S1: It's time for Midday Edition on KPBS. Today we're going to jam for Jazz Appreciation Month by exploring our binational jazz scene. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. San Diego's own Leonard Patton , who uses his voice as an instrument. Talks about how he found his style.
S2: Everybody has to find their style. It's it's a thing. I think it more found me.
S1: Then we'll hear from San Diego's instrumentalist. Plus , if you didn't know , Tijuana has been a long time jazz hub. We'll hear how that happened. Coming up ahead on midday edition. So this hour we're getting to know the artist behind the live jazz you may hear on a night out or on the national stage. My first guest is known for his acclaimed voice and sensational scat. According to the San Diego Reader , he also owns the Jazz Lounge in Orlando. I'd like to introduce Leonard Patton , professional singer , musician , actor and composer. Leonard , welcome to the show.
S2: Thank you. Glad to be here.
S1: So glad to have you here. You wear a lot of hats , but.
S2: Because that's , you know , it's all about family. Um , other than that , I , you know , it's I just do what I do , and and I don't I don't do anything to wear a hat or try to be known. I just do what I do. I like to sing. I like to compose , I like to write. I run a jazz club , you know. I'm not. I'm not trying to gain more hats.
S1:
S2: I mean , yeah , I just , I there's a lot of things I like to do , and I , you know , when opportunities arise , I just do what that opportunity is. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And you've got the talent to do it. You meet the opportunity. That's the big part.
S2: Yeah , I guess so , yeah.
S1:
S2: I , um , it wasn't my first college I went to. It's , uh , United States International University , and that was , uh , a college in Scripps Ranch , which is no longer there. It's. People know it now as Alliant , but it was totally a different college then. And they had a great performing arts department , but I left there , went to Mesa College. I applied for the Classical Music Applied music program , which I got in , but when I auditioned , the jazz big band director at the time , James Romeo , said , hey , would you like to sing in the big band ? I said , yes. At the same time , I also started taking jazz history that same semester , fall semester of 91. So that's kind of where it all started. And then crazy enough , literally like four months later , like January of the following year , I had my first paid professional gig.
S1: That's not. Bad.
S2: Bad. Yeah.
S1:
S2: Nerve wracking. Only because it was. It was for a big. It was a big band made up of a bunch of the who's who in the in the jazz music scene. So , you know , I was the charts and the arrangements that I used that we were singing in the Mesa College. We just used some of those. I don't remember much about it. It was so long ago , but I guess I guess I did okay.
S1: All right. You're still , you.
S2: Know , still. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. You're still at it. So respect to all the training it takes to to be a really successful jazz singer. Tell me about that. Because , I mean , your voice is really your instrument.
S2: That's kind of I mean , that's that's the way I treat it. I mean , you know , one of my heroes is Bobby McFerrin , and that's his whole thing is , is , you know , using the voices of instrument , not , you know , you you could do obviously , first and foremost , we have language , we sing with words , and we communicate , um , language and words as we sing. But also we can sing as we're singing like a horn and sing melodic lines where there's no lyrics and make sounds and do different things. We can do a lot of things with our voice. And of course , I mean a lot of that. I also get from watching , growing up , watching things like Looney Tunes and Sesame Street , where that mean literally , you get a lot of these voice stuff , you know , from that. So I grew up kind of using my voice in different ways because it was always fun , but then applying it to music musically , it's like , yeah , how do I how do I apply it to whatever , whether it's jazz or , you know , whatever it is , how do I use my voice in a way that compliments what's happening ? Because it doesn't always have to be with the with the lyric. I love lyrics and I'll always sing lyrics , but I'll , but I love , um , just lyrically singing , just just being in the bed of the of the strings or whatever's going on. Okay.
S1: Okay. Yeah. Because I was going to ask.
