Hosts
Tom Banyai
Bluegrass Junction
Tom Banyai grew up in a household exposed to all sorts of wonderful
music, especially classical and jazz. When he went to his first music
festival (Newport ’66) he was captivated by live acoustic performance.
Coffee houses and small clubs from New Haven to New York City were a
hotbed of folk and roots music where he grew to love the energy and
immediacy of live performance. The early days of FM radio in the city and
on Connecticut colleges recreated some of this same excitement. After
hearing radio tributes to Joe Val, he attended his first Bluegrass
Festival (WinterHawk ’85) and was captured by the heart & soul of the
music. Tom still prefers a live concert or festival, but when he
discovered Bluegrass on the radio on stations like WICN, he became a huge
fan. When WICN put out a call for volunteers, Tom was already well known
to the Bluegrass DJs through his financial backing and persistent calls
for requests. After volunteering at the station, it was natural that Tom
would end up as a regular host behind the microphone sharing his love of
the music. He has been doing a weekly Bluegrass show on WICN since
October, 1989. “Being a DJ is like getting to play some of your favorite
songs for a friend – except that you have a huge library of songs and the
friend is always there for 4 hours every Tuesday night.”
Brian Barlow
A Tasteful Blend
After pursuing a degree in Art at the University of Massachusetts,
Brian Barlow traveled the world for two years before settling into a
career in retail distributing hi-end audio products. Over a twenty-five
year career, Brian led in the start-up, management and strategic planning
of four stores and a service center in the New England region. In 1996 all
interests were sold. Since 1985 Brian has been an on air volunteer for WICN while he ran his
businesses and raised his children. In 1999 he was hired as the Executive
Director of WICN to re-invigorate the struggling station. Six years later
WICN is a healthy, vital cultural contributor to the central New England
region. Listenership and membership have increased 50% and corporate
support has increased 400%! Brian just recently managed the station
through a capital campaign to move to new facilities and enhance WICN’s
commitment to the region.
Dee Dee Bridgewater
JazzSet
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater shares her knowledge and enthusiasm about
jazz as host of National Public Radio’s popular series JazzSet with Dee
Dee Bridgewater. The weekly, hour-long program of live jazz recordings
is produced by WBGO 88.3 FM/Newark, New Jersey. Only a handful of
entertainers have ever commanded such depth of artistry in every medium.
Fewer still have won a Tony, two Grammys, and the top musical honor in
France -- the Victoire de la Musique -- plus been nominated for London
theater's Laurence Olivier Award. Dee Dee captured the hearts of audiences
worldwide in The Wiz with her signature song, "If You Believe." As
a sparkling ambassador for jazz, she bathed in its music before she could
walk. Her mother played the greatest albums of Ella Fitzgerald, whose
artistry provided an inspiration for Dee Dee throughout her career. Her
father was a trumpeter who taught music to Booker Little, Charles Lloyd
and George Coleman, among others. It's the kind of background that leaves
its mark on an adolescent, especially one who appeared solo and with a
trio as soon as she was able. Dee Dee's other vocation, that of
globetrotter, reared its head when she toured the Soviet Union in 1969
with the University of Illinois Big Band. A year later, she followed her
then husband, Cecil Bridgewater, to New York. Dee Dee made her phenomenal
New York debut in 1970 as the lead vocalist for the band led by Thad Jones
and Mel Lewis, one of the premier jazz orchestras of the time. These New
York years marked an early career in concerts and on recordings with such
giants as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach and
Roland Kirk, and rich experiences with Norman Connors, Stanley Clarke and
Frank Foster's Loud Minority. Dee Dee doesn't care much for labels, and in
1974 she jumped at the chance to act and sing on Broadway where her voice,
beauty and stage presence won her great success and a Tony Award for her
role as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz. This began a long line of
awards and accolades as well as opportunities to work in Tokyo, Los
Angeles, Paris and in London where she garnered the coveted Laurence
Olivier Award nomination as Best Actress for her portrayal of jazz legend
Billie Holiday in Stephen Stahl's Lady Day. Performing the lead in
equally demanding acting/singing roles as Sophisticated Ladies,
Cosmopolitan Greetings, Black Ballad, Carmen Jazz and
the musical Cabaret (as the first black actress to star as Sally
Bowles), she secured her reputation as a consummate entertainer.
