Interviews

Celebrating 25-years as a professional musician, Will Downing continues to please his audiences around the world with his distinct baritone vocals. Downing is a vocalist, songwriter, and producer. He has also published Unveiled Series I, which showcases his photography. This Brooklyn, NY native has established himself as one of the …

A Philadelphia native, Jamar Jones is considered by some to be a child music prodigy. He performed his own composition at the age of four and by the age of thirteen, he was playing session music in the studio for Boyz II Men. This pianist, composer, songwriter, arranger and producer …

Vanessa Rubin is a jazz vocalist, composer, producer, and actress who has graced the jazz scene since the early 80s. She has worked with Etta Jones, Frank Foster, Lewis Nash, Patience Higgins, Kenny Burrell, Grover Washington Jr, and Steve Turre to name a few. Rubin studied under Barry Harris at …

Jason Moran is a Houston, Texas-born pianist and composer. His eclectic styling has led to a successful run of over fifteen years, as both sideman and band leader. In this time, Moran has received considerable praise for his fluid play, which encompasses various styles, blending them into one definably distinctive …

There is a heavy burden with being a trailblazer or provocateur of change in anything. You have to endure a great deal of pain, doubt – self-inflicted or otherwise – and obstacles, often thanklessly and usually for the sole purpose of making things easier for those who come behind you. …

In 1980, Claude McKnight formed Take 6, an acapella gospel jazz group. The members are: Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley. Seven years after their beginning on the campus of Oakwood University, Take 6 signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records and …

Jonathan Butler has toured the globe and given his audiences what they have come to expect. As a renowned guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, Butler discovered his gift of music at an early age. By the age of seven he began playing the guitar and later performed with a group of …

Easy Mo Bee is a Grammy-Award winning producer from Brooklyn, New York. In his storied career, he was worked with some of the biggest names in hip-hop – from L.L. Cool J and Big Daddy Kane to the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. Primarily known for his jazzy, yet hard-hitting …

It may seem impossible to build a house out of jazz, but according to Melissa Walker, not only can jazz build a house, it can also build an entire community. The wife of Grammy-Award winning bassist Christian McBride, has a formidable curriculum vitae of her own. The sultry jazz vocalist …

Keiko Matsui made her US recording debut in 1987 with the recording A Drop of Water. Under Northern Lights followed in 1989 and her subsequent albums of note include No Borders (1990), Night Waltz (1991) Cherry Blossom (1992), Doll (1994), Sapphire (1995) and Dream Walk (1996), which remained on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart for over 15 months and  further cemented her reputation  as …

Lalah Hathaway had a dream. We all have dreams. The word “dream” itself implies that what we aspire to do or become is lofty. On the other side of that coin, it also means whatever that dream is must be wonderfully perfect. In the era when Hathaway was growing up, …

Marc Cary’s name can be synonymous with the D.C. sound of music known as go-go. His music embodies a style that will capture the listener, connecting them to the sound. At the age of fourteen he became a member of the High Integrity Band, which played go-go music. He graduated …