When most people think about a harp, they think of music that's heavenly and classical. Lori Andrews has shattered that notion as she has become one of the best jazz harpists around. She says, there's not that many jazz harpists around. Deborah Hensen Conant, who is just extraordinary. There's actually two in Los Angeles, Carol Robbins and Corky Hale, playing jazz and there's a couple around the country. It's becoming more popular, which is good for us because I do believe that at some point …

Saxophonist Andre Ward is an artist who has gone through a lot of hoops to get to where he is today. Going through the school system in Chicago, he got an interest in music, which followed to Boston, where he learned his trade through the education process. However, he learned very quickly that in order to get youself noticed, you have to get attention any way you can. Then once you establish yourself, you can make the giant step to show why you're different than others in your craft. Not mis …

In February, Spyro Gyra was nominated for their ninth Grammy award in the best pop instrumental album category for Wrapped in a Dream. However, even though four of the five nominees were smooth jazz artists, the award was given out to rocker Peter Frampton's instrumental album Fingertips. Jay Beckenstein, leader and sax man of the group, says, The Grammys have always had a hard time figuring out the categories of jazz, quite frankly. There's plenty of Grammy attention paid to m …

As the U.S. Congress talks about immigration reform, we remember that the United States is a country of immigrants. The group Hiroshima helps to show how diversity is the backbone of the country. When Japanese Americans, Dan and June Kuramoto, formed the group in East Los Angeles, they wanted to bring in other cultures to the mix, including Asian, Latin and African American, and others. By doing that, the group has helped to establish a style all their own. Their newest CD Little Tokyo …

Saxman Jackiem Joyner has moved from being a sideman to center stage. He says, "As a musician, you always start off as a sideman. I've been on the road with Ronnie Laws and he influenced me. I think his jazz chops are really great. I picked up a few licks here and there from him, and I also liked the way he performed. He had a really great performance. The first smooth jazz artist I went on the road with was actually Marcus Johnson. That's where I kind of got the idea of how this smooth jazz con …