Making It! with Terry Wollman

For more shows like this one, visit http://entertalkradio.com/ and Connect To All Things Music.Donald Webber Jr. is an actor, known for The Wiz Live! (2015), Ted White-Knockelby Pursues the American Dream (2008), Buckeye (2015). He is currently featured in the cast of the Broadway hit show “Hamilton”.Twitter.com/donaldwebberInstagram.com/donaldwebberBroadwaycares.orgAlz.org (Alzheimer’s Association)Rainn.org (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

For more shows like this one, visit http://entertalkradio.com/ and Connect To All Things Music.Yvette Cason is an American television, theatre, and film actress, singer, and a former Miss Black America from Washington, D.C. She starred in DREAMGIRLS on Broadway… and in 2006 played May, the mother of Deena Jones, portrayed by Beyoncé Knowles in the feature film version of Dreamgirls. Cason returned to Broadway in PLAY ON, for which she won an Ovation Award for Supporting Actress. Most recently she performed to rave reviews in the musical SHOUT SISTER SHOUT, The Rosetta Tharpe Story, at the Pasadena Playhouse. Her early musical training was at The Sewell Music Conservatory in Washington, followed by her studies at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Yvette has toured and sang with some of the industries most elite artists… such as Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, David Foster, Najee, and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. This past year Yvette had the pleasure of recording her Christmas EP “The Spirit of Christmas”, produced by Sylvia MacCalla.She is currently working on bringing the music and life story of the iconic Ella Fitzgerald back to the stage in 2018. Yvette just learned that she is a nominee for a 2017 LOS ANGELES OVATION AWARD as Featured Actress in a Musical in “SHOUT SISTER SHOUT”.  She is also a nominee for the 2017 NAACP Theatre Award for the play BARBECUE, presented at the Geffen Theatre.https://www.facebook.com/yvette.cason.5https://www.instagram.com/vetevet/https://twitter.com/YvetteCason  

For more shows like this one, visit http://entertalkradio.com/ and Connect To All Things Music.Southern-born guitarist/vocalist Kat Dyson relocated to Los Angeles from Montreal via Minneapolis where she was a featured guitarist & vocalist with Prince as a member of the New Power Generation. Her contributions to this musical alliance can be heard on the recordings: Emancipation, The Truth and Newpowersoul.Along the way, she has performed with renowned artists including Cyndi Lauper, Natalie Cole, Ivan Neville, Donny Osmond, rap artist T.I., Seal, Sheila E.,Joi, George Clinton and the P-Funk AllStars, Musique Soulchild, Phoebe Snow, Res, The Winans, Mary Mary, Yolanda Adams, Big Mamma Thornton, Ben E. King, Bo Diddley, Odetta, Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir, Celine Dion and many others.Her studio work includes sessions for Keb Mo’, Ziggy Marley, Sheila E., Dave Stewart, Mick Jagger, Jeff Healey, Jamaican producers Sly and Robbie, Cat Cooer of Third World and Bernie Worrell. Before joining forces with Prince, Ms. Dyson was a contributing guitarist and vocalist on the multi-platinum Cyndi Lauper greatest hits album, “12 Deadly Cyns”, along with ‘Sisters of Avalon”, ”At Last” and “The Body Acoustic. Since 1998, Ms. Dyson has also been a fixture on such talk-show house bands as The Wayne Brady Show, The Donny & Marie Show and The Magic Hour with Sheila E.She tours with Italian rock artist ZUCCHERO, and is a member of the rock trio, CHALLENGE with T.M.Stevens and Cindy Blackman-Santana. She also continues to be a go-to guitarist playing for Black Rock Coalition events such as THE BRC all female orchestra. In addition to releasing her EP ‘COLOUR KOMMENTARY, she continues composing music for television and film in Los Angeles.In the May 2017 edition of Guitar Player, she made the 50 Sensational Female Guitarist List and is included in the compilation SHE ROCKS, VOL.1 on FAVORITE NATIONS RECORDS, Steve Vai's label.https://www.instagram.com/kittykatdeezy/https://www.facebook.com/KAT-Dyson-164365916980620/http://www.katdyson.com/ 

