EP30: On The Road Again Music Life And Times podcast

28:37

Mark Rapp’s resume as a performing artist is impressive enough. He has performed in jazz clubs and festivals around the world from Croatia, Brasil, Austria, Switzerland, and the US, including back-to-back appearances at the 2017 and 2018 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. His celebrated 2009 debut release “Token Tales” earned him DownBeat magazine’s recognition as a “Top Emerging Trumpeter,” a sold-out Blue Note appearance, and a spot in the famed Newport Jazz Festival. Moreover, he is the founder of the ColaJazz Foundation, an initiative in his adopted home of Columbia, South Carolina, which hosts a premier annual jazz festival as well as ongoing performances by leading jazz figures, and an outreach program that includes three Summer Camps and jazz-based education sessions at schools throughout the state.…

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EP57: A Tribute to Sam YI 26:43

5 weeks ago26:43

26:43

This extended episode of Music Life & Times pays tribute to Sam Yi, “the guiding light of jazz in Atlanta,” who ran the Churchill Grounds jazz club in Midtown for two decades. Sam passed away on February 3. “His steadfast promotion of jazz music helped artists maintain a sense of belonging and provided listeners with a spot to hear the latest talent, among shifting venues and interest,” noted the ArtsATL website upon his passing. The podcast features comments from friends and musicians, just a handful of the many whose lives he blessed. Podcast participants include trumpeter and educator Gordon Vernick, saxophonist David Sanchéz, and Sam’s longtime close friend John Hammond. Their memories of a loyal friend and supporter and stellar human being are here to enjoy.…

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EP56: Jazz Funerals 16:53

7 weeks ago16:53

16:53

The recent deaths of jazz promoters and club owners Johnny Scatena and Sam Yi were followed by extensive tributes from the musicians whose careers they enabled and lives they changed. Unique to the music profession, and in particular to jazz, is how the most beloved of their time are sent off with performances of the music they played, or in these two cases, the music they so ably and enthusiastically promoted.…

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EP55: The Versatile Jazz Guitarist Dave Frackenpohl 19:18

9 weeks ago19:18

19:18

The versatile Dave Frackenpohl has played in the widest range of groups, from symphonies to nightclub duos, and formats, from commercial rock bands to big bands to touring Broadway musicals to jazz festivals. His life in jazz took off during his 10 years in Rochester, NY, and his reputation as a premier jazz guitarist has grown steadily over more than 25 years of being based in Atlanta. In the tradition of the finest jazz musicians, Dave is an educator, teaching jazz guitar, jazz history, and arranging, and directing the University’s jazz combos and guitar ensembles.…

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EP54: James Casto, Producer, Home By Dark 23:14

11 weeks ago23:14

23:14

James Casto is a singer-songwriter who expanded his passion beyond his own music to create and continue an annual series of concerts featuring singer-songwriters. Inspired by his time in Nashville, and in particular by a song performed one night by Vince Gill, Casto began developing the concept that has matured into a five-month program annually of indoor and outdoor, paid and free, sing-songwriter performances. The program is now 19 years old and draws thousands of attendees, many of whom purchase season tickets so as not to miss a single performer or performance.…

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EP53: Justin Varnes - Percussionist, Educator 29:14

13 weeks ago29:14

29:14

If you were putting together a jazz combo for the evening—or for the ages—you’d be well served by Justin Varnes on drums. And if you wanted your son or daughter to study with someone who will help them learn to love music as well as play it, again there is Justin Varnes. Based in Atlanta, Justin studied at the University of North Florida and the New School in New York. He has played with a long list of jazz greats, including our host Kevin Bales, and teaches at Georgia State University. In 2015, he created a program called the Jazz Legacy Project that combines education with entertainment. In Episode 53 of Music Life and Times , Justin talks with Kevin and Mike about the Jazz Legacy Project, as well as about learning to play, his approach to helping others do the same, and how learning to play has impacted his life and those of his students.…

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EP52: Kevin Korschgen’s Wheel House Sessions 21:25

15 weeks ago21:25

21:25

Kevin Korschgen, drummer, educator, and the producer of Greenville, South Carolina’s Wheel House sessions talks about his seven years of more than 100 concerts in a small space in Greenville’s arts district he originally rented as a drum rehearsal studio and how it became his concert venue. As rare as the venue, so too are the combinations of musicians he brings together, from Greenville, but also from around the Southeast, including our podcast host Kevin Bales, accomplished jazz musicians who most often have never performed together thus encouraging and allowing for the spontaneity which best defines jazz. According to Korschgen, the success of his Wheel House series is due not to planning or organizing, but by “just letting it be what it is,” an intimate connection between players and audience. In this episode of Music Life and Times , he talks about the concerts, about those who commit the time and effort it takes to become accomplished players, and as an educator how he has seen music impact so many lives, including his own.…

