Podcast
Deep Focus
Hosted by Small Media Large · EN
Host Mitch Goldman and his musician-guest explore rare archival recordings of one of the guest’s favorite artists.
29episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
2026.04.27 Melvin Gibbs on Fela Kuti - 3 of 3
5d ago01:04:19Tap to summarizeFela Kuti has been the subject of at least half a dozen documentaries, a Broadway play, a shelf of books, and at least one richly lauded podcast series. It's hard to imagine a time when Fela would have been considered an obscure musician from a largely unknown continent. But that was very much the case in the seventies when bassist Melvin Gibbs heard his music blasting out of a record store on Nostrand Avenue in his native Brooklyn. The number of Americans who had even heard of Fela, already a superstar in his homeland, Nigeria, was vanishingly small. But a penny dropped. This experience launched Melvin Gibbs on a musical and cultural journey. He has spent half a century exploring the topic of his new book, “How Black Music Took Over the World." This Monday (4/27), Melvin Gibbs returns to the WKCR studios for a Deep Focus on Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti, with host Mitch Goldman. Will Mitch find live, unreleased recordings of Fela in the WKCR archives? Come on! We all know the answer to that question. Tune in this Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. It will join over 400 promo-free episodes. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: Fela Kuti on stage - promotional photo 19 July 1986 - Source- Billboard Jul 19, 1986 p. N-3 - Distributed by Celluloid Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. #WKCR #DeepFocus #MelvinGibbs #HarrietTubman #FelaKuti #FelaAnikulapoKuti #AfroBeat #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman #HowBlackMusicTookOverTheWorld
Transcribe →2026.04.27 Melvin Gibbs on Fela Kuti - 2 of 3
2w ago01:05:04Tap to summarizeFela Kuti has been the subject of at least half a dozen documentaries, a Broadway play, a shelf of books, and at least one richly lauded podcast series. It's hard to imagine a time when Fela would have been considered an obscure musician from a largely unknown continent. But that was very much the case in the seventies when bassist Melvin Gibbs heard his music blasting out of a record store on Nostrand Avenue in his native Brooklyn. The number of Americans who had even heard of Fela, already a superstar in his homeland, Nigeria, was vanishingly small. But a penny dropped. This experience launched Melvin Gibbs on a musical and cultural journey. He has spent half a century exploring the topic of his new book, “How Black Music Took Over the World." This Monday (4/27), Melvin Gibbs returns to the WKCR studios for a Deep Focus on Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti, with host Mitch Goldman. Will Mitch find live, unreleased recordings of Fela in the WKCR archives? Come on! We all know the answer to that question. Tune in this Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. It will join over 400 promo-free episodes. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: Fela Kuti on stage - promotional photo 19 July 1986 - Source- Billboard Jul 19, 1986 p. N-3 - Distributed by Celluloid Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. #WKCR #DeepFocus #MelvinGibbs #HarrietTubman #FelaKuti #FelaAnikulapoKuti #AfroBeat #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman
Transcribe →2026.04.27 Melvin Gibbs on Fela Kuti - 1 of 3
3w ago01:01:42Tap to summarizeFela Kuti has been the subject of at least half a dozen documentaries, a Broadway play, a shelf of books, and at least one richly lauded podcast series. It's hard to imagine a time when Fela would have been considered an obscure musician from a largely unknown continent. But that was very much the case in the seventies when bassist Melvin Gibbs heard his music blasting out of a record store on Nostrand Avenue in his native Brooklyn. The number of Americans who had even heard of Fela, already a superstar in his homeland, Nigeria, was vanishingly small. But a penny dropped. This experience launched Melvin Gibbs on a musical and cultural journey. He has spent half a century exploring the topic of his new book, “How Black Music Took Over the World." This Monday (4/27), Melvin Gibbs returns to the WKCR studios for a Deep Focus on Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti, with host Mitch Goldman. Will Mitch find live, unreleased recordings of Fela in the WKCR archives? Come on! We all know the answer to that question. Tune in this Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. It will join over 400 promo-free episodes. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: Fela Kuti on stage - promotional photo 19 July 1986 - Source- Billboard Jul 19, 1986 p. N-3 - Distributed by Celluloid Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. #WKCR #DeepFocus #MelvinGibbs #HarrietTubman #FelaKuti #FelaAnikulapoKuti #AfroBeat #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman
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2026.03.16 William Hooker and Ahmed Abdullah on Old and New Dreams - 3 of 3
4w ago00:59:12Tap to summarizeThrow away the map. Now, how are you going to find your way to your destination? You will probably find many more answers than you may have thought you'd find when you were looking at that folded-up piece of paper. The band Old and New Dreams didn't have to follow chord changes, disregarded time signatures, but their music was full of story-songs, each with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's four members-- saxophonist Dewey Redman, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Ed Blackwell-- each sang his song in full voice. And when you heard them together, you never wondered if or when you would arrive. You just hoped the journey wouldn't end too soon, even if you knew that it would. Sonic navigator/drummer William Hooker has chosen Old and New Dreams for this week's episode of Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus, and Ahmed Abdullah as his surprise guest. Will Mitch find live, unreleased recordings of the band in the WKCR archives? The day will come when his spotless record is going to get besmirched. Oh, let's just hope it's not this week! I guess there's only one way to find out. Tune in this Monday (3/16) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. It will join over 400 promo-free episodes. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: no known publishing information. #WKCR #DeepFocus #WilliamHooker #OldandNewDreams #DeweyRedman #DonCherry #CharlieHaden #EdBlackwell #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman #AhmedAbdullah
