Category Archives: All Interviews

Javon Jackson was raised in Denver, Colorado and chose saxophone at the age of 10. At age 16 he switched from alto to tenor and later enrolled at the University of Denver before spending part of 1985–86 at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He left Berklee in 1986 to join Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, where he later played alongside pianist Benny Green, trumpeter Philip Harper, trombonist Robin Eubanks & bassist Peter Washington. Mr. Jackson remained a fixture in the Jazz Messengers until Blakey’s passing in 1990. In 1991, Javon made his recording debut with Me and Mr. Jones, FT. James Williams, Christian McBride, & master drummer Elvin Jones. He joined Jones’ group in 1992, appearing on the great drummer’s albums Youngblood & Going Home. His 1994 Blue Note debut, When the Time Is Right, was a straight-ahead affair produced by iconic jazz vocalist/bandleader Betty Carter. His subsequent 4 recordings for the Blue Note label through the ‘90s were produced by Craig Street and featured wildly eclectic programs ranging from Caetano Veloso, Frank Zappa & Santana to Muddy Waters, Al Green & Serge Gainsbourg. His subsequent 4 recordings for the Palmetto label had him exploring a blend of funk, jazz & soul with such stellar sidemen as organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, guitarists Mark Whitfield & David Gilmore, trombonist Fred Wesley and drummer Lenny White. In 2012, Javon released a potent tribute to a towering influence, Celebrating John Coltrane, his inaugural release on his Solid Jackson Records which featured the venerable drummer and former Coltrane collaborator Jimmy Cobb. He followed later in 2012 with Lucky 13, which featured the great soul-jazz keyboardist Les McCann and included a mellow instrumental rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing along with a version of McCann’s 1969 hit, Compared to What. That same remarkably productive year, Jackson was the recipient of the prestigious Benny Golson Award from Howard University in Washington, D.C. for recognition of excellence in jazz. Jackson’s debut on the Smoke Sessions label, 2014’s Expression, was a live quartet recording from the Smoke Jazz & Supper Club in Upper Manhattan. On February 18, 2022, Javon released, The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni, his 5th album for his Solid Jackson Records label.

Along comes 2023, and it is now time for the With Peter Bradley Soundtrack & Original Score via Solid Jackson Records. The record features Jackson’s stellar quartet with pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist David Williams & drummers McClenty Hunter or Charles Goold, with guest trumpeter Greg Glassman. Jackson’s gift for musical portraiture is evident in the score, which nods to some of Bradley’s favorite jazz icons – including Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Jackson’s former employer, Art Blakey – while vibrantly capturing the moods and personalities of the film and its subject. I had the opportunity to catch up with friend of the proGram, Mr. Javon Jackson to dive into this new release. With the Peter Bradley Soundtrack & Original Score, we find the acclaimed sax-man composing his first original film score for this art world documentary that he has a close relationship with. We find out how Art Blakey introduced Javon to abstract artist Peter Bradley and they’ve been friends ever since. of course, when he was asked to compose an original musical score for the documentary, he was honored and inspired. We get deep into the process of making this score/album, the relationships between the film and the music and the stories of the people it tells. We get really in depth on the man behind the film as it paints an image of the man behind the ideas. After catching the documentary finally, I can say that the stories the music tells, certainly seems to jive with the style of rhythms & inspirations that an outsider like me miGht think Mr. Bradley enjoys walking to. I am honored to be a part of spreading these conversations with all forms of art that speak to me. Another cool part is how we will figure out how t get Javon back to Madison to hanG with his pal MISTER Richard Davis, play a show and get a chill in with ‘Doc” G.

