Juno Award-winning artist, vocalist and trumpeter Bria Skonberg, shares the breadth of her vocal expression on her latest release ‘Indigo’, the anticipated partner to ‘Brass’, her earlier 2026 trumpet-centered album. Co-produced by Skonberg and her longtime collaborator, Matt Pierson,  ‘Indigo’ is a celebration of song, singing, and orchestrating for all the colors of her vocal artistry. Asked frequently whether she’s a singer who plays trumpet or a trumpet player who sings, Bria says she’s “partly neither, and both entirely.” It’s a revelation from the artist who The New York Times calls “the shining hope of hot jazz.” 

Join me for my conversation with Bria as we explore the significance and meaning to her of the vocal side of jazz. 

Cuban-born “Master of the Ivories,” piano sensation Kemuel Roig, has just released a masterfully-crafted album titled ‘3Discovery: Volume 1, featuring eight original compositions. The music is delivered in the piano trio format that presents a wide range of Cuban rhythmic styles - from conga to mambo, cha-cha-cha, and danzón - with several tracks incorporating piano tumbao patterns. 

The impressive ensemble for this recording includes Cuban-trained musicians, bassist Samuel Burgos, and drummer Juan Armando Diaz, both of whom live in the Miami area.   

Kemuel’s extensive touring and performing resume is a star-studded roster of legendary artists that includes icons Aymée Nuviola and Arturo Sandoval. In our conversation, Kemuel credits Sandoval as one of a trio of individuals who have been extraordinarily influential in his successful career development.  The other two are renowned pianist and educator, Shelly Berg, and Kemuel’s longtime associate and friend, guitarist and producer Gary Galimidi.  

Join me for an in-depth conversation with Kemuel Roig, one of the most versatile and captivating musicians of his generation. 

"Sound Within: A Celebration of Bill Evans"  is the latest album by pianist Randy Ingram. This release is Ingram's deeply personal tribute and homage to the legendary jazz pianist. 

From the beginning of his career, Evans was an indelible influence on Ingram, and he knew that he would one day honor Evans with a project celebrating the sound of this jazz piano icon.Randy was determined to wait until the right moment to musically offer his praise and gratitude.

That  time is now. 

The new release features songs connected with Evans that resonate in meaningful ways. It also includes original compositions penned by Ingram that reflect the profound impact Evans had on him. All of the album’s music is delivered in Ingram's own distinctive musical voice, and is supported by two former collaborators of Bill Evans, drummer Joe La Barbera and bassist Rufus Reid.  

My conversation with Randy Ingram about the album’s backstory delves into its creation.

Much of the music that we know and love is enjoyed by listening to it over the air waves, on a turntable, a CD player and of course over the internet on our devices but there is nothing like the experience of a live performance of music. Case in point, is saxophonist/composer Brent Birckhead’s  live performance recorded at Baltimore’s Keystone Korner featuring Brent along with an all-star lineup of musicians and special guest stars. 

The recording is titled “Exchange, Live at the Keystone Korner”.  Brent says the live musical experience is not only special, but  like no other; in fact he describes it as an exchange between the musicians and the audience that invests both in the experience. 

My conversation with Brent dives into the development, the music, and the story behind “Exchange, Live at the Keystone Korner”. 

In this episode, we are privileged to have a conversation with Grammy Award-winning bassist, composer and cherished educator John Clayton, plus vocalist and contemporary storyteller René Marie. 

John just recently released his 8th album as a leader and it’s called “the two-o duo project”. This work is a project which allowed him to play a series of duos with René, his longtime collaborator, plus his son and frequent musical partner, 7-time Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Gerald Clayton. The recording spotlights a range of material through different cultural eras, plus lyrical and compositional contributions from both Rene and Gerald. 

My conversation with John and Rene is all about how the magic happened in the studio to create this richly textured 11 track album.  

The Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band (JKIBB) – led by celebrated vocalist and band leader Julia Keefe of the Nez Perce tribe, is one of the only jazz big bands in the world comprised exclusively of Native and Indigenous people. Julia brings together a 16-piece ensemble to celebrate a largely unrecognized lineage of Indigenous artists in jazz, while presenting new compositions rooted in tribal histories and storytelling. This project is their premiere album titled “Incarnadine.”

The album features music made famous by Indigenous jazz musicians from the Twentieth Century such as jazz singer Mildred Bailey, whose mother was a Coeur d'Alene tribal member, and Jim Pepper a saxophonist, singer and composer of Kaw and Muscogee Heritage. Also playing significantly in the development of Incarnadine is the collaboration between Julia and trumpeter Delbert Anderson of the Dine tribe who is a featured artist on this album. 

In my in-depth conversation with Julia Keefe, we learn not only about the music, but about the centuries of struggle, deep beliefs, and unwavering respect of the earth that brought Julia to gift us with this truly remarkable work.  

My guest for this episode is pianist, accordionist and composer Ben Rosenblum whose latest project is a musical kaleidoscopic blend of Dominican merengue, West African and Caribbean rhythms, Irish folk music, neo-soul, J-pop and hard bop and other traditions. The beautiful musical form Ben and his group of top rate, globally influenced ensemble of musicians called the Nebula Project,  has created is called “The Longest Way Round”, out now on One Trick Dog Records. 

