023-12-2632 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 959: A Conversation with Christine Jensen One of the few positives of the horrid COVID pandemic that shook the music world to its core has been the release of musci composed during those uncertain days. Alton and soprano saxophonist Christine Jensen's lastest album, Day Moon (Justin Time Records) stands as a shining example of how a great musician turns struggle into art. Recorded with her quartet of pianist Steve Amirault and her long-time collaborators bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Jim Doxas, Day Moon is highlighted by the four-song suite Quiescence. Written for a commission from New York’s Jazz Coalition that had raised funds f...2023-11-2032 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 958: A Conversation with Sean Mendelson For the first time ever, the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, the timeless 10th animated Peanuts special, from writer and creator Charles Schulz, director Bill Melendez and Phil Roman and producers Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Originally airing on November 20, 1973 on CBS-TV, the special has been broadcast or streamed every year for the last 50 years. But the soundtrack album has remained elusively out of reach. Now we have the original recordings that comprise the thirteen song cues of the Special, plus another nine bonus or alternative tracks that have never been released or heard befor...2023-11-2030 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 957: A Conversation with Michael Dease and Gregg Hill Perennial DownBeat Critics Poll winner trombonist Michael Dease has embraced his role as a torchbearer for his mentors and the great jazz ancestors over his 15 deeply-swinging, state-of-the-art mainstream recordings. For The Other Shoe (Origin Records), Dease teams with the formidable composer Gregg Hill, expanding his rhythmic & harmonic palette with a flexible, in-the-moment perspective while remaining true to the sensibilities at his musical core. With the prodigiously talented pianist Geoffrey Keezer as a central foil, Dease brings along a wide-ranging collection of musicians, each specifically brought in for their unique outlooks and talents. Most notable is the inclusion of clarinetist V...2023-11-1826 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 956: A Conversation with Jon CowherdKeyboardist Jon Cowherd has been on my list of interview subjects for a long time, and after an unconscionable delay, Podcast 956 features him and his latest release, a trio album on the Le Coq Records imprint called "Pride and Joy." And what a trio it is - Cowherd joined by long-time friend and musical running partner Brian Blade on drums, and the sensational John Patitucci on bass. Add guest spots by Chris Potter on saxophone and Alex Acuna on percussion, and you have a killer lineup for a sensational album. Cowherd has been at the center of...2023-11-1731 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 955: A Conversation with DouyéAs a fan of the Great American Songbook (and really, who isn't?) I'm always looking for new and different approaches to these storied songs. Enter the Nigerian born singer Douyé, whose latest release The Golden Sèkèrè, is a wonderful meld of polyrhythms, swing and soul. Having grwon up listening to American torch singers as well as Afrobeat, it was inevitable that Douyé, would tackle tunes by Ray Noble, Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers. Her Nigerian-steeped support team features arrangers Bada Ken Okulolo, Tosin Aribisala and Zem Audu as well as guitarist Dokun Oke and percussionist Najite Agindot...2023-10-1022 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 954: A Conversation with Joe Alterman about Les McCannPianists Joe Alterman and Les McCann make something of an odd couple. The pair are separated in age by more than half a century; McCann is confined to a medical rehab facility in Los Angeles, while Alterman left New York City to return to his native Atlanta, Georgia six years ago. But since their paths first crossed back in 2012, according to Alterman, “barely a day has passed that we haven't chatted.” So it's only natural that Alterman's trio would evenually tackle the McCann songbook, and now we have Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: Big Mo & Little Joe. Bass...2023-10-0929 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 953: A Conversation with Omer KleinListeners to Straight No Chaser know I have great fondness for the music of the piano trio, an art I consider one of the highest forms of jazz in terms of improvisation and collaboration. The music these groups make grows richer over time, so those groups that stay together can often take their sound to another level as they mature. Pianist Omer Klein has made some of the most intriguing piano trio music of the recent past. His latest album Life & Fire marks an anniversary – Klein and his trio partners bassist Haggai Cohen-Milo and drummer Amir Bresler hav...2023-06-1536 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 952: A Conversation with Eric Reed "I'm freer than I've ever been in my personal life, and I'm freer than I've ever been in my music. I'm accepting who I am. I love who I am. And as I continue to evolve – my artistry, my sexuality, and my overall humanity – my music will continue to become more and more personal” - Eric Reed Pianist Eric Reed has been a key component in memorable bands led by Wynton Marsalis, Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard, but I've founds the recordings he has made as a leader in his own right the most moving. Reed has been a...2023-06-1333 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 951: A Conversation with Wayne EscofferyWayne Escoffery was riding high the morning I spoke