Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College continues its 2015-16 season on Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 8pm with Regina Carter's Southern Comfort. Violin virtuoso and MacArthur fellow Regina Carter pays a tender tribute to her paternal grandfather, an Alabama coal miner, in an inspirational concert drawing from Appalachian fiddle tunes, church hymns, and the joyous Southern folk music that infused her childhood.

Released in March, 2014 by Sony Music Masterworks, Southern Comfort explores the folk music of the American South. The album thematically connects Carter's earlier albums I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey (2006), which features her mother's favorite early jazz standards, and Reverse Thread (2010), which celebrates the tradition of African music re-imagined for violin, accordion, bass, drums, and kora.

With Southern Comfort, Carter interprets her won roots through a modern lens. She sought out distant relatives and books about the era in which her grandfather lived. From there, she went to the Library of Congress and the renowned collections of folklorists such as Alan Lomax and John Work III, digging deep into their collected field recordings from Appalachia.

"When I would hear some of these field recordings, if I heard something that touched me I put it on the list," said Carter. "I had maybe 50 tunes that I felt strongly about, and I finally forced myself to work more on those to stop myself from collecting more." The 11 tracks on Southern Comfort include Carter's interpretations of Cajun fiddle music, early gospel, and coal miner's work songs, in addition to some more contemporary tunes.

"In the Appalachians there were Scottish and Irish descendants, slaves, and Native Americans. It was a cultural hodgepodge, and the music resulting from it is intoxicating. This disc was to pay homage to my family," said Carter, "but it turned out to be so much more."

The musicians on this recording bring a different mixture of backgrounds to the project, including guitarists Adam Rogers and Marvin Sewell, bassists Chris Lightcap and Jesse Murphy, accordionist Will Holshouser and drummer Alvester Garnett, who also provided arrangements. Stefon Harris, Xavier Davis and Nate Smith also contributed arrangements, about which Carter expressed, "Each arranger brings out something musically that's unique to them which speaks to me."

Said Chuck Mitchell, Senior Vice President of SONY Masterworks, "We're tremendously pleased to have the incomparable Regina Carter with us at Masterworks. Her musical odyssey has been charted through a series of unforgettable recordings over the years, and Southern Comfort is the latest and perhaps the most eloquent expression of her deep and profoundly enlightening musical humanity."

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500 (Tue-Sat, 1pm-6pm).

By Lapacazo Sandoval and Bill Myers-special to myNewYorkeye

Influential jazz musician Alex Bugnon pays homage to his adopted community with his new CD appropriately titled, HARLEM. And on Friday, January 31 he brings his brand of funk/R&B and soul inspired playing to the historic Apollo stage, joined by Grammy-Winner Ms. Regina Belle, Grammy-Nominated Lalah Hathaway and Valerie Simpson.

Bugnon hails from the picturesque town of Montreux, Switzerland – site of the world famous Jazz Festival. No doubt, the annual convergence in his hometown (and his own home), of some of music’s most illustrious names, played a role in his decision to pursue a musical career -- as did his early friendship with Herbie Hancock. The fact that his uncle was the legendary Donald Byrd only served to further his decision.

I make a Herculean effort not to write about music because I love it and can't find the right combination of adjectives to describe my sincerity.

So, I reached out to Bill C. Myers, one of my oldest friends, who recently tendered his post as President of the African-American Jazz Caucus.

An experienced jazz musician, educator and force behind "Bill Myers Inspires" (a new series that highlights good acts-by-good people), I thought it would be enlightening to bring these two passionate professionals together for a dialogue.

Here is an excerpt from our hour long interview with jazz great Alex Bugnon.

myNewYorkeye: You grew up in Switzerland in the small town of Montreux which is home to the world renowned international jazz festival. What inspired your relocation to the US?

Alex Bugnon: When I first came to the USA I lived in Boston but after six years I moved to New York City and have lived there ever since. The music scene has always been vibrant and, as I see it, although on the west coast it's often about the image, here it's more about the music.

Bill Myers: What advice would you offer to young inspiring jazz musicians seeking a career?

Alex Bugnon: Stay away from extremes. Right now, jazz seems polarized into two camps. On one side there is smooth jazz that has become watered down beyond recognition. On the other, there is a resurgent straight ahead movement. Yet between these extremes, there is an abundance of great music, full of light and shade and very much what I play on the road.

myNewYorkeye: How do you pay homage to the art form and stay connected?

Alex Bugnon: I tour extensively. It's about taking the music to the grass roots, to the people who want to hear it.

myNewYorkeye: Do you shy away from connecting with younger audiences that are social media focused?

Alex Bugnon: No. Of course I use social media; Facebook, Twitter and all the places people now go to get their musical knowledge.

Bill Myers: What are your thoughts on how can jazz survive and thrive in the current market place?

Or is jazz simply stuck?

Alex Bugnon: Smooth jazz radio simply got ran into the ground by sticking too closely to a format it believed would work forever and by lacking innovation.

Now innovation is found elsewhere. It's found via the internet and on the live music scene.

To listen to a section of the new album HARLEM visit here.