Marty Ashby sits down with actress, director, producer and vocalist Tamara Tunie, also serving as the 25/26 Artist-In-Residence for MCG Jazz.
A familiar face from television, movies, and Broadway, Tamara comes home from starring in the Emmy Award–winning hit daytime drama Beyond the Gates to share stories about growing up in Pittsburgh, her college years at Carnegie Mellon University, and the musical influences that shaped her artistic life.
The playlist traverses Tamara’s own album Dreamsville—including the title track and the Brazilian favorite “Dindi,” recorded in Pittsburgh with jazz legends Roger Humphries, George Heid, and Mike Tomaro—and the music of the artists who shaped her.
Tamara shares influential favorites such as Dianne Reeves’ “Endangered Species,” Toots Thielemans’ “Começar de Novo,” and Laurence Hobgood’s “Straighten Up and Fly Right.”
Tamara explains what it means to be “forged in the fire” of Pittsburgh’s work ethic in a warm and wide-ranging conversation that pairs her story with the music that has guided her journey.
The MCG Jazz Spotlight show - Friday and Sunday at 6pm and Saturday at 1pm on The Pittsburgh Jazz Channel WZUM.
