ARTIST PROFILES

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our featured artist Nick Hakim creates music that is otherworldly to me. I came across his music and I had that moment where I had to know who the singer was. Nick Hakim born in Washington D.C. and now based here in Brooklyn, NY has been making the type of music you can listen to all day. His music is a mix of soul with a folk hybrid that's so smooth you fall in love. Nick Hakim grew up in a household with diverse musical in

Nigerian-born and living in Ireland singer-songwriter, Caleb Kunle has been performing on the Irish music scene for quite some time. His mix of psychedelics with soul is smooth and you just want to hear more. Caleb Kunle who moved to Laois, Ireland as a young child is still getting used to his adopted country moving from Laos and its hustle and bustle to Ireland is a great change. He has been an artist to watch since 2020 and his music is a fusion of not only soul but jazz an

Jazz saxophonist, Mark Lockheart from Lymington, England says his new album came about pretty quickly. He is one of many artists on the scene who do not want to be pigeonholed into only one category of music. Although he has been on the jazz scene in the U.K. for many years he wants to expand into other genres. He was a part of the big band, Loose Tubes back in the '80s and since then has gone on to form different quartets. After leaving the band he formed a jazz/folk quartet

Indie jazz artist, Nala Sinephro is an interesting combination of a fresh and spiritual sound. If you have ever heard the harp played then you know it's a heavenly sound that captures your attention right away. Nala Sinephro is an artist to watch and she mixes jazz with meditative sounds, folk elements with the study of frequency and geometry. She was raised in Belgium by her mother who is an accomplished pianist and from an early age developed an ear for instrumentation. She

German alternative duo, Milky Chance has been making music since high school when founding members, Clemens Rehbein and Phillip Dausch met in the jazz band they were playing in. They started recording songs and uploading them to YouTube to gain a following. Their music is a mix of alternative pop with electronic music and influences of both folk music and reggae. Quite an eclectic mix. In 2013 they recorded their first EP, Sadnecessary which was done at Clemens Rehbein's hom

From the first guitar riff on his latest song, The Devil's Daughters, I was hooked. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Shawn James makes the type of music that makes you stand up and take notice. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, and now residing in Fayetteville, Arkansas, his music is a mix of Blues/Folk with a lot of soul. When he was growing up in Chicago he was singing gospel music at his church choir and it wasn't until later that he started playing guitar and piano. When

What a great name for a band. I stumbled upon this band's music and I just can't stop listening. The indie-folk/Americana band which is London-based has been making music since 2015. The band consisting of lead singer Chris Hornsby (vocals, guitar) Simon Shippey(guitar, vocals, Tim Thackray (bass, vocals), and Colin Marshall( drums). keys). I found it interesting that a band from England loves making and writing Americana music. Americana which is a mix of rock, blues, countr

After listening to this singer-songwriter from Sydney, Australia I needed to find out more about him. Joshua Jon Pyke or professionally known as Josh Pyke has been making music since 2006. He started playing in his own band by age 12 and had no problem performing for his community at such a young age. At 14 he picked up the guitar and started writing songs. He applied for a grant from the Music Board of the Australia Council under the Buzz Project. This helped him record his

When an artist gives me the chills I'm excited. Listening to this very talented saxophonist, composer and vocalist were mind-blowing. Fabia Mantwill from Berlin, Germany has been on the jazz scene for some time. She has been gaining international recognition with her orchestra which mixes jazz with classical and folk music. Although there are selections that mix contemporary jazz with African rhythms and other music genres. She was destined to have a music career from a very

Nothing I love more than listening to some good folk-rock music. I came across this singer-songwriter and guitarist and was enthralled. Melissa Laveaux from Montreal, Canada mixes folk, rock, and elements of her Haitian heritage into her music. Her guitar picking style is reminiscent of the style used in Afro-Caribbean music. She was born in Ottawa, Canada, and has since moved to Paris, France but found she needed to know more about her parent's country of origin. She immerse

