D.A. Pennebaker

Judy’s 2001 conversation with the groundbreaking, Oscar-winning, documentary filmmaker, D.A. Pennebaker, one of her first interviews for Jazz Inspired. Pennebaker passed away August 1, 2019 in his home in Sag Harbor, NY—where Judy recorded this interview—at the age of 94.

Pennebaker is best know for capturing pivotal moments in the history of rock music and politics—including Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England and Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign. He received an honorary Oscar for his innovative approach to filmmaking and received an Oscar nomination for The War Room, his documentary on Clinton’s presidential campaign.

The conversation starts with a discussion of Pennebaker’s first film, Daybreak Express, a five-minute short film, made in 1953, about New York’s soon-to-be demolished Third Avenue Elevated subway station.  Duke Ellington’s classic recording of the same name was used as the soundtrack.

Bruce McGill

Stage, film and television actor, Bruce McGill, first came to fame as the motorcycle-riding, bad boy character, D-Day, in National Lampoon’s Animal House.  McGill’s rugged looks led to more tough guy roles, but also to a wide range of everything from Shakespeare to voice acting on Family Guy, to long runs on MacGyver, Shades of Blue and Rizzoli and Isles. 

Bruce McGill is an accomplished musician and golfer as well, and has used these skills to enhance or influence his take on multiple characters through the years, most notably, playing golf great, Walter Hagen in the film The Legend of Badger Vance.

Bruce and I met on Crystal Symphony on a Hollywood-themed cruise, where I was there to play a concert and Bruce to lecture about his long film career.  One thing led to another and this fascinating conversation was recorded.

Julia Keefe

Vocalist/actress, Julia Keefe, is an old soul, connecting more with the music and performers of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s than the music of today. Julia thought her passion for jazz and theater made a musical theater major a natural, until a year into it, when she realized that contemporary musical theater is more Hamilton than Kiss Me Kate. 

Julia honors her love of early jazz in her tribute shows to fellow Native American vocalist, Mildred Bailey.  I talked with Julia Keefe in Manhattan a few days after she received her Masters Degree from the Manhattan School of Music and when she was still celebrating her first red carpet experience for her first feature film, Virginia Minnesota. 

Bill Mays

Jazz pianist, Bill Mays is one of the most energetic, joyful people in the business.  The jazz world is filled with cranky musicians because it’s a cranky business.  But not Bill Mays.  At seventy-five, he’s going strong, playing classical and jazz concerts, recording, playing tennis three times a week and pouring good energy into the world.  His influences range from Earl Hines and Art Tatum to Horace Silver and Wynton Kelly and his musical associations range even further, from his work with Art Pepper and Stan Kenton to Tom Scott’s L.A. Express to Frank Zappa to rock and roll with a drag queen group in the 1970s at the Whiskey A Go-Go. He and Judy talk about it all.

Patrice Jegou

Dedication, drive, focus and practice come naturally to Canadian vocalist, Patrice Jegou.  Patrice trained as an ice skater from the time she was seven and went professional at eighteen, first as a coach and later as a performer in a touring ice show.   Popular music and jazz caught her attention and she redirected her focus.  She listened, studied and eventually-- with the help of her jazz-loving husband, Yinka Oyelese--she gathered some of her favorite jazz musicians and arrangers to record her latest CD, If It Ain’t Love.  

Richard Dowling Two

Steinway Artist, Richard Dowling has traveled the world playing Chopin, Beethoven and much of the repertoire one would expect from a top classical pianist.  And although he fell in love with ragtime as a child, he didn’t make it a focus of his performances until the last few years, when, against the judgement of his agent and just about everyone else, he decided to record and perform the complete works of Scott Joplin.  Now, with multiple sold-out concerts across the country—including Carnegie Hall, where he did Joplin’s  fifty-three works in afternoon and evening sessions—and a highly acclaimed double CD, Richard has more than proved his point. I talked with Richard about this tour de force and the continuing appeal of this classic style of music. 

Eric Goldberg

Animator/voice actor/director, Eric Goldberg is celebrated and greatly admired by his fellow animators as a specialist in animating musical characters, as he did with Robin Williams’s Genie in Aladdin. Eric is a fascinating historian of animation as well, so his conversation with Judy covered not only his own work but that of the great animators who inspired him, from Richard Williams of Who Framed Roger Rabbit fame, to his favorite work of the great Carl Stalling.

Eric Reed

Pianist, Eric Reed feels the arts shouldn’t be viewed as contemporary, modern, traditional, old or new.  He also doesn’t endorse cliques or camps, referring to how jazz musicians are often labeled as being from one school or another.

Eric came of age in the 1980s, during a resurgent interest in jazz.  His great talent and the ‘80s jazz-friendly environment, allowed Eric long stints with many jazz masters—Freddie Hubbard, Buster Williams, Joe Henderson, Benny Carter and Wynton Marsalis.  While he is appreciative of the opportunities available during this time, he is also aware and articulate about some of the disadvantages.  Judy and Eric discuss this and celebrate Eric new CD, Everyone Gets The Blues.

Judy Wexler

Vocalist Judy Wexler has gobbled up life from the beginning.  She majored in psychology and theater in college and immediately on graduating, formed her own theater company. From there, she moved to San Francisco and became a street juggler and--with three girlfriends, who, in Judy’s words were also on the short side--formed a performing group with the fetching name of “Caught In The Act, A Theater Collective of Four Short Women.”