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EP51: Gary Motley, Pianist, Educator, Composer, Arranger 14:31

16 weeks ago14:31

14:31

In anticipation of the 2025 Valentine’s weekend edition of the Emory University Jazz Festival, we talk with Gary Motley, the founding director of Emory’s Jazz Studies program, about his beginnings in music and jazz, some of his associations with other revered jazz musicians, and the upcoming Emory festival where he and his trio will be joined by tenor saxophonist David Sanchez on Friday February 14 for the festival’s feature concert.…

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EP50: The Audience Rewards You 23:06

18 weeks ago23:06

23:06

One of the lessons you learn from performing music is how audiences reward you for your efforts, that is, the joy you get from their appreciation of your music. That’s one of the greatest returns you get from the work you put in learning to play music well. What could be more fun or more gratifying!

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EP49: Tribute to Johnny Scatena 36:48

19 weeks ago36:48

36:48

Johnny Catena, the much loved owner of Café 290, Atlanta’s premier music venue for more than 30 years, passed away on November 15, 2024. More than a club owner, Johnny was a lover of music and the musicians who played it. In this extended episode of Music Life and Times , several of Atlanta’s preeminent musicians—Joe Gransden, Kipper Jones, Melvin Miller, William Green, Gary Harris, and Music Life and Times host Kevin Bales—check join us to pay tribute to Johnny, to talk about what he meant to their careers, and to share some of the often hilarious moments that being in Johnny’s presence created.…

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EP48: Kevin Smith: Bassist Extraordinaire 26:36

23 weeks ago26:36

26:36

Where you find great jazz in Atlanta, there’s a good chance you’ll find Kevin Smith on bass. The Florida State grad became enamored with the instrument early in life, chose in fact, orchestra over band in school because the orchestra had a bass, then became enamored with jazz, hearing it for the first time in person from a group that included Music Life and Times podcast co-host Kevin Bales. An educated player who reads as well as he improvises, Kevin is as comfortable with a classical score as he is on stage with a makeshift jazz combo. As a teacher, he is intimately involved with the Atlanta Music Project, a program of the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs providing world-class music training to youngsters in under-resourced communities.…

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EP47: Feel the Burn: Vinnie D'agostino 24:18

24 weeks ago24:18

24:18

On Friday, November 15, 2024, Vinnie D’Agostino led a group of four premier jazz musicians, including our podcaster Kevin Bales on piano, at Atlanta’s Red Light Café for a night of intensity and energy aptly advertised as “Feel the Burn.” Vinnie, who was our featured guest in Episode 16 of Music Life and Times, began his professional music career on saxophone in his teens, then steered his life toward the corporate world, holding positions with the Department of Defense and more than 30 years with Coca-Cola retiring as Director of Global IT for Global Human Resources Technology. Now he’s back, he’s full time and full energy into music, leading as well as playing as a sideman with other highly accomplished jazz musicians. Vinnie talks about playing jazz, what distinguishes his approach to his music, and the lessons he brings from the corporate world back to his renewed commitment.…

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EP46: Dave Finucane: Saxophonist and Director of the Durham Jazz Workshop 20:09

25 weeks ago20:09

20:09

Dave Finucane talks about his Durham Jazz Workshop, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to preserving and promoting jazz music in North Carolina. The Workshop, which he co-founded with his wife Valerie Courreges, offers jazz education programs, including instruction in improvisation, music theory, and performance techniques, to aspiring musicians of all ages. The Workshop’s Sharp 9 Gallery Jazz Club presents live performances featuring renowned jazz musicians—local, regional, and international. By fostering a vibrant jazz scene and supporting the professional development of musicians, Finucane explains, the Workshop contributes to the cultural vitality of Durham and beyond.…

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EP45: Composer and Pianist Randy Hoexter 22:34

26 weeks ago22:34

22:34

Kevin talks with Randy Hoexter upon the debut of his latest album, Tomorrowsville . They discuss his musical upbringing and how he became enthralled with the creation of music—that is, composing as well as playing. His style is described, at least on one hand, as “intricate,” a definition that is well supported in his playing and recordings. But while intricacies are central to his compositions, the end result is unquestionably musical, pleasing and listenable, even to the untrained ear.…

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EP44: Jazz Journalist Ralph Miriello 21:20

