Rhythm Changes Podcast

Bill Clark talks to Will Chernoff about his playing career going back to the late 1970s, which includes the entire history of the seminal band VEJI (Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation), directed by Bill's close friend, the late Hugh Fraser. Bill is a trumpeter born and raised in Surrey and a long-beloved member of the Vancouver scene. His ensembles beyond VEJI have included Talking Pictures (with Ron Samworth, Peggy Lee, and Dylan van der Schyff), Electric Miles, and his own sextet ; plus the NOW Society, the Hard Rubber Orchestra, and many more groups. In recent years, he has worked as a music educator in Surrey schools. Bill also opens up about, and bookends this conversation with, his ongoing journey recovering from focal dystonia. Bill Clark directs a VEJI concert celebrating Hugh Fraser's music at the Revue Stage Oct. 16th for VanJazz '26, presented by Infidels Jazz. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted, produced, edited, and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Rev. Dr. Brian Fraser of Brentwood Presbyterian Church talks to Will Chernoff about his new book, What the Church Might Learn from Jazz: Drawn into the Swing of Sanctifying Significance . Brian has coordinated Jazz Evensong and numerous other musical events at his church for over 10 years, making Brentwood a vital place in the local scene. His provocations and engagements at the intersection of jazz, 'musicking', and church go back more than five decades now. Find the book through links like this publisher link , Amazon , searching for it online or at your local bookstore, or coming to Brentwood. This is Brian's second appearance on the show, the previous one being episode 76 . Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted, produced, edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Nick Leffler talks to Will Chernoff about starting a non-profit called Steelhead Sound to present shows, his musical influences going back through when Dave Liebman played his soprano saxophone at CapU, his album Baby Steps , and more. Nick is a saxophonist who moved from Terrace, BC to study at Capilano University's jazz program in the 2010s. He has played on the scene ever since with collaborators including Andrew Skepasts, Dan Howard, and Alex Marr. Steelhead Sound presents the Summer Run Jazz Fest on August 29th , with five bands in a day at the Mel Lehan Hall, St. James Community Square; as well as two shows as part of Infidels Jazz's VanJazz '26 festival on Oct. 15 (Tom Wherrett) and Oct. 22 (Evan Cribb's Coercion) . Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted, produced, edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Fredrik Ljungkvist joins me during his residency at the 2026 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Fredrik is a Swedish saxophonist who has played with Talking Pictures and other ensembles already at the festival. He is the featured artist with Dean Thiessen's Stranger Friends Orchestra (of which I'm a member) tonight at Performance Works. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Wendy Eisenberg joins me (Will) for a conversation in front of a live audience at Tom Lee Music Hall, downtown Vancouver, recorded on June 30th, 2026 as part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Later in the episode, Wendy sings and plays a song, and we take a couple audience questions. Wendy is one of my favourite artists active today. Their new self-titled album is out now. Their big show as an artist in residence at the festival is on Friday, July 3rd at the Revue Stage , playing the music of their album Viewfinder with JP Carter, Nebyu Yohannes, Cat Toren, Sean Cronin, and Dan Gaucher. (0:00) Intro (1:05) Conversation (38:43) Song (43:44) Transition to Q&A (44:51) First question (49:31) Second question (51:57) Last question I was called (and paid as a festival artist) by the Coastal Jazz & Blues Society to host this event, and in doing so, to pop up again on the RCP in relief of the show's current host, Chris Fraser. Chris will return with a new episode of his own. Thanks again to Coastal Jazz and Tom Lee for having us. The interview I mention that Wendy did in 2020 is here . Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted, produced, edited, and mixed by Will Chernoff for the Coastal Jazz & Blues Society, co-presented by Tom Lee Music, at the 2026 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