Ken Campbell
JazzWorks
Ken Campbell is on staff at WSKG - in Binghamton, NY and is approaching his
10th anniversary. While he's hosted every kind of musical program on the
station's schedule, his first reason for pursuing work in public radio was his
love of jazz. A native of Bloomington, Indiana, and the son of a classical music
devotee, Ken didn't hear a lot of jazz growing up. He began to discover the
music when he picked up the saxophone during his days at Denison University, in
Granville, OH. His growing passion for jazz led to him hosting a show on the
college radio station. He graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music,
and has been involved in radio since then, having spent a year with WHCU/Lite 97
in Ithaca, NY, followed by WSKG, starting in 1991. In 1995, WSKG added a jazz
radio service, WSQX 91.5, and Ken was assigned almost exclusively to the new
station. With the advent of JazzWorks, he's been switched to morning announcer
on WSKG's primary service, but remains Music Director for WSQX. Ken has, when
his schedule permits, continued to pursue his saxophone playing since
graduation. He's played with the Harpur Jazz Ensemble (Binghamton University)
and the Cornell University Lab Ensembles, as a "community member". In his times
with those bands he's had the thrill of sharing the stage with the likes of
Donald Byrd, Dr. Billy Taylor, Toshiko Akiyoshi and McCoy Tyner.
Howard Caplan
The Saturday Swing Session
Howard
grew up the son of a swing-era big-band drummer, but his dad’s love of swing and
jazz took some time to rub off on him. An admitted “Top 40/Adult Contemporary
refugee”, Howard came to his senses a few years ago when, in a fit of trying to
find quality music, he discovered WICN on his car radio coming home from work on
the Mass. Pike. Since that moment, he's become addicted to all variations of
jazz and swing. He’s a huge fan of all types of music. He enjoys everything from
the blues to rock to opera, to yes, even Top-40. A lawyer by trade, Howard
practiced law in Boston and taught at Suffolk University Law School before
joining the Massachusetts Medicaid agency, MassHealth, where he currently serves
as Director of External Communications and Training for Special Initiatives.
Howard also has an extensive radio background. He has hosted political talk
shows on five Worcester and Boston-area talk stations. He's also produced and
hosted with his wife, Mirick O’Connell attorney Patricia Davidson, the
syndicated cable television talk show “Night at the Round Table” for 13 years.
He's delighted to help his listeners get their weekends off to a great start by
presenting the legendary sounds of Ella, Ellington, Sinatra and Bennett on
The Saturday Swing Session every Saturday morning from 8 to 10.
Steve D'Agostino
The Business Beat
Steve began hosting The Business Beat in 1995. The show was born
out of his passion for reporting and paralleled his duties as Editor of
Worcester Business Journal (1992-2004), a regional
business-to-business newspaper serving Central Massachusetts and
Metrowest. Prior to that, Steve was Managing Editor of WBJ from 1990 to
1992 and of its immediate predecessor, Business Worcester, from
1987 to 1990. He also served as a Staff Reporter for Worcester Magazine,
an alternative newspaper serving Greater Worcester, from 1992 to 1997. He
is a Board Member of Junior Achievement of Central Massachusetts, a member
of the Steering Committee of Common Pathways' Community Indicators
Project, which is co-sponsored by the United Way of Central Massachusetts,
and a Corporator, Past President, Past Board Member and Past Grant
Committee Chair of Regatta Point Community Sailing. Steve is presently
also Principal of Best Rate of Climb - Local Connections & Immediate
Actions to Help Your Corporate Relations Take Off & Fly, a marketing and
communications consulting firm based in Worcester. In his spare time,
Steve enjoys traveling with his wife Lana Jones, who is a news reporter anchor
for WBZ/1030 AM in Boston - particularly to coastal Maine and to Central
America. His other pastimes include taking flying lessons, sailing,
bicycling, roller-blading, hiking, ice skating, cross-country skiing and,
whenever possible, just plain goofing off.
