J. Walter Hawkes: Adventures in Music
01/13/24 • 108 min
1 Listener
J. Walter Hawkes is a 4-time Emmy-winning composer for the PBS series Peg + Cat and Wonder Pets, is a renowned jazz trombone player, and also performs as a jazz vocalist, ukulele player, and pianist. As a young man, he survived a horrible accident which changed the course of his life. We talk about this and his mentors including the legendary Slide Hampton, how he got into composing for Blues Clues, and many hilarious and heart-warming personal stories. Those of you who listened to my episode with Pat Irwin will remember his album Wide Open Sky with Walter, and we’re featuring two pieces from that album in this episode along with an impromptu performance of Cole Porter’s Get Out of Town. Walter’s love of adventure really comes through in this conversation, and it’s really inspiring to hear how he’s built such an interesting career in music. You can use the timestamps (listed below) to navigate, and like all my episodes, you can listen to this on your podcast player, watch the YouTube video, or read the transcript, all linked here to my website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/j-walter-hawkes
Pat Irwin episode: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/pat-irwin
J. Walter Hawkes website: https://jwalterhawkes.com/about
Can you buy me a coffee to support this channel and this podcast? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Please do sign up for my newsletter to get access to Sneak Peeks: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter
DeWitt Fleming with The Hot Sardines: https://youtu.be/Va68n60B3js?si=ida_ujyhVvRXG_iJ
The February video on Walter's YouTube is here: https://youtu.be/XJOeV0mVcgA?si=IZpS8B1MzXa6CEUV
My Linktree with social media links: https://linktr.ee/leahroseman
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
( 01:45) Wide Open Sky album with Pat Irwin, story of February and old family film
(10:17) February
(12:06) the story of the accident
(24:05) please support the podcast! Buy me a coffee? Thanks!
(24:43) intro to For a Dance
(26:03) For a Dance from Wide Open Sky
(29:44) piano, The Hot Sardines
(32:32) North Texas experience
(39:40) Emmys, composing for children’s tv Peg+Cat, Wonder Pets, Blues Clues
(48:49) ukulele stories
(01:00:00) intro to Cole Porter’s Get Out of Town
(01:00:50) Get Out of Town by Cole Porter
(01:02:55) Nora Jones, career regrets, dealing with stagefright
(01:14:33) Slide Hampton, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band
(01:22:29) early NYC days, traditional jazz scene
(01:26:24) memorization skills
(01:28:31) electronics, old computers, instruments
(01:35:40) importance of mentorship, Duncan Goff, Jerry Ball, Sol Yaged, balancing his career between playing and composing
(01:45:42) how Walter started composing for Blues Clues, how the accident affected his career
J. Walter Hawkes is a 4-time Emmy-winning composer for the PBS series Peg + Cat and Wonder Pets, is a renowned jazz trombone player, and also performs as a jazz vocalist, ukulele player, and pianist. As a young man, he survived a horrible accident which changed the course of his life. We talk about this and his mentors including the legendary Slide Hampton, how he got into composing for Blues Clues, and many hilarious and heart-warming personal stories. Those of you who listened to my episode with Pat Irwin will remember his album Wide Open Sky with Walter, and we’re featuring two pieces from that album in this episode along with an impromptu performance of Cole Porter’s Get Out of Town. Walter’s love of adventure really comes through in this conversation, and it’s really inspiring to hear how he’s built such an interesting career in music. You can use the timestamps (listed below) to navigate, and like all my episodes, you can listen to this on your podcast player, watch the YouTube video, or read the transcript, all linked here to my website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/j-walter-hawkes
Pat Irwin episode: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/pat-irwin
J. Walter Hawkes website: https://jwalterhawkes.com/about
Can you buy me a coffee to support this channel and this podcast? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Please do sign up for my newsletter to get access to Sneak Peeks: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter
DeWitt Fleming with The Hot Sardines: https://youtu.be/Va68n60B3js?si=ida_ujyhVvRXG_iJ
The February video on Walter's YouTube is here: https://youtu.be/XJOeV0mVcgA?si=IZpS8B1MzXa6CEUV
My Linktree with social media links: https://linktr.ee/leahroseman
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
( 01:45) Wide Open Sky album with Pat Irwin, story of February and old family film
(10:17) February
(12:06) the story of the accident
(24:05) please support the podcast! Buy me a coffee? Thanks!
(24:43) intro to For a Dance
(26:03) For a Dance from Wide Open Sky
(29:44) piano, The Hot Sardines
(32:32) North Texas experience
(39:40) Emmys, composing for children’s tv Peg+Cat, Wonder Pets, Blues Clues
(48:49) ukulele stories
(01:00:00) intro to Cole Porter’s Get Out of Town
(01:00:50) Get Out of Town by Cole Porter
(01:02:55) Nora Jones, career regrets, dealing with stagefright
(01:14:33) Slide Hampton, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band
(01:22:29) early NYC days, traditional jazz scene
(01:26:24) memorization skills
(01:28:31) electronics, old computers, instruments
(01:35:40) importance of mentorship, Duncan Goff, Jerry Ball, Sol Yaged, balancing his career between playing and composing
(01:45:42) how Walter started composing for Blues Clues, how the accident affected his career
Previous Episode
Jennifer Roig-Francoli: The Art of Freedom
Welcome to Season 4 of Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman. For this first episode in 2024, I welcome the violinist, author and coach Jennifer Roig-Francoli. We talk about her newly released book, Make Great Music with Ease!: The Secret to Smarter Practice, Confident Performance, and Living a Happier Life, and her Art of Freedom Method which incorporates the mind-body skills of the Alexander Technique. This episode also features excerpts from her solo violin album, Solo Con Spirito, with music of Kreisler, Enescu and Bach.
