A Champagne Luncheon To Celebrate 'Judy Carmichael's Jazz Inspired'

For more than two decades, Grammy-nominated jazz pianist and Sag Harbor resident Judy Carmichael has produced and recorded a weekly hourlong radio show, “Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired,” running on NPR stations across the country, as well as in Canada and the Caribbean.

As the name implies, the show is all about jazz. But it’s a topic that Carmichael explores with a twist. Instead of simply highlighting the work of fellow jazz musicians, Carmichael conducts in-depth discussions about jazz with her guests — highly accomplished individuals in their own right. These are people who have made their mark in a variety of diverse professions, from acting, producing and writing to science, music and comedy.

Since the show’s inception in 2000, Carmichael has interviewed people like astrophysicist Neal deGrasse Tyson, singer-songwriter Billy Joel, actors Jeff Goldblum and Robert Redford, movie critic Leonard Maltin, opera singer Renee Fleming, architect Frank Gehry and novelist E.L. Doctorow, among countless others. No matter their field of expertise, all her guests have one thing in common — they possess a love of jazz and great appreciation for how music has influenced them in the course of their creative lives and careers.

On Sunday, May 5, The American Hotel in Sag Harbor will host a Champagne brunch celebration that will serve as a fundraiser for Jazz Inspired, Inc., the nonprofit foundation that supports Carmichael’s radio show as well as educational outreach programming.

“We’ll drink Champagne, eat a yummy luncheon and my saxophonist/clarinetist Dan Block and I will play a recital of swinging tunes,” said Carmichael during a recent interview in the hotel’s front lounge. She added that Ted Conklin, owner of The American Hotel, is a longtime sponsor of Jazz Inspired, Inc., and is donating all income from the event to the cause.

While nearly 25 years producing her own radio show is certainly a remarkable accomplishment and cause to celebrate, Carmichael has another new reason to raise a glass to friends and fans on May 5. Beginning Monday, May 6, “Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired” will launch in an expanded form on WBGO 88.3 FM Newark/NY, the country’s preeminent jazz station. The two-hour version of the show will air during a sweet spot — drive time from 6 to 8 a.m., Monday through Friday.

“To be on WBGO is a big deal. It’s the New York jazz station. They are the most popular jazz radio station in the country and they have the biggest reach,” Carmichael explained. “Steve Williams, CEO/president of WBGO, says they’ve never done anything like bring on a fully produced show from outside the station in their 45 years. So bringing in ‘Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired’ is a first.”

Carmichael describes the process with the station as a two-year courtship. Initially, she said, she was approached about doing a new podcast, but Williams then suggested they try playing her show on the overnight slot.

“Then the next thing I know, he offered me this. I was so stunned,” said Carmichael. “Steve Williams sees me as more inclusive and he loves the broad focus — he gets the reason I created the show.”

Carmichael maintains that since the show’s inception, she has remained true to her vision for “Jazz Inspired.” Though it hasn’t always been easy, being an independent producer over the years has also served Carmichael well. She has never had to bow to network pressures to change the format or content of her program.

“Over the years, I’ve seen the show evolve as I wanted it to,” Carmichael explained. “The freedom is so great and people come on the show because I can make those choices. If I want to play more music, I put in more music.”

Now, with a new two-hour time slot on WBGO 88.3 FM, but a vault filled with a quarter century’s worth of hour-long programs, Carmichael and her longtime production editor Kurt Heidolph are going back and adding an additional hour of material to previously recorded shows. At the same time, going forward she will be recording new episodes of “Jazz Inspired” in both a one and two hour format.

“In making it two hours, I’m calling the shows standard and extended — one hour, vs. two hours,” she said. “Some people are great talkers and often, I’ll add all the parts of the interview I didn’t have time for. What’s great is, for some people that’s not the case and I’ll just add more music.

“I’m starting to get a system,” she added. “One of the great things I have freedom to do, if I feel a song should go on for five minutes, I’ll let it. I’m the only producer I know on NPR who can do that. I once played seven minutes of Mahler for that reason. With these re-edits, I have all this time to play more music and its reminded me how much I love producing.”

Unlike most interview shows, which are about promoting a celebrity’s upcoming gig, book, movie or whatever, the motivation behind “Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired” is pure inspiration — specifically, engaging accomplished people in discussions about how jazz has affected them creatively and personally. That keeps the episodes timeless in a way most interview shows aren’t.

“I have this huge catalog and next year is my 25th year. I approach my shows as evergreen,” Carmichael said. “The show is really about inspiration, creativity and my advocacy for everyone to be more creative and inspired. When I started the show, the goal was to bring more people to jazz by celebrating creative people who love it.”

By way of example, Carmichael mentions a fan letter that she received after her episode with actor Jeff Goldblum aired. The letter writer said that Goldblum always comes off as being too self-aware in his interviews, but, the writer added, in her interview Carmichael had managed to get to another level with him.

“To me, the biggest challenge is to get them beyond sound bites,” Carmichael explained. “Jeff is charming, but how do I get to something deeper? I read an article about when he discovered the joy of conscientious discipline and focused practice in any skill. I thought that’s where I can get him. We had this conversation about delayed gratification and what it does for him, and it took us down this deep road.”

“When I got to the interview, he made specific remarks about my music, so he took time to listen, to say he’s a genuinely curious person. He didn’t go on automatic pilot, so that’s always going to be exciting.”

Now, as she gears up for her partnership with WBGO, Carmichael is happy to be home in Sag Harbor and, this Sunday, she’ll be celebrating this new venture with friends and fans at The American Hotel, and looking forward to expanding the listener base for “Judy Carmichael Jazz Inspired.”

“Anything that brings people to sophisticated arts that doesn’t have the platform of Taylor Swift is a good thing,” she said of her show. “Someone said, ‘You’re the gateway drug to jazz.’ That was a huge compliment.”

The Champagne luncheon for “Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired” and the educational program, “Jazz: Listening for Life,” is Sunday, May 5, noon to 2 p.m. at The American Hotel, 45 Main Street, Sag Harbor. Tickets are a $150 donation at judycarmichael.com.