New Music Monday — Emmet Cohen, Andrew Vogt, Julius Rodriguez

New Music Monday debuts music from Emmet Cohen, Andrew Vogt, and Julius Rodriguez. Join host Arturo Gómez on Lunchtime! on Monday, August 12 at noon.

Emmet Cohen: “Vibe Provider”
Since releasing his debut album in 2011 while still attending the University of Miami Frost School of Music under the tutelage of piano master Shelly Berg, Emmet has risen to be among the most popular and requested pianists in jazz. His love of the history of music has led him to record with jazz giants such as Ron Carter, George Coleman, Houston Person, Benny Golson, and Albert Heath for his own Masters Legacy Series label. During the pandemic, Cohen became the sensation of the internet when he began streaming jam sessions with some of the greatest names in jazz from his Harlem apartment that drew worldwide audiences every Monday night for “Live from Emmet’s Place.”

Emmet Cohen has performed in Denver many times including playing live at KUVO twice, his shows at Dazzle, Nocturne, and Newman Center for the Performing Arts always sell out! For his latest session, Emmet expands his trio to include tenor sax, trombone, and trumpet. This album is dedicated to Cohen’s mentor and inspiration for his pandemic streaming shows, Michael Funmi Ononalye nicknamed the “Vibe Provider” for his encouragement to musicians and urging them to dig deep inside to bring out their best at the clubs, festivals, and recording sessions he attended around the world.

Andrew Vogt: “Optimistic Infinity House”
Growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, Andrew began playing saxophone while in grade school after hearing some of his father’s records. Once proficient on sax, he added clarinet and flute to his musical arsenal. Upon graduating from the University of Nebraska, he competed in the Cognac Hennessy Jazz Challenge followed by three years playing aboard cruise ships in the late 1990s. He relocated to Fort Collins in the early 2000s where he has become one of the most in-demand players of the Front Range. In addition to performing Andrew is committed to teaching music to children, he is an educator and band director at St. Joseph Catholic School-Fort Collins, St. John the Evangelist, and Immanuel Lutheran schools both in Loveland.

After visiting his hometown, Andrew opted to record a new album with Adam Bodine-piano, Drew Morell-bass, and Andreas Schmid-drums. Add to them Derek Banach-trumpet/flugelhorn, Curtis Fox-trombone, and Ryan Fourt-guitar each appearing on several tracks.

Julius Rodriguez: “Evergreen”
The multi-instrumentalist Julius was a child prodigy entering the Manhattan School of Music at age 12. He grew up in the NYC suburb of White Plains with a jazz aficionado father who exposed him to the jazz greats as an adolescent as well as the music of his Haitian heritage. Rodriguez uses his alias “Orange Julius” when recording with hip hop and R&B artists but at only twenty-five he has already performed and recorded with some of the most formidable names in today’s jazz world, Jazzmeia Horn, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, and others. Julius plays piano, keyboard, organ, drums, bass, and guitar and has just added the clarinet to his repertoire. For his latest session, Julius invited the rising star of the trumpet Kenyon Harold to add his sound to the mix. There is no doubt that Rodriguez will be one of the leaders in the new sounds of jazz heading into the future.

Now in its 21st year of debuting the latest arrivals to the KUVO Jazz library, many of them are played ahead of their official release date. In addition to the music comments, I’ll provide a few tidbits about the artist, if it’s a new or an up-and-coming artist. It all begins at Noon every Monday.

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