In this episode, Mike chats with former Chicago Tribune music critic, Howard Reich. Howard shares his journey from being a jazz critic to becoming an accidental filmmaker and opera writer. He emphasizes the role of music in storytelling and the importance of critics in promoting lesser-known artists. He also reflects on his transition to new artistic mediums like opera and ballet, celebrating the legacy of musicians and the power of music to shape identity and experience.

More Info for this episode:

Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F (YouTube)

An American in Paris trailer (YouTube)

Makoto Ozone - pianist (YouTube)

Patricia Barber - pianist (YouTube)

Kurt Elling (YouTube)

Mike Jones - Duke Ellington Medley (YouTube)

Prisoner of Her Past - Book by Howard Reich

The Art of Inventing Hope - Book by Howard Reich

Kimikos Pearl - Ballet inspired by Howard Reich

For the Left Hand - Documentary by Howard Reich

From Howard’s website: Howard was born in Chicago and at age 10 moved with his family to Skokie, a northern suburb that was a nexus of Holocaust survivors, like his parents. At age 16, Howard happened on the film “An American in Paris” and instantly became obsessed with music. By 18 he was a piano performance major at Northwestern, and at 22 he began freelancing articles on music for the Chicago Daily News. The next year he started contributing arts coverage to the Chicago Tribune, where he was hired full time in 1983 and spent his entire newspaper career. Howard’s stories took him to London, Paris, Warsaw, Vienna, Moscow, Munich, Prague, Havana, Panama and other locales, as well as deep into one of the most culturally vibrant cities in the world: Chicago. Howard served for 32 years as the Tribune’s jazz critic, the last three years doubling as classical/opera critic. He retired from the newspaper in 2021, continues writing for the stage and page, and lives in a Chicago suburb with Pam Becker, his wife, a retired Tribune editor.

Mike Jones bio: Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Jones attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after college he remained in the city, working with such eminent local players as Herb Pomeroy and Gray Sargent. After significant East Coast performances, appearances at the Floating Jazz Festival on the S.S. Norway and the Queen Elizabeth ll, and a series of recordings that established him as a world-class pianist steeped in the pre-bop jazz tradition, Jones relocated to Las Vegas. There he caught the ear of Penn Jillette who, in 2002, brought Jones onboard for the nightly Penn and Teller show at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

Our latest guest is Ashley Kahn, author, educator, and deep thinker! He and Mike discuss how people discover and listen to music today and how it differs from the past.

More info for this episode:

Paul Simon's Graceland (YouTube)

Dr John - There Must Be A Better World Somewhere (YouTube)

International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers

John Beasley - pianist

Tuesday's Just As Bad Radio Show

Hot Tuna Blues (YouTube)

The Universal Tone By Ashley Kahn

Monty Alexander - pianist

Montreux Alexander (YouTube)

Kenny Banks Jr - Take 5 (YouTube)

Theo Croker

From Wikipedia: Ashley Kahn (b. 1960) is an American music historian, journalist, and producer. He was born in the Bronx, New York, and was raised in Cincinnati. Kahn graduated from Columbia University in 1983. While attending Columbia, he hosted a jazz and blues radio show on WKCR, and was known on the air as "The Cincinnati Kid."

In 2014, Kahn co-authored the autobiography of Carlos Santana, titled The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story To Light. To date, his most critically acclaimed books have been on two major jazz albums, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis and A Love Supreme by John Coltrane. He pens articles, interviews and other features on music, and is a prolific liner note writer for a variety of music labels, and for which he has earned three ASCAP/Deems Taylor awards, and three Grammy nominations. In 2015, he was awarded a Grammy for his album notes to the John Coltrane release Offering: Live at Temple University.

This week’s episode features Marc Myers. If you are a lover of all things music, Marc is the man for you. If you appreciate music's history and evolution, Marc is the man for you. If you have always wanted to get into jazz music but just didn’t know where to begin or what to listen for, Marc is the man for you! Marc is the creator of JazzWax which hosts a wealth of history, stories, opinions, and more about jazz and other forms of music.

We talk a little about the musicians Marc has known over the years and what it’s like to meet them. Marc and Mike share their opinions of rock and jazz and the musical process. Marc is fascinating to talk to.

