Paradigms

Mariah Parker has coined the phrase Indo Latin Jazz to describe the musical fusion she is inspired to create.  A lifelong pianist, Mariah’s compositions are inspired by relationship with the muse; rhythms, experiences, and occasionally a complete piece shows up in her imagination. The new record Windows Through Time is inspired by, and offers listeners an opportunity to experience musically,...

Okaidja Afroso is a Ghanaian artist who has just released the second installment in his Ancient Africa Wisdom Trilogy. It’s called ÀBÒR ÉDIŃ which means Melanin Earth Garden in the Gãdangmé language. The first record came out in 2022, JAKU MUMOR   which means Ancestral Spirit . The third record will come in 2025. Gãdangmé language is in the family of Kwa Languages , spoken by 25 million...

Ganesh Rajagopalan , the celebrated violinist, has been making music his whole life, on his own and with his brother Kumaresh. In 2023 he celebrated 50 years of being a professional musician both with Ganesh Kumaresh and with Shakti . He has an extensive catalog of albums, and tours regularly. Yugma is Ganesh’s latest project. This piece, an original composition in the traditional form of th...

Alex Martin has created an album, songs made from the poetry of his father Michael Martin. It’s called Appalachian Fall: The Song-Poems of Michael Martin . Michael Martin lived on a mountain and wrote poems. He was called “the foremost meditative poet of Appalachia” by former North Carolina Poet Laureate Shelby Stephenson . Alex Martin is a guitarist. He has brought together fine Americana and Jaz...

Natalie Spears lives in Colorado where she listens to birds, to the land, and is inspired to create music. Her latest record is Hymn of Wild Things , a collection of original songs about connecting with nature, and about grief; personal grief and the transpersonal grief a person can feel for the world. This music brings together old-timey Appalachian music with more contemporary folk.  You can hea...

Eljuri returns to Paradigms to talk about her free Concerts for Democracy starting July 13 in Riis Park, Chicago, sponsored by the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago. Here is the entire Tour schedule so far.  More dates may be added. Eljuri is partnering with HeadCount.org , SpreadTheVote.org and Every Vote Counts to provide information and voter registration at these concerts! The US...

John Kruth has been exploring and innovating musically since he was a child. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays mandolin, flute, sitar, guitar, banjo, the list goes on. John has written five books about music and musicians, including Bright Moments – The Life and Legacy of Rahsaan Roland Kirk Check out some of John Kruth’s past musical projects. He is involved with a number of projects,...

Itamar Erez and Hamin Honari are friends who have played music together for years.  They have collaborated on this new album Migrant Voices to bring attention to an issue and to celebrate the creativity in their friendship. Both Itamar and Hamin are accomplished musicians, this being Itamar’s second time as a guest on Paradigms. The new music is clear and spontaneous and inspired.  Enjoy! •...

Dan Loomis is a Jazz Bassist from New York. He is also an inspired person of conscience and humility.  His new record Revolutions is a ceremony, an homage to some of the great revolutionaries; Fransisco de Miranda of Venezuela, Toussaint Louverture of Haiti, Simón Bolivar of Venezuela, José Antonio Páez of Venezuela, Jacques Dessalines of Haiti, with a final honoring of the great living artist...

Jo Beth Young writes and sings with a deep ethereal palate of sounds and colors. Her new record Broken Spells is a sonic kaleidoscope, with songs that evoke transformation and mystery, vocals and instrumentation which defy gravity. On the new record Jo Beth is writer, performer, arranger, producer, and mixing engineer, so the sound of this record is 100% true to the artist’s inspiration. Dis...

Maetar is Itai Disraeli on bass, Hagai Lev-Shalem Izraeli on horns, and Richard Fultineer on percussion.  Each player is an established musician in their own right and with other bands. As a trio they have released a double album Love Dub and The Abstract One Drop , 21 tracks of music that is really an event to listen to. The conversation between Baruch and the band goes into the making of this mu...

Steven Gellman is an award winning songwriter, a self-taught musician, and a performer.  He performs in musical venues and also in homes for the elderly.  His songs are smart poignant warm poetically, musically sophisticated and very accessible. The new record All You Need is a very enjoyable listen that will make you think and feel. This is Steven’s 10th album!  He is prolific, and brings t...

