Richard D. Johnson lanza su primer proyecto de salsa después de haber tocado Jazz con los maestros durante años. Secretamente detrás de escena durante 25 años estuvo tocando salsa y visitando Cali Colombia perfeccionando sus habilidades con los maestros. Durante este tiempo también jugó con J. Cadenas, Arturo Sandoval, Jerry Gonzales, Horacio El Negro, Santi Debriano y reemplazaría a Chucho Valdés. No vas a querer perderte este proyecto con ex miembros de Grupe Niche y más. www.afarmusic.com y www.rjjazz.com Richard D. Johnson releases his first Salsa Project after having played Jazz with the masters for years. Secretly behind the scenes for 25 years he was playing Salsa and visiting Cali Colombia honing his skills with the masters. During this time he also played with J. Cadenas, Arturo Sandoval, Jerry Gonzales, Horacio El Negro, Santi Debriano and would fill in for Chucho Valdés. You are not going to want to miss this project with ex members of Grupe Niche and more. www.afarmusic.com and www.rjjazz.com Released by: Afarmusic Album release date: 2 de Agosto 2024

Copyrighting your music is still very important. Living in an age where music is very recyclable we often think it is not needed since it is so easy to release music to the world. In reality this makes it more warranted because one minute you could be broke with no funds and the next minute you could still be broke with no funds with a number one single in the world. You may ask how does this happen. In this episode we discuss some basic things you should do to endure this doesn't happen to you. This podcast has been partially gifted by the Illinois Arts Council.

Early this season we had the pleasure of speaking with a few great vocalist and had some interesting feedback about those podcast. Here we follow up with some interesting points of views from listeners in perspectives to habits and leadership roles of different vocalist. This topic is always going to be around because without words we would have a different perspective of many of our favorite songs. Buckle up your seat belts and hold on. This podcast is partially gifted by the Illinois Arts Council.

How does one get the gig of their dreams? Yes, we must practice but what else is there to i?. What about networking and your 30 sec elevator pitch which is probably more like 15 sec. There are several approaches to obtaining the dream performance job and during this podcast we talk about our experiences and those we have come into contact with. Take a listen and leave a comment about how you ended up on the bandstand with famous Rock, Jazz, Salsa, Blues, Pop, Classical, or Country Star. This podcast is partially gifted by the Illinois Arts Council.

We all have influences wether it be family members or just bands we like. In this episode we have an amazing guest who has studied all types of music and is a house hold name in the several corners of the world. "Dee Alexander" expresses her thoughts on music and how she became who she is. If you are a young or not so young musician you will want to listen to this because she takes us deep into the Chicago jazz scene and talks about the history of the known and unknown artist.

What does it mean to produce something is a great question in our era. 40 years ago it meant getting all the necessary musicians together, booking the studio, making sure the food is great, and what ever else the musicians want. Today this term takes on a different meaning. I challenge you to ask someone under 40 and see what the answer is to this job. During the next 20 minutes we dig deep into what this job entails today.

Do you communicate with emoji's?

Have you ever arrived at the concert or gig and the whole band is there except the band leader? This always creates an interesting energy in the room the first few times this happens in a band. Of course there is always things that can go wrong like bad traffic, baby sisters not arriving, the car not starting but what happens when this is a regular habit to the point the club owner ask the band to start without the band leader. Well take a listen as we dive deep into this topic.

The age old question of is music getting better or worse is what we attempt to cover today. Many of us used to hear our parents or older relatives say "This isn't music. I'll show you some real music." Not to discredit them but we all have what we call our music or real music. Take a listen and see if you will fall into this same category one or some day with your music.

Jeremiah Hunt discusses with long time friend and Chicago native Zeshan B’s breakout album “Vetted” was released in April 2017 to commercial and critical acclaim with the album debuting at #8 on Billboard's Top 10 Albums (World Music) and peaking at #1 on iTunes’ World Music chart. Additionally, “Vetted” has received rave reviews from Rolling Stone, NPR, ABC, NBC, PBS, Salon Magazine, Democracy Now and the Times of India. Zeshan's hit single from the album “Cryin in the Streets”--his reinterpretation of George Perkins' 1970 classic civil rights anthem--has garnered praise from the New York Times, PRI, American Songwriter, and Chicago Tribune for its musical finesse as well as its relevance in America's current socio-political climate. In August of 2017, Zeshan made his US television debut with a stirring rendition of his hit single, “Crying in the Streets” on ⁠CBS’s Late Night w/ Stephen Colbert⁠. This was followed by his ⁠PBS NewsHour special (“Groovin’ for Change”)⁠.  Since then, he has toured with frequent appearances at Lincoln Center, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest Festival, House of Blues, Kennedy Center, the Blue Note, Riverside Church and the Canadian National Exhibition. He has performed for two US Presidents--Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama--with the latter performance taking place at the White House’s historic inaugural Eid Celebration in 2016.  During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Zeshan appeared with his wife Dr. Alexandra Roybal on ⁠MSNBC Morning Joe⁠ to shed light on COVID’s impact on minorities and musicians. This was followed by the May 2020 release of his ⁠NPR acclaimed⁠ album, “Melismatic”. (Listen to Melismatic ⁠here⁠) Zeshan is a polyglot--he is fluent in Urdu & Italian and proficient in Spanish and Punjabi.

Do you keep good records of where your money is coming in from and where it is going? Many of us want to make good money but as an artist how do we keep track of it is the question. In this episode we will discuss several parameters of what this involves.

