John Daversa Podcast

Episode 19: 
Pete Christlieb is a legendary saxophonist whose powerful sound and fearless improvisation continue to shape both jazz and commercial music. He rose to international prominence as a longtime featured soloist with the Doc Severinsen–led Tonight Show Band, where his commanding tenor voice and electrifying presence became instantly recognizable. Christlieb’s recording legacy includes some of the most iconic saxophone moments in popular music, including his lyrical solo on “Deacon Blues” by Steely Dan and his elegant playing on “Unforgettable” by Natalie Cole. Equally respected in the jazz world for his collaborations with Warne Marsh and Chet Baker, Christlieb continues to perform and inspire, embodying a rare blend of virtuosity, soul, and authenticity that resonates across generations.

►about Pete Christlieb: https://petechristlieb.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

►Key Moments:
0:00 - Introductions
1:47: Drag racing, Valley College (Los Angeles), First road gig with Si Zentner
6:00: The art of playing dance music
9:01: Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Ray Brown…
16:50: Las Vegas, Jerry Gray, Tex Beneke, Peggy Lee, Lou Levy
26:00: Cannonball Adderley
30:30: Louie Bellson, Woody Herman
31:50: Tom Scott, Glenn Campbell Show, and Marty Paich…
34:24: “Play horn, get check”
41:20: Snooky Young, The Tonight Show…, and Steely Dan
44:45: “Deacon’s Blues”
51:13: Warne Marsh collaboration
1:00: Violin to saxophone…
1:05:35: Saxophone sounds…Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt…
1:13:35: The pinnacle is the next gig, payola, and back to the Warne Marsh collaboration, back to Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show…
1:26:00 New chapter of life in Washington
1:28:00 Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Michael Brecker, and woodwind doubling…
1:37:00 Closing graitude

►Follow John Daversa Online:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndaversa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnDaversaMusic/
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/johndaversamusic
Website: http://www.johndaversa.com  

►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video Capture: Yang Yang
Audio Capture: Yang Yang
Video and Audio Editing: Izzi Guzman
Graphic Design: Izzi Guzman

Recorded in Coral Gables, FL, November 18, 2024
Support the show
►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video: Max Nierlich
Audio: Dudley Merriam
Additional Audio: Jake Sonderman
Video and Audio Editing: Yang Yang
Izzi Guzman: Graphic Design

Recorded in Miami, FL

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP)

Episode 18: Sean Jones
►about Sean Jones: https://peabody.jhu.edu/faculty/sean-jones/
Book References:
The War of Art, Steven Pressfield
A Return to Love, Marrianne Williamson
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Dr. Joy DeGruy
The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle
Quotes:
“Eternity is in love with the creations of time” ~William Blake
“Many are called, but few are chosen”.
”My teacher saved my life, man”. ~Sean Jones
“Every ending is a new beginning”
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”.
“The trumpet is the mirror of the mind” ~Bill Fielder
“Eradicate the “t” off of “can’t”, and say I can” ~Bill Fielder
Ego: “I becomes bigger than “we”… ~Sean Jones

►Key Moments:
0:00 - Introductions
2:50: Taking risk and staying uncomfortable, resistance, The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield
10:18: A Return to Love, by Marrianne Williamson, eternal consciousness, One mind.
12:51: Patience and compassion.
15:30: Fatherhood and learning how to take a step back, breaking generational chains. Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Dr. Joy DeGruy
18:57: Being “called”. “Many are called, but few are chosen”.
20:40: Growing up in the church in Warren, Ohio. Wanting to be a teacher and having great teachers. ”My teacher saved my life, man”.
26:30: Navigating racism and ignorance.
27:50: Return to an elevated human consciousness. “Every ending is a new beginning”
29:52: Unity and the illusion of separation, Herbie Hancock’s mission
34:28: Faith: “You become what you believe”. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”.
39:00: Words are so powerful. “The trumpet is the mirror of the mind” ~Bill Fielder, “Eradicate the “t” off of “can’t”, and say I can”~Bill Fielder
41:07: Mistakes and intuition.
42:34: Patience, and a Gonzalo Rubalcaba story
44:40: The Power of Now, A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle, surrender
46:46: What makes you laugh?
49:40: The misfortune and blessing of loss
50:10: A divine experience and spirit. Eternal consciousness.
52:18: Fasting and sacrifice to clear the mind’s eye.
55:20: Define ego: It’s when “I becomes bigger than “we”…
The illusion is always there along with the truth
57:44: “My last album”, and what’s next
1:00:00 Resistance to barriers and programs. “The resources are there”.
1:04:04: The 3 “enoughs” of life
►Follow John Daversa Online:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndaversa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnDaversaMusic/
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/johndaversamusic
Website: http://www.johndaversa.com  

►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video Capture: Yang Yang
Audio Capture: Yang Yang
Video and Audio Editing: Izzi Guzman
Graphic Design: Izzi Guzman
Recorded in Coral Gables, FL, October 7, 2024

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP),
#seanjones #peabody #peabodyinstitute #jazztrumpet #trumpet #johndaversa #johndaversapodcast #jazzpodcast #jazzeducat
Support the show
►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video: Max Nierlich
Audio: Dudley Merriam
Additional Audio: Jake Sonderman
Video and Audio Editing: Yang Yang
Izzi Guzman: Graphic Design

Recorded in Miami, FL

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP)

