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Born in Naples, Letizia Gambi is an Italian singer, songwriter and actress who has a wide-ranging education. She has studied dancing, acting, singing, painting and musical theater.

Letizia Gambi’s music is a combination of her Neapolitan-Italian roots with the heritage of Black American Jazz. Her Mediterranean passion sings through Jazz's language in a contemporary, crossover, personal style. She lives in New York, Los Angeles, and Milan.

Letizia began dancing lessons at age eleven, attended art school at thirteen and began showcasing her art and winning awards for her paintings when she was fourteen . At fifteen, she began traveling to London, in the summer, to study musical theater. Continuing to dance, she became a dance instructor and choreographer at a very young age, while continuing to sing and act. She studied acting for 2 years and worked as an actress. Finally, because of her great love and passion for music, she auditioned for the International Jazz Academy in Milan, out of 60 people who auditioned, she was one of only seven who was accepted into the program. She studied for four years and became an assistant to the vocal professor in her fifth, "Master Year.” Letizia graduated with a Masters Degree in Jazz Vocal Performance.

Letizia worked as a singer/songwriter, teaching Jazz and Pop singing at several music schools in Milan, Como and Switzerland. In Milan, she played Anita in West Side Story, she also acted in several TV shows. She sang with many well known Italian Jazz musicians and was the lead singer for a Jazz Big Band. Her versatility allowed her to sing many types of music, from Gospel (she was soloist in the choir of Civici Corsi di Jazz in Milan) to dance music, classical repertoire, pop and of course, Jazz.

In 2009, Letizia met the legendary drummer and producer Lenny White, and expressed to him her desire to fuse her roots and Neapolitan musical influences into a contemporary genre. In 2012 their collaboration resulted in her debut recording, "Introducing Letizia Gambi” which was recorded in New York and included such legendary musicians as Ron Carter, Chick Corea, Gato Barbieri, Wallace Roney, Patrice Rushen, Gil Goldstein, Antonio Faraò and her collaborator and producer, Lenny White.

In 2016 she released her second album "Blue Monday" that includes songs written by Letizia and Lenny White. It was recorded in New York and produced by Lenny White, the musicians who performed were Ron Cater, Gil Goldstein, Donald Vega, Dave Stryker, Helen Sung, John Benitez, Jisoo Ok,Hector Del Curto, and Pete Levin, .

Letizia performed as a guest with Lenny White and his band during his last European Tour, her American debut was at the Jazz Standard as a guest with Lenny White & friends, featuring Ron Carter on bass and Patrice Rushen on piano.

Letizia has represented Italy in Japan at the Italian Cultural Institutes in Osaka and Tokyo. In 2017 she performed with a 100 piece orchestra and choir, under the auspices of the Italian Consul General, for the celebration of the Italian Republic's Anniversary in Rosario, Argentina. The following year, she performed under the auspices of the Italian Consul General for the Italian Republic's Anniversary in Capodistria, Slovenia.

She has performed across Europe and throughout Italy including the Blue Note in Milan, Auditorium Parco della Musica and Casa del Jazz in Rome.

Her original song Under the Moon was included in Musica Jazz Magazine’s cd tribute to Frank Sinatra for the centennial of his birth.

The American jazz magazine JAZZIZ included her Bac

As CEO of the DIY Media Group, the parent company of Disc Makers, Book Baby, and Merchly, Tony van Veen has spent over 30 years helping independent artists release, distribute, and promote their own music globally. As a global leader in self-publishing DIY Media Group works with Fortune 500 companies as well as first-time authors, and anyone in between.

A former drummer in a punk rock band, Tony offers a truly unique perspective on the music industry from the vantage points of both artist and industry professional.

I sat down with Tony (and for the first time, my podcast producer Chris Beaudry) at the DIY Media Group factory in Pennsauken, New Jersey to talk all things indie!

Check out the DIY Media Group’s outstanding products and services for independent musicians:

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Early in his career Billy Hart performed in Washington, D.C. with soul artists such as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, and then later with Buck Hill and Shirley Horn, and was a sideman with the Montgomery Brothers (1961), Jimmy Smith (1964–1966), and Wes Montgomery (1966–1968). Hart moved to New York in 1968, where he recorded with McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Zawinul, and played with Eddie Harris, Pharoah Sanders, and Marian McPartland.

Hart was a member of Herbie Hancock’s sextet (1969–1973), and played with McCoy Tyner (1973–1974), Stan Getz (1974–1977), and Quest (1980s), in addition to extensive freelance playing (including recording with Miles Davis on 1972’s On the Corner).

