The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt

James Hurt

The Sit-Down, hosted by James Hurt, is a podcast that discusses art and culture. It features guest artists across multiple disciplines and presents their artistry through interviews, excerpts, and Q&As of their work. 

  1. Sep 23

    The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt-Conversation and Improvisation on a Dilla Sample-Educational Supplement

    The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to take time to thank all of the listeners for supporting this artistic endeavor of delivering one's history in one's own words. We are turning this episode on it's ear to discuss a concept relative to improvisation and creativity be it live or in the studio. The catalyst is none other than the singular voice of the Twentieth Century-ghost writer, producer, artist, engineer, and Black American Music visionary James Dewitt Yancey aka 'Dilla'. The podcast uses a track from a Dilla compilation and invites the listener to reply via text as to which track it was used for or if it remains unreleased. The broader discussion takes the track though a process of spontaneous improvisation as if were a rapper spitting verse after verse often spilling over the bar at times to stretch the phraseology as if engaged in a cypher. The improvisation was done in one take at around 00:12:08...from an 'open mic' perspective. The track takes the listener on a journey through twenty-nine different 'ideas' structured as sentences more-so than 'jazz licks'. See if you can follow the arc of the conversation-from darkness to light-from humor to cautionary. The art of conversation is at the forefront in this unique episode. The 'feel' is the sauce...demands that you listen to the track-breathe it. This episode is dedicated to J Dilla,  Maureen "Mama Dukes", and the family musical legacy. Special shout out to all of the Afro-Futurist of all identities and preferences in the United States who continue to push the boundaries of art and culture forward. Continue to raise the frequency higher. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt.  © 2026 James Hurt. All rights reserved. The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=en Website: https://musicjameshurt.com/

  2. 06/06/2025

    The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt-Yunie Mojica-Multifaceted Dreams Personified

    Saxophonist, composer, singer, and events tastemaker Yunie Mojica stopped The Sit-Down Podcast to share her origin story in her own words. While coming from a family immersed in both educational athletic endeavors Yunie was exposed to the many flavors of music through her home listening culture that she credits her dad with. Growing up the city of Hartford, Connecticut Yunie shares how she made peace with identity politics via the Transatlantic Slave Trade route by self-identifying as Black, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and a New York cultured individual. This reconing has taken Yunie on several twists and turns on the road to becoming a musician steeped in the Jazz tradition as taught through the Jackie McLean Institute in addition to all of the electronic music subsets of the time as heard as a young child from Celia Cruz to early Disco Latin Salsa-Soul (Salsoul), and ultimately leading her ear to Sonny Stitt and a willingness to capture that 'feeling' know and often referred to as 'Jazz'-the great American art form. With a Bachelors degree in both Jazz studies and Music Management Mojica has been contributor for such events as Summer Stage and Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzie's Club Coca Cola. Yunie continues to amaze with her duo project co-led with brother, DJ Acemo who are currently carving out a sonic space in the world of creative experimental electronica. Yunie also served as co-host of the podcast "Make Music Trill Again" with vocalist Melanie Charles. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt. © 2025 James Hurt. All rights reserved. The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=en Website: https://musicjameshurt.com/

  3. 05/13/2025

    The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt-Carole Alexis-Cultural Identity Through the Lens of Artistry

    Carole Alexis, Choreographer and Director of Ballet Des Ameriques, takes time out of her busy and active schedule to stop by the Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt and discuss her origin story in her own words. Having had multiple levels of training and expertise in several disciplines Carole takes the listener on a journey that begins in her homeland of the French-Caribbean territory of Martinique, early formal training in Africa (with primary focus on Dakar, Senegal), France, through the ultimate choice to relocate to the United States (settling in New York City's Harlem) in search the common thread of the human experience-beauty through artistic expression. The conversation also highlights the contributions of activism through an artistic lens and such pioneers from the Négritude movement poets such as Aimé Césaire, Léopold Sédar Senghor, and Léon-Gontran Damas. The notion of circularity as an integral part of the diaspora was extensively utilized to compliment the notion of linearity as it relates to art and culture. Gender roles and how they began to expand the boundaries to include women in dance as recently as the 17th Century were also discussed as one of the earliest forms of the 'constraint-freedom' dance (pun intended) towards transcendence in search of beauty and perfection however untenable. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt. © 2025 James Hurt. All rights reserved. The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=en Website: https://musicjameshurt.com/

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The Sit-Down, hosted by James Hurt, is a podcast that discusses art and culture. It features guest artists across multiple disciplines and presents their artistry through interviews, excerpts, and Q&As of their work.