Have you ever wanted to tour and wondered how to book or arrnage the concerts/gigs and set up the routing? In this podcast we discuss how all of the behind the scenes jobs get done to make a tour successful. How do we know about this. Richard D. Johnson has tour managed bands and high school groups for over 20 years. Every spring he manages thousands of high school students and helps them with their spring break tours. He has also managed tours for Virgin Moble telephones, Walmart, etc.

Have you ever wondered how people made it before social media? It is a legitimate question even though social media has only been around in its current format for 25 years or so. Almost everyone uses it who wants to be current and if they are not a company or someone else is doing it for them. In this episode we discuss is really needed today and if word of mouth still really exist. Let us know your thoughts on this episode and if you choose to use social media and how you use it.

Have you ever really wanted to play with a band or an artist and they finally reach out. What emotion did that give you? I know what it did to and for me. In this episode we discuss the preparation for the gig or concert. We also talk about was it an actual call or a text. In this era everyone is texting so respecting the text is a real concern. We would love to hear your feedback after listening to this episode.

Have you ever thought how do great jazz musicians who teach in High schools or Middle schools do it? We have one of the best in the Business here. John Wojciechowski has played with tons of great artist and teaches at St. Charles North High School. He discusses how he went to New York from Detroit and then ended up in Chicago. It's a crazy story that has tons of information in it. Even if you think you know him you are going to want to listen to this. Saxophonist John Wojciechowski is an urban musician through and through. He grew up and developed his powerful tenor sound in Detroit—“a really rich community with a lot of great players,” he says—and since 2002 has thrived in Chicago, working alongside some of the best players in the city. So why does he live way the heck out in the Windy City’s western suburbs in a place called Bartlett—where it takes a good half-hour to even reach one of the highways leading into the city? And does being so far away from the action have an impact on his music? The answer to the first question is that “Wojo,” as he is known, teaches high school in the historic river town of St. Charles—no doubt one of the only jazz musicians of his caliber who can make that claim.

You ever wonder how some bands are put together? Its not always the best of the best. Sometimes it's who is available and keep do the job. Often this can create a great unexpected situation. It could also go bad real fast too. In this episode we discuss how musicians are chosen for the gig.

Have you ever been sick and you really need to take the gig but you don't think you will make it? I've been there and had to tough through it. What are your options if you are in your hometown or what happens when you are on the road and a tour and you are the only person within 500 miles that can make the gig. Well listen up.... you have found the right podcast.

How do you get people to come to your performance. Do you use email, social media, word of mouth, snail mail, youtube, a promotion company. There are numerous different ways to get people to attend your performance. In this episode we discuss what a promoters does and what their background normally is to make your concert a hit!!!

You ever wonder who picks all the music during Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Movies and many more. In this episode we discuss another form of income that you can get involved in and make a really good living.

Sharel Cassity opens up the the New Year discussing with us how she made it to winning Rising stars Best Alto Sax category award in Downbeat magazine. This is definitely an episode to not miss to start the year off on the right food. Sharel has worked with Multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Jennifer Hudson, Top 40 hit singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, Aretha Franklin, Vanessa Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Ruben Blades, & DJ Logic, among others. An avid jazz artist, Sharel has performed with NEA Jazz Masters Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jimmy Heath, and Gary Bartz; she has also appeared as a featured soloist with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. As a bandleader, Sharel's five albums as a leader have received top-rated reviews in publications like the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, JazzTimes, Jazziz, American Indian News, & earned cover stories in Saxophone Journal and Downbeat Magazine. Cassity's collaborations have led her to co-lead recent releases by groups Altoizm, Precarious Towers, and her upcoming 2024 female collaboration, Alliance. An advocate for Jazz Education, Cassity established the non-profit educational program "Jazz Up!" which brings jazz professionals to students in the suburbs who cannot go to hear live Jazz or play in combo settings. Cassity is a jazz professor in the Chicago area at DePaul University & Elgin Community College. A skilled and versatile sideman, Sharel is a current Dizzy Gillespie Latin Experience and All-Star Big Band member. She has also performed frequently alongside renowned Grammy-winning artists Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Lewis Nash, Joe Chambers, Michael Dease, & Darcy James Argue. Sharel has toured 24 countries and performed at leading venues like the Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, & the North Sea Jazz Festival. Additionally, Sharel was lead alto in the Diva Jazz Orchestra from 2007-2014 and performed in Wynton Marsalis' Broadway musical After Midnight. Selected to attend The Juilliard School Jazz program under full scholarship for a Masters in Music and graduating in 2007, Sharel earned her BFA from The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music in 2005. Sharel appears in publications "I Walked with Giants" by Jimmy Heath, "Three Generations Under the Lens" by Adrianna Mateo, and "Freedom of Expression: Interviews with Women in Jazz" by Chris Becker. Sharel is also an alumnus of the select student programs IAJE Sisters in Jazz, Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead, and the Ravinia Summer Residency. Steeped in the classical tradition, Sharel placed third in the Disney International Piano Concerto Competition at ten and was offered a full scholarship to North Texas State University for classical saxophone at 18. She attended the University of Centeral Oklahoma in 1996 before moving to New York, where she was able to fully transition to Jazz. Born into a musical family, Sharel's father is a musician who played in New Orleans and was a professor and author of Music Therapy, and her aunt was a classical solo pianist with the Boston Pops and fullbright recipient. Moving frequently throughout her childhood, Sharel lived with her mother, graduating high school in Yukon, Oklahoma. In 2000 she moved to New York City, relocated to Doha, Qatar, in 2015, and in 2017 settled in the Chicago area with her husband and son. Sharel is a proud Yamaha and Vandoren Performing Artist, exclusively playing Yamaha instruments and Vandoren equipment.