Deep Focus

Here it is: the very first episode of Deep Focus ever, and it's a killer!  Graham Haynes is the guest and Ed Blackwell is the subject.  First-hand stories about Blackwell? Yes!  Don Cherry? Yes!  Lester Bowie? Yes!  Carlos Ward? Yes!  Roy Haynes? Yes!  Fantastic music that we've never heard?  What do you think?  Tune in to find out.   Photo credit: fair use.  Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast.  

Here it is: the very first episode of Deep Focus ever, and it's a killer!  Graham Haynes is the guest and Ed Blackwell is the subject.  First-hand stories about Blackwell? Yes!  Don Cherry? Yes!  Lester Bowie? Yes!  Carlos Ward? Yes!  Roy Haynes? Yes!  Fantastic music that we've never heard?  What do you think?  Tune in to find out.   Photo credit: fair use.  Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast.  

It's impossible to distinguish between Randy Weston's musical innovations and his conception of the world he was born into.  To say that the roots of jazz are in West Africa is hardly a groundbreaking statement nowadays, but it was a mostly unfamiliar notion when he started to say it in the 1950's.  It's easy to hear it now, especially when you listen to Weston's 6+ decade discography.  It's in his percussive compositions and it's in the story of his life, making music with players from throughout the African diaspora.  To this day, musicians are walking through the doors he opened, more than 6 years after his death at age 92.    Pianist Vijay Iyer chose Randy Weston for this Monday's Deep Focus with host Mitch Goldman.  What inspired him to make that choice?  Was it Weston's distinctive touch on the piano?  The warmth and humanity that he exudes?  Or maybe just pure admiration for one who always charted his own path?      To find out, tune in this Monday (3/24) 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.  It's ad-free, all 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: Randy Weston - Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of David D. Spitzer.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #VijayIyer #RandyWeston #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman

It's impossible to distinguish between Randy Weston's musical innovations and his conception of the world he was born into.  To say that the roots of jazz are in West Africa is hardly a groundbreaking statement nowadays, but it was a mostly unfamiliar notion when he started to say it in the 1950's.  It's easy to hear it now, especially when you listen to Weston's 6+ decade discography.  It's in his percussive compositions and it's in the story of his life, making music with players from throughout the African diaspora.  To this day, musicians are walking through the doors he opened, more than 6 years after his death at age 92.    Pianist Vijay Iyer chose Randy Weston for this Monday's Deep Focus with host Mitch Goldman.  What inspired him to make that choice?  Was it Weston's distinctive touch on the piano?  The warmth and humanity that he exudes?  Or maybe just pure admiration for one who always charted his own path?      To find out, tune in this Monday (3/24) 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.  It's ad-free, all 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: Randy Weston - Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of David D. Spitzer.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #VijayIyer #RandyWeston #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

It's impossible to distinguish between Randy Weston's musical innovations and his conception of the world he was born into.  To say that the roots of jazz are in West Africa is hardly a groundbreaking statement nowadays, but it was a mostly unfamiliar notion when he started to say it in the 1950's.  It's easy to hear it now, especially when you listen to Weston's 6+ decade discography.  It's in his percussive compositions and it's in the story of his life, making music with players from throughout the African diaspora.  To this day, musicians are walking through the doors he opened, more than 6 years after his death at age 92.    Pianist Vijay Iyer chose Randy Weston for this Monday's Deep Focus with host Mitch Goldman.  What inspired him to make that choice?  Was it Weston's distinctive touch on the piano?  The warmth and humanity that he exudes?  Or maybe just pure admiration for one who always charted his own path?      To find out, tune in this Monday (3/24) 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.  It's ad-free, all 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: Randy Weston - Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of David D. Spitzer.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #VijayIyer #RandyWeston #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

Ronald Shannon Jackson's music was open source.  It was not possible to play it correctly without bringing your own voice to it: your background, your proclivities, your vocabulary.  And if you didn't have it to bring, the music wasn't going to make it off the stage.  Jack DeSalvo brought a musical lexicon to the Decoding Society that was unmatched.  When Shannon expressed a mood-- on drums or flute or schalmei or in a composition-- Jack was able to flesh it out in a completely distinct way.  Entire new pathways were charted.     Mitch Goldman presents the third installment of his memorial broadcasts for Ronald Shannon Jackson from 2013, with guest Jack DeSalvo.  This week's show features guest cameos of Prince(!), Iron Maiden(!) Ethan Singer(!), a stolen vanload of gear(!) and that guy at the hotel in the south of France(!).  I tell you, this one is not to be missed.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #MitchGoldman #RonaldShannonJackson #JackDeSalvo #JazzRadio #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #DecodingSociety   Photo credit: no publishing information available.   Here is part 2 of this episode: 2013.11.18 Jack DeSalvo on Ronald Shannon Jackson - 2 of 3   And here is part 3: 2013.11.18 Jack DeSalvo on Ronald Shannon Jackson - 3 of 3

