Hello music lovers, and welcome to another edition of Why Music Matters. I’m your host, music journalist and musician Jeff Miers.

Today, my guests represent a cross-generational journey through the ever-evolving world of jazz.

Alex McArthur is a singer and storyteller whose resume reads like that of a musician three times her age. A winner of multiple JazzBuffalo Vocalist of the Year awards, Alex brings a distinct soulfulness to any music she lends her voice to, whether she’s singing something she wrote herself, or flexing her interpretive muscles on the works of legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, and Mavis Staples.

Alex is joined today by a man who has acted as a significant mentor in her musical journey.

Pianist George Caldwell is credited by Alex as, quote, “the first person I ever attempted to sing jazz in front of, and the person who encouraged me to explore vocal jazz and improvisation in the first place.”

In his role as Director of the Student Jazz Ensembles and Music Piano Performance Instructor at the University at Buffalo, George has employed his decades of experience as a Grammy-winning professional musician to help mold the musical imaginations of countless young artists-in-the-making.

Those decades of experience include tenures with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, tap dancer and choreographer Saivon Glover, R&B legend Ruth Brown, and right here in Buffalo, the awe-inspiring Star People, a Miles Davis Repertory Ensemble.

Currently, Alex and George are in the midst of performing Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, a recreation of Billie Holiday’s final performance, with Alex inhabiting the role of Lady Day, and George acting as Musical Director.

The show, a MusicalFare production, is running at Shea’s Smith Theatre in Buffalo’s Theatre and Entertainment District, through February 15. (You can learn more about the production and purchase tickets through musicalfare.com.)

Welcome to Why Music Matters, Alex McArthur and George Caldwell!

Hey there, music-lovers.

Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives.

I’m your host, Jeff Miers.

Today, I’ve got an old friend stopping by 678Main Studios.

I’ve known Greg Klyma for more than three decades. During that time, I’ve watched him evolve from an aspiring songwriter and bandleader performing during Open Mic Nights at Nietzsche’s in downtown Buffalo, into a seasoned touring artist with more than a dozen album releases to his credit.

Taking a page from the book of greats in the folk, old school country, and singer-songwriter schools, Greg hit the road in the late 90s, and he hasn’t looked back since. Along the way, he’s played his songs to rooms full of strangers who’d soon become friends, honed his craft as a performer and writer, and learned a thing or two about our country as the tires of his ‘apartment-on-wheels’ passed over its varied terrain.

If you know Greg, you already know - he’s a gifted and passionate raconteur, one who is always ready with a song and a story to go with it. His love for music is deep and boundless. And during today’s episode, he offers us some insight into both the roots of that love, and the way it has evolved over time’s passage.

Welcome to Why Music Matters, Greg Klyma…

Hey there, everyone.

I’d like to welcome you to a special edition of the podcast - a joint creation between Why Music Matters and The Buffalo History Museum.

This episode, which we’ve named 12/8/80 (In the Name of Love), was created with my good friend Anthony Greco, Director of Exhibits at The Buffalo History Museum, and creator and host of the Museum’s podcast.

The episode explores an evening that changed the world for the worse. And it turns out that there’s an interesting Buffalo angle to the story of this tragic night.

On December 8, 1980, as a then-unknown band called U2 played to a sparse crowd as they opened for the power trio Talas at Stage One, just outside Buffalo, the world was upended by the murder of John Lennon.

Lennon’s death transformed an ordinary evening into a defining moment in music and cultural history. This episode tells the story of that night.

I’d like to thank Anthony Greco for his outstanding work on this joint venture. And shout-outs are in order to Willie Nile and Billy Sheehan, both of whom were kind enough to share their memories of that fateful evening with me. Additional thanks to WKBW in Buffalo, who shared with us an excerpt of their 2017 interview with Bruce Moser - a Buffalo promoter and dear friend who played a significant role in breaking U2 in the American Northeast, way back in 1980.

Bruce passed away in 2020. This joint podcast is dedicated to his memory, with thanks for all he gave - to Buffalo, and to the world. We all miss you, Bruce.

Thanks for joining us. Take it away, Anthony Greco…