5049 Records: Recent Episodes
Jeremiah Cymerman
The 5049 Podcast is a weekly interview show hosted by composer/clarinetist Jeremiah Cymerman, broadcast from the Lower East Side of New York City to the Web every Monday morning. Each week Jeremiah sits down with a musician to talk music, life, art, philosophy and shit. Lots of shit. Join us each Monday morning.
For Coronacast #8, the wise and hilarious Jamie Saft returns to talk performing with the masters, making records, solo performance, playing on antique instruments and much much more. Strap in, this is a good one.
Trumpet virtuoso Peter Evans returns to the podcast to answer questions about practice, development of musical ideas, his current listening and tons more. You know Peter. You love Peter. I love Peter. At the end of the episode, my advice for caccio e pepe. Enjoy.
Today we are joined by 2020 James Beard semi-finalist, pastry chef extraordinaire and lover of underground music, Natasha Pickowicz. Natasha is a friend and a colleague. Her knowledge of improvised and experimental music is deep and her skills in the kitchen are unmatched. Natasha knows delicious and I adore her.
Today I welcome a bearded 40 year old unemployed man onto the podcast to answer your questions. Thank you all for the birthday wishes and questions. ONWARD! #PMA
Producer Randall Dunn has worked for years with bands like Sunn O))), Bill Frisell, Kayo Dot, Eyvind Kang, Chelsea Wolfe, Earth and hundreds more. Over time he has crafted in an instantly recognizable sound that is marked by clarity, spaciousness and big time vibes. For this talk we answer your questions about a variety of topics from Buddhism to tracking Sunn O))), recording aesthetics, travel and a whole lot more.
Live from London, producer/sound engineer Marc Urselli returns to the show to answer your questions about home recording and mixing, working with John Zorn and Hal Willner, desert island gear, Coronavirus and much more.
Episode 2 of the 5049 Coronacast brings back our old friend Charlie Looker. Easily one of my favorites to chew the fat with, Charlie has been busy with a new Psalm Zero record, his Youtube channel and his new electronic project, Nothing Human. For this talk we answer your questions, ranging from based culture to improvised music, Patrice O’neal to Gilles Deleuze, fascism to Extra Life. Dig it.
Aaaaaand we’re back. Live from the epicenter of the global pandemic we are bringing new episodes of the 5049 Coronacast every week, answering questions from, YOU, the listener. Episode 1: Toby Driver.
For episode 215 clarinetist Aaron Novik swings by for a go-round on the mics. Raised in Connecticut, he lived in San Francisco for several years, where nurtured several longstanding musical relationships. Aaron moved to New York in 2015 and starting tomorrow night , July 16th, he’s kicking off a weeklong residency at the Stone. In an unprecedented move, for each performance Aaron is releasing an EP of new music. Aaron is a sweetheart and I’m glad we finally found the time to talk on the mics. Sorry for the salt levels.
Multi-instrumentalist Jeff Tobias was raised on Long Island, spent many years in Athens GA and has been living in New York City for the past seven years. He was a member of bands Dark Meat, We Versus the Shark and Nymph. He currently plays in Sunwatchers and Reps and last year he released his first recording of solo saxophone music. Jeff is a good cat and this conversation is one of my favorites of recent memory.
For episode 213, the great Ava Mendoza returns to talk shop. Since her last visit in 2013, Ava has become a seasoned New Yorker and a crucial contributor to the city’s music scene. Today we talk pedals, making records, song writing, improvisation and a whole lot more. Ava is one of the best around and today is a good talk.
Before moving back to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio in 2014 drummer Joe Tomino was a crucial force in the world of New York underground music. He is one third of the long-running group Dub Trio, with whom he has performed in the bands of Mike Patton, Matisyahu, Fugees and many more. Dub Trio seamlessly blends aggressive rock, reggae, metal and dub studio logic into am utterly unique and thrilling musical aggregate. They’ve just released their fifth album and ahead of embarking on a tour opening for Incubus, Joe stopped by to talk shop. Joe is one of the best guys around and it was a joy to be able to spend some time with him.
For episode 211 the great Pavone returns. Topics of discussion include exercise, improvisation, making records and friendship. Enter the P-Vone Zone.
Melvin Gibbs is an extraordinary bass player who for the better part of the last four decades has been a key figure in the worlds of rock, jazz, funk and the New York avant-garde. An original member of the Black Rock Coalition and a veteran of bands led by Ronald Shannon Jackson, Sonny Sharrock, Henry Rollins and others, Melvin has led an incredibly varied and colorful career. Ahead of his appearance this Thursday at the 2019 Vision Festival, Melvin stopped by to talk about his new project the God Particle, a collaboration with physicist and musician Stephon Alexander.
Evan Parker is a living legend who in the past fifty years he has almost singlehandedly reinvented the language of the saxophone, presenting a world of sonic possibilities perviously unimagined. Born at the tail end of World War II in Bristol, England, his first musical interest was cool West Coast jazz but quickly found his way to Bird and Diz, and eventually Trane. Through constant work and solo concerts as well as longstanding relationships with improvisers like Paul Lytton, Barry Guy, Alex von Schlippenbach and Paul Lovens, Evan has established himself as one of the forefathers of European improvisation. Today’s conversation covers a lot of ground and it is an absolute honor to be able to present it here.