Having amassed 21 Grammy nominations, four statues and three Emmy wins, Gordon Goodwin is the most decorated big band leader in the 21st century. He is leader of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, an internationally known ensemble with a reputation as one of the most exciting large ensembles in jazz.The BPB has released seven critically acclaimed records, its most recent being Life in the Bubble, which garnered four Grammy Nominations, and won the Grammy for “Best Large Ensemble Album.”Gordon’s composing for film and television has garnered him three Emmy Awards. He has written and worked with artists like Ray Charles, Christina Aguilera, Johnny Mathis, John Williams, Natalie Cole, David Foster, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, and Quincy Jones, to name a few. His charts are played all over the world, and along with his method books and CDs, have been a robust source of inspiration and learning for thousands of young musicians.Goodwin is the host of a popular new radio program called “Phat Tracks with Gordon Goodwin,” airing weekends on KJAZZ, America’s jazz and blues station. His newest recording “An Elusive Man” is due for release in fall 2016.www.bigphatband.com

John Carruthers has established himself as a leading expert on guitars and amplifiers as a designer, builder and repairman. Working along side Leo Fender at Music Man, John helped improve the quality of the product line and years later helped establish a series of instruments for Yamaha including their electric bass and acoustic guitar line. John’s reputation grew in part due to a decade long column he wrote for Guitar Player Magazine, and his dedication to teaching.Over the years John has worked on instruments for artists including the Rolling Stones, Byrds, Doors, Eagles, CSNY, Fleetwood Mac, REO Speedwagon, Survivor, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Lee Sklar, Chuck Rainey, Jimmy Johnson, Alphonso Johnson, Bob Weir, Tommy Tedesco, Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Lee Ritenour, Larry Coryel, Kenny Loggins, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton, Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Elvis Presley, James Burton, Heart, Rick Springfield, Tom Petty, James Taylor, Devo and many more. John’s amazing career as a master luthier has spanned nearly 50 plus years.

Six-time Grammy® nominated German-born composer/arranger/conductor CHRIS WALDEN has scored more than 40 feature and TV films, and has written more than 1500 orchestral and big band arrangements for artists including Diana Krall, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Rihanna, Barbra Streisand, and orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Pops, and many more. He has worked closely with producers David Foster, Tommy LiPuma, and Phil Ramone. He most recently wrote arrangements for the Academy Awards (Oscars®), he arranged for and conducted the Kennedy Center Honors and he arranged the National Anthem for Jennifer Hudson's performance at the SUPER BOWL XLIII. His recent film credits  as a composer include the feature film "King Of Herrings", TV movies "Alien Siege", "Crimson Force", and Gene Wilder's "The Lady in Question". Since 2007 Walden has also been a principal arranger for "AMERICAN IDOL" and was an arranger for "THE TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno". He has been musical director on many TV shows and series, and has worked on more than 100 CDs. As an arranger and bandleader he has worked with jazz artists including Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, Tierney Sutton, Arturo Sandoval, and the Count Basie Orchestra

A graduate of Harvard Business School, Ken Kragen's illustrious career far transcends the music and entertainment industries where he has spent many incredibly successful years. He has managed some of the world's most important entertainers, including Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Olivia Newton John, The Bee Gees, Burt Reynolds, The Smothers Brothers and many others. He was the creator and organizer of the historic humanitarian projects "We Are the World", "Hands Across America", and Cisco System's "NetAid". Amazingly over 95% of the acts he managed have become stars, and 90% of the projects he created and spearheaded have achieved success.Kragen has also produced a variety of film and television projects, ranging from the ground-breaking "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" on CBS to Kenny Rogers five '"Gambler" movies, and numerous series, mini-series and films.Ken now teaches a terrific 10-week undergraduate course at the Herb Alpert School of Music on the UCLA campus. Called “Stardom Strategies for Musicians”Kragen is most proud of receiving the United Nations Peace Medal for the creation of "Hands Across America", and "We Are the World", making him one of a mere handful of private citizens to receive this honor. Among dozens of other awards Ken Kragen has been celebrated by the NAACP, the Los Angeles Advertising Women, and the Boys And Girls Club of America. He received two MTV Awards, an American Music Award, several Emmy nominations, EBONY's American Black Achievement Award, Manager of the Year Award from the Conference of Personal Managers and the International Citizen Of The Year Award from the International Visitors Council. He was Alumnus of the Year at his Alma matter, the University of California, Berkeley. He is the only individual ever elected President of both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music. He has served on several charity Boards including The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, Community In Schools and USA for Africa

