The JOI of Jazz

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This is a kunv Studios original program.

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The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jazz and more the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

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You're listening to 91.5 kunv Jazz and more. And this is jazz outreach initiatives, the joy of jazz. I'm your host, Donnie Thompson, and this program is underwritten by d'agostinos Trattoria, a small, local, family owned Italian restaurant at the corner of West Flamingo and buffalo, specializing in classic, always scratch Italian favorites, handmade pastas and desserts. For more information, go to d'agostinoslv dot com. Good afternoon everyone. And in studio today we have one of my favorite singer songwriters, vocalist Linda Woodson, hello, Linda, hi.

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Thank you for having me absolutely

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a pleasure like me, you may have enjoyed Linda's performances at notoriety star bright theater, myrons at the Smith Center, Max and jazz the gambit dispensary lounge, the list goes on and on. Dennis Bono's show out at the south coast. I think he even had a scene stealing role at the acclaimed production of Sondheim's follies recently. And you got to sing with cab calloways Orchestra. Yeah, of course, here in Las Vegas with the jazz Vegas orchestra, formerly known as the joy Jazz Orchestra, yes. So Linda Woodson, welcome to the joy of jazz.

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Thank you.

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I actually attended your recent CD release party for this album, at the gamut for your album. Come a little closer and these songs really feel personal in a very meaningful way that I've noticed. I think some components might find it difficult to convey to an audience, you know, the kind of personal meaning that a song has. So maybe you could tell the audience, where do you get your inspiration for these songs? Well, a

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lot of it is just personal experiences, people, people near and dear to me, a lot of the songs are love themed. I think I'm a hopeless romantic, so I often pull from that emotion. So just along the way, someone may say something to me and then it kind of resonates to me. Or may I may hear something on the radio or TV, and then just to kind of marinates in my brain and a song kind of emerges.

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I have a degree in music composition from here at UNLV, so I'm kind of, I'm going to ask you the question that all the songwriters out there are probably asking about melody or lyrics first.

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I think that sometimes it's both. What helps me is if I can have a lyric, and then I can kind of sing a song about it, like if, if I, if I have a phrase that hits my brain and I can't shake it, I'll try to make it a song, and then I find myself singing it as if it were, you know, well known song. And then from there, I it kind of grows into a bigger project. So that's kind of how I do it. And sometimes it's in the shower, I may wake up thinking about something,

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helps to have a notepad by the side of the bed. Yes,

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I do. I'll dictate, like, I'll record something on my phone, like in the middle of the night. Yeah,

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exactly. All right, well, let's get into this album. Come a little closer. Tell us about the first song we're going to be listening to. So

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the first song is entitled, feeling coy, and it's sort of a double entendre, because my mother, her name was koi della and she's no longer with us, but everyone called her coy, and that was so anti her personality. She was very vibrant and not bashful at all about expressing her opinions, especially to her children. But when she passed away, through just circumstances my younger my youngest brother passed away and over time, just really seeing how that ate away at her. And so the name of the song, kind of it allows me to remember her, kind of in her high points, and then also kind of seeing how she sort of dwindled away. And so it's a dedication to her, about how I feel about her, and always remember her

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very meaningful. So let's take a listen to feeling coy from Linda Woodson's album. Come a little closer you

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Gone Too Soon, the power of your light sometimes eclipse the Harvest Moon. Your sense alone me, I can tell that you are new and I remember

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and I remember autumn went so chilly, I never thought the day would come. Your smile would disappear. A gentle shake awakens me. It's my own unrest. I remember. I

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remember.

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I'm really feeling quite today. Love, like shadows marching through a

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burning ember.

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And when I start to feel this way, I close my eyes with the smile and I remember. I remember

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into through these doors with caution, guard your every breath. Gather what you can of me until there's nothing left. Keep in mind there comes a time all dads have to be paid. Will you have the currency when Your color start to fade? You

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shuffle me within your wings and never let me go until the final cherub sings, if I can keep my mind on the air. Keep my

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mind on the

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end, I'm really feeling quite today.

