Singer/songwriter Bob Dorough talks about his enthusiastic embrace of life and creativity and what it takes to write with wit and swing in this age with little of either.
Melinda Doolittle
Even Simon Cowell was wowed by vocalist Melinda Doolittle, on the sixth season of American Idol, and although he said she should have won, she placed third in the competition. Melinda discusses what her music education and career as a back up singer brings to the solo career she enjoys now.
Mat Domber
Arbors Records owner/producer, the late, Mat Domber talks about his unlikely entry into the music business and how he keeps swing music alive in a time of Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. George talked to Judy onstage at the 2011 Ascona Jazz Festival.
E. L. Doctorow
Celebrated American novelist, the late E.L. Doctorow and I met on a tennis court in Sag Harbor, NY in the mid-1990s and became a doubles team for a while--he the tall terror at the net and I the whirling dervish covering the rest of the court. One of my great thrills was occasionally being included in his long-running weekly men’s doubles game with the late writer Peter Matthiessen and one of several other celebrated writers, playing on Peter’s court in nearby Sagaponack, another gorgeous Hamptons village. These men were great players but much older than I, so I was included not for my riveting repartee (they provided plenty) but for my spry legs and forehand crosscourt.
Doctorow was an early supporter of my idea for Jazz Inspired and generously agreed to be in my initial group of thirteen interviewees.
I spoke with E.L. Doctorow in 2000, shortly after the publication of his novel City of God in his home in Sag Harbor.
Caroline Doctorow
Singer/songwriter Caroline Doctorow talks about the influence her famous father E.L. Doctorow has had on her writing and how she marries jazz and folk music.
Eames Demetrios
Eames Demetrios, film maker and grandson of design icons Charles and Ray Eames, discusses the jazz collaborations Charles and Ray had with Elmer Bernstein and Buddy Collette on their classic short films (Powers of Ten, Fiberglass Chairs, Toy Trains) and his own thoughts on improvisation and creativity in his own work.
Elaine Delmar
British jazz and cabaret vocalist talks about her work on Broadway and West End Theater and how jazz influences her acting and musical theater performances.
Jacqui Dankworth
British jazz vocalist, Jacqui Dankworth came to jazz singing after pursuing a theatre life, performing everywhere from the Royal Shakespeare Company to the West End. Jacqui talks about the advantages and challenges of being the daughter of two well-known parents, Dame Cleo Lane and Sir John Dankworth.
Jim Czak
Recording engineer discusses his years recording the best jazz musicians at his famed Nola Studios in NYC and working with everyone from Peggy Lee to Paul McCartney.
Tommy Coster
Producer/pianist/composer Tommy Coster talks about the influence jazz has had in his life - from his work in movies and TV to writing "The Slim Shady" with Eminem.
Eric Comstock
Cabaret singer/pianist Eric Comstock discusses creating the off Broadway show "Our Sinatra" and what jazz has done to inspire and expand his performances.
John Cocuzzi
Drummer, vibes and piano are the instruments of this multi-talented musician, who discusses the inspiration he's gotten from his father, and how playing each of these instruments influences the other.
James Chirillo
Jazz composer/guitarist talks about the influence Bela Bartok and Bill Finegan and others have had on his music.
Chevy Chase
The comedian, Chevy Chase talks about the similarities in jazz and comedy, his time hanging out with Bill Evans and his own Bill Evans-influenced piano playing.
Amy Cervini
Vocalist Amy Cervini celebrates Manhattan Transfer and Lambert Hendricks and Ross with her vocal group Monday Off.
This is Amy’s second appearance on Jazz Inspired for Canadian vocalist, Amy Cervini who here discusses her combining jazz and country music on her CD Jazz Country and the fun she has with her female vocal trio Duchess and the different dynamic of singing with women vs. men.
Nick Catalano
Author, saxophonist and literature professor, Nick Catalano discusses his biography of trumpet legend Clifford Brown.
Hoagy Bix Carmichael
Composer, Hoagy Carmichael’s son talks about his efforts to keep interest in his father's work alive and his own prose writing.
Hugh Hardy & Kitty Carlisle Hart
Architect Hugh Hardy, whom the late Brendan Gill called "the Stanford White of our fin de siecle," discusses his love of Ella, the Gershwins and Steinway pianos.
Kitty Carlisle Hart's career includes movies with the Marx Brothers and Bing Crosby. She was a panelist on "What's My Line?" and served 20 years as Chair of the NY State Council for the Arts. She discusses her memories of the creation of jazz and her friendship with George Gershwin.
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Enzo Capua
Italian jazz writer and producer, Enzo Capua discusses his involvement with the Umbria Jazz Festival and the popularity of jazz in Italy.
Jackie Cain
Jackie Cain talks about her many years singing with her late husband Roy Kral as "Jackie and Roy" and how as she nears 80, she's more enthusiastic than ever about spreading the word on jazz and on one of her biggest inspirations, composer Alec Wilder.