Music Artists Episodes
Sept. 11, 2025
Robin Holcomb & Peggy Lee: Behind the Delicate Sound of 'Reno'
Two distinctive voices in Pacific Northwest creative music discuss their long collaboration, their new album ‘Reno,’ and how geographic community shaped their collaborative mindset to blend composition with improvisation.
Aug. 28, 2025
Rico Jones: The Spiritual Sax of BloodLines
Tenor saxophonist Rico Jones explains his concept of creating a 'cinema of sound,' discusses navigating multiple cultural identities in jazz, and reveals how his Indigenous and Hispanic heritage inform his music without constraining it.
Aug. 21, 2025
Aqeel Aadam: Code, Creativity, and Democratization of Sound
The founder of Aqeel Aadam Sound discusses his flagship product 'Waymaker,' why he discourages people from buying modular synthesizers, and how his daily creative practice keeps him connected to the inspiration behind his innovative plugin designs.
Aug. 14, 2025
Rez Abbasi: When Everything Else Fades, Sound Remains
The Pakistani-American guitarist and composer opens up about expanding his long-running acoustic ensemble, the philosophy behind 'Sound Remains,' and finding musical magic through non-attachment.
July 31, 2025
Sean Imboden: Into the Heart of Big Band Jazz
The Indianapolis-based saxophonist opens up about his move from Broadway sideman to big band leader, the creative challenges of leading a seventeen-piece jazz ensemble, and the community spirit that shaped his debut album 'Communal Heart.'
July 24, 2025
Glenn Dickson & Bob Familiar: The Clarinet in the Machine
Clarinetist Glenn Dickson and synthesist Bob Familiar discuss their serendipitous meeting, patient creative process, and how they transform studio improvisations into the luminous compositions on 'All the Light of Our Sphere.'
July 17, 2025
Gustavo Cortiñas: A Jazz Drummer's Call to Action
From his Mexican roots to Chicago's jazz scene, Cortiñas explains how he builds "bold, urgent conversations" on his album 'The Crisis Knows No Borders,’ addressing climate change through the language of improvised music.
July 10, 2025
Kim Perlak: Guitar, Percussion, and the Space Between
The Berklee guitar chair discusses her album 'Spaces' with percussionist Francisco Mela, how natural environments inspire her compositions, and the evolution from classical interpretation to improvisational freedom.
July 3, 2025
Terence Hannum: Revisiting Locrian's The Crystal World
The multi-disciplinary artist reflects on fifteen years since the experimental metal trio's album, exploring the crystalline intersection of visual art, religious studies, and the search for compelling sounds in heavy music's conservative landscape.
June 26, 2025
Knox Chandler: Exploring the Sound of the Shoreline
After four decades collaborating with acts like the Psychedelic Furs and Siouxsie and the Banshees, the veteran guitarist has created his first deeply personal project—a book and album documenting his return to the Connecticut coast.
June 19, 2025
John Andrew Fredrick: The Black Watch Abides
The prolific songwriter reflects on three decades of creative output with The Black Watch, what it’s like to release the band’s 25th album, For All the World, and why he just can’t stop stealing from The Beatles.
June 12, 2025
Ingrid Laubrock: Purposing the Air with Music and Voices
The innovative composer discusses her new album, Purposing the Air, and the three-year process of transforming Erica Hunt's sixty cryptic koans into musical miniatures for four distinctive vocal-instrumental duos.
June 5, 2025
Kinan Azmeh: Live in Berlin, Rooted in Damascus
The celebrated clarinetist shares how compositions written during Syria's darkest years have taken on new meaning following recent political changes, and why he considers making art an essential act of freedom.
May 29, 2025
Tal Yahalom: A Guitarist's Mirror Image of Tradition
The Israeli guitarist and composer discusses his album 'Mirror Image,' which pairs his instrument equally with strings, woodwinds, and percussion to create chamber jazz, challenging the traditional guitar hero stereotype.
May 22, 2025
Claire Cope: Orchestrating Stories of Brave Women
The Manchester-based composer and pianist discusses her album 'Every Journey,' where she employs a newly expanded ensemble to present intricate musical narratives inspired by trailblazing women explorers.
May 15, 2025
Mike Scott of The Waterboys: The Ballad of Dennis Hopper
The mastermind behind 'The Whole of the Moon' discusses his four-year journey writing and recording an ambitious musical biography that chronicles Hopper's artistic triumphs, spectacular flameouts, and ultimate redemption.
April 10, 2025
Noah Preminger: A Veteran Saxophonist Tackles the Ballad
Boston-based saxophonist Noah Preminger discusses his surprising compositional preferences, his challenging education under Dave Liebman, and why his latest album, ‘Ballads,' might be his most accessible work yet.
April 3, 2025
Mary Halvorson & Sylvie Courvoisier: Bone Bells and the Art of Surprise
Swiss pianist Courvoisier and American guitarist Halvorson discuss their third album 'Bone Bells,' reflecting on the value of risk-taking and the slow-burning development of a creative partnership that continues to yield fascinating results.
March 27, 2025
Phillip Golub: Recording the Impossible Piano
Brooklyn pianist Phillip Golub splits the traditional octave into 22 notes for his innovative composition 'Loop 7,' demonstrating how microtonality can create mathematical precision on top of profound emotional resonance.
March 20, 2025
TJ Dumser (Six Missing): Inner Space, Sobriety, and Soundscapes
Austin-based ambient artist TJ Dumser shares how his decade of sobriety, move from New York, and love of vintage synthesizers shaped his meditative project Six Missing and its emotional new EP 'Gentle Breath.'
March 13, 2025
Jenny Scheinman: A Violin in the Wild
Violinist Jenny Scheinman's double album 'All Species Parade' draws from her childhood on California's remote Lost Coast, crafting a musical celebration that honors the land, its people, and the wild diversity of nature.
Feb. 13, 2025
Dorothy Lawson: ETHEL's String Theory for Quartets
As ETHEL prepares for their first Carnegie Hall performance, Dorothy Lawson reflects on decades of mixing classical precision with popular music's spirit.
Feb. 6, 2025
Jamie Baum: a flutist sets poetry in motion
Through her latest project with Septet+, the accomplished flutist transforms works by Adrienne Rich, Naomi Shihab Nye, and other poets into conversations between words and improvised music.
Jan. 30, 2025
Anat Cohen: Clarinet in Full Bloom
Fresh from a three-week European tour with Quartetinho, the accomplished clarinetist discusses how she transforms everything from Thelonious Monk to Brazilian choro into her own musical language.