Born and raised in New York, bassist Nick McMaster has been an essential participant in the city’s avant metal scene for the past ten plus years. A member of both Krallice and Geryon, Nick has also contributed to Bloody Panda, Psalm Zero, Castevet. For today’s talk we cover a lot of ground, from the various strains of NYC metal, to living in Poland, different approaches to metal bass and a lot more.
Saxophonist Ryan Muncy is at the forefront of new music, collaborating closely with many of today’s most cutting edge composers and ensembles. He received a Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University in 2012 and has been a crucial member of many of today’s most important ensembles such as the International Contemporary Ensemble, Talea, Ensemble Dal Niente, Wet Ink and others. For today’s talk we get into it, discussing all matters sax and Ryan’s work for the past two decades.
James Plotkin is a legend of underground music. Active for the past three decades as a guitarist, composer, producer and mastering engineer, his influence across a broad range of adventurous music cannot be overstated. From his earliest days with Regurgitation to his participation in Khanate, one of the most influential metal bands of the last twenty years, James has been steadily contributing to the language of modern dark music. He is also a lynchpin of the 5049 label, having mastered all but one of our releases. For this talk we go back ton his earliest days in Jersey, hanging out with Morbid Angel as a teenager, making electronic music, mixing and mastering records and a whole lot more. James Plotkin is a first rate artist who deserves serious attention.
Nick Dunston is a talented young bass player who is quickly making a mark on the world of contemporary improvisation and jazz. Raised in New York and educated at the New School, he started at cello at age four and has been playing the bass since a teenager. Not yet out of college, he is already a member of bands led by Marc Ribot, Dave Douglas, Amirtha Kidambi and Tyshawn Sorey. In addition to being a naturally gifted musician, he is also a 2019 Van Lier fellow by way of Roulette Intermedium.
On the verge of releasing his first recording of chamber music, the best dude around, Trevor Dunn, returns to the podcast for a second go-round on the mics. Living in Brooklyn since 2000 Trevor has been a key figure in dozens of projects led by John Zorn, Mike Patton, Erik Friedlander, Kris Davis and many many more. Now at the age of 51, he is embarking on a series of releases of his own projects. For this talk we cover a lot of ground: being a sideman, compositional process, Ornette Coleman, film-scoring, the Fyre Festival and a lot lot more. It’s a good time to be a Trevor Dunn fan.
Chicago based composer/laptop improviser Sam Pluta has been developing a completely personal language for the better part of the past two decades. A professor at the University of Chicago, he has worked closely with Peter Evans, George Lewis, Jeff Snyder and Evan Parker. He is a member of the Wet Ink Ensemble and is a co-founder of Carrier Records. He’s also a really funny and likable guy and today’s talk is a good one.
Born in 1974, Alex Ward is a London based clarinetist and guitarist who got his start in free improvised music when he was eleven years old, playing with Derek Bailey. Over the years he’s worked closely with Steve Noble, Simon H. Fell, Weasel Walter, Pat Thomas and many others. In addition to being a gifted clarinetist, Alex is an accomplished guitarist who has been forging an idiosyncratic language all his own. Most recently he has been touring with This Is Not This Heat, which brought him over the States for a series of shows. Clarinet, guitar, London, improvisation and a whole lot more. Today is a good one!
For episode 200, we welcome young bass virtuoso, Henry Fraser, onto the show for lots of good talk about his first few years in New York, his work with the Anthony Coleman Trio, his ongoing collaboration with Sam Weinberg, starting to play electric bass in his twenties, Boston and a whole lot more. Henry is the man and you will be hearing from him for years to come. To kick things off, we go through six years of listener emails to which I am finally getting around to responding. EPISODE 200!!!!
Guitarist Alan Licht has been active across a broad range of activity in the wold of experimental music since the late 80s. Born and raised in Jersey, based in Brooklyn, Alan has been playing guitar since he was a teenager. He’s worked closely with Loren Connors, Lee Ranaldo, Jim O’Rourke and many others. He’s a published author and for many years was the booker for the legendary NYC club Tonic. Alan has stayed very busy over the years and has a perspective all his own, with a lot of stories to tell.
Producer/Sound Alchemist Raz Mesinai has been a vital force across several strains of the New York Underground since the late eighties. Active as a soundtrack composer, DJ, mix engineer, percussionist, educator and more, he’s released records on ROIR, Asphodel, Tzadik and more. Along with Scotty Hard, he started the Underground Producers Alliance, a consortium of creative producers offering courses in music production. This conversation was recorded in Raz’s studio in Brooklyn.
