Podcast
The Tonearm
Hosted by Lawrence Peryer · EN
The people and ideas moving culture forward. With host Lawrence Peryer.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
32episodes
Episodes
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Nick Fraser: Still Screaming Into the Snare Drum
4d ago00:39:18Tap to summarizeToday, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Toronto drummer and composer Nick Fraser.Nick Fraser is one of the most distinctive voices in Canadian improvised music. He has played with Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, and William Parker, and has led projects that range from raw free jazz to something much harder to name.His latest record, Areas, just dropped on Elastic Recordings. It's a trio date with saxophonist Tony Malaby and pianist Kris Davis. Electroacoustic interludes by composer John Kameel Farah thread through the album, built from processed duo recordings of Fraser and Malaby. The album has weight and atmosphere in equal measure, and it’s unlike anything I’ve heard this year.We talked about the making of Areas, what a long-term group actually sounds like from the inside, and where his music is headed.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Nick Fraser's Areas)—Dig DeeperArtist and AlbumVisit Nick Fraser at nickfraserthedrummer.com and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePurchase or stream Areas at BandcampElastic Recordings — the Toronto imprint releasing AreasCollaborators on AreasKris Davis — pianist and composer; also visit her label Pyroclastic RecordsTony Malaby at Berklee College of Music — saxophonist and facultyJohn Kameel Farah — Palestinian-Canadian composer and pianist; hear the Farahser duo album at BandcampBen Monder — guitarist, who subbed for Davis at the Toronto album release concertsTribute and Influence: Brodie WestBrodie West — Toronto saxophonist and composer; "There Are Other Ways" is a tribute to his workWays — Brodie West's duo project with drummer Evan Cartwright, which the tribute track honorsLong-term CollaborationsLina Allemano — Toronto/Berlin trumpeter and composer; Fraser has played in the Lina Allemano Four for twenty yearsDrumheller — Fraser's decade-long cooperative group with Brodie West, Rob Clutton, Eric Chenaux, and Doug Tielli (2003–2013)Hamid Drake — Chicago drummer whom Fraser has been encouraging Brodie West to record withThe Imaginary Brass Band — a trio featuring Fraser alongside Doug Tielli and Heather Saumer; recorded the song “Sketch 57”Previous Trio RecordingsZoning (2019, Astral Spirits) — BandcampToo Many Continents (2015, Clean Feed) — Clean Feed RecordsMusical ReferenceOlivier Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time — Fraser drew on Messiaen's harmonics when composing the title track "Area"Toronto Scene and OrganizationsAssociation of Improvising Musicians of Toronto (AIMToronto) — the nonprofit Fraser co-founded with Rob Clutton, Scott Thomson, Ken Aldcroft, and Joe Sorbara (now largely inactive; linked here is an academic roundtable with founding members)FACTOR — the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings; co-funded by the Canadian federal government and private radio broadcastersNick Fraser at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music — where Fraser teaches—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Maria Schneider: Composing in the Age of Curated Rage
2w ago00:55:09Tap to summarizeToday, The Tonearm’s needle lands on composer and avid birdwatcher Maria Schneider.Few composers working today have Maria Schneider's range. She holds seven Grammy Awards, was named an NEA Jazz Master, and this year took home the Rolf Schock Prize in Musical Arts, one of the most prestigious honors in the field.Maria Schneider joins the podcast to talk about American Crow, her recent EP that uses jazz to make a case for something we've mostly lost, the ability to actually listen to each other. The music moves from distressed Americana into something quiet and more human, a sound Schneider connects to her Midwestern childhood, when disagreement didn't have to mean war.Maria's here to talk about the record, what jazz improvisation has to teach a fractured society, and more.