Category: Spotlight Interviews

When a smooth jazz version of Purple Rain arrived in my inbox I knew it would be either a brilliant cover of Prince’s iconic track or a cheesy damp squib. Instrumental covers of classic tracks are either one or the other – there is no middle ground. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed.

At the opening strum of a guitar, closely followed by a single pluck on a bass by way of punctuation, I thought ‘phew’ – Prince won’t be turning in his grave at this one.

After a few bars a short crescendo of a shimmering cymbal tells us the track proper is about to kick off, saxophone player Luis Alas blows in the only way he knows how – … Read the rest “Luis Alas talks about his career and his new single Purple Rain”

On Saturday 24 April I was lucky enough to chat with 26-year-old Michigan-based singer, songwriter and pianist Hannah Baiardi about her career and new album Straight From The Soul.

This interview features in Just Jazz show 21.

I began by asking Hannah which instrument she first played…

You can find out more at HannahBaiardi.Com and buy the album here.

I grew up listening to Earth, Wind & Fire’s dance music and played plenty of it as a club DJ in the 1980s.

Lots of the group’s music is still doing the rounds thanks to remixed versions bringing them up to date with added drums, percussion and synth embellishments – there really are some excellent remixes around; many released last year and a few so far this year.

Ralph Johnson was 19 when he auditioned for Maurice White to be the band’s drummer. Ralph is 68 now, and like EWF, is still going strong.

Ralph has moved into smooth jazz with the release Co-Swagit with singer … Read the rest “Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind & Fire talks smooth jazz”

I got to interview Chicago-based jazz musician Markus Rutz (pronounced roots) for my jazz radio show in April 2020.

Broadcasters are welcome to use the interview free of charge – the intro and outro have been written for you…

Chicago jazz musician Markus Rutz [pronounced ‘roots’] has just released his third album called “Blueprints Figure One: Frameworks”.

The jazz trumpeter, who admits to being heavily influenced by Miles Davis, spends his time teaching the trumpet, composing his own melodies, performing, and recording his music.

Find out more at MarkusRutzMusic.com

Rick Habana is a producer, songwriter, engineer and composer. In this interview Rick tells Steve Hart about his passion for blending music genres to create his unique smooth jazz sound.

Born and raised in California, Rick has succeeded in creating a sound that has landed him numerous music placements with many of the top television stations – not just in the US but around the world.

Rick has also started breaking new barriers on a project called The Collective, where he works on mostly live music with international musicians and singers from all over the world.

The Collective project involves musicians based in Finland, Italy, Netherlands, London, Canada, Venezuela, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. Together they have helped make a dream come true for Rick.… Read the rest “Smooth jazz producer Rick Habana talks about his career”