Yuan Dong is a jazz pianist and vocalist in Durham and a PhD candidate in philosophy at Duke, where she researches social epistemology and the neuroethics of video games. At age seventeen, Yuan left her hometown in China for Charlottesville, Virginia, to finish high school, a move that would eventually lead her to jazz. She earned her bachelor’s degree at William and Mary, where she studied under renowned vocalist Stephanie Nakasian (mother of Veronica Swift). On this episode, Yuan shares about ...
Jul 02, 2025•32 min•Season 3Ep. 50
Raleigh-based saxophonist Imraan Khan specializes in Brazilian music, including samba jazz, bossa nova, and Baião. Originally from New York City, Imraan moved to the Triangle in August 2020. He shares his early influences from Caribbean music, straight-ahead jazz, and bebop, as well as the release of his debut album, Começando (2019) . In addition to performing throughout Brazil, Cuba, and the United States, Imraan has graced stages at the Montreux Jazz Festival and Jazz à Vienne in France. He a...
May 14, 2025•39 min•Season 3Ep. 49
Andrew Berinson and Paul Creel of Thrio returned to Six Count to share about the upcoming release of their second album, Volume 2. The album will be available on streaming platforms on March 21. Volume 2 will feature arrangements of songs composed by Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and Wynton Marsalis, as well as a few of Thrio’s original compositions. Andrew and Paul share about how Thrio has grown since the group’s first album, what went into the making of Volume 2, and what to expect from their lat...
Mar 12, 2025•32 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Michael Shekwoaga Ode is a Nigerian American drummer, melodist, vocalist, composer, and educator from Durham. The musician sat down with Six Count during his visit home over the holidays. Now based in New York City, Michael leads three bands, and he frequently plays with saxophonist Kenny Garrett, a former member of Miles Davis’s band. Michael plans to release several albums this year across the groups. Michael shares about the jump from the Triangle to New York, his cinematic approach to shows,...
Feb 12, 2025•35 min•Season 3Ep. 47
Brandon Mitchell is a vibraphonist and music educator based in Raleigh. Brandon shares about his latest work, including the release of the album Lakewood Jump by Keenan McKenzie & The Riffers and his 2024 singles, “ A Promise is a Comfort to a Fool ” and “ Little Sunflower .” The artist also talks about getting inspiration from the Afrobeats movement and his Caribbean roots in Jamaica and Grenada, and what’s coming up for him in 2025. Brandon will release music with his four piece featuring ...
Jan 15, 2025•40 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Thomas Owens is a bass player based in Raleigh. The North Carolina native shares about balancing performing with his day job in IT, the impact of his mentors (including previous Six Count guests Al Strong and Greg Gelb ), and the evolution of his music, from historic swing music to fusion and other genres. You can hear Thomas play every Wednesday evening from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. at Congress Social Bar in Durham. The jazz jam is hosted by Al. Thomas received his bachelor’s from the University of Ma...
Dec 04, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 45
Six Count hosted its first listening session with a small group of musicians in January. Dexter Moses, the featured guest, curated the following playlist for the evening: “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” by Charlie Parker and Jay McShann (1942) “Cherokee,” by Charlie Parker and Efferge Ware (1942 or 1943) “Bag’s Groove” (1953) and “Off Minor” (1947), by Bud Powell The Black Peril, by Soweto Kinch (2019) Liberation Rag Degeneration, Pt. 11 – The Disorder Within Liberation’s Dawn Black Friday Homeco...
Feb 23, 2024•24 min•Season 3Ep. 44
Larry Q. Draughn is a percussionist and educator based in Greensboro, North Carolina. You can catch Larry next this Friday, January 26, at the Sharp Nine Gallery in Durham. The drummer will perform a double trio at 7:30 p.m. with Lynn Grissett on trumpet, Jason Foureman on bass, Steven Haines on bass, Devin Fuller on drums, and two special guests. Get tickets . In addition to performing throughout the Triangle and beyond, Larry teaches at Brightwood Elementary School in Guilford County and direc...
Jan 26, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 43
Cicely Mitchell is the co-owner of Missy Lane’s Assembly Room , Downtown Durham’s newest venue dedicated to jazz and other Black American Music (BAM). Cicely spoke with Six Count during the venue’s opening weekend on January 14, 2024. She shares reactions from the inaugural evening headlined by vocalist Lois Deloatch, her vision for the space as a hub for art and community, and what guests can expect. Miss Lane’s plans to put on three seasons of live programming per year, with each announced at ...
Jan 16, 2024•10 min•Season 3Ep. 42
If you love jazz and live in the Triangle, you know Al Strong . The two-time Grammy-nominated trumpet player, composer, recording artist, mentor, and educator spoke with Six Count at Duke University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute on October 4, 2023. Al is the co-founder of the Art of Cool Project, a nonprofit that hosts a jazz education summer camp and the Art of Cool Music Festival . The Washington, D.C. native is a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, the only public high sc...