John Lee joins the show between his two nights at Frankie's Jazz Club at the end of February. He talks about playing organ, how he developed a personal language on multiple instruments, the positions of learning music in different generations, and hosting educational drop-in sessions in his home city of Victoria. John grew up in Nanaimo and is known for his prowess on four rhythm-section instruments in jazz: drums, keys, bass, and guitar. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Mike Rud comes through town to play Frankie's Jazz Club (last Friday, Feb. 20) and talks about guitars, teaching at Selkirk College, studying with Jim Hall, the sources of the stories you tell in your artistic projects, and more. Mike is a guitarist and composer-bandleader who won a Juno Award in 2014 for his album Notes on Montréal, featuring Sienna Dahlen. His latest album is The Paranormal Adventures of Uncle Mike , recorded across the years 2022 to 2024 in Paris, Montreal, and Edmonton. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Ron Samworth talks about "fearless" artistry and "playing for the song", drawing on a lifetime of creativity, improvisation, hangs, and initiatives. Ron is a guitarist who has played on the Vancouver scene since 1979. He is known for playing in many groups from Talking Pictures (going back through the 90s) to Electric Miles (active today), his long tenure in John Korsrud's Hard Rubber Orchestra, and his work for the NOW Society and the Barking Sphinx Performance Society. He was an instructor at Capilano University's jazz program for 28 years, retiring in 2024. Ron's audiovisual project The Etiquette of Dying , featuring his music in collaboration with filmmaker Melissa Hubert, is available to watch in full on Vimeo and as an audio release on the Infidels Jazz label . Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Harry Bartlett talks about the left hand versus the right on guitar, bluegrass, jazz, and more. Harry is a Nashville-based guitarist originally from BC who has also spent time in Toronto. Harry is playing an early show at Tyrant Sudios on Friday, November 21st with his Mountain Air project , featuring Evan Snoey and James Meger. His latest release is Ontario , a solo guitar EP. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Jason Winikoff talks about Broadway songs, Zambian music, and more. Jason is a percussionist and ethnomusicologist known for playing in trad-jazz scenes and other music traditions. He first came to Vancouver from the U.S. in 2018 but moved back stateside earlier this year. Jason recently played the annual Rocky Horror Music Show and has upcoming shows while in town at Guilt & Co. on Wednesday, Nov. 5 with his Hot Five; and Zameen Art House on Saturday, Nov. 8 with his Broadway Jazz Revue. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

On the Rhythm Changes Podcast, Nick Peck talks about coming from England to BC, machine learning and the textures and forms that technology produces in collision with the arts, and guitars versus keyboards. Nick is an English composer, pianist, and computer programmer among other things. He is known on the scene for playing in bands with Len Aruliah, Jared Burrows, Nick Hempton, and more diverse artists while being based on Vancouver Island.