27 weeks ago21:20

21:20

Ralph Miriello has been reviewing new—and old—jazz recordings since 2007 for publications like Downbeat and currently through his blog, Notes on Jazz.com . A passionate fan of jazz, Ralph spent much of that time in Atlanta before moving to the West Coast, in Washington State just outside of Portland, Oregon. In this episode of Music Life and Times , Ralph talks about his work as a jazz journalist and about the universality of the music, and shares his passion for everything jazz.…

Music Life and Times

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EP28: My Funny Valentine 15:45

1 year ago15:45

15:45

The song from Babes in Arms, a 1937 musical by Richard Rodgers and Lorenzo Hart, has been recorded more than 1300 times by more than 600 artists. The song continues to receive mixed reviews from musicians and music critics, but it has been a favorite of artists from Frank Sinatra to Sarah Vaughan to jazz trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker, whose recording of it is enshrined. The podcast delivers some interesting takes on the history of the tune, some of the recordings, and the song itself.…

Music Life and Times

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EP27: Why Musicians Love to Teach 19:43

1 year ago19:43

19:43

So many great musicians are also dedicated teachers. They love passing along their knowledge and inspiring others, getting them excited about the things they’re excited about, infecting them with love for what they’re doing, and how exciting it is to make music with other people. It is the jazz teaching tradition at its best: “Each one, teach one.”…

Music Life and Times

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EP26: Classical Music: A Great Resource for Jazz Musicians 18:58

1 year ago18:58

18:58

Most great jazz musicians were trained in classical music. So do you need to learn classical music first before you can play jazz? Or is playing jazz about learning shapes and harmony, technique and structures, the things required to play any music well. There shouldn’t be a separation between classical and jazz; the creation and performance of music is the same regardless of the genre. Classical Music’s role for jazz musicians is in its long tradition of attempts at solving technical issues; it is a great resource for jazz musicians.…

Music Life and Times

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EP25: Books on Music: A Few Recommendations 24:10

1 year ago24:10

24:10

As avid readers, we have our favorite books about music and musicians. We discuss a few here in some detail in hopes they might be of interest to you. If you have others you like, let us know at musiclifeandtimes.com > contact us, and we’ll share them in a future podcast.

Music Life and Times

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EP24: The Role of Music in Social Change 21:58

2 years ago21:58

21:58

From the origins of jazz to the songs of the 1960s protesting the Vietnam War and supporting the Civil Rights Movement to the Grammy Song of the Year in 2021, music has played an essential role in social change, shedding light on the issues and attitudes that threaten our freedoms, here in America and around the world. Your podcasters comment on those times and music and share some stories of their own.…

Music Life and Times

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EP23: From Vinyl to Streaming: How Music Is Delivered 19:52

2 years ago19:52

19:52

From 78 rpm to 33 rpm—and of course 45s with one song on each side—from albums to CDs to streaming, the way music is delivered has evolved substantially. The intent has been to make the music you want to hear easier to access. But have we lost something along the way? Is that why vinyl outsold CDs last year for the first time since the introduction of the music CD?…

Music Life and Times

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EP22: The Music of Fred Rogers as Jazz: “Beyond the Neighborhood” 17:13

2 years ago17:13

17:13

In 2019, as the culmination of what they had discovered as a shared passion, the music of Fred Rogers, Kevin and Keri Johnsrud researched, selected, arranged, then recorded 11 songs composed by Fred Rogers, best known for his long-running children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood . The jazz arrangements of what have been generally perceived as children’s songs credit Fred Rogers as a composer as well as Kevin, Keri, Bill Thornton, and Marlon Patton as arrangers and jazz musicians.…

Music Life and Times

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EP21 Guest Bruce Pulver: Above the Chatter, Our Words Matter. 33:11

2 years ago33:11

33:11

The Audience Perspective: An interview with Bruce Pulver, author of Above the Chatter, Our Words Matter. Intro: As performing musicians, Kevin and Mike work to please audiences by playing their best. Bruce Pulver studied music in college but decided to pursue it “as an avocation as opposed to a vocation.” He is an avid fan of live music, even to the point of hosting concerts in his home. His advice: “Get out to hear music live; it will make your day.”…

Music Life and Times

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EP20 Music Versus Other Professions: The Process Is Much the Same 18:24

2 years ago18:24

18:24

Is a career in a creative art like music really that different from other types of careers? While many people see a music career as a counterpoint to other ways to make a living, the process is much the same, including spending the time necessary to build and grow your business. And for people in other professions or business careers who spend time studying and playing music, that exposure helps them develop their inherent creativity, which can work to their benefit in their chosen fields.…

Music Life and Times

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EP 19 High Anxiety: Dealing with Pre-Performance Nervousness 19:00

2 years ago19:00

19:00

If you play music for an audience, be that at home in front of your family or for thousands of people in a concert hall, you’re likely to be nervous before you play. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; can even be a good thing as Kevin explains in this episode. But of course, shaky hands and a quavering voice aren’t helpful to your performance, so consider some of these ways of dealing with nerves and anxiety.…

Music Life and Times

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EP 18 Play for People 15:33

2 years ago15:33

15:33

Learning music is about playing music. And playing music leads to performing. And because music is a communicative art, the job of a performing musician is to communicate with his or her audience, to play for the people.

