Laila Biali - Canadian Singer, Composer and Pianist on her new release Your Requests

Multi award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist and CBC Music national radio host Laila Biali returns to the Playful Musician to talk about her brand new recording Your Requests. This recording is the result of her deep connection to her fans and their "requests" for songs for her to record. Bringin new imagning's and fresh ideas these jazz standards, Your Request is a joyful, breath of fresh air!

A delightful and insightful conversation with Toronto based vocalist, composer and teacher Nicky Schrire. Our conversation centers mostly around her new album Nowhere Girl which arrives on June 9, 2023 wherever you get your music! We talk about the long, ten-year build up to this album, working with producer Oded Lev-Ari, how things transpire in the studio and what musical adventures she has planned for the rest of the year. You can find out more about the album and about Nicky at nickyschrire.com.

 Dr. Otis Murphy is professor of Saxophone at the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington Indiana. Otis has the distinction of being the youngest faculty ever appointed to the Jacobs School of Music, having obtained his position at the tender age of 28.

Otis was a student of Classical Saxophone icon Eugene Rousseau and received a Fulbright Fellowship to study in France with  french saxophonist Jean-Yves Fourmeau.

In our conversation we spoke about his trajectory towards becoming a professional musician. How he got started on the saxophone,  what a big influence his father was and the sacrifices his family made so he could, as a teenager, travel to Athens Georgia to study with Dr. Kenneth Fischer at the University of Georgia. Otis also shared what it was like as a freshman at Georgia to be playing with Doctoral Students in a saxophone quartet, which included fellow Playful Musician guest Rhett Bender. 

Otis also talked about what is was like teaching former classmates, his teaching style, the importance of music in his family. His wife and 6 children all are musicians! He shares about the importance of tone and intonation, how he and his students practice the five T’s and the challenge of switching between playing A440 in the US and A442 in other countries.

Brett Detar is a Los Angeles based singer, songwriter, film composer, producer and super creative guy. He's made a name for himself with his band The Juliana Theory which he co-founded when he was just 19. Brett has also made an impact on the big screen, composing for the films The Devil Inside and Wer.

Brett Shares about his start with songwriting at age six, how he approaches creativity, what it's like to score for a major motion picture and you'll get to hear a bit of his just released single Playback 99, off the EP, Still The Same Kids Part I!

Pittsburgh Trombonist Reggie Watkins has always had a knack for music. He has come a long way from learning how to play the piano at six. Born and raised in West Virginia and spending years in Pittsburgh, Reggie was exposed to musical influences that would later turn him into an internationally-recognized performer, pianist, arranger, and composer. Leveraging  his experience fronting a quarter on a cruise ship, he then served as trombonist and musical director for trumpeter and band leader Maynard Ferguson. From there he went on to tour and record with  Jason Mraz from 2008 to 2013. He has shared the stage with many great artists from various genres including Aretha Franklin, Dave Matthews, Dianne Shuur, Jose Feliciano, Willie Nelson, Arturo Sandoval, Trombone Shorty, The Temptations, and the O’Jays. He is also a member of the Grammy-nominated Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band. 

He joins us in this episode to talk about his epiphany moment with jazz, his music education and influences, his early cruise ship gigs, his years touring with the Maynard Ferguson band and Jason Mraz, his practice routine, and the honor of playing at Aretha Franklin’s funeral. 

Singer and Songwriter, Alice DiMicele, joins  me on this captivating episode of The Playful Musician. Based in Southern Oregon like myself, we swap stories and share musical memories from the past as well as speaking about challenges we’ve faced during the pandemic and beyond.

Alice DiMicele talks about her new upcoming album Every Seed We Plant along with her experience writing and producing during the pandemic. Hear incredible snippets from Every Seed We Plant, which effortlessly communicates emotions and captures the listener’s imagination with thought-provoking lyrics. We also touch on some special high points throughout Alice’s three-decade career, including her performance on stage with Bonnie Raitt, touring, and everything in-between.

Australian jazz pianist Barney McAll has had a fascinating music career. An accomplished jazz pianist and composer with an innate musical curiosity and drama, Barney’s played with Gary Bartz, Kenny Garrett, Maceo Parker and Eddie Henderson... and he was Sia's music director too. No big deal. In this episode, we chatted about the influence of Cuban and African ritualistic trance on Barney’s work, his time as composer in residence in Sydney and how he’s developed as a musician. 

In this episode, we chat about Barney’s new album, Precious Energy, the influence of the Cuban musical and ritual has had on him,
Barney’s musical process and writing routine, what audiation is and teaching audiation, his stint touring with Sia as her music director, Anti-pop, the power of objectivity and unwittingly taking part in Laurie Anderson’s 15-year old art exhibition (yes, really)

Pianist Baruch Meir is a professor of piano at Arizona State University. He maintains a busy teaching schedule in addition to his international concert career. Baruch recently toured Korea's most prestigious music schools and universities as well as the Music Academy in Vienna (Austria), the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem (Israel) and various conservatories and universities in the U.S. Baruch’s distinctions include the American-Israel Cultural Foundation Awards, the British Council fellowship, and many additional awards in piano competitions worldwide.

Baruch shares details about growing up in Israel and how he began playing the piano. 

We chat about his love of teaching and how he uses relaxation with the piano. Baruch discusses the nuances of competitions, including what led him to start his own competition in 2006. We chat about new music, memorization versus reading music, and Baruch’s upcoming artistic plans. 

A singer and composer of eclectic tastes and prodigious gifts, Grammy-nominated Theo Bleckmann makes music that is accessibly sophisticated, unsentimentally emotional, and seriously playful. Theo spent 15 years as a member of Meredith Monk’s ensemble and appeared on 2002's Mercy and 2008's Impermanence. He has also worked with Philip Glass, John Zorn, Kenny Wheeler, and David Lang, to name a few. Theo has released a series of irreverent albums on Winter & Winter, including recordings of Las Vegas standards, of Weimar art songs, and of popular “bar songs” (all with pianist Fumio Yasuda).

Theo shares how his curiosity for sound began at a young age. We chat about how his music is based in jazz, how he maintains his instrument, and his “messy” practice routine. Theo shares about his move from Germany to New York City. We discuss his time working with Laurie Anderson and Meredith Monk, his favorite vocalists, and even indulge in some coffee talk. 

Indian-American pianist Vijay Venkatesh has been recognized on three continents as a pianist with profound musicianship, sparkling pianism and an innate sense of partnership. Vijay has rapidly established a major international reputation as top prizewinner in the San Jose, Seattle, Zimmerli, World Piano, and Waring International Piano Competitions. He has also been named a Davidson Fellow Laureate at the Library of Congress and featured on NPR’s “From the Top” with host Christopher O'Riley.  

Vijay is performing Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the Rogue Valley Symphony this month. He shares how he is preparing for this performance and also how he channels his life’s experiences into each piece. We discuss his early upbringing studying the Suzuki method, his favorite composers, and the challenges and benefits of transitioning to online teaching. We chat about the Vieness Piano Duo, Vijay’s collaboration with his wife. And Vijay shares his practice essentials and tips and tricks for combating performance nerves.