This Monday's (2/17) Deep Focus is on trumpeter Don Cherry, a wonderful and deeply missed friend of WKCR.  Back in the Eighties, Don was a frequent guest on Mitch Goldman's show.  Don would guest DJ, talk to the audience, bring guests... It was an ongoing Eighties NYC Don Cherry party.  And if there was a blank cassette handy, Mitch would make a recording.  The tapes got tossed in a box and ended up deep in storage.    In January of 2024, Mitch and his guest, the bandleader, trumpeter, cultural historian, and raconteur Steven Bernstein, blew the dust off of a few of the tapes and took their audience on a time travel journey beyond the imagination of Asimov or Butler.  Cherry as a radio host was knowing, passionate, deeply curious, and remarkably generous. He was generous to his guests with his attention and generous to his audience (which is to say, us) by considering them to be part of the conversation.  It's very much the way he played music.    This Monday (2/17) 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.  It's ad-free, all 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: by Mitch Goldman 2024.  All rights reserved.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #StevenBernstein #DonCherry #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

This Monday's (2/17) Deep Focus is on trumpeter Don Cherry, a wonderful and deeply missed friend of WKCR.  Back in the Eighties, Don was a frequent guest on Mitch Goldman's show.  Don would guest DJ, talk to the audience, bring guests... It was an ongoing Eighties NYC Don Cherry party.  And if there was a blank cassette handy, Mitch would make a recording.  The tapes got tossed in a box and ended up deep in storage.    In January of 2024, Mitch and his guest, the bandleader, trumpeter, cultural historian, and raconteur Steven Bernstein blew the dust off of a few of the tapes and took their audience on a time travel journey beyond the imagination of Asimov or Butler.  Cherry as a radio host was knowing, passionate, deeply curious, and remarkably generous. He was generous to his guests with his attention and generous to his audience (which is to say, us) by considering them to be part of the conversation.  It's very much the way he played music.    This Monday (2/17) 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.  It's ad-free, all 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: by Mitch Goldman 2024.  All rights reserved.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #StevenBernstein #DonCherry #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

This Monday's (2/17) Deep Focus is on trumpeter Don Cherry, a wonderful and deeply missed friend of WKCR.  Back in the Eighties, Don was a frequent guest on Mitch Goldman's show.  Don would guest DJ, talk to the audience, bring guests... It was an ongoing Eighties NYC Don Cherry party.  And if there was a blank cassette handy, Mitch would make a recording.  The tapes got tossed in a box and ended up deep in storage.    In January of 2024, Mitch and his guest, the bandleader, slide trumpeter, cultural historian, and raconteur Steven Bernstein blew the dust off of a few of the tapes and took their audience on a time travel journey beyond the imagination of Asimov or Butler.  Cherry as a radio host was knowing, passionate, deeply curious, and remarkably generous. He was generous to his guests with his attention and generous to his audience (which is to say, us) by considering them to be part of the conversation.  It's very much the way he played music.    This Monday (2/17) 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.  It's ad-free, all 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: by Mitch Goldman 2024.  All rights reserved.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #StevenBernstein #DonCherry #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

On our previous Deep Focus, host Mitch Goldman and his guest, saxophonist Eric Person explored the work of the David Murray Octet of the 1980s.  Here was an ensemble that punched far above its weight, with swinging horn parts like a Thirties big band as well eyeball-to-eyeball improvisation like a small ensemble.  They had the storytelling of a traditional group with the expansive harmonies and extended techniques that were being freshly discovered at the time.  It was a laboratory for the music's possible futures, and they grooved like hell.     Could there have been another band at the time that fit this description?  As Eric Person's one-time employer, Ronald Shannon Jackson might have said, "Where there's one there's two."  This week Mitch and Eric explore the equally inventive bands of Arthur Blythe.  His eighties quintet didn't sound like any other band before or since.  It was as if he had exploded a standard hard bop ensemble and rebuilt it with a new kit of parts.     And do you know who that band's original guitarist was?  And have you ever heard live recordings of that band with him in it?  We don't think you have!  Tune in and you will.     This Monday (2/3) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.     Or join us next week 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, 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 publishing information available.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #EricPerson #ArthurBlythe #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

On our previous Deep Focus, host Mitch Goldman and his guest, saxophonist Eric Person explored the work of the David Murray Octet of the 1980s.  Here was an ensemble that punched far above its weight, with swinging horn parts like a Thirties big band as well eyeball-to-eyeball improvisation like a small ensemble.  They had the storytelling of a traditional group with the expansive harmonies and extended techniques that were being freshly discovered at the time.  It was a laboratory for the music's possible futures, and they grooved like hell.     Could there have been another band at the time that fit this description?  As Eric Person's one-time employer, Ronald Shannon Jackson might have said, "Where there's one there's two."  This week Mitch and Eric explore the equally inventive bands of Arthur Blythe.  His eighties quintet didn't sound like any other band before or since.  It was as if he had exploded a standard hard bop ensemble and rebuilt it with a new kit of parts.     And do you know who that band's original guitarist was?  And have you ever heard live recordings of that band with him in it?  We don't think you have!  Tune in and you will.     This Monday (2/3) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.     Or join us next week 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, 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 publishing information available.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #EricPerson #ArthurBlythe #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