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Maria Schneider’s American Crow)—Dig DeeperArtist and EPVisit Maria Schneider at mariaschneider.com and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePurchase Maria Schneider’s American Crow EP from ArtistShareWatch American Crow: A Narrative in Notes and Frames — the full longform music video, free on YouTubeSelected DiscographyData Lords (ArtistShare, 2020) — Pulitzer Prize Finalist; two Grammy Awards; the double album that precedes and informs American CrowSky Blue (ArtistShare, 2007) — includes "Sky Blue," discussed at length in this episodeEvanescence (Enja, 1994) — Schneider's debut; features "Wyrgly" and "Dance You Monster to My Soft Song," both favored by David BowieEnsemble Members and CollaboratorsDonny McCaslin — tenor saxophonist; featured throughout the conversation; also Bowie's Blackstar bandleaderDonny McCaslin on The TonearmBen Monder — guitarist; featured soloist on Data LordsMike Rodriguez — trumpeter; featured soloist on American CrowJeff Miles — guitarist; featured on "A World Lost" on the American Crow EPGary Versace — pianist; longtime Schneider Orchestra member; on faculty at Eastman School of MusicBob Brookmeyer (1929–2011) — valve trombonist and arranger; Schneider's mentor; his critique of "Green Piece" is discussed in this episodeFrank Kimbrough (1956–2021) — pianist; longtime Schneider Orchestra member; referenced in the discussion of "Thompson Fields"Books ReferencedThe Art Spirit by Robert Henri — the key artistic text Schneider returns to when discussing how music transmits lived experience to an audienceFootprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter by Michelle Mercer — Mercer reviewed a live performance of "American Crow" in Call and Response, quoted in this episode and in the press releaseBirdingMerlin Bird ID app — the free sound- and photo-identification app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, enthusiastically endorsed by both Schneider and LawrenceCornell Lab of Ornithology — the institution behind Merlin and one of the world's leading centers for ornithological research and citizen scienceThe David Bowie ConnectionBlackstar (Columbia, 2016) — Bowie's final studio album, featuring McCaslin's band and Schneider's arrangement of "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)," which won a GrammyDonny McCaslin on the Blackstar collaboration — background on McCaslin's role in Bowie's final project—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice.• Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn.• Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Caroline Davis: The Saxophone Reimagined in the Fallows
3w ago00:49:21Tap to summarizeToday, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Caroline Davis, a saxophonist and composer based in New York.Her new album, Fallows, just came out on Ropeadope Records. Caroline made it alone during a residency in Ucross, Wyoming - improvising and recording in a cabin, using prepared saxophone techniques and a unique little instrument called an Organelle to process and build sounds she'd never put to tape before. The result is twelve tracks that use the saxophone as raw material rather than a lead voice.We talk about how that music got made, what it means to deliberately avoid the sound of your own instrument, and Caroline's work teaching music inside Sing Sing prison.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Caroline Davis’s album Fallows )—Dig DeeperArtist and AlbumVisit Caroline Davis at carolinedavis.orgPurchase Caroline Davis's Fallows from Ropeadope Records, Bandcamp, or Qobuz, and listen on your streaming platform of choiceLabel and ResidencyRopeadope RecordsUcross Foundation — the Wyoming artist residency where Fallows was recordedCivitella Ranieri Foundation — the Italian residency Caroline attended in 2025Tulu Bayar — Turkish artist who made the paper artwork for Fallows (please verify link)Instruments and TechnologyThe Organelle — Critter & Guitari — the hardware synthesizer/processor central to FallowsORAC by Technobear — Patchstorage — the community-built patch framework Caroline used on the recordCollaborators, Influences, and ReferencesSteve Lacy — soprano saxophonist (1934–2004), honored in the track "Lacy Steve"Geri Allen — pianist and mentor; "Barbara Allen (for Geri)" closes the albumThích Nhất Hạnh — Vietnamese Buddhist monk; a sample of his voice appears on "She Know She Is Water"Connie Crothers — pianist from the Lennie Tristano lineage; a sample of her playing appears on "Cloudburst"Lee Konitz — Caroline's teacher; alto saxophonist (1927–2020)Sam Newsome — soprano saxophonist; prepared saxophone pioneer cited by Caroline as a major influenceChristine Abdelnour — French experimental alto saxophonist; a formative reference for prepared saxophone techniqueAnna Webber — saxophonist and