Six Count

For a special episode of Six Count, the women of Jazz Voices reunite. Peg Delaney, a pianist, composer and arranger, is responsible for the vocal group with Jody Shayne, Colleen Pratt and Teresa Broadwell.Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the series.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you canfind the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

Rod Ferrone is a tap dancer and vaudevillian based in Upstate NY.After dropping out of college, Ferrone went on to lead a long-standing dance career in NYC. He eventually partnered up with Joe Orrach, a boxer-turned-tap-dancer.On a park bench outside of McGeary’s Irish Pub in downtown Albany, Ferrone shares some of their most memorable performances, including a two-hour act where Gregory Hines made a surprise appearance.Ferrone has danced with Jimmy Slyde, also known as the “King of Slides” and Charles “Chuck” Green, and was mentored by Henry LeTang.Special thanks to jazz guitarist Joe Finn (featured in Season 1, Episode 7!) for introducing host Xara Wilde to Rod Ferrone. They shared the floor last fall at the Speakeasy 518 for Wilde’s weekly performance at the jazz joint.Music: “Yellow Dog Blues,” by Skip Parsons and the Riverboat Jazz Band and “Come Rain or Come Shine,” by Colleen Pratt and the Empire Jazz Orchestra.Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the series.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

William Kennedy is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and journalist based in Averill Park, N.Y.As a reporter for Albany's Times Union, Kennedy interviewed Louis Armstrong at the Kenmore Hotel. He shares about this conversation with Satchmo as well as his other run-ins with jazz greats including Frank Sinatra at Carnegie Hall and Duke Ellington at a prom in Upstate N.Y.The author also details these experiences in "Riding the Yellow Trolley Car," a collection of essays and interviews published in 1993.In addition to his novels, Kennedy is renown for co-writing the "The Cotton Club," a 1984 movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film focuses on a famous Harlem jazz club during the 1920s and 1930s.Kennedy is the founder and former director of the New York State Writers Institute located at the University at Albany, SUNY.Music: "Mama's Gone Goodbye" and "When the Saints Go Marchin' In," by Skip Parsons and the Riverboat Jazz Band.Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the series.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

Six Count caught up with pianist Wayne Hawkins at the Halfmoon Diner in Clifton Park, N.Y. Originally from Kansas City, Hawkins now plays in a variety of jazz styles around the Capital Region as well as composes and arranges music for films, commercials and recording artists. In showbiz, he’s collaborated with the movie stars Bruce Lee and Kristin Chenoweth, among others. Learn more about Hawkins’ work. Music: “My Man’s Gone Now” and “Everything I Love,” by Wayne Hawkins. Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the series.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

A Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden. A public concert by opera singer Marian Anderson at Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday. The World’s Fair in New York. All three events took place in 1939 and are at the center of crime novelist Frankie Bailey’s next novel.The historical thriller, “A Penny Struck by Lightning,” takes the reader into the world of jazz in New York City at the height of the Great Depression and on the cusp of World War II. The protagonist, a Pullman porter, is an undercover FBI agent whose investigation leads him into the city’s speakeasies and nightclubs (where he eventually bumps into Billie Holiday at the Café Society).Bailey is the author of the Lizzie Stuart mystery series as well as of several police procedural novels that feature detective Hannah McCabe. She is also a professor of criminal justice at the University at Albany, SUNY.Learn more about Bailey’s work.Music: "The Best Thing for You," by Colleen Pratt with the Empire Jazz Orchestra.Photo credit: "Portrait of Billie Holiday and Mister, Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. June 1946," by William P. Gottlieb. Source: The Library of CongressThank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the series.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.  

Hudson Valley-based musician Rich Syracuse spoke with host Xara Wilde following a gig with the Chuck Lamb Trio at Caffè Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.Syracuse, who plays the string and electric bass, has been a mainstay in the area’s jazz scene for more than three decades. He began his jazz career at the age of 13 in New York City and received his bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music.After moving to Upstate New York in the 1980s, Syracuse played regularly with Nick Brignola, a baritone saxophonist from Troy, N.Y., and Lee Shaw, a pianist and composer who was nicknamed the “First Lady of Jazz,” among many others.Syracuse shares about his long-standing friendship with Lee, who was inducted into Oklahoma's Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993, and the documentary that featured her life and career.Syracuse teaches string and electric bass studies at Skidmore College and The Hotchkiss School, and is a bass professor and ensemble coach at SUNY New Paltz.Learn more about Syracuse.Music: “Evie’s Theme” and “When You Were There,” by Jeff "Siege" Siegel and Rich Syracuse.Note from the host: Special thanks to Caffè Lena for the help in facilitating this interview. The listening room, located in downtown Saratoga Springs, is widely known as the longest continuously operating folk music venue in the United States. Both the Library of Congress and The GRAMMY Foundation have recognized Caffè Lena for its contributions to the development and preservation of American music.Learn more about the venue’s history.Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