In the underground music scene of New York City, bassist, engineer, educator Kato Hideki is a most crucial participant. Before moving to New York City in 1992 Kato was an original member of Otomo Yoshihide’s Ground Zero. Since arriving in New York, he has worked closely with John Zorn, Ikue Mori, Eyvind Kang, Fred Frith, Marc Ribot and Zeena Parkins among many others. He was born and raised in Nagoya, Japan and has played on many of my favorite records to come out of New York in the last twenty five years. A great talk with a great guy.
Mariel Roberts is a cellist who in recent years has become an essential participant in the international contemporary musical community. Born and raised in Denver CO, she studied at the Manhattan School of Music and leads an incredibly colorful career as a first call interpreter of works by todays most vital composers. She has worked with virtually every ensemble in NYC and continues to push boundaries with a series of solo recordings that push the language of the cello to the edge of insanity. Mariel is a gem and a great conversationalist.
For the past two decades multi-instrumentalist Marcia Bassett has been at the forefront of the underground noise and improv scene. Since her early days with the band Un she has amassed a prolific output with her bands Hototogisu, GHQ, and Double Leopards as well as collaborations with Samara Lubelski, Barry Weisblat and Andrew Lafkas. Under the name Zaïmph, her long-running solo project, she has just released the gorgeous and ambitious double LP “Rhizomatic Gaz” on Drawing Room Records. Marcia is a true underground hero and is a pleasure to speak with.
Drummer/multi-instrumentalist Weasel Walter is an intense and formidable figure in the world of underground music. Active since 1991, he has been touring and recording non-stop, amassing a staggering discography along the way. His long list of collaborators include Damon Smith, Henry Kaiser, Lydia Lunch, Marc Edwards and many many more. Next month Weasel is releasing the first record by his band the Flying Luttenbachers in many years, before taking the new lineup to Europe. Since starting this podcast in 2013, I have received more requests to have Weasel on than any other artist. Here we are.
Eric Wubbels is a a New York based composer and pianist who for the past several years has been co-director of the world renowned Wet Ink Ensemble. His music is intense, meticulous and an utterly thrilling listening experience. Eric has been awarded grants and fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Chamber Music America, MATA Festival, Barlow Endowment, Jerome Foundation, New Music USA and others. He is a great cat with a lot of insight.
For episode 192 we are joined by Sarah Hennies, a percussionist and composer born and raised in Louisville KY, now living in Ithaca, NY. Her work is concerned with a variety of musical, sociopolitical, and psychological issues including queer & trans identity, love, intimacy, psychoacoustics, and percussion. She has performed around the world and her recent composition “Contralto” continues to see performances at a variety of venues and festivals including Bent Frequency (Atlanta), La Sobilla (Verona), Monday Evening Concerts (Los Angeles), MOCA Tucson, Time-Based Art (Portland, OR), and the Toronto International Film Festival’s Bell Lightbox Theatre. Sarah is as deep as they come and this is a good talk.
Darcy is composer and bandleader raised in Vancouver, based in Brooklyn NY. He studied with Bob Brookmeyer at the New England Conservatory and since the early 2000s has led his own big band, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, an eighteen piece ensemble that focuses on his original compositions. The group has released several albums and their 2009 debut “Infernal Machines” was nominated for a grammy. This weekend Secret Society will be doing four sets at the Jazz Gallery in NYC and Darcy stopped by to talk about what he’s been up to.
For our final episode of 2018, the great Nels Cline returns for another go-round on the mics and it’s a home run. A true lifer, Nels is a musician who never sleeps. For our second talk, Nels and I discuss LA, vintage guitars, excess and a whole lot more. A great talk with one of the greatest cats around.
Ka Baird is a uniquely talented multi-instrumentalist from Illinois, now living in Brooklyn NY. A founding member of the avant/psych/folk ensemble Spires That In The Sunset Rise, she has spent the past few years with an intense focus on solo performance, resulting in her most recent release Sapropelic Pycnic. Ka is a true original and a delight to have over for a talk.
Percussionist William Winant has played with everyone from John Cage to John Zorn, Sonic Youth to Mr Bungle, Steve Reich to Iannis Xenakis. If anyone can be described as the Zelig of experimental music, it’s Willie. For this talk, the maestro swings by to talk about his path from a teenager playing trap kit in Los Angeles to performing at the Ojai Festival with Pierre Boulez. We also talk his work as a college instructor, studying gamelan in Indonesia, the recording of “Disco Volante” and a whole lot more. An essential talk with a technician of the sacred.
They don’t make them like Jay Campbell every day. A young and virtuosic cellist, raised in Berkeley CA, Jay has worked closely with Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, Matthias Pintscher, John Adams, Kaija Saariaho, and countless others from his own generation. His close association with John Zorn resulted in the 2015 release ofHen to Pan (Tzadik) featuring all works written for Campbell, and was listed in the New York Times year-end Best Recordings of 2015. Since 2016 Jay has been a member of the world renowned JACK Quartet. Today’s talk is a good one and covers a lot of ground.
For episode 186, the fabulously talented and all around good dude, Brian Marsella swings by for a wide-ranging conversation that covers a lot of ground, from dealing with death, to touring in the United States, growing up in Philadelphia and making music in the 21st century. A veteran of the bands of Cyro Baptista and John Zorn, Brian has recently released a series of powerful, smoking records and that highlight his skills as a piano player and a band leader. This is a good one.
Wendy Eisenberg is a tremendously talented and original guitarist who grew up in Maryland and now lives in Western Mass. She was a founding member of Birthing Hips and most recently has released a powerful trio recording on Tzadik with Ches Smith and Trevor Dunn. Her playing is intense, focused and completely unique. This is a great talk with someone who you will be hearing from for a long time.
Sam Weinberg is among the most active of New York’s newest generation of improvisers. he’s worked extensively with Ben Bennett, Jaimie Branch, Sandy Ewen and Weasel Walter. He leads and co-leads W-2 (with Chris Welcome), BLOOR (with Andrew Smiley and Jason Nazary), Maestro Day (with Henry Fraser and Joe Moffett). Most recently he’s been focusing on solo saxophone performance as well as sound collage and musique concrete. Today’s a good talk with a thoughtful musician.
For episode 183 one of my favorite cats, Jon Irabagon, returns to the run the voodoo down. Increasingly prolific and tireless in his pursuit of creative expression, Irabagon is one of the most colorful and hardest working dudes around. He’s a recent father and just released yet another recording of adventurous sounds. For this talk, we cover a lot of ground from making records to the Me Too movement, jazz elder culture to sustaining long standing musical relationships. A great talk with a great cat.
Clifford Allen is a lifelong listener and collector of all musics extreme. With a deep knowledge of jazz, particularly from Ayler on, he has written for publications such as Signal To Noise, Paris Transatlantic, Bagatellen, the New York City Jazz Record, Point of Departure, Burning Ambulance and Tiny Mix Tapes among many others. An enthusiastic historian, he has also written liner notes for several records by artists such as Burton Greene, Ingrid Laubrock and Charles Tyler. Recently he co-produced and assembled liner notes for Michael Cosmic "Peace In The World"/Phill Musra "The Creator Spaces" 2LP/2CD reissue (NowAgain).
A mainstay of the Lower East Side, saxophonist Paul Shapiro has played on hundreds of records with artists as diverse as John Zorn and Jay-Z, David Byrne and Michael Jackson. He has a huge and rich tenor sound and has released four deeply soulful records on Tzadik’s Radical Jewish series, all of which feature killer bands playing Paul’s original compositions. Paul came over just two weeks ago for a lively conversation on a day when there was a lot of construction in my building. Please forgive the noise!
Stuart Bogie is a hell of a guy and a damn fine saxophonist. Incredibly active in the Brooklyn scene, he has been a member of Antibalas since 2001 and was the featured soloist in the Bill T. Jones Broadway production of Fela!. He’s recorded extensively with bands the Arcade Fire, Iron & Wine, TV on the Radio and many many more. He leads the band Superhuman Happiness, who release their new album “Beacon” this Friday, 10/19, on Yeggs Records. This is a great talk with a great dude.
Back in 2013, shortly after the podcast began, Matthew Shipp came by for what became the most talked about episode in the whole series, and now he’s back. Having gotten the biographical information covered in our first talk, today’s episode is me and Matt chewing the fat. One of the most prolific and engaging personalities in contemporary jazz, Matt brought along some great stories for our second sit down.
Born in Brooklyn, raised in the south of France, Leila Bordreuil is a classically trained cellist whose work sits at the intersection of improvisation, noise and sound art. Based ion Brooklyn since 2012, she has worked closely with Michael Foster, Zach Rowden, Lea Bertucci and Weasel Walter. This conversation was just recorded last week as Leila gets ready to premiere a new piece at Issue Project Room this Wednesday!
No one does it like Krakauer! An absolute virtuoso on the clarinet, David Krakauer is a scholar, traveler, story teller and much more. Born and raised in New York City, he studied closely with Leon Russianoff. He was a founding member of the Klezmatics and released the very first record in the Tzadik Radical Jewish series. Today is a good one that covers a lot of ground and history with the undisputed maestro of the klezmer clarinet. You’re gonna dig this.
Today is a good one. Originally from Massachusetts, trained at the New England Conservatory and based in Brooklyn for the last fifteen years, Brandon Seabrook is a true original. Equally adept at the electric guitar as he is at the banjo, his playing is intense, complex, intricate and completely over the top. He's worked closely with artists such as Peter Evans, Jessica Pavone, Anthony Braxton, Nels Cline Cooper-Moore and Mary Halvorson. He leads his own bands, Die Trommel Fatale, Seabrook Power Plant, Needle Driver and most recently, the Brandon Seabrook Trio featuring Daniel Levin on cello, and Henry Fraser on bass. Brandon is deeply funny and original cat. We need more Brandon Seabrooks.
