Matthew Sheens

Australian pianist/composer Matthew Sheens listens intently, whether playing music or having a conversation.  Matthew’s musical inspirations range from Herbie Hancock to Kurt Rosenwickel to George Russell and everything in between so I knew a fun conversation about it all was in store.

I met Matthew in April 2025 shortly after he became an American citizen, something he didn’t plan on when he came to the States on scholarship to the New England Conservatory but rather a reality that unfolded as he fell in love with New York and its unique music scene. Before and after this milestone Matthew won numerous awards and commissions and when we spoke in September 2025, he’d just finished an untitled CD of original compositions which we preview during our conversation.

Stella Cole

Vocalist Stella Cole is a romantic and not afraid to show it.  In our time when so much is slick or ironic, Stella chooses to be sincere and sing from the heart, digging deep into the emotional journey of a song, always with a bit of hope shining through, reflecting the classic musicals of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s that she loved as a child.

Stella has toured with Post Modern Jukebox, with her own band, and now, three albums later, she’s off and running with loads of fans who include her twenty-something contemporaries, those who heard some of those songs originally, and everyone in between.

Bevan Manson One & Two

Pianist, composer Bevan Manson’s CD Talking to Trees, was inspired by his love of nature and his fears for it, as global warming continues to threaten our environment.

Bevan grew up with a jazz musician father who played his great record collection for Bevan, as well as a healthy dose of classical music. Loving it all, Bevan ignored the pop music of his day, and instead, dove into piano lessons at seven, went on to study at Eastman School of Music, to teach at UC Berkeley, and eventually, to write for film and TV. 

Talking to Trees includes Bevan’s original compositions along with fresh takes on well-known classics, all honoring the importance of our natural environment. We had so much fun that I made this a two-part show!

Melinda Rose & Frenchy Romero

Longtime friends and musical collaborators, vocalist Melinda Rose and pianist Frenchy Romero first met in their teens during a weekly jam session in Miami, then stayed in touch with mutual support and encouragement as they continued studying and developing their individual creative visions.  Now, after years of gigging and teaching together and on their own, they’ve joined forces on their first CD as a team, I’m On My Way, a collection of standards and originals. 

Jim Self

Tuba virtuoso, Jim Self wants more respect for his instrument. “I want someone to write something romantic for the tuba,” Jim lamented to me.  I’m called when a there’s someone fat on screen or an elephant. Fat people make love too.”

Yes, it was a fun conversation with this man who DOES get respect from every corner of the music business. Jim has worked with everyone from Placido Domingo and Mel Torme to Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, not to mention, his playing on over 1500 movie soundtracks and hundreds of TV shows and records.  Among tuba-enthusiasts, Jim Self is especially celebrated as the voice from the Mother Ship in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spoiler alert: that was Jim Self playing those tuba tones, not an alien.

Ricky Alexander

Imagine my delight when a CD called Just Found Joy came in the mail with a vaguely amused-looking horn player on the cover with a goat standing behind him digging the sounds. 

Obviously, this musician was a fellow goat-lover and as my luck would have it, a wonderful, swinging player as well. Clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, Ricky Alexander. I immediately reached out to Ricky and arranged the following conversation.

Petra van Nuis & Dennis Luxion

Pianist Dennis Luxion and vocalist Petra van Nuis are a fascinating pairing of two very different personalities with a shared purpose in the music they choose to make, and the message they want to impart with it.

For the last six years, Petra and Dennis have had a weekly gig at Chicago’s Le Piano, an artsy club with a romantic vibe which perfectly suits what Dennis and Petra call the “Afterglow” set they play from 11:00pm to 1am.  This time together has given them the chance to deepen their musical collaboration and broaden the repertoire they feel matches the late-night atmosphere, where listeners sometimes lay on the plush carpet under the piano, giving a whole other spin on getting into the music.

Kristin Korb

Bassist/vocalist Kristin Korb’s latest CD Sweet Dreams is a tribute to the music of The Eurythmics, an idea inspired by her being asked to be a part of a 2023 international Jazz Festival which had the theme of celebrating world-famous duos. Kristin was given a choice of focusing on the Carpenters or The Eurythmics and for multiple reasons, including that she felt it would be the more challenging of the two options, Kristin chose The Eurythmics.

I met Kristin Korb on a jazz cruise in 2009 and became fast friends.  I’ve been on stage with another woman only a handful of times during my long career, so our sets were especially welcome.  Playing with Kristin is great fun not only because of her deep swing feel and time, but because of her dedication to her craft and her determination to move through life with positivity and joy, a focus I admire and try to practice myself.

Brenda Earle Stokes

Canadian pianist/vocalist/songwriter/educator, Brenda Earle Stokes’ latest CD, Motherhood explores the joys and challenges of that much celebrated but often under-appreciated role.  Stokes lets her fellow mothers know they aren’t alone on this wild ride and clues in everyone else on what mothers are really thinking.

Brenda is a deep thinker and a rare lyricist who can translate those perspectives into moving, meaningful lyrics that enlighten and empower her listeners.

Eliane Elias

Multi-Grammy winner, and twelve-time Grammy nominee, Brazilian pianist/vocalist/ composer, Eliane Elias has been a favorite of mine throughout my career, so it was great fun to finally meet her and entice her onto my show for a conversation about her music, Brazilian culture, and how her early musical life contributed to the artist she is today. 