Drummer Jeff "Siege" Siegel and pianist Andre Peterson sat down with host Xara Wilde to chat briefly before a gig with bassist Ira Coleman at Grappa '72 in Albany, N.Y.Peterson, based in Johannesburg, shares what it was like to grow up around South Africa's jazz greats, how music was used as a political force during apartheid and where the scene is headed now.Siegel is a veteran of the jazz world in New York. He's performed with Ron Carter, Kenny Burrell, Jack DeJohnette, Benny Golson, Frank Foster, Shiela Jordan, Helen Merrill and Mose Allison, among other legendary artists throughout his career. Learn more about Siegel.The musician was also a long-standing colleague of Lee Shaw (1926-2015), a jazz pianist and composer who was nicknamed the "First Lady of Jazz."Music credit: "Erica's Bag," by Jeff Siegel. Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

Graeme Francis is a percussionist who began playing jazz around the Capital Region four years ago after moving from San Antonio, Texas. Originally from Prince Edward Island, Canada, Francis has played with numerous chamber orchestras and ensembles, jazz bands and other musical groups across the country.Francis shares about his years working with Texas-based pianist Doc Watkins, including a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City, how he balances teaching responsibilities with a busy gig schedule and other personal projects, and his transition to the Upstate New York jazz scene.He received his bachelor’s degree in honors music education from the University of Western Ontario, a master’s in percussion performance from Southern Methodist University and a doctoral degree in musical arts from the University of Texas at Austin.Francis teaches as an adjunct professor of percussion at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The College of Saint Rose, Hartwick College and (soon at) SUNY Oneonta.Learn more about Francis' work.Music: "Sweet Georgia Brown," performed by Graeme Francis and Doc Watkins.Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

Vocalist Colleen Pratt performs in her four-piece band, “Colleen Pratt & Friends,” as well as a host of other jazz groups around the Capital Region.She is the daughter of musicians Helen and Norman Pratt and the niece of renowned jazz pianist and trombonist Bobby Pratt. Her uncle played with some of the biggest swing bands of the 1940s, regularly performing with Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Sid Catlett and Roy Eldridge.Pratt shares about spending summers going to jazz clubs in Manhattan, her experience as the opening act for comedian Bob Newhart at Proctor’s Theater and her take on the current jazz scene.You’ll often find Pratt playing with pianist Peg Delaney (who you’ll hear from in an upcoming episode!) and bassist Doc Scanlon. You can visit her website to find her upcoming gigs.Music: “I Got the World on a String,” by the Empire Jazz Orchestra, and “Pennies from Heaven” (from the album “Ain’t Misbehavin” by Colleen Pratt & Friends), sung by Colleen and Helen Pratt.Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

Drummer Tim Coakley performs with Skip Parsons’ Riverboat Jazz Band, a dixieland band (featured in our pilot episode!), as well as his own trio. He has played with jazz greats including Doc Cheatham, Vic Dickenson and Buddy Tate. Coakley is also the president of A Place for Jazz, a fall concert series in the Capital Region, and host of the Tim Coakley Jazz Show (Saturdays from 11 p.m. to midnight) on WAMC Northeast Public Radio. The radio personality has also had a long-standing career as a copy editor for Schenectady’s Daily Gazette newspaper.Coakley was the 2013 recipient of the “Jazz Hero” award from the Jazz Journalists Association.The music for this episode is from the Riverboat Jazz Band’s album, “When The Saints Go Marchin’ In.” This interview took place in Washington Park in Albany, N.Y. Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York. Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.  

Joe Finn is a jazz guitarist playing in the post-bop style around Upstate New York. On this episode, Finn shares about teaching music lessons during the "Beatlemania" era of the 1960s, growing up with his father's vast record collection, and what it was like to start his professional jazz career by traveling across the United States and Canada during his twenties. Finn, who received his bachelor's in music from SUNY Plattsburgh, has played and studied with Roy Burns, James Spaulding, Jim Miller, Billy Hawkins and Kirk Nurock. If you're interested in hearing Finn play live, you can catch him in Schenectady, N.Y. this Friday with the Phil Allen Concert Band. The event, on Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m., is part of the "A Place for Jazz" fall concert series. You can also see him perform at the Speakeasy 518 this Saturday. Finn gigs at the joint with a varying cast of characters the first Saturday of every month. Visit his website for more information on his upcoming gigs.This interview was conducted on (a not-so-quiet) Lark Street in downtown Albany, N.Y. Music: "Lowdown" and "Mo' Better Blues" by Joe Finn (Generational Dynamics, 2019).Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

