WUSF Studio Sessions Podcast

Meet Laila Biali. She’s a Multi award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist and CBC Music national radio host of the program Saturday Night Jazz. She is a JUNO award winner and has recently released a new album Wintersongs. She will be performing at the Carrollwood Cultural Center in Tampa on January 16 at 7:30pm. I hope you enjoy.

Gumbi Ortiz a 30 year veteran of The Al Di Meola Group, was born and raised in The South Bronx, Gumbi has Recorded, performed, and/or Produced, some of today’s most diverse and acclaimed  musicians on the Planet  including : Phillippe Saisse, Jeff Berlin, Steve Vai, Nat Adderley, Joel Taylor, Cyril Neville, Irvin Mayfield, Bill Summers, Armand Sabal-Lecco, Senri Kawaguchi, Chick Corea, Gato Barbie...

Welcome to the Studio Sessions Holiday Special ! I’m Warren Buchholz, jazz brand manager here at WUSF. It’s been a wild year, but now it’s time to slow down and celebrate the holidays—with friends, family, pets, that one uncle who comments on every Facebook post, and even your mail carrier. This season is full of joy, traditions, and of course… some incredible jazz. Listen to some music by local a...

Meet Mindi Abair. She’s is a 2x GRAMMY nominated saxophonist, vocalist, author and wine entrepreneur. She’s recorded and toured with ensembles and musicians like Aerosmith, Gerald Albright, Gregg Allman, Dave Koz and Trombone Shorty. She’s currently touring with Peter White and Vincent Ingala for the 2025 Peter White Christmas show where they will be performing at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater...

Meet jazz bassist Ron Carter. He is a performer, band leader, author, and educator with a prolific record of performing with some of the greats like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Eric Dolphy, Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, and so many more. He has recorded over 2,200 albums and has a Guinness world record to prove it! He is releasing a brand new album, Sweet, Sweet Spirit, whic...

Meet Dave Koz. He’s an American saxophonist, composer, and radio host. Over the past 30 years, he’s earned nine Grammy nominations and performed with artists like Celine Dion and Stevie Nicks–to say the very least. He recently released a new album with his friend Bob James and is currently on tour with his Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour, which stops at Ruth Eckerd Hall on November 29–the perf...

In the late ’60s, Robert Callender — then recording as Bobby Callender — was a young singer-songwriter with a vision that defied his era. On Rainbow (1968, MGM), he fused Eastern raga textures with Western psychedelic rock, crafting a concept-driven song cycle long before such albums became common. The sessions brought together some of New York’s finest: bassist Richard Davis (Astral Weeks), guita...

Rod Alnord is Haitian-born drummer with multiple musical influences including Jazz, Gospel/Worship, and Afro-Caribbean Music. He studied at the University of South Florida under Ric Craig and Bob McCormick. He has since developed his playing style, inspired by the explosive Elvin Jones and modern-day drummer Brian Blade.

Hayes Carll isn’t preaching or teaching. He’s not interested in telling the rest of us what to do or think. But he is charting out a personal guide for his life, quieting the noise, and sitting with his real voice – the one that’s candid, consistent, and often inconvenient. We’re Only Human is Carll’s tenth album. Like his best lyrics, it is also an understated masterpiece, an honest snapshot of o...

Meet Stanley Jordan, a jazz guitarist and composer who has performed in 70 countries on 6 continents. His Magic Touch album was an instant classic, and it stayed at #1 on Billboard’s jazz chart for 51 weeks. He is widely regarded as the foremost exponent of the touch, or tapping technique on guitar. To date Jordan has been nominated for four Grammys, and he’s performed in 70 countries. He made a c...

Singer, composer, and creator Ona K envelops you in a mist of beauty. Once you enter, you won’t want to escape. With the sensuality of her voice, the elegance of her compositions and arrangements, her powerful aesthetics, and the strong community of musicians she has created around her music, she moves the listener’s soul in a way that they will always remember. Her music pushes stylistic boundari...

Jon Batiste is a five-time GRAMMY® and Academy Award®-winning singer, songwriter, and composer known for his time on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, his film scores on the Disney film Soul and Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, and the Netflix documentary “American Symphony,” which explores a year of Jon’s life, his career, and his wife’s struggle with Leukemia. He’s currently released 9 solo albums...

