The Third Story with Leo Sidran

Actor, writer, Zen Buddhist Peter Coyote on the value of meditation ("it's like walking in fog - you get drenched!"), the search for the authentic self, and how to stay true to yourself in the midst of commercial pressures.

Guitarist Charlie Hunter is a true innovator who has collaborated with countless music legends including D’Angelo, John Mayer, Mos Def,  Michael Franti, Ben Goldberg and Norah Jones.

Gabriel Stulman has opened six successful restaurants in NYCs West Village since 2008. Here he talks about creating timeless places, how to balance instinct with recovery, and why it’s important to allow for failure in any endeavor.

Even if you don’t know the name Greg Holden, chances are you’ve heard his music. His song "Home" was recorded in 2012 by American Idol winner Phillip Phillips and became a huge hit, selling over five million copies and influencing many subsequent songs by other artists.

Recorded at a café in Paris on a crisp spring day, Madeleine speaks frankly and candidly about her teenage years in Paris, her career, her creative process, and the value of perpetual dissatisfaction.

Bassist, singer, songwriter Alan Hampton is often recognized for playing as a sideman with Robert Glasper,  Gretchen Parlato, and Andrew Bird. He has released two albums of his own original songs; the most recent. "Origami for the Fire" came out in the fall of 2014. Here he talks about growing up in Texas, moving to New York, and making music that transcends genre. Stream below or download from iTunes.

Indian vocalist Falu was born Falguni Shah in Mumbai. She was raised with a musical mother who she says started training her in Indian classical singing when she was barely three years old. By the time she graduated from college, she had spent the majority of her life literally living inside the music, and was determined to devote herself to singing.She has lived in the united states since 2000. In January of this year, the Economic Times of India listed Falu among the 20 most influential Global Indian Women.I loved this conversation, in part because it illuminated so many questions I have about India, and the relationship that Americans have with Indian music and culture, ranging from the importance of the Beatles in opening up the channel between western pop music and Indian classical music, to the connection between the escapism of Broadway musicals and Bollywood films. Stream below or download from iTunes.

Singer - songwriter Alex Cuba was born Alexis Puentes in Artemisa, Cuba, but since 1999 he has lived in Canada. He has won two Juno Awards and two Latin Grammys, and his songs have been recorded by many other Latin pop artists. Growing up, he was immersed in music at a very young age. His father was a respected guitarist and teacher named Valentin Puentes, and as a young boy Alex appeared in his dad’s guitar ensemble on Cuban national TV. He then went on to become an in demand bass player on the Cuban jazz.He immigrated to Canada in 1999 after marrying a Canadian in Cuba. He and his twin brother Adonis first settled in Victoria, British Columbia, and worked as a duo, the Puentes Brothers, and received a Juno Award nomination. In 2003, Cuba moved to Smithers, British Columbia, the hometown of his wife, Sarah, whose father is a local politician. I first met Alex nearly a decade ago, when his first solo record “Humo de Tabaco” had just been released. We stayed in touch over the years, and eventually in the fall of 2014, we worked together on the production for his fifth solo record, Healer. Recorded mostly in Brooklyn, the record will be released in the spring of 2015. This interview was recorded late in the evening following a long day of recording, and I think you can feel it in the candor and delirium of the conversation.Alex is one of the most naturally gifted songwriters I’ve ever come across – his creative output is nonstop and intense. He has a deeply intuitive approach, but at the same time he has a deep formation in traditional Cuban music, and a wide-open pop sensibility. But the thing that has intrigued me about Alex since I met him is how he reconciles his identity as a contemporary Latin singer songwriter with his adopted home in the wilds of British Columbia.  www.alexcuba.comStream it here or download it from the iTunes Music Store.

Bill Stewart is one of the most creative  jazz drummers around today. Since moving to New York in 1989, he has been busy playing in groups with the likes of Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Maceo Parker, and Pat Metheny. Here he talks about growing up in Iowa, finding his way into the music and out of the Midwest, the early days of his career in New York, his approach to playing and composing.

Doug Wamble is a very soulful musician and singer - the blues runs deep in his playing, and he has a direct, funky approach to songwriting and composing.Doug grew up in the south – he was born in Clarksville, Tennessee and raised in Memphis. Although he grew up with music in his family, he only started to play music in his late teens. But when he decided to become a musician, dove in deep.After finishing a graduate degree from Northwestern in Chicago, Doug moved to New York city to pursue his dream of becoming the next great jazz guitar player, and specifically, of playing with Wynton Marsalis. He says, “my practice for so long was geared towards how can I play in such a way that Wynton Marsalis will hire me.”Apparently it worked, because soon after moving to New York, Doug recorded with Wynton, and also started working with Madeline Peyroux, Cassandra Wilson, and Steven Bernstein.In our conversation, Doug talks about what happened next – he had the good fortune of achieving much of what he hoped to in New York very quickly, only to find that he was still scuffling to pay the rent, and still hustling for the next gig. That’s when his career really began to take shape.This interview is an honest snapshot of an artist in mid career – Doug is very much in it right now, thinking about his current projects (last year he released two solo records and produced singer Morgan James’ EPIC records debut “Hunter”!) and what the next steps are. But he’s also 20 years into a career that has put him in a lot of rooms, making serious music with serious people, and thinking about the big questions of art, craft and commerce.Doug says, “If I could pick one thing to inject into music it would be romance…You can’t get down to music that wins grants…I’d rather make a record that someone says, ‘you know I made my baby to that song.’”www.dougwamble.comStream it here or download it from the iTunes Music Store.