Fresh Coast Jazz Backstage

Suzanne, the producer of the show, talks to Carl about a special announcement. The 2023 Fresh Coast Jazz Festival will take place on August 25 and 26 at the Historic Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Carl also announces the fantastic lineup for the festival including artists with Grammy nominations and awards, with some producing more than 100 hit songs. The festival is known to be a "Party W...

Join us for an exciting episode with multi-talented, professional musician and music teacher, Carl Cox, who plays a variety of wind instruments, such as the saxophone. He was taught by his grandfather and grew up listening to contemporary jazz. He talks about how he got his start in the music industry. His unique sound and infectious funk style have earned him several collaborations. Find out more...

Join us for an exclusive interview with legendary guitarist, Larry Carlton. We discuss his incredible career, from playing on over 250 million records sold to performing with some of the greatest musicians of all time. He has been nominated for 19 Grammys and won the award four times. Larry gives insight into his style that has set him apart and how he approaches new sessions as a servant rather t...

Today, we're going to be discussing the life and career of Paul Brown. A two-time Grammy Award-winning musician and producer, Paul Brown has been in the music business for almost five decades and is still producing hit records with some of today’s biggest stars. We will also look into his production style which combines soulful R&B influenced instrumentation with lead instruments that “sound l...

Vincent Ingala is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and radio host who has made a name for himself playing saxophone. After being exposed to music from an early age – his father was a mobile disc jockey and his family often attended concerts and gatherings with music – Vincent honed his craft across various instruments, including drums, guitar, keys, and bass. His passion for creating m...

Carl sits down with Nils, a multi-talented German smooth jazz artist and producer. His music is heavily influenced by funk and fusion. To stay fresh musically, he listens to various genres, including electronic music and old-school R&B, while also looking for new ideas and avenues to advance his artistry. Nils describes his creative process, which begins with writing every day without criticis...

We have an exciting episode with Threestyle, an interesting group with an eclectic, distinct approach to jazz, featuring saxophonist Magdalena Chovancova; Robert Fertl who plays the guitar, bass trumpet, and flugelhorn; and Gabriela Chovancova on drums and vibraphone. They discuss the inspiration for their single “Living in This House” and share how they work together to create amazing tracks, and...

In today's episode, Carl talks to D.S. Wilson, a saxophonist and producer who made his presence known on the contemporary jazz scene in 2019 with his first album, "Stella Rose." This was followed by an album called "Saxuality" in 2021 and his recently released third album called "Skyline" in January 2023. When selecting songs for recording or including in works, D.S. often starts out with grooves...

Inspiring Young Musicians to Take Risks for Success with Steve Cole In today's episode, Carl talks to Steve Cole, who is an American contemporary jazz artist who debuted in 1998, notching 8 albums and multiple number one hits. He has been touring and playing on Smooth Jazz Radio since then, with over 5 million streams on Spotify alone. When he was coming of age, he found a great teacher which insp...

Today's episode is special. Suzanne, the producer of the show, talks to Carl about a special announcement. The 2023 Fresh Coast Jazz Festival will take place on August 25 and 26 at the Historic Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Carl also announces the fantastic lineup for the festival including artists with Grammy nominations and awards, with some producing more than 100 hit songs. The festiv...

In today's episode, Carl talks to David Benoit, who is a pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, educator, and a radio personality with over 40 years of experience. He has collaborated with a ton of artists, even those who are not contemporary jazz artists but great musicians as well, like Patti Austin, the Rippingtons, and Dave Koz, just to name a few. He started out with a piano in Bakersfield a...

In today's episode, Carl talks to William Prince, who is a fresh new saxophone voice on the smooth jazz scene. He has already worked with the likes of Phil Perry, Doobie Powell, Chris "Big Dog" Davis, and Carol Albert and in 2021, he worked with hit maker Adam Holley on his latest released roll on. They discuss how his church background helped mold his musical career from playing gospel through dr...