On our previous Deep Focus, host Mitch Goldman and his guest, saxophonist Eric Person explored the work of the David Murray Octet of the 1980s.  Here was an ensemble that punched far above its weight, with swinging horn parts like a Thirties big band, as well eyeball-to-eyeball improvisation like a small ensemble.  They had the storytelling of a traditional group with the expansive harmonies and extended techniques that were being freshly discovered at the time.  It was a laboratory for the music's possible futures, and they grooved like hell.     Could there have been another band at the time that fit this description?  As Eric Person's one-time employer, Ronald Shannon Jackson might have said, "Where there's one there's two."  This week Mitch and Eric explore the equally inventive bands of Arthur Blythe.  His eighties quintet didn't sound like any other band before or since.  It was as if he had exploded a standard hard bop ensemble and rebuilt it with a new kit of parts.     And do you know who that band's original guitarist was?  And have you ever heard live recordings of that band with him in it?  We don't think you have!  Tune in and you will.     This Monday (2/3) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.     Or join us next week 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, 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 publishing information available.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #EricPerson #ArthurBlythe #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

Here is another episode from the Deep Focus "Prodigal Children" series.    Mitch Goldman first went on the air at WKCR in 1985 and started Deep Focus in 2008.  Since his primary focus during the broadcast is hosting and engineering the show, making these recordings has often had to take a back seat. Add in the fact that WKCR is, in Phil Schaap's words, "The home of technical difficulties," and you might understand that the historical record of the show is somewhat incomplete.    In this podcast, we try to provide as complete an archive of the broadcast program as possible.  If we find that a part is missing, we put that information in the notes and keep right on going.   On rare occasion, a missing piece will find its way home.  When it does, we put it up on the podcast.  This is one of those episodes.  One CD recording of the last part of this show has turned up so here it is.  We hope you enjoy it.  If you do, please tell someone about Deep Focus.   We will be back next week with a brand new episode of the show.   Photo credit: no publishing information available.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #EricPerson #HerbieHancock #Mwandishi #BeaverHarris #360DegreeMusicExperience #FrancisHaynes #ArthurRhames #DonPullen

In the early 1980s, when saxophonist Eric Person was coming up, one big question that was being addressed was how to combine the free-swinging improv of the Loft scene with the beauty and power of a large ensemble.  Many fascinating strategies would arrive (Henry Threadgill, Butch Morris, we're looking at you!).  One of the first and most thrilling came from saxophonist David Murray.  Murray was the emerging heavyweight champ of the tenor sax and he packed his Octet with Big Thinkers, Heavy Honkers, and Late-Night Prowlers.  "Men," in the words of Stanley Crouch, "of great magnitude."   And the David Murray Octet always played standing up.     This Monday (1/6) on Deep Focus, Mitch Goldman invites Eric Person into the WKCR archives for an exploration of this explosive and still underappreciated ensemble, from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.     Or join us next week 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, 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 publishing information available.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #/EricPerson #DavidMurray #DavidMurrayOctet #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

In the early 1980s, when saxophonist Eric Person was coming up, one big question that was being addressed was how to combine the free-swinging improv of the Loft scene with the beauty and power of a large ensemble.  Many fascinating strategies would arrive (Henry Threadgill, Butch Morris, we're looking at you!).  One of the first and most thrilling came from saxophonist David Murray.  Murray was the emerging heavyweight champ of the tenor sax and he packed his Octet with Big Thinkers, Heavy Honkers, and Late-Night Prowlers.  "Men," in the words of Stanley Crouch, "of great magnitude."   And the David Murray Octet always played standing up.     This Monday (1/6) on Deep Focus, Mitch Goldman invites Eric Person into the WKCR archives for an exploration of this explosive and still underappreciated ensemble, from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.     Or join us next week 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, 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 publishing information available.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #/EricPerson #DavidMurray #DavidMurrayOctet #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman  

In the early 1980s, when saxophonist Eric Person was coming up, one big question that was being addressed was how to combine the free-swinging improv of the Loft scene with the beauty and power of a large ensemble.  Many fascinating strategies would arrive (Henry Threadgill, Butch Morris, we're looking at you!).  One of the first and most thrilling came from saxophonist David Murray.  Murray was the emerging heavyweight champ of the tenor sax and he packed his Octet with Big Thinkers, Heavy Honkers, and Late-Night Prowlers.  "Men," in the words of Stanley Crouch, "of great magnitude."   And the David Murray Octet always played standing up.     This Monday (1/6) on Deep Focus, Mitch Goldman invites Eric Person into the WKCR archives for an exploration of this explosive and still underappreciated ensemble, from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.     Or join us next week 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, 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 publishing information available.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #/EricPerson #DavidMurray #DavidMurrayOctet #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman

Arturo O'Farrill: "Without Carla (Bley)'s influence, I wouldn't be where I am today; there would be no Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, no Belongó, no Arturo O'Farrill. She is in everything that I do..."  Don't you want to hear what happens when WKCR's Mitch Goldman welcomes Arturo into the WKCR archives for a Deep Focus on Carla Bley?  We know we do!   Game on this Monday (12/23) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: Photo by Petra Gall 1981, CC0 courtesy of Schwules Museum.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #/ArturoOFarrill #CarlaBley #EscalatorOverTheHill #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview

