Rob Shepherd

Composing Peace: A Conversation with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on ‘Les Jardins Mystiques, Vol. 1’

Much attention - rightfully so - over the last several years has been paid to the Los Angeles improvisational music…

1 year ago

Unmined Field: A Conversation with Kate Gentile on ‘Find Letter X’

For centuries, the letter “X” has represented the unknown. On a pirate’s map, crossed diagonals denote some undiscovered treasure. In…

1 year ago

Resilient Hope: A Conversation with Caroline Davis on ‘Alula: Captivity’

The alula, sometimes called the bastard wing, is a small but important bone on a bird’s wing that plays an…

1 year ago

Shimmer Wince: A Conversation with Anna Webber on Just Intonation

It is common for musicians to incorporate recent discoveries - whether the adoption of cutting-edge technology or novel compositional processes…

1 year ago

Hearing Voices: A Conversation with George Lewis

While many organizations present contemporary classical music, the International Contemporary Ensemble has stood out since its founding twenty-two years ago.…

1 year ago

Live Composing: A Conversation with Vijay Iyer on ‘Love in Exile’

Far too often, people equate avant-garde expressionism to high-volume proclamations with flurries of notes. To an uninitiated listener, this perspective…

1 year ago

Vibration Aiming at Silence: A Conversation with Matthew Shipp

Often the greatest artists have an identifiable voice. This is not to say their works are identical. Instead, no matter…

1 year ago

Inevitable Funkiness: A Conversation with Larry Goldings on Scary Goldings

A fifth of the way into the twenty-first century, James Brown’s question of “Ain’t It Funky Now?” Is perhaps best…

1 year ago

Arcus Pluvius: A Conversation with Steve Lehman on Big Bands, Artificial Intelligence, and ‘Ex Machina’

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to kill us all. Or, at least, that is what some theorize. Many commentators portray…

1 year ago

Five Music Boxes: A Conversation with Kris Davis on ‘Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard’

In Brian Kiwanuka’s excellent review of Kris Davis’ latest Diatom Ribbons album, he outlines how the music presented fits within…

1 year ago