People.Of.Earth

This week’s guest is French born, New York residing bassist/producer Ben Zwerin.  Ben is the current touring bass player with Angelique Kidjo and has also performed and recorded with the likes of Lila Downs, Lionel Loueke, Claudia Acuña and Junacho Herrera to name a few. In this extensive interview, Ben and I talk about his experience growing up in Paris, attending the Berklee College of Music, his story of coming to NYC and his th...

This week’s guest is one of my favorite musicians in NYC, the amazing Mike Eckroth. Mike is a prolific pianist/composer who may have one of the most diverse and eclectic resumes to speak of. He has played with everyone from top jazz artists including John Scofield and Ron McClure, various Cuban, Salsa and South American artist such as Ralph Irizarry and Festejation, to his own groups Peliroja, La Voz De Tres and Melaz...

In this week’s episode I have the honor and pleasure of sitting down with one of the greatest bass players that has ever lived, the one and only John Benitez. For those of you who don’t know, John is a five-time GRAMMY award-winning bassist that has played with Tito Puente, Chick Corea, Danilo Perez, John Scofield, David Sanchez and countless other A-list artists in the Jazz, Latin-jazz and Latin Dance Music idioms. O...

This week’s guest is pianist, composer and self-proclaimed sound crafter Alejandro “Alejo” Zuleta. While Alejo works in many guises in NYC as a professional pianist, choir director and composer for TV and film, this interview primarily revolves around his group The Vallenato Collective. This unique ensemble focuses on translating vallenato repertoire, traditionally lead by the accordion, to the piano. In this episode,...

This week’s guest is none other than bassist Bam Bam Rodriguez. Bam Bam was born in Caracas, Venezuela and has been a part of the NYC music scene since 2012. He has performed and collaborated with Claudia Acuña, Ari Hoenig, Yayo Serka, Juancho Herrera, Arturo O’Farrill and regularly tours with La Crema Paraiso. In this interview he discusses his journey from Venezuela to Europe, his early days in New York as well his ...

This week’s guest is none other than guitarist, vocalist and composer Juancho Herrera. Juancho has made a name for himself in the Latin, South American and world music scene as both one of New York’s most sought after sideman and most creative bandleaders. He has served as guitarist for Lila Downs, Marta Gomez, Claudia Acuña and Sofia Rei amongst countless others. He has multiple recordings out under his own name, inc...

This week our guest is guitarist/composer Richard Padrón. Born in Cuba, raised in Miami and currently residing in NYC, Richard has made a name for himself as a sideman with Zé Luis Oliveira, Lauren Hill, Victor Prieto and many other eclectic groups in New York. He also writes and records with his own group and has been commissioned to compose for orchestra and film alike. In this interview he discusses finding and car...

I am very excited to have the incomparably multifaceted Bobby Sanabria as this week’s guest. For those who don’t know, Bobby is a GRAMMY-nominated drummer, percussionists and all-around renaissance man who has performed and recorded with nearly every great jazz and latin-jazz artist imaginable as both a leader, and as a sideman. In this interview, Bobby and I talk about his life and career, his development as an educa...

Our guest for today is drummer/percussionist/composer Fernando Garcia. Originally hailing from Puerto Rico, Fernando now calls New York City home and has made a name for himself as a both a consummate sideman and bandleader. In our conversation, Garcia reflects on his education, his time at Berklee’s Valencia campus, his amazing cast of musical mentors as well as his various recording projects with his own group, the ...

Our guest this week is People of Earth’s very own Victor Pablo. Victor is a highly in-demand percussionist who’s versatility has taken him from the pits of Broadway to Carnegie Hall and everywhere in between. He also serves as People of Earth’s musical director and writer of a considerable amount of POE’s repertoire. In this episode, Victor reflects on his development as a composer/arranger as well as his role in the ...

Our guest this week is none other than the mighty Rachel Therrien. Rachel is an acclaimed trumpeter, composer and bandleader originally from Quebec and now resides in NYC. She has four recordings under her own name and tours extensively with her own group as well with DIVA Jazz Orchestra among others. She is also a member of People of Earth's amazing horn section. In this interview we talk about her career in both Can...

This episode is the first half of a two-part interview with Chilean drummer Edgardo "Yayo" Serka. Yayo is currently the drummer/percussionist with Mexican pop singer Lila Downs and Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo. He has also performed with Claudia Acuña, Bobby Watson, Frankie Paris, the Chico O’Farrill Orchestra, the gospel choir of the Walker Memorial Baptist Group, and various other artists. In this inte...

In this episode we'll be sitting down with Grammy awarding winning percussionist Keita Ogawa. Keita is one of the most versatile and sought-after percussionists/drummers in New York City and can be seen on stages all over the world with Snarky puppy, J-Squad, Banda Magda, Bokantè, Camila Meza and the Nectar Orchestra, Clarice Assad and numerous other groups. In this interview he refelcts on his personal journey from Japan to the US...