composer, cited for her work with venting vocabularyJames Falzone — clarinetist whose solo tour performance is discussed in the episodeKris Davis — pianist and founder of Pyroclastic Records; cited as a touchstone for prepared pianoSylvie Courvoisier — pianist cited for her prepared piano work (please verify link)Qasim Naqvi — New York-based composer and modular synthesist; a frequent collaboratorLabels and Organizations — Current ListeningOut of Your Head Records — Adam Hopkins's artist-run label; praised in the episodePyroclastic Records — Kris Davis's artist-run label; praised in the episodeAdvocacy and JusticeMusicambia — the organization through which Caroline teaches music at Sing Sing Prison and other facilitiesFREER Records — nonprofit label for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated musicians; Caroline is on the boardKeith LaMar — keithlamar.org — death row prisoner in Ohio whose execution is scheduled for January 13, 2027; wrongfully convicted per advocatesJalil Muntaqim — political prisoner (Black Panther Party) with whom Caroline corresponded; released from prison in 2020The New School — Jazz & Gender course — co-taught by Caroline Davis and Sarah Elizabeth Charles—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Miho Hazama: The Conductor Who Leads with Love
4w ago00:50:48Tap to summarizeToday, we’re putting The Tonearm's needle on composer and chief conductor of the Danish Radio Big Band, Miho Hazama.Miho grew up inside the Yamaha music education system in her native Japan. She moved to New York to study jazz composition at the Manhattan School of Music under Jim McNeely and has spent her career as one of the most distinctive voices in large-ensemble writing. Her work includes her own chamber jazz group m_unit, conducting posts with the Metropole Orkest and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, and a BBC Proms debut last year.This week, she released Frames, her fourth album on Edition Records with the Danish Radio Big Band. The album draws on the musical language of the conductors who led that band across its decades of existence, including McNeely, who passed away last year. It's a project with significant weight behind it.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Miho Hazama's album Frames)—Dig Deeper• Artist and Album:Visit Miho Hazama at mihohazama.com and follow her on Instagram, Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/mihohazamamusic/), and YouTubePurchase Miho Hazama's Frames from Edition Records, Bandcamp, or Qobuz, and listen on your streaming platform of choiceListen to m_unit: Beyond Orbits, Hazama's most recent album with her New York ensemble, on Bandcamp• Danish Radio Big Band and Its History:Danish Radio Big Band — Wikipedia overview of the band's history and chief conductorsDanish Radio Big Band performance archive on YouTubeIb Glindemann — founding bandleader and inspiration for Frames composition "The Pioneer's Quest"Palle Mikkelborg — Danish trumpeter and composer; former Danish Radio Big Band leader; Hazama cites him as a compositional influence on FramesThad Jones — American trumpeter and composer who led the Danish Radio Big Band in the late 1970s• Jim McNeely:Jim McNeely official website — composer, pianist, and Hazama's mentor at the Manhattan School of MusicJim McNeely — WikipediaPianist-Composer Jim McNeely: 1949–2025 — DownBeat obituaryVanguard Jazz Orchestra — the ensemble McNeely served as composer-in-residence, performing weekly at the Village Vanguard• Educational Institutions:Manhattan School of Music — where Hazama earned her master's degree in jazz compositionKunitachi College of Music — where Hazama studied classical composition in TokyoYamaha Music Foundation — the educational organization whose nationwide network of schools supported Hazama's early musical development across Japan• Composers Who Shaped Hazama's Voice:Maria Schneider — one of the jazz composers Hazama discovered in college that redirected her toward jazzMetropole Orkest — the Netherlands-based pop and jazz orchestra for which Hazama serves as permanent guest conductor• Musical References and Concepts:George Russell — the American jazz composer and theorist Hazama imagines as a collaborator for the Frames composition "The Pioneer's Quest"Third Stream — the mid-twentieth-century movement blending jazz and classical idioms, associated with Ib Glindemann's programming at the Danish Radio Big Band—- Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Tomeka Reid: The Low Seat, the Long Haul, and 'dance! skip! hop!'
