Tomeka Reid's Low End Theory
The cellist reflects on twelve years with her quartet, the making of their fourth album, 'dance! skip! hop!', a family archive of Black life in Wyoming, and the two figures named CeCe who bookend her path in jazz.
Heaven in a Semicircle — Ben Wendel and the New Mallet Generation
Placing himself in the middle of four distinct mallet improvisers, Wendel discusses how 'BaRcoDe' turned the trance-inducing logic of bars, effects pedals, and extended technique into music he describes as living "in its own little universe."
Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore — "Come Join Us Here in the Future"
Barwick and Lattimore discuss 'Tragic Magic', a debut collaboration recorded on vintage instruments from the Musée de la Musique, the guilt and gratitude of leaving a burning city for Paris, and a shared dream of one day playing in James Turrell's Roden Crater.
Bellbird Answer the Wild
Claire Devlin and Eli Davidovici of Montréal jazz combo Bellbird discuss how the quartet turned the loudest bird call on earth into compositional raw material for 'The Call,' with political conviction and collective authorship shaping everything that follows.
Friction, Overtones, and the Fluent Pedal Steel of Sam Wenc
Sam Wenc spent thirteen years recording as Post Moves before putting his own name on 'Language at an Angle,' an eight-part tone poem for pedal steel and piano that reflects his extended techniques, his meditation practice, and the defiant spirit of the late Susan Alcorn.
Zeena Parkins, Under Constant Revision
The experimental harpist discusses the hand-built electric instrument at the center of her practice, the spatial approach to composition she developed through decades of work with choreographers, and the grief behind 'Lament for the Maker,' her first solo record since Mills College closed.
Putting the Performance First — Michael Graves on Archival Audio
The five-time Grammy winner discusses the daily tension between preservation and intervention, his analog-first approach to archival audio, and what his restoration of unreleased Stax songwriter demos revealed about the ethics of serving the archive.
The Solitary Ensemble of Erik Hall's Minimalist Trilogy
Erik Hall's 'Solo Three' closes his minimalist trilogy with works by Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel, and Steve Reich, each part performed and layered entirely by Hall alone in his Michigan home studio.
Shelf-Worthy — Patrick Smith and His Technicians of Tone
The Toronto saxophonist joins guitarist Dan Pitt and drummer Lowell Whitty on 'Words Underlined,' a live session cut in a beloved Toronto bookstore that became, almost accidentally, one of the year's most assured jazz records.
All Inputs as Collaborators — Stephen Vitiello and the Art of Hearing
The veteran sound artist discusses 'Trinity,' his trio-format album with Lawrence English, and why every input in his practice—a space, a field recording, a late friend's unreleased tape—warrants the same respect as a living collaborator.
Between the Microphone and the Mind — The Surprising Work of Lawrence English
Lawrence English reflects on the impossible trios of 'Trinity,' acid nostalgia as a weapon against possible futures, and how the tension between the microphone and the psychological ear shapes his field recording practice.
From Sacred Space to Silent Film — Noah Franche-Nolan Serves the Music
On 'Rose-Anna,' the Vancouver pianist honors his great-grandmother's church-organ tradition through compositions that move between meditative prayer, silent-film themes, and post-bop propulsion.