Shows
VJC Q&TQ&T with Mary Petrich – NeptunefulnessPhoenix-based saxophonist/composer/educator Mary Petrich stopped by the VJC Q&T podcast in late February for a spirited conversation with host Russell Schmidt. Mary has long been admired by her peers for her uniquely creative voice, both as a performer and composer. A founding member of the Nash Composers Coalition, she is also increasingly active on the scene as an educator, including her brilliant work with the Phoenix Jazz Girls Rising program.In this engaging interview (recorded prior to the massive upheaval resulting from the global pandemic), Mary and Russ shared questions and tangents on such m...2020-04-0200 min
VJC Q&TQ&T with Nancy Buck – State of the Union (Vol. II)VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt has shared a journey in music education with violist Nancy Buck since they first met in 1995 at Bowling Green State University’s new faculty orientation. And for more than two decades, Nancy and Russ have maintained a joyous partnership on and off the concert stage. Nancy is a nationally-renown artist/teacher who presently serves as an Associate Professor of Viola at Arizona State University. She is also the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Arizona Violacademy. Nancy recently stopped by the MSW-Tempe studio to share questions and tangents with Russ. In...2020-03-1200 min
VJC Q&TQ&T with Nancy Buck – State of the Union (Vol. I)VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt has shared a journey in music education with violist Nancy Buck since they first met in 1995 at Bowling Green State University’s new faculty orientation. And for more than two decades, Nancy and Russ have maintained a joyous partnership on and off the concert stage. Nancy is a nationally-renown artist/teacher who presently serves as an Associate Professor of Viola at Arizona State University. She is also the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Arizona Violacademy. Nancy recently stopped by the MSW-Tempe studio to share questions and tangents wit...2020-02-2700 min
VJC Q&TQ&T with Caleb Kilian & Russell Schmidt – The Big 180 (with a side of Parlando-Rubato)VJC Q&T podcast producer (and Critics Anonymous podcast co-host) Caleb Kilian has know Valley Jazz Cooperative Director Russell Schmidt for more than a decade. And for the past five years, they have worked together as colleagues at Music Serving the Word Ministries, where Caleb serves as Media Manager and Russ is Coordinator of Education.At the start of the Arizona Music Educators Association’s 2020 Conference, and with concert band and jazz ensemble competition season imminent for music educators all over the country, Russ sat down with Caleb to record a unique Questions and Tangents podcast, one in...2020-02-0100 minVJC Q&TQ&T with Clarke Rigsby – And Russ Forgets To Ask About Snuff GarrettVJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt has known Emmy-winning recording engineer and composer Clarke Rigsby for more than fifteen years. Clarke is the founder and owner of Tempest Recording in Tempe, AZ. As a leading recording engineer and artistic collaborator, Clarke has worked in studio settings and/or live performances with such artists as Joe Alessi, Glen Campbell, Alice Cooper, Joey DeFrancesco, Bo Diddley, Peter Erskine, Bob Freedman, Steve Gadd, James Galway, Waylon Jennings, Wynonna Judd, Paul McCartney, James Moody, Lewis Nash, Mark O’Connor, LeAnn Rimes, Blake Shelton, Phil Smith, Tower of Power, Travis Tritt, Stevie Wonder, Tr...2019-12-1200 minVJC Q&TQ&T with Pam Morita – Music and Love and Working on OurselvesVJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt has known jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, educator Pam Morita (The Nash Futures Workshop, Paradise Valley Community College) for more than a decade. Pam is the former Director of CityJazz (an outreach of Phoenix Center for the Arts) and currently leads the Nash Futures Workshop in downtown Phoenix. Additionally, she is on the faculty at Paradise Valley Community College.Just over a month ago, Pam sat down with Russ to discuss her initial transition from classical piano student to a working jazz musician, why she has been particularly motivated to work...2019-11-0800 minVJC Q&TQ&T with Michael Kocour (Part II) – Dancer, InterruptedVJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt has known pianist/organist/composer Michael Kocour for more than a dozen years. A nationally-renown educator, Mike is the Director of Jazz Studies at Arizona State University. Additionally, he is a recording artist for Origin Records, releasing a solo piano album, East of the Sun, on that label’s OA2 imprint earlier this year.
In early summer, Mike sat down with Russ to partake in spirited, engaging discussions on jazz, music education, and the nature of creativity. In this second of two podcasts together, they discussed the sometimes-random nature in...2019-08-0100 minVJC Q&TQ&T with Michael Kocour (Part I) – São Paulo, Sapporo, ChicagoVJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt (Director, Valley Jazz Cooperative) has known pianist/organist/composer Michael Kocour for more than a dozen years. A nationally-renown educator, Mike is the Director of Jazz Studies at Arizona State University. Additionally, he is a recording artist for Origin Records, releasing a solo piano album, East of the Sun, on that label’s OA2 imprint earlier this year.
In early summer, Mike sat down with Russ to record a Q&T podcast. Their far-ranging discussion was engaging and abundant, so much so that the conversation has been split in...2019-07-0100 minVJC Q&TQ&T with Paul Ferguson: God, Football, and Country (in whatever order…)VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt (Director, Valley Jazz Cooperative) has known jazz composer/arranger/educator/trombonist Paul Ferguson for 35 years and has recorded with him off and on for the past two decades. Paul is the Director of Jazz Studies at Case Western Reserve University. He is also the Artistic Director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, one of the leading professional big bands in the Midwest. Paul is a nationally-renown writer for large and small jazz ensembles, and is a former recipient of the Gil Evans Fellowship in Jazz Composition.
In the midst of...2019-07-0100 minVJC Q&TQ&T with Tito Carrillo - Where The Magic Happens"VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt (Director, Valley Jazz Cooperative) has known jazz trumpeter/composer/educator Tito Carrillo for more than twenty years and has had the privilege of sharing a bandstand with him periodically during that time. Tito is a leading musician on the Chicago jazz scene and an Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
In the midst of performing a series of concerts together in Arizona in mid-April 2019, Tito sat down with Russ to record the very first Questions and Tangents podcast. Their wide-ranging conversation delved...2019-06-2433 min