Category Archives: All Interviews

Composer, trumpeter & author Wadada Leo Smith is one of the creative music world’s most heralded artists. Born December 18, 1941 in Leland, MS, he grew up steeped in the musical traditions of the South performing in Delta Blues and other traditional bands, eventually moving to Chicago where he joined the legendary AACM collective. Smith defines his music as “Creative Music,” and his diverse discography reveals a recorded history of music centered in the idea of spiritual harmony and the unification of social & cultural issues of his world. Among his major recordings are Ten Freedom Summers, America’s National Parks and String Quartets Nos. 1-12. A finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music, Smith has received numerous other awards and honors including a 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Hammer Museum’s 2016 Mohn Award for Career Achievement “honoring brilliance and resilience,” the UCLA Medal, the University’s highest honor, and the 2022 Vision Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award, among many others. He was selected as a 2021 United States Artists’ USA Fellow and named a 2022 Mellon Arts & Practitioner Fellow at the Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity and Transnational Migration. In 2023 he was selected for induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. An esteemed educator, from 1994–2013 Smith was on the faculty at The Herb Alpert School of Music at California Institute of the Arts, where he served as director of the African-American Improvisational Music program. He continues to give workshops and master classes worldwide and recently served as the Spring 2024 Fromm Foundation Visiting Lecturer on Music at Harvard University. Wadada Leo Smith will release his latest studio album, Constellations And Hemispheres, on CD and digitally September 25, 2026 through Burning Ambulance Music, with an LP release to follow via Smith’s own Kabell label. The album features music by 4 different ensembles, recorded between 2017 and 2022: a trio with pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and drummer Marcus Gilmore; a quintet with vibraphonist Bobby Naughton, bassists Bill Laswell and Melvin Gibbs, and drummer Pheeroan akLaff; a sextet with guitarist Lamar Smith, Naughton, akLaff, and percussionists Brian Jarawa Gray and Mauro Refosco; an octet featuring Naughton, Lamar Smith, Gibbs, Laswell, akLaff, Gray, and Refosco. Constellations And Hemispheres contains music from multiple sessions combined and recontextualized through studio post-production. While most tracks feature just one group, the album’s centerpiece, the 22-minute suite “Dark Matter, Particles of Light, Mirror of the Unseen” shifts from trio to octet and back. In its collage-like approach to the studio, the album can be heard as a sequel or companion piece to Smith’s digital-only 2023 release, Fire Illuminations. In approaching this latest project, Smith took as his guiding inspiration the movement of light through the universe. With his post-production work, Smith traces a spiritual and creative connection to the Rastafarians in Jamaica who shaped reggae music, and through them to cultures across the globe who “have looked at the studio as being a vehicle for how they shape a piece of music. The studio allows you to see a much bigger picture than the view of the inner layers that you get when performing in the ensemble.” Like its cosmic & astronomical inspirations, the music of Constellations and Hemispheres is expansive & mysterious, suggesting worlds & philosophies beyond our immediate experience. Although the interstellar subjects of dark matter, canyons on Mars, light particles & dark energy seem to soar beyond Smith’s concerns with the natural environment and human concerns that illuminate much of his work, he argues that the concepts are all of a piece.

Once aGain, it was a pleasure and an honor to spend some time with family to the program, Mr. Wadada Leo Smith to dive mind first into this latest release. We go through the process that takes him from ideas and concepts into the vision and then the outcome. The different ensembles is key to the ability to reach the goal of this music. The way he explains everything causes my thinking parts to work overtime to commit to understanding and being open to the intention and experience. Luckily, the art he creates somehow always reaches into spaces I never knew of, felt before…something…as I feel different after speaking with him and the music we speak of is always a new journey after some details and explanation. The feelings are there always.