Marc Myers is a frequent music and arts contributor to The Wall Street Journal. He writes two regular columns—“House Call,” in which he interviews Hollywood actors on their childhood years, and “Album@50,” on pop albums celebrating a 50th anniversary and how they changed music history. He is the author of “Why Jazz Happened,” two volumes of “Anatomy of a Song” and “Rock Concert: An Oral History.” He posts five days a week at his award-winning JazzWax.com blog, launched in 2007.

This week, Mike is talking with Jason Garfield. Jason is a great juggler. But don’t roll your eyes at that. He does a lot of other things too! Jason is trying to get juggling into the Olympics and he talks a little about the struggles involved in that. He is also a fitness buff and he and Mike have a lot to say about that. Mostly Mike which is odd since Jason is the expert.

Jason also learned to play the piano… sort of . He has opinions about that too. We had a great time talking with Jason and we hope you enjoy it too!

More info for this episode:

Valentina Lisitsa playing Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (YouTube)

Valentina Lisitsa playing Moonlight Sonata 3rd Mvmt (YouTube)

Jason Garfield's 5 ring color change (YouTube)

The World Juggling Federation

Eminem - Houdini (YouTube)

Rhythmic Gymnastics - Varfolomeev's ball routine (YouTube)

Jason Garfield's Fast Food series (YouTube)

Leafside Meals

Jason Garfield's bio: Jason started juggling when he was 11 years old. He went on to win International Juggling Association championships and World Juggling Federation championships. He has performed on cruise ships, television, and across the internet. Additionally, he has produced programs for ESPN and others related to juggling and fitness. Currently he is not only a professional performer but also a fitness and health coach.

In a first for this podcast (and probably many others) our guest is a magic dragon! Of course his lovely and talented sidekick, Jade Simone, is here too! In fact, while Piff has many musical opinions, Jade is the one with the extensive musical background. This episode is kind of a free-for-all. It’s what you would expect from a dragon. Among the fray, many musical opinions are expressed. In the end, we learn that AI is coming for us all, including dragons!

Because this was recorded at Piff & Jade’s recording lair, who is hosting the show is a little uncertain at times. Luckily Jade is there to anchor the chaos. It was so much fun talking with Piff & Jade. We hope you have as much fun listening to this episode as we did recording it.

More info for this episode:

Animal Planet: The Haunted (Wikipedia link)

David Byrne (YouTube link)

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (YouTube link)

Norah Jones (YouTube link)

Mike Jones Trio - Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You're Doing?

Piff's first appearance on Fool Us (YouTube link)

Piff & Pop's UK Tour

Andy Paley (Wikipedia link)

Suno AI Music

Piff & Jade bio: Piff is a British magician who came to fame on Penn & Teller’s Fool Us. He moved to the US where he began performing in Las Vegas and appearing on America’s Got Talent along with his partner, Jade Simone. Jade grew up in Dallas, Texas and performed as an emcee and showgirl for several years before teaming up with Piff. You can see them nightly at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas or on tour around the world.

Mike Jones bio: Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Jones attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after college he remained in the city, working with such eminent local players as Herb Pomeroy and Gray Sargent. After significant East Coast performances, appearances at the Floating Jazz Festival on the S.S. Norway and the Queen Elizabeth ll, and a series of recordings that established him as a world-class pianist steeped in the pre-bop jazz tradition, Jones relocated to Las Vegas. There he caught the ear of Penn Jillette who, in 2002, brought Jones onboard for the nightly Penn and Teller show at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

For the month of September, Mike is talking to 2 of his good friends. He talks to them separately but they make up a comedy-juggling duo who have performed together for many years. Because of that, the humor gets a little… sarcastic, biting, and even sometimes harsh. With that disclaimer out of the way…

Today Mike talks with Scotty Meltzer. Scotty is the other half of the juggling-comedy duo at Comedy Industries. Scotty is incredibly smart, funny, articulate, and LOVES being the butt of the joke. That is certainly evident throughout this discussion!

Mike and Scotty discuss Scotty’s bad taste in music that originated from a childhood in musical theater and drumming. They talk about how that translates to a corporate juggling act that relies on comedy and the variety arts to hype up an otherwise mundane message.

