Follow Your Dream - Music And Much More!

Kurt Nikkanen is an acclaimed violinist. At twelve he made his Carnegie Hall debut; two years later he was invited by Zubin Mehta to perform with the New York Philharmonic. He’s worked with many of the world’s most renowned conductors, including Andrew Litton. He’s performed with US symphonies in Dallas, St Louis, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Cleveland, and in Europe with the BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, and the BBC Philharmonic among others. And he’s a professor at Kutztown University.

My featured song is "Ma Petite Fleur String Quartet”, my recent release. Spotify li...

Joe Lovano is a Superstar Grammy® award winning saxophonist who Downbeat Magazine has called “The Titan among us”. He’s played with a Who’s Who of the Jazz world including Woody Herman, Tony Bennett, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding, Hank Jones and Diana Krall.

My featured song is “Out Of Tahini” from the album Play by my band, Project Grand Slam. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!

Click here for Start Here

Click here for All Episodes 

Click here for Guest List 

Clic...

Marina Arsenijevic is a Serbian born world renowned pianist and composer. She’s the star of the Emmy nominated Public Television program “Marina at West Point: Unity through Diversity”. This show has been broadcast for ten years on PBS in over 500 telecasts to more than 170 million viewers. She has been named the World’s Top Female Piano Influencer in 2025 and 2026. And the World’s #1 Top Female Pianist for 2026. She’s performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony Center, the Toronto Center, and the Kennedy Center. And she was awarded Serbia’s highest diplomatic honor, Knight of the St. Sava O...

Kirsten Agresta Copely is a 2x Grammy® nominated harpist, composer, and arranger. She’s created a crossover career between New Age and classical, but she’s got much more than that going on. Because she’s performed with a Who’s Who of iconic artists across a range of genres, including Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Sting, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Tony Bennett and The Who. She performed for President Obama and for other heads of state, she’s been in movie soundtracks, and on late night television, and she’s toured throughout the U.S., Europe, South America, Israel, Japan, and the South Paci...

Ilya Kayler is a Russian-born virtuoso violinist. He’s the only violinist to win the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Paganini Competitions. He’s been described as a "magician, bewitching our ears”. He’s an acclaimed international soloist and teacher as well as a frequent judge of international violin competitions. He’s appeared as a soloist with many of the world’s major orchestras, performing alongside legendary conductors, and has performed as a guest concertmaster with numerous orchestras. He’s also a Professor of the violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music. 

My featured song is "Ma Petite F...

Meg Okura is a Tokyo, Japan-born, Grammy® nominated, award winning composer and violinist. This woman is a Superstar! She does it all. She’s that rarest of musicians - a Juilliard-trained classical musician who can improvise with the best of them. Her music combines jazz, classical, chamber music, orchestral, improvisation, and world music. And she mixes all of these influences into each work. Her resume goes on forever and includes orchestral works, chamber music, large-ensemble jazz, culturally informed compositions, and free improvisation. She’s the Artistic and Music Director of the Michael Brecker Quindectet. She leads the Pan Asian Chamb...

Zach Brock is a 3x Grammy® winning violinist and composer whose work spans jazz, chamber, and orchestral music. He’s a member of Snarky Puppy, one of my favorite bands. He also has a Grammy® nomination as a leader for his own recording Dirty Mindz. He’s toured with the great Stanley Clarke. He’s the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington. And he’s taught at Temple University and The New School.

My featured song is "Moon Shot”, one of my recent singles. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with...

Francesca Tandoi is an amazing Italian Jazz Pianist and Vocalist who I discovered online and invited to be a guest on the show. She has performed with Snarky Puppy, Scott Hamilton and Darius Brubeck. She has performed in the U.S., Italy, Japan, India, Turkey and Israel.

My featured song is my version of Chick Corea’s “Sea Journey” from my debut 1994 album Miles Behind. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!

Click here for Start Here

Click here for All Episodes 

Click here for Guest...

