The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt

This episode of the Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt presents the third and final installment of Conversation and Improvisation on a Dilla Sample-Diamond Hands. The listener is encouraged to consider the evolution of conversation-based improvisation that consists of complete ideas or complete thoughts as if to be immersed in a battle of lyrics trading bars, improvisation solos, or simply using the forward-thinking 'feel' of J Dilla to enhance one's sense of timing, through relaxation, through breathing, and development of phraseology. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Casey Benjamin in his birth month and the celebration of CASEY BENJAMIN DAY-RESOLUTION 0508-2024 October 10-the day of Thelonious Sphere Monk (October 10, 1917). © 2026 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/

The Sit-Down Podcast takes another opportunity to highlight the significance of the way in which Dilla has shaped the sonic landscape of modern urban music through his approach to music production. This episode has the host James Hurt taking a instrumental track through a journey in sound and feel via piano-improvisation example. The goal is to illuminate the importance of improvisation as a means of having a conversation be it one through an internal dialogue or an exchange between another stimulus such as an artist or even the track itself (as in this case). This episode is dedicated to the quest for improvisational excellence though continued deep listening and creative evolution. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt.© 2026 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/

The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to take time to thank all of the listeners for supporting this artistic endeavor of delivering one's history in one's own words. We are turning this episode on it's ear to discuss a concept relative to improvisation and creativity be it live or in the studio. The catalyst is none other than the singular voice of the Twentieth Century-ghost writer, producer, artist, engineer, and Black American Music visionary James Dewitt Yancey aka 'Dilla'. The podcast uses a track from a Dilla compilation and invites the listener to reply via text as to which track it was used for or if it remains unreleased. The broader discussion takes the track though a process of spontaneous improvisation as if were a rapper spitting verse after verse often spilling over the bar at times to stretch the phraseology as if engaged in a cypher. The improvisation was done in one take at around 00:12:08...from an 'open mic' perspective. The track takes the listener on a journey through twenty-nine different 'ideas' structured as sentences more-so than 'jazz licks'. See if you can follow the arc of the conversation-from darkness to light-from humor to cautionary. The art of conversation is at the forefront in this unique episode. The 'feel' is the sauce...demands that you listen to the track-breathe it. This episode is dedicated to J Dilla,  Maureen "Mama Dukes", and the family musical legacy. Special shout out to all of the Afro-Futurist of all identities and preferences in the United States who continue to push the boundaries of art and culture forward. Continue to raise the frequency higher. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt. © 2026 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/

Multifaceted Artist RIMARKABLE stops by the  Sit-Down Podcast to discuss the journey to becoming the unique vocalist, DJ, producer, and educator, and radio host only attained through trial, error, and DIY on the path towards excellence. This episode is dedicated to the Junteenth celebration, a federally recognized holiday often referred to as "America's second Independence Day", and remains the longest standing African-American holiday to date. Music composed and performed by James Hurt. © 2026 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/

As this season of The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt comes to a close I would like to personally extend deep gratitude and thanks to all that took time out of their very busy and active schedules to stop by. A very special thanks goes out to all of the listeners that tune in to listen while you navigate your day be it through long morning commute, a trip to the coffee shop to return emails, or in your place of residence relaxing and listening reminiscent of the living room radio experience. See you on the other side of next year and until then you know what to do. Music composed and performed by James Hurt. © 2025 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/

Cultural Ambassador of Hip-Hop, author, and creative Toni Blackman stopped by The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt to share her origin story in her own words. Toni recounts the earliest instance of experiencing creativity and moves through the memories leading up to her East Coast arrival. Toni and the host engaged one another about their shared cultural backgrounds and experiences growing up in diverse communities across America. They discussed Toni's journey from her hometown to Howard University, where she found self-worth and built a valuable network, while also exploring themes of personal growth, accountability, and the challenges faced by Black Americans in education and career advancement. The conversation concluded with discussions about Toni's work as a Hip-Hop artist and cultural ambassador, including her experiences with Freestyle Union and her efforts to blend hip-hop with education and diplomacy. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt. © 2025 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/

