One could cogently argue that Bill Laswell is the epitome of an artist unconfined by genre norms. As critic Chris Brazier correctly noted, “Laswell’s pet concept is ‘collision music’ .. bringing together musicians from wildly divergent but complementary spheres and seeing what comes out.” The output of Laswell’s first major band, Material, runs the gamut […]
People often start down the path of better understanding and appreciating art by emphasizing an artist’s intent. While a valid line of inquiry, this focus on artistic objectives is also flawed. Too often, the interpreter’s personal biases predominate the analysis. Ultimately, subjectivity is an inescapable part of every artistic study. Statements by, or interviews with, […]
We continue our conversation with Ron Carter by discussing his Foursight Quartet’s upcoming performances at both Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival, his musical explorations of other cultures, and the power of music and education. You can read part one of our conversation here. PostGenre: So far, we have discussed two – the octet […]
Ron Carter is one of the most esteemed voices in contemporary music. Since arriving in New York in 1959, the so-called “golden year” of jazz, he has developed into one of the music’s most iconic artists. With over 2,200 recordings to his credit, Mr. Carter is the most recorded jazz bassist of all time. That’s […]
We continue our conversation with Mary Halvorson (Part One here) with a focus on her compositional process, the origin of her new sextet, the selection of the Mivos Quartet, and how Belladonna (Nonesuch, 2022) and Amaryllis (Nonesuch, 2022) connect to some of her other projects. PostGenre: One of the more fascinating things about Belladonna and […]
Sir Jeffrey Tate, the first principal conductor of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, once noted that “the most perfect expression of human behavior is a string quartet.” Where a string quartet can sound serene in one moment, it may reflect panic or morosity in the next. As Tate’s original career choice was medicine, it […]
Our conversation with Bill Summers (part one available here) continues with a further discussion on the Headhunters, how percussionists are often treated differently, the symbolism behind batá drums, and why “Latin rhythms” is a mischaracterization. PostGenre: Do you feel the emphasis many put on the bottle part on “Watermelon Man” minimizes your contribution to Head […]
The obsession of many in the music industry to categorize art frequently overlooks the shared tree upon which so many “styles” branch. In reality, so much of today’s music, including “jazz”, “hip hop”, “R&B” and “rock” reach back to tried and true concepts and ancient rhythms. On Forward Back, Vol. 1, percussionist Bill Summers asks […]
We continue our conversation with Stuart Bogie on The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo’s The Prophets in the City (Royal Potato Family, 2022) by diving deeper into his compositional approach, the importance of improvisation, the contributions to the album by Joe Russo and Colin Stetson, and inspiration from David Byrne. Check out part one here. […]
The big band concept has existed for well over a century. Throughout that time, dance has always been an essential part of the music. In the 1910s, artists used the format to support polka and waltzes. Thirty years later, the big band was the essence of the rage of swing music. While artists have continued […]