Paquito D'Rivera is a remarkable artist - a Cuban-born saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and author. He’s a multiple award winner including 16 combined Grammys® and Latin Grammys®. He was the first artist to win Grammys® in both classical and Latin Jazz. He’s performed as a soloist with the London Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Symphony and too many more to mention. His classical compositions include his three chamber pieces recorded live in concert with Yo-Yo Ma. His numerous commissions include music for Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, and the Kennedy Center. He’s the subject of a PBS documentary. And on to...

This Legends episode spotlights “Weird Al” Yankovic. He’s one of the most remarkable musicians of this or any other era. He’s known primarily for his numerous song parodies. But he’s much more than just a parodist - he’s a comedy musician, songwriter, singer, accordionist, record producer, music-video director, actor, voice actor, screenwriter, and children’s author. And above all else he’s a totally unique and spectacular entertainer. And his fans are dedicated and cult-like in their devotion to him.

He’s a 5x Grammy winner and a 17x Grammy nominee. He’s also won an Emmy. An...

Curtis Stewart is a spectacular, adventurous, award winning, 7x GRAMMY® nominated violinist and composer. He’s a solo violinist, the Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, a professor at Juilliard, and a member of the PUBLIQuartet. As a soloist, he’s performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, and the GRAMMYs® among others. He’s also performed with Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, and Seal.

My featured song is "The Buzz”, one of my recent singles. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!

Click here for Start Here...

Amanda McBroom is an extraordinary songwriter and singer. She wrote “The Rose”, Bette Midler’s #1 hit. Her songs have been recorded by a Who’s Who including Barbara Cook, Manhattan Transfer, Judy Collins, Barry Manilow, Reba McEntyre, and Kurt Cobain. She’s received a Golden Globe, a Grammy® nomination, the Johnny Mercer Songwriter of the Year Award, and the Mabel Mercer Lifetime Achievement Award. She’s also co-written lyrics for 19 Animation features, and she was a featured lyricist on that short lived TV series COP ROCK.  And she’s the co-writer of a song for the HBO film THE GREAT LILLIAN HAL...

This is a SPECIAL EPISODE presenting my song "THE BUZZ". It's been submitted for GRAMMY® consideration in the category of Alternative Music Performance.

As I like to say, “THE BUZZ” is short, sweet and totally different! 

It’s a wordless vocal, just 1:26. It features OBIE Award winner Darius de Haas ("Rent", "Mrs. Maisel") on vocal, and 7x GRAMMY® nominated cellist Dave Eggar (Paul Simon, Norah Jones, Coldplay), plus me and my core band.

I tried to capture the fun and joy of the jingle era of the 1960s! The syncopation of the melody, Darius's...

Becca Stevens is a 2x Grammy® nominated songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Her music combines Appalachian folk roots, jazz, and experimental indie. She’s collaborated with Jacob Collier and pianist Taylor Eigsti. She’s a member of Lighthouse Band, formed by David Crosby and Michael League of Snarky Puppy and she co-leads the international ensemble Mirrors. She’s the bandleader of her own band, and she’s written music for artists like Antonio Sánchez. She has shared the stage with Brad Mehldau, Michael McDonald, and Esperanza Spalding among others. And she has a creative partnership with the 2x Granny winning At...

After more than 850 episodes, I’ve observed that many of my remarkable guests are connected by one or more common threads.

Each episode of Special Collections focuses on a particular thread that ties together some of my guests. In this episode that common thread is all the ladies who are in the forefront of the arts.

Bios typically recite all of the accomplishments and awards of the artist. They're important of course. But what I'm particularly interested in are those tidbits that are a surprise. That talk about an interest or accomplishment that's off the be...

Lance Rubin is a bestselling author of YA/MG books, shorthand for Young Adult/ Middle Grade. He’s the author of “Zed Moonstein Makes a Friend”, “16 Forever”, “Crying Laughing”, and the “Denton Little” books. He’s also the co-author of “Monster Club: Monsters Take Manhattan”; and co-author of “The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek”. He is also a voiceover actor, and co-writer of the Off-Broadway musical “Broadway Bounty”.