Episode 17: Dr. Marshall Hawkins
Idyllwild Arts Academy Jazz Program Founder, Bassist with Richie Cole, Miles Davis Quintet, Betty Gray, Donny Hathaway, Lena Horne, Roberta Flack, Manhattan Transfer, and more…
►about Dr. Hawkins: https://idyllwildarts.org/people/marshall-hawkins/
Selected quotes from our podcast:
·      “Pay attention to your subject matter. Your subject matter is your life”
·      “I think about that first note that I’m going to play. I think about that note with such reverence, that I may never get a chance to play that note again”.
·      “Don’t let anyone get in the way of you and the love in your heart”. “Don’t get in the way of my love. I will fight you”.
·      “You have to be careful what you wish for because you’re going to get it. So, you’ve got to be prepared”.
·      “I’ve never, never thought about money”.
►Key Moments:
0:00 - Introductions
2:16: Earliest memories, gift of memory, and “second childhood”
5:07: Growing up in Washington D.C. in the 1940’s, “Victory Gardens”, church, being humble, “C Jam Blues”, the Boy Scouts, model airplanes, glee club, and the building of Frederick Douglass Junior High School.
15:30: Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) and exposure to racism. Being a track star and la musica as passports, “U.S. History”, and scout master.
21:40: Voices above the crowd and becoming a professional musician.
26:58: L.O.V.E. and not taking the “J” out of joy.
31:49: Louis Armstrong: “what are you going to do to leave a legacy for humanity”?
33:20: Giving and receiving
34:45: Playing the bass and becoming a professional musician overnight.
38:52: Betty Gray (first gig at the Bohemian Caverns in DC), Lena Horne and Travelin’ Light (1965), and Miles Davis
41:53: Working with Miles Davis
44:08: Idyllwild Arts and numerical configuration (1978)
47:58: Tanzania, respect for elders, Maasai ancestral lineage, “we know who you are”
55:50: Advice for young musicians: “Silence is golden!” 
59:03: Marshall and John improvise “All the Things You Are”
►Follow John Daversa Online:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndaversa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnDaversaMusic/
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/johndaversamusic
Website: http://www.johndaversa.com  

►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video and Audio Capture: Justin Holmes
Video and Audio Editing: Izzi Guzman
Graphic Design: Izzi Guzman
Recorded in Idyllwild, CA, July 3, 2024
Special Thank you to:
Idyllwild Arts Academy
Pamela Jordan
Rose Colella
Tom Hynes

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP),
Except “All the Things You Are” by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II
#drmarshallhawkins #idyllwildarts #idyllwildsummerarts #jazzbass #bass #milesdavis #milesdavisquintet #johndaversa #johndaversapodcast #jazzpodcast #jazzeducator 

Support the show
►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video: Max Nierlich
Audio: Dudley Merriam
Additional Audio: Jake Sonderman
Video and Audio Editing: Yang Yang
Izzi Guzman: Graphic Design

Recorded in Miami, FL

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP)

Episode 16: Michel Camilo, Grammy, Latin Grammy, and Emmy Winning Pianist, Composer, and Bandleader
►Michel Camilo website: https://www.michelcamilo.com

►Key Moments:
0:00 - Introductions
1:28: Attention to detail and standards of excellence, and learning never ends
8:05: Where does the motivation come from?
9:40: Refusing mediocrity
12:10: Magnetism and engaging the audience
15:05: Creative flow, no ego, and commitment to practice!
20:39: What do you practice?
24:30: Is there a difference between entertainment and artistry?
32:00: What are you working on now?
►Follow John Daversa Online:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndaversa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnDaversaMusic/
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/johndaversamusic
Website: http://www.johndaversa.com  

►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video Capture: Max Nierlich
Audio Capture: Jake Sonderman
Video and Audio Editing: Izzi Guzman
Graphic Design: Izzi Guzman

Recorded in Coral Gables, FL, April 24, 2024

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP)
 
#michelcamilo #michelcamilotrio #piano #jazzpiano #johndaversa #johndaversapodcast #jazzpodcast #jazzeducator 

Support the show
►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video: Max Nierlich
Audio: Dudley Merriam
Additional Audio: Jake Sonderman
Video and Audio Editing: Yang Yang
Izzi Guzman: Graphic Design

Recorded in Miami, FL

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP)

Episode 15: Anat Cohen: Grammy-Nominated Clarinetist, Saxophonist & Composer
►Anat Cohen website: https://www.anatcohen.com

►Key Moments:
0:00 - Introductions
1:32: A discussion about collaboration and bandleading
8:00: the challenges of the “hang”
10:30: Listening to your own recordings through other’s ears.
14:35: The possibility of a solo clarinet album!
20:45: The vulnerability of playing duo
23:43: navigating the business stuff and the necessity of self-promotion
27:30: Lyrics, words, and languages
32:20: Acknowledging fear and developing trust
42:00: Creativity: Structure and Imagination
44:44: Honest and pure approaches to improvisation
47:20: Planning career intentions (?) and doing it NOW.
51:45: Music has to mean something.

►Follow John Daversa Online:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndaversa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnDaversaMusic/
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/johndaversamusic
Website: http://www.johndaversa.com  

►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video Capture: Max Nierlich
Audio Capture: Jake Sonderman
Video and Audio Editing: Izzi Guzman
Graphic Design: Izzi Guzman

Recorded in Coral Gables, FL, April 19, 2024

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP)
#anatcohen #clarinet #saxophone #johndaversa #johndaversapodcast #jazzpodcast #jazzeducator 
Support the show
►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video: Max Nierlich
Audio: Dudley Merriam
Additional Audio: Jake Sonderman
Video and Audio Editing: Yang Yang
Izzi Guzman: Graphic Design

Recorded in Miami, FL

►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"

All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP)