Women in Jazz Media: The Podcasts Women In Jazz Media

Welcome to the next episode of the Women in Jazz Media podcast series’ The Notes Between’ with Lara Eidi. Conversations exploring everything behind and about the world of songwriting! Our theme music ‘Breathe Love’ is from Lara Eidi herself available here

In this episode, Lara talks to songwriter Laila Biali



Multi award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist and CBC Music national radio host Laila Biali has headlined festivals and venues spanning five continents from New York City's Carnegie Hall to Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts, and supported international icon Sting. Her JUNO-nominated 2023 album, Your Requests, featured a stellar cast of guests and received a 4.5 star rave review in All About Jazz. Her previous release, Out of Dust, was also JUNO nominated (in 2021) and won Laila spots on “Best Album” lists around the globe. In 2020, Laila was honoured by SOCAN Music with the Hagood Hardy Award for Excellence in Songwriting. The previous year, Laila’s eponymous release won her a JUNO for "Vocal Jazz Album of the Year” and top prize at the Canadian Songwriting Competition in the Jazz category. Laila was the youngest-ever double winner at Canada’s National Jazz Awards when she was named "SOCAN Composer of the Year" and "Keyboardist of the Year”, and she received her first JUNO nomination for Tracing Light in 2011. When Laila isn’t on stage or in the studio, she’s busy hosting CBC Music's national radio show, Saturday Night Jazz – a weekly program broadcast to millions of listeners across Canada. And while she continues to earn high honours in the jazz world, Laila’s
signature sound transcends genre – "masterfully mixes jazz and pop, bringing virtuosity and unpredictability to songs that are concise and catchy" (Washington Post). This coming November, she will release her brand new Wintersongs album, embarking on a cross-country Canadian tour with a virtuosic ensemble that includes Jane Bunnett, members of the Venuti String Quartet,
George Koller, Ben Wittman, the dancers Andrea Nann and Sara Prosper, as well as local youth choirs.

 "Biali's voice – spanning registers – is pure and warm. She's also fearless on piano and, above else, in her imagination.” – DownBeat Magazine



Athens born to Lebanese Canadian parents, Lara Eidi is an artist that thrives on being different. As an independent artist, singer and multi- instrumentalist, she has carved a path for herself that continuously aimed at reshaping and
developing her voice as a storyteller. An accomplished and reputable singer-songwriter, pianist, recording artist and jazz- folk vocalist of her own accord based in London and Athens. Her music has gained her critical acclaim as a genre bending artist (BBC Artist, 2020), described as “a
singer with true gift of a voice, a kind soul, and a captivating presence.” (Jazz UK). At the heart of her being as a multi-disciplinary artist, she is sought after as a composer for vocal film scores, writes as a freelance music journalist, and is in demand as a creative workshop leader. Her music seeks to elevate and heal, and as a result, she creates genre- defying songs with a great emphasis on story telling. Her latest album ‘Sun’, her long awaited debut album, is all about pulling the threads of her folk, acoustic rock and jazz-classical upbringing to her message of hope, empowerment, and freedom. As a soloist, her recent debut performance at the infamous Royal Albert Hall, singing select pieces from Greece and Lebanon form the MedievalByzantine Traditions sees Lara engaging on a series of select and innovative performances with the SAUDHA Indian Classical Music Assocation. 

Lara Eidi website

Welcome to the next episode of our podcast series’ The Notes Between’ with Lara Eidi. Conversations exploring everything behind and about the world of songwriting! Our theme music ‘Breathe Love’ is from Lara Eidi
herself available here

In this episode, Lara talks to songwriter Moira Smiley

Singer / Composer Moira Smiley has toured the world and recorded with Indie-pop favourites, Tuneyards, performing with them on all the late-night TV shows (Kimmel,
Colbert, Conan O’Brien, UK’s Jools Holland, etc.) and recently to re-open David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in NYC with Chris Thile, Hilary Hahn and Brad Mehldau. She began her singing career in Baroque and Medieval music,
collaborating with Paul Hillier, Fretless Consort of Viols, Dufay Collective and Sinfonye, BBC Singers and New World Symphony. As a folksinger, she’s fronted the legendary Irish-American supergroup, Solas as well as the Lomax and Folklife Projects produced by Jayme Stone, and continues to lead her own vocal collaborations as VOCO and The Voice Is A Traveler.

As a composer, she’s premiered works alongside Eric
Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen, Shara Nova, Billy Childs and many others. Moira has been featured in TED conferences, on BBC Radio and TV, NPR, ABC Australia, and
live at countless venues from Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall to Walt Disney Concert Hall and Royal Festival Hall. She brings vivid, embodied singing to stages tiny and grand, atop glaciers or in cozy kitchens from Taiwan to
Tasmania.

Moira’s 2018 solo album ‘Unzip The Horizon’ premiered at
the prestigious Savannah Music Festival in 2018, and she published its companion choral Songbook in 2019. In February of 2021, she released her vocal album ‘In Our Voices’, featuring international VOCO collaborators. A new album of folksongs with string quartet, ‘The Rhizome Project’ will be released in 2024.

“I’m so thankful I’ve had the privilege of performing and
recording with Moira. She embodies the endless creative potential of the voice, and… (has made) a deeply moving body of work.” Merrill Garbus - Tune-Yards

Athens born to Lebanese Canadian parents, Lara Eidi is an artist that thrives on being different. As an independent artist, singer and multi- instrumentalist, she has carved a path for herself that continuously aimed at reshaping and developing her voice as a storyteller. An accomplished and reputable singer-songwriter, pianist, recording artist and jazz- folk vocalist of her own accord based in London and
Athens. Her music has gained her critical acclaim as a
genre bending artist (BBC Artist, 2020), described as “a singer with true gift of a voice, a kind soul, and a captivating presence.” (Jazz UK). At the heart
of her being as a multi-disciplinary artist, she is sought after as a composer for vocal film scores, writes as a
freelance music journalist, and is in demand as a creative workshop leader. Her music seeks to elevate and heal, and as a result, she creates genre- defying songs with a great emphasis on story telling. Her latest album ‘Sun’,
her long awaited debut album, is all about pulling the threads of her folk, acoustic rock and jazz-classical upbringing to her message of hope, empowerment, and freedom. As a soloist, her recent debut performance at the infamous Royal Albert Hall, singing select pieces from Greece and Lebanon form the MedievalByzantine
Traditions sees Lara engaging on a series of select and innovative performances with the SAUDHA Indian Classical Music Association. 

Lara Eidi website

Welcome to our latest episode of ‘In Conversation With’ with host and producer Hannah Horton, with
our theme tune Surfing Thermals from our host, Hannah too! In this episode, host Hannah Horton welcomes Laura Impallomeni!

Our podcasts are named as one of the Top 15 Women In Media Podcasts on the web by Feedspot and you can also find our podcasts at number 9 in the top 60 Best Jazz Podcasts in FeedSpot!

Laura Impallomeni is a jazz trombonist, composer and
musical director of various projects. In 2020 she graduated from her MMus in Jazz Trombone from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where she
studied improvisation and composition under world famous musicians. She went on to receive the Arts Council England ‘Develop Your Creative Practice Fund’ to compose a collection of original contemporary jazz compositions under skilled mentorship, featuring trombone as the lead instrument.

In November 2020, she debuted this body of work at a sold out concert at London Jazz Festival 2022 with her contemporary jazz quintet . She has just been awarded the “record and Release’ grant from Help Musicians and expects to release her debut jazz album in 2024. Laura has performed and toured with various renowned artists such as First Aid Kit, The Dualers, Giffords Circus, Janet Kay and Ken Boothe. She is the musical director,
composer and trombonist of an original 11 piece afro jazz band called ‘Yamäya’, who have just released their debut album ‘Senegal’ on Funkiwala Records. She is also the trombonist for Rootsgarden Dub Soundsytem, The Voodoo Love Orchestra (cambia and salsa) and Barnacles (experimental jazz) and works for London music charity ‘Play for Progress’ as a therapeutic music teacher/workshop leader with young asylum seekers and refugees.