Arturo O'Farrill: "Without Carla (Bley)'s influence, I wouldn't be where I am today; there would be no Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, no Belongó, no Arturo O'Farrill. She is in everything that I do..."  Don't you want to hear what happens when WKCR's Mitch Goldman welcomes Arturo into the WKCR archives for a Deep Focus on Carla Bley?  We know we do!   Game on this Monday (12/23) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: Photo by Petra Gall 1981, CC0 courtesy of Schwules Museum.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #/ArturoOFarrill #CarlaBley #EscalatorOverTheHill #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview

Arturo O'Farrill: "Without Carla (Bley)'s influence, I wouldn't be where I am today; there would be no Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, no Belongó, no Arturo O'Farrill. She is in everything that I do..."  Don't you want to hear what happens when WKCR's Mitch Goldman welcomes Arturo into the WKCR archives for a Deep Focus on Carla Bley?  We know we do!   Game on this Monday (12/23) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: Photo by Petra Gall 1981, CC0 courtesy of Schwules Museum.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #ArturoOFarrill #CarlaBley #EscalatorOverTheHill #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview

Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber is renowned for "never playing anything the same way once." Drawing inspiration from Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, Parliament Funkadelic, and The Art Ensemble of Chicago, in the words of founder Greg Tate, "Our player-ranks  include known Irish fiddlers, AACM refugees, Afro-punk rejects, unrepentant beboppers, feminist rappers, jitterbugging doowoppers, frankly loud funk-a-teers and rodeo stars of the digital divide.” Under the baton of Butch Morris's conduction concept, this polyglot throng becomes the universal translation device of AI's disembodied dreams.   We hear what you're thinking: "The concept is great but what happens when the rubber hits the road?  Can they really do it on stage?"  Let's answer that question on Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus.  And who better to listen to the music with than BSAC's own samchillianist Leon Gruenbaum?      It's all happening this Monday (11/25) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: Ginny Suss   #WKCR #DeepFocus #LeonGruenbaum #BurntSugar #BurntSugarTheArketraChamber #BSAC #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview

Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber is renowned for "never playing anything the same way once." Drawing inspiration from Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, Parliament Funkadelic, and The Art Ensemble of Chicago, in the words of founder Greg Tate, "Our player-ranks  include known Irish fiddlers, AACM refugees, Afro-punk rejects, unrepentant beboppers, feminist rappers, jitterbugging doowoppers, frankly loud funk-a-teers and rodeo stars of the digital divide.” Under the baton of Butch Morris's conduction concept, this polyglot throng becomes the universal translation device of AI's disembodied dreams.   We hear what you're thinking: "The concept is great but what happens when the rubber hits the road?  Can they really do it on stage?"  Let's answer that question on Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus.  And who better to listen to the music with than BSAC's own samchillianist Leon Gruenbaum?      It's all happening this Monday (11/25) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: Ginny Suss   #WKCR #DeepFocus #LeonGruenbaum #BurntSugar #BurntSugarTheArketraChamber #BSAC #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview

Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber is renowned for "never playing anything the same way once." Drawing inspiration from Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, Parliament Funkadelic, and The Art Ensemble of Chicago, in the words of founder Greg Tate, "Our player-ranks  include known Irish fiddlers, AACM refugees, Afro-punk rejects, unrepentant beboppers, feminist rappers, jitterbugging doowoppers, frankly loud funk-a-teers and rodeo stars of the digital divide.” Under the baton of Butch Morris's conduction concept, this polyglot throng becomes the universal translation device of AI's disembodied dreams.   We hear what you're thinking: "The concept is great but what happens when the rubber hits the road?  Can they really do it on stage?"  Let's answer that question on Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus.  And who better to listen to the music with than BSAC's own samchillianist Leon Gruenbaum?      It's all happening this Monday (11/25) from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram @deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: Ginny Suss   #WKCR #DeepFocus #LeonGruenbaum #BurntSugar #BurntSugarTheArketraChamber #BSAC #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview

The previous time Graham Haynes was the guest on Deep Focus, it was to celebrate his father Roy Haynes's stunning contributions to Charlie Parker's performances at Birdland.   That alone would have been enough to earn Roy a place in the history books.  Now, how about Roy with another wildly different innovator making Jazz history at another musical landmark?  So who was the drummer with Thelonious Monk at the Five Spot?  We'll give you one guess!    Graham Haynes on Deep Focus with Mitch Goldman tonight from 6pm to 9pm on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR HD-1 and wkcr.org.     See you on the radio -   #WKCR #DeepFocus #GrahamHaynes #RoyHaynes #TheloniousMonk #TheFiveSpot #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast

The previous time Graham Haynes was the guest on Deep Focus, it was to celebrate his father Roy Haynes's stunning contributions to Charlie Parker's performances at Birdland.   That alone would have been enough to earn Roy a place in the history books.  Now, how about Roy with another wildly different innovator making Jazz history at another musical landmark?  So who was the drummer with Thelonious Monk at the Five Spot?  We'll give you one guess!    Graham Haynes on Deep Focus with Mitch Goldman tonight from 6pm to 9pm on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR HD-1 and wkcr.org.       See you on the radio -   #WKCR #DeepFocus #GrahamHaynes #RoyHaynes #TheloniousMonk #TheFiveSpot #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast

