Jazz Articles about Stella Cole

About Stella Cole

Chats with Cats

The A&R Producer: Matt Pierson

by B.D. Lenz
May 26, 2026

Behind many great records is someone helping shape the music beyond the notes themselves: a producer, collaborator, sounding board, and sometimes even an unofficial artist-development guide. While listeners often focus on the musicians on the cover, producers and A&R figures can play a major role in how a project ultimately comes together--and whether it reaches an audience at all. Few people have occupied that space as successfully as Matt Pierson. Over the years, Pierson has worked with an ...

Radio & Podcasts

The Magic of Stella Cole

by Leo Sidran
September 11, 2025

Stella Cole didn't set out to become the face of a jazz revival. Growing up in Springfield, Illinois, she fell in love with The Wizard of Oz and movie musicals. By the time she reached college at Northwestern, she nearly abandoned singing altogether--discouraged by a culture that told her the “old" songs weren't marketable. Then the pandemic hit. Locked down at home, she turned back to the comfort movies and music of her childhood, and began posting short ...