Andy Milne is a two-time Juno Award winning Pianist and composer.  He has studied and played with Oscar Peterson, played in Steve Coleman’s bands, performed with Cassandra Wilson, to name just a few. Andy composes soundtrack for film and TV , and teaches full time at the University of Michigan. The new record Time Will Tell is 10 tracks of music expressing Andy’s personal feelings about expe...

Brenda Earle Stokes is a pianist, singer, and composer from Canada.  Currently living in New York City, Brenda’s new record is Motherhood , an homage to, and inside-view of, motherhood.  The songs are both amusing and serious, offering both release and insight into some of the challenges faced by mothers across boundaries of culture and time. Brenda and Baruch had a lively discussion about m...

Sarah Jerrom is a composer and a singer.  Her latest project is Magpie , a Suite in 8 movements that takes the listener into a mythic story of Jerrom’s creation. The music is complex, powerfully melodic, performed by players of great skill and talent.   The inspiration is the grief of miscarriage, pregnancy loss. The topic is one which is often avoided in the public arena, pregnancy loss, bu...

Diane Coll returns to Paradigms to share her new album Old Ghosts , a collection of original songs exploring themes of coming to terms and letting go. Diane is exploring her songwriting and musicianship with a calm kind of passion, bringing in more instruments, vocally adventurous; the poetry is personal and there is even some whimsy. This record is very relatable and engaging. Diane has always be...

David First with his band New Party Systems, and Yvette Massoudi , have collaborated on a song Next of Kin which is a call for Peace. David First has been writing songs and making music since he was a teenager, finding his way as a young adult to the experimental music scene in New York. He works with a number of bands including New Party Systems and is highly regarded as a composer of contemporar...

Michael Gaulden returns to Paradigms to share his new book for children Hello Neighbor! which addresses the issue of homelessness. In his new book Michael explains homelessness, homeless encampments, and more, by anthropomorphizing cats as the main characters and going on a tour of a city where there are homeless “cats.”  The book is beautifully illustrated by Rod Flower . Michael&#821...

Chris McKhool and Marc Meriläinen , along with many others, have just collaborated on a powerful new record Indigenous Collaborations with Sultans of String Walking Through the Fire . The songs and music are inspired by the experiences of Indigenous people in Canada, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission , and Indigenous culture and tradition. The conversation between Marc, Chris, and Baruch, is...

Nick Justice , originally from the Bronx, has been playing music since he was a kid.  He’s been part of the San Diego cow punk music scene for decades, as a solo artist, with a band, and as a sideman. Nick writes about the human condition. Informed by his own life, and what he sees, Nick tells stories about real people, with a little artistic license thrown in for good measure. The new recor...

Denin Slage-Koch is a Jazz Guitarist, Composer, Arranger and Professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville . His new album is It Comes In Waves which is a collection of mostly original compositions with one outstanding cover. Denin is one of those people whose life is completely intertwined with his instrument. He talks about the role of music in his life, and how powerfully music has enriche...

Amy Wagenfeld is an Occupational Therapist.  She works as a  design consultant, educator, researcher, and author. She is a faculty member in the Boston University Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctoral program and Principal of Amy Wagenfeld Design . Amy’s love of nature led her to the realization that nature is healing, restorative, and can benefit everyone, but especially people de...

Scott Free has been composing and performing music for decades.  He was inducted into the City of Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2010 for his political work. Scott runs a queer Indie Radio Station Alt Q Radio .  The new record Songs to Fight Oppression is a collection of protest songs.  If you’ve protested in the US in the last 3 decades, some of these will be familiar to you. Singi...

Caroline Lavelle is a musican through and through; a cellist who plays with people like Peter Gabriel, Radiohead, Mary Black, The Chieftains, and many others. Caroline regularly records and tours with Loreena McKennitt. Caroline’s most recent solo album is The Raven .  Recorded in a caravan in a meadow overlooking the sea in North Cornwall, these songs give us a taste and a feel for Caroline...

Bernard O’neill has been working on the Syriana project for many years, with numerous iterations of the music being released to the public, most recently as a benefit for Syria, a country torn by war and violence both from within and from without. Syriana 1325 is the new record, which goes further both musically and in terms of telling the story of Islamic Scholar and Jurist Ibn Battuta. Bri...