Smooth Jazz Now.com :

John - I was just reading an interview with you and Joni Mitchell on-line and as much as I like her she seems like a tough interview.

Ross - Tough only in the sense of her stature. There is an enormous body of work to cover but no she was a gift.

Ross - You know it was really fertile in the sense that she's not short on opinion.

John - The last time we talked just before Christmas you mentioned that Izzy and Can-West Global came to you for this job. In broadcasting sometimes we're running after owners to get on board but that must have been nice that they recognized your body of work?

Ross - Yeah and the fact that it was Izzy. There was enormous respect there.

Ross - Yes we had met several years before that and I had helped him in the summer of 2001 establish some programming for Cool TV. We were trying to find how much programming was out there. So, that was the start of it.

John - Depending on who you talk to in this country Jazz is either the best thing in the world to sell or an albatross around ones neck. How have you found it?

Ross - I'm a broadcaster who ended up doing Jazz not a Jazz guy who ended up doing broadcasting. I never felt that just because it's Jazz that it should be exempt from the basic principles of good broadcasting. I'm hoping that somewhere along the way that it's made a difference in terms of presenting this. I think often music is presented by fans who are not broadcasters. I found this to be an incredibly rewarding genre. You work it day in and day out and sometimes you can lose perspective only in the sense that it's prevalent in your life, it makes up a big part of your life and every now and then you have to stop and remember that not everybody knows about it. (laughing)

Ross - Yes. It was called the Treble Clef and there were a bunch of CTI albums. The label had moved from its deal that it had with Quality Records to doing it itself and as a result of that the catalogue was being deleted so they were selling these Jazz albums for 99 cents so that was my introduction. As a result of that I got a very soft spot in my heart for Creed Taylor.

John - Linda Nash who used to work for him here in Canada told me a while back that he still runs some semblance of CTI as a smaller label.

Ross - Yeah, I stay in touch with him. I did a documentary on him a few years back that I think he actually used in his case against Warner Brothers when he was suing them. I think it was the George Benson case and I think he had to explain to the jury or the jury had to understand what it was that he did so he called for the radio documentary. Also every once in a while when I'm in New York I give him a call and see him. I'm still waiting for the big move, for the big thing to happen but I haven't seen anything.

John - What he did with Grover and Benson really brought me to where I am today. It gave me a kick in the ass. I sometimes talk to people who kind of remember the name but the people in the know, the true Jazz fans, or even the serious music fans they know.

Ross - Pat Metheny said something to me once he said the litmus test for him on whether someone is a serious music fan and gets the big picture is when they start to talk about CTI. He said it's just simply a litmus test for him and he's able to make some judgments about someone and on how much they understand about music and how much they get it. I thought that was pretty bang on.

John - Yeah, were there growing pains for you going from the CBC to Can West Global?

Ross - The CBC job was incredible. I stopped learning and I needed to develop some kind of skills and that was part of the appeal of doing this. I like the idea of building something from the ground up. I like people, I like managing people, I like working with them, I like motivating them, I like attempting to inspire them and I also like resolving conflict. My day is basically fixing problems and planning and it's all for a common good. It's for the music. It's a good life.

John - It's well rounded also since your job has many different sides to it. You have the FM station, the TV station and the record label. Am I leaving any parts out?

Ross - Well, it's not at the top of the list right now. Its kind of wait and see. We just put out a compilation on Universal called the Cool Collection. If the right artist comes a long we'll do something.

John - Wasn't the original plan in the beginning of the Cool concept to just release a few compilations?

Ross - No. We launched it on September the 4th. Thankfully it was a month before Izzy passed away so he was able to see it come to fruition. Videotron in Quebec just started carrying it a few days ago, Rogers has it, Expressview has it so it's building. We are just in the midst of completing a number of other deals. It's been very good.

John - Are you taking any submissions of Jazz programs for COOL TV or are you doing everything in house?

Ross - No, no we are definitely in the business of buying programming. We are doing one show that is not quite in house. There is a production company that we have hired to do it and it is a weekly shoe called "Jazzland." I hosted it and I am the Executive Producer.

John - I just interviewed Michael Kaeshammer and he told me that he was going to be on it.

John - Michael told me that in the spectrum of Jazz that you are quite open. You know Ross, I think sometimes because you have been involved in traditional Jazz for so long that some people think you hate Smooth Jazz.

Ross - Oh, I like all music. The album that is in my car right now is the one that I am listening to the most and that is the new Paul Brown CD.(Up Front) I think it is a great album, it is beautifully produced. There is one track on the album that I don't get though and that's 'Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight' But I will tell you 'West Coast Swing' and 'Moon Dance' are wonderful. Let's just say he puts the puck in the net with this album.

Ross - You know John, what I look for in music is truth and beauty and that can come in all kinds of forms. Smooth Jazz is not except from that or traditional Jazz and it certainly has that in abundance. As long as it can speak in some way and has some kind of music integrity, I am there. I think the Paul Brown album has tons of musical integrity.

John - I am kind of curious, at what point in your broadcasting career did you start play listing tunes that juggled you inside, that moved you emotionally. Did that take a long time for you to figure that out or was that early in your life?