Transcribe →2026.03.16 William Hooker and Ahmed Abdullah on Old and New Dreams - 2 of 3
May 301:08:25Tap to summarizeThrow away the map. Now, how are you going to find your way to your destination? You will probably find many more answers than you may have thought you'd find when you were looking at that folded-up piece of paper. The band Old and New Dreams didn't have to follow chord changes, disregarded time signatures, but their music was full of story-songs, each with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's four members-- saxophonist Dewey Redman, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Ed Blackwell-- each sang his song in full voice. And when you heard them together, you never wondered if or when you would arrive. You just hoped the journey wouldn't end too soon, even if you knew that it would. Sonic navigator/drummer William Hooker has chosen Old and New Dreams for this week's episode of Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus, and Ahmed Abdullah as his surprise guest. Will Mitch find live, unreleased recordings of the band in the WKCR archives? The day will come when his spotless record is going to get besmirched. Oh, let's just hope it's not this week! I guess there's only one way to find out. Tune in this Monday (3/16) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. It will join over 400 promo-free episodes. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: no known publishing information. #WKCR #DeepFocus #WilliamHooker #OldandNewDreams #DeweyRedman #DonCherry #CharlieHaden #EdBlackwell #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman #AhmedAbdullah
Transcribe →2026.03.16 William Hooker and Ahmed Abdullah on Old and New Dreams - 1 of 3
Apr 2601:06:42Tap to summarizeThrow away the map. Now, how are you going to find your way to your destination? You will probably find many more answers than you may have thought you'd find when you were looking at that folded-up piece of paper. The band Old and New Dreams didn't have to follow chord changes, disregarded time signatures, but their music was full of story-songs, each with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's four members-- saxophonist Dewey Redman, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Ed Blackwell-- each sang his song in full voice. And when you heard them together, you never wondered if or when you would arrive. You just hoped the journey wouldn't end too soon, even if you knew that it would. Sonic navigator/drummer William Hooker has chosen Old and New Dreams for this week's episode of Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus, and Ahmed Abdullah as his surprise guest. Will Mitch find live, unreleased recordings of the band in the WKCR archives? The day will come when his spotless record is going to get besmirched. Oh, let's just hope it's not this week! I guess there's only one way to find out. Tune in this Monday (3/16) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. It will join over 400 promo-free episodes. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: no known publishing information. #WKCR #DeepFocus #WilliamHooker #OldandNewDreams #DeweyRedman #DonCherry #CharlieHaden #EdBlackwell #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman #AhmedAbdullah
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2026.03.02 Eric Person on Eddie Harris - part 2 with Ethan Singer - 3 of 3
Apr 1901:06:58Tap to summarizeThis episode of Deep Focus has been decades in the making. Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman started DJing Monday nights at WKCR in 1985. At that time, he alternated Mondays with fellow WKCR programmer Ethan Singer. Mitch and Ethan soon discovered that they both loved a lot of the same music and both loved the live music experience. They merged forces and started producing a show with live sessions called "Monday Live" (a format and name first created by Andy Caploe several years earlier). Together, Mitch and Ethan produced dozens and dozens of live sets that still populate the WKCR archives. All was well until the early 2000s, when real life interceded, and Ethan relocated to the West Coast. Monday Live was no more. After a brief but intense existential crisis, Mitch created Deep Focus, but the great memories of working with Ethan never faded for him. At long last, this Monday, Mitch welcomes Ethan Singer to the WKCR studios as co-host of Deep Focus. And what an episode this one will be. Last May, bandleader Eric Person joined Mitch for a Deep Focus on fellow saxophonist Eddie Harris. This Deep Focus was a revelation. Not only was he an inventive instrumentalist, but a technologist, a singular bandleader, a sonic explorer. Who knew that Eddie Harris was such a fount of creativity? Eric Person, that's who! Fortunately, the WKCR archives yielded more rare, live Eddie Harris recordings than Mitch and Eric were able to play on that 3-hour show, so this Monday will be part 2. Mitch and Eric assure the listeners that they have saved the best for last. Tune in this Monday (3/2) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: courtesy of eddieharris.com. #WKCR #DeepFocus #EricPerson #EddieHarris #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman #EthanSinger Deep Focus is a production of Small Media Large.