Al Dean
The Jazz Matinee
Following retirement in 1998 from the automobile world as a Volkswagen
dealer, regional manager for Subaru of America and Midas franchisee, Al
became an on air announcer at WICN in 1999. This was his first experience
in the broadcasting field and allowed him to dig into his closet of old
vinyl's and share them with his audience on the Sunday afternoon edition
of The Jazz Matinee. He continually enjoys talking with and meeting
the listeners and entertainers who all make the music possible. During his
time away from the station, Al flies his airplane (which he constructed
himself) up and down the East Coast to visit friends and family. He is
also assisting other builders in the construction of their own planes.
Al's other hobbies include rebuilding his 1955 VW Bug, the restoration of
old radios and model work.
Nick Noble
Folk Revival
A long-time educator (he has taught middle school and high school history for twenty-six years), Nick Noble is a big fan of folk music, especially the folk revival period of the 50s and 60s. He enjoys sharing this passion with the radio audience, and he always likes hearing from listeners with ideas, suggestions, information, conversation, and requests. A resident of Worcester, Nick writes books in his spare time, with five published to date—all on obscure historical topics of very specific or local interest, with a sixth (on folk music and “the Great Folk music scare” from 1959-1964) at the publisher now—and he loves to read (others’ work, not his own). He is also a sometime singer (thirty years ago he belonged to one of the last collegiate folk groups before a capella became the rage), a part-time poet, and a full-time husband and father. Nick is also a loyal WICN member and an active WICN volunteer.
Jeff Fox
Jazz with Jeff Fox / JazzWorks
Jeff is an Associate Professor of English and Japanese at the College
of Southern Idaho, and he is also a working musician who plays guitar,
bass, and saxophone. He has played in the CSI Jazz Orchestra, which played
at the Montreux Jazz Festival and has appeared in New York City at the
International Association of Jazz Educators conference in 2001. He has
fronted several jazz groups over the years ranging from an eight-piece
little big band to a duo featuring sax and guitar. Jeff has also performed
on and produced several CDs for local jazz artists. Jeff has been involved
off and on in jazz radio for over twenty years. In addition to being a
producer and host of the nationally broadcast JazzWorks, he also hosts a
local show which airs on public radio stations in Idaho. Jeff's goal in
his musical performance has always been attracting young players to jazz,
and through his radio shows, he hopes more people will come to know jazz
as an accessible and enjoyable art
Marty Friedman
Sunday Jazz Brunch
Born in the Bronx, New York, Marty Friedman has loved jazz since he was
17. "I was at the New York Public Library looking through the LPs,
realizing that I had already borrowed all the rock albums of interest. So
I decided to branch out. That's when I saw a two-LP set on Prestige called
'The Hawk Flies.' It had a really cool picture on the cover, but it was
the Bean's music that really grabbed me." In college at the City
University of New York, Marty ran the arts department at the school
newspaper, and was able to meet and interview various jazz musicians and
record producers in the New York area. Today, as an amateur guitarist,
Marty jams with friends at parties and the occasional informal gig. "Doing
the Sunday Jazz Brunch is a real thrill because it keeps me current
with the latest releases and allows me to share my passion for music with
the listeners."
Scott Hanley
JazzWorks
Scott Hanley has experience in most aspects of broadcasting, especially
public radio, in a twenty-plus year career. A former reporter, arts producer,
music director, news director and program director, he is active with a number
of influential public broadcasting organizations and is a regular leader or
panelist at national conferences. In a recent addition to his busy schedule, he
has been appointed to an advisory committee for future internet activities of
National Public Radio. Scott has a special affinity for jazz-oriented radio. He
has been a session leader or panelist for many national conferences specifically
related to jazz music and has experience as a concert and festival
producer/promoter. Mr. Hanley also serves as volunteer coordinator of the Jazz
Radio Consortium, an ongoing collaboration between public radio stations intent
on improving jazz programming nationwide. A trained musician, Hanley had an
active performing career in years past, including vocal work in choral,
operatic, musical theater and jazz combo settings, plus instrumental work as a
trombonist. Although he performs infrequently, he is most likely to be heard
these days singing jazz in a small group setting.
