Six Count

Bassist Kevin Beardsley is set to join the U.S. Army’s Jazz Ambassadors, departing for basic training on August 10. Kevin sat down with Six Count on July 29 in downtown Durham before his penultimate weekly performance at Kingfisher, where the jazz jam runs every Tuesday from 8:30 to 11:00 p.m. Tonight (Tuesday, August 5) is the bassist’s last regular gig at the bar. During the conversation, Kevin...

Yuan Dong is a jazz pianist and vocalist in Durham and a PhD candidate in philosophy at Duke, where she researches social epistemology and the neuroethics of video games. At age seventeen, Yuan left her hometown in China for Charlottesville, Virginia, to finish high school, a move that would eventually lead her to jazz. She earned her bachelor’s degree at William and Mary, where she studied under...

Raleigh-based saxophonist Imraan Khan specializes in Brazilian music, including samba jazz, bossa nova, and Baião. Originally from New York City, Imraan moved to the Triangle in August 2020. He shares his early influences from Caribbean music, straight-ahead jazz, and bebop, as well as the release of his debut album, Começando (2019) . In addition to performing throughout Brazil, Cuba, and the Uni...

Andrew Berinson and Paul Creel of Thrio returned to Six Count to share about the upcoming release of their second album, Volume 2. The album will be available on streaming platforms on March 21.  Volume 2 will feature arrangements of songs composed by Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and Wynton Marsalis, as well as a few of Thrio’s original compositions. Andrew and Paul share about how Thrio has grown si...

Michael Shekwoaga Ode is a Nigerian American drummer, melodist, vocalist, composer, and educator from Durham. The musician sat down with Six Count  during his visit home over the holidays.  Now based in New York City, Michael leads three bands, and he frequently plays with saxophonist Kenny Garrett, a former member of Miles Davis’s band. Michael plans to release several albums this year across the...

Brandon Mitchell is a vibraphonist and music educator based in Raleigh.  Brandon shares about his latest work, including the release of the album Lakewood Jump by Keenan McKenzie & The Riffers and his 2024 singles, “ A Promise is a Comfort to a Fool ” and “ Little Sunflower .” The artist also talks about getting inspiration from the Afrobeats movement and his Caribbean roots in Jamaica and Grenada...

Thomas Owens is a bass player based in Raleigh. The North Carolina native shares about balancing performing with his day job in IT, the impact of his mentors (including previous Six Count guests Al Strong and Greg Gelb ), and the evolution of his music, from historic swing music to fusion and other genres.   You can hear Thomas play every Wednesday evening from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. at Congress Social...

Six Count hosted its first listening session with a small group of musicians in January. Dexter Moses, the featured guest, curated the following playlist for the evening:  “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” by Charlie Parker and Jay McShann (1942) “Cherokee,” by Charlie Parker and Efferge Ware (1942 or 1943) “Bag’s Groove” (1953) and “Off Minor” (1947), by Bud Powell The Black Peril,  by Soweto Kinch...

Larry Q. Draughn is a percussionist and educator based in Greensboro, North Carolina.  You can catch Larry next this Friday, January 26, at the Sharp Nine Gallery in Durham. The drummer will perform a double trio at 7:30 p.m. with Lynn Grissett on trumpet, Jason Foureman on bass, Steven Haines on bass, Devin Fuller on drums, and two special guests. Get tickets . In addition to performing throughou...

Cicely Mitchell is the co-owner of Missy Lane’s Assembly Room , Downtown Durham’s newest venue dedicated to jazz and other Black American Music (BAM). Cicely spoke with Six Count during the venue’s opening weekend on January 14, 2024. She shares reactions from the inaugural evening headlined by vocalist Lois Deloatch, her vision for the space as a hub for art and community, and what guests can exp...

If you love jazz and live in the Triangle, you know Al Strong . The two-time Grammy-nominated trumpet player, composer, recording artist, mentor, and educator spoke with Six Count at Duke University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on October 4, 2023.  Al is the co-founder of the Art of Cool Project, a nonprofit that hosts a jazz education summer camp and the Art of Cool Music Festival .  The W...

Happy One-Year Anniversary to the Six Count podcast in North Carolina! Since launching in fall 2022, we have:  interviewed twenty-three musicians for seventeen episodes partnered with an online jazz radio station based in North Carolina ( taintradio.org ) upgraded  our equipment  had first interview with a live audience collaborated with blogger Peter Burke of Locavore Jazz to co-host an episode T...

Joseph Silvers is the founder of the Hot Club of Raleigh , a jazz manouche band based in the City of Oaks. The group has performed at Watts & Ward and Young Hearts Distilling , among other establishments in the Triangle and beyond.  On this episode, Joseph shares the story of when Jean-Jacques “Babik” Reinhardt, son of Django Reinhardt, performed with the Hot Club of North Carolina during a U.S. t...

