Melanie Charles: ‘I can take nothing and turn it into something’

A vocalist whose singing is like a warm embrace, a flutist weaving long, winding pathways of sound, and a groove champion who uses sampling as if it’s a jazz instrument on its own merit, Melanie Charles looks up at the star map of jazz and black music, identifies planets and galaxies, and travels from one place to another, her trajectory connecting the dots spread over 6-7 decades of music and culture — all through the lens of what she calls her ‘personal diaspora’.

Allana Goldsmith: ‘Jazz and the Maori worldview sit so well together’

Halfway into this interview, Allana Goldsmith stopped talking; she welled up, and had to take a breath. She was talking about her effort to reclaim her language, being the first one in her family after generations to learn Maori. A magnificent vocalist, she is using her powerful instrument as a form of activism. Along with pianist Mark Baynes, they have created a hauntingly beautiful collection of songs, exploring the ways jazz — in all its iterations — can blend with Maori culture.

Samara Joy: ‘I was not the typical New York kid’

Samara Joy is that ray of sunshine, crowned Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammys, armed with nothing but her natural talent, a voice that flows like honey, a repertoire championing the legacy of the Great American Songbook, a work ethic that puts many to shame, a team of great musicians who see her as their peer, and what is certainly and unmistakably an old soul. (Okay, all that is certainly not ‘nothing’.)

Jeremy Rose: “Lionel Loueke’s contribution will spur the Vampires onto new musical territory”

“Adding a guitar to the Vampires distinct chord-less sound world is of course new, however we feel that Lionel’s contribution will help inspire and spur us onto new musical territory. Nick and I have also composed music with Lionel in mind, and so the music will accommodate and make way for his unique style of playing.”