Being Guided By The Light is the fifth album by pianist/ composer Mamiko Watanabe, featuring heralded bassist Santi Debriano and legendary drummer Billy Hart.

Born in Fukuoka, Japan, Watanabe began playing the piano at the age of four under instruction at the Yamaha School of Music. Her inspiration was Tashiko Akiyoshi, the boundary-smashing Japanese-American pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader noted for wide-ranging powerful, complex compositions.

Mamiko received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music where she received several awards for Jazz piano and Composition. She was also a semi-finalist at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition both in 2002 and 2003. She has toured Germany, Italy and Japan and has performed with jazz greats such as Joe Lovano, Kevin Mahogany and Bobby McFerrin while in college. After moving to New York, Mamiko performed at notable venues including Blue Note, Dizzy's Club at the Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Jazz at the Kitano and more.

The story of Mamiko unfolds in this episode as we discuss and sample music from her latest release. This album is her premiere with JoJo Records - created by jazz musician Simon Belelty - with an emphasis on high quality audio and vinyl.

Chris DiGirolamo could be called “The Accidental Publicist.”

A lifelong drummer from age 5, Chris was hooked. His mother took him to Jazz from a young age, but he truly fell in love with the genre at 14, when a friend’s uncle introduced him to Jean Luc Ponty’s “Rhythms of Hope.”

Chris attended Berklee College of Music and New York Institute of Technology. From there, he went on to work as assistant engineer at the legendary Systems Two Recording Studio, followed by a turn in Sausalito, California at Record Plant Studios (“The Plant”).

Moving back to the East Coast and looking for something new, Chris became a freelance writer for several small music publications. But post 9/11, work in that field was nearly nonexistent. However, one unexpected phone call from a guy who said “Are you Chris? You were recommended to me as a publicist,” changed his life. And that’s where the story of Two For The Show Media begins.

For their seventh outing together as a close-knit, collaborative rhythm tandem, bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and drummer Mike Clark tapped pianist Michael Wolff as third man in their ongoing trio adventures. Wolff, who had previously appeared with Dorsey and Clark on 2020’s Play Sgt. Pepper, completes the triumvirate on this heartfelt tribute to the late, great pianist-composer in the new album titled “A Letter to Bill Evans.”

These renderings of Bill Evans classics contain the kind of sparkling energy and improvisational freshness that always animates these trio sessions between Dorsey, Clark and their third partner. And this time around they hit on the perfect choice with pianist Michael Wolff, who first heard Evans live at Davies Hall in San Francisco when he was 18, and got the only available tickets which were actually on the stage, where he got to experience the concert close up.

“A few years later, when I was 20,” Wolff explained, “I went on the road with Cal Tjader . I ran into Bill Evans a lot in various cities where we all were playing; I befriended him and, of course, hounded him for information about his music. He was very open and understanding with me. And whenever he was performing in the Bay Area, I would go hear him every night.”

Wolff’s connection with Mike Clark, who is celebrating his 50th anniversary as a member of The Headhunters, goes back to the late ‘60s on the Bay Area jazz scene when Wolff was house pianist with Bishop Norman Williams’ Sunday afternoon jam at a great SF club called the Both/And. “I was 17 years old and still in high school, I wasn’t old enough to get into most clubs then. But I had this gig and Mike came by one Sunday to sit in. And that was the beginning of a long working relationship.”

While the music of “A Letter to Bill Evans” captures the spirit of the great pianist, Wolff/Clark/Dorsey take some liberties with this classic Evans material, interpreting it through their collective musical lens. In my conversation with all three musicians, we talk about how the album came together, their concept for each track, and how it’s truly their “love letter” to the music and the man who is one of the giants of jazz.

Jay Bordeleau, the owner, creator, and mastermind behind one of the top Jazz venues in San Francisco, Mr. Tipple’s, has always loved the arts and is constantly driven by his “it’s-so-crazy-it-just-might-work” ambition. He was able to combine this deeply rich cooperative leadership style with a profound passion for hospitality while designing, building, and operating his first restaurant: Maven.

Jay’s collaborative work style was formalized while playing drums behind the orchestra as a music performance major at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. And his life-long passion for wine also led him to earning his Certified Sommelier and Advanced Wine Specialist title from Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).

Mr. Tipple’s is a cozy yet elegant jazz club, cocktail bar and restaurant with three distinct - but also overlapping- types of clientele. Some come in for the music, others for the expertly crafted and carefully poured drinks and a third group for the dumplings, bao and clay pot rice. Adding to that is its alcohol-free CBD cocktails, and gratuity-free pre-calculated tipping policy, all of which make the club feel honest and welcoming.

Join us for a deep dive into Mr. Tipple’s with Jay and hear why it’s been rated the best jazz club by San Francisco Magazine; one we personally enjoy each time we visit “The City by the Bay.”