Photo by: Phil Penman

Chico Freeman, the multi-reedman, keyboard artist, composer & producer embodies the intent of jazz by finding new avenues of expression that embrace the heritage & tradition of the music. Many critics have compared him to the greats in jazz history, but the proof is in the fact that he has played & recorded with some of the most innovative musicians in the world. Few artists can equal his list of musical associations: Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Charles Mingus, Jack DeJohnette, Art Blakey, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Hank Jones, Freddie Cole, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Roy Haynes, Von Freeman, Arthur Blythe, Billy Hart, Lester Bowie, Famadou Don Moye, Cecil McBee, Kirk Lightsey, John Hicks, Mal Waldron, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Eurythmics, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Art Blakey, Sting, and many others. From South America to Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, Freeman has performed and recorded with such Latin greats as Tito Puente, Machito, Irakere, Arturo Sandoval, Celia Cruz, Giovanni Hidalgo, Paulinho DaCosta, Nana Vasconcelos, Ray Barretto, Eddie Palmieri & Puerto Rico’s famous El Gran Combo. Born into a musical family, his father Von Freeman is the legendary tenor saxophonist, and his uncles George & Bruz play guitar & drums respectively. Mr. Freeman earned a mathematics scholarship to Northwestern University, and played trumpet in the school jazz band. He quickly learned that his heart was elsewhere, and eventually studied the tenor saxophone 8 to 10 hours a day until confident enough to challenge the sax section. He switched to a music major, and a great tenor player was born. He graduated with a degree in music with proficiencies in saxophone, trumpet & piano. Following studies in advanced composition & theory, he began teaching elementary & intermediate courses at the Chicago-based AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) School of Music. While completing a Masters Degree in Composition & Theory at Governors State University, his memorable performance at the Intercollegiate Jazz Festival in South Bend, Indiana, with the Governors State’s Jazz Band won him awards as “Best Soloist”, “Best Saxophonist”, and a tour of Brazil with the winning group. Although jazz was the first music Freeman was exposed to, many of his early professional gigs were at Chicago clubs with such blues artists as Memphis Slim & Lucky Carmichael. Mr. Freeman went on to play with pop and R & B greats The Temptations, Michael Jackson, The Four Tops, Jackie Wilson, The Dells & The Isley Brothers. After arriving in New York , he immediately began working with Jeanne Lee, Mickey Bass, John Stubblefield, and Cecil McBee. Through apprenticeships in New York and abroad with such innovators as Elvin Jones, Don Pullen, Sam Rivers, Sun Ra, & Jack DeJohnette, Freeman developed his own group and rapidly rose to prominence with his energetic & exploratory style. A legendary concert at Lincoln Center, by The Young Lions, a group critics hailed as the brightest hopes of jazz in the 1980′s – Chico Freeman, Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, Kevin Eubanks, Anthony Davis & others, produced an album on which Freeman plays nearly every cut. His 14-minute composition “Whatever Happened To The Dream Deferred?” was called “one of the best of the album” by the New York Times. When superstar bands were being organized by promoters in Europe, Freeman brought together The Leaders, an all-star sextet of internationally recognized bandleaders. The group, consisting of Cecil McBee, Kirk Lightsey, Lester Bowie, Arthur Blythe & Famadou Don Moye, set the standard for eclectic & innovative music from a band comprised entirely of composers. During the 150 year anniversary celebration of the invention of the saxophone by Adolphe Sax, the band Roots was formed. This band consisted of internationally known saxophonists Nathan Davis, Benny Golson, Arthur Blythe & Chico Freeman. With the band Squeezeband, Freeman and colleague Reto Weber continue to push the envelope of what is happening in music. This band features seasoned professionals and younger players in a wonderful mix or world music, Latin rhythms, African heritage, and Hip Hop energy incorporating traditional jazz sensibilities and instrumentation, with Human Beatbox and Vocal Percussion. It is music that makes you want to move, and bridges the gaps between generations. It truly brings jazz to the forefront of music, and introduces it, yet again, to another age of listeners. Chico Freeman’s musical journey has been one akin to that of an alchemist, providing the Midas touch to not only his projects, but also helping to create gold for others within the jazz, rhythm & blues, pop and world music musical realms. His objective is to explore new worlds, and he won’t be limited by categories. The only limitations he places on himself are the limitations of his own own imagination. And within that realm, there may be none.

I had the honor of catching up with Mr. Chico Freeman ahead of his upcoming performance in Madison at Cafe Coda for CODAFEST 2026 on September 26th. We get right into what people in attendance could be part of, from the hearing and the feeling side. We talk about the players as well. I was very interested to find out more about how the move out of the United States, as an artist who had made such a name for himself, went down and what the opportunities and hopes were when making the move. I would be remiss if I didn’t ask this legend and force of imagination, which young gun on the scene is one that had caught his eye. I was not surprised when he brought up family to the proGram, Mr. Isaiah Collier. Mr. Freeman makes music that people not only find themselves lost in the ear side, but man….he is somehow able to walk that sound into souls, at least mine has his footprints on it.