Eliane’s latest CD, Time and Again, is a celebration of all aspects of romance, love and how we move through life with hope and joy.

Antoine Drye

Composer/trumpeter Antoine Drye’s latest CD, Retreat to Beauty, with orchestrations by Isaac Raz, celebrates Antoine’s love of the Great American Songbook, and newer compositions that honor that tradition.  

It’s rare to hear a recording these days with an orchestra with live musicians, not sampled sounds. Retreat to Beauty celebrates not only this music, but the communal experience of making it.

Steini Teague

Islandic musician Steini Teague has spent most of his musical life touring with folk and rock bands, including an appearance on The Tonight Show with Of Monsters and Men. Now he’s turned his sights on jazz with his duo CDs with Icelandic vocalist Silva—with a last name I won’t even attempt to pronounce. 

I talked with Steini about their CD, More Than You Know a dreamy, romantic take on some of their favorite standards.

Zev Feldman 2

Archival record producer, Zev Feldman has been called the Indiana Jones of Jazz, referring to his tireless pursuit of previously unissued recordings to share with the rest of us. Feldman and Resonance Records releases these gems with extensive, informative liner notes, rare photos and in-depth interviews with experts in the field.

Zev’s latest project, Art Tatum – Jewels in the Treasure Box: The 1953 Chicago Blue Note Jazz Club Recordings – features a previously unissued 3-LP collection of Tatum, guitarist Everett Barksdale and bassist Slam Stewart recorded live at the Blue Note in Chicago in 1953.  

Lynne Arriale

Lynne Arriale is one of the most celebrated and respected jazz pianists/composers of her generation. On her CD, Being Human, Lynne Arriale celebrates the emotions humanity shares as an affirmation of love, hope, and unity, and she dedicates each track to someone who exemplifies each quality. 

In her liner notes she says, “I wrote this suite in response to the division and turmoil in our world. The music focuses on qualities we all share that define our humanity.” Lynne hopes this album will be uplifting and convey a sense of unity and optimism.

Eden Brent

Singer/songwriter and blues and boogie pianist, Eden Brent is a Greenville, Mississippi native from a family of riverboat captains, guitar pickers, big band singers and all the various characters you’d want in a Southern novel.  

Eden’s new CD, Getaway Blues, is a celebration of her roots and the music that’s surrounded her throughout her life in Greenville, the home of The Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival, the oldest blues festival in the world. Growing up, Eden heard everything from Hank Williams to Nat Cole around the house, as well as most nights, joining in the post-dinner family singalongs.  Greenville neighbor, author Julia Reed, remembers Eden’s home as a soulful and far funnier version of The Sound of Music, and refers to the family as the von Brents.

Rufus Reid

Two-time Grammy-nominee, bassist and educator, Rufus Reid has enjoyed a long career working with a wide variety of musicians including Dexter Gordon, Eddie Harris, Nancy Wilson, J.J. Johnson, Freddie Hubbard and other giants of jazz.  A new, exciting pursuit for Reid is composing, and although he’s been doing it for over 25 years, he’s been playing much longer, so he considers composing a new part of his life, and something that has made him look at music differently and play differently.  Instead of thinking of the note he’s about to play, he thinks about the bigger picture and the shape of the piece.

Now, with his CD,Celebration, Rufus Reid has fulfilled a dream to record his compositions with strings.

Megg Farrell

Vocalist Megg Farrell or as she is often called, Sweet Megg, has been a jazz singer, a country singer and river boat tour guide, an athelete, and now, to her delight and surprise, she’s a circus performer.  Yes, all her talents have combined to get her a gig with Cirque de Soleil.  Her actor parents encouraged her to live an interesting life and that she’s certainly done.

I spoke with Megg Farrell when she was only a few days into performing with Cirque de Soleil, and now, with Megg’s collaboration, that Canadian entertainment company has gone Country.

Larry Koonse 2

Guitarist Larry Koonse is a favorite musical collaborator with everyone from Billy Childs and Seth MacFarlane to Tierney Sutton and Luciana Souza. He’s as supportive, and musically flexible as he is virtuosic, which explains his popularity in the music world and why he’s been featured on more than 400 albums. 

Larry and I recorded the following conversation onstage in picturesque Dixon, Illinois, outside of Chicago, at The Next Picture Show art gallery as part of my Jazz Inspired Onstage series.

Hilary Gardner 2

During the pandemic, vocalist Hilary Gardner dreamed of wide-open spaces and the freedom to roam, as she puts it, and started researching trail songs from the singing cowboy era of the 1930s and ‘40s.  Her new CD, On The Trail with The Lonesome Pines is a collection of her discoveries, songs not only by singing cowboys but by our greatest jazz and film composers. Today we feature some of those classic recordings and Hilary’s take on these wonderful tunes.

Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton

Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton have individually and collectively won, Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and on and on.  Emma’s father, costume, set and production designer, Tony Walton (who passed away in 2022) won three Tonys, an Academy Award and an Emmy. Yes, it’s a talented family.

Emma and Julie have written thirty-five children’s books, many illustrated by Tony.  Their latest, Waiting in the Wings, is based on a family of ducks who took up residence outside Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY, the theater Emma started with her husband Steven Hamilton and Cybil Christopher in 1991.  Tony Walton generously agreed to be my first guest on Jazz Inspired, twenty-five years ago, so having Emma and Julie on now is a wonderful way for me to celebrate Waiting in the Wings, and 25 years--so far--of Jazz Inspired.