People.Of.Earth

This week we get to hear the incredibly fascinating story of pianist/composer Coto Pincheira. Coto is a Chilean-born musician who has lived and worked in Havana, the San Fransisco Bay Area and currently resides in NYC. While in Cuba, Coto performed with many notable acts including Oscar Valdes & Diakara, Amaury Perez & Los Pepines, Bamboleo, and is the first and only foreign pianist to play for the famous La Tropicana Cabaret. In this interview, Coto concentrates on reflecting on his unique experience of living and working in Cuba during 1990s and how it changed the course of his life forever.

This week, we interrupt our usual programming with something a bit different from our normal format. In this episode, POE musical-director Victor Pablo and I discuss the somewhat random series of events that led to the creation of this very podcast you see before you. Hope you enjoy the diversion!

This week’s guest is French born, New York residing bassist/producer Ben Zwerin.  Ben is the current touring bass player with Angelique Kidjo and has also performed and recorded with the likes of Lila Downs, Lionel Loueke, Claudia Acuña and Junacho Herrera to name a few. In this extensive interview, Ben and I talk about his experience growing up in Paris, attending the Berklee College of Music, his story of coming to NYC and his thoughts and opinions on cultural identity, the importance of travel, understanding other cultures and much more.

This week’s guest is one of my favorite musicians in NYC, the amazing Mike Eckroth. Mike is a prolific pianist/composer who may have one of the most diverse and eclectic resumes to speak of. He has played with everyone from top jazz artists including John Scofield and Ron McClure, various Cuban, Salsa and South American artist such as Ralph Irizarry and Festejation, to his own groups Peliroja, La Voz De Tres and Melaza to name a few. I was able to meet Mike on the streets of Astoria to quickly discuss where his unique curiousity and affinity for world music was born, and where it has ultimately taken him in his career and life.

In this week’s episode I have the honor and pleasure of sitting down with one of the greatest bass players that has ever lived, the one and only John Benitez. For those of you who don’t know, John is a five-time GRAMMY award-winning bassist that has played with Tito Puente, Chick Corea, Danilo Perez, John Scofield, David Sanchez and countless other A-list artists in the Jazz, Latin-jazz and Latin Dance Music idioms. Over the past four years, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing many deep and inspiring conversations with this true master of music. Fortunately, this podcast has finally given me the chance to record and share one of those conversations with the world.

This week’s guest is pianist, composer and self-proclaimed sound crafter Alejandro “Alejo” Zuleta. While Alejo works in many guises in NYC as a professional pianist, choir director and composer for TV and film, this interview primarily revolves around his group The Vallenato Collective. This unique ensemble focuses on translating vallenato repertoire, traditionally lead by the accordion, to the piano. In this episode, Alejo talks about his own upbringing in the vallenato aural tradition, his journey to New York and the path that has led him to rediscover and reinterpret the music of his past. 

This week’s guest is none other than bassist Bam Bam Rodriguez. Bam Bam was born in Caracas, Venezuela and has been a part of the NYC music scene since 2012. He has performed and collaborated with Claudia Acuña, Ari Hoenig, Yayo Serka, Juancho Herrera, Arturo O’Farrill and regularly tours with La Crema Paraiso. In this interview he discusses his journey from Venezuela to Europe, his early days in New York as well his love of travel, people and creating his own community wherever he goes.

This week’s guest is none other than guitarist, vocalist and composer Juancho Herrera. Juancho has made a name for himself in the Latin, South American and world music scene as both one of New York’s most sought after sideman and most creative bandleaders. He has served as guitarist for Lila Downs, Marta Gomez, Claudia Acuña and Sofia Rei amongst countless others. He has multiple recordings out under his own name, including his newest “Gaviero” which was released in August of 2017.

This week our guest is guitarist/composer Richard Padrón. Born in Cuba, raised in Miami and currently residing in NYC, Richard has made a name for himself as a sideman with Zé Luis Oliveira, Lauren Hill, Victor Prieto and many other eclectic groups in New York. He also writes and records with his own group and has been commissioned to compose for orchestra and film alike. In this interview he discusses finding and carving out a niche for himself as a guitarist, composer, bandleader and recording artist in the challenging and often unforgiving climate of New York City. 