While visiting Galway, Ireland earlier this week, host Xara Wilde spoke with Alan Bramwell of Giants of Jazz Radio to share about the pilot season of Six Count.The station, based in Lancashire, England, will begin airing the show starting next Wednesday, Oct. 23. Episodes will broadcast on Wednesdays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. EST (4:30 p.m. UK time).GOJR has an international audience and brings you the best in classic jazz, playing tracks from the 1940s through the 1970s. Support the station.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project that seeks to promote and preserve jazz history from the Capital Region of New York. If you like what you’ve been hearing so far, you can contribute to show through a donation.Have a comment or question about the series? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.Photo credit: Patrick Dodson

Tyler Giroux is a valve trombone and piano player based in Troy, N.Y. He performs around the Capital Region with the Giroux Brothers (featuring his brother, Nate Giroux, on sax and clarinet), Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra, the Dylan Perrillo Orchestra, Phil Allen's Concert Jazz Band, Bryan Brundige and the Piggly Wigglies, and Mike Jenkins and the Fat Ties, among others.You can find Giroux's upcoming gigs on his website.Giroux comes from a long line of musicians. His grandfather, George Giroux, was a renowned local jazz pianist, and his great grandfather was known for his fiddle playing at square dances in Plattsburgh in the 1940s.In addition to his performing career, Giroux is a private instructor for trombone, euphonium, piano, jazz theory and improvisation. He earned a bachelor's degree in music education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and a master's degree in jazz performance from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.Music: "Turbulence," written and played by Tyler Giroux. This interview was conducted at 3Fish Cafe in Albany (you may have heard the sound of the coffee shop's patio fountain in the background during this episode!).Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

Peter Fisher is the owner and founder of Collar City Guitars, a guitar shop that specializes in repairs, sales and service on 199 4th Street in Troy, N.Y.The luthier and rhythm guitarist is also the founder of the Gypsy Jazz Jam, a free and open event that takes place on the third Tuesday of every month at the Ale House in Troy. Jam nights are from 7-9 p.m. (or until everyone is kicked out). All are welcome to participate or to simply enjoy the music.Fisher is a band member of the C.C. Vagabonds, along with guitarist Zack Cohen, violinist Colin McCoy and bassist Mike Jenkins. You can find the vagabonds at the Troy Farmers Market on River Street the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast. 

Jeanine Ouderkirk is a vocalist based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.On this episode, Ouderkirk shares how she came to pursue life as a professional jazz singer while in college, how she battles nerves before performing and what working as a vocalist is like near the home of the Saratoga Race Course.Ouderkirk received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Ouderkirk has also been a private music instructor for over 15 years, and teaches woodwinds (flute, clarinet and saxophone), piano and voice.Find Ouderkirk’s upcoming gigs.Songs included in the episode: “Route 66” and “Georgia on My Mind” by Jeanine Ouderkirk, Shaun McCarthy and Bobby Kendall.Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast. 

Zach Cohen is the guitarist for Le Bēt, an electro-swing band with roots in gypsy jazz, and swing and electronic music.On this episode, Cohen shares how he and clarinetist Jonathan Greene got the band started, what it was like to play with internationally-renowned guitarist Stephane Wrembel at WAMC’s The Linda, and about life as a professional musician in Upstate New York.Follow Le Bēt on Facebook.Gigs:Thursday evenings with Mike Jenkins (bassist) and The Fat Ties for Swing Night at the Speakeasy 518 in AlbanyThird Tuesday of the month at the Gypsy Jazz Jam at the Ale House in TroyFirst Saturday of the month at the Troy Farmers Market with the C.C. VagabondsFirst Sunday of the month at the Daily Grind (Troy location)The photo accompanying this episode was taken at one of Collar City Guitar's monthly gypsy jazz jams in Troy, N.Y. Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.

Skip Parsons is a clarinetist and bandleader for the Riverboat Jazz Band. Parsons and drummer Tom Brown formed the dixieland band in 1955. The group has been playing around the Capital Region ever since.On this episode, Parsons shares stories from being the main band for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., his decades-long stint at The Fountain (an Albany-based eatery and longtime haunt for area jazz lovers), gigging with legendary trumpeter Doc Cheatham, and what it was like to have a surprise visit from Tony Bennett at a friend’s funeral.You can find the Riverboat Jazz Band at McGeary’s in Albany every second Monday of the month (7-9 p.m.).For the latest information on upcoming gigs, visit Parsons’ website.The music for this episode is from the Riverboat Jazz Band’s album, “When The Saints Go Marchin’ In.”Special thanks to Patrick Dodson of Albany Proper for showcasing Six Count's launch with an article featuring photos of The River Boat Jazz Band at McGeary's: "New Podcast Highlights Capital Region's Vibrant Jazz Scene." Thank you for listening to Six Count. This show, hosted and produced by Xara Wilde, seeks to promote and preserve the jazz and swing scene in the Capital Region of New York.Six Count is a listener-supported, independent project. Contribute to the pilot season.Have a comment, question or suggestion for who to feature next? Contact Six Count by email at sixcountpodcast@gmail.com or you can find the show on Twitter @SixCountPodcast.