When one looks beyond the jokes about “the fat lady” singing or baseless accusations of the form being boring, one can find operas sharing some of the most intriguing stories ever told. These tales present the full range of human emotion, from devastating loss to insuppressible joy. Often overlooked, however, are these works’ political overtones. […]

We continue our conversation with NEA Jazz Master Donald Harrison, Jr. (read part one here) by digging into Mardi Gras Indians, Dr. John, Miles Davis, The Notorious BIG, and more. PostGenre: Keeping with the topic of New Orleans tribal culture, one of your prior albums, Indian Blues (BMG, 1992), digs deep into the music of […]

While the history of improvised music is replete with works of artistic brilliance, such recordings seldom reach outside the confines of their usual audiences. It is not merely difficult but near impossible for improvisation-laced instrumental music to resonate with the larger popular culture. But there are always exceptions. One of these rare recordings is Herbie […]

There is much in this world that we do not understand. Phenomena not easily understood by science or human reason. Unexplained mysteries are impossible to distinguish as either shocking reality or mental delusion. As bassist Trevor Dunn writes in the liner notes to Séances (Pyroclastic, 2022), his group Trio-Convulsant’s first release since 2004, “[w]e are […]

We continue our conversation with William Parker by further discussing his philosophy on music, Universal Tonality (Centering/AUM Fidelity, 2022) and lessons learned from Cecil Taylor. You can read part one here. PostGenre: You have also indicated that music is played for the earth and not for people. Does that relate to your earlier statement that […]

Some recordings are fun listening experiences. Things you can put on, enjoy the groove, and go about your day. William Parker’s Universal Tonality (Centering/AUM Fidelity, 2022)  is not one of these albums. Do not misconstrue that statement. The album is enjoyable and enlightening. But those looking for something short and jaunty best look elsewhere. Instead, […]

We continue our conversation with Adam Rudolph with a deeper dive into his new book, Sonic Elements: Matrices, Cosmograms, and Ostinatos of Circularity (Meta, 2022). Sonic Elements builds upon the lessons Rudolph has learned throughout his career (which you can read more on in part one) to present two primary types of tools which can […]

Western musical notation dates back to at least the year 1025 when Benedictine monk Guido of Arezzo formed hexachords out of varied pitches. Over the following millennia, the system became more refined and ultimately developed into what one sees on most sheet music today. Given its long history, it is easy for many to assume […]

Nathaniel Hawthorne once famously noted that “Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.” While we all generally seem to understand an hour or a day, in a broader sense, what is time? Is it a static constant or a mere perception? Even Merriam-Webster’s definition of the term as “the measured or measurable period […]

In the second part of our conversation with Jeff Coffin (check out part one here) we dig deeper into the saxophonist’s album, Between Dreaming and Joy (Ear Up, 2022), including his use of an ice cream truck jingle, a bungee chord chair, and more. We also get into a theoretical discussion on the concept of […]