Music Life and Times

EP72: Music and Ministry - Timothy J Mercaldo

Reverend Timothy J. Mercaldo is a professional musician and, for more than 35 years, an evangelical minister who uses music as his primary way to connect with people. With music and worship as centerpieces of his life, Tim founded WorshipPlus to equip local churches and Christian organizations to think creatively, that is, to use the creative arts to enhance their worship experiences and outreach events. In this episode, Tim talks with Mike and Kevin about how playing music, in particular the piano, has impacted his life as well as the people he encounters wherever he plays or prays.

EP71: Howard Paul, Guitarist and Guitar Maker

Howard R. Paul is one of those rare individuals with the talent and energy to successfully navigate a dual career as business person and jazz musician. Paul has established himself as both as an internationally acclaimed guitarist, whose CDs include “Tony Monaco/Howard Paul: New Adventures,” “Bob James & Howard Paul: Just Friends: The Hamilton Hall Session,” and “Ali Ryerson: Jammin’ At The Jazz Corner,” and a respected manufacturing executive as president of archtop jazz guitar maker Benedetto Guitars. Paul is a pillar of the Savannah, Georgia music community, having served as Savannah Jazz Festival chair and president of the board of directors of the Savannah Jazz/Coastal Jazz Association for a combined twelve years. In this episode of Music Life & Times he talks about the evolution and challenges of sharing life between music and business.

EP70: The Versatile Bassist Chris Riggenbach

Through 20-something years of his post-graduate professional music career, Bassist Chris Riggenbach has compiled an impressive resume based on his versatility. Playing cello as a youngster, he graduated to electric bass in high school, then in college took on upright bass in order to play with jazz combos. His versatility has found him in everything from orchestras for musicals to jazz trios touring Europe, and includes 10 years on cruise ships backing a host of celebrity performers as well as leading his own jazz trios. Like so many accomplished musicians, Chris gives back to the community as an educator, currently teaching jazz bass and directing jazz combos at Atlanta's Emory University and Oglethorpe University. His goals for his future: keep refining his craft and keep sharing the joy of music with audiences and fellow musicians.

EP69: The Hank Mobley Story by Matt Miller

Saxophonist Matt Miller was influenced by the playing of legendary saxophonist Hank Mobley early in his musical life and has remained so throughout his own career. Mobley’s influence has extended beyond Miller’s playing to a passion to learn more about this beloved player about whom comparatively little has been written or is known. History seemingly has forgotten the man, a contemporary of John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, despite his long and brilliant career including pivotal roles with the likes of the Jazz Messengers and drummer Max Roach, not to mention 15 years of Blue Note recordings. That combination of importance, brilliance, and obscurity led Miller to begin what has become extensive research and the initial writing for a Hank Mobley biography. In this episode Miller gives us a preview of the content of the book as well as a brief look into the life of this important musician about whom history has fallen silent. Miller talks about Mobley’s influence on his playing, but also about how his commitment to telling his story has become a huge part of his own life.

EP68: Advice From Monk (Part Two)

It was around 1960 when Steve Lacy, a saxophonist in Thelonious Monk’s band at the time, wrote down a series of items, pieces of advice that Monk had conveyed to him while touring in 1960 and 1961. Long before there was an internet, Lacy’s handwritten list went viral. In Episode 67, we covered the first 11 items on the list. In this episode we discuss the meaning or implications of the remaining items.

EP67: Advice from Monk (Part One)

It was around 1960 when Steve Lacy, a saxophonist in Thelonious Monk’s band at the time, wrote down a series of items, pieces of advice that Thelonious Monk had conveyed to him while touring in 1960 and 1961. Long before there was an internet, Lacy’s handwritten list went viral. And while it provides insights into Monk’s philosophies about performing, many of those pieces of advice can metaphorically apply to life outside of music. In this episode, we tackle the first 11 items on the list; in our next episode, we will address the rest of the list.

EP66: Music and the Brain - David Michael Bashwiner

David Michael Bashwiner is a composer, a guitarist, a professor at the University of New Mexico, and at the root of it all, a neuroscientist. He speaks nationally on the subject of music and the brain, and in particular on how music is used to establish meaning and emotion, for example, by the movies as the means to having scenes interpreted as they are intended. David talks about how his neuroscientific approach to music guides his understanding of music theory.

EP65: Ronnie J. Frugé - From His Cajun Roots

Ronnie Frugé learned t play guitar as a 10-year-old on a Sears Silvertone acoustic in a town called Iowa (pronounced I-o-way) outside the city of Lake Charles in Southwest Louisiana where, now in his 70s, he has returned to live and perform. His first influences were Cajun songs; his first band featured him on guitar and a friend on accordion. From South Louisiana his music took him to Austin, Texas, then the Colorado mountains, then to Nashville where he spent 11 years working his way up and through the swarm of guitar players all seeking stardom, and only some like, Ronnie, able even to gig regularly. No matter the town or the venue, wherever he played, the one constant was an enthusiasm and energy that got people on their feet dancing. His story is that of many: a talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter who might not have achieved celebrity but is grateful for a career that has enabled him to make a living playing his music for the people. 

EP64: Surgeons Guided by Pianist's Playing

On Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, surgeons at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida drilled 14 holes in jazz pianist Mark Burnell’s skull and inserted 200 electrodes in an attempt to halt his increasingly frequent seizures resulting from a brain injury that had been festering since a childhood accident. In the newly developed treatment protocol designed to remove damaged areas of the brain, Burnell was kept awake and instructed to play jazz on a mini-keyboard while also singing the tunes’ lyrics. If he played a wrong note or sang a wrong lyric, the doctors were alerted by his wife, vocalist Anne Burnell, who was at his side for the procedure. At her signal they would stop probing so as not to disturb the part of the brain used for making music. In this episode we interview the couple and hear their amazing, inspiring story. Stay tuned for the results of the surgery.

EP63: Authenticity

Typically people who want to play music want to play the kind of music they like most. And learning to play involves studying and absorbing how the musicians we admire most play. But maturing as a performer means finding your own voice; that is, beyond imitating, learning to express your music in your own unique way.