This week’s episode is a bit different from the usual programming. Because everyone in POE gets their turn being interviewed for the podcast, this week I “take one for the team” and have fearless leader Gabriel Globos-Hoenich interview me and allow me to tell my own story for a change.

I am very excited to have the incomparably multifaceted Bobby Sanabria as this week’s guest. For those who don’t know, Bobby is a GRAMMY-nominated drummer, percussionists and all-around renaissance man who has performed and recorded with nearly every great jazz and latin-jazz artist imaginable as both a leader, and as a sideman. In this interview, Bobby and I talk about his life and career, his development as an educator and bandleader, and also the changes in the musical climate of New York City he has observed over a lifetime of living here.

Welcome to Part II of my super interesting chat with the great Leo Traversa. In our second half of the interview, Leo covers a wide variety of topics including his experiences working with bandleaders like Tania Maria and Don Byron, his methods of teaching and the various books he has written for The Collective. He also adds some fun insight into is passion for African music and other world-music styles.

Our guest for the next two weeks is veteran bassist/educator Leo Traversa. Leo’s numerous performance credits include Tania Maria, Don Byron, Renaissance, Bobby Sanabria, The Birdland Big Band and countless others. In the first part of this two-part interview, Leo talks about his musical upbringing, education as well as his early fascination with world music.

Our guest for today is drummer/percussionist/composer Fernando Garcia. Originally hailing from Puerto Rico, Fernando now calls New York City home and has made a name for himself as a both a consummate sideman and bandleader. In our conversation, Garcia reflects on his education, his time at Berklee’s Valencia campus, his amazing cast of musical mentors as well as his various recording projects with his own group, the Fernando Garcia Sextet. 

Our guest this week is People of Earth’s very own Victor Pablo. Victor is a highly in-demand percussionist who’s versatility has taken him from the pits of Broadway to Carnegie Hall and everywhere in between. He also serves as People of Earth’s musical director and writer of a considerable amount of POE’s repertoire. In this episode, Victor reflects on his development as a composer/arranger as well as his role in the formation of People of Earth.

Our guest this week is none other than the mighty Rachel Therrien. Rachel is an acclaimed trumpeter, composer and bandleader originally from Quebec and now resides in NYC. She has four recordings under her own name and tours extensively with her own group as well with DIVA Jazz Orchestra among others. She is also a member of People of Earth's amazing horn section. In this interview we talk about her career in both Canada and the US, her recordings, her adventures abroad and how she came to be a member of POE.

In today's episode we are joined by trumpeter/composer Josh Deutsch. Josh plays regularly with a variety of different artists and groups including Lila Downs, Sofia Rei, Pedro Giraudo's Expansions Big Band, Juancho Herrera and Nathan Parker Smith's Large Ensemble. He is also the leader of several original projects, especially the band Pannonia which is the subject central to this interview.

This episode is the second half of our two-part interview with Chilean drummer Edgardo "Yayo" Serka. In Part II, Yayo reflects on his experience touring with Lila Downs, how it forced him to develop his own creative voice on the drum-set as well as how it has affected his approach to playing with many of the other groups he has and continues to work with.

This episode is the first half of a two-part interview with Chilean drummer Edgardo "Yayo" Serka. Yayo is currently the drummer/percussionist with Mexican pop singer Lila Downs and Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo. He has also performed with Claudia Acuña, Bobby Watson, Frankie Paris, the Chico O’Farrill Orchestra, the gospel choir of the Walker Memorial Baptist Group, and various other artists. In this interview, Yayo speaks openly about his fascinating journey from Chile to Cuba to NYC and how it has shaped his identity as a musician and as a person. 

In this episode we'll be sitting down with Grammy awarding winning percussionist Keita Ogawa. Keita is one of the most versatile and sought-after percussionists/drummers in New York City and can be seen on stages all over the world with Snarky puppy, J-Squad, Banda Magda, Bokantè, Camila Meza and the Nectar Orchestra, Clarice Assad and numerous other groups. In this interview he refelcts on his personal journey from Japan to the US and many of the experiences that have contributed to the exciting career he now enjoys. 

Welcome to the first installment of The People Of Earth Podcast. In this premier episode we sat down with the founder of POE, the one and only Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, who covers his upbringing as a musician as well as the evolution and origins of People Of Earth.