After an intense period of emotional upheaval, saxophonist Josh Sinton decided to take a break from music this past January. He cancelled all shows, departed social media and has been laying low. He stopped by 5049 chihuahua compound last month to talk about what he's been up to and what led to the break. I love this dud
Brooklyn based and Houston raised, Sandy Ewen has been incredibly active for the past several years as an improviser with an idiosyncratic approach to the guitar that is all her own. She's worked closely with Maria Chavez, Weasel Walter, Damon Smith and Tom Carter. Her language for guitar is incredibly evocative and tactile. She is a wonderful addition to the New York scene as well as a delightful person to spend an afternoon with, talking about a broad range of topics.
Recorded live in front of an audience on July 31st, 2018, composer & multi-instrumentalist Zeena Parkins and visual & performance artist/multi-instrumentalist Dawn Kasper presented solo and duo pieces, followed by a conversation with Jeremiah Cymerman.
Composer/saxophonist/educator/electronic musician stays busy, very busy. He's a scholar and a gentleman. Raised in Taipei, he originally moved to the United States to study electrical engineering at Princeton, before getting bitten by the experimental/contemporary music bug. He's studied with Anthony Braxton, Alvin Lucier and Milton Babbitt and has performed his own work all over the world at the Kitchen, SF MOMA, STEIM and many more. He's a solid and thoughtful music maker and his wide interests seem to only broaden with time and experience.
At age 41, Detroit native Ben Hall has already done more than most people do in a lifetime. He's a talented drummer and has worked closely with many of today's greatest improvisers such as Joe Morris, Bill Dixon, Nate Wooley and Don Dietrich. He holds an MFA from Columbia in sculpture and has shown his work all over the world. He curates and maintains the Bap-Tizum website,the world’s largest online Black American spiritual collection and is the owner/operator of Broken Research Records. If that wasn't enough, he is also a talented chef/restaurant owner who's progressive business practices offer a shining light to an industry not commonly associated with strong personal ethics. Ben is quite simply one of the most extraordinary people around and I wish this conversation could have gone on for days.
For episode 169 my dear friend and long-time collaborator Brian Chase returns to the podcast to talk about his newest venture, Chaikin Records. Recorded in the work-in-progress recording studio in his Brooklyn basement, Brian talks me through the idea to start his own label, his grandfather for the he named the label, his long-running project Drums & Drones and much more. As a special treat, Brian demonstrates a piece for Drums & Drones. There's no one better than Brian.
Samara Lubelski is a prolific singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who was born and raised in Lower Manhattan. Trained as a violinist, she has been active since the early 90s in an incredibly broad range of music. Under her own name she has released several recordings of incredibly detailed and intimate pop songs on labels like Social Registry and Ecstatic Peace. She has contributed to the recordings of Fiery Furnaces, Nate Wooley, MV & EE, Thurston Moore and many many more. As it turns out, Samara and I are also neighbors.Today's talk covers a lot of ground, a lot of which centers around the peculiarities of New York City. It's a good one and I'm happy to share it with you.
Guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington is one hell of a nice guy and a monster on his instrument. A lifelong New Yorker, he spent his teenage years sneaking into shows at Tonic and the Knitting Factory, absorbing the music of Sex Mob, Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot, while studying bass with Brad Jones. For many years he was one half of the duo Darkside and more recently leads his own groups the Dave Harrington Group and the Merry Pranksters. He can frequently be founded performing in a variety of settings at Nublu in NYC as well as DJing parties around the world. He's a solid cat.
Patrick Holmes. There are few people in the world of New York music and night life whom I adore as much as Patrick Holmes. Originally from Austin, TX he (like me) started on electric bass as a teenager, switching over to the clarinet at age 24. He's been in New York for the past twenty years, working diligently to refine a voice and approach to the clarinet that is uniquely his own. He has studied with Connie Crothers and Sabir Mateen and he has performed with Ryan Sawyer, Daniel Carter, Masami Tomihisa, Axel Dörner and many many more. Whether it's about clarinets, jazz, booze, food, metal or just plain shit, Patrick is one of my favorite people to talk to and I'm really happy that this conversation finally happened for the podcast.
For our first foray into the live podcast medium, we are joined by our old friend and collaborator, Toby Driver. He was the very first guest on the podcast back in 2013, and when we pulled the plug back in 2015, he was the last. For this episode, Toby is accompanied by String Noise (Conrad Harris & Pauline Kim Harris) to present some of his recent ballads. Moody, gothic songs, reminiscent of Current 93, Nick Cave and of course, Kayo Dot. Toby!
Originally from New Jersey, MC Paul Barman is an undisputed master of wordplay and a singular voice in the world of hip-hop. We've been friends since 2002 and he was the one of the first people that I wanted to get on the podcast. Five years later, it's finally happened and it's a really, really good one. His new album (((Echo Chamber))) is out now and is essential listening. Do it!
Robbie Lee is a multi-instrumentalist who plays an array of instruments, all inter-connected for him, but sometimes far apart in sound and genre. He grew up in Massachusetts but has lived in Brooklyn for the past several years where he has founded two record labels, I and Ear, and more recently Telegraph Harp. Frequently he appears behind the scenes, performing as a sideman, producer and engineer. He recently stopped by to discuss two upcoming records of his own, both of which represent a major step forward as an artist: a trio with Norbert Rodenkirchen and James Ilgenfritz called Opalescence, coming out on Telegraph Harp June 22, as well as a duo with the great Mary Halvorson, Seed Triangular, coming out on New Amsterdam this fall.