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Love, day like shadows marching fuel burning and

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burn. And when I start to feel

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this way,

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I close my eyes with a smile and I remember I'm really feeling today like shadows marching through burning and burn, and when I start to feel this way, I close my eyes with a Smile. And I

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remember, I remember,

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Donna, welcome back to jazz outreach initiatives, the joy of jazz underwritten by d'agostino's tracheria. This is your host, Donnie Thompson, and I'm joined again by the very talented Linda Woodson that was feeling coy from her album. Linda Woodson, come a little closer, Linda, you're one of six kids in your family, and you've been singing since you were very young, but your mom was driving you in another direction, wasn't she? She was,

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I was the fourth of the sixth. And when I started kindergarten, my kindergarten teacher told my mother, Oh, this one's smart. And so that's how my mother needed to hear she just always then from that point on, said you're going to be a doctor. You're going to be a doctor. So at that very young age, I never thought anything different. I thought that that's just what I was supposed to be. So through school, I did all the sciences and things that I needed to do, but the music was always in me. I would always want to be in the choir. And. You know, perform in the plays and stuff. So I never let that go. And she would always say, Well, you can sing later, sing later, sing later in your life. First get your degree. So that's what I did. I honored her wishes. But as I got older, and as you know, I had my family and started my career, I found time to do it more. Just spend more time doing it, and that's kind of where I am now, just really being able to take it to a whole nother level that I wasn't able to do before.

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So and for people that maybe don't know your your history, you have a is it a master's from MIT?

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I my bachelor's degree, yeah, in electrical engineering, and then you

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got your doctorate in medicine. Uh huh. Oh, that's fantastic. So how do you juggle the high responsibility of science and medicine with your passion free music? How do you find time to do both equally well? Well,

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sometimes it means a lot of late nights and early mornings. But I think, you know, for anyone who has a family and you know kids that are involved, you kind of learn to do that. And so it's a little bit of sacrifice. And I don't always have the time to spend as much as I want with one thing or the other, but I just make the time, and if it means a little less sleep for a particular night because of that passion, because I love to do it, I just make the time,

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making the time. So let's take some time here, take a little break and listen to some more music from your album. Linda Woodson, come a little closer. Tell us a little bit about this next song, please.

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So this one is cover tune, stolen moments, but the lyrics are original. I heard someone perform the lyrics I think that are more well known, and it's the Oliver Nelson tune, and I loved the tune. And then in trying to learn the lyrics, I often figure that it's easier for me to write my own than to memorize someone else's. And so that's what I did. So I took the tune, which I love, and wrote my own lyrics to it, and I was happy to have Kenny Brampton perform on this Jazz

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at Lincoln Center orchestra. Yes, yes. Let's listen to stolen moments now from Dr Linda Woodson. Come a little closer. You.

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Stolen moments fade away into dreams of yesterday, stolen promises of loving you.

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How I long for stolen little moments time is wasted when we're

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apart with this spell that your love put me under, I was doomed from the very start. It was hard to behave since that look that you gave everything that I do brings back memories of you, so I have to let go of the moments we score and watch them fade away. Watch them fade

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away. Why should I cry over our stolen moments?

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Why do I long to live in the past? At the time, it was sublime, and we were just having fun. It wasn't meant to last, and then it became so much more than a game, and I have to confess that my life's been a mess, but I'm holding on till the one day that we will have Moments yet to steal the

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Oh, how long for our stolen little moments time is wasted when we're apart with the spell that your love put me under,

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I was doomed from the very start. It was hard to behave since that look that you gave everything that I do brings back memories of you, so I have to let go of the moments we stole and watch them fade away.