S2: I , you know , I don't think I ever intentionally. Searched specifically for style. You know , some people do , and some people try to find that search , I think because maybe I grew up listening to so many different things and not everybody grew up like that. Some people listen to one specific thing , or they , they , they didn't get exposed to certain types of music. So for me , the way I always approach music , if I was singing whatever style of music , I would approach it with that style. So if I was singing , you know , any kind of Motown or soul or R&B , I approach that like that. But if I was a singing , um , you know , James Taylor or , or any kind of rock n and roll. I would approach it in a way where I'm I'm being true or singing like the artists that of that style. So when it came down for me to , you know , because everybody has to find their style. It's it's a thing. I think it more found me. I didn't it wasn't like , okay , I gotta figure out who I am. I think when I especially when I got into jazz , um , I was just free to , to be. I think sometimes when you're , when you're singing like a certain style , it could be country. It could be whatever. There's it's specific. And you have to , like , really hone into that style. With jazz , even though you would think of jazz as a certain style. But it's really free. It's freedom. It's it's the , the music comes from that need to be free. And so , you know , if you go back to all the early jazz singers , they just were singing , singing from what they heard. You know , listening to the people around them. And then they just kind of , you know , they didn't have 100 years of , of people to listen to. It was more like , you know , 20 years or whatever if people or just their peers and they were just learning and doing. And that's kind of , you know , for me , what I , what I did when I got into jazz is just listening , learning and , and doing. And then the style just kind of takes on itself. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Yeah. So the style for you is to not be in a box.
S2: It's to not be in a box. Yeah. And I , you know , I , I feel like , you know , anybody any , any good singer. It should feel like that even if they're singing in a certain style. Mhm. Um , it should always feel Freeing. If you're singing rock and roll , it's like. What ? You know. Are you. Do you have freedom in that style that you're singing vocally or. So that's that's the way I approach it.
S1: That makes. Sense.
S2: Sense. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. I mean , I want to talk about the Jazz Lounge , too. You opened right after the pandemic in Rolando. Yeah. What was your vision for the space to Survive ? Okay.
S2: Yes.
S1: Yes.
S2: First and foremost , to survive. Um , you know , coming out of the pandemic , I mean , I had an opportunity to get this space , and it was , you know , you can call call it crazy , but , you know , it was it was an opportunity. It's like , hey , I don't know if I'm going to get an opportunity to get a space. You know , and like this. And so yeah , it's kind of a thing where you feed the community and you create Community with the musicians and the people who come into the space. It's really all about community. I think that's where community and culture , you're trying to help create that culture. And it's not just the Jazz Lounge alone. I mean , I think in San Diego , the jazz culture , everybody who's running venues or doing programs , everybody's together collectively are creating the culture. It's not one person , one place. New York has a culture of jazz that's been there for , you know , over a hundred years. Um , and , and so we're trying to , you know , we've always been trying to create our own culture. And it's part of that is the musicians. It's the places and it's the people who listen. Those are the three , um , main elements of , of the culture of jazz. And so , you know , that's my vision is to continue to create that culture in that space. Bring in local and outside musicians and and a community of people who want to come back.
S1:
S2: So you might hear a jazz quartet , and that jazz quartet might be a quartet that plays together quite frequently , but that same piano player plays with a lot of other people. And you go see another group , oh , my favorite piano player or my favorite bass player or drummer. So there's a lot of there's it's by nature , the music , it's community because everybody plays together. And and so as a listener , people who are following jazz , you know , you're following a lot of different things , and it's not just following one group. I think as listeners , we , we , we , we like to go and we like to talk about it. We like to talk about what we've heard and talk about some of our favorite musicians. And oh , have you seen , um , him ? He just made a record with so-and-so. Uh , or just just it's it's a constant moving thing that you , you love to discuss. You love to hear. You love to listen to , um , it's it's by nature , community. And I say that to say that it's not the only music that creates community , because , I mean , music itself can create community no matter what style it is. So but it's it's just , you know , as , as , as a thing of going to hear live music and discuss it. And musicians are accessible , even the ones that are , you know that are up there. They're they're more accessible than you know. See , like a Taylor Swift , you know , or somebody like , you can't just go talk to her or or some of the , the big artists if it's a big deal , if you have a chance to talk to them. I've had conversations with most of the , the jazz people that I love , that I've gotten to see. At some point in time , you have a chance to talk to them , and it's just a little more reachable to just have a conversation and and talk music and talk jazz. And so yeah.
