Easy Jazz Spotlight

Dan Brubeck is a renowned jazz drummer and a member of one of America’s most notable musical families. He is the son of legendary American jazz icon Dave Brubeck and the rhythmic force behind the highly successful Brubeck Brothers Quartet, whose recordings have consistently been at the top of the jazz radio charts. Dan has just come out with his new album "Dan Brubeck Quartet Plays Dave Brubeck."...

After going through a period of loss between 2018 and 2020 in which her grandmother, mother, other people close to her - and even her dog - all passed away, jazz artist Deepspawn_Logic was at a low point. Her husband gave her a keyboard and told her to just "create" and create she did! Her first instrumental track was released in 2022 and she hasn't stopped since. Deepspawn specializes in smooth j...

He's the most recorded jazz bassist in history. Ron Carter, also known as "maestro" has won three grammy awards and was part of Miles Davis's "Second Great Quintet" from 1963 to 1968. Since then, Ron has performed with a wide range of major jazz stars. But, as our host Kerilie McDowall found out - Ron is anything but boastful. To the contrary, despite being regarded as a living legend - Ron is dow...

Award-winning jazz singer and songwriter Halie Loren was raised listening to the Great American Songbook from her mother's record collection. She started writing songs at age 13 and recorded her first album "Full Circle" at age 19. Since then, Halie has performed all over the world with her music hitting number one on the charts in Japan. Her latest album "A Kind of Wilderness" carries an emotiona...

Canadian trumpeter, vocalist and songwriter Bria Skonberg has been described as the "shining hope of hot jazz" by the New York Times and "one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation" by the Wall Street Journal. The Juno-award winner's debut album reached number five on the Billboard jazz charts. In this extensive interview by our host Kerilie McDowall, Bria explains: she beg...

Known as the hardest working man in the jazz business, saxophonist and entrepreneur Cory Weeds successfully ran his own jazz club for 14 years. Downbeat Magazine acknowledged that Vancouver's "Cellar Jazz Club" was among the best in North America. But Cory has been far more than a club owner. His jazz recordings have received accolades worldwide, including reaching number one on the JazzWeek chart...

Rick Kilburn of Vancouver, British Columbia has enjoyed a 50-year career as a jazz bassist. Over the years, Rick has worked with the top names in jazz - including Dave Brubeck, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond, Diana Krall and many more. In this fascinating interview - Rick talks to our host Kerilie McDowall about his early introduction to music and his incredible career.

Clayton Hill is a Canadian rock drummer best known as a long-time member of the iconic Canadian rock band Trooper. In this animated interview - Hill tells our host, Ken Boyd, that he remembers the days he was eating beans out of a can and made very little money in music. But it was a last-minute audition in 2006 that Hill learned 26 songs in short order to join Trooper. He tells Ken how he came to...

Halie Loren is an international, award-winning jazz singer/songwriter. Her multi-genre and multi-lingual musical blend across her ten albums to-date has earned several national and international awards in multiple genres as well as significant critical and chart success along the way, with her albums consistently reaching #1 on the Billboard Japan, iTunes (Canada and Japan) and Amazon jazz charts....

Award-winning Canadian Saxophonist, composer and music educator Christine Jensen has led a distinct voice to the creative jazz scene for the last twenty-five years with her large and small ensembles. In this interview with host Kerilie McDowall - Christine reveals what she teaches her students, gives advice on jazz composition, and talks about getting inspiration from paintings.

Introducing "Chlo", an R&B/Hip-Hop artist from New Westminster, British Columbia whose unique tones and bold energy light up every stage she touches. Chlo says she learned, from her musician father, that taking risks can lead to great things. Interviewer Ken Boyd sat down with the new young artist about her life and music.

She's one of the biggest jazz stars in Canada who performs worldwide. Multi-award winning Laila Biali is a singer, pianist and host of a national CBC music show (called Saturday Night Jazz). Laila has headlined many jazz festivals and venues - including New York's Carnegie Hall and Beijing's National Centre for the Arts. Our host Stefan Zaichkowski caught up with Laila as she was working in the mo...

Kelvin Harrison, known as KK the Drummer, took to the drums like a fish takes to water. In this interview with host Stefan Zaichkowski, KK (who has recorded with a range of major artists) explains his philosophy on drum playing and music in general - emphasizing that it's about creating a "feeling" and having fun. Be sure to listen to KK's song "Dinner and a Move" at the end of the interview.