What a treat!  Listening to live recordings of Charles Mingus through the ears of the great trombonist and musical thinker Craig Harris.  When Craig was coming up in the seventies, he was enthralled with what Mingus was doing; the daring and imagination were unmatched anywhere.  This was a man in his moment.  It's easy to see how this would have a bearing on who Craig Harris was to become.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: Charles_Mingus 1976 Tom Marcello Webster - New York - CC BY-SA 2.0

What a treat!  Listening to live recordings of Charles Mingus through the ears of the great trombonist and musical thinker Craig Harris.  When Craig was coming up in the seventies, he was enthralled with what Mingus was doing; the daring and imagination were unmatched anywhere.  This was a man in his moment.  It's easy to see how this would have a bearing on who Craig Harris was to become.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: Charles_Mingus 1976 Tom Marcello Webster - New York - CC BY-SA 2.0

Here's another Ph.D. topic for you: Miles Davis vs. Ornette Coleman. Both blazingly original innovators lived most of their lives in Manhattan and they were roughly contemporaries (Miles was 4 years older) so they drew from the same talent pool to make up their bands.  But across 30+ years of simultaneous bandleading and the hiring of dozens and dozens of sidemen, how many can you think of who toured and recorded extensively with both?  We've got one for you: tabla player Badal Roy.     And Badal Roy did so much more than play with those two giants!  His bubbling groove and enormous sonic textures can be heard on albums by everyone from Yoko Ono to Richie Havens, John McLaughlin to Pharoah Sanders, not to mention half a dozen albums under his own leadership.  He died in 2022.   But if you talk to those who knew him, they all speak of a singular warmth, humanity, and unabashed joy.  Maybe that, more than the pure musicianship, is what caught the ear of Miles and Ornette in the first place.     Few know this better than guitarist Ken Wessel. Wessel toured and recorded with Badal Roy in Ornette's band for 13 years, and the two worked on a number of their own projects together.  Wessel will be celebrating Badal Roy in this week's Ragas Live Festival in Brooklyn.     Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman is delighted to welcome Ken Wessel to the WKCR studios this Monday (10/14) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: source unknown.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #KenWessel #BadalRoy  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio #OrnetteColeman #MilesDavis

Here's another Ph.D. topic for you: Miles Davis vs. Ornette Coleman. Both blazingly original innovators lived most of their lives in Manhattan and they were roughly contemporaries (Miles was 4 years older) so they drew from the same talent pool to make up their bands.  But across 30+ years of simultaneous bandleading and the hiring of dozens and dozens of sidemen, how many can you think of who toured and recorded extensively with both?  We've got one for you: tabla player Badal Roy.     And Badal Roy did so much more than play with those two giants!  His bubbling groove and enormous sonic textures can be heard on albums by everyone from Yoko Ono to Richie Havens, John McLaughlin to Pharoah Sanders, not to mention half a dozen albums under his own leadership.  He died in 2022.   But if you talk to those who knew him, they all speak of a singular warmth, humanity, and unabashed joy.  Maybe that, more than the pure musicianship, is what caught the ear of Miles and Ornette in the first place.     Few know this better than guitarist Ken Wessel. Wessel toured and recorded with Badal Roy in Ornette's band for 13 years, and the two worked on a number of their own projects together.  Wessel will be celebrating Badal Roy in this week's Ragas Live Festival in Brooklyn.     Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman is delighted to welcome Ken Wessel to the WKCR studios this Monday (10/14) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: source unknown.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #KenWessel #BadalRoy  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio #OrnetteColeman 

Here's another Ph.D. topic for you: Miles Davis vs. Ornette Coleman. Both blazingly original innovators lived most of their lives in Manhattan and they were roughly contemporaries (Miles was 4 years older) so they drew from the same talent pool to make up their bands.  But across 30+ years of simultaneous bandleading and the hiring of dozens and dozens of sidemen, how many can you think of who toured and recorded extensively with both?  We've got one for you: tabla player Badal Roy.     And Badal Roy did so much more than play with those two giants!  His bubbling groove and enormous sonic textures can be heard on albums by everyone from Yoko Ono to Richie Havens, John McLaughlin to Pharoah Sanders, not to mention half a dozen albums under his own leadership.  He died in 2022.   But if you talk to those who knew him, they all speak of a singular warmth, humanity, and unabashed joy.  Maybe that, more than the pure musicianship, is what caught the ear of Miles and Ornette in the first place.     Few know this better than guitarist Ken Wessel. Wessel toured and recorded with Badal Roy in Ornette's band for 13 years, and the two worked on a number of their own projects together.  Wessel will be celebrating Badal Roy in this week's Ragas Live Festival in Brooklyn.     Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman is delighted to welcome Ken Wessel to the WKCR studios this Monday (10/14) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: source unknown.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #KenWessel #BadalRoy  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