Transcribe →2026.03.02 Eric Person on Eddie Harris - part 2 with Ethan Singer - 2 of 3
Apr 1200:58:45Tap to summarizeThis episode of Deep Focus has been decades in the making. Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman started DJing Monday nights at WKCR in 1985. At that time, he alternated Mondays with fellow WKCR programmer Ethan Singer. Mitch and Ethan soon discovered that they both loved a lot of the same music and both loved the live music experience. They merged forces and started producing a show with live sessions called "Monday Live" (a format and name first created by Andy Caploe several years earlier). Together, Mitch and Ethan produced dozens and dozens of live sets that still populate the WKCR archives. All was well until the early 2000s, when real life interceded, and Ethan relocated to the West Coast. Monday Live was no more. After a brief but intense existential crisis, Mitch created Deep Focus, but the great memories of working with Ethan never faded for him. At long last, this Monday, Mitch welcomes Ethan Singer to the WKCR studios as co-host of Deep Focus. And what an episode this one will be. Last May, bandleader Eric Person joined Mitch for a Deep Focus on fellow saxophonist Eddie Harris. This Deep Focus was a revelation. Not only was he an inventive instrumentalist, but a technologist, a singular bandleader, a sonic explorer. Who knew that Eddie Harris was such a fount of creativity? Eric Person, that's who! Fortunately, the WKCR archives yielded more rare, live Eddie Harris recordings than Mitch and Eric were able to play on that 3-hour show, so this Monday will be part 2. Mitch and Eric assure the listeners that they have saved the best for last. Tune in this Monday (3/2) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: courtesy of eddieharris.com. #WKCR #DeepFocus #EricPerson #EddieHarris #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman #EthanSinger Deep Focus is a production of Small Media Large.
Transcribe →2026.03.02 Eric Person on Eddie Harris - part 2 with Ethan Singer - 1 of 3
Apr 501:04:58Tap to summarizeThis episode of Deep Focus has been decades in the making. Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman started DJing Monday nights at WKCR in 1985. At that time, he alternated Mondays with fellow WKCR programmer Ethan Singer. Mitch and Ethan soon discovered that they both loved a lot of the same music and both loved the live music experience. They merged forces and started producing a show with live sessions called "Monday Live" (a format and name first created by Andy Caploe several years earlier). Together, Mitch and Ethan produced dozens and dozens of live sets that still populate the WKCR archives. All was well until the early 2000s, when real life interceded, and Ethan relocated to the West Coast. Monday Live was no more. After a brief but intense existential crisis, Mitch created Deep Focus, but the great memories of working with Ethan never faded for him. At long last, this Monday, Mitch welcomes Ethan Singer to the WKCR studios as co-host of Deep Focus. And what an episode this one will be. Last May, bandleader Eric Person joined Mitch for a Deep Focus on fellow saxophonist Eddie Harris. This Deep Focus was a revelation. Not only was he an inventive instrumentalist, but a technologist, a singular bandleader, a sonic explorer. Who knew that Eddie Harris was such a fount of creativity? Eric Person, that's who! Fortunately, the WKCR archives yielded more rare, live Eddie Harris recordings than Mitch and Eric were able to play on that 3-hour show, so this Monday will be part 2. Mitch and Eric assure the listeners that they have saved the best for last. Tune in this Monday (3/2) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: courtesy of eddieharris.com. #WKCR #DeepFocus #EricPerson #EddieHarris #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman #EthanSinger Deep Focus is a production of Small Media Large.
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2026.02.16 Steve Slagle on Charlie Haden - 3 of 3
Mar 2901:05:08Tap to summarizeThe music, the people playing it, and the audience are all in a state of total oneness. It's a spontaneous improvisation as delicate as an eggshell. You're almost afraid to breathe lest this moment dissolve, and we are all dropped back to the cold earth. Then you open your eyes to see that the bassist is Charlie Haden, and you know that this moment will not end until its time has come, because Charlie Haden practically discovered this sense of the sublime in music for us. He seems to create it at will. Steve Slagle knows this experience well. He played in Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra. Steve searches the WKCR archives for live, unreleased recordings of Charlie Haden with host Mitch Goldman, this Monday (2/2) on Deep Focus. Tune in Monday (Feb 2) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD, or wkcr.org. Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/. Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted. You can also uncover over 400 episodes of Deep Focus. Just like WKCR, it's ad-free, sponsor-free, all free, totally non-commercial. We won't even ask for your contact info. Learn more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast. Photo credit: Charlie Haden 1981 by Brianmcmillen CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org-licenses-by-sa-0-3.0. #WKCR #DeepFocus #CharlieHaden #SteveSlagle #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman Deep Focus is a production of Small Media Large.
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