To mark the anniversary of Making It with Terry Wollman, we invite back Melissa Manchester, Terry's first guest on the show, to interview Terry Wollman! Terry Wollman moved from Miami to Los Angeles after graduating from the prestigious Berklee College of Music with a degree in Arranging.   He quickly built a solid reputation as an in-demand Producer, Guitarist, Music Director and Composer.  Terry has worked with an array of artists including Melissa Manchester, Billy Preston, The Crusaders, Little Richard, Wilson Phillips, Joan Baez, Joe Walsh, Keb’ Mo’, and Eartha Kitt, to name just a few.  Terry has produced artists including Tony Bennett, Dick Van Dyke, Dave Grusin with Alan Bergman, and Melissa Manchester’s 20th album “You Gotta Love The Life” with special guests artists Stevie Wonder, Joe Sample, Dave Koz, Dionne Warwick and Al Jarreau.  Wollman’s debut album “Bimini” (1988) received worldwide critical acclaim.  He recently released his 7th CD, a 25 year retrospective entitled “Silver Collection”.  His first single “Welcome To Paradise” (featuring Terry with Dave Koz on alto sax) debuted at #1 Most Added on Billboard.

Let’s hear it for the boys! More than 25 years after Melissa Manchester released Tribute, her 1989 album that honored the great female singers who influenced her, she turns the tables with The Fellas, a radiant encomium to the men, including Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin, and the iconic songs they made famous.Singing with a verve and emotional vulnerability that immediately captivates, the Grammy winner inventively reimagines these be-loved standards. She turns “Chances Are” into a sly bossa nova and scats with seemingly impossible ease on “Love Is Just Around The Corner,” while bringing an understated urgency to “Night and Day.”Many of these tunes embedded themselves into Manchester’s musical DNA while she was growing up on New York City’s Up-per West Side. “These were the artists and songs that were on the radio as my family ate dinner,” she says. “I am deeply familiar with this world.” Indeed, Manchester brings a nuanced understanding to the songs’ delicate phrasing and lyrical construction that would baffle lesser singers.With The Fellas, Manchester completes a journey that began more than a quarter century ago, while also creating an exciting new chapter for her and her fans. And she’s already thinking ahead to a possible second volume. “With all of these singers, for every song I chose, there were 20 more I could have chosen,” she says. “There’s so much music to mine. I’m happy to be my fans’ guide.”

Seymour W. Duncan is an American guitarist and guitar repairman and a co-founder of the Seymour Duncan Company, a manufacturer of guitar pickups, bass pickups, and effects pedals located in Santa Barbara, California. Born in New Jersey, Duncan grew up in the 1950s and 1960s, during a time when electric guitar music grew into greater acceptance. Duncan began playing clubs and during one show, his Fender Telecaster's lead pickup broke, forcing him to play the rest of the night on the rhythm pickup. Necessity being the mother of invention, Duncan rewound that lead pickup on a record player spinning at 33 1⁄3 rpm.While he developed his playing skills, Duncan's knowledge of how guitars work grew. Duncan took every chance he had to talk with players about guitars, tone and electronics. After spending time with musicians such as Les Paul and Roy Buchanan, Duncan realized that it was his guitar, and not his playing, that prevented him from producing those wonderful tones that defined great players. Suddenly, and forever, Duncan was hooked on the dynamics and character differences of pickups.As Duncan tinkered with materials and techniques, his bag of tricks grew and grew. At Les Paul's suggestion, he moved to England in the late 1960s where his intention to play soon mixed with the opportunity to further his pickup research working in the Repair and R&D Departments at the Fender Soundhouse in London. It was here that he did repairs and rewinds for such artists as Jimmy Page, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Frampton and his guitar hero Jeff Beck. It was through his work with Beck in particular, that Duncan honed his pickup winding skills—some of Duncan's first signature pickup tones appear on Beck's early solo albums. Duncan's sabbatical in England resulted in a flock of new fans and friends.[2] Duncan came back to the United States and eventually settled in California. He established contact with people such as Leo Fender, Les Paul and Seth Lover (inventor of a humbucking pickup) and continued learning about and making pickups. Demand for his custom pickups grew and in late 1978 together with Cathy Carter Duncan, he started his own company, Seymour Duncan Pickups. Today the company has over 120 employees.Fender Custom Shop makes a Seymour Duncan Signature Esquire. Duncan is still involved in designing and fabricating pickups at the factory as well as playing guitar and making appearances at clinics and conventions.http://www.seymourduncan.com/