Mark Lynch
Inquiry
Mark has been with WICN in some capacity since the very early 1970s,
when the fledgling station started at WPI. His early shows included the
bizarre Psychic Journal and the extremely questionable Put Your
Head On My Shoulder, WICN’s only “advice to the lovelorn” show. Not
content with these short strange spots, he heard “Never Mind The Bullocks”
and immediately joined the Rock Department in the late 1970s. He and Bob
Mercer soon became the department heads and together they rapidly turned
WICN’s alternative take on contemporary rock into one of the most cutting
edge shows in New England. The late nightly show Positive Noise
garnered recognition and praise from bands and press all over the world by
being the first on any radio station to play bands like The Galloping
Coroners from Hungary and promoting artists like Laurie Anderson. All the
while that Mark was on the air till 3 a.m., he was simultaneously getting
up early to study birds and to teach at the Worcester Art Museum. This
schedule could only go on for so long, and he retired from Positive
Noise in the mid-1980s. It was then that he decided that the best way
to understand his bifurcated life in art and science was to listen to
artists and scientists speak, and so Inquiry was born and has been
on the air ever since. Besides hosting Inquiry, Mark still teaches
(and is a docent) at the Worcester Art Museum, typically offering classes
on Contemporary and Modern Art. He is an ecological monitor, teacher and
trip leader at the Massachusetts Audubon Society at Broad Meadow Brook and
is currently writing an ornithogeography of the Blackstone National
Corridor. He is the Book Review Editor at the ornithology journal "Bird
Observer".
Marian McPartland
Piano Jazz
The fact that an individual born in a small English village near Windsor
Castle should become one of the leading proponents of America’s Great Musical
Idiom is, actually, not as ironic as it may seem to be. A musical prodigy from
the time she could sit at the piano, she studied classical music, mastered the
violin as well, and simply worshipped jazz, taking Duke, Teddy Wilson, and
others to heart while looking to Mary Lou Williams, Lil Hardin, and Hazel Scott
as trailblazers she’d likely follow. In 1938 McPartland was enrolled at the
Guildhall School of Music in London when Billy Mayerl, a well-known music hall
entertainer, asked her to join The Claviers, his four-piano stage act, and
despite a thousand pound counter-offer from her father to stay in school, the
young pianist assumed the stage name of “Marian Page” and hit the vaudeville
circuit with Mayerl. Subsequent work in a piano duo with Roma Clarke undoubtedly
enhanced McPartland’s skill in sympathetic accompaniment—and, one could say,
paved the way for the duets featured on her Piano Jazz radio program. In
1944, while entertaining British and American troops in Belgium, she met Jimmy
McPartland, a prominent traditional-style cornetist from Chicago (and eleven
years her senior). The two musicians fell in love and the following year they
were married at a military base in Germany. After the war Jimmy McPartland
brought his young wife to the Windy City, where the couple worked until they
moved to Manhattan in 1949. Although the McPartlands divorced in 1970, they
continued to work together, stayed friends, and eventually remarried. To this
day Marian McPartland credits her late husband for helping to establish her
professional career in the U. S. and for encouraging her broader musicianship
through jobs with other bandleaders and instrumentalists. From 1952 to 1960
Marian McPartland led a trio at the Hickory House, a restaurant-cum-nightclub on
Manhattan’s legendary 52nd Street, and it was there that the pianist grew in
stature among her peers and legions of jazz fans, the casual and cognoscenti
alike. On any given night those in attendance to hear McPartland play might
include Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Steve Allen, Oscar Peterson, Artie Shaw, and
all kinds of celebrities from Broadway to Hollywood, along with musicians like
Bucky Pizzarelli and Paul Bley hoping to sit in with the band. She hosted a
radio show on the Pacifica Radio Network station WBAI-FM in New York City, and
also helped to develop and participated in a jazz education program for
Washington, DC, schoolchildren that ended up becoming a model for similar
endeavors around the country. On top of it all, McPartland, who’d supplied
Down Beat with some concert reviews back in 1949, took up the pen
occasionally to write witty and prescient appreciations and remembrance-filled
essays for different magazines, which were collected in a volume titled "All in
Good Time" in 1987. The book was reissued by the University of Illinois Press in
February 2003 as "Marian McPartland’s Jazz World" with new postscripts from the
author. The best-known forum for her enthusiastic advocacy of the improviser’s
art, however, has been, and continues to be, Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz,
the radio program heard weekly on NPR for the past 25 years, making the series
NPR’s longest-running cultural program. Developed and presented by South
Carolina Educational Radio, Piano Jazz today reaches listeners in 45
states and 24 foreign countries. Featuring intimate piano duets and impromptu
conversation, twenty-six new installments of the hour-long show are taped each
year with guests who have included nearly all the important jazz artists of the
age and other musical luminaries like Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, and the members
of Steely Dan. McPartland has released over 60 albums on Concord Records, and
her twenty-five-year-long tenure at the label represents quite an enviable
milestone in itself. On March 20, 2003, Marian McPartland turned 85, but fans
and interviewers should wisely refrain from using the word “octogenarian” in her
presence. She continues to perform for audiences around the world, and, needless
to say, talk of retirement confounds the seemingly indefatigable pianist,
entertainer and legend who has guests booked for Piano Jazz two years
from now.