Ross - I don't know back then if I would have been able to articulate it that way. The way that you are now but I think that was there from day one. It came in another form and that is getting together socially with friends and someone saying, "Hey, you got to hear this." And that is an extension of what you are talking about. To me, wanting to share the music was there from day one. I was always the guy at the high school dances that played the music. I was always the guy at the high school radio station that was doing the programming during the lunch hour. It is all I have ever known. (laughing)

John - The people who knew you back then are probably not surprised that you are doing this now.

John - Let's just talk about Izzy for a second. Obviously, he had money and so he could invest in his passion for Jazz. A lot of people though, a lot of big broadcasting companies have big bucks but I don't see them investing in Jazz.

Ross - I have nothing but praise for Izzy and I admire him as a business man and a human being. I admire him as a philanthropist and he had a value system that he used as to how he wanted to treat people and how he would like to be treated. I got to know him in the latter part of his life when he had become extremely successful. I am deeply touched that he believed enough and cared enough and liked me enough to let me come inside and be his friend. When you get to the position he was at in life you have a lot of people contacting you and you had friends you never thought you had before. So, he was very cautious in the latter part of his life on who he let in. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him and I miss him. In my office now I just look up and on the wall is a picture of Duke Ellington and it is autographed to Izzy. Izzy is the reason I am here, it is the reason I came here.

John - Well, when I was talking to Roxanne (Gagne) and Walle (Larsson) last year they both mentioned their appreciation for working for a guy who got it and put his money right in the same place.

Ross - Yeah, I am lucky and I don't think that's left this building. I don't think it has left the operation at all.

John - So you don't think that dedication to Jazz is going to change for CanWest Global.

Ross - No. I mean we are running a business here. I have to take good care of people but I also have to return a profit so I am very realistic about that. It is a business and it is not about a Jazz crusade. It is about getting people to listen to the station and watching the T.V channels.

John - Well, I guess the point I am trying to make is the COOL organization is being run by people who truly love Jazz, who understand the genre and its effect on people so they know it can be successful.

Ross - Absolutely. I am conscious of that and I working closely with David Asper who is a music fan from day one. Well we have the resources we have the television and newspaper properties. I don't think it has ever been attempted by a company who has the resources that Can West has.

John - Congratulations on being named Broadcaster of the Year again from the National Jazz Awards.

John - That has to feel good specializing in a genre like Jazz can be a thankless job but knowing people take notice has to be pretty cool.

Ross - I am deeply touched by the people across the country who voted. It does mean something. It is one of those moments to pause and think that I am lucky, this is a good gig. This is a good country this Canada. I remember reading this one piece where someone referred to me as a veteran Broadcaster and I had never thought of it that way. It's like I woke up one morning and someone said, "You are a veteran." (laughing) and I thought, I guess so. I started doing this when I was in high school so it has been a while. It has been thirty odd years.

John - Having people tell you that you are an authority in Jazz which encompasses so many different things is a great title.

Ross - (laughing) I have been lucky that I have worked for two of the greatest broadcasting operations in Canada. The CBC and its commitment to presenting this style of music, the legacy speaks for itself in terms of what they have done. I am lucky I had the opportunity to do it there. I had a great group of people who supported me, Kinsey Posen who is still working on 'After Hours,' Wes Wilson, Janet Lea who was the head of radio/music and she supported me from day one. I was able to move that all into television and covered pop culture and music for the program 'Midday' and for the last few years at the CBC I was doing it for The National and that was like being called up to the majors. I will always be eternally grateful for what the CBC provided for me. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for the CBC. The CBC is the greatest training ground for Broadcasters in this country.If you look at the great Broadcasters in Canada, at some point or another they have all worked for the CBC whether it be Peter Kent and Kevin Newman. CBC has it and they have the expertise. What I have learned about interviewing people I learned on the CBC. I was very fortunate in the sense that I had several thousand opportunities to interview people through the years and the CBC gave me the training so I could do a good job. There are not many other operations in this world that has the expertise to teach people to do those things, okay maybe the BBC. So I am grateful that I had it and internally grateful that CanWest provides an environment where those skills can be used.

Ross - Yeah, this is for a piece that we shot for T.V. Everything I knew about Broadcasting and everything I knew about life went into that interview. Okay, I am exaggerating and overstating it but I used all the tricks and all the things that I could to reveal things about myself to help draw him out.

Ross - Oh gosh, yeah! This man is (long gap) a man child. I don't think you can give the world as much as he gave us musically and have both feet firmly planted on the ground. To be able to see the world the way that he did, you have to be different and you have to march to another beat.

Ross - Quincy Jones and that was about three years ago. He was a marvelous guest and it was shot for The National. It is easy to understand why people are attracted to this guy. He is charismatic, he has magnetism and he is a perpetual optimist who understands about the winners of this world. Obviously, he is a gifted human being with an enormous talent but he also has the ability to know how to draw the best out of people and to help them live in a good zone in terms of their creativity. The leader of the pack sets the tone and his is all about being positive and thinking good thoughts and I am all for it! Another guy who has that kind of magnetism is Phil Ramone. He is a very talented Producer and Phil and Quincy worked together.