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Moment, stolen moments fade away into dreams of yesterday, stolen promises

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of loving you, stolen moments fade away into dreams of yesterday, stolen promises of loving you. Loving

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you, stolen promises of loving

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you. Welcome back to jazz outreach initiatives, the joy of jazz, underwritten by diangosino Trattoria. This is your host, Donnie Thompson, and I'm joined again by the very talented Linda Woodson that was stolen moments from her album. Linda Woodson Come a little closer. Available on her website. Linda woodson.com and I assume all streaming platforms, yes. So Linda, in addition to being a great musician and businesswoman, you're also really involved in the local arts community, including currently serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors for local nonprofit jazz outreach initiative and a lot more. There's a line from your song called come around that reads every day as a brand new canvas to paint a picture of a better you. And that's such a beautiful thought. I wonder, as you've served this community and others over the years, what does it mean to you to be so actively involved in giving back to both time, talent and treasure? Well,

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first of all, being a part of the Las Vegas community for now 30 years, it's it's definitely become my home, and people have a certain viewpoint of Las Vegas, but it really is a small town. Feel with though it's growing, and so over the years, I've participated in various community organizations like national charity League, and going out into the community, serving in some of the different places where people don't necessarily have food or shelter, a member of Jack and Jill of America, where we would also do service projects, Alpha Kappa, Alpha Sorority. And so those are opportunities to just get, get into the community and give back. So I've appreciated that also. Nathan Adelson hospice, they have a annual drive that I've participated in, a concert, doctors in concert. And I love doing that and donating to their philanthropic arm as well. Let's

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get him back into the music before we listen to that song. I think maybe let's recognize some other talented people who helped put this great album together. I know our mutual friend, Uli geissendorfer, was a huge part of this effort. And you have some really magnificent names. You mentioned Kenny Rampton earlier, listed on the liner notes. You want to tell us who else is on the album, Gary

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Fowler, who is a local very talented singer. He did a lot of the background vocals. Tim Molyneux was on a few of the tracks. As far as background vocals, I have Charles McNeil, who plays the horn on some Yes, I don't want to forget anybody. Dave Ostrom, I have a.

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Um, there's a it's a huge list. It's a cast of characters. If you're into any of these jazz clubs around town, you've, you've heard all of these names. So yeah, Gary Fowler's on there. We've got Kenny Rampton. We have, is it? Jake Langley, yes, he

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plays guitar on a couple of the tracks. Ryan Rose, I

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see on there. Ryan Rose is the drummer, so a full cast of great characters. I mean, there's no slouches on this album, absolutely

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not. ULI did an amazing job pulling musicians together, as he always does, yes, and so I'm very proud of it. Every CD that I've done, it's just gone up notches. And this one, by far, has the most amazing musicians. Well,

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let's get into the album. What's the next song we're going to listen to? And a little bit of a story behind

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it? So fhj, or faith, hope, joy. And every now and then, I'll write a song that's sort of a personal anthem, just to encourage me or encourage other others that might be, you know, feeling a little down or doubting themselves. So this one is just really about lifting yourself up and knowing that your best days are not behind you, they're ahead of you, and just go, go for your dreams.

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All right, so we're gonna listen to faith, hope, joy, from Linda Woodson's Come a little closer album. Enjoy, faith,

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hope, joy, I got luck on my life gonna blow in the Sun gonna shine in the night, faithful joy. Objective number one is to live out all my dreams and leave nothing left untuck

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sometimes I just want to rule the world. Sometimes I just want to run and hide. If I put on a crown or a fluffy hat and shades or something in between, I'm showing up and being seen every day, I have to pay attention to the gifts that I've been given, and I know each day I grow into a greater understanding there's a reason that I'm living my gospel. Love for my life shine in the night. Objective number one is to live out all my dreams and leave nothing left undone when I mean nothing, nothing will I ever take for granted. There's no shame in being real, no hidden layers to reveal, because who I am requires no apology we all can get discouraged, but I refuse to think my best days are behind me, and I know each day I grow and I've learned that my mistakes do not define me. I got to

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I got love for my life gonna glow in the Sun gonna shine in the night. Objective number one is to live out all my dreams and leave nothing on one and upwards.