Wynton Marsalis
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz
musician, trumpeter, composer, bandleader, advocate for the arts, and educator,
Wynton Marsalis has helped propel jazz to the forefront of American culture. His
prominent position in American culture was solidified in April 1997, when he
became the first jazz artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music for his
work Blood on the Fields, which was commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln
Center. He has served as the world-renowned arts organization’s artistic
director as well as music director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
(formerly known as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra since its inception). In
1982, Marsalis made his recording debut as a leader, and over the last two
decades, he has produced a catalogue of more than 40 jazz and classical
recordings for Columbia Jazz and Sony Classical, which have won him nine Grammy
Awards. In 1983, he became the first and only artist to win both classical and
jazz Grammy Awards in one year, and repeated this feat in 1984. Marsalis’s
commitment to improving people’s lives through music and his contributions to
the arts paint a portrait of his character and humanity. He is internationally
respected as a teacher and a spokesman for music education, having received
honorary degrees from 29 of the nation's leading academic institutions,
including Columbia, Brown, Princeton, and Yale universities. As Jazz at Lincoln
Center’s artistic director, music director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center
Orchestra, and now host of Jazz at Lincoln Center Radio, Marsalis
continues to spread the spirit of swing and raise awareness of jazz in the
consciousness of the American public and the world.
Tony Mowod
JazzWorks
In addition to hosting his nightly show (which can be heard around the
country on the JazzWorks Network) Tony Mowod is the Executive Producer of Jazz
at WDUQ-FM 90.5, the President and Founder of the Pittsburgh Jazz Society, and
has been one of Pittsburgh's most enduring champions of jazz for over four
decades. Even as a teenager, Tony, dazzled by the tremendous number of jazz
greats from his native Pittsburgh, responded to them not only as a fan does, but
as a young musician himself. (The vibraphone was his instrument of choice after
studying classical piano as a youngster.) Tony has also been involved in
theater. Appearing off-Broadway and on TV, as well as local pursuits in
professional summer stock, the Pittsburgh Playhouse, Pittsburgh Children's
Theater, and Duquesne University's Red Masquers, among others. Mowod also serves
on the board of the American Federation of Jazz Societies. Tony's ongoing love
affair with jazz music is rekindled each night as he reminds listeners to
"...keep a bit of love in your heart, and a taste of jazz in your soul." More
than words to Tony Mowod, they are his philosophy.
Karen Mungal
Tonal Vision
Karen Mungal first came to WICN in 2000 as a volunteer, answering
phones for a WICN fund-raising event. In the fall of 2003, the opportunity
arose to host Tonal Vision on a bi-weekly basis. Karen offered to
fill that position and quickly found her stride. Shortly thereafter, she
became the full-time host of Tonal Vision, sharing her eclectic
selections of New Age and World music with listeners every week. A native
of Trinidad, Karen moved to Boston in 1989 to attend Suffolk University
where she was deeply involved with the international student community,
mentoring incoming students, and touring Europe in 1992. Karen brings her
worldly perspective and unique ear for music to Tonal Vision, where
the mix of songs is always evolving. In addition to her radio host
responsibilities, Karen practices Shaolin Kempo Karate and Tai' Chi, and
enjoys raising her daughter.
