The VJC Q&T podcast is produced by the Valley Jazz Cooperative and hosted by VJC Director Russell Schmidt. In each episode, Russ shares questions and tangents (Q&T) with musicians, artists, and friends. Whether discussing seminal moments that have shaped the lives of our guests, pondering the nature of creativity, or exploring any interesting digressions that come up, the conversation is always entertaining.
The VJC Q&T podcast: Two roads diverge in a wood...and we’re cool with both.
Phoenix-based saxophonist/composer/educator Mary Petrich stops by the VJC Q&T podcast for a spirited conversation with host Russell Schmidt. A founding member of the Nash Composers Coalition, Mary is deeply admired by her peers for her uniquely creative voice, both as a performer and composer. Join us today as we share questions and tangents on such matters as how practice habits can morph into compositions, the connection between vibration in one’s horn and vibration in the body, and even consider how the creative process might be analogous to excavation.
NOTE: This episode was recorded in late February 2020. It is the final VJC Q&T episode to be recorded prior to the massive upheaval resulting from the global pandemic. While thought was given to shelving this episode–as the current state of affairs goes blissfully unmentioned throughout–the decision was made to release it nonetheless, in large part because it frequently focuses on beauty in the creative process.
12 Mar 2020
Q&T with Nancy Buck – State of the Union (Vol. II)
Noted classical artist/teacher Nancy Buck (Arizona State University Associate Professor of Viola; Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Arizona Violacademy) returns to the VJC Q&T podcast, joining host Russell Schmidt for more questions and tangents. Nancy and Russ have shared a journey together in music education since they first met in 1995 at Bowling Green State University’s new faculty orientation, and have maintained a joyous partnership on and off the concert stage for more than 20 years. In this second of their podcasts together, they discuss why playing with others must be an “ears-over-eyes” experience, what it means to contribute texture to music, and even how varieties of chocolate might relate to a performing artist’s concept of sound.
27 Feb 2020
Q&T with Nancy Buck – State of the Union (Vol. I)
VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with classical artist/teacher Nancy Buck (Arizona State University Associate Professor of Viola; Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Arizona Violacademy). They have shared a journey together in music education since they first met in 1995 at Bowling Green State University’s new faculty orientation, and have maintained a joyous partnership on and off the concert stage for more than 20 years. In this first of two podcasts together, they discuss the pervasive impact a great mentor teacher can have, the factors that shifted her path from violinist to violist, and even the unexpected benefits that may fall to the first student of the day to get a lesson.
1 Feb 2020
Q&T with Caleb Kilian & Russell Schmidt – The Big 180 (with a side of Parlando-Rubato)
The tables have turned. In this episode, VJC Q&T producer Caleb Kilian interviews the usual podcast host, Russell Schmidt. Together, they share questions and tangents on a number of subjects, including the intersection of objectivity and subjectivity in education, how a mentor teacher continues to impact his life thirty years after his passing, and even why musicians “playing in parallel” might not be as good a thing as it sounds.
12 Dec 2019
Q&T with Clarke Rigsby – And Russ Forgets To Ask About Snuff Garrett
VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with Emmy-winning recording engineer/composer Clarke Rigsby (Founder/Owner of Tempest Recording in Tempe, AZ). In various studio recordings and/or live performances, Clarke has collaborated with such artists as Joey DeFrancesco, Bo Diddley, Paul McCartney, Blake Shelton, Stevie Wonder, Trisha Yearwood, Tower of Power, and many, many other greats. Join Russ and Clarke in a spirited discussion as they explore the sense of occasion that can happen for musicians entering a recording studio, why system upgrades aren’t always evidence of progress, and even what is or isn’t lurking inside a tube amp. (Spoiler alert: Those aren’t light bulbs back there.)
8 Nov 2019
Q&T with Pam Morita – Music and Love and Working on Ourselves
VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and educator Pam Morita (The Nash Futures Workshop, Paradise Valley Community College). In this episode, they discuss Pam’s transition from a classical piano student to a working jazz musician, why she is particularly motivated to work with music students who are at the beginning of their jazz journeys, and even how a more optimistic worldview allows her to find beauty in some interesting places.
3 Oct 2019
Q&T with Genevieve Rice – Oatmeal in My Formula (and Other Delights)
In this episode, host Russell Schmidt takes the VJC Q&T podcast in a surprising direction. As part of a goal to explore creativity in different fields, and not merely within the realm of jazz musicians, he shares questions and tangents with comedian Genevieve Rice (https://genevieverice.com/). Among the topics considered: how a one-time, open mic opportunity grew into a stand-up career, whether or not the writing of a particular joke is ever truly finished, and even the impact motherhood has had on her comedy.
5 Sept 2019
Q&T&T with Tito Carrillo & Paul Ferguson – The Back-to-School Edition
In this special Jazz Educators Panel episode, VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with artist-teachers Tito Carrillo (Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Paul Ferguson (Director of Jazz Studies at Case Western Reserve University). Together, they discuss preferred pedagogical approaches and examine trends and tendencies found with their current students. Among the topics considered: the differences between a practice mindset and a performance mindset, the educational benefits of free improvisation, and even the value of a more tactile learning experience.
1 Aug 2019
Q&T with Michael Kocour (Part II) – Dancer, Interrupted
VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt continues to share questions and tangents with jazz pianist, organist, composer, educator Michael Kocour (Director of Jazz Studies at Arizona State University). In this second of two podcasts together, they discuss the sometimes-random nature in discovering one’s passions and influences, the deeper truths revealed on vinyl records, and even the lengthy path to be travelled just to join a school’s “stage band”.
1 Jul 2019
Q&T with Michael Kocour (Part I) – São Paulo, Sapporo, Chicago
VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with jazz pianist, organist, composer, educator Michael Kocour (Director of Jazz Studies at Arizona State University). In the first of two podcasts, Mike and Russ discuss the potential dangers a sabbatical can bring, talk about an unlikely mentor for the study of Brazilian music, and even find a point at which Oscar Peterson and Johnny Costa intersect.
1 Jul 2019
Q&T with Paul Ferguson: God, Football, and Country (in whatever order…)
VJC Q&T podcast host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with jazz composer, arranger, trombonist Paul Ferguson (Director of Jazz Studies at Case Western Reserve University, Artistic Director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra). Together, Paul and Russ explore a wide range of topics, including the emotional heft of musical memory, the serendipity of finding the right teacher at the right time, and even the overriding cultural ethos permeating northeast Ohio.
24 Jun 2019
Q&T with Tito Carrillo - Where The Magic Happens
In this initial VJC Q&T podcast, host Russell Schmidt shares questions and tangents with jazz trumpeter, composer, educator Tito Carrillo (Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Their wide-ranging conversation delves into the relationship between performing and teaching, the importance of musical communication, the nature of creativity, and even the value of liner notes in this digital age.
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