Performer & Composer Erica Von Kleist
Life Imitating Art: What's Wrong with Jazz?
Plus Claudia Acuna in The Jazz Room
Performer & Composer Erica Von Kleist
Latest Episode
Erica Von Kleist
Erica began to find her funny bone, writing songs about mansplaining, menstruation, weight loss and of course, boobs. After performing the song for a gaggle of her intoxicated friends one night, Erica realized she was funny. Not just friend funny… ACTUALLY funny. Upon this epiphany the beast inside was released! Never to be caged again. Her songwriting snowballed into more hilarious insane numbers such as “You’re Becoming a Woman but Let’s Not Talk About It” and “Another Day, Another Nipple”, a witty waltz about breastfeeding.
Meet Our Guests
Erica Von Kleist is performing artist, educator, businesswoman, colorful commentator on any number of the more ridiculous intersections between art and modern life and wouldn’t you know, she plays the saxophone to top it all off and we have to acknowledge, just had the premiere of three new arrangements at no less than Carnegie Hall.
I’ve admired her work for many years now and thought about asking for an interview for the AWHY podcast, it was the commentary of many of our peers in and out of music to a social media post by a third party some months ago that finally brought us here.
It seems that within music education circles, art is certainly imitating life. With one comment by a young-ish undergrad regarding the behavior of collegiate faculty in music departments that we got a whole lot of ‘Boomer’ and ‘kids these days’ type of repartee.
So what gives when we’re all just trying to get along? Wouldn’t we be more useful to each other by crossing the threshold of generational divides? I thought that was what Jazz was all about anyways, we’re hoping Erica can set us straight.
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... In The Jazz Room
We had a fun interview with Grammy nominated, singer/composer Claudia Acuna at the Newport Jazz Festival. She talks about the inspirations for her songs. You’ll hear cuts from her albums “Duo” and ”Turning Pages. Learn more at www.claudiaacuna.com
episode begins at 38:15