Jennifer had the opportunity to study with Nathan Milstein, Josef Gingold and Stanley Ritchie and has had an interesting career as a performer, including with Appollo’s Fire. We talk about performing barefoot at Carnegie Hall, travels to India, and in Jennifer’s words” how you do one thing is how you do everything”. I myself have been very influenced by different mind-body practices like the Alexander Technique, and the power of thought to help me address habitual tensions in my own life has really helped me, and I trust this inspiring and helpful episode will be of help to you, both musical performers and not, because the content of this discussion addresses universal challenges for all of us. This conversation is punctuated by some excerpts from Jennifer’s solo album, and I hope you’ll listen to the whole album which you’ll find both on streaming services, or better yet for purchase on her website: https://artoffreedom.me/meet-jennifer/
Like all my episodes, you can watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/jennifer-roig-francoli
Here you can sign up for my weekly newsletter to get access to Sneak Peeks for upcoming episodes: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter
I have had several interviews talking about some of the same issues as this episode. My interviews with Julie Lyonn-Lieberman, Madeline Bruser, Stephen Nachmanovitch, Derek Gripper and Daniel Ramjattan will be good places to start if you missed any of those.
Finally, I’m an independant podcaster, and I truly need the help of my listeners to keep this project going: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman
photo of Jennifer Roig-Francoli: Tina Gutierrez
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(04:16) album Solo con Spirito! Celebrating 50
(05:27) excerpt from Kreisler’s Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice
(07:07) excerpt from Enescu’s Sarabande
(07:47) Stanley Ritchie
(10:03) Jennifer’s studies at Indiana University, learning baroque violin
(12:58) Apollo’s Fire
(15:11) studies with Nathan Milstein
(18:43) Alexander Technique and Primal Alexander touch-free approach
(32:58) please support this series! Thanks.
(33:15) the importance of transitions and mindset, performance anxiety, The Art of Freedom Method
(41:43) music education, pressure from teachers, competitiveness in the music industry
(46:36) excerpt from Ysaye’s Ballade
(46:34) challenges in parenting for musicians
(52:44) music education, letting go of the focus on goals
(58:41) excerpt from Bach’s Chaconne
(01:00:12) performing barefoot
(01:02:56) decisions around pitch and more for Solo con Spirito
(01:07:25) How you do one thing is how you do everything
(01:11:32) India meditation retreat Amma’s ashram
(01:16:31) connections made through Art of Freedom online coaching
Next Episode
Jeeyoon Kim: Building Beautiful Bridges
Jeeyoon Kim is a very special concert pianist who has opened meaningful connections to new audiences through her innovative concerts, albums, podcast, and now her book “Whenever You’re Ready”. You’ll learn how she sold out her Carnegie Hall debut recital without knowing one person in New York, without an agent or winning a competition. She’s generously shared 3 tracks from some of her albums that punctuate this episode. Her website is linked here: https://www.jeeyoonkim.com/about
I was so honoured when Jeeyoon agreed to be part of this series, because I knew her wisdom, personal story and her music making would resonate strongly with you.
Like all my episodes, you can watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/jeeyoon-kim
Please buy me a coffee to support this podcast? I really do need the help of my listners to keep this going: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman
Here you can sign up for my weekly newsletter to get access to Sneak Peeks for upcoming episodes. https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter
Timestamps
(00:00) Intro
(02:31) book “Whenever You’re Ready”
(04:34) podcast “Journey Through Classical Piano”
(08:26) intro to Brahms’ Intermezzo
(11:28) Brahms Intermezzo op. 118, number 2
(18:04) Jeeyoon’s childhood in Korea
(23:10) burnout challenges
(26:48) decision to pursue Master’s in Pedagogy after Doctorate
(30:28) please support this podcast
(31:07) adapting teaching to each student
(35:00) private teaching versus academic setting, creating your own path
(39:46) Jeeyoon’s innovative concerts, 10 More Minutes crowdfunding and Carnegie Hall debut
(53:07) Kapustin Concert Etude op. 40 number 6 Pastoral from Jeeyoon Kim’s album Sium
(55:59) Sium project, 17 concert tour
(01:02:42) Debussy
(01:05:21) La plus que lente by Debussy from Jeeyoon Kim’s album Sium
(01:09:49) the challenge of adapting to different pianos
(01:15:14) Allen T. Brown, pairing photography and poetry with music
(01:21:51) lifelong learning
(01:25:15) surfing
(01:31:35) great advice from David Bremmer
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