Tyra Penn
A Tasteful Blend / Jazz New England
Tyra Penn started as Development Coordinator for WICN in January of
2003. In that role, she was active in supporting and promoting New
England’s jazz, folk and blues music venues; organizing volunteers; and
serving as the permanent on-air substitute host for all of WICN’s musical
genres. As Jazz Coordinator, she is now taking on the additional role of
host of two of WICN's programs: A Tasteful Blend and the popular Jazz New England. She received her
education in musical theatre at the Hartt School of Music and the Boston
Conservatory. Outside of WICN, Tyra is a jazz and blues vocalist with a
number of local ensembles: The Paul Combs Pocket Big Band out of
Haverhill; Worcester-based jump blues and swing band The Red Riders; and
two eponymous jazz quartets of her own, featuring Paul Courchaine on
guitar and Sai Ghose on piano, respectively.
John Pizzarelli
Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli
John
Pizzarelli has had a multi-faceted career as a jazz guitarist, vocalist and
bandleader. Internationally known for classic standards, late-night ballads, and
the cool jazz flavor he brings to his performances and recordings, he has
recently established himself as the consummate entertainer and radio program
host with the launch of Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli a
nationally-syndicated radio program co-hosted with his wife, Broadway star
Jessica Molaskey. Born on April 6, 1960, in Paterson, New Jersey, Pizzarelli has
been playing guitar since age six, following in the tradition of his father,
guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli. Hanging out with his father, John was exposed to
all the great jazz music of the era, from Erroll Garner and Les Paul to Django
Reinhardt. He began playing with his father at age 20, before going out on his
own. A veteran radio personality, Pizzarelli hosted New York Tonight on
WNEW from 1984-1988. Now, with the launch of Radio Deluxe with John
Pizzarelli, he brings warmth, humor and that long-lost "live" feel back to
radio. The show takes place in their "deluxe living room," where he and his
guests play live and recorded music, and enjoy conversation that is relaxed,
candid, and off-the-cuff. Recent guests include Regis Philbin, Liza Minnelli,
Peter Cincotti, Keely Smith, Steve Tyrell and Tony Danza.
Dave Radlauer
Jazz Rhythm
For 20 years producer Dave Radlauer has presented classic jazz on public
radio hosting over 150 hours of live and recorded jazz concerts on KALW in San
Francisco. His interviews with jazz veterans are preserved in a special
collection of the San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation archive. Dave is a
professional audio engineer specializing in recording classic jazz, audio
restoration, and spoken word programs. His broadcasts and research have led to
collaborations with an international network of jazz collectors, musicians, and
enthusiasts. Dave worked with Antenna Audio Tours producing an award-winning
self-guided audio tour of Alcatraz Island and the interpretive tape guides to
major museum art exhibitions. He has directed such celebrity narrators as Meryl
Streep, Richard Gere, and Edward James Olmos. His two cats are named Bix and
Jelly.
Dana Robbins
Jazz Rocks
Dana Robbins grew up in the small town of Millbury, MA with musical influence
from his father as he listened and watched him play the guitar at various family
functions through the years. After graduating from GTE Sylvania Technical School
in Waltham, MA in 1983, Dana worked as an electronics technician with natural
gas detection equipment for 4 years while he took up guitar and drumming as a
hobby. After moving into the newspaper business in 1987 with the Middlesex
News in Framingham, Robbins relocated to Florida in 1989 and worked for the
Tampa Tribune while also putting his self-taught drumming skills to use
in a local blues band called Borderline. Robbins then married, and moved his
wife and two kids back to good ol' Millbury where he began his 13-year tenure at
the Worcester Telegram & Gazette as a manager in the circulation
department. Since returning to Massachusetts in 1993, Dana has dabbled in a few
different musical projects including a brief stint with a local blues band and
producer for Starry Nights Entertainment. Now a grandfather, Robbins' musical
tastes have migrated from blues through fusion and settled into a healthy
obsession with jazz. His spin on jazz can be heard late Friday nights with
co-host Walter St. Denis on Jazz Rocks.