S1: That is very true. That is I've been speaking with Leonard Patton , professional singer , musician , actor and composer , husband and father and owner of the Jazz Lounge in Rolando. Leonard , thank you so much. Absolutely.
S2: Absolutely. So glad to be here.
S1: Thank you.
S2: The life love comes. Stealing into a newborn day. Flaming with all the glow of sunrise. A burning kisses. Sealing the vow that all betrays you. But in do do do do do do.
S1: Leonard Patton , everyone. Thank you for that. That was great. My next guest is a world renowned jazz flutist and recording artist based here in San Diego. Holly Hoffman has been a big name on the scene since the 80s. In 2019 , she received the Jazz Hero Award from the Jazz Journalists of America. She regularly performs in venues around San Diego. Holly Hoffman joins me now. Welcome to Midday edition.
S3: Hi , Jade. Good to hear from you.
S1: Good to have you on here. So , listen , you're a celebrated jazz flutist , but you started your musical journey playing symphonic music.
S3: So that actually came first. And then they sent me into the Cleveland Orchestra , principal flutist at age eight. So , um , the jazz came first , and that's that's my primary focus now. But I got two degrees , uh , in classical music , just knowing that if I couldn't make it as a jazz artist , I could always teach.
S1: All right.
S3: And then my sister brought home a flute , which was the only thing I could carry. Yes.
S1: Yes. Well , you made San Diego your home in the 80s.
S3: Um , we're really fortunate to have a lot of attention being played , uh , now , especially with , uh , the Young Lions Jazz Conservatory program , uh , started by Gilbert Castellanos , trumpeter Gilbert. And , um , so we have I also teach for the conservatory , and that has brought a lot of young people , which is what we need into the jazz scene. And of course , we have our stalwart , uh , professors and also just performers that that live here , that keep it going , too.
S1: And tell me why you mentioned teaching earlier. Um , why is teaching a meaningful avenue for you to share your love of jazz.
S3: Well , there aren't that many jazz teachers per se , and , um , kids grow up not always hearing much jazz. So to keep the jazz genre , um , active here in town , I feel like it's good to to encourage them. And when I teach at the conservatory , they're all very excited about listening and , uh , playing jazz. And I suppose in a way where we're , uh , having an influence on the next generation of jazz listeners.
S1: Well , about that , I mean , you're also a founding member of the faculty at the UC San Diego Jazz Camp , and you really encourage young women to get involved in jazz. Talk to me about that passion of yours.
S3: Well , that's that's a tough road for women. Still , one would think that things have changed a lot and they have changed. But , um , there is still some hesitation with women entering the jazz scene because , uh , it's been primarily a male dominated music from its inception. And , uh , a lot of times , you know , I've been told , oh , well , you know , women don't play jazz. We don't swing. We're , you know , especially being a flute player , which is by many not considered a jazz instrument. But it it certainly is. But it's , um , it's difficult for even my girls at the conservatory because with them being maybe the only girl in an ensemble of 6 or 8 , uh , they're not always welcomed. And so we , we need to work harder on that. So that is one of my little things that I work hard to , to help them with.
S1: Yeah , well , I will say that the flute is absolutely a jazz instrument. It is featured in our , uh , theme music.
S3: Oh , good. Well , thank you for that. Yeah. It's just , you know , and the other thing about , well , both the flute and the educational process , the flute wasn't really brought into jazz until the Basie band. And Frank West , who was one of my teachers , started playing a little flute along with his saxophone. And so there just haven't been a lot of jazz flutist for people to listen to. So they automatically assume that it's , you know , not a jazz instrument like a trumpet or guitar or drums or whatever. So it's , um , we need more interest in the instrument in other genres besides just the center of the orchestra. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Well , you've done a lot of concerts all over San Diego from , uh , the Haughton Grand Hotel to the North Park Theatre , San Diego seems to have a thriving , resilient jazz scene.