Al and Erica Wong had trouble getting jobs as musicians. So they decided to just open up their own jazz club and hire themselves! That's exactly what they did and their new club, called Jazz at 248 in downtown Ottawa Canada is creating a buzz in the city's jazz community. The couple explained to host Stefan Zaichkowski that they wanted a club where jazz artists of all kinds - beginners included -...

AFJP stands for "Annam's Family Jazz Project" - a Quebec-based jazz band created in 2014 when four passionate musicians met at University. Led by composer Annam Nguyen, the band set out to express jazz using different styles to reach a larger audience. Annam sat down to speak with our host Stefan Zaichkowski. Be sure to hear the band at 59:47 in the interview.

Danish jazz pianist Søren Bebe started playing the piano at age 9 but stopped shortly thereafter because he says “I found it boring.” Thankfully for us, Soren went back to the piano and today is a leading pianist on the European jazz and contemporary music scene. He talks about his life and music with host Stefan Zaichkowski. Be sure to see Soren’s “Evening Song” composition at the end of the vide...

Years ago, BC jazz singer and composer Angela Verbrugge moved west from Ontario to pursue an acting career in Vancouver. She would then end up in a car accident, get lost in a remote area of Belize, and survive cancer. Despite those challenges, Angela pursued jazz with a passion. This is her story - one of hope and inspiration as uncovered by host Ken Boyd.

In this edition of Easy Jazz Spotlight, host Britney Dea speaks with California award winning vocalist and song writer Castella. The jazz, soul and R&B performer talks about: her transition from being an executive in the corporate world to an international recording artist; the importance of having mentors; and how she got her stage named "Castella". Following the interview, we play Castella's...

He describes himself as a soul singer who can't sing. But "Fluteman" Darryl Evan Jones of Memphis, Tennessee is one incredible jazz artist who plays the flute in a style that combines the classic sound of artists who came before him with his own rich, modern melodic style. In this interview with our host Stefan Zaichkowski, Darryl says he studied the playing of French classical flautist Jean-Pierr...

He desperately wanted to be a jazz artist, moving to New York City. But bass guitarist Yosef Gutman Levitt (originally from South Africa) found that success doesn't come easily. To support himself, Yosef had to work in restaurants. He did other odd jobs as well - all the while, performing in local venues. Still, real success eluded him. He took a break to reflect on his approach to music, then lan...

The legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter, who performed with Miles Davis and many other great jazz artists for decades, turned 87 years old on May 4, 2024. To help celebrate Maestro's birthday, our jazz radio host Ross Morgan (who is also a jazz guitarist) spoke with Ron about his approach to music and working with other artists. Towards the end of the interview, Ross asks Ron if he'd mind doing a li...

In this episode of Easy Jazz Spotlight, host Ken Boyd talks with jazz songwriter and singer John Korbel. John's song "Bourbon Street Taps" which is featured in this interview at 13:38, hit number one on iTunes. The video was filmed during the Covid crisis in New Orleans - a big advantage for filming says John, because: "There weren't too many people around." John is a former rock and roller who te...

In this edition of Easy Jazz Spotlight, host Stefan Zaichkowski talks with veteran Toronto jazz guitarist Rob Tardik. Rob tells Stefan that in his early days, he played in a rock band, but also played classical guitar and jazz on the side. Today, Rob's music has made it to the top of the Billboard smooth jazz charts. During the interview at 36:30, Rob decides to grab his guitar and start playing!...

In this episode of Easy Jazz Spotlight, host Stefan Zaichkowski talks with Virginia trumpeter and educator Bill McGee. Bill talks about his long and varied career, and takes a historical look at the changes in the music industry over the years. Bill tells Stefan that he could see the rise of digital music as far back as the early 1990s - and, he reveals why he stepped away from producing albums fo...

On this episode of Easy Jazz Spotlight, we feature jazz fusion artist Deepspawn Logic. Deepspawn, who is from Brooklyn, New York - tells host Stefan Zaichkowski that she underwent a period of depression during the pandemic. But her music helped her get through it. In her words: "My brain just exploded." Deepspawn talks about her unusual style of music, and says there is an audience for every song...