Let's present an award: who would you say has been the most prolific artist on NYC's forward-looking music scene and who has contributed the most to its community?  Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman's nominee: bassist William Parker.  This Monday, Mitch and trumpeter Lewis "Flip" Barnes will put William Parker's music in Deep Focus.  Will there be live, unreleased recordings from the WKCR archives?  What do you think!     (And a bonus question: what are we going to call the award that the winner gets?)   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: William Parker by Tore Sætre, Wikimedia Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #LewisFlipBarnes #WilliamParker  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio  

Let's present an award: who would you say has been the most prolific artist on NYC's forward-looking music scene and who has contributed the most to its community?  Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman's nominee: bassist William Parker.  This Monday, Mitch and trumpeter Lewis "Flip" Barnes will put William Parker's music in Deep Focus.  Will there be live, unreleased recordings from the WKCR archives?  What do you think!     (And a bonus question: what are we going to call the award that the winner gets?)   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   William Parker - CC0 @ Schwules Museum Berlin, photo by Petra Gall   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #LewisFlipBarnes #WilliamParker  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio  

Let's present an award: who would you say has been the most prolific artist on NYC's forward-looking music scene and who has contributed the most to its community?  Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman's nominee: bassist William Parker.  This Monday, Mitch and trumpeter Lewis "Flip" Barnes will put William Parker's music in Deep Focus.  Will there be live, unreleased recordings from the WKCR archives?  What do you think!     (And a bonus question: what are we going to call the award that the winner gets?)   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week 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, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: William Parker by Tore Sætre, Wikimedia Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #LewisFlipBarnes #WilliamParker  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio  

Tonight (8/19) bassist/composer Melvin Gibbs joins host Mitch Goldman for a Deep Focus on Sun Ra with unheard rarities from the WKCR archives.  Here's a serious question, Melvin: what's the Sun Ra/Brooklyn connection?  This I have to hear.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: Sun Ra - Impulse!, ABC/Dunhill Records - Photographer uncredited most likely Francis Ing who is credited on Astro Black ., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #MelvinGibbs #SunRa  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio #SpaceIsThePlace #SunRaArkestra

Tonight (8/19) bassist/composer Melvin Gibbs joins host Mitch Goldman for a Deep Focus on Sun Ra with unheard rarities from the WKCR archives.  Here's a serious question, Melvin: what's the Sun Ra/Brooklyn connection?  This I have to hear.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: Sun Ra - Impulse!, ABC/Dunhill Records - Photographer uncredited most likely Francis Ing who is credited on Astro Black ., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #MelvinGibbs #SunRa  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio #SpaceIsThePlace #SunRaArkestra

Tonight (8/19) bassist/composer Melvin Gibbs joins host Mitch Goldman for a Deep Focus on Sun Ra with unheard rarities from the WKCR archives.  Here's a serious question, Melvin: what's the Sun Ra/Brooklyn connection?  This I have to hear.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: Sun Ra - Impulse!, ABC/Dunhill Records - Photographer uncredited most likely Francis Ing who is credited on Astro Black ., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #MelvinGibbs #SunRa  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio #SpaceIsThePlace #SunRaArkestra

I love it when I go to a gig and I see that Micah Gaugh is going to be playing. It means it is certain that something unexpected is going to happen. And Micah surprised me with his selection of a subject for Deep Focus: Ronald Shannon Jackson. I was 19 years old and already a die hard music fan but I had no idea what music could do until I heard Shannon's band, The Decoding Society. Now you're going to hear what I heard then. Caution: severe tire damage! Monday April 2 from 6pm to 9pm on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR HD-1 and wkcr.org.

I love it when I go to a gig and I see that Micah Gaugh is going to be playing. It means it is certain that something unexpected is going to happen. And Micah surprised me with his selection of a subject for Deep Focus: Ronald Shannon Jackson. I was 19 years old and already a die-hard music fan but I had no idea what music could do until I heard Shannon's band, The Decoding Society. Now you're going to hear what I heard then. Caution: severe tire damage! Monday April 2 from 6pm to 9pm on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR HD-1 and wkcr.org.

I love it when I go to a gig and I see that Micah Gaugh is going to be playing. It means it is certain that something unexpected is going to happen. And Micah surprised me with his selection of a subject for Deep Focus: Ronald Shannon Jackson. I was 19 years old and already a die hard music fan but I had no idea what music could do until I heard Shannon's band, The Decoding Society. Now you're going to hear what I heard then. Caution: severe tire damage! Monday April 2 from 6pm to 9pm on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR HD-1 and wkcr.org.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #MicahGaugh #RonaldShannonJackson #ShannonJackson #MitchGoldman #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio #JazzInterview 

People love to talk about Miles Davis reinventing himself and reinventing the music.  They talk about the First Great Quintet in the fifties, the Second Great Quintet in the sixties, the Lost Quintet of 1969, maybe of the electric bands that followed (although often not).  What do they almost never talk about? In 1981, Miles hadn't performed in public, hadn't released a new album, and had barely touched his horn in 5 years (consider that for a moment!).     How does a legend go from a standing start to a full-on touring and recording schedule overnight?    How does he address the way the music has changed (partly from his influence)?   Who is he going to have in his band? What music are they going to play?     So many questions!   Bassist/impresario Matt Garrison saw this band when they first played in Rome.  Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman saw the same band at their first appearance in New York City.  Both were enthralled by what they saw and heard.  On Deep Focus this Monday night (7/8), you will listen to that Rome concert with them.  Mitch has "so many questions!" for Matt about this experience.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: Miles Davis 1981 by David D. Spitzer - courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution, used with the principles of fair use under Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act -  NMAAHC-2012_164_127_001   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #MattGarrison #MilesDavis  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