In a jazz world that often focusses on vocal acrobatics, Judy is a refreshingly straight-forward interpreter of song, using her acting experience and soulful focus to bring out the meaning she finds in her favorite music.  Judy’s latest CD, Crowded Heart, showcases this attitude.

Randy Waldman

Pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor, Randy Waldman’s arrangement of the "Spiderman Theme" on his Superheroes album garnered the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals at the 61st Grammy Awards. Randy talks about this CD and his lifelong love for Superheroes and his work as Music Director for Barbra Streisand (a bit of a superhero herself) for over thirty years.

Alan Pasqua

Pianist Alan Pasqua’s career is wide and varied, from his present post as Professor of Jazz Studies at USC, to his early stints with Bob Dylan and Santana, to recording with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Queen Latifah, to multiple collaborations with legendary jazz musicians.  He’s equally comfortable in all these worlds and feels each has contributed to his musical development.  

Alan Pasqua feels that his CD, a passion project called Soliloquy, reflects his multiple influences and most captures who he is musically today.  

Hyung-Ki Joo

The biography page for the classical music comedy team of Igudesman and Joo starts with, “Millions of YouTube viewers can’t be wrong.  Well they can, but in this case, they aren’t.” 

This gives a clue to the humor and irreverence of violinist, Aleksey Igudesman and pianist, Hyung-ki Joo, who joined forces--after years of touring individually--to become a YouTube sensation combining virtuosic classical music, slapstick comedy, humorous compositions and unexpected guest appearances, as shown recently at Carnegie Hall, with the celebrated classical pianist, Yuja Wang.  In the company of Igudesman and Joo, Yuja added singing, rapping, dancing and acting to her virtuosic playing. Judy and Joo discuss the evolution in Joo’s career to include comedy in his presentations and why he thinks that brings a broader audience to classical music.

Mark Winkler

Singer/songwriter, Mark Winkler is a happy guy and wants to spread that attitude around.  He loves a good ballad but entertaining with a sense of fun is a high priority.  Mark considers himself a jazz singer in the tradition of cool sophisticates like Bobby Troup and Hoagy Carmichael, and also loves Barbra Streisand and Laura Nyro. 

His latest CD, Eastern Standard Time, brings together Mark’s wide musical focus and pairs him with his favorite musical partner, Cheryl Bentyne.

Spencer Day

Singer/songwriter, Spencer Day grew up in a small town in rural Arizona dreaming of the glamorous, sunny, Hollywood life and the noir New York equivalent he saw in the movies.  This fantasy informed his writing, along with his love for jazz, musical theater, cabaret, soul and pop music.  With his latest CD, Angel City, Spencer explores thoughts on love, fame and narcissism, and how an artist can maintain integrity and authenticity in a world that so often values neither. 

Eugene Marlow

Composer/arranger/educator/author/film and music producer.   Dr. Eugene Marlow embraces all of these activities with a passion a man half his age would envy.  Between teaching courses in media and culture at Baruch College, composing and arranging in multiple styles of music, Marlow managed to make multiple trips to China to research his latest book, Jazz in China: From Dancehall Music to Individual Freedom of Expression, which discusses how the popularity and promotion of jazz in China has evolved over the years and how it’s increased popularity today reflects the culture, politics and economics of the country.

Diane Schuur

Two-time Grammy winner, jazz vocalist Diane Schuur, carries on the tradition of the powerful women singers who inspired her, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington.  Her latest CD focuses on two great men who have inspired her, Stan Getz and Frank Sinatra.  Her CD, I Remember You (With Love To Stan and Frank) commemorates the support--musical and otherwise--she’s gotten from both of these towering figures.

Chris Hopkins

Jazz pianist and saxophonist, Chris Hopkins was born in the U.S. but moved with his family to Germany while he was still a child.  He studied classical music, originally on the harpsichord, but switched to jazz when a friend enticed him in that direction and, like many jazz musicians, started gigging in his teens. Now in his mid-forties, Chris has gathered a stellar list of musical associations and maintains a busy touring schedule in Europe, with his own band, Echoes of Swing, and with many of the top players on the scene today.

Kate Reid

Vocalist/pianist Kate Reid brings her experience as a gigging jazz musician and L.A. studio singer to her work as associate professor of jazz voice in the Studio Music and Jazz department at the University of Miami.  The performance aspect of her career is featured on her latest CD, The Heart Already Knows, which explores the creative possibilities of working in a duo format, pairing her with some of the greatest musicians working today, including guitarist Larry Koonse and pianist Fred Hersch. 

John DiMartino

Pianist/arranger, John di Martino is equally at home playing jazz, Cuban or Brazilian music, making him a favorite band mate and accompanist in multiple genres.  Jon Hendricks, Keely Smith and Freddy Cole have collaborated with him and pianist, Benny Green says John’s music is “an honest outpouring of light.”   I’ve worked with John, so I’m yet another musician who loves making music with him!

Dave Tull Two

Drummer Dave Tull has provided rhythm for everyone from Chuck Magione and Michael Buble, to Jack Sheldon and Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane. While Dave has also occasionally sung a tune or two with these groups and others, he has recently focused on performing his own beautiful melodies and often hilarious lyrics. Dave is a favorite among jazz musicians, who relish his spot on laments of the often ridiculous challenges jazz musicians face. 

This is Dave’s second appearance on Jazz Inspired.  Here he discusses his latest CD of originals, Texting and Driving.