Dave Burrell is an absolute legend of free music. Raised in Hawaii, he moved to the Lower East Side after doing his time at Berklee, where he began playing with Marion Brown and Pharoah Sanders. He was there for Slugs' Saloon and loft jazz. He's led a most colorful path as a composer/performer, writing operas, traveling the world and refining an instrumental language that is completely top shelf. Currently his lifes work is being celebrated at the 23rd annual Vision Festival in New York City and I couldn't be happier that it brought him by the Chihuahua Compound for a chant and chew. Dave is an artist both generous of music and spirit and an absolute joy to speak with. Get ready for a good one.
For the past several decades, guitarist Bill Orcutt has been on a singular musical journey that started in Miami, FL and has led him all over the world. On a recent visit to New York, he stopped by the 5049 Chihuahua Sanctuary for a talk about his work, the Bay Area, growing up in Florida, picking up and putting down the guitar and a whole lot more. A great talk with a completely unique musician. Dig.
One half of the stellar band 75 Dollar Bill, Che Chen is a multi-instrumentalist and concert organizer based in Queens New York. This Wednesday, he will premiere a new piece at Roulette in Brooklyn. Ahead of the performance, Che stopped by talk about a broad range of topics: studying modal music in Mauritania, growing up in Maryland, improvisation, record collecting and a whole lot more. Che is a great guy who is constantly on the move, making exceptional music.
Jen Shyu is a master vocalist, multi-instrumentalist / multi-linguist who embarks on incredibly ambitious projects that feature elements of jazz, theatre, dance and performance art. She spent several years as a key member of Steve Coleman's Five Elements, has worked closely with Tyshawn Sorey, Nicole Mitchell, Vijay Iyer and Dave Binney. She's travelled the world, engaged in a practice of research that has informed her most recent work, "Song of Silver Geese", that was recently released on Pi Records. She tours frequently and in the next year, will engage in a 50-state U.S. tour of her most recent work, “Songs of Our World Now / Songs Everyone Writes Now”.
Based in Brooklyn since 1994, Briggan Krauss is a saxophonist and composer whose work explores the sonic possibilities of his instrument in great detail. He's released several records under his own name, leading bands like 300 and H-Alpha. In addition to his solo and group projects, he's worked closely with a broad range of artists from Bill Frisell to Ikue Mori, Antony to Satoko Fuji, and is widely known for his contributions to Steven Bernstein's long-running Sex Mob. Most recently he has begun an extensive study of the electric guitar and has been releasing a series of solo saxophone recordings entitled "The Art of the Saxophone".
Theresa Wong is a Bay Area based cellist and composer. She has worked closely with Fred Frith, Ellen Fullman, Luciano Chessa, Annie Lewandowski, Chris Brown, Søren Kjærgaard and many others. Her work skillfully incorporates improvisation, movement, visual art and theatre. For this talk we go back to her childhood in upstate New York, her time spent on a sailing ship, travel, music, companionship and much more.
Robert Dick is a master flutist who has literally re-defined the language of his instrument. He was trained classically and studied with Henry Zlotnik, James Pappoutsakis, Julius Baker and Thomas Nyfenger. An active participant in the Downtown Scene of New York since the 70s, Robert has worked closely with artists like John Zorn, Ned Rothenberg, Ursel Schlicht, Herb Robertson and JD Parran. As an educator and author, he has contributed extensively to the advancement of contemporary flute techniques, most notably through the publication of his book "The Other Flute". Robert has chartered an utterly unique musical path and on today's talk we go back to the beginning. Enjoy.
Rebekah Heller is an astounding bassoonist, who has been with the International Contemporary Ensemble for the past 10 plus years. She has recently stepped up as their artistic director, while maintaining an incredibly rich and exciting concert and recording schedule. She's also my neighbor and a super nice & fun person. For today's talk we cover a lot of ground in a short period of time: Oberlin, the Lower East Side, bassoon and her stellar new solo record, Metafagote. Today is a fun talk with an exceptional musician.
Originally from Santa Barbara, drummer Tom Rainey has been an integral part of the New York jazz and improvised scene since the late 1970s. He's collaborated closely with artists such as Tim Berne, Kenny Werner, Nels Cline and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock. In the past ten years he has begun releasing records and leading projects under his own name: The Tom Rainey Trio and Obbligato, the latter of which is an exploration of jazz standards. Tom is an absolute master of his instrument and a super nice dude.
Moppa Elliott is a bassist, composer and band leader who, for the past fifteen years, has led the ever-evolving ensemble Mostly Other People Do the Killing. Based in Queens NY, he's worked closely with Peter Evans, Jon Irabagon and Charlie Evans. For this talk we go to a lot of places, from alcoholism to gun control, the history of jazz to surrealism. Today's conversation is a really good one and I am delighted to share it with you all.