John Himmelfarb is an American artist, known for idiosyncratic, yet modernist-based work across many media. His diverse influences ranging from Miró, Matisse & Picasso to Dubuffet, New York school artists like de Kooning, Guston, and Pop artists inform his work, described by critics and curators as chaotically complex and tightly constructed. He often employs energetic, gestural line, dense patterns of accumulated shapes, and fluid movement between figuration & abstraction, using strategies of concealment and revelation to create a sense of meaning that is both playful & elusive. His work is also unified by “a circulating library” of motifs and organizing structures, such as geographic and urban mapping, abstracted natural and industrial forms, and language systems. One of the things he is fond of as a subject is trucks. His “Trucks” series represents a most improbable journey. It began unexpectedly one day after seeing a Dubuffet painting at the Art Institute of Chicago. Dubuffet employed a liquid black line over a multicolored background that electrified Mr. Himmelfarb. He immediately went to his studio to emulate the graphic impact on an “Inland Romance” painting. When a crane-like form emerged, he drew what appeared to be a truck below it. In the next painting, Avion (2004), he dispensed with the crane and only a truck appeared. A new series was born which would expand to include drawings (many on old library catalogue cards), prints, & sculpture employing ceramics, wood, cast iron, steel, and eventually, 25-foot, drivable assemblages incorporating actual trucks, that critics have described collectively as whimsical, formally inventive. Curators would bring together this eclectic work in the touring museum exhibit, “Trucks” (2014–6). While he initially focused on two-dimensional works that bore the influence of Dubuffet & Guston, after a 2007 residency at the Kohler Arts Center “Arts in Industry” program he felt enabled to seriously explore three-dimensional work. He began casting molten-like, expressionistic trucks that were sometimes indistinguishable from their freight, such as Greek Opera & Bird in Hand. In 2008, he made a huge leap, acquiring a 1946 International KB-1 pickup truck, along with a host of found objects—steel barrels, equipment, tools, pipes—that he welded together and painted stop-sign red to create the assemblage, Conversion. He followed with Galatea (2010), a work more essential in its forms and drivable, and later, with the widely traveled Penelope Awaiting Her Chamberlain (2013), a mobile work using a 1946 Chevrolet farm truck that references the mythological Penelope and assemblage sculptor John Chamberlain. Despite their more literal references, Himmelfarb’s “Trucks” function much like his other work, freely shifting from familiar to strange, functional to artistic, industrial to whimsical, with the trucks serving largely as “carriers” of form (colors and shapes) and meaning (stand-ins representing human qualities reflected in titles such as Charity, Dedication, or Forbearance).

I had the great opportunity to chat with Mr. Himmelfarb ahead of the Outdoor Mobile Orchestra event he and his two interactive “truck” sculptures as part of Madison Make Music Day, June 21st at Café CODA. John and I get into the impromptu nature of this special Make Music Day event and how for this get toGether, he has something brand new attached to one of the sculptures for a brand new sonic experience. I mean, people can drum on and play these trucks items to find the rhythms and vibrations of that moment.. Find out what he has in store for us on the 21st here in Madison and how people can plan on actually interacting and creating with this. We talk about how this process got started for him and where it has taken him along the way as he saw his idea form into a true entity. Check out a lot more insights and participation in the project here. We got into the moments just before he puts that final bead on with a masterful weld, and what goes into making that final decision. This man is quite the prolific artist and music has been a part of his life and while he ended up on a unique path, I am thankful the exploration of sound in such a thoughtful and creative way has been shared for all to share in. With that said, John and I talk about the ‘smile factor’ for him as this and other events see his idea(s) turned into a cool, useable creative space being explored, examined and inspiring. I think this is what it’s all about and hope to see some or many of you seeing just how to express ourselves with this interactive art.

photograph of KB-3 by Kathy Moens; photograph of John with KB-3 by Rick Graves

On Mardi Gras morning, your eyes may feast on the intricate & elaborate beadwork of the Indians as they dance down the street, but the first thing you’ll hear when they make their way toward you is the back line, known as “the rumble”. Featuring 6 Grammy-nominated musicians, The Rumble is more than just a band — it is an opportunity to be immersed in a wholly unique facet of New Orleans culture. Composed of Second Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. of the Golden Eagles, trumpeter Aurélien Barnes, trombonist José Maize Jr., bassist TJ Norris, guitarist Ari Teitel, keyboardist Andriu Yanovski, and drummer Trenton O’Neal, the group fuses iconic New Orleans funk in the vein of The Meters & The Neville Brothers — but updated, modern & vibrant befitting the next generation with electrifying brass and the singular visual splendor of the Black Masking carnival tradition. Their live show is a symphony of rich color & propulsive sound, with each member sharing vocal duties and engaging the audience in the classic Mardi Gras Indian-style call-and-response chanting. The group pays homage to trailblazers like Wild Magnolias & Golden Eagles, both of which featured the vocal stylings of Boudreaux’s father, Monk Boudreaux. The Rumble continues the fight to preserve the legacies and traditions of the community for the next generation while bringing new layers of depth to their live performance. The Rumble provides audiences with not only a top-tier musical event, but a chance to participate in a culture that, while deeply rooted in centuries-old tradition, is thriving and evolving through the active work of this next generation of bold and passionate culture-bearers.

