Confluence of Music & Literature
What: An Immersive music experience centered on “Women in Jazz*. We honor Black Music Month and join with the Billie Jean King Main Library to curate an integrated experience powered by panel discussions featuring top music industry professionals; A curated Reading List on Women in Jazz straight from the literary catalogues of the Long Beach Public Library; a visual mini gallery featuring images of legendary Women from the annals of Jazz history; an hugely anticipated live concert performance from one of the hottest young jazz artists of the day – The Tatiana Tate Band joins us live from the Terrace of the Billie Jean King Main Library.
When: Saturday, June 21, 2025, 1pm – 5pm
Where: Billie Jean King Main Library 200 W Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802 Learn More about the Billie Jean King Main Library here.
Enjoy and share our playlist on Spotify
Panel Discussion: Exploring the legacy of Women in Jazz –
Taking place inside the Susan Miller Room at the Billie Jean King Main Library, we will take an introspective look at the legacy of women in jazz. We have assembled an incredible panel of music industry professionals to join us as we contemplate the music. Panelists will include:
Moderator: Greg Johnson, CEO Hannibal Media Group
Diane Robertson, Esq – Executive Director, Leimert Park Jazz Festival
Diane Robertson is an attorney, creative producer, and community leader whose work spans civic engagement, jazz-centered programming, and cultural preservation. She blends creativity, leadership, and advocacy to drive meaningful, lasting impact. As an entertainment attorney, Diane’s legal expertise has supported high-profile productions for a major television studio, where she has navigated complex legal landscapes while fostering collaboration between legal, creative, and business teams. She brings this same strategic and visionary approach to her work in the arts—expanding access, nurturing emerging artists, and cultivating inclusive spaces where culture and community flourish.
Diane is the Executive Director of Leimert Park Jazz Festival, which presents a signature annual celebration that launched in 2020 after evolving organically from a beloved community block party she began in 2015. Under her leadership, the organization achieved nonprofit status in 2023 and now offers year-round programming dedicated to preserving jazz, uplifting new talent, and deepening community engagement.
Diane serves as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles Civil and Human Rights Commission and as a Board Member of the Los Angeles Conservancy. She is also leading grassroots efforts to nominate her Leimert Park neighborhood for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dara Starr-Tucker – Radio Personality, Jazz Vocalist, Woodshed Network Fellow
With a voice described as “commanding and clear” (NPR), Dara Starr Tucker weaves a rich tapestry of sound and story. A powerful presence on social media, Tucker has garnered a combined following of over 1.3 million across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube as a jazz singer-songwriter, social media commentator, and satirist on cultural and racial equity, human rights, music, and film. Tucker’s thought-provoking commentary and musical storytelling have garnered her national attention. Her videos, commentary, and songs have been featured on HBO, FX/Hulu, The OWN Network, BET.com, Shondaland.com, Ebony, and Jet. She has been featured on NPR’s Jazz Night in America, NPR’s Jazz Inspired, and is currently the host of “The Front Page” on Radio Free 102.3FM in Los Angeles, a station owned by Stevie Wonder.
A Woodshed Network Fellow, selected for the prestigious program founded by jazz legend Dee Dee Bridgewater, she has toured and recorded with guitarist Charlie Hunter and co-wrote the title track for Keb’ Mo’s 2020 Grammy-winning album, Oklahoma. Her 2021 release, Dreams of Waking, reached #7 on JazzWeek’s national radio charts, while songs from her current album, Dara Starr Tucker, were included on Apple Music’s Jazz Vocal Essentials, Spotify’s Best Jazz Vocals 2023 and Amazon Music’s Vocal Jazz playlists. Tucker’s new album, Time Wouldn’t Wait, a soul-stirring collection of original compositions and cinematic reimaginings, will be available on August 15th, 2025, and reflects on the passage of time, the beauty of impermanence, and the power of presence.