James Brandon Lewis is a virtuosic and creative saxophonist originally from Buffalo NY, now living in Brooklyn. He studied at Cal Arts and has worked closely with Chad Taylor, Dave Douglas, Gerald Cleaver, Joe Lovano and many more. His playing is a thoughtful and powerful and clearly the result of a lifetime of practice and dedication. For this talk we cover a lot of ground, starting with his early days in upstate New York up to his current projects. A great dude.
Theo Bleckmann is a vocalist and composer of startling virtuosity and clarity. In his twenty five year long career he has worked with everyone from Laurie Anderson to Uri Caine, Philip Glass to Ann Hamilton, John Hollenbeck to Sheila Jordan. He leads several projects and most recently presented Schubert’s song cycle “Die Winterreise” on an ice rink, with skaters from the Ice Theatre of New York. Theo is a wildly creative individual and a complete joy to spend an afternoon with.
Michael Foster is a young and intense saxophonist who has been blowing minds and fucking people up in New York City since his arrival in 2012. At the fore of his output is a confrontational musicality that deals with equal parts queer identity and a commitment to the most extreme technical aspects of his instrument. He stays active across a broad range of projects and in 2018 his curatorial platform Queer Trash is in residence at Issue Project Room. For this one we get into sax talk, identity politics, Japanese literature and a whole lot more. Good shit.
Kelly Moran is an exceptional pianist and composer originally from Long Island, now based in Brooklyn, NY. Her current work focuses on performances for both prepared and unprepared solo piano. A student of 20th century composition, her output contains healthy amounts of lyricism and dissonance, beauty and black metal aesthetics. For today’s conversation we get into a lot of it, from Cage to Krallice, Sakamoto to Kayo Dot. Check it.
A proud Detroit native, Norman Westberg is an exceptional and creative guitarist based in the East Village. Since their inception and throughout their evolution, Norman has played in one of my favorite bands, Swans. Just off the heels of their final performances in Brooklyn, Norman came over in the middle of an intense NYC blizzard for a talk about his childhood in Detroit, Swans, his solo work, gear and blowing things up. Norman is a legend and this talk was a true honor and pleasure.
Chris Cochrane has been living and working in New York City since 1980. As a guitarist he has worked with artists like John Zorn, Zeena Parkins, Marc Ribot and virtually every other improviser to come through the Downtown scene in the last three decades. In addition to his musical output, Chris is active as a social worker, helping people from NYC's impoverished neighborhoods navigate the ever confusing insurance system. He's a great guy and has led a most singular path as a creative individual in the modern world. This conversation was a long time coming and is definitely one of my favorites in this whole series.
Pete Simonelli is a Brooklyn based poet and voice artist who has been performing with his band Enablers since the early 2000s. Originally from Stockton CA, Pete started out in San Francisco in the early 90s, engaging with all aspects of the city's rich culture of history, poetry, music and art. His work with Enablers is singular and utterly addictive, a combination of complex, technical, imaginative rock and evocative spoken word that transports the listener to landscapes not commonly found on popular music. This conversation with Pete was a god damned joy and I am delighted to share it with you.
For episode 142, we check in with a true original, M Lamar. Born and raised in Mobile, AL and based in Brooklyn, his work is personal, dramatic, confrontational and utterly unique. With an operatic vocal style and deeply personal lyrics, M Lamar has electrified audiences all over the world with his concert length pieces. For this talk, things get a little weird as we discuss growing up in the south, lynching & castration, art school, porn and a whole lot more. Good shit.
Chris Forsyth is a Philly based, Jersey born guitarist of enormous range and creativity. He cut his teeth in New York City, working with improvisers like Nate Wooley, Daniel Carter, Loren Connors and Mike Pride, as well as his long running band Peeesseye. He relocated to Philadelphia in 2009 and, inspired by the likes of his friends Jack Rose and Steve Gunn, began focusing on solo guitar playing. Since then he has been working steadily with his band, the Solar Motel Band. For this talk, we get into it, discussing everything from the Grateful Dead to working in restaurants, improvising to band leading. Good shit.
Based in Sydney, Australia, Oren Ambarchi is a gifted composer, multi-instrumentalist and improviser who has been traveling the world, crafting a most singular musical vision for the past twenty five years. He's also an enthusiastic listener and avid record collector, a gourmand and happens to be one of my favorite musicians around. On a quick visit to New York for performances with Alvin Lucier and Loren Connors, Oren dropped by for a candid conversation about his early days as an Hasidic student in NYC, record collecting, learning to play guitar, running his own record label and a whole lot more. I love Oren's music deeply and am delighted conversation got to happen. After our talk, Oren and I headed over to Russ & Daughters Cafe and gorged on smoked fish and chopped liver.