I had the pleasure of connecting with Aurélien Barnes ahead of The Rumble’s June 10th headlining set at the Marquette Waterfront Festival. We get deep into what the party this band will be bringing with it to Madison should look and sound like. We dive head and ear first into the band’s debut album, “Live At The Maple Leaf” and how the band went from being within the entity know as Cha Wa to to where they are proudly representing the past, present and future of the complete NOLA scene as The Rumble. We talk a little about a couple of the many cool traditoions that come with this world that we get to share in stories of. Aurélien makes up a setlist that would definitely keep the listeners tuned in and wanting more, just like we will feel when The Rumble do their thanG on June 10th.

Photo by Tiffany Anderson

Located in the heart of the isthmus in Madison, WI, McPike Park is a nearly six-acre park, formerly known at Central Park and was officially renamed in April 2018 at a dedication ceremony honoring longtime East High School principal, Milton McPike. The Sessions at McPike Park are free events that benefit seven non-profits in the local community. Each of these non-profit organizations have a day to promote their programs and this amazing festival of events funnel funds to these organizations through their raffles, auctions, and profit-sharing plans. Not only is there a wide variety of musical entertainment to satisfy most attendees tastes, the Sessions features a fine array of local food and product vendors to keep the tastebuds alive and keep a body fueled for fun. This event is family-friendly!

I had the chance to catch up with the Sessions’ creator, CEO and Events coordinator, Bob Queen to talk a little about how the Sessions At McPike Park was born into pour community and how every step, each year is always an adventure.. Bob shares his beginnings from a goat farmer thrust into some uncharted territory, including a neighborhood festival to operate. Years and stories later, here we are. Bob shares a little about how he has surrounded himself with people who help bring high quality acts from out in the world to us here in Madison and how a blending takes place with local artists and entertainment. At the heart if everything really feels like a shared pursuit of happiness and community. As we all sit, stand, dance and groove to the performances on stage, we remind festival goers that there are so many steps to keep an event like this not only afloat, but prospering. Take a peek at some of the vendors and partners that help make such an event go and hey, come on over for a little found happiness.

Corky Siegel and Ernie Watts, two like-minded friends, bringing people together across different traditions. Corky Siegel is known internationally as one of the world’s great blues harmonica players, blues pianist, singer, and writer of unusual songs, a Chamber Blues progenitor, and sole pioneer/composer of award-winning revolutionary works that weave blues and classical forms together. Corky’s has a catalog of recordings on RCA, Vanguard, Alligator, and million-selling blues/classical recordings on the iconic classical label Deutsche Grammophon. Siegel learned his craft – personally – at the feet of such legendary first-generation bluesmen as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Little Walter, and Otis Spann. Ernie Watts has been featured on over 500 recordings by artists ranging from Cannonball Adderley to Frank Zappa and even the Rolling Stones. He was a featured soloist on many of Marvin Gaye’s albums on Motown during the 1970s, as well as on many other pop and R&B sessions. In 2014, Mr. Watts received the prestigious Frankfurt Music Prize. Watts has performed and/or recorded with a long list of who’s who in Jazz including Pat Metheny, Billy Cobham, Kurt Elling, Arturo Sandoval, and Jack DeJohnette to name just a few. His saxophone can be heard on countless television and film scores, and recordings too numerous to list. These are legends!