In today's episode, Carl talks to Michael Broening, famously known as "Michael B.," who will be releasing his debut album called "Never Too Late" in early February of 2023. For 20 years, he has been making hits. In fact, he has over 40 contemporary jazz hits to his credit as a producer, songwriter, and pianist. That list includes 27 Top 10 hits, 11 number 1 hits and a Grammy win. They discussed th...

In this episode, Carl talks to Lindsey Webster, a contemporary jazz artist with many Billboard charting songs. Growing up, Lindsey was exposed to a variety of music styles which has helped shape her sound today. She writes all of her music from the heart and some of her top musical influences are Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Aretha Franklin. They discuss her musical journey where Lindsey exp...

In this episode, the show's guest is Julian Vaughn, a young man who has reached number one on the Billboard chart with his effortless blend of jazz, R&B, funk, Calypso, and other sensory sensitivities to music, making his own distinctively delightful sound. Julian is a songwriter, producer and bassist extraordinaire who loves being on tour and doing live shows because of the people and how the...

In this episode, Carl talks to Lemek, an emerging guitarist and New Orleans-based musician, whose father is veteran saxophonist Quintin Gerard W. Beyond simply using a different instrument, what makes this generational hand off unique is the way Lemek builds upon the soul and jazz foundation of his father yet takes his own music into new directions. They talk extensively about Lemek's musical jour...

In today's episode, Carl talks to Quintin Gerard W., who has made quite a splash in the music scene, as an amazing saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist from Louisiana. His single "Broken Promises" reached the top five on all major smooth jazz charts, and that's not even mentioning how both he and his son, Lemek, have been at number one simultaneously. They discuss the importance of recording and...

In this episode, Carl speaks with guitarist Andrea Lisa, a new artist to the American smooth jazz scene. She sings with passion, conviction, and purpose. She shares the story of how she got started in music at 15, starting a band in 2011, moving from New Zealand to Australia, and what it was like to leave everything to chase her passion. Andrea talks about the musicians who influenced her music an...

In this episode, Carl interviews Ellis White, a Florida-based guitar player who experienced contemporary jazz success as a member of the group, Catch The Groove. Their single, "Shaken Not Stirred," reached the Billboard Top 20. Ellis talks about how he decided to become a solo artist in 2019 and released his first single, "Keeping It Real." He also reveals how he recognizes when a song is ready fo...

In this episode, Carol Albert, an Atlanta-based pianist and composer, is our special guest. Her new single, "Paradigm Shift," from her latest album, Magic Mirror, is at the top of all smooth jazz charts right now. She and Carl discuss how this particular song captures the profound change in consciousness that has taken hold of society in response to the pandemic. Carol talks about the different ge...

In this episode, Carl chats with drummer and percussionist Bobby Sanabria. Bobby has been nominated for eight Grammys and is also a composer, arranger, documentary filmmaker, educator, and radio host. He discusses how he has managed to keep the passion alive all these years and how music has been a consistent source of inspiration for him. Bobby paints a colorful story of how he developed his love...

In today's episode, Carl interviews New Zealand-born saxophonist, flutist, and pianist Alex Churchill. They talk about R&B and Smooth Jazz, working with other jazz artists, and how they both fell in love with the genre. Alex goes on to discuss the many instruments he plays and how they differ in terms of inspiration. Alex describes his current career, his long-term plans, and his extensive exp...

In today's episode, Michael Palazzolo shares with Carl the story of how he got started in music and playing the bass. Michael performs alongside renowned American Jazz composer Bob James all over the world with their band. He and Carl discuss the Detroit music scene and how it influenced Michael's career by allowing him to work with so many different musicians, as well as Michael's ultimate aspira...

In this special 50th episode of Fresh Coast Jazz Backstage, we will be learning more about the founder of the Podcast, Carl Brown. Carl shares his background, the business that he retired from, personal development, and ...

Silvano Monasterios is a pianist-composer born in Caracas, Venezuela. He promptly began his professional career at the age of 18 by performing and recording with some of the most prominent Venezuelan artists of the time. He spent his formative years of musical training at the Jose Angel Lamas Conservatory while he encountered the great American jazz tradition in all its diversity. In the conversat...