Another significant influence of note for this album is the extensive globetrotting for Rosenblum, who spends about half of his time on the road touring both with his own ensembles, and with Rickie Lee Jones, Catherine Russell and Indian singer Kiran Ahluwalia. 

Here is my conversation with Ben Rosenblum about his wild and exhilarating ride across musical boundaries to create “The Longest Way Round.” 

Jazz Forum Arts in Westchester County, New York is a premier, highly successful nonprofit jazz organization with a rich history. Now, after 40 years of artistic excellence, a new era will be ushered in when Founder and Executive Director Mark Morganelli and Chief Operating Officer Ellen Prior retire on July 1st of this year.  This dynamic duo leaves behind an amazing legacy that includes hosting 300-plus music performances annually at its Jazz Forum Club in Tarrytown, New York, multiple free outdoor concert series, and award-winning jazz educational programs.  

 Mark Morganelli, a jazz trumpeter and producer, has been a major presence in the New York City and regional jazz scene since 1979, when he opened his first Jazz Forum loft club in Greenwich Village. Ellen Prior, Mark’s wife, has been a presence at JFA events since its earliest days, and formally joined the leadership team in 2015. 

With their retirement in the offing, the mantle of leadership is being passed on to Darrian Douglas and Clara Winder.  

Douglas, an accomplished jazz drummer for the past 20 years, is an educator, and arts leader, who has served as Director of Programs for Jazz Forum Arts since July 2025.  Previously, he served as Executive Director and Co-Founder of Second Line Arts Collective in New Orleans. Winder, currently Marketing Director and a core member of the JFA team for nearly a decade, will become Chief Operating Officer in July 2026, overseeing the Jazz Forum club operations, marketing, audience development, and internal systems that support the organization’s continued growth. 

My conversation with the affable Mark Morganelli and the engaging Ellen Prior unfolds the fascinating story behind the Jazz Forum Arts.

“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” ― Miles Kington

The topic of this episode is “Talk To Your Tomatoes.” No, my guest is not a person who specializes in the art of cultivating plants, fruits and vegetables. Instead, “Talk to Your Tomatoes”is actually the title of the latest album from acclaimed jazz vocalist and songwriter, Stevie Holland, that features fresh interpretations of swinging standards, as well as sophisticated original songs written by Stevie and her longtime collaborator and arranger, award-winning composer Gary William Friedman. 

So why the title of “Talk to Your Tomatoes”? Well, Stevie is a self-proclaimed Viking who is the youngest of seven children and grew up in a music-filled, Norwegian-Italian household in Westchester County, New York. From that background, a great story grew which yielded the whimsical name. And you’ll learn how when you listen to our fruitful conversation.

World-renowned guitarist, vocalist and Grammy Award winner, John Pizzarelli - the son of guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli - has a fond and deep connection to one of the most revered vocalists of all-time, Mr. Tony Bennett.  John’s father was a frequent sideman for the legendary singer, and even John had his own opportunity to accompany Mr. Bennett for a radio broadcast featuring pianist Ralph Sharon and bassist Jay Leonhart.  It should then come as no surprise that during Bennett’s centennial celebration year, John  has released a heartfelt tribute album to the late singer called, “Dear Mr. Bennett.” 

As preparation for this new release, John assembled a collection of some of Tony Bennett’s most memorable and beloved songs, and will subsequently produce even more tunes for a 5-song EP to be released in conjunction with Bennett’s 100th birthday in August.  All of this delightful music is delivered by John, along with bassist Mike Karn and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson.  

In this episode, John shares with me his memories and stories about one of the greatest singers of the last century,  and how he developed this remarkable album “Dear Mr. Bennett.”  Making the conversation even more fun, John breaks out his acoustic guitar to help unfold the stories behind the music.

Vinyl jazz album covers are highly collectible, especially if they are from the iconic label of Prestige Records. These classic and cherished covers, especially from 1949 to 1960 are often even framed and displayed as stunning wall art. It was Prestige that ushered in a golden age of jazz through the music of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Billy Taylor and dozens of jazz legends. Their recordings were encased in extraordinary album jackets as part of a whole graphic universe of illustrations and photos. 

Prestige was founded by Bob Weinstock who gave designers and photographers a carte blanche freedom to create art that reflected the unbridled spirit of the music. Those designers and photographers included Don Schlitten, David Young, Don Martin, Bob Parent, Reid Miles, Tom Hannan, Esmond Evan’s and others. The amazing story behind the groundbreaking music and art of Prestige has now been chronicled in a new tabletop book published by RIT Press called “Wail: The Visual Language of Prestige Records.” 

This remarkable book is authored by Mark Havens and Chris Entwistle. Havens is an artist, photographer and educator whose work has been exhibited internationally and is held in both public and private collections. Entwistle is an artist and illustrator who has used his passion for both jazz and postwar graphic design in his illustration work. 

In my conversation with Mark and Chris, we explore the development of the book which took more than a decade of research to uncover hundreds of rare and meticulously photographed covers and never-before-seen sketches and outtakes from album shoots.