RadioStPete.com news director Nanette Wiser is proud to present a new monthly podcast - Sounds of Healing with Alvinette Downing, president of the Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association. Our new partnership is the first of many exciting projects. In her soothing and incisive podcast, Alvinette interviews with musicians, discusses how music can heal and help us reconcile our past, present and envision the future, shares inspirational lyrics as well as memories from the life of Alvinette and her family, especially her late, legendary father Al Downing.

ABOUT ADTBJA Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, Inc. is to promote Jazz and to encourage the appreciation of Jazz, its origin and evolution. By sponsoring concerts and other events that present quality Jazz and by providing educational opportunities for adults and youth, the association preserves and perpetuates Jazz as an original American art form.  UPCOMING EVENTS Vice President Jean Pierce shares with RSP about summer concerts, events and the Monday Jazz Jam @The Hangar in downtown St. Pete.  More events here.   

In Episode 1 Alvinette interviews the acclaimed  Fred Johnson, Vocal Performer, Storyteller, Melodic Narrative Master Teacher, Director, Author, Arts Educator, Visual Artist.  Fred Johnson is an artist and educator dedicated to the journey of creating spaces and experiences that express our respect for and support of honoring life and all living entities. The fact that he has opened for both Aretha Franklin and Dr. Deepak Chopra points to his versatility as an artist and healer. 

An acclaimed jazz vocalist, sacred chanter, storyteller, author and arts educator, Fred is a graduate of the National Academy of the Performing Arts as well as the Master Performers School of the National Mime Theater. He has opened for or recorded and toured worldwide with jazz and R&B legends Ramsey Lewis, Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, Christian McBride, Richard Elliot, George Benson, Boney James, Joe Zawinul, Ottmar Liebert, David Sanborn, B. B. King, Patti LaBelle, Herbie Mann, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderley and Miles Davis. 

He is recognized globally for his work in the health and wellness community as well as his extensive work in international Interfaith peace and reconciliation. He served as Deputy Executive Director of Intersections International, a multi-faith, multi-cultural initiative of The Collegiate Church of New York for ten years and led their international outreach, utilizing the arts, meditation and dialogue that specifically addressed challenges in communities around the issues of bias, exclusion and cultural conflict. Since the mid 1980’s Fred has worked in communities throughout Tampa Bay, empowering children and adults in creative ways, to celebrate the richness of who they are, to dream big, lift their voices and come together to work towards making the experience of living in Tampa Bay culturally rich, inclusive and inspiring.

His presentations on the healing power of music have caught the attention of internationally recognized holistic health practitioners and the medical community. Fred presents lectures and seminars re-accentuating the importance of creative expression and the sharing of story as catalysts for personal and communal empowerment, health and healing and giving voice to the voiceless. He is a leading voice in the national conversation regarding Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access and chairs committees for The International Transformational Leadership Council, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida and The Stella Adler Center for the Arts in both New York and Los Angeles.

Mentored by spiritual masters of the African oral and percussion legacy, Fred has been hailed as one of the true guardians of an oral tradition transplanted and nurtured to create a fusion of cultural heritage that is uniquely American and inherently African. Fred currently serves as Artist in Residence, Community Engagement/Diversity and Equity Specialist and coordinates the Arts and Health initiative at The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts. He was the first artist to perform at theStraz Center when it opened in 1987 and served as the Vice President of Education andHumanities from 1996 to 2005.