Theron and Tom sit down to talk about the annual Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, which takes place this year in Akron, Cleveland and online from August 26 through August 28.

Live performances will take place on August 28 with Hubb’s Groove and Pieces of a Dream performing at the Akron Civic Theater at 8 p.m. (click for ticket information), and Bobby Selvaggio at the Bop Stop in Cleveland at 5 p.m. (click for ticket information).

Virtual performances include Tommy Lehman’s Squadtet and the Lynn Speakman Quintet on August 26, the OpenTone Honors Band and Dan Wilson on August 27, and Rubber City Cribs and Matthew DeRubertis: Seer Music on August 28. The free virtual performances will be available on the festival’s Facebook page.

Theron Brown is an Akron-based jazz musician and artistic director of the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival.

Theron and Tom are backstage with Philip Clark, a music journalist and author of Dave Brubeck - A Life in Time, which was selected by BBC Magazine as one of the 20 best books on music in 2020. 

Dave Brubeck remains a paradoxical figure in that he brought a sophisticated, often classically-inspired approach to jazz that could occasionally alienate his peers, while at the same time being one of the music’s most effective ambassadors to those who might otherwise not listen to it at all. The book sheds light on Brubeck as never before, disclosing his unique approach to jazz; the heady days of his “classic” quartet in the 1950s-60s; hanging out with Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, and Miles Davis; and the many controversies that dogged his 66-year-long career.

Philip Clark has written for many leading publications including The Wire, Gramophone, MOJO, Jazzwise, and The Spectator. He also writes for The Guardian, Financial Times, London Review of Books, and the Times Literary Supplement. Follow Philip on Twitter at @MusicClerk.

The book is available at Amazon or wherever you purchase books.

Theron and Tom are backstage with guitarist Dan Wilson to talk about his musical career, his new album Vessels of Wood and Earth, the brilliance of Coming to America and more.

The episode concludes with a performance of Be Nimble from Dan’s album Balancing Act.

Growing up in Akron, Dan Wilson spent the majority of his youth within the church community, where his musical path began.

Traces of his major guitar influences – including Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, and George Benson to name a few – can be discerned through his playing, but his musical identity has been shaped by everything from gospel and blues to traditional jazz, hip-hop and horn players like Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.

Vessels of Wood and Earth draws from Dan’s roots in gospel music, Motown, and the jazz tradition. The title, Vessels of Wood and Earth, stems from a bible verse in First Corinthians that highlights the importance of foundational elements, rather than external forces. 

Learn more at Dan’s website and follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.