with him. And why not? Just that weekend he had become the first person of color to conduct a performance of Charles Mingus' epic "Epitaph.," a piece he had played before under the direction of Gunther Schuller. His latest album, Like Minds, ws just out on Smoke Sessions Records, and featured top notch guests like Gregory Porter, Tom Harrell, and Mike Moreno joining Escoffery’s quartet of David Kikoski, Ugonna Okegwo, and Mark Whitfield, Jr. Whitfield Jr is the new hand on board, as longtime drummer Ralph Peterson Jr...2023-06-1123 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 950: A Conversation with Tomer Cohen A new face on the New York jazz scene, 25-year-old guitarist-composer Tomer Cohen made his debut as a leader earlier this year with the release of Not the Same River, an album that shows how painting with sound and silence can create often striking musical moods. Accompanied by the highly interactive rhythm tandem of drummer Obed Calvaire (a ubiquitous figure on the NYC scene and currently a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis) and stalwart bassist Matt Penman (formerly a linchpin of the SFJAZZ Collective and sideman on over 100 recordings), Cohen demonstrates his unique...2023-06-0926 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 949: A Conversation with Joe McCarthyIf you think Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s remarkable, 1960 interpretation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1892 ballet, The Nutcracker, is the final jazz word on the popular orchestral work, think again. Performed by drummer/leader Joe McCarthy’s New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band, The Pan American Nutcracker Suite is a distinctly different take on the famous score, integrating the polyrhythms and distinctive percussion from across the world, most notably McCarthy’s playground of choice, Latin America The New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band includes some of the finest players in jazz. Session conductor Vince Norman led Ni...2023-06-0733 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 948: Previewing the Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival with Danny Melnick If it’s June, then jazz festival season must be underway. As always, the early highlight for me is Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, held in lovely Saratoga Springs’ Performing Arts Center June 24-25. Impressario Danny Melnick has a strong lineup for the festival this year, with acts performing on two stages, along with juried crafts, food and drink. The line-ups for Saturday, June 24 include Snarky Puppy, Angelique Kidjp, Tower of Power, Chucho Valdes, Cory Wong and the Cindy Blackman Santana Band on the Amphoteater Stage, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, Emmet Cohen, Claudia Acuna, Carolyn Wonderland, Glen David Andrews...2023-06-0543 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 947: A Conversation with Ann Hampton Callaway It’s been a while, but I’m pleased to say that Straight No Chaser is back in business! There is a lot of great content coming up, so please spread the word. We’ll kick things off with my conversation with singer/songwriter/arranger Ann Hampton Callaway. Ann has a new album out on Palmetto Records, and it’s her tribute to one of her earliest music heroes, Peggy Lee. The recording come on the heels of Callaway’s show, Fever: The Peggy Lee Century, a 100th birthday celebration of the singer at the New York Ci...2023-06-0129 minKBACH's Heart of the ArtsJeffrey Siegel: Keyboard Conversations and Bernstein StoriesRenowned pianist Jeffrey Siegel returns once more this season to talk about his upcoming Keyboard Conversations in Scottsdale this spring, and also...2023-01-2020 minKBACH's Heart of the ArtsJeffrey Siegel returns with Keyboard Conversations in 2023World renowned pianist, Jeffrey Siegel returns to Scottsdale in 2023 on his tour of Keyboard Conversations.There are three chances for you to attend...2023-01-0919 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 946: Christmas Jazz: New for 2022Looking for some new Christmas jazz tunes to brighten your hoilday spirit? Our annual consumer guide gives you a chance to hear a track or two from recent releases of holiday music. This year features "new" releases from Norah Jones and Vince Guaraldi (deluxe versions of previous albums) and a comprehensive collection from Louis Armstrong. There are also single/EP only tunes from Laila Biali, Samara Joy, and Matt Wilson. I'm featuring two tracks from Andy James' Bells Are Ringing (Le Coq Records). The first is an instrumetal original, "It's Christmas Time" composed by Andy, Piero Pata...2022-12-1254 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 944: A Conversation with TawandaWe heard from promising young jazz singer Samara Joy in Podcast 943 last week, and today it’s Tawanda’s turn. When she tied for first place with Gabrielle Cavassa in the 9th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, the feat was all the more impressive given that Tawanda had performed her first full show just a year before. Raised in the deep south of New Mexico on the border with Texas, she is proudly a first generation American with a mother from Germany and a father from Mozambique. This unique background has served her well, giving her...2022-12-0728 minKBACH's Heart of the ArtsAn American Salute: In conversation with Jeffrey SiegelPianist Jeffrey Siegel will present his 44th season of Keyboard Conversations at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts during the 2022–23 Season....2022-12-0613 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 943: A Conversation with Samara JoyOn Straight No Chaser this week, we feature two promising young female vocalists and their most recent releases. Both Samara Joy