1-15-18 Interview

5-28-18 Jerry Billik is a composer, arranger, songwriter, conductor, and director of stage productions. Although he downplays his skill and accomplishments Jerry’s career is extraordinary. A musical virtuoso by the age of 13, he has composed more than 50 pieces of music, from popular ballads to marches to his ‘Symphony for Band’. His concert march “Block M” composed for the University of Michigan Marching Band when he was a senior there has been voted by band composers as one of the top 100 marches of all time. He wrote the “M Fanfare” which is still played by the University of Michigan marching band prior to their playing the famous fight song. He has worked with many popular artists, including Danny Kaye, Dick Van Dyke, Leonard Bernstein, Barbra Streisand, and Neil Diamond. He has arranged music for several television series and serves as Vice President of creative development for Disney on Ice, having arranged all the music for the Disney on Ice shows, which he also writes and directs. Listen to this self-deprecatory charming man tell delightful stories of a life spent with music and theater like the ironic reason he taught himself to play piano.

4-2-18 Interview

4-2-18 Actor, singer, dancer, musician Joe Casey brings his talents once again to Florida Studio theater’s cabaret, this time in Blue Suede Shoes where he gets a chance to play guitars and sing Elvis’s songs. In this interview Joe tells us that he was interested in everything; he wanted to be a scientist and a detective, he picked up the piano and the guitar, he painted in oils, and wrote music. Finally unable to choose amongst his interests Joe decided that as an actor to he could be all of these things. Listen to this charming, clever man tell the story of his path and come see him do justice to Elvis and all the other early Rock and Roller’s, in FST’s Blue Suede Shoes.

8-8-17 Interview
8-8-17 Actor, singer, songwriter, cabaret performer and playwright Amanda McBroom is best known for writing “The Rose” for which she won a Golden Globe Award and which was a number one hit all over the world for Bette Midler. Amanda then recorded it as did Amy Poehler, Jack Black, Barry Manilow, Judy Collins, Barbara Cook, LeAnn Rimes, Anne Murray, Harry Belafonte, Betty Buckley, Stephanie Mills, The Manhattan Transfer, Donny Osmond, Kurt Cobain, Nana Mouskouri, Conway Twitty and the Chipmunks. With her friend and longtime collaborator Michele Brourman, Amanda has written the lyrics for the Baby Dinosaurs in all of the 16 Universal Cartoon Series The Land Before Time. She’s written two original musicals Heartbeats based on her songs and Woman of Will, based on the female characters in William Shakespeare’s plays. She is currently releasing VOICES, her sixth recording on Gecko, the label she established in 1985. Listen to this exuberant, delightful, outrageous woman talk about creating a life filled with music, art, animals, and gardens; a perfect example of creativity in action

8-18-2015 Audio Interview

From the age of 3 keyboardist/composer Robbie Rose knew his life would be about music. He thought all the music he heard was magic and “why would you do anything else, when the music was so good.” Growing up near Detroit – he knew that the people making this magic were essentially his neighbors, which just confirmed for him that making music was the only career he could imagine. He began “noodling” on the piano as a toddler and surprised his parents by spontaneously playing As Time Goes By at 5 years old. Robbie attended a brand new avant-garde high school where he studied music theory in a class which began with 40 students and ended with 3, Robbie being one. Listen to this exuberant, passionate, candid man him describe the rigorous training he received there, the various skills he’s developed over the years, the important, difficult lesson he learned about “trying” and hear his original composition for Hammond Organ – the title cut from his CD Hot Sauce.

9-27-2014 Audio Interview

Lynne Jackson and Michael Palter were awarded the Paul Re Lifetime Achievement Award for their many humanitarian projects over the years, including the creation of Jazz is a Rainbow. Their original song “We Dream a Brighter Day” was performed at the United Nations. Their compositions have been sung in churches, synagogues, events and concert halls around the world. And as the quintessential jazz duo they have been delighting audiences for years. Listen to this talented, dedicated couple talk about the circuitous route their lives to t get them to where they were always meant to be.

5-27-14 – Audio Interview

When I say that Dick Hamilton is a musician, I’m not telling you nearly enough. By the time he was two his mother could control her toddler by simply putting on some music, he would stop whatever he was doing mesmerized. Dick Hamilton simply fell in love with music and immediately wanted to create the sounds he heard. Listen to this self-effacing man describe the way he relentlessly pursued this passion which lead him to a career as a studio musician and composer in Los Angeles. Then listen to a cut – I wish I had the time to play more – from his solo (and I do mean solo) album, called Album Myself on which wrote all the songs and played every instrument;
Piano, Electric Piano, Guitar, Upright Bass, Keyboard Bass, Drums, Percussion, Flute, Alto Flute, Soprano Sax, Trumpet, Alto Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Alto Flugelhorn, Alto Horn, Trombone, Valve Trombone, Baritone Horn and Moog IIIC Modular Synthesizer (1968 vintage – no computer or sequencing to produce the few (italics mine) instruments he didn’t own such as Tuba and Clarinet.