A. Scott Galloway – music journalist
A. Scott Galloway is a prolific Los Angeles-based Music Journalist who has been writing since 1988 for magazines including Urban Network, Wax Poetics, Variety, Players, Lowrider, Alternatives and the U.K.’s Blues & Soul – interviewing artists from Max Roach to Maxwell. He has appeared on numerous occasions as an on-camera music expert on the television programs “Unsung” (TV-One) and “Celebrity Legacies” (Reelz). He has written scores of project biographies for artists that include George Clinton, Yolanda Adams, Michael Franks, Cree Summer, Marcus Miller, Tower of Power and Terence Blanchard. His specialty is composing liner note essays for CD reissues and compilations of classic recordings for which he has written nearly 400 including Ray Charles: True Genius, the 25th anniversary Deluxe 2-CD reissue of Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly,” “The Reel Quincy Jones” compilation of film music, a 24-karat gold edition of Sly & The Family Stone’s “There’s a Riot Goin’ On,” a high-end audio vinyl reissue of Isaac Hayes’ seminal “Hot Buttered Soul,” “D’Angelo: The Best So Far,” Donny Hathaway’s “Extension of a Man,” The Dells’ “Freedom Means” drummer Steve Gadd’s 70th birthday project “70 Strong,” Clairdee’s “A Love Letter to Lena,” Grant Green’s “Slick,” The Tubes’ “Outside/Inside” and The Isley Brothers’ 23-disc “The Complete RCA Victor and T-Neck Records Masters (1958-1983).” He also produced the anthologies “Petals: The Minnie Riperton Collection,” “Pillow Talk: The Sensuous Sounds of Sylvia,” “David Sanborn: Anything You Want – The Warner Reprise Elektra Years (1975-1999),” “George Benson: Anthology,” “Brenda Russell: Ultimate Collection” and “Jesse Johnson: Ultimate Collection.”
Mr. Galloway is the Editor of the 2013 Hal Leonard deluxe coffee table book “Down the Rhodes: The Fender Rhodes Story.” He also wrote the Foreword for the hard cover art book “Invitation to Openness: The Jazz & Soul Photography of Les McCann.” His travels have taken him to Barbados, Netherlands, Rio and Quebec.
Prior to his years in writing, Mr. Galloway started in the music business as a clerk then buyer for Wherehouse Records, had the position of Music Librarian created for him at KUTE-102-FM “The Quiet Storm” in Los Angeles, and was the Music Director for the weekly 3-hour internationally syndicated contemporary jazz radio show “Fusion 40” via Teleprograms. He is also a former three-year Chairman of the Liner Notes Committee for The Recording Academy (Los Angeles).
For a quick, more comprehensive perusal of Mr. Galloway’s Classic CD liner note essay credits, click the blue link below to All Music Guide:
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/a-scott-galloway-mn0000676763
Qiana Conley-Akinro Senior Executive Director, Recording Academy
Qiana Conley Akinro began in music in 1999 at Epic Records in Promotions/A&R while contributing to album projects by Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and B2K and then as Director of Creative/A&R, Television and Film, she worked for publishers Notting Hill Music Publishing (UK) and ole (Canada) and with Simon Cowell’s record labels SYCO Records/Sony Music on albums for One Direction, Cher Lloyd and Alexandra Burke. She quickly became known amongst her peers for her innovative curation of the catalogues and talent roster across genres, media platforms, and music markets.
In 2011, Conley Akinro founded cue the creatives where she began Music Supervising on projects such as Nickelodeon’s How To Rock, Lifetime’s holiday feature Seasons of Love starring Taraji P. Henson, Gladys Knight & Method Man, Lionsgate’s release Public Disturbance and currently on Freeform/OWN/Hulu’s The Hair Tales, Showtime’s Flatbush Misdemeanors and Lil Kev on BET+. Also working as Music Supervisor on indie features premiering at festivals like Urbanworld (She’s Got A Plan), Pan-African Film Festival (The Muhammad Ali story entitled The Last Punch), Blackstar Film Festival (1 Angry Black Man), and the Moscow International Film Festival (Puk Grasten’s debut film 37 starring Orange Is The New Black’s, Samira Wiley). She believes strongly in bringing quality music soundscapes to films of all artistic outreach regardless of budget demands and continues to support opportunities for women in music licensing as a founding member of the collective Black Women In Media Collective (BWMC) of fellow music supervisors and studio/network executives in music licensing.
In 2014, Conley Akinro expanded into executive producing film, TV and live events including the Co-Creating/Co-Producing the Blackout Music and Film Festival with Ryan Coogler’s Blackout for Human Rights Organization. In 2015, she began producing/directing “The Untitled TLC Documentary,” which follows the journey back to the music for the iconic pop girl group, after a 20-year lapse, as they take on the challenges of making their final album. The film offers a unique look at these groundbreaking women who are set on doing it all on their own.
Additionally, she served four years as Governor plus two terms in the Los Angeles Chapter Board Secretary position of the GRAMMYs’ parent entity, the Recording Academy®. Her volunteer service also currently includes sitting on the Board for GirlTrek, the preeminent voice on Black Women’s Health reaching over 1 million subscribers.
In 2018, Conley Akinro became the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy/GRAMMYS, working with some of today’s most influential music creators and professionals in guiding event programming, membership & board engagement. Conley Akinro also oversees national & local advocacy campaigns for the largest chapter of the Academy’s membership body through partnerships with GRAMMYS on the Hill, MusiCares and the GRAMMY Museum Foundation.