All That's Jazz Allen Scott

‘Searching For a Memory’ is a truly remarkable album. Released in July, legendary GRAMMY-nominated percussionist Sammy Figueroa brings together a stellar group of GRAMMY winning and nominated friends to musically tell the story of his late father, Charlie Figueroa, a singer of romantic boleros back in the 1950's, one of the best, whose records still sell to this day. Charlie passed away as a young man, when Sammy was just a small boy, as he describes it “a victim of his bohemian lifestyle. “
 
We talk with Sammy about his remarkable musical journey in ‘Searching For a Memory,’ and how the song choices and arrangements allowed him to make his peace. This is an album of cathartic strength, and a backstory takes you on a journey that isn’t soon forgotten.

All That’s Jazz catches up with drummer Richard Baratta to talk about his newest release, “Off The Charts,” a departure from his previous two albums that focused on music from the movies. It’s a subject he knows well having spent upwards of 35 years as a film producer.
We pick up with Richard where we left off in 2020, Season 1-Episode 30,  that focused on his incredibly rich background and how it led him to his album “Music in Film: The Reel Deal”. 
This time, we drill deep into the backstory of album number 3, “Off The Charts” and why he chose to change course to present music mined from the catalog of his youth, focusing on the 1960’s and 1970’s, a period he describes as “full of intense musical creativity and experimentation.”

Pianist, composer, and educator EUNMI LEE brings a distinct compositional flair with her debut album, INTROSPECTION. Originally from South Korea, Eunmi has been living in New York City since 2020.
 
In this episode, we talk about how Eunmi crafted INTROSPECTION from the disparate musical traditions of big band jazz, post-bop, chamber music and even Brazilian music. Though her compositions are very contemporary, they are also subtly shaded with Eunmi’s Korean culture, creating a unique and musically diverse palate.

In this episode of All That’s Jazz, we talk with Shana L. Redmond, professor of English and Comparative Literature at the Center for the Study of Ethnicity & Race at Columbia University. She is past president of the American Studies Association and a recipient of a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship. Dr. Redmond is the album notes author for the critically acclaimed Verve Record’s new release titled ‘Nina Simone: You’ve Got To Learn.’
 
Here’s the backstory: On July 2, 1966, the Newport Jazz Festival witnessed a legendary six-song set by Nina Simone that has remained etched in the memory of music aficionados for over half a century. Now, this previously unknown and unreleased recording of the unforgettable concert is available for the world to hear. 
Our conversation is centered on the backstory of Nina Simone’s Newport set, but it is also wide-ranging discussion of the woman, songstress, and ardent activist who spoke truth to power for her generation.
 
We learned a lot. We know you will, too. 

One of the most intriguing albums we’ve recently encountered is also the subject of our conversation with one of our most intriguing guests.
 
Javier Nero has many titles: trombonist, composer, arranger, educator; Doctor of Musical Arts  with a cognate (minor) in classical trombone performance at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and. along the way, he’s also a Staff Sergeant in the US Army with the Army Band’s premier musical unit: “The Pershing’s Own” and  as part of the pop element with the US Army Blues, a big band comprised of some of the nations most talented musicians. His musical career has been shaped by such jazz luminaries as Carl Allen, Steve Turre, John Daversa, Shelly Berg and Brian Lynch. 
Javier has two album releases as a leader to his credit, the 2020 recording “Freedom”, and his recently released second album on the Outside In Music label called “Kemet:the Black Land” which is a tribute to this ancient Egyptian, highly-advanced Black civilization. It’s a backstory as fascinating and diverse as the man himself.

Ricky Riccardi is the director of research collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum, located in the Corona section of the Queens in New York. In 2022, Ricky won a Grammy Award for “Best Album Notes”  The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Victor Studio Sessions 1946-1966 on Mosaic Records.
 
In this “Catching Up With” episode, we find out what he’s been up to and also learn about the newly opened Louis Armstrong Center, located directly across the street from Armstrong’s fabled home-turned-museum.