All Jazz/Funk/Soul/R&B Episodes

Moon Hooch makes more noise than anyone I think I’ve ever heard. For those of you who don’t know, Moon Hooch is comprised of drummer James Muschler with Mike Wilbur and Wenzl McGowen on various saxophones. There are also some synthesizers mixed in for good fun and to keep the beat, and the electricity going! Now only 8 years into a professional career that started with busking on New York city streets, these cats are on fire, having recorded 4 full length albums and a couple of EPs in that short time. I find their live presence extremely intricate but totally interesting. I’m not sure anyone truly understands how all that stuff works, but Mike and the boys do, so good on them. They sound great, and we’re looking forward to hearing more from them, and seeing them on the road. For more on Moon Hooch and some tour dates in North America visit moonhooch.com.

Soulive has been a part of the quote unquote Jamband scene for quite some time now. The trio fuses hip-hop grooves, R&B melodies and jazz playing to deliver a unique sound onto its own. Each of them are terrific musicians and have gone on to busy careers in the larger music industry. Many of us have kept our eye and our ears on them, and have been waiting since 2012 for new recorded music from. They'd play the odd festival, their bowlive series at the brooklyn bowl each year, but the trio never committed any new music to recordings, as Soulive. Towards the end of last year, the trio went to Japan where they have a huge following to play some dates. While their they too came to the epiphany that they hadn't recorded in some time. As the story goes, thats what got them back in the studio. Recently I sat down with drummer Alan Evans to talk about just that.... and thats how our conversation started. While, Cinamtics Vol.1 is a great EP. I wish it was way longer. I am thrilled that they h…

You’ve likely heard of Karl Denson, the flutist and saxophonist who began his career with Lenny Kravitz, was involved in the Greyboy All-Stars and has guested with several other musicians both in a live and studio setting. He continues to expand his horizons with his own group, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and the Karl Denson 3. He is currently experimenting with a project he calls “Eat a Bunch of Peaches” where Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe sprinkle their own versions of Allman Brothers songs into their set.  Karl is just back from playing in Europe with the Rolling Stones. When we sat down, the conversation started when I asked what it was like to play with the Stones….   You’ll definitely want to check out karldenson.com for music, upcoming tour dates and more.   Show Notes:    00:49 - Sweet Melissa 11:47 - Interview  34:11 - Seven Nation Army

Lettuce a funk collective known for their infectious live performances, took a sonic turn last year at the Catskill Chill in Lakewood Pennsylvania and completed a set of music, a tribute to the late great Miles Davis one of their most beloved influences. Seven tracks from that performance will be released on October 13th, as part of a hand-picked live record called Witches Stew. During a break in Lettuce’s tour schedule I had the chance to catch up with trumpeter Eric Bloom to discuss the Witches Stew project, Miles Davis’ impact on the music he and Lettuce make, and much more. I started by asking Eric about filling the shoes of Reshawn Ross, one time trumpeter of Lettuce who now hangs with the Dave Matthews Band….  For more on Lettuce visit lettucefunk.com and be sure to check out Witches Stew when it becomes available on October 13th.  More Links:  Lettuce on Youtube. Lettuce on Spotify. Lettuce on Facebook. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to o…

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong are all about raw, emotional fun. I really dig their sound and you will to. Like most jam bands today, they blend all kinds of genres but they are rooted in a very sassy funk groove. We recently sat down with front man Greg Ormont to talk about their upcoming release Pizazz and a whole lot more. The conversation started just after I watched their Lockn’ set, and I asked Greg to recall how awesome that set was…… You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: http://bit.ly/TSPAPPS

This band’s name in and of itself should evoke fun and frivolity, but giving Organ Freeman a listen will no doubt get you up and dancing. The three piece organ based trio brings a frenzied soul and funk attack that I’m sure you’ll appreciate. We recently had the chance to sit down with Trevor Steer the chief protagonist given that he’s the keys and organ player in Organ Freeman recently, to get his take on the project and their new album Respect My Art. We started by asking him how their sophomore release’s sound was so different from their first record…. 

I know you’ve heard Cory Wong play, because who isn’t a fan of his full time project Vulfpeck. With time away from the band, and deciding to stretch his creative muscle, Cory put together a pretty neat project called The Green Sc   reen Band. We recently sat down with Cory to get the low down on the Green Screen project, but I started with asking him how he liked Toronto since he was recently here with Vulfpek.   You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: bit.ly/sndplay Get The Sound Podcast App: bit.ly/TSPAPPS

With the proliferation and abundance of music at an all time high, it’s almost impossible not to find something new and exciting on the music platforms we listen to. It’s also easier than ever to go back and listen to stuff you may have forgotten about or put aside years ago. That was certainly the case for me, when I remembered the name Antibalas, and the Afrobeat music this ensemble makes. Different incarnations of the band or individual performers have literally played with a who’s who of the music industry, but remembering the band’s name got me in the mood to check them out again. I recently sat down with the ring leader for lack of a better word of Antibalas baritone sax player Martin Pera. You can listen to this episode below, or by connecting and subscribing to one of the podcast platforms here or search your favorite podcast platform for “The Sound Podcast”; Itunes: http://bit.ly/sndpodi TuneIn: http://bit.ly/sndti Stitcher: http://bit.ly/sndsti GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/sndp…

Since his debut record for this project “Beathoven” put out, Reed Mathis has assembled a hot band dubbed Electric Beathoven and taken his latest project on the road. To be clear, Electric Beathoven is an improvisational rock band that is guided by the works of Beathoven and for the debut record they are particularly inspired by his Symphony #3 and # 6. There isn’t anything more I can say about this project but wow, so I was psyched to sit down and chat with Reed who offered all kinds of interesting takes and insights…..

Describing Turkuaz as a pure funk band doesn’t do the musicians in this band enough justice, they play it all. Favorites on the Jamband Festival scene, these guys know how to bring the party wherever they go. I had a chance to sit down with Dave Brandwein the front man for the group just before they left for Bonnaroo……..

Inspiration can come from all kinds of places. When Adam and his brother Matthew decided to put together Jazz is Phish, they weren’t only inspired by the music of Phish, but also the Jazz is Dead project. The idea to bring a jazz sensibility to Phish’s music seemed like a natural way to tackle the band they love and the music they make.

You may know her name from her work with The Trey Anastasio Band, but Natalie Cressman’s work with that group, only scratches the surface of her ability and story. We had a chance to sit down with her to talk about this trombonist solo work, her time with TAB and much more. 

Imagine being so curious and transfixed by a live performance of a song by one of your favorite bands that you spend hours, transcribing and re-conceiving that song into something equally spectacular. Holly Bowling’s story takes a huge shift on July 31st, 2013 after experiencing the Tahoe Tweezer from Phish and her new journey begins. You can pick up Holly’s music here: CD / LP: http://bit.ly/blulp iTunes: http://bit.ly/hoboblu Spotify: http://bit.ly/hoboblu16 Catch Holly on tour: http://bit.ly/hobotixs