John - Well, I always appreciated what he did with Billy Joel and Chicago.

Ross - He did a great job on those records. As far as other highlights Diana (Krall) is always a highlight.

John - You must have talked with her several times. My good buddies at Universal I must say have dropped the ball on that one as far as this site is concerned. I'm guessing that it's the record company that's shielding her at this point since she's become so huge. I would be really dissapointed to know that it's her that keeps saying no to me.

Ross - I like her a lot. I think that Diana Krall is a good person. Fundamentally she is a very shy person and I think that shyness is often misinterpreted as being aloof. Bill Evans was another highlight and I interviewed Pat Metheny several times. Warren Zevon was probably the hardest interview I have ever done in my life.

Ross - I don't think I was ready. I went in with a certain attitude and a certain direction that I wanted to take the interview in like wanting to talk about his dark side when he was doing his Ray Milland impersonation from 'The Lost Weekend.' He didn't want to talk about that since it was so far in the past. So, I should have been more flexible and ready to roll with another slant.

Ross - K.D. Lang the very first time and that would have been twenty years ago. I remember calling her publicist afterwards and suggested she not bother coming by again. It was quite obvious that she didn't want to be interviewed. I hooked up with her a few years later and she was a delight and she apologized. I remember thinking that she was okay. Also tough were Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman and Count Basie, those were all back in the early days. It was just a question of I wish I knew then what I know now, they would have been much better interviews. I was just way too young and I felt those interviews were wasted on me.

John - I hear you but you can't fight the clock when you are twenty, unfortunately you can't buy depth, you have to wait for it. I am curious were there people that you interviewed during those early years that you didn't get? What I mean is like some kid interviewing Pat Metheny and not fully understanding how great of an opportunity it was.

Ross - Yeah, about thirty years ago, Doc Pomus. I didn't know enough about his era of music to realize his importance.

Ross - Yeah and I have a good Program Director, John Wyndels. John is more hands on in a day to day way and I try to direct things through him.

Ross - We worked together on a program called 'Definitely Not The Opera.' To answer your question, yes, I am sometimes hands on in the sense that I listen to airchecks and listen to feedback and what have you.

Part Three Posted May 26, 2004

John - What do you look for in a Broadcaster at Cool FM?

Ross - Well first off, I don't look for disc jockey's I look for radio hosts. In my mind there is an enormous difference. I don't look for people who sound like jocks I look for people who sound conversational who have a point of view and broad reference points. I like people who read the New Yorker and the Sunday New York Times. The people I like and the people I hire are the people who go straight to Tower Records if they visit New York. They just look for the CD's they can't find here.

John - How do you feel about this audience? I have to say I'm excited about these people. I hang out with these people. I am in the middle of that demographic. I think like me, these people have an appreciation for this sound.

Ross - Well, I think this is a style of music that you grow into. I think you find it at a certain point in your life when it makes sense. I think for some people it is often the last chance hotel. I think they have had it at this point with the other stuff. This audience have come back to radio for this particular kind of music and I find that really encouraging.

John - Where will Ross Porter be in twenty years?

Ross - Sitting in a log cabin at Salt Spring Island finally getting around to the thousands of CD's I haven't opened yet.

John - (laughing) Come on you know you will never catch up. It is just the nature of the beast.

Ross - I have so many people who have come over to the house and looked at my collection at home and noticed all the unopened CD's.

John - What do you do for down time and do you have hobbies?

Ross - Well, what I do for a living is what most people do for a hobby. So that is how it started for me. So it still takes up a huge part of my life and I am writing a book right now. It is called 'One Hundred Essential Jazz CD's.' I also try to be a better father and a better husband. I am not a bad one but it's always a work in progress. (laughing)

John - You have been in Winnipeg for a long time now?

Ross - Yeah, I came here in 1979.

John - Could you live anywhere else?

Ross - Oh yeah. I am here because I could do network programming for the CBC.

John - Did you do your CBC show from your home?

Ross - Yes, towards the end I did.

John - I record a show for CHUM right now from my home before I go off to do a show for New-Cap at The Breeze here in Calgary which is live but I hear what you are saying it is pretty cool working out of your home.

Ross - It's the best.

John - What a great comfort zone it is when you can do what you know, what comes as second nature right from the comfort of your home.

Ross - Oh sure. I use to just walk downstairs and do the show. I would do the show with my dog, Stanley, sitting on my lap.

John - (Laughing) So is there anything particular that Stanley liked, maybe a little John Coltrane or Bill Evans?

Ross - (laughing) Well, he liked the Cowsills. I remember I use to do the show wearing a sweat shirt and shorts.

John - Well, not everyone gets to that comfort level in Broadcasting or a choice of a comfortable wardrobe for that matter. Good for you!

Ross - Well, John good luck with the website. It is great!

John - Ross, I appreciate your time thank you for talking with me.

Ross - Yes it was fun, I enjoyed talking with you John. If you need anything else call me at any time.