Professor of Music Jon Nelson Talks Frank Zappa, Meridian Arts Ensemble, and Supporting His Students’ Creativity

Hey there, music lovers! Welcome to Why Music Matters! Today, we present another edition of our intermittent series “Generations,” focusing on families that have passed on their love of music from parents to children, and have created musical legacies in the process. Today, I’m joined in the studio by the Weissman family - father Stu, and his sons, Ethan and Avery. Music runs deep in this family. Dad Stu is a renowned jazz guitarist and music educator who remains highly active in the Western New York music scene. Stu is lovingly known as the king of hip guitar chord voicing in Buffalo. Whether he’s breathing new life into a tune from the Great American Songbook, re-harmonizing a standard, or helping a student unfold the beautiful mysteries of jazz harmony, Stu is the man. Stu passed both his immense talent and his incredible ear to his sons. Avery is a bassist and guitarist actively engaged in the Buffalo music community. He is a virtuoso, capable of tackling everything from blazing heavy metal to supple jazz, indie and alternative rock, and even pop. Ethan is an incredibly inventive guitarist, audio engineer and producer, whose blend of jaw-dropping chops and memorable melodic lines makes him one of the most inventive guitarists to emerge from Buffalo over the past decade. I studied jazz guitar with Stu in the 90s, and later, we shared innumerable precious times making music with our kids, who grew up together and jammed on a regular basis for years. It gives me great pleasure to welcome to Why Music Matters Stu, Ethan and Avery Weissman!

Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives. I’m your host, Jeff Miers. On today’s episode, I’m joined by author and founder of renowned indie label Big Deal Records Dean Brownrout. Born in Buffalo, Dean spent 25 years in the music business, beginning as an enterprising teenager promoting his friends’ high school bands, moving into booking shows as the new wave/punk/post-punk took over legendary clubs like the Continental, moving to New York City with nothing but a dream and a one-way ticket, and finally - after years spent as a promoter, tour manager, and accidental expert on thrash metal, fulfilling his fantasy of starting his own record label, Big Deal. Dean speaks candidly about his experiences in the record business, as recounted in his heartfelt and often hilarious tome, No Big Deal - an Amazon best-seller even today, 2 years after its release - his memories of promoting shows in Buffalo while still just a kid, his thoughts on booking the legendary club show that launched the career of Metallica, his fondness for the AM Radio gold he grew up with and the power-pop that he still adores, and how it felt to watch the record business succumb to the aggressive evolution embodied by the rise of the internet. Welcome to Why Music Matters, Dean Brownrout! ---Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Serviceshttps://678main.com---Follow Why Music Matters on social mediahttps://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcasthttps://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcasthttps://twitter.com/wmmpod

Hey there, music lovers! Welcome to Why Music Matters! Today, we kick off a special intermittent series called “generations,” focusing on families that have passed on their love of music from parents to children, and have created musical legacies in the process. I could think of no better way to kick this series off than to invite Linda Appleby and her daughter, Zuri Appleby, to the studio for a chat about the way that music has crossed generational lines in their family. Linda is a renowned and highly lauded music educator and advocate for music and the arts all across Western New York. Here in Buffalo, Linda is seen as the Queen of our music scene - a scene that she helped to build through her work as a teacher, music director, and artist manager, and that she continues to foster through her consistent advocacy. Zuri started her musical journey as a 5 year-old singing in church choirs, and deepened her commitment as she took up guitar at age 7, eventually settling on the bass, continuing the tradition started by her father, the renowned bassist and educator Rodney Appleby. A mere 3 days after she graduated from the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, Zuri began her service in the Marine Corps, as the first female bassist of color to play in the USMC Band. After completing her service, Zuri wasted little time making a name for herself in the civilian world, and became a member of Nick Jonas’ band in 2015. After moving to Los Angeles in 2016, Zuri began to accumulate some top-tier gigs, performing with the likes of Adam Lambert and Lizzo, with whom she would go on to complete two headlining world tours. During their visit to the studio, Linda and Zuri discussed the pivotal role that music played in their family life, the importance of music education, and the need to carve out space for reflection and personal growth within the hustle and bustle of the music industry. Welcome to Why Music Matters, Linda and Zuri! Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Serviceshttps://678main.com---Follow Why Music Matters on social mediahttps://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcasthttps://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcasthttps://twitter.com/wmmpod

Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives. I’m your host, musician and music journalist Jeff Miers. On today’s episode, I’m joined by my friend, guitarist, vocalist, teacher and music promoter Aaron Ziolkowski. One of the hardest working musicians on the Buffalo scene, Aaron is a member of the Little Mountain Band, Dead Alliance Buffalo, and Eberwine. He also manages to fit in gigs as a solo artist, and as part of the rotating cast of musicians playing one-offs at specially curated shows within the broader jam-based community. In all of these musical scenarios, Aaron shines as a stellar accompanist, one whose subtle, incisive rhythm guitar playing elevates ensemble improvisations toward the stratosphere. He’s also one of the most soulful vocalists you’re ever gonna hear, whether he’s singing one of his own songs, or digging deep into Grateful Dead ballad or rustic funky number by The Band. We talked about all of this and more during Aaron’s visit to 678 Main Studios. Welcome to Why Music Matters, Aaron Ziolkowski… --- Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Serviceshttps://678main.com---Follow Why Music Matters on social mediahttps://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcasthttps://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcasthttps://twitter.com/wmmpod

Hello, music lovers! Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives. I’m your host, musician and music journalist Jeff Miers. On today’s episode, I’m joined by drummer, composer and educator John Bacon, Jr. For several decades, John has been an artist operating at the center of the region’s jazz and new music scenes. Throughout that time, he has also been heavily involved in music academia, teaching percussion and jazz at Villa Maria College, the University at Buffalo, and SUNY Fredonia, and maintaining a roster of private drum students. John is a drummer of great focus, virtuosity and intent. He also can swing like nobody’s business! He’s performed with the likes of Lester Bowie, Bobby Previte, Roswell Rudd, Bobby Militello and George Caldwell. But it’s as a composer and bandleader that John has been perhaps most impactful. He’s been a consistently forward-looking creator, with a deep knowledge of jazz tradition, and a fearlessness that keeps him rooted in the present. For his latest venture, John and his Star People ensemble will be joining creative forces with the John Lehrer Dance Company for Legacy in Motion: Miles Davis at 100, a program combining jazz and dance in celebration of Miles’ 100th anniversary. The show takes place at Artpark in Lewiston, NY, on July 17. Welcome to Why Music Matters, John Bacon… Produced by 678Main Studio and Creative Serviceshttps://678main.com---Follow Why Music Matters on social mediahttps://instagram.com/whymusicmatterspodcasthttps://www.facebook.com/whymusicmatterspodcasthttps://twitter.com/wmmpod