Maria Fajardo is a vocalist, composer, songwriter and music educator from Spain who graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2016. Currently, she is the academic coordinator at Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory and a member of the band Ser O Jooni.

Podcasts I follow:

The Third Story

The Third Story was launched in 2014 and has aired over 240 episodes to date. Its episodes present long-form interviews—anywhere between 30 to 90 minutes—with musicians, artists and people in the creative field.

Sidran is a good interviewer. He researches his guests and their work very well and asks the right questions that prompt interesting answers. The interview covers the life and perspectives of the featured artists along with the work they’ve put out.

Still Processing

Still Processing is a New York Times podcast hosted by the paper’s culture writer Wesley Morris and critic Jenna Wortham. This weekly podcast started in 2016 and has aired over 100 episodes to date.

I get my fill of pop-culture through Still Processing. Both the hosts are African-American so I like listening to their perspectives on these things. The show covers topics that don’t seem deep or thought proving; many would consider them frivolous. But they are presented eloquently, so it is fun to listen.

You’re Dead To Me

If you’re in the mood for something funny, tune into You’re Dead To Me. It’s a comedy podcast from the BBC that covers history. Over 100 episodes have been released of this show that launched in 2019.

The host, Greg Jenner, brings in a specialist, historian or comedian to every episode and they talk about a historical event in the funniest way possible. I found the episode on ancient Greek and Roman medicine very interesting.

Broken Record

From Rick Rubin, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam, and Justin Richmond, Broken Record is a music podcast that started in 2017. Over 200 episodes of the show are out, with the most recent one featuring an interview with funk musician George Clinton.

Musicians would enjoy Broken Record. The artists featured in the show explain how they worked on a particular record delving deep into its production. I enjoyed the Jacob Collier two-parter and the episode with Bon Iver the most.