Apr 1900:53:03Tap to summarizeToday, The Tonearm’s needle drops on cellist and composer Tomeka Reid.Tomeka Reid has spent the last decade building one of the most distinctive voices in creative music. The New York Times called her a "New Jazz Power Source." She's a MacArthur Fellow, a founder of the Chicago Jazz String Summit, and a key collaborator with Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, and Craig Taborn, among many others.Her quartet with guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Jason Roebke, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara just released dance! skip! hop! on Out of Your Head Records. It's their fourth album together, and it shows what twelve years of shared language sounds like: tight, playful, and willing to take chances. She also appears on Dream Archives, Craig Taborn's ECM debut with this instrumentation, recorded in New Haven, Connecticut and out earlier this year.We talked about the cello's role in jazz, how family history shapes her work, and what it means to lead a band that's been together long enough to surprise itself.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from The Tomeka Reid Quartet's album dance! skip! hop!)—Dig DeeperArtist and AlbumVisit Tomeka Reid at tomekareid.com and follow her on Instagram and FacebookPurchase The Tomeka Reid Quartet's dance! skip! hop! from Out Of Your Head Records, Bandcamp, or Qobuz, and listen on your streaming platform of choiceOut Of Your Head Records — Tomeka's label for dance! skip! hop!Tomeka Reid — MacArthur Foundation Fellow (2022)Quartet MembersJason Roebke — bass, cassetteMary Halvorson — guitarTomas Fujiwara — drumsRelated Albums and Projects3+3 — Tomeka Reid Quartet (Cuneiform, 2024) — the quartet's previous albumDream Archives — Craig Taborn, Tomeka Reid, Ches Smith (ECM, 2026) — Tomeka's ECM debutHear in Now — co-led trio with Mazz Swift and Silvia BolognesiOrganizations and FestivalsAssociation for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) — the Chicago collective central to Tomeka's artistic developmentChicago Jazz String Summit — Tomeka's annual festival, founded 2013, dedicated to improvising string playersMusical References and InfluencesAbdul Wadud — jazz cellist and major influence on Tomeka's approach to the instrumentStuff Smith — pioneering jazz violinist; referenced in discussion of CJSS repertoireGinger Smock — jazz violinist mentioned in the context of overlooked string player composersDiedre Murray — jazz cellist and composer; referenced alongside Stuff SmithHistorical ReferencesRock Springs massacre (1885) — the violent attack on Chinese miners in Rock Springs, Wyoming, which Tomeka mentions in the context of her grandmother's family history in the regionFred Anderson — Chicago jazz saxophonist and founder of the Velvet Lounge, where Tomeka met mentor Clarence JamesThe Velvet Lounge, Chicago — legendary South Side jazz venue where Tomeka came up (verify whether Wikipedia article exists under this exact title)—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Ben Wendel: Assembling the Mallet Avengers
Apr 1200:50:28Tap to summarizeToday we put The Tonearm's needle on Ben Wendel.Ben is a Grammy-nominated saxophonist, composer, and co-founder of Kneebody, with a discography that covers post-bop, chamber jazz, and electronic music. He's worked with Bill Frisell, Tigran Hamasyan, Terence Blanchard, and yes, Prince.His new album BaRcoDe just dropped on Edition Records. It's built around a concept that's hard to pull off: four of the most in-demand vibraphonists working today—Joel Ross, Simon Moullier, Patricia Brennan, and Juan Diego Villalobos—surrounding one saxophonist. The group developed the music across two residencies at The Jazz Gallery in New York City, and the result is something that sits between chamber music and jazz improvisation, with electronics running through all of it.Ben's here to walk us through how this project came together and what it took to write for an ensemble like this.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Ben Wendel's album BaRcoDe)—Dig DeeperArtist and AlbumVisit Ben Wendel at benwendel.com and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePurchase Ben Wendel's BaRcoDe from Edition Records, Bandcamp, or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice.BaRcoDe — Postgenre reviewBaRcoDe — PopMatters reviewKneebody — Ben Wendel's long-running band; Reach (2025) includes "Repeat After Me," also recorded on BaRcoDeThe Jazz GalleryThe Jazz Gallery — the New York venue where BaRcoDe was commissioned and developed across two residencies (2023 and 2025)Ensemble MembersJoel Ross — iplayvibes.com | Blue Note Records pageSimon Moullier — simonmoullier.comPatricia Brennan — patriciabrennanvibes.com | The Tonearm InterviewJuan Diego Villalobos — juandiegovibes.comMusical Influences and ReferencesSō Percussion — the Grammy-winning new-music percussion quartet whose members came up with Wendel at the Eastman School of Music; a key inspiration for BaRcoDeAntônio Carlos Jobim — "Olha Maria" — one of Wendel's favorite compositions of all time; the sole non-original on the albumKit Downes — British pianist and organist on ECM Records; a loose inspiration for "Birds Ascend"Aidan O'Rourke — Scottish fiddle player and composer; also a loose inspiration for "Birds Ascend"The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin — Wendel paraphrases a line from this book when discussing the title BaRcoDeLos Angeles ConnectionsThe World Stage — performance and education space in Leimert Park Village, Los Angeles; co-founded by drummer Billy Higgins; a formative venue for WendelTerrace Martin — Wendel's high school friend and collaborator; hip-hop producer for Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg (verify URL before publishing)Billy Higgins — legendary jazz drummer and World Stage co-founder; an early mentor whose spirit Wendel also invokes when describing the Village VanguardFurther Reading / ListeningJohn Patitucci — bassist scheduled to guest with Wendel at the Village Vanguard in JulyUnderstory: Live at the Village Vanguard — Ben Wendel (Edition, 2024)All One — Ben Wendel (Edition, 2023) — Grammy-nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore: Like Tears in Rain
Apr 500:48:40Tap to summarizeToday, we’re putting The Tonearm's needle on Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore.Julianna is a composer, vocalist, and producer whose music is built almost entirely from layered, looped human voices. Mary is a harpist who has spent years pushing that instrument into a vast, exploratory realm.In January 2025, the two flew to Paris just days after the LA wildfires tore through their community. There, they spent nine days recording with instruments pulled from a museum, including harps dating back to 1728 and vintage analog synthesizers. The result is Tragic Magic, out on InFiné, and it's one of the most talked-about records of the year so far.Julianna and Mary just returned from Big Ears Festival and, in a few days, are heading back to Paris to perform these songs live with those same instruments. We caught them as they were preparing for the trip.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore's Tragic Magic)—Dig Deeper• Artist and Album:Visit Julianna Barwick at juliannabarwick.com and follow her on Instagram and FacebookVisit Mary Lattimore at marylattimore.net and follow her on Instagram and FacebookPurchase Tragic Magic from InFiné, Bandcamp, or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice• Recording Location:Philharmonie de Paris — Musée de la Musique — the museum whose instrument collection made the album possibleMusée de la Musique collections database — searchable archive of the museum's historic instruments• Collaborators:Roger Eno — composer of "Temple of the Winds," written for voice and harp after a shared lunch with Barwick and Lattimore in MelbourneTrevor Spencer — engineer, additional producer, and mixer on Tragic Magic; known for his work with Fleet Foxes and Beach House• Instruments:Jacob Hochbrücker — maker of the 1728 harp used for "Temple of the Winds"; one of the oldest instruments on the albumÉrard harps — the French instrument maker whose 1799 and 1873 harps Mary Lattimore used throughout the sessionsSequential Circuits Prophet-5 — the synthesizer Julianna Barwick chose; introduced in 1978 as the first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizerRoland Jupiter-8 — the second synthesizer Barwick used; the "Jupiter" referenced throughout the episodeKorg VC-10 Vocoder — used by Barwick on "Stardust" and elsewhere on the album• Visual Art — James Turrell:James Turrell — the light artist whose work both Barwick and Lattimore cite as a significant influenceJames Turrell: Into the Light at MASS MoCA — where Barwick and Lattimore opened Turrell's newest Skyspace, C.A.V.U.Chichu Art Museum, Naoshima — permanent Turrell installations on the Japanese island Mary mentions visitingJames Turrell retrospective at the Guggenheim — the 2013 exhibition (Aten Reign) that first brought Mary to Turrell's work after reading a New Yorker review• Previous InFiné / Musée de la Musique Collaborations:InBach by Arandel (2020) — the first album in InFiné's Musée de la Musique series, featuring Baroque instrumentsSaturn 63 by Seb Martel (2022) — the second album in the series; Tragic Magic is the third—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Bellbird: Montreal's Jazz Collective Heeds the Call