My featured song is "Hey Jake”, from the album East Side Sessions by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!

Ginita is an Ecuadorian-Honduran-American composer, trombonist and vocalist. Her music combines straight-ahead jazz, latin-jazz, and popular Latin American music. She has performed with, arranged, and composed for Classical Chamber groups, Jazz Big Bands and Salsa Bands. She’s worked with The Roy Hargrove Big Band, The Rufus Reid Big Band, and The Dee Dee Bridgewater Big Band among others. She played in the Broadway production of Huey Lewis’ “The Heart of Rock and Roll.” She is also the founder and musical director of “La Orquesta Esa,” her latin-jazz Big Band. They play her music as well as her arrangements of music by a...

In a turnabout, Robert is interviewed by former guest Ivor Davis, the renowned Journalist, Investigative Reporter and Author. Over a 60 year career Ivor covered stories involving music, murder, politics and Hollywood. He traveled with The Beatles on their 1964 American tour and 50 years later he wrote a book about it. 

This episode originally was aired in June 2025. Ivor did a masterful job as the interviewer. Sadly, he passed away subsequently.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!

Click here for Start Here

Click here for All Episodes 

Click ...

Josh Nelson is a pianist, composer, recording artist and a first-call accompanist and collaborator for artists like Natalie Cole, Rufus Wainwright, Michael Buble, and John Pizzarelli among others. He’s performed in recordings, films and television shows. He’s a winner of the Louis Armstrong Award and the John Philip Sousa Award and he was a semifinalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. He is the pianist for the Pacific Jazz Orchestra, and he’s heard on the recent Disney/Pixar film “Elio”. 

My featured song is my version of Thelonious Monk's “Well, You Needn't”. This is from my...

Tierney Sutton is a superb 9x Grammy® nominated jazz singer. Since 1993 she has fronted The Tierney Sutton Band. Clint Eastwood has called her “my favorite singer” and he hired her to score his film “Sully” in which she sang the ending song “Flying Home”. She has released 16 albums as leader, addressing themes like materialism and the pursuit of happiness. When she’s not performing she is in demand as a producer and a vocal coach.

My featured song is my reimagined version of Joni Mitchell’s version of Charles Mingus’s “The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines” from the album Miles Be...

Sophia Agranovich is a Ukrainian born multi-award winning pianist acclaimed for her virtuosity and sensitivity. She's been called “a tigress of the keyboard”. She has performed worldwide including recent solo performances in France. She’s appeared at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Merkin Hall among many other venues. She’s released 12 albums and several singles. And she’s listed in "Who's Who in America" and "Who's Who in the World". 

My featured song is “The Gift”. This is my original jazz ballad from the album Made In New York by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link.

—...

Robbie Nevil is a superstar songwriter and producer. He’s had songs on more than 35 gold & platinum albums. He’s had 5 Billboard Top 40 hits. He’s worked with a Who’s Who in the record business including Kenny Loggins, Jonas Brothers, High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Jessica Simpson, Ricky Martin, Babyface, David Lee Roth, Stevie Nicks and the Pointer Sisters.

My featured song is “All Of The Time”. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!

Click here for Start Here

Click here for All Episodes 

Click here for...

Lumanyano Mzi is a South African drummer whose music is shaped by reggae, jazz, African music, and gospel. He attended Berklee Music School in Boston. He’s performed at Lincoln Center and the JFK Library among many other venues.

My featured song is my version of Miles Davis's “Nardis”, from the album Miles Behind by The Robert Miller Group. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!

Click here for Start Here

Click here for All Episodes 

Click here for Guest List 

Click here for G...

Polo Piatti is a distinguished, award-winning, British-Argentine composer, conductor, and pianist. He’s an advocate for accessible contemporary classical music. He’s the Founder of the International Composers Festival and the Hastings Sinfonia Orchestra. His works have been performed and recorded by leading orchestras, including the UK’s National Symphony Orchestra. He is among the world’s most sought-after privately commissioned composers. One of his works got a personal response from Pope Francis, and he also had a commissioned work for Queen Elizabeth II.

