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Double Bill : A Conversation with Bill Frisell and Bill Morrison

Albert Einstein once remarked, “Art is standing with one hand extended into the universe and one hand extended into the world, and letting ourselves be a conduit for passing energy.” This perspective rings true regardless of the particular format taken by such art. However, a specific magic can emerge when two or more art forms […]

Channel to the Future: A Conversation with Elliott Sharp on ‘Die Grösste Fuge’

Throughout the ages, some of the greatest composers have gifted to the world pieces not meant for their time. Often such artists are unappreciated until decades after their death. In other cases, the artist recieves recognition, but their controversial work is written off as some wild aberration. In both cases, however, time often proves the […]

Bringing the Instrumental Back: A Conversation with Molly Miller on ‘The Ballad of Hotspur’

From the 1940s through the 1960s, even into part of the 1970s, instrumental music reigned supreme in the popular consciousness. The swing era brought the music of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller to large audiences. Even as the end of World War II brought about rock and roll, many widely recognized groups still […]

Physical Expression: A Conversation with Steph Richards on ‘Power Vibe’

Far too often, people perceive music as a solely auditory experience, something heard but which does not affect the rest of the listener’s body. The reality, however, is far more complex. One can physically feel the energy of acoustic waves. It is a large part of why the audibly impaired still appreciate music, even when […]

Constructing Sound: A Conversation with Tomeka Reid on ‘3+3’

Joann Wolfgang von Goethe once remarked, “Music is liquid architecture; Architecture is frozen music.” But the philosopher is hardly the first to notice the shared facets – terms rhythm, texture, harmony, and proportion – between musical and physical blueprints. Some architects have attempted to examine their works’ connections to music. With 3+3 (Cuneiform, 2024), cellist […]

Spontaneous Combustion: A Conversation with Chloë Sobek and Tim Berne on ‘Burning Up’

Artists have long written compositions that express emotional depths possible only through music. These songs can bring the listener to tears, cause goosebumps, make them want to move or call them to action. But some of the best music is not so heavily preplanned. For one, Miles Davis’ classic “So What” (Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959) was […]

Pass Everything in My Soul: A Conversation with David Murray on ‘Francesca’

The love song is one of the oldest and most primal forms of musical expression, dating back to ancient Greece, if not earlier. Charles Darwin even theorized that the love song was the first form of human musical expression. Of course, the emphasis on romance in songs has continued to the present day. It is […]

The Journey: A Conversation with Kenny Garrett on ‘Who Killed AI?’

Miles Davis once remarked, “It’s not about standing still and becoming safe. If anybody wants to keep creating, they have to be about change.” This emphasis on evolution does not necessarily mean needing to adapt a new voice. The key is to retain your core identity while stretching into new realms. Miles certainly did, and so have many of his protegees, including […]