11-29-11 – Click here to listen to the Interviews

Interview with Laura Osnes
Director Jeff Calhoun describes Laura as “beautiful inside and out” and it is definitely true. The term unaffected is old-fashioned but seems to apply here; Laura seems almost unaware of her beauty, talent and sweetness. And her story is perfect for her; from the beginning others saw the potential star in her and encouraged it. Listen to the remarkable way her career simply unfolded, including how she won her starring role in Grease on a reality show. From there she captured roles in South Pacific and Anything Goes, but they were roles others had created. On Dec 1st Laura gets her chance to define a role – she will put her stamp on Bonnie Parker, beloved partner of Clyde Barrow. If you want to catch a rising star – hurry on down to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, and see Laura launched.

Interview with Don Black
If Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan are on the cusp of their careers, Don Black the lyricist for Bonnie and Clyde the Musical is riding the crest of his. With more than 1000 songs for film and stage to his credit, mega hits – To Sir With Love and Born Free among them – Don continues to write songs which perfectly establish and define the characters for whom he is writing. Lyrics like the exuberant “When I Drive” and the poignant “My Bonnie” help us see the Clyde behind the gun. And the lyrics for “You Love Who You Love” and “Dying” help us understand why a “sweet girl like Bonnie” would give her life to a “bad boy” like Clyde. A tried and true veteran Don continues to love the life he’s chosen, to appreciate the opportunity to dream. He says that old song writers maintain a “twinkle,” and a spring in their step, this is definitely true of Don. Listen to him twinkle and .hear his beautiful lyrics.

2-8-11

Apparently born with words in his mouth. Steve DePass was rhyming from the moment he could speak and performing on Broadway with Jimmy Durante at five years old. Nelson Rockefeller, who was then the Governor of New York, dubbed Steve America’s Singing Poet and brought him to the White House to perform when he became Vice President. Steve kept the title and has not only played for many Presidents, but in venues all over the world. Born in New York City, Steve was a very sick child so his parents returned to their native West Indies to love him into health with a combination of “coffee and stimulation.” Steve learned the lessons of love and it became his driving force. Listen to his remarkable story and the unique and special songs he writes.

January 14, 2011

Interview – When he was nine years old Mark Winkler told his parents that he was going to be a singer and surprisingly his parents said “of course you’re going to be a singer.” As luck would have it Mark’s aunt – a band singer introduced him to Jimmy Haskel a very successful arranger. Jimmy had little interest in meeting Mark, but a lot of interest in dating his beautiful aunt. And although the romance didn’t work out, Jimmy heard something in Mark and suggested that he start to write songs, and as they say – the rest is history. Listen to the rest of Mark’s story, his wonderful voice and terrific songs.

November 9, 2010

On November 19^th the Asolo Repertory Company of Sarasota Florida will be premiering Bonnie and Clyde the musical which brings a brand new focus to the Bonnie and Clyde story. In my show I am airing interviews with Bonnie, Laura Osnes whose previous work includes starring roles in South Pacific and Grease; listen to the remarkable way Laura’s career simply unfolded before her and how she won her starring role on Grease on a reality show, and lyricist Don Black whose 1000 songs include not only To Sir With Love, and Born Free but too many others from film and stage to name…

July 13 Interview with Duncan La Mont

Although already a very successful musician and composer Duncan La Mont discovered that his first love is songwriting. Listen to how he discovered his skill and his passion for songwriting and hear some of his songs which were recorded by Natalie Cole, Blossom Dearie and Cleo Laine – to name only a very few. Duncan’s story to use his words is nothing less than “Magical and Spiritual.”

July 06, 2010

This is the first half of my interview with the much awarded, applauded, and accoladed Duncan La Mont. A boy from the tiny poverty stricken town of Greenock, Scotland, who expected to spend his life working in the mines, and although he tried hard to avoid it, found himself playing with Henry Mancini, Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Paul McCartney. Listen to remarkable way Duncan was pushed into accepting and using his prodigious musical gifts. Hear his wonderful music and his disarming sweetness.

September 08, 2009

Interview – In this show I interview composer, arranger, pianist, songwriter Mike Moran (husband of Kitt Moran from last week), a year behind his wife, Mike decided at four years old that what he wanted to do was “make music.” Less supported in this dream than lucky Kitt, he finally gave himself to music. Listen to the lovely result of that surrender.

Interview – Whenever I encounter a couple, both of whom make their living or their life with an art, I like to interview them as a couple. The Moran’s have been together 36 years and when you hear them talk together you can tell why. There is tenderness, affection, respect, and admiration in virtually everything they say about each other.

June 23, 2009

Do you know if who you are pretending to be is actually all that you are? In this show I describe how pretending to be who we think we are defines who we chose for a partner and how this predisposition stops us from doing things we would want to do. I also present a memorial retrospective to singer-songwriter Kenny Rankin who died June 7th at 69 of Lung Cancer. I play several of his own songs and several others which over his 3 decade career he recorded – and which had a profound influence on the music industry.

May 19, 2009

In this show I move on to discuss under what circumstances a child may choose to mode his or her opposite sex parent and interview Amanda McBroom who talks about the magical experience of writing the song The Rose and how it changed her life.<