A few years back I had the pleasure and honor of chatting with both Mr. Watts and Mr. Siegel, separately about an upcoming performance they were putting toGether in Madison. Once again, we are back at it…this time a conversation as a trio. This time around they are heading back to the North Street Cabaret on May 20th, as a duo. We get into a lot of what will go down both musically and personality-wise as a true night of entertainment awaits. We also discuss some of the possibilities of the unknown that always seem to happen when there is a spontaneous shared spreading of joyous moments. Since this tour is made possible by the Johnny Carson Tonight Show Foundation, we get into stories of historical importance of both Ernie’s and Corky’s as it pertains to Doc Severinsen, the Tonight show and even, Mr. Carson. Classic. We go back to their first meeting and the humorous way the two share in how that “you only get one time to mae a first impression’ introduction went down. We talk about some of the new music Corky has been working on and putting out as a solo artist as well as MORE Different Voices, even….And well, we have a whole lotta fun, which, afterall….is the goal.

In 2020, Rudy De Anda moved his homebase out of California for the 1st time. He was headed East. Somewhere in the back of the U-Haul, among the boxes and stuff, was a mostly finished record. Once getting to Chicago, Rudy quickly found the final pieces of his new LP, ‘Closet Botanist’. It’s due out April 28th on Colemine/Karma Chief Records. The album was recorded in Austin, Texas at the Electric Deluxe recording studio, owned & operated by friend of the proGram Adrian Quesada, who helped produce & engineer this new LP. Rudy’s previous releases have grown synonymous with California sunshine. He was born in Los Angeles and spent most of his formative years in Long Beach. ‘Closet Botanist’ isn’t a total departure from Rudy’s beachy, psych-rock roots, but it does sound more mature. Most of the songs were written back in California with the help of Rudy’s previous bandmates. “Tu Mirada” was one of the first songs he wrote in Chicago. Then, a local friend helped him find “Hey Mr. Sun.” Rudy connected with Blake Rhein (Durand Jones and the Indications) during the final weeks of writing and the two worked on Blake’s tune, another step of maturity as this was something Rudy previously had not done to date. To get the sound just right, Rudy called his California bandmates to the studio. Jon Rivera played bass, Daniel Villareal laid down the drums, and Kyle Davis took care of the organ, piano & synth leads. Adrian Quesada produced the album & Aaron Glembowski engineered the sessions. The band recorded directly to tape to channel a classic rock n’ roll sound. Rudy points to The Velvet Underground & The Kinks for direct inspiration. Rudy dedicates the album to those who love so hard that they neglect to water their own garden. Even in a much colder climate, the closet botanist continues to grow.

I had the pleasure of spending a little time talking with Rudy ahead of his April 26th event in Madison at The Bur Oak. We painted a little scene of what event goers should expect when in that space together. We got pretty deep into the new album – learning how things got accomplished, how Adrian and he worked and how the final product, in my humble opinion, is a step into the future of this psych soul sound. With that, Rudy takes the question on of building a setlist with a track off ‘Botanist’ and as usual, I feel the listeners would not mind if another artists took over the driver’s seat of the show. HA!

Ghost Funk Orchestra is the brainchild of composer/multi-instrumentalist Seth Applebaum. What started as a one-man recording project has now evolved into a powerhouse live band. It’s a sonic kaleidoscope that defies genre specification, but draws heavy influence from the worlds of soul, psych rock, salsa, and beyond. Their unique blend of genres has attracted praise from the likes of NPR, Bandcamp, KUTX, Brooklyn Vegan, Earmilk, and more. Local NY blog Post-Trash described their sound as a ‘psych odyssey of traditional sounds delivered in a non-traditional fashion.’ Bandcamp’s Editorial Director J. Edward Keyes praised the band’s ability to ‘leave no funk-adjacent genre unexplored.’ Experimentation is the key, and unpredictability is what has been attracting folks from all corners of the globe to see what GFO pulls off next…

I had the chance to catch up with Seth ahead of the April 26th show at The Bur Oak here in Madison. We talked about the differences between what is hear don one of GFO’s albums versus a live show. We got into the making and process of the latest album ‘A New Kind Of Love’ out now on Colemine Records. Within the conversation about the record, we explore how this group of people is on the cusp of many genres, and how that widens the pool of ears, and makes them a perfect fit for greenarrowradio. We take the talk of that latest album into what songs Seth would choose to build a setlist around and he gives a few tracks for consideration budling on top of those. Get ready to stretch with GFO wherever you can catch them. Which reminded me actually of the recent shows Ghost Funk Orchestra had a chance to be a part of with the legendary Brazilian Tropicalia group, Os Mutantes. I had to listen to how Seth’s voice changed a little bit while going into what that experience was like.