Mar 2900:51:05Tap to summarizeToday, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on the Montreal jazz collective Bellbird.Bellbird formed during pandemic park jams and has since become one of the more compelling voices in Canada's avant-garde jazz scene. The quartet consists of Claire Devlin on tenor sax, Allison Burik on alto sax and bass clarinet, Eli Davidovici on bass, and Mili Hong on drums. No guitar, no piano, just three mostly single-note instruments and a drum kit, which turns out to be more than enough. Their debut, Root in Tandem, earned serious praise. Their second album, The Call, came out on February 6th on Constellation Records. It was built from bird sound transcriptions, Mary Oliver poems, and sessions in the countryside, and it doesn't sound like anything else on that storied label's roster.Two members of the collective, Claire Devlin and Eli Davidovici, are here to take us through the story.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Bellbird's album The Call)—Dig Deeper• Artist and Album:Visit Bellbird at bellbird.band and follow them on Instagram and YouTubePurchase Bellbird's The Call from Constellation Records, Bandcamp, or Qobuz, and listen on your streaming platform of choiceVisit Bellbird's page at Constellation Records• Individual Members:Claire Devlin — tenor saxophone; follow her on InstagramEli Davidovici — bassAllison Burik — alto saxophone and bass clarinet; follow them on InstagramMili Hong — drums; follow her on Instagram• Label:Constellation Records — Montréal's celebrated independent label, home to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Matana Roberts, Sam Shalabi's Land of Kush, and more• Recording and Compositional Context:Hotel2Tango — the Montréal studio where The Call was recordedOrford Musique — the Quebec residency center where Bellbird developed the album's material• Musical References and Inspiration:White Bellbird (Procnias albus) — the Amazonian bird whose recorded call Allison Burik transcribed and analyzed as the foundation for the title trackMary Oliver, "Wild Geese" — the poem that inspired the track "Soft Animal," published in House of Light (Beacon Press, 1990)• Montréal Scene:Casa del Popolo — Montréal venue and community hubSuoni Per Il Popolo — Montréal's annual festival of experimental music, free jazz, and improvisation, presented at Casa del Popolo and La Sala Rossa• Previous Release:Root in Tandem (2023) — Bellbird's self-released debut—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sam Wenc: The Experimental Language of the Pedal Steel Guitar
Mar 2200:45:24Tap to summarizeToday, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on guitarist and composer Sam Wenc.Wenc is a Philadelphia-based artist who has spent nearly a decade building one of the more distinctive bodies of work in American experimental music, mostly under the name Post Moves.Now he's released his first album under his own name. It's called Language at an Angle, and it came out on Lobby Art Editions in January. The record grew out of a year of live performances—from Philadelphia to Japan—and it captures Sam doing something specific with pedal steel guitar: striking it, bowing it, treating it as both a sound source and a physical object. The result sits somewhere between drone, jazz, and a kind of American folk music you can't quite place.Sam's here to walk us through the record, his move to Philadelphia, and what it means to finally put his own name on the work.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Sam Wenc's Language at an Angle)—Dig Deeper• Artist and Album:Visit Sam Wenc at samwenc.com and follow him on InstagramPurchase Sam Wenc's album Language at an Angle from Bandcamp or Qobuz, and listen on your streaming platform of choiceLobby Art Editions — Sam Wenc's label, releasing Language at an Angle and his previous catalog• Susan Alcorn:Susan Alcorn — official website of the pedal steel pioneer to whom Language at an Angle is dedicatedAnd I Await the Resurrection of the Pedal Steel Guitar — Alcorn's landmark 2007 solo albumSusan Alcorn: Revolutionary Voice of the Pedal Steel Guitar — The Tonearm's tribute, including a full conversation with Alcorn on her album CANTOSusan Alcorn obituary — WRTI• Collaborators:Sam Yulsman — pianist on Language at an Angle; studied with George Lewis at ColumbiaBark Culture — the Philadelphia trio of Victor Vieira-Branco (vibraphone), John Moran (bass), and Joey Sullivan (drums); members appear in Wenc's live bandVictor Vieira-Branco — vibraphonist and Bark Culture leaderBark Culture — Warm Wisdom — the trio's 2024 debut album• Venues:Roulette Intermedium — Brooklyn venue where Wenc held his album release showThe Stone — New York experimental music venue referenced in the episode• Musical References