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Up on one and upward, higher and higher, sparking the flame and living on fire, taking my time to make the climb, keeping what's inside of me from standing

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love for my life gonna glow in the Sun gonna shine in the night. Faithful joy. Objective number one is to live out on my dreams and leave another come down.

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A non faithful joy. I got love all my life shine in the night. Faithful joy, objective number one is to live out on my dreams and leave Love and Love all time

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for shine in the night. Objective number one is to live out all my dreams and leave nothing

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nothing left.

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Welcome back to jazz outreach initiatives, the joy of jazz, underwritten by d'agostinos Trattoria. This is your host, Donnie Thompson, and I'm joined again by the very talented Linda Woodson, that was faith, hope, joy from her album. Linda Woodson, come a little closer. You know, funny thing, Linda, my wife, was driving to an appointment while I was getting ready to go on, and she called, and she asked what I was up to today, and in the background, she was actually playing this album. So I thought, well, that's really cool. You know, I'm a CD guy, so I'm actually holding your seat right next to me, but she's she's hip with the times, and downloads everything. She loves the album, by the way. Thank

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you.

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So you just had some really exciting performances recently with my friend Bijon Watson. I've hung out with him at Jazz at Lincoln Center's essentially a LinkedIn Festival, and other times that he's been around town. And of course, Niles Thomas from the jazz Republic at myrons, and we talked a little bit about your benefit performance that you did again at Nathan Adelson hospices gala at myrons Just a few days ago. Actually, you did a performance with Rita Lim right, good friend of yours at her show at the bootlegger Copa room. Yes,

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Rita is a dear friend, and you know, coming from the medical space where I didn't really know a lot of musicians and didn't really have a lot of exposure as a singer. She, you know, really took me in and invited me some years ago to be on her shows and and I think that was very instrumental in some of the gigs that I get today. And so I always, you know, appreciate her in inviting me in her shows.

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Rita's always, I mean, she's done, she's done for years and years, of course, shows all over town. I think at the Tuscany, I've seen her a few times, yeah, and a great show. And you're right. She's really generous with her stage, as are a few others. I mean, I know that Kelly Clinton Holmes has, has her show that he she brings people up all the time, and I've seen you, I think, a couple of times with her as well. Yes, so that there's a really strong knit, tightly knit community of singers out there that everybody sort of buoys each other up, right,

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right? Because, you know, everyone is different, and so it's nice that people can come and perform the way that they are. You know, not everyone is sounding like or trying to sound the same, so it's nice that we get to support one another and see the different talents that are out there. For

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those that want to hear your talent live, what do you have coming up and where can they find more information about you, music and any upcoming dates you might have. Well,

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if anyone is interested. Linda woodson.com, is my website, and I keep that updated with the performances and also on Facebook. At ms, Linda Woodson, MS, Linda Woodson, I'm there and on Instagram as well. So if anyone wants to find out what I'm doing, I'll be at the Italian American club in October in the lounge, as well as Monzo restaurant. I'm there maybe once or twice a month. So that's kind of what I do. And then I did a show at the star bride theater a few months ago, so hopefully I'll be back there that that's also a great theater to perform

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at. And you have a Tiktok account too, right?

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I do have a Tiktok. I'm not as good with Tiktok, but I'm trying. And it's Linda Stevens wood so I don't know how I got that thing, but All

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right, so before we head off the air, a quick thank you to everybody. Thank you especially to, of course, Linda Woodson. Thank you to D'Agostino Trattoria for underwriting the show. Thanks to Wesley Knight, our producer, Jason Beatty, Monique, Scott Kim Lindsey, Dr Ridley and the whole UNLV family here in the office. If you enjoyed this episode, you can also find information about jazz outreach initiatives, events, concerts, e newsletters, blogs, volunteer opportunities and much more@jazzvegas.org And for jazz outreach initiative. This is Donnie Thompson, and we'll be back again with another episode of the joy of jazz on the third Sunday of next month, at 9am right here on kunv 91.5 jazz and more the kunv mobile app and wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, as always, make it a joyful day for you and for everyone else.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai