The journeys in life can be just as important – if not more so – than the destinations. Music, inherently a mirror of our existence, is no different. In the words of Phillip Glass, “Every piece of music is a journey, a path that winds through the listener’s mind and spirit.” In the right hands, […]
Before setting anchor at a fortress by the sea. Before fencing the sprawling field beneath a problematic hill. Before cramming into a small stonewalled park. The Newport Casino was where, in 1954, George Wein and the Lorrilards made possible the idea of a jazz festival in the Sailing Capital of the World. Built between 1879 […]
In 1963, Gunther Schuller coined the term Third Stream to identify what he saw as “a new genre of music located about halfway between jazz and classical music.” Third Stream was more than merely tacking strings onto jazz pieces or improvising in otherwise classical scores. Instead, it was intended to be a musical style that […]
In the history of improvised music, few figures have brought the music to new audiences as much as George Wein. While the producer did not create the concept of a music festival – they date back to ancient Greece – one can draw a clear dividing line between the time before George Wein and after. […]
Zoösemiotics, the study of how animals use signals – including sounds – to convey information is an underappreciated field. Its value goes far beyond answering simple questions about what our pets try to convey to us. Instead, as biologist Marc Bekoff noted, “Animals speak to those who listen; their language is one of behavior, emotion, […]
The great Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango once sagely noted that “Although music is business, [] you don’t start thinking about money from the initial stages when you are in music. First[,] propose to the people what they want[,] and if they like it, then the money comes later.” Far too often, the music business is […]
Across cultures and ages, the harp has long been associated with peace and tranquility. Its light tones are painted as a ray of light shining down from the heavens. But there is so much more to the instrument. As George R.R. Martin provided in the literary antecedent to the show Game of Thrones, “a harp […]
In a music so heavily built around collective communication, there is something inherently special about a solo performance. Far too often, playing unaccompanied is perceived as a show of virtuosity. While true mastery is requisite for a solo performance to reach its full potential, the same can be said for any type of performance, from […]
One criticism occasionally levied against the more recent editions of the iconic Newport Jazz Festival is that it somehow abandoned its mooring in jazz. A pseudo-purist faction asserts that the music that first put George Wein’s festival on the map was discarded years ago. But this perspective is deeply flawed. For one, it ignores the […]
We continue our conversation with Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp on ‘Armageddon Flower’ (TAO Forms, 2025). You can read Part One here. PostGenre: As far as focusing on the heart, does that go back to getting out of the way, too? Obviously, you need mental and technical skills to be able to make the music […]