Ndugu Chancler is a drummer, percussionist, producer, composer, clinician, and educator. As a studio musician, Ndugu has recorded with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, John Lee Hooker, Kenny Rogers, and Michael Jackson. Working on Thriller and Bad, Ndugu was the drummer on the hit single Billie Jean. Ndugu has also played on a number of Movie Soundtracks such as, An Officer and a Gentleman, Indecent Proposal, and The Color Purple.As a songwriter, Ndugu co-wrote hits for Santana, including "Dance Sister Dance", "Reach For It" for George Duke, and "Let It Whip" for the Dazz Band. His production credits include Flora Purim, Bill Summers, Toki, along with his own solo recordings; Ndugu and the Chocolate Jam Co., and Ndugu Chancler.Ndugu has co-produced recordings for Santana, George Duke, The Crusaders, Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Tina Turner, and a group he co-leads with Patrice Rushen, and Ernie Watts, The Meeting. These associations have brought many Gold and Platinum albums and Grammy Awards. Ndugu Chancler is on the Faculty at The University Of Southern California, in the Jazz Studies and Popular Music Departments.

Cameron Smith has been an internationally recognized TV personality since 1976 as the teen host for Canada’s DISCO DAZE produced by ITV in Edmonton, Alberta.At 20 he moved to the United States to pursue a radio and television career with stints at KATT, KZBS, KHYI, KODZ, KOAI and CBS 11 KTVT. Smith co-hosted and produced the legendary Wolfman Jack show on KODZ and was the morning host of Smooth Jazz 107.5 The Oasis in Dallas.Cameron is currently the Program Director and mid day host at the all new Oasis Modern Jazz at CBS Radio in Dallas. Senior Account Director at CBS radio in Dallas, the Arrtistic Director of the Bishop Arts Jazz Series at the Bishop Arts Theater Center in Oak Cliff Texas and Warren Hill’s Can Cun Jazz Festival. He also serves as co-host of the Dave Koz and Friends at Sea cruise each year and host and curator of the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta Indonesia and artist in residence at the Bishop Arts Modern Gallery.As the Executive Producer of Smooth Jazz TV he founded, syndicated and hosted more than 320 episodes of the show over 14 seasons broadcast in more than 30 major US markets and carried globally on 15 airlines in 11 different countries.He’s interviewed hundreds of artists for television including Al Jarreau, Sting, George Benson, Chris Botti, Aaron Neville, Brian McKnight, Patti Austin and many others. His long form syndicated radio interviews span the pantheon of Jazz from John Hendricks to John Patitucci, David Sanborn and Randy Brecker.Film work includes the lead role as Adam Goodnight in Bernie Pollack’s Jazz noir drama THE RIFF winner of the director’s choice award at the American Black Film Festival (2001).As a writer his syndicated Jazz columns have appeared in Jazziz, Wine and Jazz, Arizona Vines and Wines and others.He was a 20 year at large board member of the Dallas Black Dance Theater.Awards include seven time nominee and 2011 winner of the Smooth Jazz Broadcaster of the Year as well as the CBS Radio X Award winner in Dallas in 2014. https://www.facebook.com/jazzhosthttp://www.oasisfm.com/