People love to talk about Miles Davis reinventing himself and reinventing the music.  They talk about the First Great Quintet in the fifties, the Second Great Quintet in the sixties, the Lost Quintet of 1969, maybe of the electric bands that followed (although often not).  What do they almost never talk about? In 1981, Miles hadn't performed in public, hadn't released a new album, and had barely touched his horn in 5 years (consider that for a moment!).     How does a legend go from a standing start to a full-on touring and recording schedule overnight?    How does he address the way the music has changed (partly from his influence)?   Who is he going to have in his band? What music are they going to play?     So many questions!   Bassist/impresario Matt Garrison saw this band when they first played in Rome.  Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman saw the same band at their first appearance in New York City.  Both were enthralled by what they saw and heard.  On Deep Focus this Monday night (7/8), you will listen to that Rome concert with them.  Mitch has "so many questions!" for Matt about this experience.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: Miles Davis 1981 by David D. Spitzer - courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution, used with the principles of fair use under Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act -  NMAAHC-2012_164_127_001   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #MattGarrison #MilesDavis  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

People love to talk about Miles Davis reinventing himself and reinventing the music.  They talk about the First Great Quintet in the fifties, the Second Great Quintet in the sixties, the Lost Quintet of 1969, maybe of the electric bands that followed (although often not).  What do they almost never talk about? In 1981, Miles hadn't performed in public, hadn't released a new album, and had barely touched his horn in 5 years (consider that for a moment!).     How does a legend go from a standing start to a full-on touring and recording schedule overnight?    How does he address the way the music has changed (partly from his influence)?   Who is he going to have in his band? What music are they going to play?     So many questions!   Bassist/impresario Matt Garrison saw this band when they first played in Rome.  Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman saw the same band at their first appearance in New York City.  Both were enthralled by what they saw and heard.  On Deep Focus this Monday night (7/8), you will listen to that Rome concert with them.  Mitch has "so many questions!" for Matt about this experience.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: Miles Davis 1981 by David D. Spitzer - courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution, used with the principles of fair use under Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act -  NMAAHC-2012_164_127_001   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #MattGarrison #MilesDavis  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

Listen to any song by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.  There will be no question in your mind about who is driving the bus or who is riding on the bus or where this bus is going.  Who's driving the bus? Art Blakey is driving!  Who's riding the bus? Everybody!  Where's this bus going? Straight ahead!   Seventeen years of Deep Focus and no one has ever called for Art Blakey's music?  I don't know how that is possible but it ends Monday night (6/24).  Saxophonist/Jazz scholar Eric Person joins host Mitch Goldman to focus on the music this one-of-a-kind drummer/bandleader.  They will play recordings from the WKCR archives that even hardcore Blakey fans have never heard.     It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: © Herman Leonard Photography LLC, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #EricPerson #ArtBlakey #JazzMessengers  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

Listen to any song by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.  There will be no question in your mind about who is driving the bus or who is riding on the bus or where this bus is going.  Who's driving the bus? Art Blakey is driving!  Who's riding the bus? Everybody!  Where's this bus going? Straight ahead!   Seventeen years of Deep Focus and no one has ever called for Art Blakey's music?  I don't know how that is possible but it ends Monday night (6/24).  Saxophonist/Jazz scholar Eric Person joins host Mitch Goldman to focus on the music this one-of-a-kind drummer/bandleader.  They will play recordings from the WKCR archives that even hardcore Blakey fans have never heard.     It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: © Herman Leonard Photography LLC, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #EricPerson #ArtBlakey #JazzMessengers  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

Listen to any song by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.  There will be no question in your mind about who is driving the bus or who is riding on the bus or where this bus is going.  Who's driving the bus? Art Blakey is driving!  Who's riding the bus? Everybody!  Where's this bus going? Straight ahead!   Seventeen years of Deep Focus and no one has ever called for Art Blakey's music?  I don't know how that is possible but it ends Monday night (6/24).  Saxophonist/Jazz scholar Eric Person joins host Mitch Goldman to focus on the music this one-of-a-kind drummer/bandleader.  They will play recordings from the WKCR archives that even hardcore Blakey fans have never heard.     It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: © Herman Leonard Photography LLC, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #EricPerson #ArtBlakey #JazzMessengers  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

We don't hear enough about Gil Scott-Heron these days.  And when we do, we often get the same few crumbs: his invention of a sort of proto-hiphop, some reference to his social concerns, and, of course, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (which too often is wildly misinterpreted).     What about Gil Scott-Heron the unique stage performer?  What about how hilariously funny he was?  What about the singular vocal instrument that he developed?  How about the utterly distinctive songwriter?  And who better to listen with than guitarist/composer/bandleader Vernon Reid?     The WKCR archives will yield rare treasures, and Vernon, as always, has a plethora of precious insights.  Host Mitch Goldman will also ask him about his band Living Colour's upcoming rare NYC appearance at the Hard Rock Cafe on June 19th.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday (6/10) from 6pm to 9pm.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: fair use.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #VernonReid #GilScott-Heron  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