S3: Well , this is my this series at Tio Leo's is my sixth series , so it's , uh , it's been a long haul and it's a learning experience , let me tell you. Uh , but it's Horton Grand was a national series , so we brought people in from all over the US. When they were on the West Coast , they played San Diego , LA , San Francisco , that that scene , and they stayed at the hotel and they played usually like a Thursday , Friday , Saturday slot there. And we had some very , very famous musicians at that venue. So , um , I didn't play there often myself , but I did get to play , and I was amazed that San Diego responded with such enthusiasm. And also then when I went to the art museum for eight years for jazz in the Park , uh , we did have some local , but we had national artists also. And we every the first Wednesday of every month , we had about 400 people in the auditorium at , at the art museum. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S3: Um , and these would be classes consisting of piano , guitar , bass , drums , horns and vocalists. Uh , so it can be 7 or 8 pieces or uh , maybe six. And these are all young people from the ages of 13 through , uh , seniors in high school. And there's so many of them. It just gives me a good feeling about the fact that this program has single handedly almost well. And also UCSD Jazz Camp. The attention has been given to the young people , and that's going to make a big difference in both the players that are here. And also they'll be adding to the listening audience of this particular genre.
S1: You know what ? I got a question before I close out here because it's up for debate.
S3: But the famous Irish flutist James Galway , uh , got tired of being asked. So he did a big research project on the word. And it is in this country it is flutist , The flautist came from some of the Italian conductors , etc. that came to the US early on and they called it. It's like the it's like the pianist pianist thing. Yeah. Which one is it ? But I can I can tell you definitively that in the US and on my business card it says flutist. But you wouldn't be wrong if you said flautist , because a lot of the classical crowd still says flautist. And that's fine too.
S1: All right. All right. Well , thank you for that. I've been speaking with Holly Hoffman. She's a world renowned jazz flutist based here in San Diego. Holly , thank you so much.
S3: I appreciate KPBS all the time for adding to the arts scene.
S1: Up next , Tijuana's soulful connection to jazz.
S4: What makes jazz so beautiful overall ? To be able to become in tune ? It's a spiritual experience to be able to connect with an audience and have an audience that actually listens.
S1: Hear more when Midday Edition returns. Welcome back to KPBS midday edition , I'm Jade Hindman. International Jazz Day is coming up on Wednesday. So this hour we're exploring all things jazz in the San Diego Tijuana region. Tijuana has a rich rhythm of jazz history dating back to the early 20th century. The Tijuana Jazz Society is a group celebrating the music. In fact , they just held their Jazz Day celebration over the weekend , right in Tijuana. Natalia Velazquez is the founder and director of the Tijuana Jazz Society , and she joins me now. Natalia , welcome.
S4: Hi , Jade. Thank you for having me today.
S1: So glad that you had the time. You know , first I want to start by asking you how you became a jazz enthusiast.
S4: That's a good question. I think I was born to be a jazz enthusiast. Um , instead of love at first sight , I want to say it was love. At first hearing it was actually through NPR. My mother's a radio host. I mean , was for 26 years , but overall her music was mostly popular Mexican music. But she would sometimes on the car radio put NPR. And I wasn't sure if it's Coltrane , but I remember hearing a sax solo and thinking to myself , that's beautiful , and I just clicked with it overall. And since then , growing up , I had a radio in my room and I would just connect through listening to late night jazz overall. And yes , after that it just stick to me. I was a singer for a while. I mean , I still am , but overall I'm a big enthusiast where I've been around it for the last decade , from San Francisco , West Coast jazz to living in New York City , being there almost every night religiously at the jazz clubs and listening to it so I could say I am an enthusiast overall.
S1: And you share your your joy of jazz with the Tijuana Jazz Society.
