Spotlight On

Today, the Spotlight shines On composer, mandolinist, multi-instrumentalist, teacher, and label founder Joe Brent.

Joe has worked with artists ranging from Regina Spektor to the Philip Glass Ensemble,…

Today, the Spotlight shines On Stephen Shaw and Jonathan Linden of Round Room Live.

Round Room Live has become a powerhouse in family entertainment, from Broadway blockbusters to kids' favorite TV cha…

Today, the Spotlight shines On experimental music producers and label owners Taylor Deupree and Joseph Branciforte.

Back in 2002, Taylor Deupree released an electronic album called Stil. That release …

Today, the Spotlight shines On legendary Danish organist Anders Koppel.

Great music often runs in the family, and as proof, we have our first father-son episodes of Spotlight On. Last November, we had…

Today, the Spotlight shines On Christian McBride, a musician, recording artist, prolific composer, arranger, producer, cultural curator, dedicated educator, and mentor.

Christian has been called the h…

What can be scarier than Halloween ghouls? How about a trip through the LSD underground?

Today, the Spotlight shines On Erik Davis, and this trip is no bummer. Erik is an author, award-winning journal…

Today, the Spotlight shines On Josh Johnson, the Los Angeles-based saxophonist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and Grammy Award-winning producer.

Josh joined me earlier this year to talk about his s…

Today, the Spotlight shines On composer and percussionist Shawn Mativetsky. A renowned tabla player, Shawn is a pioneer in bridging the worlds of Western and Indian classical music.

We discussed the i…

Today, the Spotlight shines On Paul Stache, co-owner (with his wife and partner Molly Sparrow Johnson) of Smoke Jazz Club, one of New York City’s premier live music venues. Smoke is celebrating its 2…

Today, the Spotlight is going to shine a little differently. Instead of a single guest, we will have three segments dealing with the importance of local music scenes.

Our first guest is Shain Shapiro.…

Today, the Spotlight shines On drummer and composer Devin Gray.

Like me, Devin is a born New Englander who made his way to Brooklyn, though unlike me, he splits his time between Brooklyn and Berlin.

De…

Today, the Spotlight shines On Brad Mindich, an entrepreneur who works directly with artists, athletes, and others in music, culture, and sports to expand their legacies and create powerful connectio…

Today, the Spotlight shines On Andy McCluskey, the singer, songwriter, musician, and producer best known as the lead singer and bass guitarist of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (also known as OMD)…

Today, the Spotlight shines On JUNO Award-winning oud player and guitarist Gordon Grdina.

Gordon’s work defies limitations, be they geographical, distance, time, or genre. He incorporates avant-garde …

Today, the Spotlight shines On trailblazing songwriter and now memoirist Steve Wynn.

Steve first hit public consciousness in the early 1980s with his band The Dream Syndicate, frequently mentioned in …

Today, the Spotlight shines On the acclaimed and intriguing composer, bandleader, and improviser Graham Reynolds.

The Austin-based Reynolds has composed for countless film, television, dance, and thea…

Today, the Spotlight shines On pianist and composer Satoko Fujii, an incredibly unique and prolific artist.

Satoko works at the intersection of jazz, contemporary classical, rock, and traditional Japa…

Today, the Spotlight shines On the musician and producer David John Haskins, better known to the world as David J, bassist and co-founder of both post-punk goth band Bauhaus and, subsequently, Love a…

Today, the Spotlight was meant to shine On drummer, percussionist, and composer Ches Smith, whose album Laugh Ash was released earlier this year on Pyroclastic Records. As we arranged to get together…

Today’s episode is a recording of our recent live event, which took place at The Royal Room in Seattle, WA, on June 22, 2024. The event, Improvisation in Music and Life, featured me in conversation w…