Music Life and Times

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EP17 Don’t Wait for Perfect 19:19

2 years ago19:19

19:19

Most players are uncomfortable hearing their own music. They don’t find it as perfect as they think it should be. But an important lesson to learn is not to judge yourself, and indeed, first takes are often the best takes in recording sessions.

Music Life and Times

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EP16 Vinnie D’Agostino: Out of the Corporate World and Back into Music 25:23

2 years ago25:23

25:23

Vinnie D’Agostino—saxophone, clarinet, and flute—first performed as an 8-year-old and started playing professionally at 15. Throughout his youth he was convinced he would live his life as a professional musician. But as he approached his 20s, he decided on a different path, as an IT professional in the corporate world, a career he concluded as Global IT Director for Global HR Technology at Coca-Cola. Today, he is again a full-time musician, involved in a wide range of projects, and recognized as a highly accomplished player.…

Music Life and Times

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EP15 Music Business or The Business of Music? 20:26

2 years ago20:26

20:26

The music business, like selling records and becoming a music star, is a tiny part of the industry whereas the business of music extends to a wide range of occupations, from writing music for commercials to engineering in a recording studio to teaching. And while becoming a star is so rare that it is unachievable for the vast majority of musicians, there are many opportunities to make a living in the business of music. It might not be a regular nine-to-five job, but it is much like other entrepreneurial ventures.…

Music Life and Times

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EP14 American Popular Song 26:08

2 years ago26:08

26:08

Jerome Kern, Hoagy Carmichael, the Gershwins, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, and so many more: the composers of the songs of the golden era of American popular music known as The Great American Songbook, of the tunes that are the platforms from which jazz musicians have launched many of their most memorable improvisations.…

Music Life and Times

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EP43: Giving Back or Welcoming In? 19:20

28 weeks ago19:20

19:20

A tradition among jazz musicians is bringing along younger players, giving them a chance to mature and grow their skills as well as their love of playing. The tradition plays itself out in many ways, such as in jam sessions, university jazz programs, and private lessons, but also through organizations like the Hilton Head Island Junior Jazz Foundation. Kevin is on the board and this year again, assembled five young musicians from around the country to perform for audiences, first at the Velvet Note jazz club outside of Atlanta then in Hilton Head for the annual Junior Jazz Foundation celebration. Kevin and Mike talk about the uniqueness of the jazz community, which includes supporters and audiences, as well as musicians, in how welcoming they are and dedicated to nurturing new, young talent—and about the lifelong relationships those assemblies lead to.…

Music Life and Times

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EP42: On The Passing of Russell Malone 22:21

38 weeks ago22:21

22:21

Russell Malone was not only a world-class jazz guitarist but someone known for reaching out to other musicians, showing interest in them, and encouraging them, as he did so frequently with our podcast host Kevin Bales early in his career. Kevin shares some memories of his times with Russell and talks about mentoring and music, and how common it is for great players like Russell to mentor the up-and-coming.…

Music Life and Times

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EP41: Persistence: Another Life Lesson Music Teaches. 20:30

40 weeks ago20:30

20:30

Persistence: You won’t get far without it. Learning to play music well is hard; progress can be slow, very slow; you can be tempted to quit. Kevin and Mike share experiences of their own as well as stories of some of the greatest musicians of all time, including Charlie Parker and Ludwig von Beethoven, and how they worked to overcome obstacles and persisted when it might have been easier to give up.…

Music Life and Times

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EP40: Music Teaches Resiliency 20:53

42 weeks ago20:53

20:53

It’s not easy to learn to play music, especially to learn how to play well. It takes a great deal of work—we call it practice—and practicing in a way that leads to meaningful progress. As well, the more you learn, that is, the better you play, the more work it takes to make progress. You also learn by making mistakes, and if you make mistakes on the job, that’s a hard lesson; it can be humbling. That’s where your resiliency comes into play. So yes, learning to play teaches you to be resilient, which will help you learn to play well, and when you learn to play well, it’s a joy for life.…