Legendary saxman Frank Catalano consistently headlines world-class festivals and sells-out venues throughout the USA, Europe & Japan. Thanks to his signature sound & renowned reputation, Catalano averages 150 concerts a year with his jazz quartet. As a coveted guest artist, He often lends his sax stylings to high-profile rock groups. Recent highlights include playing a 7-minute improvised sax solo at The Hollywood Bowl with The Smashing Pumpkins, closing out the Chicago Blues Festival w/Los Lobos, and performing with Les Claypool, Sean Lennon & the Violent Femmes. He also teamed up on a unique version of the Jane’s Addiction hit “Jane Says” w/Perry Farrell, Billy Corgan & Jimmy Chamberlin. A Belgian documentary about Frank entitled “Sugar Jazz” premiered at the Tokyo Liftoff Film Festival and has since screened worldwide. The film captures Frank’s musical essence & reveals his candid musings with the backdrop of iconic Chicago locations in the city where he was born. While just a teenager, he signed to Delmark Records and released a string of critically acclaimed recordings with jazz greats including Randy Brecker, Ira Sullivan, Willie Pickens, Paul Wertico, and his mentor Von Freeman. His co-led album with Freeman, “You Talking To Me” remains a cult classic. His tribute to John Coltrane, “Love Supreme Collective”, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Jazz Charts & remains a fan favorite. Catalano is the only known saxophonist to perform with Miles Davis, Charles Earland, Elvin Jones, Junior Wells, Randy Brecker, Stan Getz, Betty Carter, Tito Puente, Tony Bennett & Louie Bellson while still in high school. As a sideman, Frank has been heard by millions thanks to his collaborations with Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Maurice Joshua, Destiny’s Child, John Legend, Tony Bennett, Seal, and countless others. Fellow musicians respect Frank’s musical prowess as much as his upbeat personality. Catalano’s numerous accolades include an IMA award at Lincoln Center and induction into the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame. He has featured on three Grammy‐winning and 11 Grammy-nominated recordings and received a Tech Grammy Award for his numerous patents and developments. At 19 years old, Frank was the youngest sax player to be voted into the Downbeat Critics Poll. Frank is the author of the highly-rated book “Modern Saxophone Techniques” by Hal Leonard Publishing and his song “Mighty Burner” is featured in “The Real Book Volume 6”, ensuring his influence on musicians, students, and audiences around the globe. Catalano is also on the Board of Directors for the National Saxophone Museum, a first of its kind. Frank loves composing music and holds a BA in Classical Composition from De Paul University. In his rare free time, Frank donates his musical services to charities including the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Peoples Music School, and Off The Street Club. Frank endorses Yamaha Saxophones, JodyJazz mouthpieces, D’Addario Reeds & Rovner Ligatures.

I had the pleasure once again to get some time to hang with Brother Frank as he prepares to bring his quartet to Madison for CODAFEST at Cafe Coda on September 25th. We dive ear first into what he says will be a John Coltrane inspired set for this event. he mentioned a few tunes he knows he will feature and gives a few clues as to other possibilities. As we talk about how it makes him feel to be with the same quarter for so long, we get into the music, relationships and the music business. One of my favorite things about Frank is that he is never at a loss for words to describe his scene. We break down what the next couple of years look like and what he has been up to leading to these future endeavors/projects. You’ll recognize a few friends of this program names as he lists off the work. Wherever he is, in whatever form, quartet, sideman or soloist, Mr. Frank Catalano can fill the room with what it needs.

