Recently, I had an opportunity to speak on the phone with jazz vocalist Kurt Elling while he was in the midst of a tour. When one reads an interview with Elling, it would be easy to misconstrue his candor as bordering on pompous, because the reader does not have the advantage of listening to the inflection of his voice, as he weighs his words carefully while answering a question. Elling is a man who cares deeply about his craft and despite a Grammy Award nomination and being acknowledged as one …

"It comes back to that same thing; if I want to move you as a listener then it (the song) has to move me as a singer. Sometimes it is about the lyric and sometimes it is the melody or the arrangement," says jazz vocalist Rosie Carlino. Carlino confesses to be a romantic and being passionate about love songs, "It can be painful or happy love songs. I am an old-fashioned girl and I love the old-fashioned sentiment. I like the old songs like "I Won’t Dance" (when it says) "Music leads …

Percussionist Jim Brock needs no introduction to those in the music industry. He has during his career played live with and recorded on the projects of such esteemed artists as Brandford Marsalis, Victor Wooten, Delbert McClinton, Arturo Sanoval, Hootie and the Blowfish, Kathy Mattea and John Melencamp. He has, however, remained one of those artists who is untarnished from the lure of developing an insensitive ego and he has not become jaded by a music industry, …

Composer, arranger and trumpeter Lin Rountree is about to release Sumthin’ Good, his latest album produced by him and his long-time friend Billy Meadows. Rountree gushes with pride when he talks about the album telling that it was made to offer something good to audiences. "I want them to really enjoy the music. I want them to feel the groove in the songs and just experience the good sound of ORIGINAL music. Nothing wrong with cover tunes but too many artists today are u …

"San Francisco has always been a melting pot for great music. A lot of the reason is it is also a melting pot for culture. We have people of all origins, colors and flavors. You have to be pretty open-minded to live here, and it definitely reflects in the music," says Greg Sankovich the keyboardist for the San Franciscan jazz/funk quartet Times 4. "Compared to other places, there is definitely a lot more groove happening here. Whether it is Mariachi music, soul or jam down music, the va …