Music Life and Times

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EP39: Your Instrument: Let’s Talk Pianos 24:54

44 weeks ago24:54

24:54

The relationship between player and instrument can be life-long. You might go through several instruments as you learn to play and learn what you like in your instrument, but once you find the one, it’s a marriage that endures. Some players even assign names and genders to their instruments. On a recent trip to the Steinway factory in New York, Kevin was hosted for a tour of the entire facility and was able to observe the craftsmen and women as they built some of the world’s finest pianos. What makes a great instrument and how do instruments, in particular pianos, differ? These insights will be particularly enlightening to people looking to buy a piano.…

Music Life and Times

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EP38: Guest Joe Alterman 19:09

46 weeks ago19:09

19:09

A Joyful Sound As a child taking piano lessons, Joe Alterman was impressed, more so bowled over, by a guitar player named Doc Watson and his boogie style. From those seeds emerged the joyful sound that characterizes Joe’s playing. Among his idols, his mentors, was the incomparable Les McCann. Much of Joe’s work today, including a recent album, “Big Mo & Little Joe,” and several ongoing projects, involves giving new life to the incredible wealth of music McCann created.…

Music Life and Times

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EP37: Guest Saxophonist Matt Miller on Playing and Teaching 23:11

48 weeks ago23:11

23:11

Matt Miller, a native of the Philadelphia area and a graduate of the heralded The New School in New York City, is a busy member of the Atlanta jazz community, featured regularly in various combinations of musicians, from trios to big bands. Matt talks about his responsibilities as a performer to his fellow players and his audiences, and how learning to play music teaches his young students responsibility and other life lessons.…

Music Life and Times

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EP36: Guest Karla Harris 23:58

50 weeks ago23:58

23:58

Jazz Vocalist and Music Educator Karla is in the midst of an admirable career, not only as a performer and recording artist with top billing at some of the country’s most notable venues and festivals but also as an educator ensuring that future generations have access to the arts. Well-known for her performances, she has also been recognized now for her work in the area of education as one of Atlanta Magazine’s “Women Making a Mark in 2024.”…

Music Life and Times

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EP35: Standing Room Only: Trumpeter and Vocalist Joe Gransden 26:54

1 year ago26:54

26:54

Joe Gransden has built his brand on multiple levels, perhaps best known as big band leader, heading up the 16-piece group of jazz musicians that filled Café 290 on Monday nights for more than 12 years and continues to entertain at venues and events around Atlanta and beyond, as well as performing with a variety of combinations for a variety of gigs, from restaurants to corporate parties to his own popular jam sessions.…

Music Life and Times

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EP34: Guest Roderick Harper 24:58

1 year ago24:58

24:58

At 57, Roderick Harper is gaining steam. A versatile artist with both jazz and R&B albums, he calls on a background that started as early a small child singing along with TV commercials, through early lessons in the American Songbook and a minor in jazz studies at Southern University, to a performer audiences love for the passion and integrity of his singing. Mike and Kevin talk with Roderick in between two nights of his performances, accompanied by Kevin, at the Atlanta-area jazz club, The Velvet Note.…

Music Life and Times

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EP33: Composers and Lyricists 23:40

1 year ago23:40

23:40

Every Elton John has his Bernie Taupin. Jerome Kern had to have his Oscar Hammerstein. Even Duke Ellington needed a Billy Strayhorn or Irving Mills or Bob Russell. Point is, a song isn’t much of a song without lyrics, and how lyricists and composers work together, if unique to each pair, is one more example of the cooperation involved in making great music.…

Music Life and Times

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EP32: Collaboration: A Great Lesson 22:46

1 year ago22:46

22:46

Consistent with the podcast’s focus on the life lessons that learning to play music teaches, Kevin and Mike talk about musical conversation, that is, how musicians playing together collaborate, listening to each other and accommodating each other’s playing, to create better music.

Music Life and Times

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EP31: Getting Started In Music 27:22

1 year ago27:22

27:22

Whether you’re a youngster who wants to learn how to play an instrument, or a parent who recognizes the value of music in their child’s education, or an adult who has never played but wants to learn how, it’s never too early or too late to start. Kevin shares insights on how to get started from his three decades of teaching young and adult students.…

Music Life and Times

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EP30: On The Road Again 22:42

1 year ago22:42

22:42

People who make their living playing music typically do a lot of travelling. While some might have a house gig in their hometown, most find themselves in venues that take them to different parts of their country and even around the world. Those experiences—that breadth of experience—combine to be one of the great benefits of life as a musician.…

Music Life and Times

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EP29: The Uniqueness of the Great Players 21:35

1 year ago21:35