My guest for Episode 12 is trumpet player and long-time advocate for women in jazz, Ellen Seeling. A Milwaukee native, Ellen was the first woman to earn a degree in Jazz Studies from Indiana University. In 1975 she moved to New York City, where she worked with the likes of The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Machito, the Slide Hampton Big Band, Luther Vandross, Laura Nyro, The Temptations, Isis and Martha Reeves, among countless others. In 1980, Ellen and her now-wife, saxophonist and co...

This month’s guest is documentary filmmaker, Kay D Ray. Kay is the producer and director of the award-winning documentary Lady Be Good: Instrumental Women in Jazz, which features interviews with artists like Marianne McPartland, Vi Redd, Carline Ray, Roz Cron and Quincy Jones. She is also the producer and director of its more recent counterpart, In Her Hands: Key Changes in Jazz, which looks at women’s experiences in jazz today in the United States, and features artists like Anat Cohen, Grace...

Pureum Jin is a South-Korean born, NYC-based, award-winning saxophonist, arranger, and composer. Pureum began playing saxophone as a teen in Korea, and developed her chops as a jazz musician in Seoul, before being accepted to a master’s degree program at Manhattan School of Music in New York City.After graduating in 2017, Pureum moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, for a year, where she performed as a member of the great John D’earth’s Sextet. Moving back to NYC in 2018, Pureum has been establ...

Camille Thurman grew up in Queens, New York, and developed her love for music at an early age, practising flute, piano and vocals. As a teen, Camille was accepted to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts, where she first picked up the tenor saxophone at age 15.Although some of Camille’s experiences in her final years at high school almost drove her away from a career in music, through the support and mentorship of experienced musicians, she found her way...

Risa Branch is a vocalist and songwriter from the US. Although currently based in New York City, Risa grew up in Dallas, Texas, and spent much of her musical career working in Vancouver. While those who have followed Risa’s musical development might recognise her for the futuristic R&B and soul sounds of her debut solo album, in recent years Risa has found her way back to her roots as a jazz and blues vocalist.Risa and I caught up back in July, when things were opening up a little again o...

Audrey Powne is an Australian trumpeter, vocalist and songwriter. Born in Warragul, in country Victoria, Audrey moved to Melbourne as a teen, where she took every opportunity to get stuck into jazz and the local music scene. A prolific young musician who has been central to Melbourne's jazz and soul scenes in the last decade, Aussie audiences might recognise her from the sweet soul band Leisure Centre, and her electro funk project Au Dré. Although Audrey has been based in New York for some ti...

Marilyn T. Keller grew up in Alamogordo, New Mexico in the United States surrounded by music. The daughter of a baptist minister, gospel music was especially central to Marilyn’s early development, with both of her parents singing in gospel groups. Later trained in jazz as a member of the Mt. Hood Community College Vocal Jazz Ensemble in Portland, Oregon, Marilyn is a 39-year veteran of music and stage performance in Jazz, Gospel, R&B, Pop, Blues, and theater both in the States and intern...

Tutu Puoane was born in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, in South Africa. She started playing music professionally in 1997 in Johannesburg, and soon began studying jazz vocals at the University of Cape Town. Now based in Antwerp, Belgium, Tutu has played all over the world in countries like Italy, the United States, Germany, The Netherlands, France, and of course Belgium and her native South Africa. Tutu and I connected in mid-July to discuss her experience growing up in South Africa and what i...

Born in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, Tricia grew up in Guadeloupe before returning to Paris as a young adult in 2006. Already a talented singer and lover of music, it was in Paris that Tricia discovered jazz, immersing herself in the music of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong. Since then, Tricia has travelled all over the world playing jazz, and loves to bring a varied repertoire of jazz to her audiences, inspired by both standards and music from her from her Caribbean he...

Our guest for February is another Australian; Parisian-based violinist and vocalist, Heather Stewart. Born in rural New South Wales, Australia, Heather fell in love with music at an early age, and studied a variety of styles over the years. Now living in Paris, Heather’s current focus is on jazz, swing, acoustic blues and folk music - all of which she gets to explore in her ensemble The Dirty Ragtimers, who will be heading on tour in Australia in March and April of 2020 to promote their new a...

Louise is a vocalist originally from Adelaide, Australia, who is now based in London. Influenced by singers like Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald and the Boswell Sisters, Louise is a true entertainer, who loves to connect with her audiences. A singer with 20 years experience, in 2016 Louise started swing dancing - she loves to sing for dancers as well as jazz lovers, and you can usually see her on stage totally unable to stand still. Louise and I caught up in April at her place in London, s...

Jen is bass player, band leader, and arranger from Canada who has spent the majority of her professional career based in Vancouver. Now living in New York City, Jen loves her swingin' grooves and New-Orleans-style horns. If you've ever seen Jen play, you'll know that her love for making music radiates when she performs, filling everyone in the audience with the same joy and excitement she has for jazz. Jen and I caught up in March to discuss her experience in music, and the inspiration t...