Tag: dc jazz

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JazzCast Episode 13: Bria Skonberg!

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Hi everyone! I am extremely excited to bring you this interview with the amazing Bria Skonberg!! I was able to catch her in between shows and appointments on this past Tuesday and wanted to put up her interview quickly so I could let you all know she is in the DC metro area on Thursday, June 19th, at the Bethesda Jazz and Blues Club! 

I met Bria about 4 years ago as I sat in with a band at the DCLX Lindy Hop Competition. I was impressed with her lead chops and her familiarity with the repertoire of that era. Then, I noticed she was playing with her band at the Takoma Park Jazz Festival as part of their “jazzy women” theme this year (2014.) My all-female big band “Shannon Gunn and the Bullettes” was also playing the time slot before hers, so I went ahead and asked if she might sit in with us on a tune. To my surprise, she said “yes!” She sang “All of Me” and then took a smokin’ trumpet solo. It was so much fun to work with her! Eventually the footage from that festival will be available on the Takoma Park station, from what I understand.

Anyway, this is the first interview I’ve had with a signed artist. I am so humbled that she agreed to get on the phone with me and allowed us the opportunity to hear portions of her new album. If you want to hear the whole song, please buy her album from Random Act Records, iTunes, or download it from her website at http://briaskonberg.com. I encourage everyone to support indie artists and boutique record labels so that they can continue to make the music we all love! My favorite is her “mash-up” of Sir Duke and Three Little Words. Genius arrangement! I hope you enjoy!

Also, you might notice I will be putting up new podcasts more regularly now. My job as a teacher just got a LOT easier so be ready for a new episode every Tuesday over the summer! Or more!

Mentioned in this podcast:

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JazzCast Ep3: Interview with Elijah Jamal Balbed

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Welcome back everyone to another episode of the JazzCast! Today we have Elijah Jamal Balbed, DC tenor saxophonist, on the show to talk about his current musical projects. Listen to the end and you will hear some unreleased material that is a sneak peak for his upcoming live album he will be releasing later this year.

Elijah plays with some heavy cats! Mentioned in this podcast are (in order of mention):

Hope you enjoy listening! Please feel free to sign up for my email list or follow me on twitter @jazztothebone for episode updates. Thanks for stopping by!

 

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The JazzCast – Episode 1 – My vision and introduction

 

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Welcome to the JazzCast, a new podcast devoted to the appreciation and listening of the great genre labeled as jazz.

Transcription below:

Usually, I’m going to be doing interviews, but for the first episode, I’d like to lay out my vision of this show.  Basically, this podcast idea was born as I was driving to work and wanted to hear new jazz but was unable to find a radio station out where I live. My hope is to give this genre a positive push, to focus on the music and the tremendous talent pool behind the genre.Welcome to the JazzCast, a new podcast devoted to the appreciation and listening of the great genre labeled as jazz.

My goal is interview new jazz musicians and to post their original music on the podcast app in iTunes and Stitcher radio. I’d like to start out with local musicians in the DC area, and then branch out across the US and the world. If you or anyone you know has original music and would like to be interviewed, please let me know. You can contact me at jazztothebone [@] gmail.com.

Before we get started, I would love for you to visit my website, http://jazztothebone.com . You’re welcome to subscribe to my email list to know each new artist as I post the podcasts each week.

With that said, I’d like to give you a little of bit of information about myself. I’m a high school music technology and finance teacher, as well as an active trombone in the DC area. I play every Monday night with the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, and you’ll hear me talk about that a lot because a lot of the musicians I know are from that particular ensemble. I also run my own all-female big band called Shannon Gunn and the Bullettes.  We’re made up of professional musicians from the DC area. You can find out more at bullettesjazz.com.  I also play in several pick up combos, do a jazz combo of my own on the side called Jazz to the Bone, and I play in a salsa band called Timba Street.

I’m really looking forward to bringing new talent into this podcast and getting to know some musicians in this area. If you’d like, you can follow me on twitter. Everything is jazz to the bone.  So I’m on twitter at jazztothebone, facebook at jazztothebone2, Instagram at jazztothebone, and I even have a very low active g plus at jazztothebone as well.

Once again, thank you so much for joining me today. I hope to see you back again for the very first interview, episode 2, of the JazzCast. Many thanks to Brent Birkhead for letting me use his song “Ivory Antidote” as the bumper music. This is a recording I made of him playing with Karine Chapdelaine on bass, Josh Walker on guitar, and CV Dashiell the 3rd on drums at Caton Castle restaurant in Baltimore. You can hear more of his music at http://brentbirkheadjazz.com. I hope to get everyone in this recording on here some day.

Thanks again for stopping by!