My featured song is “The Queen's Carnival”, from the album of the same name by my b...

Marc Migo is a composer from Spain. He blends his Iberian roots with American music which is regularly performed on the world’s most prestigious stages by major ensembles and soloists. His range spans all genres—from piano preludes to large operatic productions. He has received numerous awards including the Pablo Casals Award, the George Enescu Prize, the Dominic Argento Fellowship for Opera Composition, and the Leo Kaplan Award. His music has premiered and been performed in venues around the world, including Alice Tully Hall in NY, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Palau de la Musica in Barcelona), and Tchaikovsky Concert Hall...

Lauren Marcus is an actress, a singer and a writer whose work has been seen on stage, screen, and at various New York City music venues. She’s perhaps best known for her work in the original Broadway production of “Be More Chill”, which was created by her husband, Joe Iconis, who was also a guest on this show. She’s currently working on the book for a new musical adaptation of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” based upon the movie of the same name. As a singer-songwriter, she released her debut EP in 2016. As an actress, she’s appeared in...

Passing the baton is the natural rhythm of every profession, every art form, and every generation. The new group builds upon the accomplishments of those who came before. Then, in time, they hand the baton to those who follow them. It’s the natural cycle of life.

This Essay discusses baton-passing in various contexts

CLICK HERE 

Travis Carlton is an active working bass player in Los Angeles who’s played with a lot of folks including Steve Perry, Robben Ford, Christopher Cross, Joe Bonnamassa, Sara Barellies, Steve Gadd, Mark Lettieri, Andy Timmons, and Don Randi, the last four of whom have been guests on this podcast. And his dad is Larry Carlton, the celebrated guitarist who has played with Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell, and who did the Hill St. Blues theme song, among many other things.

My featured song is “Moon Shot”, one of my recent singles. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top...

Craig Dobbin is an acclaimed composer and 2x BMI award winner in film, television and commercials. Shows include NCIS Los Angeles, Discovery Channel Shark Week and the PBS shows Jay Jay the Jet Plane and Betsy’s Kindergarten Adventures. His compositions have also been featured in commercials for Samsung, Visa, McDonalds, Netflix, and Marvel. And he’s got a contemporary jazz group called 3RD FORCE. 

My featured song is “Out Of Tahini”, from the album Play by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!

Click ...

Melissa Stylianou is a superb jazz singer. She’s Canadian born, with Irish and Greek Cypriot roots. Her material runs the gamut from the Great American Songbook to Johnny Cash. She has performed at numerous festivals and clubs and toured internationally. And she’s also a member of the award winning vocal trio Duchess.

My featured song is “Tessa” from the album East Side Sessions by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!

Click here for Start Here

Click here for All Episod...

Zuill Bailey is a Grammy® Award winning, internationally renowned, cellist, performing as a soloist, recitalist and Artistic Director. He has been featured with symphony orchestras worldwide, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Israel and Cape Town symphonies. He has performed at Disney Hall, the Kennedy Center, the United Nations, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd St. Y and Carnegie Hall. His international appearances include notable performances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in its 50th anniversary tour of Russia as well as concerts in Ukraine, Korea, Australia, and many other places. His Network television appearances include a recurring role on the H...

Donna Masini is an acclaimed poet and the author of four books of poems: Did You Find Everything You Were Looking For?, 4:30 Movie, Turning to Fiction, and That Kind of Danger. And she’s also written a novel called About Yvonne. Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Best American Poetry, American Poetry Review, The Yale Review, and the Paris Review. And she’s a Professor of English at Hunter College. 

My featured song is “Tessa” from the album East Side Sessions by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podc...