More info from this episode:

24 TV Show (Wikipedia)

Ribbons Down My Back (YouTube)

Katie Thiroux (YouTube)

Michael Goudeau (Wikipedia)

Ethel Merman - There's No Business Like Show Business (YouTube)

Sutton Foster - Anything Goes (YouTube)

Cynthia Erivo & Herbie Hancock - Fly Me To The Moon (YouTube)

Prog Rock (Wikipedia)

From Scotty’s website bio: Scott Meltzer (known as Scotty to his friend) is head writer and a principle performer for Comedy Industries. Scott has degrees in computer science and mathematics from U. C. Berkeley where he graduated with honors. An ex-IBMer and a Watson Scholar, Scott chooses to spend his time writing comedy and juggling knives on a six-foot unicycle while escaping from more straitjackets than any other computer programmer in the world. He’s also appeared on ESPN as the expert commentator for their coverage of The World Juggling Federation competitions.

Comedy Industries

Mike Jones bio: Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Jones attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after college he remained in the city, working with such eminent local players as Herb Pomeroy and Gray Sargent. After significant East Coast performances, appearances at the Floating Jazz Festival on the S.S. Norway and the Queen Elizabeth ll, and a series of recordings that established him as a world-class pianist steeped in the pre-bop jazz tradition, Jones relocated to Las Vegas. There he caught the ear of Penn Jillette who, in 2002, brought Jones onboard for the nightly Penn and Teller show at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

Today Mike talks with Katrine Spang-Hanssen. She is a great juggler and drummer, a funny conversationalist, a lovely person, and one half of Comedy Industries.

Mike and Katrine discuss their love of jazz music, their experiences with other music growing up, and what it’s like to work in a performing duo. Of course the ultimate performing duo, Penn & Teller, come up numerous times.

Katrine is from Denmark! We’ll get that out of the way now because Mike continues a long running joke of confusing where she is from. But! She has lived in San Francisco for many years and tells about experiencing juggling and music in the bay area from the 1990’s to today.

For the month of September, Mike is talking to 2 of his good friends. He talks to them separately but they make up a comedy-juggling duo who have performed together for many years. Because of that, the humor gets a little… sarcastic, biting, and even sometimes harsh. With that disclaimer out of the way…

More Info for this episode:

Nat Cole Trio - Bring Another Drink (YouTube)

Styx playlist on YouTube

Abba Greatist Hits playlist on YouTube

Jesus Christ Superstar playlist on YouTube

Penn & Teller's Secret to a 50 Year Partnership - article in New York Times

From Katrine’s website bio: Katrine Spang-Hanssen is one the world’s premiere female jugglers. She has toured the world opening for stars such as Kenny Rodgers, Willie Nelson, and Natalie Cole. She’s performed at hundreds of comedy clubs, fairs, festivals, colleges, and theater productions. Together with Scott Meltzer and the rest of the CI group, she has performed an infinite number of trade show presentations and sales meetings, presenting for corporate clients ranging from startups in 10×10 booths along the back wall to Fortune 100 diamond sponsors.

Katrine & Scotty's juggling duo: Comedy Industries

Katrine's band: Shake It Booty Band

Mike Jones bio: Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Jones attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after college he remained in the city, working with such eminent local players as Herb Pomeroy and Gray Sargent. After significant East Coast performances, appearances at the Floating Jazz Festival on the S.S. Norway and the Queen Elizabeth ll, and a series of recordings that established him as a world-class pianist steeped in the pre-bop jazz tradition, Jones relocated to Las Vegas. There he caught the ear of Penn Jillette who, in 2002, brought Jones onboard for the nightly Penn and Teller show at Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

Jonesy and Michael Close explore the intertwined worlds of music and magic, delving into Michael's early influences, his journey into both fields, and the challenges he faced as a performer in Las Vegas. They discuss the importance of mentorship, the evolution of live music in Vegas, and the realities of pursuing a career in the arts.

In their conversation, Jonesy and Michael Close delve into the intricacies of cocktail piano performances, the challenges of solo gigs, and the evolution of audience engagement. They share memorable stories from their musical journeys, reflect on their influences, and discuss the impact of technology on music learning. The conversation also touches on the future of jazz and the role of magic in entertainment, particularly through the lens of the television show 'Fool Us.'

More info from this episode

Dave McKenna plays Nobody Else But Me (YouTube)

Ben Patterson at the Green Mill (YouTube)

Lance Burton (YouTube)

Penn & Teller's Fool Us on the CW

More info about Mike Close

Mike Close

Magic by Mike Close on Vanishing Magic, Inc