On the 25th of April she will perform a mixture of some of
her original compositions and her favourite standards alongside members of her quintet. Tickets available here

Laura links here

Hannah Horton is a British Female Jazz Saxophonist whose music is rooted in jazz, folk and funk. She has performed with many great jazz artists including Ian Shaw, Amy Winehouse, John Etheridge, Tina May, Georgia Mancio, Polly Gibbons, Natalie Williams, Esther Bennett and Irene Serra; and at venues including Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Dean St, The 606, The Pheasantry, Love
Supreme Jazz Festival, Royal Festival Hall and The Barbican. She has also toured in Europe and USA with her own and other groups. Her latest album has been going down a storm across the world. “Hannah makes the big beast of a baritone sax sound like an angel” – Ian Shaw. Hannah Horton website

Welcome to our latest episode of ‘In Conversation With’ with host and producer Hannah Horton, with our theme tune Surfing Thermals from our host, Hannah too!

In this episode, host Hannah Horton welcomes Helena Jane Summerfield!

Our podcasts are named as one of the Top 15 Women In Media Podcasts on the web by Feedspot and you can also find our podcasts at number 9 in the top 60 Best Jazz Podcasts in FeedSpot!

Helena Summerfield is the Learning and Participation project manager at Jazz North the jazz talent development agency for the North of England. After graduating from the
Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 1997, saxophonist Helena has worked in a variety of mainstream and inclusive music education settings. She was the lead jazz tutor at Trafford Music Service when they received the 2021 ‘Will Michael Jazz Education Award’ and awarded 'Jazz Educator of the Year' at the 2022 ‘Parliamentary Jazz Awards’ in recognition of her work on ‘Jazz Camp for Girls’. Helena has also worked as the interim programme manager for the National Youth Jazz Collective (NYJC) In her role as Learning and Participation project manager for Jazz North Helena is currently working to create new teaching resources to encourage beginner pupils (and their teachers!) to engage with jazz and improvisation. As a performer Helena plays saxophone and flute in a number of Manchester based bands. She has co-created 3 interactive children’s shows that have been successfully performed around the Northwest of England. Upcoming performances – ‘Animal Fantasia’ for ‘Make Create Feel Great’ at St. Benedict’s School, Ealing on 11th April 2024 ‘There once was a bird’ and ‘HMS Syncopation’ interactive children’s shows at Manchester Jazz Festival – 18th May 2024.

Helena links here

Hannah Horton is a British Female Jazz Saxophonist whose music is rooted in jazz, folk and funk. She has performed with many great jazz artists including Ian Shaw, Amy Winehouse, John Etheridge, Tina May, Georgia Mancio, Polly Gibbons, Natalie Williams, Esther Bennett and Irene Serra; and at venues including Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Dean St, The 606, The Pheasantry, Love
Supreme Jazz Festival, Royal Festival Hall and The Barbican. She has also toured in Europe and USA with her own and other groups. Her latest album has been going down a storm across the world. “Hannah makes the big beast of a baritone sax sound like an angel” – Ian Shaw. Hannah Horton website

Welcome to the next episode of our podcast series’ The Notes Between’ with Lara Eidi. Conversations exploring everything behind and about the world of songwriting! Our theme music ‘Breathe Love’ is from Lara Eidi herself available here

In this episode, Lara talks to songwriter Evie Asio

Evie Asio describes her sound as “musical storytelling”,
as a result of her desire to provoke emotions and narrative throughout every layer of her music. Evie grew up in South-East London, where she used the range of musical styles around her to begin writing songs at the age of 15. After graduating with a BA in Music, Evie began her music career through releasing a series of experimental projects on Soundcloud and YouTube. Evie’s Jazz-inspired debut single, ‘Beautiful Love’ [2019], was featured on the AStepFWD September 2019 chart, and led Evie to be named a 2020 One to Watch by Premier Gospel. Throughout her journey, Evie has performed at notable venues such as The Spice of Life, Proud Camden and Jazz Live @ The Crypt, as well as supporting BAYLI on her London headline show in 2022.

In November 2022, Evie Asio released her debut album ‘Contending and Contention’, a 9- track concept album dealing with the themes of struggle and self-reflection that she has explored in her own personal battles. The album received critical acclaim in various publications, including Something Else! And Jazz in Europe. Songs across the album have received international radio play, with singles ‘Available’ and ‘From Here’ being named as China Moses’ ‘Late Night Track of the Week’ on Jazz FM, and ‘Turning Time’ and ‘Imperfect People’ being featured on BBC6
Music.