Ciara Moser is a spectacular electric bassist. Rarely have I seen talent like this - and she’s even more impressive because she is blind. DownBeat named her Rising Star Electric Bassist of the Year. She was born in Dublin and raised in Austria. She plays jazz, fusion, pop, rock, world, classical, and contemporary. She performed at festivals and venues around the world and played and recorded with stars Danilo Pérez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Charlie Hunter and Victor Wooten. And she has her own podcast, “Blind. So What?”, focusing on life and accessibility as a blind artist.

My fe...

James Abruzzo is a longtime non-profit arts executive and management consultant, and he’s an author. He’s the Vice Chair of DHR Global and in that capacity he’s consulted with major symphony orchestras, ballet companies, theaters and opera companies in the United States and abroad. And as I said he’s also an author. He’s written several books including a new fictional short story called “Fefè: A Sicilian American Journey”. 

My featured song is “Juliet Dances” from the album East Side Sessions by my band Project Grand Slam. Spotify link.

—------------------------------------

Top 1% of all podcast...

Steve Conte is a rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He’s got the look, the songs and the voice. His description of his most recent album, The Concrete Jangle, captures him: It’s a Brit Pop/Motown/‘60s/Post-Punk ‘80s record – with trashy NYC guitars. He’s a soul-singer/guitar-slinger in tight pants, scarves and eyeliner. He toured with the New York Dolls. One of his works recently was nominated for “Album Of The Year” by the Finnish “Grammys” as well as The Nordic Music Prize. And he’s toured all over the world.

My featured song is “Right Now” fr...

Billy Stritch is an acclaimed Pianist-singer who has been a mainstay of the New York and national nightclub scene for nearly four decades. He was the musical director for Liza Minelli for 25 years, and her confidant. He also accompanied Tony Bennett and Marilyn Maye, and currently collaborates with Linda Eder, Christine Ebersole, Laura Benanti, Ann Hampton Callaway and many other top performers. His composition “Does He Love You” won a Grammy in 1993 and was recorded again 29 years later by Reba and Dolly Parton, getting a Grammy nomination in 2023. He was recently named Outstanding Musical Director for the sixth time by th...

Nicole Zuraitis is a fabulous 2x Grammy® winning and 4x Grammy® nominated jazz singer-songwriter and pianist. This lady has an absolutely gorgeous voice. She won the American Traditions Vocal Competition Gold Medal. She’s collaborated with Christian McBride, Morgan James, Livingston Taylor and Benny Benack among others. Nicole leads her own quartet and has performed and recorded with the Birdland Big Band. She’s headlined at the Newport Jazz Festival, Saratoga Jazz Festival and Tanglewood, along with clubs like Dizzy’s, Birdland and the Blue Note.

My featured song is “The Cut Of The Knife”, my recent single. Spot...

Melissa Manchester is a musical superstar and Grammy® winning singer, songwriter and actress. Her career has spanned over 50 years. She’s written and recorded a number of hit records starting with “Midnight Blue” (1973) which she wrote with Carole Bayer Sager. In 1980 she was the first artist in the history of the Academy Awards to have, and to perform on the show, two movie nominated theme songs. She’s acted in movies like “For The Boys” with Bette Midler, in TV series like “Blossom”, and on stage in 2023 in a National Tour of “Funny Girl”.

My featured song is my recent single “...

Vivian Fang Liu is an award-winning concert pianist, singer, songwriter, music educator, and researcher. But this description just scratches the surface. Her works are like a three ring circus. So much going on. You’ll hear when we get to the Songfest portion. She’s performed all over the place. At Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Grammy Museum among others. She’s recorded on multiple Grammy-nominated albums. She’s been honored with four Global Music Awards. Her music has been featured on PBS, SinoVision, and SiriusXM. And One of her songs - “Belong” - is an anti-Asian...

After more than 825 episodes, I’ve observed that many of my remarkable guests are connected by one or more common threads.

Each episode of Special Collections focuses on a particular thread that ties together some of my guests. In this episode that common thread are the Bios that I get from each artist.

Bios typically recite all of the accomplishments and awards of the artist. They're important of course. But what I'm particularly interested in are those tidbits that are a surprise. That talk about an interest or accomplishment that's off the beaten path. Something th...