Bill Coon talks about his solo guitar album Standard Elegance releasing on Cellar Music October 3rd, the nature of music education, learning from Jim Hall, playing at O'Doul's, and what it means to be happy but not satisfied with your artistic work. Bill is one of our scene's long-tenured and treasured guitarists, known for his playing in groups like Triology with Miles Black and Jodi Proznick, who also released an album on Cellar this year, The Slow Road featuring Scott Hamilton; Two Much Guitar, with Oliver Gannon; and his own trios. Bill was previously a guest on the show alongside Laura Crema for episode 63 , hosted by Will Chernoff in 2022. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Ardeshir Pourkeramati talks about meeting your heroes, staying hungry to learn more from mentors and friends in the music, practicing, confronting the raw truth of your playing by recording yourself, stories from coming up in the 2010s scene, and studying at the University of Oregon and the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. Ardeshir plays tonight (Saturday, Sep. 6) at Frankie's as part of the "Sonny-fest" billed as Vancouver Celebrates Sonny Rollins, where he'll play the music of Saxophone Colossus . Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Trent Otter talks about his busy session playing lifestyle, bandleading, the battle of music labour versus streaming, gear, moving from teaching lessons toward full-time playing, and the nuances of how you start to enjoy playing when you're young. Trent is a drummer with an unmatched work ethic in our generation on the scene. Some bands he plays in are Bungalow, Meridian, John Korsrud's Absolute Unit, MissingNo., and his own trio. Trent performs at Guilt & Co. in the ten-piece funk band Melgar on Friday, August 8th, starting at 10pm. missingNo. plays Tyrant Studios on August 15th . Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Cole Schmidt talks about the upcoming 40th Vancouver International Jazz Festival presented by the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, where he is the co-artistic director. Cole is a guitarist and composer who is an absolute mainstay of our scene and has been for many years now. To say that Cole has a full plate at any given time is a gross understatement. His project with Peggy Lee, Forever Stories Of: Moving Parties , came out in November 2024 to critical acclaim. More recently, the band KneeJerk with Brian Horswill, Karlis Silins, Kenton Loewen, and Cole released their album The Speed of Dark in May on the Infidels Jazz label. Cole is working on future projects with his longtime band, Sick Boss ; a new group called LETTR OPENR with Feven Kidane , Kevin Romain , and Nebyu Yohannes; a duo with Alvaro Rojas , and even a solo record. In short, the man is making music happen. Next week, Cole is playing at the festival on June 25: 5:00 PM - Revue Stage, Forever Stories Of: Moving Parties (pay what you can). Here are my gigs around jazzfest time! June 22: 2:00 PM - Hero's Welcome, Jazz Salvation Organ Trio with Mary Ancheta & Biboye Onanuga ($10 cover) June 23: 9:30 PM - Tyrant Studios, my quartet with John Nicholson, Conrad Good, & Todd Stewart + a jam (get tickets) June 26: 4:00 PM - Ocean Artworks, John Nicholson Quintet (pay what you can) June 28: 1:00 PM - North Vancouver Civic Plaza, Taras Luka (FREE) Also check out Will's gig with the Madeleine Elkins Trio (joined by Kevin Romain) on June 29: 4:00 PM - Ocean Artworks (pay what you can)! Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Jessica Hawkes talks about the Nashville songwriting scene and her perspective on that world coming from a jazz background. Jess is a vocalist, songwriter, producer, and engineer who goes way back with me to formative years at CapU. Originally from Lake Country, BC, she has split her time between Vancouver, New York City, and Nashville. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Dean Thiessen talks about his Stranger Friends Orchestra (I'm a band member) and their upcoming performance at the Fox Cabaret on May 31 presented by Infidels Jazz. The large ensemble will celebrate the release of a live EP that weekend on the Infidels Jazz label. Dean is a pianist and composer from Alberta who has been active in Vancouver as a working musician and composer-bandleader for over a decade. His small group, also called Stranger Friends, will perform at the jazzfest and release a new album this year as well. Will Chernoff has a new podcast called Upsample with our friend Carson Tworow. Find it wherever you're listening to this podcast or see the links here . Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Biboye Onanuga talks about his latest of what is now several trips to Vancouver from Edmonton, and the different flavours inspiring him as he goes about his creative life today, from the literally food-based to the musical. He played two Infidels Jazz shows this weekend: one at the VIFF Centre playing the music of Thelonious Monk, and the other at Frankie's After Dark with his quartet, billed as "Low and Slow". He'll return to play around jazzfest time this year (with me in the group). This is Biboye's second appearance on the show, the previous one being episode 95 hosted by Will Chernoff. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Shruti Ramani talks about her Juno nomination at the 54th awards taking place in Vancouver this weekend, for her band Raagaverse's album Jaya in the Jazz Album of the Year - Group category. Raagaverse consists of Shruti as the vocalist-bandleader and the composer of most tracks on Jaya , Noah Franche-Nolan as the pianist and co-arranger, Jodi Proznick on bass, and Nicholas Bracewell on drums. Jaya , the band's first album, also features a horn section and strings. Raagaverse released it on the new Rhea Records label. This is Shruti's second appearance on the podcast, the previous one being episode 72 hosted by Will Chernoff. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .

Ben Frost talks about the nature of composition, some anonymized tales of difficulty on the bandstand, and being a side musician versus a leader. This is Ben's second appearance on the show, the previous one having been hosted back in December 2022 by Will Chernoff . Ben and I will play together as a duo at Is That French? next Thursday, March 27; at the UNIT/PITT Society with Miles Wong on drums on March 28; and in Karl Silveira 's band at Tyrant Studios on April 18. Become a member for free today at rhythmchanges.ca . You'll get the free weekly email with upcoming events from the gig list, plus artists, events, or recordings for you to enjoy and share. Sent every Tuesday morning at 6:00 AM Pacific Time. Hosted by Chris Fraser. Edited and mixed by Will Chernoff. A Chernoff Music podcast . Theme music: "Lutin" by William Chernoff .