At age 78, Billy Hart continues to work steadily and teaches widely. Since the early 1990s, Hart spends considerable time at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and is adjunct faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music and Western Michigan University. He also conducts private lessons through The New School and New York University. Hart often contributes to the Stokes Forest Music Camp and the Dworp Summer Jazz Clinic in Belgium.

Hart leads his band, the Billy Hart Quartet with Mark Turner, Ethan Iverson, and Ben Street, which has released two albums on ECM Records.

John Scofield’s guitar work has influenced jazz since the late 70’s and is going strong today. Possessor of a very distinctive sound and stylistic diversity, Scofield is a masterful jazz improviser whose music generally falls somewhere between post-bop, funk edged jazz, and R & B.

Born in Ohio and raised in suburban Connecticut, Scofield took up the guitar at age 11, inspired by both rock and blues players. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. After a debut recording with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, Scofield was a member of the Billy Cobham-George Duke band for two years. In 1977 he recorded with Charles Mingus, and joined the Gary Burton quartet. He began his international career as a bandleader and recording artist in 1978. From 1982–1985, Scofield toured and recorded with Miles Davis. His Davis stint placed him firmly in the foreground of jazz consciousness as a player and composer.

Since that time he has prominently led his own groups in the international Jazz scene, recorded over 30 albums as a leader (many already classics) including collaborations with contemporary favorites like Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Eddie Harris, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, Mavis Staples, Government Mule, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano and Phil Lesh. He’s played and recorded with Tony Williams, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Dave Holland, Terumasa Hino among many jazz legends. Throughout his career Scofield has punctuated his traditional jazz offerings with funk-oriented electric music. All along, the guitarist has kept an open musical mind.

Touring the world approximately 200 days per year with his own groups, he is an Adjunct Professor of Music at New York University, a husband, and father of two.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Ken Kitchings was surrounded by music his whole life, thanks in part to his father, Chester. At age 10 he was given a sparkle red Slingerland drum set which sat in the family dining room where he learned standards as he accompanied his dad’s organ playing after dinner.

During his teen years he played in rock bands and picked up the guitar. Adulthood brought adult responsibilities; translation, working for the family business. In 2007, the family business was sold, and Ken seized the opportunity to pursue his love of jazz music by producing shows at the Garde Arts Center in New London, CT.

At the Garde he developed a small space for jazz concerts, showcasing the like of Cyrus Chestnut, Julian Lage, Jeremy Pelt, Helen Sung, Buster Williams and many more. In 2011, the Old Lyme Inn property became available and the vision of the SideDoor Jazz Club materialized.

After extensive renovations, the doors opened in May 2013 with George Wein All Stars performing the inaugural concert. Five plus years and over 500 shows later Ken still has a passion for introducing world class jazz musicians to audiences of all ages.

When not in the club on Friday and Saturday evening, Ken can be found playing the drums in the Old Lyme Inn lobby with the Steve Donovan Trio or heard on his weekly internet radio show, Jazz with Ken on iCRV radio.

Patrick Gleeson began experimenting with electronic music in the mid-'60s at the San Francisco Tape Music Center using a Buchla synthesizer and other devices. In 1968, upon hearing Wendy Carlos' “Switched-On Bach”, he bought a Moog synthesizer and opened the Different Fur recording studio in San Francisco.

He worked with Herbie Hancock in the early 1970s, touring with Hancock – thus pioneering the use of synthesizers outside the studio – and appearing on the albums "Crossings" and "Sextant".

Hancock's “Sextant” and “Headhunters” were both recorded in part at Different Fur studios. Gleeson has worked with many other Jazz musicians including Freddie Hubbard, Charles Earland, Eddie Henderson, Joe Henderson, and Lenny White.

Gleeson recorded a number of solo albums, starting with “Beyond the Sun” - An Electronic Portrait of Holst's "The Planets" in 1976. The album was nominated for a "Best Engineered Recording: Classical" Grammy in 1976. “Beyond the Sun” was followed in 1977 by a more commercial album, titled “Star Wars”.

Pat worked as an engineer on the 1978 Devo album “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!”, part of which was recorded at Different Fur.

Gleeson has been involved in the scoring of a number of film soundtracks, including “The Plague Dogs”, “Apocalypse Now”, and “Crossroads and The Bedroom Window”. He has scored nine television series, including “Knots Landing”.