Anna Webber is a composer/performer, saxophonist/flautist who has been living in Brooklyn since 2008. Originally from British Columbia, her playing is marked by a subtle virtuosity and keen sense of rhythm. Her band Simple Trio, with John Hollenbeck and Matt Mitchell, is one of the best and most original in the current Brooklyn scene. She's worked with Jen Shyu, Dan Weiss, Harris Eisenstadt and others. Anna studied music at McGill University in Montreal before moving to New York City in 2008. She holds master’s degrees from both Manhattan School of Music and the Jazz Institute Berlin.
Randall Dunn is a musician, producer and sound engineer who for the past twenty years has been lending an utterly unique approach to the records of some of contemporary music's most exciting artists. In addition to being the mastermind of Master Musicians of Bukkake, he's worked closely with Eyvind Kang, Earth, Bill Frisell, Oren Ambarchi, Wolves in the Throne Room and was a major contributor to the Sunn O))) masterpiece "Monoliths and Dimensions". He recently located to Brooklyn after two decades in Seattle and continues to stay active as a premiere sound alchemist
Kyle Bruckmann is a composer, oboist and bandleader from Danbury CT who has been living in the Oakland since 2003. Since the mid 90s he has collaborated with many of contemporary music's most forward thinking musicians including Fred Lomberg-Holm, Oxbow, Greg Kelley and Damon & Naomi. With his bands Wrack, EKG and Lozenge he has released records on 482 Music, Another Timbre, Porter and New World Records among others. For this talk we cover a lot of ground from his early days in Danbury to his time in Chicago up until his recent activities in the Bay Area. A good man.
Gyan Riley is an absolute virtuoso of the nylon string guitar, an extraordinary musician who plays with great detail and elegance. Originally from California, he has been based in Brooklyn for the past several years. He has worked closely with John Zorn, Secret Chiefs 3, Timba Harris, Wu Fei and has a long standing duo project with his father, composer Terry Riley. Gyan is the real deal and a joy to talk to. Dig.
Colin Stetson is an unbelievably talented saxophonist who has been on a very personal musical journey since a young age. An undisputed virtuoso, he has been blowing the minds of audiences around the world with his solo concerts since the early 2000s. His personal language is incredibly lyrical, using extended sax and extra musical mic'ing techniques to add multiples layers of complexity and soul to his work. He's worked closely with the Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Tom Waits, Sara Neufeld and most recently with the quartet Ex-Eye. This conversation took place just a few weeks ago and was an utter delight.
A composer/multi-instrumentalist of startling range and clarity, Patrick Higgins has been blowing minds on the NYC scene for the past decade. He's active across a broad range of creative activity and is also a funny motherfucker. For this talk, we get into it: Zs, string quartets, growing up in NYC, the pain of recording studios and a whole lot more. GET IT.
For episode 134, I talk to a cat whom I've known for a long time and should have been on the show ages ago. Tomas Fujiwara has been in New York since the mid 90s and has cut a most impressive career as a drummer, working with artists such as Matana Roberts, Mary Halvorson, Anthony Braxton and Taylor Ho Bynum. More recently, he's stepped out as a band leader and this Friday, his newest album "Triple Double" comes out on the Firehouse 12 label. Tomas is a wonderful human being and I really, really enjoyed this conversation.
Jaimie Branch is a trumpet player/band leader of great virtuosity and sensitivity. She's also funny as shit. For this talk we discuss her extraordinary debut record "Fly or Die" as well as her early days on Long Island, her move to Chicago and much much more. A good one with a solid and beautiful musician.
Andy Lampert is one of a kind. He's a filmmaker, an archivist, a thinker, a listener and a total mensch. He's presented his work at venues from the Whitney to the Kitchen, the Stone to Anthology Film Archives. A conversation with Andy is likely to go all night and this is a good one. DIG.
Singer/song writer/multi-instrumentalist Sam Amidon is a 100% completely unique and original musical specimen. Born and raised in Brattleboro, VT he presents music that is a highly realized synthesis of his many disparate influences: folk music, free jazz, music concrete, performance art, indie rock, etc etc etc. The list of descriptions could last forever, but one thing is sure: he sounds unlike anyone I've ever heard and his music is something that I've been returning to time and time again for the past decade. Please enjoy an hour with a true American original.
Carl Testa is an imaginative and resourceful bassist/composer who has been making a name for himself for the past decade in the fields of composed and improvised music. Based in New Haven, he has worked closely with Anthony Braxton, Mario Pavone, and Christopher Riggs among many others. In addition to being the production manager at Firehouse 12, he is also the Director of Publishing and Creative Technology for Braxton's Tri-Centric Foundation and has spent the past several years incorporating live electronic processing into his solo performances. For the past ten years he has booked the Uncertainty Music Series, which will come to a close this September with a two day festival at Firehouse 12.
Fay Victor is a vocalist and composer who has become an increasingly regular and vital participant in the world of New York City jazz and improvised music. She grew up in Long Island, cut her teeth in Brooklyn and has worked with a broad range of contemporary artists from butch Morris to Anthony Braxton, Ken Filiano to Joe Morris. Her vocals and lyrics express a deep courage and vulnerability. For this talk Fay takes me back to her early days of musical exploration, through her time in Japan and the Netherlands, up to her current work. A good one.