L. Shankar was exposed to Carnatic music and other styles from an early age. He started studying vocals at the age of 2, then violin at 5, then mridangam at 7 which is when he gave his first public concert. In 1958, Shankar and his 2 older brothers, formed the Violin Trio along with Palghat Mani Iyer which made history in the 20th century Carnatic music scene. He gained a large following performing with some of the most eminent names in Carnatic music, playing all through India, and was highly sought after by legendary musicians such as Chembai Vaithyanatha Baghavatar, Palghat Mani Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Alathur Srinivasa Iyer. In 1973, John Mclaughlin & Shankar formed the band Turiyananda Sangeet and they co-wrote all the music for it. The band also included Ramnad Raghavan on the mridangam. Zakir Hussain was later added on tabla and the band name was changed to Shakti. Raghavan didn’t stay with the project and T.H. Vikku Vinayakaram was added on ghatam for the remainder of those original Shakti days. The band toured extensively around the world. Shankar co-wrote all of the group’s material with John McLaughlin, resulting in the release of 3 world music albums. He also performed extensively on his Indian classical tours with Zakir Hussain & Vinayakram that became a big hit globally. He recorded several classical albums with them featuring his groundbreaking Ragam Tanam Pallavi compositions in highly complex rhythmic cycles that were ahead of their time. He recorded 8 world music albums for the reputed German label ECM and toured extensively featuring renowned musicians such as saxophonist Jan Garbarek, Trilok Gurtu, Zakir Hussain, Kenny Wheeler, Don Cherry, Ed Blackwell & Naná Vasconcelos in many Jazz & world music festivals organized by ECM. Shankar is a one-of-a-kind musician venturing in different genres of music. Besides his numerous classical albums he has released worldwide several pop, rock, electronic dance music hit albums and videos. In 1990, Shankar co-produced a one-hour BBC film directed by award winning director H.O. Nazareth. It was nominated as one of the best documentaries at the Cannes Film Festival. Shankarʼs work has been featured in many films and his pop, rock, electronic dance music albums have featured guest artists such as Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, John Waite, Stewart Copeland, Ginger Baker, Toto, Jonathon Davis, Natasha Bedingfield, Randy Jackson & Patrick Leonard. He has also collaborated with Frank Zappa (who produced Shankarʼs solo record for Zappa Records), Talking Heads, Pete Townsend, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithful, Sting, Jeff Beck, U2, The Pretenders, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Dave Stewart, Pete Townsend, Robert Trujillo, Stephen Perkins and many more. Shankar has worked on numerous soundtracks including the Grammy award winning and controversial “The Last Temptation of Christ” by the legendary film maker Martin Scorsese. He co-wrote many tracks with Peter Gabriel and his vocals were featured in the movie. In 2004 Shankar, composed and performed vocals on Mel Gibsonʼs “The Passion of the Christ”. His unmistakable haunting voice was heard all through the movie. Additional special projects included invitations to perform at The Princeʼs Trust Rock Gala 1988 in England, The United Nations Peace Day Festival & Nelson Mandela’s 80th Birthday celebration. The rock extravaganza, Human Rights Now World Tour in 1988, featured Shankar’s own group, who were joined in performance by Bruce Springsteen & Peter Gabriel, in addition to several other musicians. Shankar collaborated with the gifted duo Wendy & Lisa on their original score for the NBC smash hit TV series “Heroes”. In August 2024, Shankar released Over the Stars with his dear friend and longtime collaborator on ghatam, Vikku Vinayakram—one of South Indiaʼs greatest percussionists. The album also featured Vikkuʼs son, the renowned percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram, and his grandson, Swaminathan Selvaganesh, both on kanjira. One month later, in September 2024, Shankar released Full Moon, a sequel to Over the Stars, this time featuring tabla maestro, Abhijit Banerjee. The album reached #3 on the World Music Charts Europe in 2025. He released his latest star-studded pop-rock album in 2025 titled Answers, a collection of undeniably replay-worthy tracks that lead listeners through lifeʼs biggest questions and truths. The album is shaped by a core group of progressive rock musicians—some of whom Shankar first worked with over 35 years ago. In 2026, Shankar was appointed Dean of the Swara Community Art Center in Malaysia. He resides in Malaysia and India in between tours, and is currently working on his solo album as well as a new collaborative album with Tarun Bhattacharya & Bikram Ghosh set to be released later in 2026.

I had the complete honor of spending some time discussing an upcoming event at the Stoughton Opera House with L. Shankar. We got into who would be accompanying him on that evening’s music quest. I was so happy to hear who will be joining (stars) and the type of music we will be treated to. We get deep into his career and collaborations. We talk about how he approached many different styles of music that he has been a part of. The range is so advanced and diverse, I just imagined that there must be some special preparation or moments of clarity. Find out. I feel so fortunate to be able to spend time with someone so adverse to boundaries and still asked to color within so many interesting lines sonically, and the treat at the end of the rainbow in Stoughton will be a Carnatic dream come true. Dream with me.

