Gumbi Ortiz a 30 year veteran of The Al Di Meola Group, was born and raised in The South Bronx, Gumbi has Recorded, performed, and/or Produced, some of today’s most diverse and acclaimed  musicians on the Planet  including : Phillippe Saisse, Jeff Berlin, Steve Vai, Nat Adderley, Joel Taylor, Cyril Neville, Irvin Mayfield, Bill Summers, Armand Sabal-Lecco, Senri Kawaguchi, Chick Corea, Gato Barbieri, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, The J.U.S.T.I.C.E League,Jeff Lorber, Dave Weckl, Eric Marienthal, Brandon Field ,Jay Beckenstein, Barry Miles, Joel Rosenblatt ,The Black Honkeys, Nick Brignola, Jim Pepper, Ted Shumate, Fred Johnson, Irene Cara, kamau kenyatta, Walter Booker, Jimmy Cobb, Rachel Z, Lenny White, kei Akagi,Leonid Agutin, Roman Miroshnichenko, Rick Braun, The Allen Carman Project, Tom Brechtlein, Luis Alicea, New Groove City, The Electrik Rendezvous, Marc Quiñones and Sammy Figueroa, to name but a few. The college campus is located at 6605 5th Ave. North in St. Petersburg. Funded by St. Petersburg College & EMIT.

Welcome to the Studio Sessions Holiday Special! I’m Warren Buchholz, jazz brand manager here at WUSF. It’s been a wild year, but now it’s time to slow down and celebrate the holidays—with friends, family, pets, that one uncle who comments on every Facebook post, and even your mail carrier. This season is full of joy, traditions, and of course… some incredible jazz. Listen to some music by local artists like Julián Pernett Castilla, The House Cats, Jeremy Carter, and Dan Bremer along with interviews and music from Dave Koz and Mindi Abair.

Meet Mindi Abair. She’s is a 2x GRAMMY nominated saxophonist, vocalist, author and wine entrepreneur. She’s recorded and toured with ensembles and musicians like Aerosmith, Gerald Albright, Gregg Allman, Dave Koz and Trombone Shorty. She’s currently touring with Peter White and Vincent Ingala for the 2025 Peter White Christmas show where they will be performing at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater on December 11 at 8pm. You can find tickets for this wonderful holiday show at RuthEckerdHall.com

Meet jazz bassist Ron Carter. He is a performer, band leader, author, and educator with a prolific record of performing with some of the greats like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Eric Dolphy, Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, and so many more. He has recorded over 2,200 albums and has a Guinness world record to prove it! He is releasing a brand new album, Sweet, Sweet Spirit, which is a love letter to his mom. Pre-sales begin December 5. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ron Carter.

Meet Dave Koz. He’s an American saxophonist, composer, and radio host. Over the past 30 years, he’s earned nine Grammy nominations and performed with artists like Celine Dion and Stevie Nicks–to say the very least. He recently released a new album with his friend Bob James and is currently on tour with his Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour, which stops at Ruth Eckerd Hall on November 29–the perfect start to the holiday season.

In the late ’60s, Robert Callender — then recording as Bobby Callender — was a young singer-songwriter with a vision that defied his era. On Rainbow (1968, MGM), he fused Eastern raga textures with Western psychedelic rock, crafting a concept-driven song cycle long before such albums became common. The sessions brought together some of New York’s finest: bassist Richard Davis (Astral Weeks), guitarists Eric Gale and Hugh McCracken, and sitarist Colin Walcott of Oregon. 50 years later, Callender finally performed and recorded the album live for the first time. Rainbow Live will be released on November 14, 2025. Rainbow: The Anniversary Concert is more than a rediscovery — it’s a long-overdue validation of Robert Callender’s role in the psychedelic movement. Once whispered about only in collector circles, his music now takes center stage.

Rod Alnord is Haitian-born drummer with multiple musical influences including Jazz, Gospel/Worship, and Afro-Caribbean Music. He studied at the University of South Florida under Ric Craig and Bob McCormick. He has since developed his playing style, inspired by the explosive Elvin Jones and modern-day drummer Brian Blade.

Hayes Carll isn’t preaching or teaching. He’s not interested in telling the rest of us what to do or think. But he is charting out a personal guide for his life, quieting the noise, and sitting with his real voice – the one that’s candid, consistent, and often inconvenient. We’re Only Human is Carll’s tenth album. Like his best lyrics, it is also an understated masterpiece, an honest snapshot of one man’s confrontation and delight with humanity’s biggest and most intimate questions. Where do we find forgiveness for ourselves and grace for others? How do we hold on to peace of mind and stay present? What can we—and should we––trust? And how can we moor ourselves to, well, ourselves, in the midst of confusing, trying times? We’re Only Human offers audiences the chance to listen to Carll as he listens to himself.

Meet Stanley Jordan, a jazz guitarist and composer who has performed in 70 countries on 6 continents. His Magic Touch album was an instant classic, and it stayed at #1 on Billboard’s jazz chart for 51 weeks. He is widely regarded as the foremost exponent of the touch, or tapping technique on guitar. To date Jordan has been nominated for four Grammys, and he’s performed in 70 countries. He made a cameo appearance in the movie Blind Date with Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger, and numerous TV appearances through the years, including Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon. He has collaborated on the stage or in the studio with a diverse array of artists including Phil Lesh, Miles Davis, Kenny Rogers, Herbie Hancock, Dionne Warwick, Dave Matthews, Sharon Isbin, and Carmen McRae. Stanley is performing at the Palladium in St. Pete on October 31. Stanley Plays The Dead is not just a concept-it’s a real band that truly works as a unit, with each member contributing something unique and important. All the members sing as well as play instruments. Learn more at mypalladium.org

Singer, composer, and creator Ona K envelops you in a mist of beauty. Once you enter, you won’t want to escape. With the sensuality of her voice, the elegance of her compositions and arrangements, her powerful aesthetics, and the strong community of musicians she has created around her music, she moves the listener’s soul in a way that they will always remember. Her music pushes stylistic boundaries. It is born in the roots of descriptive cinematic music, connected to poetry (in English and Spanish), with a voice and arranges that navigate between r&b, and jazz, and a string quartet that is rooted in her to her classical origins. 