Norm Rosen
Saturday Night Fish Fry
Norm Rosen grew up in the New York City and Washington, D.C. areas as a
kid where he was surrounded by a vibrant Blues and Rockabilly scene. As a
teenager, he would sneak into many of the area clubs to see some of the
top musicians perform. One of his earliest concerts was a free show at
American University featuring B.B. King. Norm spent some time as a booking
agent and music critic in New York where he worked closely with groups
like The Johnny Copeland Band, Larry Davis, and Jimmy Dawkins. In 1989
Norm got his first on-air radio experience at an alternative station in
Pittsburgh. Since then he has worked his way through the New England radio
network with stops at WRIU, WATD, WHOB, WGBH and now WICN where he
educates and entertains his listeners with the various styles of the
Blues.
Tom Shaker
Soul Serenade
Tom Shaker is a professor at Dean College where he directs the Communications
Program. He grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY, the son of a plumbing contractor who
was a jazz nut. They fought like cats and dogs over the one stereo in the house
until Tom realized his Dad was right, Billie Holiday IS better than Grand Funk
Railroad. He spends his weekends saving diners for the American Diner Museum and
listening to all kinds of music. In addition to international travel, Tom loves
hitting the road to visit music festivals, diners, drive-ins and oddball
museums. He has an extensive collection of not only jazz, country, soul and
gospel, but Hawaiian, hillbilly and early 1920s dance band music. Over the
years, Tom worked in radio, television and film production, before pursuing his
academic career, receiving a masters degree from UMASS and a doctorate degree
from Boston University. He is currently working on a book and documentary about
the history of jazz in Rhode Island. Tom’s also on the Board of Directors of the
New England Jazz Alliance.
Joe Slezik
The Jazz Matinee
Joe was born in Concord, MA but grew up in Bellingham. Coming from a
musical family he was often appointed "booking agent" in providing music
for school dances. Following high school he attended Dean College in
Franklin and later Graduated from Northeast Broadcasting School in Boston
and at the age of 18 was hired by WMRC in Milford as an evening disc
jockey seven nights a week. In a 17-year period Joe was employed by
various radio stations in over a dozen towns including Providence,
Springfield, Worcester and many in between. The deterioration of popular
music forced him out of the radio business and in 1978 he became an
antiques auctioneer. After hearing WICN in 1985, Joe became the host of
Thursday morning's "A Tasteful Blend" and later the Saturday "Jazz
Matinee" (upon the retirement of his good friend Mary Mardirossian). Joe
and his wife Pat now live in Paxton and have 3 children and 6
grandchildren. They continue their romance with antiques, old houses and
most of all...music.
Walter St. Denis
Jazz Rocks
Walter E. St. Denis is a resident of Millbury, MA and has lived in the area
most of his life. He spent 2 years in Denver, CO where he finished his 15-year
career in the financial services industry. Upon returning to Massachusetts, he
earned an Associates Degree from Quinsigamond Community College. He is currently
employed as a medical coder for St. Vincent Hospital at Worcester Medical
Center. Walter was exposed to jazz at an early age. His father was a jazz buff
with a penchant for Dixieland and big band. His mother was a jazz and classical
pianist. Walter played the clarinet in his youth and the drums in his teens and
twenties. His passion for jazz includes trips to New York clubs, including
Birdland and Sweet Rhythm, where he had the opportunity to personally speak with
artists such as Lenny White, Michael Brecker, Michel Camilo, Joe Lovano, Dave
Holland and Vijay Iyer. Along with co-host Dana Robbins, he brings that same
passion to their program Jazz Rocks, heard Friday nights from 11 p.m.
to 2 a.m.
Bob Studebaker
JazzWorks
Bob Studebaker is the host of WDUQ's morning jazz program, Monday through
Fridays from 9 a.m. to Noon, and also serves as the station's production
director. Bob is a Pittsburgh native. In addition to his independent work in
audio production, he has worked since 1980 with various radio stations in the
Pittsburgh market including WNUF, WWCL, WXXP, WORD, WQKB, WMXP, and WJJJ. With
an avid interest in history, Bob has taught the "History of Jazz" at Carnegie
Mellon University's Academy for Lifelong Learning, tracing the roots of jazz
from 17th century West Africa to the many influences and experiences that have
contributed to the evolution of "America's classical music." Bob has also hosted
high school students in the Professional Experience Program at Penn Hills,
teaching them about and giving hands-on experience with recording and editing
for radio.