Rich Keller is a 3x Grammy Award nominated mixer & producer earning 27 Platinum albums with over 75 million albums sold to date.

Mixing for DMX, Nas, Jay Z, Alicia Keys, P Diddy, Swizz Beatz, Notorious BIG, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey, Method Man, Jada Kiss, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Ja Rule and many others, Rich’s career spans the breadth of hip hop since 1992, earning him official “OG” status.

Rich has held down recording and mixing duties for classic artist/producers and labels, such as the Beatnuts, KMD, Onyx, RZA, Ruff Ryders, Bad Boy, to recent acts like Dave East, Nipsey Hustle, Payroll and Cardo and Ljay Currie.

Rich attended North Texas State University and the City College of New York where he studied jazz bass with legendary bassist Ron Carter.

George Colligan is not only one of the great jazz pianists of his generation, but he has earned an international reputation as a multi-instrumentalist (drums, trumpet, organ, keyboards), composer, accompanist, teacher, and bandleader.

Winner of the 2015 DownBeat magazine Critics Poll (Keyboard), he has had a long association with living jazz legend Jack DeJohnette. With over 130 albums to date as an accompanist, Colligan has worked with a long list of jazz greats, including Buster Williams, Lenny White, Cassandra Wilson, Don Byron, Ravi Coltrane, and many others.

His latest album, “Nation Divided“ (Whirlwind Records) is his 30th as a bandleader. Colligan, a New York resident for 15 years, now resides in Portland, Oregon where he is an Associate Professor at Portland State University.

Will Lee was greatly influenced to pursue music because of his parents. His father,William Franklin Lee IIIplayedpiano,trumpetand theupright bassprofessionally. Lee's mother sang with big bands. Lee took updrumsafter seeingthe BeatlesonThe Ed Sullivan Show, and by the time he was 12 had formed his first band inMiami. The band played popular surfing tunes characteristic of the 1960s. With the great numbers of drummers in Miami, Lee shifted to bass, an instrument that offered more opportunities. Lee was part of a succession of bands including top 40 bands with names like "Chances R" "The Loving Kind", and "Green Cloud." Upon moving toNew York City, TrumpeterRandy Breckercalled Lee and invited him to audition forDreams. In New York, Lee's career as a session musician flourished, and he toured with many artists. Lee played in the New York "24th Street Band" which had great success inJapan, giving him a solo artist career that yielded him a top 5 single. In 1982, Lee became one of the original members ofThe World's Most Dangerous Band, the house band onNBC'sLate Night with David Letterman. He holds the distinction of playing withPaul Shaffer, on bothLate Nightand theLate Show, longer than any other member of the CBS Orchestra. On the May 13, 2015 episode of theLate Show with David Letterman, as Letterman was interviewing Paul Shaffer, Shaffer gave recognition to the members of his band, and lastly mentioned Lee as the "man who has been with us on bass since the first night we were on Late Night, Will Lee."

Marcus Miller has been dubbed one of the most influential artists of our time. His characteristic bass sound can be heard on a limitless catalog of musical hits from Bill Wither’s “Just The Two Of Us”, to Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much”, to songs from Chaka Khan, David Sanborn, Herbie Hancock, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Elton John, and Bryan Ferry to name a few. With his distinctive style - a unique combination of funk, groove, soul and pure technical skills - Miller has been referred to as one of the most significant bass players in jazz, R &B, fusion and soul. Miller has left an indelible mark on the careers of artists as David Sanborn, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Bob James, Lalah Hathaway, and Wayne Shorter. Most notably, after several years of touring in Miles Davis’ band in the early 80’s, Miller developed a close professional and personal relationship with Davis which led to his collaboration on three critically acclaimed albums - the most famous being the ground-breaking album and title song Tutu which is considered to be one of the definitive Miles Davis albums. Alonzo Bodden, winner of Season 3 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, is a regular on NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” and “Comedy Congress,” as well as being a panelist on the Game Show Network’s “Mind of a Man.” In 2011, he starred in the comedy special “Who’s Paying Attention” on Showtime, released a DVD, and hosts a podcast of the same name. That same year, he was a panelist on the syndicated show “Inside the Vault,” and voiced the character of Thunderon in the Power Rangers movie. Alonzo has made the rounds on the late-night television circuit including appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn,” and “The Keenen Ivory Wayans” show. His film credits include “Scary Movie 4,” “The Girl Next Door,” and “Bringing Down the House” starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. Alonzo has traveled around the world entertaining USO troops from Iraq to Greenland.