Jon Batiste is a five-time GRAMMY® and Academy Award®-winning singer, songwriter, and composer known for his time on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, his film scores on the Disney film Soul and Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, and the Netflix documentary “American Symphony,” which explores a year of Jon’s life, his career, and his wife’s struggle with Leukemia. He’s currently released 9 solo albums and has collaborated with a plethora of musicians like Willie Nelson, Madonna, Prince, and many many more. He’s performing at Ruth Eckerd Hall on October 8. Be sure to see him live. Go to RuthEckerdHall.com to learn more.

Boogie-woogie, jazz, and blues pianist Craig Brenner is a performer, composer, teacher, and recipient of many arts grants. He leads Craig & The Crawdads, is a member of The Ragin' Texans, and has released seven albums. The founder of Bloomington Boogies: The Bloomington Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano Festival, Craig keeps boogie-woogie and similar non-classical styles alive through concerts, compositions, recordings, and hands-on music educational activities, including workshops, master classes, and in-school performances.

Meet Jeff Babko. He is a multifaceted musical talent renowned for his work as a composer, arranger, and keyboardist. Based in Los Angeles, Babko’s career spans live performances, studio recordings, television, and film. He is widely recognized as a member of the house band for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where his dynamic and versatile keyboard stylings contribute to the show’s vibrant musical identity. Babko has collaborated with a variety of artists, including Sting, Sheryl Crow, Frank Ocean, James Taylor, John Mayer, and Beck. Notably, he recorded and performed with Sheryl Crow in 2010 and contributed to Frank Ocean’s acclaimed Channel Orange album, showcasing his adaptability across genres. In his solo work, Babko explores the depths of jazz fusion in albums such as Mondo Trio and Crux, where his improvisational prowess and unique compositional voice are his main focus. His artistry extends into film and television scoring, with contributions to soundtracks for films like Encanto, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad, Toy Story 4, Frozen 2, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Luca. He has also worked on series such as Better Things and Cobra Kai, solidifying his reputation as a composer. Beyond his performance and scoring work, Babko runs his own studio, TudorTones, where he collaborates on projects and records with his wife, Songa Lee, a distinguished studio violinist. They contribute to both independent and commercial music initiatives by combining their talents in an engaging manner. TudorTones acts as a creative center where Babko not only developed his skills but also guided aspiring musicians, encouraging creativity and teamwork in the music business. Learn more about Jeff Babko.

Led by founder Holly Cordero, Steamin’ Jazz is made up of players from the Central Florida area with a sense of New York Flair. Steamin’ Jazz plays tunes from jazz standards to Brazilian to Funk to arrangements of pop tunes in a Jazz fashion.

Critically-acclaimed singer, songwriter & artist  Julie Black  writes expansive music rooted in early blues & jazz. A kindred spirit of free and fiery souls, she’s a songwriter whose personal story is deep, complex, and inspiring. Her soulful voice, intuitive approach, and fiery emotional intensity conjure up live performances that are passionate and profound. Deeply-rooted influences like Solomon Burke and Etta James flavor her sound, as do elements of blues, jazz, soul, swing, and rock. Filled with emotional truth, clarity, and vision, Julie Black offers a musical experience that is one-of-a-kind.

Ross Strauser is a saxophonist, composer and educator who serves on the music faculties at University of South Florida and Hillsborough Community College. He’s in process of creating his second album, Going to the Sun, a 15-movement suite of original works inspired by the Glacier National Park. He recently sat down with me and Adam Darbyshire in the WUSF studio, where we got to talk about his work and what inspires him.

About Dan Bremer: A freelance musician in NYC for 40 years. He plays bassoon, clarinet, sax and piano and has played venues from the Staten Island Ferry to Lincoln Center and everything in between. Dan taught at Wagner College and Staten Island Community College. As a woodwind player he's performed with the Staten Island Chamber Music Players, the Staten Island Symphony, 7th Army Band, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. As a legit pianist, he worked as an accompanist for soloists, choirs, community theater, musical director for Staten Island Children's Theater. As a jazz pianist, he played clubs, hotels and restaurants, including Birdland, the 21 Club, the Riverside Cafe.

Meet Rita Bolton. She’s a singer and pianist who lives in the Tampa Bay area. She’s also a therapist and an educator, which has influenced her music. She recently released a new album: Soulful of Jazz, filled with a collection of jazz, blues, pop, gospel and show tunes. She’s collaborated with some local jazz greats like Hiram Hazley and John Lamb. Joining me in the studio is Adam Darbyshire where the three of us have a soulful conversation about music, life, and everything in between.

This concert was performed live at In Between Days in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

BJ Sam was born in Africa, but his music resonates far beyond African shores. His impact extends far beyond gospel music, influencing artists across multiple genres. He has collaborated with over 100 musicians and celebrities from all the continent of the world including famous Hollywood Oscar nominee Paul Raci, Bollywood legend Jaspinder Narula; Grammy voting pianist Charu Suri; and Monaco ballet star-singer Lorena Baricalla to name a few. The American film director Lloyd Kaufman personally selected his song "Mon Amour" for the soundtrack of the Hollywood movie Heart of Fartness.