Artist Interviews

If Chuck Berry forever defined the sound of rock 'n' roll with his guitar and Chet Atkins did the same for country, then we could say that soul guitar has Steve Cropper's DNA all over it.

With his role as main session guitarist, composer and producer at Stax Records, his sound has been a fundamental part of one of the most important labels of all time. With his economic and recognizable style with country and R&B influences, he is one of the fundamental elements behind great classics by Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, Otis Redding and his own group, Booker T. & The M.G.'s.

As the teenage guitarist of the band the Mar-Keys, he was instrumental in putting the young label on the map with the smash hit Last Night. Later, as a member of the legendary house band Booker T. & The M.G.'s, he provided some of the most enduring soul riffs of all time, backing artists such as Sam & Dave, the Staple Singers, and Wilson Pickett, while also influencing fellow guitar greats like Jimi Hendrix and Keith Richards along the way. As a songwriter, he helped to pen some of Stax's most quintessential hits, including Eddie Floyd’s Knock on Wood and Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay. From the fall of 1961 through the end of 1970, Steve Cropper was involved in virtually every record issued by Stax Records. In the late 1970s, Steve joined John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as a member of the Blues Brothers Band, an act that was born out of a popular Saturday Night Live skit.

Cropper continues to be an in-demand musician and producer. In 2021, he released Fire It Up, which was nominated for a Grammy in the category of best contemporary blues album.

Cropped joined us in the Gumbo Kitchen for a conversation.

Interview: Steve Cropper (2022)

Drummer, composer, educator and bandleader Curtis Nowosad has had stints playing with some of the finest musicians in the business, including Jimmy Owens, Kenny Barron, David Liebman and others.

While he was born and raised in Winnipeg, he's called New York City home for several years. More specifically, Harlem is the area where he's hung his hat for the last five or so years.

In that time, he's released critically acclaimed recordings and has established himself as not only one of the leading voices of today's young jazz movement, but also as a musician with a particular perspective and conscience.

Currently touring in support of his new self-titled recording, Nowosad joined us to talk about how he brought political activism into his music, and how moving from Canada to the U.S. opened his eyes to the reality of being black in America.

Interview: Curtis Nowosad (2019)

On his latest album, Grammy- and Emmy-winning musician and actor Harry Connick Jr. makes his debut for Verve Records with True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter.

He has sold more than 30 million albums during a stellar career that spans more than three decades in music, film, TV and on both concert and Broadway stages.

His new project puts the focus on his talents not only as a pianist and a singer, but also as an arranger, orchestrator and conductor. His voice is in fine form and manages to get every nuance of these songs, from the widely known Just One of Those Things to the lesser known Mind If I Make Love to You.

During a visit to Toronto, Harry Connick Jr. dropped by JAZZ.FM91 and joined us on the air for a chat about the new recording and how it all came together.

Interview: Harry Connick Jr. (2019)

Terence Blanchard is one of the most prominent brass players, bandleaders and recording artists of his generation.
He began playing piano at age 5, switched to trumpet three years later, and played alongside childhood friend and fellow New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis in summer band camps. In 1982, Blanchard replaced Marsalis in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, working as the band's the lead soloist and musical director until 1986. He then co-led a prominent quintet with saxophonist Donald Harrison.

In the '90s, Blanchard developed a fruitful working relationship with film director Spike Lee, having first played on the soundtracks to several of Lee's films including Mo' Better Blues and Do the Right Thing. Blanchard then composed the music for many of Lee's subsequent films, like Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, Clockers, Summer of Sam, 25th Hour, Inside Man and the Hurricane Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. With more than 40 film scores to his name, Blanchard is one of the most sought-after jazz musicians to ever compose for film. 

In its 136-year history, the Metropolitan Opera has never staged an opera by a black composer. But that will finally change. The company said this fall that it will present Fire Shut Up In My Bones by Terence Blanchard in a coming season.

Blanchard is the exeucitve producer, host and narrator of a new documentary called Up from the Streets, a film celebrating 300 years of New Orleans music and culture.

Blanchard joined us for a chat in the Gumbo Kitchen.

Interview: Terence Blanchard (2019)

Juno Award-winning pianist, composer and vocalist Laila Biali seems to be in a constant state of motion.

She has just wrapped up a European tour, she's releasing a holiday tune on Dec. 13, and she's about to celebrate Estonian Music Week with shows in Toronto and Hamilton. And earlier this year, Biali was taken by surprise when she won her first Juno Award for her 2018 self-titled album.

The album marked a new beginning for Biali, who returned to her roots to make an album that has jazz at its core but also contains plenty of crossover pop appeal. The record features mostly original songs, along with covers of songs by David Bowie, Randy Newman and  Coldplay.

She joined us to talk more about what it meant to win that first Juno, and how it felt like validation of a career spent finding and honing her personal voice and identity as an artist.

Interview: Laila Biali (2019)

Kurt Elling joined us over the phone to chat about his upcoming collaboration Secrets Are the Best Stories and to let us in on a few of his own secrets about his creative process.

Interview: Kurt Elling (2020)

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