and Influences:George Lewis — composer, trombonist, and Columbia University professor; Sam Yulsman trained with himOkkyung Lee — South Korean cellist and improviser; Wenc cites Alcorn's improvisations with her as influentialMarshall Allen / Sun Ra Arkestra — Marshall Allen, still active in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood, is mentioned by Wenc as part of the city's deep musical lineageOlivier Messiaen — composer whose work Susan Alcorn famously transposed for pedal steelVíctor Jara — Chilean singer-songwriter; Alcorn covered his songs• Additional Context:Mississippi Records — the independent archival label Wenc manages alongside his own music workSam Wenc — Post Moves: Heart Music — released on Where to Now? Records, representative of his work under the Post Moves alias—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice.• Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn.• Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Zeena Parkins: Invention, Loss, and the Living Harp
Mar 1500:57:11Tap to summarizeToday we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Zeena Parkins, composer, improviser, and one of the most singular forces in experimental music.Zeena has spent four decades dismantling what the harp can do: through electronics, object preparations, and a series of custom electric instruments she built herself, she's turned a concert hall fixture into something alive and unpredictable.Her collaborators range from Björk to John Zorn to Pauline Oliveros. Last year, she released two records paying tribute to her years teaching at Mills College before its closure: Modesty of the Magic Thing and Lament of the Maker. And she's performing this spring at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville. She's also a Guggenheim Fellow and a three-time Bessie Award winner for her work composing for dance.We cover all of it: her instruments, her process, and what it means to make music at the edge of what's possible.(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Zeena Parkins' album Lament of the Maker)—Dig DeeperArtist and RecordingsVisit Zeena Parkins at zeenaparkins.com and follow her on Instagram and BandcampPurchase Lament for the Maker (Relative Pitch Records, 2025) from Bandcamp or Qobuz, and listen on your streaming platform of choicePurchase Modesty of the Magic Thing (Tzadik, 2025) from Qobuz or Squidco, and listen on your streaming platform of choiceCollaborators MentionedWilliam Winant — percussionist and longtime collaborator; Parkins discusses finding Lou Harrison instruments in his studio and performing Modesty of the Magic Thing with himFred Frith — guitarist and composer; Parkins replaced him at Mills and performed with him in Skeleton CrewLaetitia Sonami — sound artist and Mills colleague; composed "She is a Butcher in My Dreams" for Lament for the MakerJames Fei — composer and Mills colleague; composed "In Such Circumstances of Miscalculations" for Lament for the MakerJennifer Monson — choreographer; one of Parkins's most significant long-term dance collaboratorsChris Cutler — drummer; encountered Parkins in Europe and brought her into News from BabelNayland Blake — artist who curated the San Francisco gallery show where Parkins gave her first solo concertEnsembles and ProjectsSkeleton Crew — experimental rock trio with Fred Frith and Tom CoraNews from Babel — group with Chris Cutler, Lindsay Cooper, and Dagmar Krause; Parkins discusses joining after meeting Cutler in EuropeTable of the Elements — American experimental music label; released Parkins's first solo recordRoulette Intermedium — Brooklyn venue where Parkins and Winant perform Modesty of the Magic Thing just before Big EarsArtists and Figures DiscussedJay DeFeo — Bay Area visual artist whose work, particularly The Rose and the Seven Pillars of Voice series, inspired Modesty of the Magic ThingThe Rose at the Whitney Museum — DeFeo's monumental painting, now in the Whitney's permanent collectionLou Harrison — American composer whose handmade instruments, bequeathed to William Winant, are central to Modesty of the Magic ThingDaphne Oram — British electronic music pioneer who worked at the BBC; Parkins mentions her as inspiration for an upcoming electric harp recordFestivalsBig Ears Festival — Knoxville, Tennessee; March 26–29, 2026; Parkins performs Modesty of the Magic Thing with William WinantOther Minds Festival — San Francisco; site of the West Coast premiere of Modesty of the Magic Thing—Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com—• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice.• Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn.• Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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