508 - Robert Blair: Being Your Authentic Self, Subbing with Wang Chung & Martina McBride, Learning from Nashville’s Legends

Best known for her work with Lenny Kravitz and her husband, Carlos Santana, Cindy's career has spanned over 30 years and involved many other artists from Pharoah Sanders to Joss Stone to Buckethead. In this episode, Cindy talks about: The Vegas residency serving as a "laboratory" How she and Carlos navigate being spouses and bandmates How Tony played the function of the drums first and foremost A drummer’s physical and spiritual connection to their sound How being promoted because of your gender can be just as toxic as being held back

15 Apr 20231h 4min

Daru Jones is known for his work with Jack White as well as his list of collaborators that include, Bootsy Collins, Kanye West, Pete Rock, Gloria Gaynor, Slum Village, Jamie Lidell, Talib Kweli, Dwight Yoakam, Nas, Pee Wee Ellis, Lorenzo Jovanotti, Queen Latifah, Black Milk, Salaam Remi, Pharoahe Monch, Rance Allen, Black Violin, Ski Beatz & The Sensei’s, and Jon B just to name a few. Throughout the course of his career, Jones has received rave reviews from Rolling Stone Magazine, LA Weekly, Esquire.com, Fuse.tv, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today (among countless others). He has also appeared on several national and international television programs: The David Letterman Show, Jools Holland (UK), The Colbert Report, Saturday Night Live, and on the iconic MTV. In this episode, Daru talks about:    His new PDP signature kit    Navigating the music scene as an introvert    How his faith has guided his life choices    How to stay grounded when touring    The power to inspire    Moving to Nashville and finding his musical family    New book: Daru Jones play the breaks - Live from Layman Deluxe edition

13 Apr 20231h 13min

In this episode, Craig talks about Knowing and owning your preparation process/method How being good at reading can prevent you from listening in-depth, and how reading well doesn’t automatically mean you have good time, good feel, or good ears Approaching recording with a producer’s ears, thinking about not just the nuts and bolts of the drums, but the whole sound of the whole record Why he moved to Portland in 2017, and being careful about entering the scene in his new home Allowing yourself to take a break from the hustle when you have a consistent gig The option to build your career around your chosen community rather than a geographic community

6 Apr 20231h

Kyle May, is a working drummer, writer, and producer in Nashville, TN. He currently plays for Maddie & Tae and Billy Ray Cyrus. Additional touring credits include Lindsay Ell, Runaway June, Brandon Lay, and Carter Faith. He’s cut for artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jimmie Allen, Matt Stell, Clay Walker, Levi Hummon, Willie Jones, Walker Hayes, to name a few. The best part about recording from his home studio is chasing sounds, parts, and more for producers and artists from Nashville to everywhere else in the world. In this episode, Kyle talks about:    His early interest in remote tracking    The creative freedom that comes from tracking from home    How he delivers his tracks (raw or processed)    Building upon your strengths and interests    Posting high quality content and it’s benefits    Tips to instantly level up your sounds    Creating sample packs    Creating helpful and educational content

30 Mars 20231h 56min

Craig McIntyre has had a long tenure as the drummer for the Goo Goo Dolls and has also performed with Josh Groban, Vertical Horizon, Idina Menzel, Deana Carter, Seal, and many others along the way. After building a very LA-centric career, Craig now lives in Portland Oregon.  In this episode, Craig talks about: The combination of festival and theatre work that comprises the Goo Goo Dolls’ yearly schedule The challenge of being present in the music with your fellow musicians, and how different situations can make it difficult in different ways How to exit a gig in a way that leaves future possibilities open, and not take personnel changes personally How the gig you’re doing can be a status symbol or platform, apart from whatever the actual music is  The musical cross-pollination that happened among the various members of Josh Groban’s band The counterintuitive aspects of what the Groban gig required of the drummer