NYC-based Benny Reid is a producer, composer, saxophonist, & educator. He is a Fatbeats & Concord Recording Artist, as well as an endorser of Selmer Saxophones, Vandoren, Novation, Focusrite, & Applied Microphones. He has held the #1 Billboard spot for “Follow the Leader Re-Imagined”, a partnership with legendary hip-hop artists Eric B. & Rakim. Mr. Reid has performed with numerous acclaimed artists including Frankie Valli, Bon Jovi, Fergie, The Temptations, Buddy Rich Band, among others. As a composer, his music has been featured in Major Motion Pictures and on networks including CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Amazon, and MTV. Reid has composed and performed music for a variety brands such as Subway, Gevalia Coffee, and Mercedes. Currently, Reid produces and scores music for both picture and recording artists, as well as leads his various ensembles in performances worldwide. His most recent work, THE INFAMOUS LIVE: BENNY REID & HAVOC, is an amazing rebuilding of Mobb Deep’s iconic 1995 opus ‘The Infamous’. This ambitious new project is a collection of acoustic, sample-free renditions, built entirely from the ground up & performed entirely by the multi-instrumentalist. ‘The Infamous Live’ comes on the heels of that Billboard-charting take of Eric B & Rakim’s ‘Follow The Leader’. From this, Mobb Deep’s Havoc discovered his work and authorized him to reconstruct the timeless Mobb Deep album, giving his input and working with Mr. Reid in the studio to complete the project. His limited 7″ of “Shook Ones Pt. II” previewing the project, sold out quickly upon release in December 2022.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Benny Reid about this latest project after airing a couple of tracks and the phones lit up. We got into how this project with Havoc’s blessing on a legendary record that many hold near to their ear. We discuss the almost scientific approach her took while rebuilding this iconic sound from the bottom up as an instrumental. The how Havoc got wind of what was going on and gave the thumbs up on a push forward with this new feel of an old sound. Its the original source material that started the thrill, creating the allure to do other versions of the first track he rearchitected. This path was a long and difficult one, so we get a look into what’s next, and even get a peek under the hood of some of the ‘soon to happen’ projects being discussed and thought through. This album will give you both a nostalgia and a path forward to a brand new listening spot.

Critically acclaimed French producer and DJ, Wax Tailor has released ‘Fishing For Accidents’ via his own label LAB’ORATOIRE. The album explores cinematic landscapes by sampling a world of vinyl, exploring with his sampler a world of vinyl and cinematographic references. A multi-recidivist talent scout he gathers a prestigious cast of talent from folks in the HipHop world like Mick Jenkins, Mr. Lif, Kuf Knotz, Mattic, and from the indie rock scene (Jennifer Charles, singer of the legendary band Elysian Fields and Victoria Bigelow). With one eye on the past and the other on the horizon Wax Tailor has made an album with one foot in the past and one foot in the present, the result is a unique and beautiful dance. Wax Tailor instills the incandescence of an organic sound and distills his art of sound anachronism in a wide gap between nostalgia and modernity that has made him one of the leaders of the international electro hip hop scene for over twenty years. Going to a live event where you are automatically taken from where you stand and are brought to a new space and place without moving…that’s the experience of a Wax Tailor shared in the moments together time brings.

I had the opportunity to catch back up with family to the program, J.C. (Wax Tailor) ahead of his March 24th performance at the Majestic in Madison. We reel in what the performance could be like for those in the there of the moment. We spend a good amount of time discussing the shaping of the new record “Fishing For Accidents” that he is out in support of. Once aGain, this is another artist that I find to be able to really find the perfect fits when it comes to collaborations or pairing…we get into how that sometimes goes about, and a few examples of other recent artists that have been examples of relationships that have worked out, including Mr. Lif and Kuf Knotz and Christine Elise. All I now is there is no accident with how this music fits together and certainly how I feel lie a different person after a live hang with Wax Tailor.