S4: But overall in our city by master classes , uh , doing events like the event we just had recently for the Tijuana Jazz Day Series tour. Um , we put together two master classes , a jam session to open the tour , and two wonderful events. Um , we had a very good response from the community , from not just our sponsors , but people that were invited to come to the show. People that were curious overall , but not just about the music itself , but overall the unity of what jazz is. And overall , we had a very good response with our three sold out shows. People that overall love the music and we're curious to meet new musicians. And this is a tribute to my city where I was born. For me to be able to , you know , pay forward or pay back. You know , the wonderful thing about being from a border or a dual citizen is overall , me wanting to contribute what I've learned through my experience through my jazz journey and take it home and see how I can help motivate and elevate other people. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Well , you know , I understand Tijuana has a rich jazz history actually.
S4: Overall , we've had the experience of having people come by through the United States and Latin America. Tijuana has been a circuit in the music , not necessarily just in jazz , but overall it has a rich history of 100 years of music. But the one I remember the most , or the one that impact me early on , was the Charles Mingus also Herb Albert in the 60s , I believe , was inspired by the bullfights. But what struck me the most about Charles Mingus was his time he spent in Tijuana , um , writing and composing a beautiful album , which , according to him , it's one of the best. It was Tijuana Moods , and he shares his experience over all the time he passed in Avenida Revolucion and how he , uh , story tells Tijuana. Uh , we also had Jelly Roll Morton , who was also , you know , spent some time living down here in Mexico as well. Another was Herbie Hancock with the Miles Davis Quintet. Miles Davis did not cross the border , but his musicians did. So overall , we have this beautiful bridge between Latin America and the United States or Canada that came by through the city and shared and expressed , uh , their music Overall. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , you know , I mean , and there's a whole new generation too , of jazz musicians.
S4: Everyone has a story. Everybody wants to overall connect with an audience. It's not necessarily just to connect with the music , but rather for the people to connect with the feelings. So I think what's different with now this generation compared to what the generation was before ? We tend to focus a lot more on the influences that we have with people online rather than in person , so it's a lot more challenging overall for a genre that is cultural , to connect with an audience. When we are in a world that wants fast or wants easy , and most people don't want to connect , so it becomes very challenging. It almost feels like a popularity contest. Rather than focusing on what the real purpose of the genre is , which is to connect , to be vulnerable. Um , that sounds a bit cheesy for me to say , but overall , that's what makes jazz so beautiful overall. To be able to become in tune. It's a spiritual experience to be able to connect with an audience and have an audience that actually listens. So I think overall , what makes a difference this generation to the past generation , it becomes more challenging. And artists need to find new ways not to just write music , but know how to reach to new audiences.
S1: Um , one of those ways that they reach new audiences is through social media. Um , how has that impacted ? Well , really finding groups to perform and groups to perform in live locations.
S4: It's been a good thing overall to be able to meet people. I'm happy to say that the good thing about social media overall is being able to connect with people , finding new artists , new ways of music to listen to and share and collaborate. The downside of it is not everybody knows how to work. Social media , or an artist themselves is focused more on their creativity rather than most artists don't go to music school to learn how to sell themselves in social media or to promote themselves overall. They focus more on the creativity , which is why it's also important to understand that when you are a musician , you don't work alone. You work with a village or a community of people that are surrounded by you. From the person who is the booker to the person that's your bandmate , to the person that is there to come buy a ticket to your show. It's an important ecosystem that you as an artist are responsible all to not just post your music , but rather reach out and find ways to connect with one another. And that's how you're able to elevate yourself even more or find new connections. Absolutely.
S1: Absolutely.
S4: I think the only thing that I want to add is overall , I appreciate International Jazz Day. Overall , the mission has been happening for the last 13 years , and it keeps growing and it keeps motivating people. What I love about this year compared to last year overall is we have more cities in Mexico. We would encourage more San Diego to also get on board as well. And to find the way how we can connect with our border. And I would also like to invite people , if they're listening. Um , there are other jazz shows happening in Tijuana across the border that if you have the opportunity to please go , there's an event happening on April 30th , and I encourage anybody to go and participate. Or if there's a live stream , as there is the one that happened just recently that is at AU jazz. Uh , please feel free to register or , um , participate that that's the only message that I would give to people is , you know , get more involved with your community and see how not just being a musician , but also being a listener is very important.