A singer-saxophonist-songwriter-composer and band leader, this American-born unequivocal musical prodigy of Korean descent, with the memorable name Grace Kelly, has rocked the jazz world. With sold-out concerts, 14 acclaimed albums and a resume that includes performing at the Hollywood Bowl as well as being part of the house band for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” – all before reaching her mid-twenties, Grace is touted for her scorching saxophone stylings and purring vocals. She’s performed and recorded with renowned artists including Lin Manuel- Miranda, Dave Brubeck, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Huey Lewis, Harry Connick Jr., Gloria Estefan, Questlove, and Wynton Marsalis.

Grace’s newest project, “ Grace Kelly with Strings: At the Movies” with her fifteen piece large ensemble is inspired by “Charlie Parker with Strings” - one of Kelly’s all time favorite albums - as well as her love of classic and contemporary movies. With this album, Grace reimagines her favorite movie music, as well as songs by legendary film composers John Williams, Ennio Morricone, and contemporary artist Billie Eilish ‘s ‘No Time To Die’ from the latest James Bond film, with fresh arrangements fully merged into her signature sound.

In this first episode of Season 5, we talk with Grace not only about her background, name (and, yes, that actually is it), and her dizzyingly impressive accomplishments, but also explore the backstory of her album and how she’s taken classics and made them her own.

Singer-songwriter, pianist, arranger, New York-based bandleader and winner of the prestigious 2021 American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal, Nicole Zuraitis, had been there once before. But when the presenters at the 2024 Grammy®️ Awards announced her name as winner of the Best Jazz Vocal Album for her release, “How Love Begins,” her immediate reaction was “Holy Cow!”

To many of her friends and supporters, however, it was an affirmation of what they’ve known for more than a decade of working with, for and beside her. Nicole is an undeniable force- in music and in life.

Besides leading her quartet, Nicole is the premier vocalist for the Birdland Big Band and frequently headlines iconic NYC jazz clubs like Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, Birdland, the Blue Note, the Carlyle, 54 Below and the late, great 55 Bar. She’s collaborated with an extensive list of luminaries, including Christian McBride - who co-produced her Grammy-winning album - and worked with David Cook, Gilad Hekselman, Veronica Swift, Benny Benack, Stephen Feifke, Cyrille Aimee, Antonio Sanchez, Dave Stryker, Omar Hakim, Rachel Z, Helen Sung, and Bernard Purdie. And Nicole is also a proud educator, currently serving on the vocal faculty at NYU, SUNY Purchase and the Litchfield Jazz Camp.

In this last episode of Season 4, we focus specifically Nicole’s Grammy-winning album because its story is a microcosm of who and what she is as an artist, composer, vocalist - and person. As Jazz Police aptly put it, Nicole has a “heart as big as her remarkable voice,” and Broadway World added, she’s one of the top "prolific songwriters" to watch in the genre of jazz and beyond.

To learn more about Nicole, visit her website https://www.nicolezmusic.com

Trumpeter, flugelhorn player, composer, educator, and recording artist Jun Iida (Joon Ee-da) has quickly established himself as a highly sought after musician. A recording and performing artist, Iida has appeared extensively throughout the U.S. at notable jazz clubs, theaters, and festivals with his sextet and as a sideman.

This gifted musician born in St Louis of Japanese parents, has lived literally coast-to-coast - from his hometown, to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Seattle, and most recently relocating to New York City. All these moves afforded him the opportunity to experience and internalize the different styles of music from each region, making his approach to composing and arranging appealing and unexpected with his subtle amalgamation of contemporary jazz, blues, pop, hip-hop, soul, and classical music.

Jun’s debut CD, EVERGREEN, is a showcase for his modern, edgy originals, along with imaginative re-workings of other compositions. In our conversation, we talk with Jun about his life, influences, incredibly diverse background, as well as about the backstory of EVERGREEN, which released January 19, 2024 on Origin Records.

Whatever Gordon Goodwin touches, whether it’s in his role as pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor - or any combination of these gifts - it’s all about his love of music. That love, and prodigious talent has brought him 25 Grammy® nominations, including three this year: Best Jazz Vocal Album: Patti Austin Featuring Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band - For Ella 2. Best Instrumental Composition: Quartet San Francisco Featuring Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - Cutey and The Dragon, Composed by Raymond Scott and Gordon Goodwin. Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals: Patti Austin ft. Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band - April in Paris, Arranged by Gordon Goodwin.

Gordon’s collection already includes a Grammy® for ‘Best Instrumental Arrangement’ for “Incredits” in the film The Incredibles and has been honored with 3 Emmy awards for his work on the Steven Spielberg-produced shows Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. His work has been featured/utilized in more than 80 film & TV productions spanning the gamut of pop culture, amplifying the likes of National Treasure, Star Trek: Nemesis, Snakes on a Plane, Get Smart, Remember the Titans, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Majestic (starring Jim Carrey), The Lion King, The Incredibles and Ratatouille.

“I look at that number and it shocks me every time. I still find it difficult to believe that the members of the Recording Academy have given me 25 Grammy® nominations for my work. I don’t think you ever get used to it and the three most recent nominations seem somehow more precious than ever. I had the good fortune to be involved in two projects that were close to my heart in the past year, and happily, both were acknowledged by the Recording Academy.”

While this episode focuses primarily on the nominations for the current Grammy® season, we cover a lot of ground with Gordon in our conversation.