photo by Jonathan Woo

Over the course of the last decade, Brooklyn native Adam O’Farrill, has cemented himself as one of the most in-demand trumpet players on the international contemporary jazz scene, and is widely recognized as a “rising star as a player and composer” (PopMatters) and “a blazing young trumpet talent” (The New York Times). Of course, none of this comes as any surprise, considering the rich musical lineage into which he was born: Adam’s grandfather was the boundary-pushing Cuban composer & arranger, Chico O’Farrill; his father is the composer, pianist & activist, Arturo O’Farrill; his mother, Alison Deane, is a classical pianist & educator; his brother and frequent collaborator, Zack O’Farrill, is a drummer & musicologist. Adam himself has been featured with the likes of Hiromi, Mary Halvorson, Vijay Iyer, Anna Webber, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Mulatu Astatke, Samora Pinderhughes, Son Lux, & Kaoru Watanabe, and has garnered widespread acclaim as a leader in his own right. Adam has released 4 albums documenting his longtime quartet Stranger Days, including 2024’s HUESO, which The Washington Post called, “strikingly original.” HUESO features saxophonist Xavier Del Castillo, bassist Walter Stinson, and his brother Zack on drums in the chord-less setting that has served as the vehicle for the lion’s share of O’Farrill’s output as a composer. The band’s previous album, Visions of Your Other, was named one of 2021’s best jazz albums by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Popmatters, and was awarded the Preis Der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik in January 2022. Adam has received awards and recognition for both his compositions and his work as an improviser. In 2014, he won 3rd place honors in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Trumpet Competition, and in both 2019 and 2021, he won the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best Rising Star Trumpeter. Adam has received commissions and grants from organizations such as The Shifting Foundation, South Arts, Roulette, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Metropolis Ensemble, The Jazz Gallery, as well as winning the ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. Adam holds a B.M. in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. During his time there, he studied composition with Reiko Füting, and trumpet with Laurie Frink, Thomas Smith, & Cecil Bridgewater. Previous to college, O’Farrill’s teachers included Jim Seeley, Nathan Warner & Ambrose Akinmusire, and he attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and Performing Arts, in Manhattan.

Adam and I had a chance to get together ahead of the September 4th show at the North Street Cabaret. He is bringing his latest project ELEPHANT here with the same cast of players that are on the album of the same name that was released at the end of March:
Adam O’Farrill– trumpet/electronics, fender rhodes
Yvonne Rogers– piano, synthesizer
Walter Stinson– double bass
Russell Holzman– drums
We dive into both the event and that album to find out how both came to be, how it was possible to bring the same players on the road and how he takes the past and works in the future to create a unique now sound. Adam, as a bandleader, always brings a sound that leads me to open spaces, undeveloped yet in my mind. He surrounds himself in his groups as well as jobs he accepts, with people who also seem to find ways to blaze those new trails within me.

Experience four days of interactive, immersive, and multisensory events at Olbrich Botanical Gardens from Wednesday, August 12 through Saturday August 15, including a two-day spatially composed Sound Garden installation by composer and NeuroArtist JG Everest. The NeuroArts Festival will have a variety of programming centered on deepening audiences’ connection with the natural environment and with their Madison community, including participatory art workshops, sound installations within the Gardens, and collaborations with local performance groups. All events are free and open to the public; workshops will require advance registration. No prior experience necessary. This event was organized by the community curation project, LAB^4.

Sound Garden with JG Everest:
•Friday, August 14, 1:00-8:00pm
•Saturday, August 15, 10:00am-6:00pm

Composer, Director & Historian JG Everest is a multi-disciplinary artist working at the intersections of engagement, ecology, history & the emerging field of NeuroArts through a variety of collaborative place-making practices. He creates site-specific performance installations that connect the histories, ecology & cultures of places & communities, using spatial sound design as an integral compositional element. He has worked as music director & sound designer, as well as performer for many projects & performing ensembles, including over a decade each with Catalyst Dance and Roma di Luna. He regularly designs & leads integrative workshops and classes that connect participants to community, their own creativity, and the natural world, through a variety of disciplines and practices. He has brought his immersive, site-specific “Sound Garden” installations to outdoors sites in the UK, Canada, and across the USA. He was a 2019 McKnight Artist Composer Fellow, and MNPAiR Artist in Residence at Wild River State Park 2024-25.

I had the chance to catch up with JG Everest ahead of this mind-opening event at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. We dive into the specific event, the mapping and planning that goes into a sound garden installation and the specific composition chosen (and how it is chosen) for this site specific event. This is yet another fine example of how sound and music can be interwoven with nature elegantly and with intention to help foster a new sense of community.