Easy Jazz Spotlight

She's one of the biggest jazz stars in Canada who performs worldwide. Multi-award winning Laila Biali is a singer, pianist and host of a national CBC music show (called Saturday Night Jazz). Laila has headlined many jazz festivals and venues - including New York's Carnegie Hall and Beijing's National Centre for the Arts. Our host Stefan Zaichkowski caught up with Laila as she was working in the mountains of Banff - to speak with her about her career and music. The interview starts with a discussion about Laila's 2026 Grammy nominated album "Wintersongs".

Kelvin Harrison, known as KK the Drummer, took to the drums like a fish takes to water. In this interview with host Stefan Zaichkowski, KK (who has recorded with a range of major artists) explains his philosophy on drum playing and music in general - emphasizing that it's about creating a "feeling" and having fun. Be sure to listen to KK's song "Dinner and a Move" at the end of the interview.

Al and Erica Wong had trouble getting jobs as musicians. So they decided to just open up their own jazz club and hire themselves! That's exactly what they did and their new club, called Jazz at 248 in downtown Ottawa Canada is creating a buzz in the city's jazz community. The couple explained to host Stefan Zaichkowski that they wanted a club where jazz artists of all kinds - beginners included - can jam and practice in front of an audience.

AFJP stands for "Annam's Family Jazz Project" - a Quebec-based jazz band created in 2014 when four passionate musicians met at University. Led by composer Annam Nguyen, the band set out to express jazz using different styles to reach a larger audience. Annam sat down to speak with our host Stefan Zaichkowski. Be sure to hear the band at 59:47 in the interview.

Danish jazz pianist Søren Bebe started playing the piano at age 9 but stopped shortly thereafter because he says “I found it boring.” Thankfully for us, Soren went back to the piano and today is a leading pianist on the European jazz and contemporary music scene. He talks about his life and music with host Stefan Zaichkowski. Be sure to see Soren’s “Evening Song” composition at the end of the video.

Years ago, BC jazz singer and composer Angela Verbrugge moved west from Ontario to pursue an acting career in Vancouver. She would then end up in a car accident, get lost in a remote area of Belize, and survive cancer. Despite those challenges, Angela pursued jazz with a passion. This is her story - one of hope and inspiration as uncovered by host Ken Boyd.

In this edition of Easy Jazz Spotlight, host Britney Dea speaks with California award winning vocalist and song writer Castella. The jazz, soul and R&B performer talks about: her transition from being an executive in the corporate world to an international recording artist; the importance of having mentors; and how she got her stage named "Castella". Following the interview, we play Castella's latest release "Hurt So Bad" with permission from Castella Music (April 2025).

He describes himself as a soul singer who can't sing. But "Fluteman" Darryl Evan Jones of Memphis, Tennessee is one incredible jazz artist who plays the flute in a style that combines the classic sound of artists who came before him with his own rich, modern melodic style. In this interview with our host Stefan Zaichkowski, Darryl says he studied the playing of French classical flautist Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal. Jean-Pierre, who died in 2000, was popular in the US and Japan from the 1960s to the 1980s and was said to be technically perfect on the flute.

He desperately wanted to be a jazz artist, moving to New York City. But bass guitarist Yosef Gutman Levitt (originally from South Africa) found that success doesn't come easily. To support himself, Yosef had to work in restaurants. He did other odd jobs as well - all the while, performing in local venues. Still, real success eluded him. He took a break to reflect on his approach to music, then landed a job as a producer on the Oprah Winfrey show. He also became very good at software programming, creating his own tech company. It was in 2009 that Yosef left the US to live with his family in Israel. In 2014, the giant website company "GoDaddy" purchased his tech firm. It wasn't until just a few years ago, in 2018, that Yosef went back to his first love of music. This time, he worked on a unique approach - combining hasidic melodies with jazz, latin, classical and Middle Eastern influences. And bang - success! Yosef Gutman Levitt, through ingenuity and determination, rose to prominence in the music world. In this interview with host Stefan Zaichkowski, Yosef admits that for years, he was a "lousy musician" but adds, that today, that has become an advantage because he can more easily spot weaknesses. Hear Yosef's music at 54:40.

The legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter, who performed with Miles Davis and many other great jazz artists for decades, turned 87 years old on May 4, 2024. To help celebrate Maestro's birthday, our jazz radio host Ross Morgan (who is also a jazz guitarist) spoke with Ron about his approach to music and working with other artists. Towards the end of the interview, Ross asks Ron if he'd mind doing a liner for Ross's radio show. Ron agrees, but then asks Ross for a favor as well.