Saxophonist Aaron Hill spoke with Six Count before moving back to the West Coast this past August.  Aaron accepted a position as an assistant professor at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. The musician will serve as director of big bands and applied saxophone in the university’s School of Music.  On this episode, Aaron reflects on his many musical collaborations in the Triangle s...

Dexter Moses is a saxophonist, composer, and educator in Durham.  In addition to his own group, the Dexter Moses Quartet/Quintet, the musician has performed and recorded with Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Joey Calderazzo, and Nneena Freelon, among others. A double alumnus from North Carolina Central University (NCCU), Dexter holds a bachelor’s in jazz studies an...

Listen to the  Six Count podcast on taintradio.org , a noncommercial venue for independent producers. The online jazz radio station based in North Carolina presents music and music-related programming 24/7.  Six Count airs on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. and Fridays at 8:00 p.m. EST. Music credits This episode features the song “Forged in Rhythm” by Keenan McKenzie & The Riffers (2017), used by Six Count...

North Carolina native  Kai Lance is a guitarist and educator based in Chapel Hill.   Kai will perform with the Mark Tipton Trio at the  Sharp 9 Gallery in Durham on Saturday, August 19. The lineup:  Mark Tipton, trumpet Kai Lance, guitar George MacLaurin, piano Aaron Gross, bass Donovan Cheatham, drums  Buy tickets for the show .  Mark is a trumpeter, composer, and educator. The musician is pursui...

Gregg Gelb is a saxophonist and clarinetist, bandleader, and educator based in the Triangle.  On this episode, the musician shares about his latest work with  La Fiesta Latin Jazz Quintet , “The Latin Jazz Dance Suite,” which his group debuted at  Magnetic Sound Studios in Durham on June 23. The quintet comprises Ramon Ortiz and Beverly Botsford on percussion, Steve Anderson on keys, and Andy Klei...

Ernest Turner is a GRAMMY-nominated pianist, composer, and educator based in Durham.  Ernest began learning the piano at the age of four from his mother. Since launching his professional career more than twenty years ago, the musician has performed with three of the Marsalis brothers (Delfeayo, Branford, and Jason), R&B artist John Legend, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, saxophonist Stephen Riley...

Angela Bingham is a jazz vocalist, voiceover actress, and podcast co-host.  You can catch her next with the Jim Ketch Quintet on Friday, June 9, at the Sharp 9 Gallery in Durham. The show, entitled “There’s Lyrics for That,” will feature songs by Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Jon Hendricks, and Thelonious Monk, among others. Buy tickets . Who’s on: Angela Bingham, voice Jim Ketch, trumpet Andrew...

Keenan McKenzie is a musician (saxophone and clarinet), composer, and educator based in Durham. On this episode, Keenan shares about an upcoming recording project for his band, The Riffers, to produce the historic jazz group’s first full-length album. The Riffers will record at Magnetic Sound Studios, a new studio in the Lakewood neighborhood of Durham that specializes in acoustic music and vintag...

For Six Count’s first recording with a live audience, Laura Windley of the Mint Julep Jazz Band spoke with Xara Wilde about her latest album, Watch the Birdie, released in fall 2022.  Laura shares about the recording process for the historic jazz band, converting the album into vinyl, and what’s next for the vocalist and bandleader.  The event, hosted by Xara on February 18, was attended by area j...

Beginning this spring, the Six Count podcast will stream on taintradio.org , a noncommercial venue for independent producers. The online jazz radio station based in North Carolina presents music and music-related programming 24/7.  Six Count will air on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. and Fridays at 8:00 p.m. EST. Thank you to Bob Rogers and Ben Boddie of taintradio for the opportunity!  Music credits This e...

Taha Arif spoke with host Xara Wilde outside the Hayti Collective Kitchen and Cocktails in Durham to share about the restaurant’s jazz jam on Wednesday evenings. The jam takes place from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and musicians of all levels are welcome.  Weekly jazz jams in the Triangle  Mondays Halo Trio at The Cave in Chapel Hill. 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.  Tuesdays Drummer Bean Clemmons at KingFis...

Brad Linde is a tenor and soprano saxophonist based in Washington, D.C., where he’s known as “the capital city’s contemporary cool king” (Giovanni Russonello, Capitalbop ). The North Carolina native regularly performs at the Sharp Nine Gallery, the Cave, and other venues in the Triangle.  Brad spoke with host Xara Wilde and guest co-host Peter Burke of  Locavore Jazz in Carrboro a few hours before...