S1: I've been speaking with Natalia Velasquez , founder and director of the Tijuana Jazz Society. Natalia , thank you so very much.
S4: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: And you can find more information on our website , KPBS. Still to come , how alto sax player Riva fuses electronic music with jazz.
S5: There's a meditative aspect of it when you are experiencing it , and you really bought in and immersed into the electronic music.
S1: KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. Welcome back to KPBS midday edition I'm Jade Hindman. Jazz is constantly used as the sound bed under funk , R&B , blues , rock and house music , just to name a few. And it's the up and coming artists who are experimenting with new styles , always rooted in the fundamentals of the classics. Riva is a local saxophonist. His 110 year old alto blends warm , jazzy notes with techno , house and disco music. Here's his sound. And Riva joins me in studio Riva. Welcome to the show.
S5: Hi , there. Hey.
S1: Hey.
S5: It feels nice to hear my song on the radio. Yeah.
S1: Well , it's great that we have it. And great to have you here in studio. Uh , and also , you've brought your saxophone in with you , and I'm , I'm going to ask you to play that later on because I got to hear it.
S5: Uh , you know , as as some of us are , and quickly got attached to that in a , in a deeper way. And , uh , sort of the thing that that , that you sign on , uh , when you pick up the saxophone is the idiom of jazz. Um , it follows you. Uh , you know , when , when you , when you pick up the horn itself. And so I quickly took that deep dive. My teacher sent some records my way , and trying to find that tone is is what I'm always going back to in those in those old , old records. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. I too was assigned saxophone in elementary school and played alto just like you , all the way through high school.
S5: Um , I mean , earliest influence was , of course , uh , Cannonball Adderley. Uh , when I looked to that sound , when I looked to to improving my tone , I'm always , you know , kind of hitting , hitting back , uh , some of his records. Autumn leaves his his legendary solo. I'm always , you know , learning and relearning and going back to , uh , when I , when I want to feel , uh , characteristic of that sound. Um , but , you know , I'm , I'm always hitting , uh , different decades as well. Coltrane and Kenny Garrett on the alto. Up to some of the , uh , some of the spiritual realms. Uh , Pharoah Sanders and , uh , uh , a couple of those guys. Kamasi Washington embodies , uh , a lot of the spirituality that , you know , uh , comes with jazz as well. Um , Braxton Cook has been a late , you know , uh , influence for me as well. I'm such a big influence to me right now.
S1: Well , uh , you're really known for fusing together electronic music. Um , hat tip to Herbie Hancock. Uh , and and jazz , really creating this rhythmic , funky sound.
S5: Um , there's a there's a sort of betting that that has to be in place that that can open itself up to improvisation and that can come through , you know , the modal senses of , of jazz , the modal harmonies of jazz. And you get that same harmony in electronic music. Some of the classic 90s house music is others who are , you know , don't really have an ear for it , can say that it's repetitive or , you know , it's , um , you know , a little , a little too stagnant. But , uh , there's , there's a meditative aspect of it when you are experiencing it and , you know , you're you're really , uh , bought in and immersed into the electronic music as so many of us feel. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S5: Um , yeah. And and , you know , aside from the music I , I've taken on learning a lot of language in my , in my adulthood , I'm bilingual. I speak English in Spanish , um , and picking up Portuguese along with , like , sort of my , my deep dive into the bossa nova samba , um , you know , um , culture and the music , which is where that song that you heard came from. Hoping that the music will take me to Brazil someday. To really immerse myself in that culture. Yeah. Um , and , you know , finding those those synapses , those connections , uh , to language. I'm also playing in an Arabic jazz group where with with that , I'm also with the language of music that I'm learning. I'm also learning the actual language of Arabic. Um , so , you know , again , finding those connections and , and , um , I nail the accent before I nail the words sometimes , you know , and the same goes for the saxophone. Uh , as much as you can read down a chart of music. I think that equally important , you should be able to embody , um , the style that you're playing in , whether it's the bebop stuff or a little bit of the modern stuff. Uh , you know , the , the characteristic of the horn is , is , you know , is equally as important , which is , again , why I go to those , to the pioneers that that shape that sound. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. What a way to live. To be able to use your instrument as a vehicle to sort of immerse yourself in cultures around the world. Yeah. I mean , that's amazing.