Troy Tyree
American Roots Radio
No biographical information at this time
Al Vuona
The Public Eye
Al Vuona has been with WICN for the past nine years. He holds degrees
in business and economics and his background in sales, marketing and small
business gives him a unique perspective on people and issues. He spent 8
years as License Commissioner for the city of Worcester gaining valuable
experience on the inner workings of state and local government. A public
speaker who enjoys interacting with an audience, he has given
presentations and workshops on effective communications, marketing, sales
and customer service. He is a freelance writer who has been published in
local and national publications. Al considers wine, music, a good book and
movies as his passions.
Michelle Willson
Jazz 'n Blue / Voices of Jazz
Michelle has been singing and performing for years. Her singing career
started in church. Michelle began studying voice at the age of fourteen. As well
as singing in local bands, she participated in school musical and dramatic
groups, many of which went on to receive regional and national recognition. In
the summer of 1992, inspired by the music of Dinah Washington, Ruth Brown, Etta
James, Big Maybelle and other great artists, she put together a group of stellar
players to explore jazz, rhythm and blues and other various arcane Americana
tidbits. Today, Michelle and who (or is that whom?) ever she can hoodwink into
answering the phone, are known in over 16 countries as the Evil Gal Festival
Orchestra.
In the summer of 1992 Michelle and her "Evil Gal" band won the annual Boston Battle of the Blues Bands. In part sponsored by the Boston Blues Society, Michelle and the band headed for Memphis and the Blues Foundation's National Talent Competition. They won first place and an opportunity to appear at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena Arkansas. As a result of that performance Michelle was signed by Rounder Records to a multiple record deal. Since then Michelle and “the evils” have been playing to rave reviews in the U.S.A., Canada, Europe and the Middle East. She received a prestigious Handy Award Nomination as well as numerous local, regional, and national nominations and awards.
Nancy Wilson
Jazz Profiles
Nancy Wilson has hosted NPR's Jazz Profiles, radio's first and only
jazz documentary series, since its debut in 1996. An Emmy and Grammy Award
winner, Wilson is a vocalist and all-around performer. She has performed with a
wide range of stellar entertainers from Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstein,
Cannonball Adderley and Louis Jordan to LaVerne Baker, Dinah Washington, Ella
Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Ruth Brown. She has had over thirty albums on the
Billboard charts and produced a slew of hit records such as "Tell Me The Truth,"
"How Glad I Am," "Peace Of Mind," and "Now, I'm A Woman." She continues to tour
and record and released her 60th album on the Columbia label in 1997. For more
than three decades and over the course of more than 50 albums, Nancy has
remained at the forefront of her craft. Her ability to inject a lyric with a
certain magic that breathes life into a song has been the key to satisfying
legions of life-long fans, while waking up the ears of a whole new audience year
after year. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Nancy earned a reputation as an
acclaimed entertainer through her live performances and television appearances,
including a stint with her own Emmy Award-winning NBC-TV series, The Nancy
Wilson Show, a music variety series which guest-starred the best performers
of the era. She also appeared on other variety shows including the Flip
Wilson Show, The Carol Burnett Show, and the Andy Williams Show.
In addition, she has appeared on other major television shows such as The
Tonight Show, The Lou Rawls' Parade of Stars, and the Arsenio Hall
Show. Wilson also had recurring roles on The Cosby Show and the Fox
sitcom Sinbad. Born in Chillicothe, OH, Nancy began honing her craft as a
child while singing ballads such as "I’ll Walk Alone" at eight-years-old and
later listening to Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Dinah Washington, and Little
Jimmy Scott. It was her association with Cannonball Adderley in 1962 that led to
her first hit, "Save Your Love for Me." Since then she has won numerous awards
and honors, including a Grammy, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a United
Negro College Fund Award, the Paul Robeson Humanitarian Award, an Image Award,
and an Essence Award. She is also the recipient of numerous other honors from
such organizations as CORE and the Urban League. A community activist as well as
musical genius, Nancy has been a major force behind several charitable causes
and organizations. She has worked with inner city youth to provide them with
opportunities they wouldn’t have been able to experience and has contributed
time and energy to the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change, the Cancer
Society, the Minority Aids Project, Breast and Ovarian Cancer and NARAS's
Musicares.