Instagram // Website // Twitter // YouTube

Athens born to Lebanese Canadian parents, Lara Eidi is an artist that thrives on being different. As an independent artist, singer and multi- instrumentalist, she has carved a path for herself that continuously aimed at reshaping and developing her voice as a storyteller. An accomplished and reputable singer-songwriter, pianist, recording artist and jazz- folk vocalist of her own accord based in London and Athens. Her music has gained her critical acclaim as a genre bending artist (BBC Artist, 2020), described as “a singer with true gift of a voice, a kind soul, and a captivating presence.” (Jazz UK). At the heart of her being as a multi-disciplinary artist, she is sought after as a composer for vocal film scores, writes as a freelance music journalist, and is in demand as a creative workshop leader. Her music seeks to elevate and heal, and as a result, she creates genre- defying songs with a great emphasis on story telling. Her latest album ‘Sun’, her long awaited debut album, is all about pulling the threads of her folk, acoustic rock and jazz-classical upbringing to her message of hope, empowerment, and freedom. As a soloist, her recent debut performance at the infamous Royal Albert Hall, singing select pieces from Greece and Lebanon form the MedievalByzantine Traditions sees Lara engaging on a series of select and innovative performances with the SAUDHA Indian Classical Music Assocation. 

Lara Eidi website

Welcome to our podcast series ‘On The Bookcase’, featuring female authors from across the world, with host Fiona Ross and original music from Hannah Horton.  We were excited to find our podcasts named as one of the Top 15 Women In Media Podcasts on the web by Feedspot! Huge thank you to them! You
can also find our podcasts at number 9 in the top 60 Best Jazz Podcasts in FeedSpot! 

In this episode we welcome Judith Tick, to talk about her new book, Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: The Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song

Judith Tick is professor emerita of music history at Northeastern University. She has published award-winning books and articles about American music and women’s history in music, including Ruth Crawford Seeger: A Composer’s Search for American Music. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.

In this first major biography since Fitzgerald’s death, historian Judith Tick offers a sublime portrait of this ambitious risk-taker whose exceptional musical spontaneity made her a transformational artist. Becoming Ella Fitzgerald clears up
long-enduring mysteries. Archival research and in-depth family interviews shed new light on the singer’s difficult childhood in Yonkers, New York, the tragic death of her mother, and the year she spent in a girls’ reformatory school—where she sang in its renowned choir and dreamed of being a dancer. Rarely seen profiles from the Black press offer precious glimpses of
Fitzgerald’s tense experiences of racial discrimination and her struggles with constricting models of Black and white femininity at midcentury.

Tick’s compelling narrative depicts Fitzgerald’s complicated career in fresh and original detail, upending the traditional view that segregates vocal jazz from the genre’s mainstream. As she navigated the shifting tides between jazz and pop, she used her originality to pioneer modernist vocal jazz. Interpreting long-lost setlists, reviews from both white and Black newspapers, and newly released footage and recordings, the book explores how Ella’s transcendence as an improvisor produced onstage performances every bit as significant as her historic recorded oeuvre.

From the singer’s first performance at the Apollo Theatre’s famous “Amateur Night” to the Savoy Ballroom, where Fitzgerald broke through with Chick Webb’s big band in the 1930s, Tick evokes the jazz world in riveting detail. She describes how Ella helped shape the bebop movement in the 1940s, as she joined Dizzy Gillespie and her then-husband, Ray Brown, in the world-touring Jazz at the Philharmonic, one of the first moments of high-culture acceptance for the disreputable art form.

Breaking ground as a female bandleader, Fitzgerald refuted expectations of musical Blackness, deftly balancing artistic ambition and market expectations. Her legendary exploration
of the Great American Songbook in the 1950s fused a Black vocal aesthetic and jazz improvisation to revolutionize the popular repertoire. This hybridity often confounded critics, yet throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Ella reached audiences around the world, electrifying concert halls, and sold millions of records.

A masterful biography, Becoming Ella Fitzgerald describes a powerful woman who set a standard for American excellence nearly unmatched in the twentieth century.

Available to purchase here