The women who raised Kandace Springs
The musical icon Prince once said that Kandace Springs “has a voice that could melt snow.” The vocalist, pianist and composer released...
Kermit Ruffins on life in New Orleans: ‘I can’t imagine living anywhere else’
Whether he’s barbecuing outside his bar, sitting in with Jon Batiste and Stay Human on The Late Show, performing in films and TV...
Around the world with Michael Kaeshammer
Born and bred in Offenburg, Germany, Michael Kaeshammer began playing the piano at the age of six. After seven years of classical...
Tierney Sutton on music: ‘Look for the thing that’s moving you’
It’s hard to determine which part of Tierney Sutton’s career is the most admirable: her celebrated recordings, her multiple Grammy nominations, her...
For Jeff “Tain” Watts, it’s all about the purity in music
Sometimes all you have to do is mention a nickname, and others will know exactly who you’re talking about — starting with...
Behind the creative process of McCoy Tyner
Our listening experiences are teaching moments, especially when you are a 16-year-old finding your way around an instrument. I’m thinking back to...
Ernesto Cervini trio Tetrahedron releases debut album with Nir Felder
You’re probably familiar with Ernesto Cervini’s name, whether we’re talking about Turboprop, Myriad3 or TuneTown. And there’s even more from the dynamic,...
In Toronto, Archie Alleyne worked to lift up black Canadian jazz musicians
This archival interview is from Bill King’s upcoming book of interviews, Talk! Conversations in All Keys. In June of 2015, my good...
James Hill of Local Talent plumbs the depths of creativity
Pianist and composer James Hill is hard to put into a musical box. He’s an artist who’s always moving and reinventing. In...
Jazz singer Jane Monheit lets life guide her voice
Over the last 20 years, Grammy-nominated vocalist Jane Monheit has been one of jazz music’s great singers. Lush and nimble with an...
Russell Malone looks for honesty in the art of jazz
Russell Malone is a guitarist who gives you everything in his playing. You get fire and touch, you get beauty and tone....
For Danilo Pérez, jazz is the world’s best form of therapy
Danilo Pérez believes that jazz is one of the best tools of international diplomacy. The Panamanian pianist and composer puts that belief...
The not-so-secret stories of Kurt Elling
Kurt Elling has been described as combining “authenticity with stunning originality” by The Wall Street Journal, “the closest jazz will ever get to having...
Eighty years of gospel with the Blind Boys of Alabama
If anyone should know about pushing beyond what you think is possible, it’s Jimmy Carter. At age 87, he’s the lone surviving...
Booker T. Jones looks back on Stax and the Memphis sound
From his earliest years in the segregated South in Memphis, Booker T. Jones’s driving force was music. While he worked paper routes...
Dee Dee Bridgewater is exploring her Memphis roots
Over the course of a multi-faceted career spanning four decades, Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater has ascended to...
How Laila Biali found her artistic identity, and embraced it
Juno Award-winning pianist, composer and vocalist Laila Biali seems to be in a constant state of motion. She has just wrapped up...
Terence Blanchard and the power of a story
Terence Blanchard is one of the most prominent brass players, bandleaders and recording artists of his generation. He began playing piano at...
What Harry Connick Jr. learned about himself while paying tribute to Cole Porter
Grammy- and Emmy-winning musician and actor Harry Connick Jr. makes his debut for Verve Records with his new album, True Love: A Celebration...
Upholding the history of New Orleans with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The story of the Jaffe family in New Orleans goes way back. Allan and Sandra Jaffe came to the city from Philadelphia...
Karin Plato on the sorrow and joy of music
Karin Plato is a strong and steady force on the Vancouver jazz scene, not only as an award-winning and highly respected vocalist,...
For 25 years, Galactic has been on a nonstop tour
In 1990, two childhood friends from Chevy Chase, Md., guitarist Jeff Raines and bassist Robert Mercurio, moved to New Orleans to attend...
Finding your ‘profound space’ with Chandrika Tandon and Kenny Werner
Chandrika Tandon is a Grammy-nominated artist, a humanitarian, a philanthropist and a leader in the world of business, education and the arts....