Dec 08, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Happy One-Year Anniversary to the Six Count podcast in North Carolina! Since launching in fall 2022, we have: interviewed twenty-three musicians for seventeen episodes partnered with an online jazz radio station based in North Carolina ( taintradio.org ) upgraded our equipment had first interview with a live audience collaborated with blogger Peter Burke of Locavore Jazz to co-host an episode Thank you to our guests for joining the show and to our listeners! 2022–2023 Six Count guests: Andrew Be...
Nov 28, 2023•2 min
Joseph Silvers is the founder of the Hot Club of Raleigh , a jazz manouche band based in the City of Oaks. The group has performed at Watts & Ward and Young Hearts Distilling , among other establishments in the Triangle and beyond. On this episode, Joseph shares the story of when Jean-Jacques “Babik” Reinhardt, son of Django Reinhardt, performed with the Hot Club of North Carolina during a U.S. tour from France with the François Vola Group. François Vola, a French guitarist and composer, is ...
Nov 10, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Saxophonist Aaron Hill spoke with Six Count before moving back to the West Coast this past August. Aaron accepted a position as an assistant professor at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. The musician will serve as director of big bands and applied saxophone in the university’s School of Music. On this episode, Aaron reflects on his many musical collaborations in the Triangle since moving to the area in 2007, including with pianist and bandleader Eric Hirsh ; the Mint Julep Jaz...
Oct 06, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Dexter Moses is a saxophonist, composer, and educator in Durham. In addition to his own group, the Dexter Moses Quartet/Quintet, the musician has performed and recorded with Branford Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Joey Calderazzo, and Nneena Freelon, among others. A double alumnus from North Carolina Central University (NCCU), Dexter holds a bachelor’s in jazz studies and master’s in jazz composition and arranging. On Wednesdays, he hosts Evening Jazz at WNCU 90.7 F...
Sep 01, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Listen to the Six Count podcast on taintradio.org , a noncommercial venue for independent producers. The online jazz radio station based in North Carolina presents music and music-related programming 24/7. Six Count airs on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. and Fridays at 8:00 p.m. EST. Music credits This episode features the song “Forged in Rhythm” by Keenan McKenzie & The Riffers (2017), used by Six Count with permission from the artist. How to listen You can find Six Count on Apple Podcasts , Spotify ...
Aug 31, 2023•30 sec
North Carolina native Kai Lance is a guitarist and educator based in Chapel Hill. Kai will perform with the Mark Tipton Trio at the Sharp 9 Gallery in Durham on Saturday, August 19. The lineup: Mark Tipton, trumpet Kai Lance, guitar George MacLaurin, piano Aaron Gross, bass Donovan Cheatham, drums Buy tickets for the show . Mark is a trumpeter, composer, and educator. The musician is pursuing a DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he is a teaching fellow....
Aug 04, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Gregg Gelb is a saxophonist and clarinetist, bandleader, and educator based in the Triangle. On this episode, the musician shares about his latest work with La Fiesta Latin Jazz Quintet , “The Latin Jazz Dance Suite,” which his group debuted at Magnetic Sound Studios in Durham on June 23. The quintet comprises Ramon Ortiz and Beverly Botsford on percussion, Steve Anderson on keys, and Andy Kleindienst on bass. Since moving to Raleigh in 1979, Gregg has collaborated with and formed an array of gr...
Jul 21, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Ernest Turner is a GRAMMY-nominated pianist, composer, and educator based in Durham. Ernest began learning the piano at the age of four from his mother. Since launching his professional career more than twenty years ago, the musician has performed with three of the Marsalis brothers (Delfeayo, Branford, and Jason), R&B artist John Legend, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, saxophonist Stephen Riley and the late saxophonist Brian Horton, and many others in the Triangle. The pianist shares about ...
Jun 30, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Angela Bingham is a jazz vocalist, voiceover actress, and podcast co-host. You can catch her next with the Jim Ketch Quintet on Friday, June 9, at the Sharp 9 Gallery in Durham. The show, entitled “There’s Lyrics for That,” will feature songs by Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Jon Hendricks, and Thelonious Monk, among others. Buy tickets . Who’s on: Angela Bingham, voice Jim Ketch, trumpet Andrew Berinson, piano* Kenny Phelps-McKeown, bass Donovan Cheatham, drums* Dexter Moses, saxophone *Previo...
Jun 08, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Keenan McKenzie is a musician (saxophone and clarinet), composer, and educator based in Durham. On this episode, Keenan shares about an upcoming recording project for his band, The Riffers, to produce the historic jazz group’s first full-length album. The Riffers will record at Magnetic Sound Studios, a new studio in the Lakewood neighborhood of Durham that specializes in acoustic music and vintage equipment. In addition to his own band, Keenan regularly travels throughout the United States for ...