Boogie-woogie, jazz, and blues pianist Craig Brenner is a performer, composer, teacher, and recipient of many arts grants. He leads Craig & The Crawdads, is a member of The Ragin' Texans, and has released seven albums. The founder of Bloomington Boogies: The Bloomington Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano Festival, Craig keeps boogie-woogie and similar non-classical styles alive through concerts,...

Meet Jeff Babko. He is a multifaceted musical talent renowned for his work as a composer, arranger, and keyboardist. Based in Los Angeles, Babko’s career spans live performances, studio recordings, television, and film. He is widely recognized as a member of the house band for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where his dynamic and versatile keyboard stylings contribute to the show’s vibrant musical identity. B...

Led by founder Holly Cordero, Steamin’ Jazz is made up of players from the Central Florida area with a sense of New York Flair. Steamin’ Jazz plays tunes from jazz standards to Brazilian to Funk to arrangements of pop tunes in a Jazz fashion.

Critically-acclaimed singer, songwriter & artist  Julie Black  writes expansive music rooted in early blues & jazz. A kindred spirit of free and fiery souls, she’s a songwriter whose personal story is deep, complex, and inspiring. Her soulful voice, intuitive approach, and fiery emotional intensity conjure up live performances that are passionate and profound. Deeply-rooted influences like...

Ross Strauser is a saxophonist, composer and educator who serves on the music faculties at University of South Florida and Hillsborough Community College. He’s in process of creating his second album, Going to the Sun, a 15-movement suite of original works inspired by the Glacier National Park. He recently sat down with me and Adam Darbyshire in the WUSF studio, where we got to talk about his work...

About Dan Bremer: A freelance musician in NYC for 40 years. He plays bassoon, clarinet, sax and piano and has played venues from the Staten Island Ferry to Lincoln Center and everything in between. Dan taught at Wagner College and Staten Island Community College. As a woodwind player he's performed with the Staten Island Chamber Music Players, the Staten Island Symphony, 7th Army Band, the Metropo...

Meet Rita Bolton. She’s a singer and pianist who lives in the Tampa Bay area. She’s also a therapist and an educator, which has influenced her music. She recently released a new album: Soulful of Jazz, filled with a collection of jazz, blues, pop, gospel and show tunes. She’s collaborated with some local jazz greats like Hiram Hazley and John Lamb. Joining me in the studio is Adam Darbyshire where...

This concert was performed live at In Between Days in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

BJ Sam was born in Africa, but his music resonates far beyond African shores. His impact extends far beyond gospel music, influencing artists across multiple genres. He has collaborated with over 100 musicians and celebrities from all the continent of the world including famous Hollywood Oscar nominee Paul Raci, Bollywood legend Jaspinder Narula; Grammy voting pianist Charu Suri; and Monaco ballet...

The USF Jazztet trio, the premier small group, is frequently featured in concerts on the USF campus, recordings and touring. This outstanding group has performed at IAJE conferences, as well as jazz festivals and with many outstanding guest artists. The trio consists of Adam Darbyshire on sax, Sydney Bridges on bass, and Matthew Korloch on drums.

Dave Koz is a celebrated American saxophonist, composer, and radio host, widely recognized for his contributions to smooth jazz. Born in 1963 in Encino, California, he began playing the saxophone in his youth and quickly rose to prominence in the late 1980s, touring with artists like Bobby Caldwell and Richard Marx. His solo career took off with his 1990 debut album and has since led to numerous c...

WUSF, Community Foundation Tampa Bay, and the Firehouse Cultural Center proudly present Stormy Weather : a concert focused on hurricane preparedness for the 2025 season. The Firehouse Cultural Center , which suffered significant damage during Hurricane Helene, is co-hosting to highlight the financial and physical impacts of hurricanes. This event is presented by Community Foundation Tampa Bay whos...

Meet Andrew Berish: he is an Associate Professor who holds an M.A. and Ph. D. in Musicology from the University of California, Los Angeles and B.A. in History from Columbia University. Dr. Berish’s current research focuses on the relationship between musical expression and the social experience of space and place. He recently release his book "Hating Jazz: A History of its Disparagement, Mockery,...