Blaise Lantana has what it takes to be the Music Director at KJZZ... she loves music! Blaise , has been a musician all her life and still performs here in the valley.
A typical day for Blaise consistis of listening to recordings for 6 to 8 hours and deciding what to play on the air... then hosting the program. It takes patience... endurance and above all know-how!
Blaise was born in Tucson and grew up in Philadelphia, where she studied classical piano and organ. She continued her studies at Rutgers University and Texas A & M, where she majored in voice and composition. In the spirit of the nineteen sixties, Blaise discovered blues and jazz. She traveled from Florida to Michigan to Colorado, performing and composing with blues and jazz ensembles. She took along a new love, more intimate and mobile than her piano, the guitar.
"After 10 years of gypsy life," says Blaise, "I settled in Texas and was enchanted by the Mexican music I heard there. It took me back to my Cuban roots and led me to create a Latin music project in Corpus Christi." Blaise's Latin Jazz ensemble played throughout Texas, and performed at the Texas Jazz Festival for four years.
It was in Texas that Blaise began her radio career. Because she had studied music and language, the classical pronunciations came easy, and her experience with different musical styles made her a vital programmer at KEDT in Corpus Christi. Blaise came to Phoenix in 1994 as an announcer at KBAQ and was promoted to Music Director at KJZZ in 1995 when the Station started playing acoustic jazz. KJZZ is lucky to have an experienced musician who understands radio and relates to the Phoenix community of musicians, drawing our listeners into the local music scene.
Blaise commands the KJZZ waves weeknights from 7 to 11 playing Jazz and sharing her musical expertise with KJZZ listeners. On the weekends Blaise performs live at various venues throughout the valley. This year Blaise completed her own CD "With a Touch of Blues." The recording showcases some very talented valley musicians.
