Up and coming jazz/classical/hiphop flautist and viral superstar!
Azeem Ward is the unlikeliest of Internet sensations, but the flautist who just graduated UCSB, who plays not just jazz and classical, but hip hop and flute beatboxing, became one last year. His Facebook invite to his senior recital was seized upon by some Internet wag in the UK and suddenly, Mr. Ward had tens of thousands of people RSVP'ing to his show. For a brief moment in May 2015, he was a thing. You may have seen him on Jimmy Kimmel:

But what was he really about, what was his music, and what does he plan to do next? This episode, recorded January 4, 2016, finds out. (Spoiler: he's a thoughtful, soft spoken guy.)

UCSB Amplified: Azeem Ward & Underbelly Pop Up Performance from UC Santa Barbara on Vimeo.

UCSB Amplified: Azeem Ward from UC Santa Barbara on Vimeo.
Azeem is not just a classical flautist, but he's interested in all genres and after our interview was off to play a jazz hip hop set with his DJ, DJ Underbelly. You can find Azeem at azeemward.wordpress.com and on SoundCloud here.