The full transcript of my interview with J. Walter Hawkes. The podcast, video and show notes are linked here. J. Walter Hawkes is a 4-time Emmy-winning composer for the PBS series Peg + Cat and Wonder Pets, is a renowned jazz trombone player, and also performs as a jazz vocalist, ukulele player, and pianist. As a young man, he survived a horrible accident which changed the course of his life. We talk about this and his mentors including the legendary Slide Hampton, how he got into composing for Blues Clues, and many hilarious and heart-warming personal stories. Those of you who listened to my episode with Pat Irwin will remember his album Wide Open Sky with Walter, and we’re featuring two pieces from that album in this episode along with an impromptu performance of Cole Porter’s Get Out of Town. Walter’s love of adventure really comes through in this conversation, and it’s really inspiring to hear how he’s built such an interesting career in music.

This is the transcript of my interview with the Reggae artist Jah’Mila, and the podcast, video, bonuses, and shownotes are also linked here.

Yosuke Kawasaki is a wonderful violinist and the Concertmaster of the National Arts Centre Orchestra Canada. He spoke about his experiences studying with the legendary Dorothy Delay, the inspiration he found in many of his peers growing up, and we talked about his role as a Concertmaster and his advice for young colleagues entering the profession (and that advice I feel applies to anyone in their life!). photo credit: Rémi Thériault