Here is a singer-songwriter you will definitely be hearing a lot more from. Orla Gartland from Dublin, Ireland is an indie folk/pop singer-songwriter with a quirky style that is so much fun. She even describes herself as, "A music-making ginger nutcase." Love when artists can poke fun at themselves. Since the age of 5, she has been playing instruments like the violin, fiddle. Her parents had her take music lessons and at age 12 bought her a guitar. Things have gone steady sin

This singer-songwriter from Bloomington, Illinois is an interesting character. Pokey LaFarge born Andrew Heissler loved reading about history and literature when he was growing up. Music is also in his blood since his grandfather was a musician and played the banjo. One of his first guitars was a tenor banjo that his grandfather gave him. This set the stage for his career. He says he gets his nickname, Pokey from his mom who would scold him as a child to hurry up. Somewhere a

When I first heard this singer's songs I thought at first it was a new song by Florence Welsh from Florence and the Machine. Upon further investigation, it is the beautiful voice of singer-songwriter, Freya Ridings. She has the music industry buzzing about her music. Freya Ridings who hails from England grew up in a creative household. Her father, Richard Ridings has been an actor and featured in such films as The Brothers Grimm and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The creativ

When I first heard this jazz saxophonist's music I was enamored with his sound. The beauty of his songs makes you feel relaxed and painting musical landscapes in your mind. The Norgewian jazz saxophonist born in Ardalstangen, Norway has been mixing different styles of music for quite sometime. His marriage of mixing jazz with folk music, and world music has me falling in love again. Karl Seglem has been making music since 1988 with several jazz groups and ensembles as well as

This week on our jazz cafe feature I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to feature this super jazz trio and their album, Trio Grande. Each of the members of this supergroup is sought-after jazz musicians but together they are something else. All of the members are band leaders and between them have more than 50 years of playing and composing experience. Will Vinson is a British alto and soprano saxophonist who relocated to our hometown of New York City from L

Singer-songwriter, Frances Quinlan has been making music with her band, Hop Along since early 2010 but is now branching out on her own. Born and raised in the northern New Jersey suburbs she started writing songs at a young age. As a teenager, she released her first album, Freshman Year before including instrumentation and collaboration for her project. She says she remembers her brother driving her to Philly and checking out all these bands when she was around 14 years old.

Every once in awhile an artist comes along that peaks your curiosity and Fini Bearman is that artist. Her voice is enchanting and she is not only a singer-songwriter but a composer and multi-instrumentalist. She is based in London, England and has released four albums. Her music is a mix of both Jazz, Folk and Contemporary music. She first discovered Jazz as a teenager when she started playing tenor saxophone and was listening to Charles Mingus cd's. She later went on to stud

Nothing makes me happier than discovering indie bands that are either based in my hometown of Brooklyn, NY, or born and raised here. One such discovery is Indie Folk/Rock band, Big Thief. All four members went to the Berklee College of Music before becoming a band. Lead singer, Adrianne Lenker's first music teacher was her dad and he encouraged her to pursue her music career. At first, she didn't attend high school because the music was a full-time job but later she wanted to

New York duo Morningsiders, taking its name from the Manhattan neighborhood where Columbia University is located. It was there that Magnus Ferguson (guitar and lead vocals) met Reid Jenkins (fiddle and vocals), later adding Cody Gibson (bass and vocals) and David Su (drums and vocals) to round out their sound. The band has released an EP, 2015’s Unfocus, and several singles, the latest being “Not Your Lover” earlier this year. Their pop sound is strongly infused with both fol

Members of the quartet Combo Chimbita share a common Colombian ancestry.  Growing up as first-generation New Yorkers, they were exposed to a wide range of musical styles, like the Afro-futuristic sounds of Sun Ra, along with rock, punk, soul, and psychedelia.  By absorbing these myriad influences and incorporating traditions from their ancestral home, the group forged its own sound. Singer Carolina Oliveros is powerhouse frontwoman while guitarist Nino lento, bassist Prince o