Saxophonist, composer, singer, and events tastemaker Yunie Mojica stopped The Sit-Down Podcast to share her origin story in her own words. While coming from a family immersed in both educational athletic endeavors Yunie was exposed to the many flavors of music through her home listening culture that she credits her dad with. Growing up the city of Hartford, Connecticut Yunie shares how she made peace with identity politics via the Transatlantic Slave Trade route by self-identifying as Black, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and a New York cultured individual. This reconing has taken Yunie on several twists and turns on the road to becoming a musician steeped in the Jazz tradition as taught through the Jackie McLean Institute in addition to all of the electronic music subsets of the time as heard as a young child from Celia Cruz to early Disco Latin Salsa-Soul (Salsoul), and ultimately leading her ear to Sonny Stitt and a willingness to capture that 'feeling' know and often referred to as 'Jazz'-the great American art form. With a Bachelors degree in both Jazz studies and Music Management Mojica has been contributor for such events as Summer Stage and Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzie's Club Coca Cola. Yunie continues to amaze with her duo project co-led with brother, DJ Acemo who are currently carving out a sonic space in the world of creative experimental electronica. Yunie also served as co-host of the podcast "Make Music Trill Again" with vocalist Melanie Charles. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt.© 2025 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/

Carole Alexis, Choreographer and Director of Ballet Des Ameriques, takes time out of her busy and active schedule to stop by the Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt and discuss her origin story in her own words. Having had multiple levels of training and expertise in several disciplines Carole takes the listener on a journey that begins in her homeland of the French-Caribbean territory of Martinique, early formal training in Africa (with primary focus on Dakar, Senegal), France, through the ultimate choice to relocate to the United States (settling in New York City's Harlem) in search the common thread of the human experience-beauty through artistic expression. The conversation also highlights the contributions of activism through an artistic lens and such pioneers from the Négritude movement poets such as Aimé Césaire, Léopold Sédar Senghor, and Léon-Gontran Damas. The notion of circularity as an integral part of the diaspora was extensively utilized to compliment the notion of linearity as it relates to art and culture. Gender roles and how they began to expand the boundaries to include women in dance as recently as the 17th Century were also discussed as one of the earliest forms of the 'constraint-freedom' dance (pun intended) towards transcendence in search of beauty and perfection however untenable. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt.© 2025 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/

Sound Chemist, drummer, percussionist, and turntablist, Val Jeanty stops by The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt to share an origin story which begins in her native land-The Republic of Haiti. From immersion in ceremonies of drum and dance as a young child, exposure arts across multiple disciplines, the shift towards instability and the decision to migrate to the USA, to an awareness of the different levels of social metrics to include race as a leading determinant of 'how' one moves through such a system labeled as a Democracy yet structured as a Republic, becoming drawn to the new sounds of urban youth's unique voice through the music of Hip-Hop, utilizing electronic instruments such as turntables and samplers as an extension of both sonic-creativity and cultural-preservation, navigating the journey of sound healing as a Sound Chemist, and offering a word of encouragement to aspiring sonic explorers and the like. This episode is dedicated the continued struggle and enduring spirit of the people of Haiti. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt. © 2025 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/

Visual artist, educator, and spontaneously-creative drummer Chad Anderson stops by the Sit-Down Podcast to share both his origin story and musical journey in his own words. This episode takes us to the state of Mississippi and into the city of Starkville. Chad recounts his first interests in art and music in particular, coming from a family of educators, radio as  a first instrument, earliest drum rivalry, the legacy of John Reese, Alvin Fielder's impact on his drum philosophy, visual artist Bart Galloway, I-95-from Jackson to Memphis, meeting Kelley and Chris Parker, and working with the trans-generational creative music visionary Chad Fowler. This episode is dedicated to the memory, legacy, and impact of the musical advocacy of violinist, creative thinker, and creator of the Black Arts Music Society (BAMS), John Reese. Background music composed and performed by James Hurt.© 2025 James Hurt. All rights reserved.The Sit-Down Podcast with James Hurt would like to thank you for listening. Please share links to episodes in the highlights section and don't forget to follow us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/james36963/?hl=enWebsite:https://musicjameshurt.com/