Susan Davis is the Director of Events for the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, California. She grew up on Long Island and graduated from Emmanuel College in Boston with a BA in Art History. Susan lived in New York, Boston, Chicago, Houston and Detroit before moving to Southern California.In 2000… At the age of 47, she found herself newly single and new to California. Finding herself on her own, she needed to get a career going. Susan had some corporate middle management experience with The Hartford Insurance Co and had a deep LOVE OF ART and MUSIC. As fate would have it, she lived down the road from The Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters, in Laguna Beach, CA.She took an entry-level job at The Festival of Arts to get a foot in the door… and rather quickly saw an opportunity when another job opened as the Director of Special Events, which she applied for and was hired. That was in 2001. Susan took the job and during the course of the next 16 years, developed a summer concert series presenting world-class musicians to their stage over 55 consecutive nights.Of her many life achievements, her 2 greatest achievements are her two adult daughters who are both very artistic and creative.https://www.foapom.com/

Jean-Luc Ponty is a pioneer and undisputed master of violin in the arena of jazz and rock. He is widely regarded as an innovator who has applied his unique visionary spin that has expanded the vocabulary of modern music.Ponty was born in a family of classical musicians on September 29, 1942 in France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano. At sixteen, he was admitted to a prestigious conservatory in Paris, graduating two years later with the institution's highest award, Premier Prix. In turn, he was immediately hired by a major symphony orchestra, where he played for three years.While still a member of the orchestra in Paris, Ponty picked up a side gig playing clarinet (which his father had taught him) for a college jazz band that regularly performed at local parties. It proved a life-changing jumping-off point. A growing interest in the jazz sounds of Miles Davis and John Coltrane compelled him to take up the tenor saxophone. Fueled by an all-encompassing creative passion, Jean-Luc soon felt the need to express his jazz voice through his main instrument, the violin.So Ponty found himself leading a dual musical life: rehearsing and performing with the orchestra while also playing jazz until 3 AM at clubs throughout Paris. The demands of this doomed schedule eventually brought him to a crossroads… so he made a choice and took a chance with jazz, with a powerful sound that distinguished himself with be-bop phrasings and a punchy style influenced more by horn players than by anything previously tried on the violin.His notoriety grew with remarkable leaps and by 1964, at age 22, he released his debut solo album. Since that time Ponty has been recording and touring the world with his own groups and has done collaborations with other great musicians including Allan Holdsworth, Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke, West African musicians, Bela Fleck, Lalo Schifrin, Chick Corea and Return To Forever IV, violinists Nigel Kennedy, Mark O'Connor, L. Subramaniam from India, singer Jon Anderson from Yes, and his daughter pianist-singer-composer Clara Ponty. Jean Luc has also performed his music with symphony orchestras in the U.S.A, Canada, Japan, Western and Eastern Europe, Brazil and Russia.http://ponty.com/ 

George Adjieff is the CEO of Westlake Pro and co-manages their mission and vision with Joe Taupier. George has over 25 years of experience in every aspect of the Audio industry.He has met and worked with everyone… from Ronald Reagan to Ray Charles to Ringo Starr, and everyone in between including all of the major film lots, The Grammys and Academy Awards.Prior to working in his current capacity in the Audio industry, George worked as a professional musician and composer, and performed with a variety of bands and artists including Bob Hope and The Smothers Brothers. As a composer, his music can be heard in numerous television shows from Friends to The Sopranos, and commercials for Nike and Kawasaki to name a few.George has been involved in several community-based projects. Locally, in Los Angeles, he works with The Boyle Heights Technology Youth Center.Nationally, he assists in ongoing work with the Phoenix House Foundation. Off the clock George spends much of his leisure time working on culinary techniques and recreating dishes from chefs like Ferran Adria, Jose Andreas and Thomas Keller. George has a degree from the infamous Berklee College of Music in Boston.Please welcome today’s guest George Adjieff. https://westlakepro.com/