23 Mars 20231h 4min

Bobby Sanabria is an eight time Grammy-nominee as a leader. Known as a drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, conductor, documentary film producer, educator, activist, and bandleader, his versatility as both a drummer and percussionist, from small group to big band, has become legendary. A native son of the South Bronx born to Puerto Rican parents, he has performed and recorded with every major figure in the world of Latin jazz and salsa, from the founder of the Afro-Cuban/Latin jazz movement Mario Bauzá, to Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaría, Dizzy Gillespie, Chico O’Farrill, Ray Barretto, Candido, to Larry Harlow, Ruben Blades, Celia Cruz, and jazz luminaries as diverse as Henry Threadgill, Charles McPherson, Randy Brecker, Joe Chambers, Jean Lucien, The Mills Brothers, and others. DRUM! Magazine named him Percussionist of the Year (2005); he was named Percussionist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2011 and 2013. In 2006, he was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame. He was a recipient of the 2018 Jazz Education Network (JEN) LeJENS of Jazz Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as a musician and educator. In 2008 Congressman Dennis Kucinich honored his work as a musician and educator by reading his name into the Congressional Record and in 2018 the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus honored him as a musician, educator. Every single one of his big band recordings, seven in total, have been nominated for Grammys. His 2018 recording, ‘West Side Story Reimagined,' reached #1 on the national Jazz Week radio charts, was nominated for a 2018 Grammy, and won the prestigious 2019 Record of The Year Award from the Jazz Journalists Association. Partial proceeds from sales of this double CD went to the Jazz Foundation of America’s Puerto Rico Relief Fund for musicians. He is the Co-Artistic Director of the Bronx Music Heritage Center and the forthcoming Bronx Music Hall. His lifetime dedication to spreading the history, culture, of jazz and Latin jazz to the general public as a performer, as well as educating a new generation of players, composers, arrangers, has no parallel. A member of Max Roach’s legendary M’BOOM percussion ensemble, he is on the faculty of the New School (his 26th year) and was on the faculty of NYU, his alma mater Berklee, and was on the faculty of the Manhattan School fo Music for 20 years where he conducted/taught the Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra receiving two Grammy nominations for recordings he did with directing his students. Sanabria is also the on air host of the Latin Jazz Cruise on WBGO FM and wbgo.org, the number one jazz station in the nation. Lehman College in NYC has recently awarded Maestro Sanabria an Honorary Doctorate. His new double CD, which will be released on May 12 2023, is a double CD with his Multiverse Big Band entitled VOX HUMANA. Recorded live at Dizzy's Club-Cola in NYC, it features three of jazz's finest contemporary vocalists - Janis Siegel from the Manhattan Transfer, blues and jazz Queen Antoinette Montague, and multi-lingual powerhouse Jennifer Jade Ledesna. In this episode, Bobby talks about:    His MULTIVERSE Big Band    Seeing Tito Puente perform at 12 years old    The new record - VOX HUMANA    Inspiring the next generation    The history of music as related to the history of America    Afro-cuban rhythms and their origins

16 Mars 20231h 12min

Joe LaBarbera has spent his life in jazz, first based in New York, then in LA, and has performed with Bill Evans, Tony Bennet, Chuck Mangione, and many more. He also spent 28 years on the faculty at Cal Arts teaching drumset, jazz small groups, and jazz history. His new book, Times Remembered, recounts his time with the Bill Evans Trio during the last two years of Evans' life. In this episode, Joe talks about: His motivation for writing a book about his time with Bill Evans The musical and personal dynamic he had with Bill during their time together Going from playing with Bill Evans, a very heavy jazz gig, to Tony Bennett, which he doesn't consider to be a jazz gig The overarching concept he drew from Bill - commitment How he viewed his role as a mentor to many different types of students during his 28 years at Cal Arts

9 Mars 20231h 9min

Brady L. Blade, Jr. is one of the most in-demand session drummers in the world, and has played on several critically acclaimed albums, including records by Solomon Burke, Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews, Buddy Miller, Indigo Girls, Steve Earle, and Shawn Amos. He is also an accomplished producer and composer. He enjoys working with new talent, developing their songwriting and, ultimately, producing and recording alongside them. He has had a number of major successes, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, where his work has topped their national charts, producing the debut records of Brooke Fraser (7x Platinum in New Zealand), Annabel Fay, and Annah Mac. Brady can be heard on over 70 records to date. Brady’s brother is jazz drummer Brian Blade. Brady currently plays with Bayou Punks, Rev. Shawn Amos and the Brotherhood and Indigo Girls In this episode, Brady talks about:    Being the “Floating Artist” on the Americana cruise Cayamo    Why he lives in Stockholm, Sweden    Preparing to tour with The Indigo Girls    Working with Emmylou Harris    Utilizing technology to survive in the industry in the 21st century    Growing up with a musical and supportive family    Producing, writing, and staying productive

2 Mars 20231h 35min