McLendon and Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim have professionally dropped their last names. Both were winners of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition, in 2019 and 2021, respectively ( Tawanda’s competition was originally slated to be held in 2020 but delayed due to COVID). Both are following well-worn paths of singing standards and modern pop songs with small group backing. And the sky seems the limit for both. Samara's major label debut on Verve Records is Linger Awhile, an often thrilling collection of...2022-11-2925 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 942: The Return of The Headhunters - A Conversation with Mike Clark and Bill SummersBack in the early 70’s, drummer Mike Clark and bassist Paul Jackson were best friends, living in East Oakland, playing flatbed gigs at Black Panther rallies and generally raising hell. Cooking was not their forte, so the barbecue joint next door became a hangout. Mrs. Jones (of Everett and Jones) asked them to write a song to promote the spot, and they came up with the first version of ‘God Made Me Funky.’ Bill Summers worked with Jackson at the local record store, and he jumped at an opportunity to open a show for Herbie Hancock in the Bay Area. H...2022-11-1332 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 941: A Conversation with Bobby WatsonBobby Watson continues to carry the Hard Bop torch well into the 21st century. And he sounds as vibrant as ever on his latest release, Back Home in Kansas City (Smoke Sessions Records), which was released last month. He’s joined by some familiar faces – his longtime rhythm section of bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Jones along with two stars in their own right - pianist Cyrus Chestnut and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. The album is made up of Watson tunes old and new, as he finally got around to recording a few tunes that he had on t...2022-11-1231 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 940: A Conversation with Marshall GilkesMarshall Gilkes keeps one foot firmly in the world of jazz, and another in the classical world. On any given night in New York, you might find the trombonist playing with the New York Philharmonic, filling in a Big Band brass section, or soloing with a salsa band. He is in demand as part of the Maria Schneider Orchestra and the WDR Big Band, as well as the Slide Monsters Trombone Quartet, and leading his own projects This has led to his producing six critically acclaimed albums, along with his latest work, Cyclic Journeys (Alternate Side Records). ...2022-11-0722 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 939: A Conversation with Sammy SteinI enjoyed having author Sammy Stein on the podcast so much (check out Podcast 810), when I learned she had a new book out, I had to have her back. The Wonder of Jazz: Music That Changed the World is slim in size but not in scope, as she takes both the jazz newbie and the aficinado on a tour of jazz past, present and future. Backed with a long listening list, it represents the ideal read for those looking to get deeper into this great music. Early Christmas present anyone? Her previous book, All That’s...2022-10-2519 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 938: A Conversation with Bruce BarthA pivotal member of New York's Jazz scene for 40 years, pianist Bruce Barth's inspired vision and generous accompaniment has always led to rich musical collaborations, none more so than with his working trio of many years with bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Montez Coleman. Their collective voice found its perfect setting, which makes the release of Dedication a profound and emotion-filled moment, as Montez passed away 5 months after the recording session at the age of 48. Celebrating the joy and camaraderie Montez brought to their work, the thread of relationships, inspiration, guidance and gratefulness that imbued the recording revealed itself, le...2022-10-1425 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 937: A Conversation with Dafnis PrietoI must confess that any album that features Brazilian-born singer Luciana Souza is going to be on my radar immediately. A brilliant interpreter of both American and Brazilian pop and jazz classics, she collaborated brilliantly with Yellowjackets in 2018, and Vince Mendoza and the WDR Big Band Köln in 2020. Her latest collaboration is another smashing success. Grammy-winning Cuban-born drummer, composer, bandleader, and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Dafnis Prieto wrote songs and lyrics for his latest album Cantar, (on his Dafnison Music label) a great vehicle for Luciana’s talents. Prieto and Souza are joined by a trio of masterfu...2022-10-0320 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 936: A Conversation with Tord Gustavsen“Musically, I have the very clear feeling that my stretching out and being creative has a much better chance of happening organically, avoiding alienation and stiffness, when done in energetic connection with my roots – with the sensuality and groundedness of the hymns and the spirituals and the lullabies.” – Tord Gustavsen Piano players who record on ECM are in some heavy company. Many of the legends of the ivories – Jarrett, Corea, Bley, Iyer – have all had some of their finest work appear on the now legendary label. Tord Gustavsen seems to shrug off these rarified heights as he continues his re...2022-09-2134 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 935: A Conversation with Pasquale GrassoFollowing the success of his digital showcase series of solo guitar tributes to giants like Monk, Powell, and Ellington, Pasquale Grasso has cast his musical net a bit wider. His latst album, a trio recording from the Sony Music Masterworks release called Be-Bop!, is