Apr 21, 2023•25 min•Season 2Ep. 30
For Six Count’s first recording with a live audience, Laura Windley of the Mint Julep Jazz Band spoke with Xara Wilde about her latest album, Watch the Birdie, released in fall 2022. Laura shares about the recording process for the historic jazz band, converting the album into vinyl, and what’s next for the vocalist and bandleader. The event, hosted by Xara on February 18, was attended by area jazz musicians, Lindy Hop and Balboa dancers, and friends of Six Count before a swing dance through the...
Apr 14, 2023•18 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Beginning this spring, the Six Count podcast will stream on taintradio.org , a noncommercial venue for independent producers. The online jazz radio station based in North Carolina presents music and music-related programming 24/7. Six Count will air on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. and Fridays at 8:00 p.m. EST. Thank you to Bob Rogers and Ben Boddie of taintradio for the opportunity! Music credits This episode features the song “Forged in Rhythm” by Keenan McKenzie & The Riffers (2017), used by Six C...
Apr 13, 2023•30 sec
Taha Arif spoke with host Xara Wilde outside the Hayti Collective Kitchen and Cocktails in Durham to share about the restaurant’s jazz jam on Wednesday evenings. The jam takes place from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and musicians of all levels are welcome. Weekly jazz jams in the Triangle Mondays Halo Trio at The Cave in Chapel Hill. 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Tuesdays Drummer Bean Clemmons at KingFisher in downtown Durham. 9:00 to 11:30 p.m. Wednesdays Taha Arif and featured artists at Hayti Collectiv...
Apr 07, 2023•10 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Brad Linde is a tenor and soprano saxophonist based in Washington, D.C., where he’s known as “the capital city’s contemporary cool king” (Giovanni Russonello, Capitalbop ). The North Carolina native regularly performs at the Sharp Nine Gallery, the Cave, and other venues in the Triangle. Brad spoke with host Xara Wilde and guest co-host Peter Burke of Locavore Jazz in Carrboro a few hours before his performance at the Cave in Chapel Hill. The quartette (featuring Danny Grewen on trombone, Casey ...
Mar 31, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Mark Wells is a pianist and vocalist for Peter Lamb & the Wolves , among other bands in the Triangle. You can find the Wolves next on Sunday, March 5, at SideBar in downtown Cary from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Mark shares about the Benny Goodman Small Groups, the King of Swing’s original trio and quartet from the early 1940s. The pianist played a tribute performance at the Sharp Nine Gallery on February 4 led by clarinetist Keenan McKenzie, along with vibraphonist Brandon Mitchell, guitarist Chip Ne...
Mar 03, 2023•25 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Christian Tamburr is a vibraphonist, pianist, composer, and arranger based in the Triangle. The musician joined Six Count to share about the Trio Legacy of Jazz Series at the Fuquay-Varina Arts Center happening this spring in Fuquay-Varina. Christian also shares about his varied career so far, which has included touring with Julio Iglesias and Cirque du Soleil! Upcoming events Thursday, March 9, 2023: Swingin’ into Spring, with Kate McGarry and Keith Ganz, and the Christian Tamburr Quartet Thurs...
Feb 24, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Al Strong shares with Six Count about the winter live music series he’s been curating on behalf of Beyu Caffe in Downtown Durham. The shows, at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, will continue through February. You can purchase tickets ($25 for seating, $12 for standing) on the venue’s website . This message features live music by flutist Rebecca Kleinmann from her shows at Beyu on January 7. Al sat in with Rebecca during the performances. You can listen to her Six Count episode from e...
Jan 21, 2023•2 min
Vocalist Frankie Alexander grew up listening to her sister’s jazz records, but never thought she’d become a musician herself until her late twenties. A North Carolina native from Concord, Frankie was discovered by Baltimoreans Yusuf Salim (born Joseph Blair), a jazz pianist and composer, and Bus Brown, a vocalist and friend of Billie Holiday. Yusuf moved to Durham in the 1970s to escape Baltimore’s drug scene at the time. Following his conversion to Islam, he became the founder and owner of the ...
Jan 11, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Jazz flutist Rebecca Kleinmann moved to the Triangle in February 2022 after more than 20 years in California, and a dozen in the Bay Area alone. The internationally renowned musician joined Six Count to share about her first year in North Carolina after a busy year splitting time between both coasts. Her first 12 months included selling out her Durham debut show at the Sharp Nine Gallery ; joining the women-led Brazilian band, Também ; founding her own local Choro band, Noites Carolinas; reconne...
Jan 07, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Ittai Korman (upright and electric bass), Theous Jones (drums and percussion), and Joe MacPhail (piano and keyboards) of DreamRoot joined Six Count in Durham. The trio released Leaf , the group’s second album, on October 28 at the NorthStar Church of the Arts. DreamRoot recorded Leaf in the Catskills of Upstate New York (not far from where Six Count originated, in Albany, New York!) in the summer of 2021. The musical collective’s debut album, Phases (2020), was developed as an “emotional and pro...
Nov 30, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 21