S5: Truly a. Blessing.
S1: Blessing.
S5: You know , I think that there's a scarcity , not because people aren't hip to it or or aren't ready to receive it. I think it's , um , just an accessibility , uh , issue of of our generation as a whole. I think that we are living in , in some very scarce , uh , economic times where it's , you know , you have to choose between the night out and , you know , the realities of of the day. So that's why , I mean , I , I'm so blessed to be a resident in the jazz night , a futurist color who has , you know , remained a free show for these Thursday jazz nights , uh , since it began. Um , it's truly a gem of San Diego to be able to have a free show. And , I mean , we always push for it as much as we can , uh , to to keep that going. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. You mentioned that. It's kind of it's it's an issue of accessibility for so many people to be able to go out and hear live jazz.
S5: I mean , I have so many artists on my Spotify. I have so many artists on my digital platforms , um , that I listen to on a daily that I can't even name right now. Um , and I think that's , uh , sort of indicative of , of how we ingest our music , you know. Um , but then at the same time , I can name every single record on my shelf. You know , every single CD that I have in my car right now. Um , so I think that there's something to be said about physical media and live performance. You know , there's a material attachment to it , and it's a shame that that it's kind of moving into the into the digital realms that that it gets lost and forgotten. But I again , with the accessibility , I hope that people can attach to those kinds of things again. And we're coming out with a record and we'll have some physical media to , to , you know , have of our own.
S1: All right. Well , congratulations on that. Uh , you also have your own jazz night series , uh , jazz House by Riva. That's pretty cool. Where did you get the idea for that ? And.
S5: Um , you know , just selling nothing but that blend of of jazz and house music wanted to , I guess , prove to myself and others that , uh , that can that blend can happen , you know , um , and it can , uh , it can bump at the club , you know , people can people can dance to jazz music. Um , and I think that the rhythm is , is the one that takes on the lead in that , in that scenario , you know , um , but it can still have the sophistication of that jazz harmony. Um , and , and , you know , I say it in my , in my nights , uh , jazz music is dance music. It started in the dancehall clubs. You know , Barry Harris , uh , talks about how he was dancing to Charlie Parker. Believe it or not , I didn't believe it at first. I was like , okay , you know , but , um , we we definitely put that , you know , to work. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , uh , what's next for you ? You mentioned you have an album coming out.
S5: Um , still embodying , um , that that blend. Uh , those are going to be all original compositions , but looking ahead , I think I want to press a record also that does some of the rearrangements that we do. We we do a cool blend of night in Tunisia. Um , we do a , we do a rearrangement of sort of a mashup of my favorite things , uh , take five. Um , you know , so , uh , there's , there's those , there's , there's that nod to , to the past just. With the rhythms of , you know , the present. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , congratulations again on your album. I've been joined by Riva , aka Richard Albert the Fourth. He's a saxophonist , composer , and event organizer. Riva , thanks so much for being here.
S5: Thank you so much , Jade.
S1: Well , before we go , do you mind playing us out to break ? Sure.
S6:
S1: Hey , thanks for joining us today. You're listening to the studio version of These Days. The tune you just heard performed by Riva. It's produced by Hank Lee Nelson. If you missed anything , you can download KPBS Midday Edition on all podcast apps. Don't forget to watch Evening Edition tonight at five for in-depth reporting on San Diego issues. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. We'll chat again tomorrow. Have a great day , everyone.