an often dazzling tribute to be-bop pioneers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Backed by his working trio of bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla, the Grasso trio is in sync through super-up-tempo, challenging fare like “A Night n Tunisia.” “Groovin’ High,” “Cheryl,” “Ornithology," “Be-bop" and “Shaw ‘Nuff." Although the tunes are all staples of the jazz...2022-09-1431 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 934: A Conversation with Dezron Douglas about Tomasz Stańko and more Tomasz Stańko – one of Europe’s most original and beloved jazz musicians – was born on July 11, 1942, in Rzeszów, Poland, and he passed away in Warsaw on July 29, 2018. In many ways, his life traced the course of modern jazz in Europe, beginning with his tenure – when barely into his twenties – in the band of the great Polish composer-pianist Krzysztof Komeda, through his association as a leader with the iconic German art-house label ECM Records that would produce a dozen masterful albums up to his final release, December Avenue, in 2017.. To mark what would have been his 80th birthday year, an all...2022-09-1337 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 933: Smoke Reopens - A Conversation with Paul StacheAfter several weeks of bad news in the jazz world, driven by the untimely deaths of Jaimie Branch and Joey DeFrancesco, a little sunshine has appeared. After two years were spent reorienting to the pandemic with modified operations including livestreams, sidewalk concerts, and outdoor dining, Smoke Jazz Club made a long-awaited return as a world-renowned full-time destination earlier this month. The revered Manhattan institution has undertaken an impressive expansion and renovation that readies itfor the post-pandemic 21st century. And signing a thirty year lease extension doesn't hurt either. Despite being closed to indoor performances and dining for o...2022-09-0917 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 915: A Conversation with Keith HallDrummer and composer Keith Hall spent nine years on the New York scene, as well as a lengthy time backing vocalist Curtis Stigers and as part of Betty Carter’s prestigious Jazz Ahead. He returned to the Midwest where he has been deeply immersed in the Kalamazoo, Michigan community for some 20 years. After playing with the likes of Wycliffe Gordon, Sir Roland Hanna, Janis Siegel, Luciana Souza, Terrell Stafford and Steve Wilson, Hall now makes his long-awaited debut as a leader. Made in Kalamazoo (Trios and Duos) is a free-wheeling set of high-energy music that is a love letter of...2022-06-2328 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 862: A Conversation with Joe FiedlerIn 2019 boundary-breaking trombonist Joe Fiedler released Open Sesame, packed with inventive jazz readings of material drawn from his longstanding “day job” as an Emmy-nominated music director and staff arranger for the famed children’s show Sesame Street. The album gave long-time fans of the television show a chance to hear musicians reinterpret tunes that were part of their formative years, including “Rubber Duckie” and “Sing.” Fuzzy and Blue (Multiphonics Music), Fiedler’s second volume of Sesame Street songs, shines still more light on the extraordinary wit and melodic gift of the foundational Sesame Street composers Joe Raposo and Jeffrey Moss, among...2021-11-0835 min
Straight No Chaser - A Jazz ShowPodcast 855: A Conversation with Dan SiegelPodcast interviews these days can sound like “How I Spent My Covid Vacation” at times. So many musicians used to traveling, gigging and recording at length became housebound. Some used the time to practice; others learned new instruments or worked on previously back-burnered material. Pianist/Composer Dan Siegel (no relation to your humble host) prepared his 22nd album as a leader, Faraway Places, by reaching out to his favorite players and bringing in a host of top sidemen to breathe life into his project via the internet. Joining Siegel on the album are saxophonist Eric Marienthal, trumpeter/trombo...2021-10-2226 min
the Building Performance Podcast#90 HVAC NO MERCY MYTHBUSTING with Dr. Jeffrey SiegelToday Corbett dives deep into the science of using HVAC to control indoor air quality (IAQ) with Dr. Jeffrey Siegel, professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto. Jeff is named in over a hundred scientific studies published in this topic, and over the 45 minutes he blows conventional wisdom out of the water again and again.2021-09-2047 min
Tell Me More: Coffee with Chris YipSeries 1, Episode 2 — Marianne Hatzopoulou and Jeffrey SiegelProfessors Marianne Hatzopoulou and Jeffrey Siegel both study air quality, but from different perspectives. Hatzopoulou and her team are use mobile sensors to build real-time maps and simulations of outdoor air pollution, while Siegel’s research group focuses on modelling the indoor environment. Together, they explain the best way to get a breath of fresh air.
Podcast transcripts can be downloaded at uofteng.ca/podcast.2021-07-2227 min
Mental Training LabPain Pushes, Vision Pulls: Jeffrey Siegel on Values, Vision, and Getting Back Into Your BodyToday I had the opportunity to sit down with my friend and colleague Jeffrey Siegel (@jeffsiegelwellness). Jeff's holistic background in Mind and Brain Education from Harvard University and Buddhist Studies from The University of Hong Kong provides a way towards lasting wellbeing that feels as good as it looks. Jeff coaches clients to help integrate the deep inner work of personal transformation while developing a bold vision, clear goals, and healthy routines. In addition to wellness coaching, Jeff teaches mindfulness and mediation at Harvard and Tufts, and leads corporate wellness workshops and classes for innovative companies that care about...2021-05-191h 18