We don't hear enough about Gil Scott-Heron these days.  And when we do, we often get the same few crumbs: his invention of a sort of proto-hiphop, some reference to his social concerns, and, of course, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (which too often is wildly misinterpreted).     What about Gil Scott-Heron the unique stage performer?  What about how hilariously funny he was?  What about the singular vocal instrument that he developed?  How about the utterly distinctive songwriter?  And who better to listen with than guitarist/composer/bandleader Vernon Reid?     The WKCR archives will yield rare treasures, and Vernon, as always, has a plethora of precious insights.  Host Mitch Goldman will also ask him about his band Living Colour's upcoming rare NYC appearance at the Hard Rock Cafe on June 19th.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday (6/10) from 6pm to 9pm.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: fair use.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #VernonReid #GilScott-Heron  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio  

We don't hear enough about Gil Scott-Heron these days.  And when we do, we often get the same few crumbs: his invention of a sort of proto-hiphop, some reference to his social concerns, and, of course, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (which too often is wildly misinterpreted).     What about Gil Scott-Heron the unique stage performer?  What about how hilariously funny he was?  What about the singular vocal instrument that he developed?  How about the utterly distinctive songwriter?  And who better to listen with than guitarist/composer/bandleader Vernon Reid?     The WKCR archives will yield rare treasures, and Vernon, as always, has a plethora of precious insights.  Host Mitch Goldman will also ask him about his band Living Colour's upcoming rare NYC appearance at the Hard Rock Cafe on June 19th.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday (6/10) from 6pm to 9pm.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram at deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: fair use.   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #VernonReid #GilScott-Heron  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

"Who has the hippest chops in the world?"    If you're going to ask that question on a record, you had better have the nuts to back it up.  I mean, you will be annihilated, humiliated for the rest of time, if you don't.  Rahsaan Roland Kirk knew he had them and so did everyone else on the scene.  To this day, any time you see a saxophonist playing 3 horns at once or circular breathing or playing the nose flute or any of the other manifestations that Rahsaan developed, they are paying tribute to him, whether they know it or not.     Gary Lucas is a New York City treasure who does things with the guitar no one thought possible.  Did part of his inspiration come from seeing and hearing Rahsaan perform in 1971?  Do we have live recordings of Rahsaan from that period in the WKCR archives?  Is Gary going to join host Mitch Goldman in the studio Monday night for Deep Focus?   There's more than one way to find out.  Listen to WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday (5/13) from 6pm to 9pm.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram.   Photo credit: Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Großen Sedesaal des NDR Hamburg, 1972 from Wikipedia, courtesy of Creative Commons 2.0  #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #GaryLucas #RolandKirk #RahsaanRolandKirk #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast   

"Who has the hippest chops in the world?"    If you're going to ask that question on a record, you had better have the nuts to back it up.  I mean, you will be annihilated, humiliated for the rest of time, if you don't.  Rahsaan Roland Kirk knew he had them and so did everyone else on the scene.  To this day, any time you see a saxophonist playing 3 horns at once or circular breathing or playing the nose flute or any of the other manifestations that Rahsaan developed, they are paying tribute to him, whether they know it or not.     Gary Lucas is a New York City treasure who does things with the guitar no one thought possible.  Did part of his inspiration come from seeing and hearing Rahsaan perform in 1971?  Do we have live recordings of Rahsaan from that period in the WKCR archives?  Is Gary going to join host Mitch Goldman in the studio Monday night for Deep Focus?   There's more than one way to find out.  Listen to WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday (5/13) from 6pm to 9pm.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram.   Photo credit: Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Großen Sedesaal des NDR Hamburg, 1972 from Wikipedia, courtesy of Creative Commons 2.0  #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #GaryLucas #RolandKirk #RahsaanRolandKirk #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast   

"Who has the hippest chops in the world?"    If you're going to ask that question on a record, you had better have the nuts to back it up.  I mean, you will be annihilated, humiliated for the rest of time, if you don't.  Rahsaan Roland Kirk knew he had them and so did everyone else on the scene.  To this day, any time you see a saxophonist playing 3 horns at once or circular breathing or playing the nose flute or any of the other manifestations that Rahsaan developed, they are paying tribute to him, whether they know it or not.     Gary Lucas is a New York City treasure who does things with the guitar no one thought possible.  Did part of his inspiration come from seeing and hearing Rahsaan perform in 1971?  Do we have live recordings of Rahsaan from that period in the WKCR archives?  Is Gary going to join host Mitch Goldman in the studio Monday night for Deep Focus?   There's more than one way to find out.  Listen to WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday (5/13) from 6pm to 9pm.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us on Instagram.   Photo credit: Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Großen Sedesaal des NDR Hamburg, 1972 from Wikipedia, courtesy of Creative Commons 2.0  #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #GaryLucas #RolandKirk #RahsaanRolandKirk #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast   

Almost every episode of Deep Focus is now available here as a podcast.  I say "almost" because there are a handful that, for technical reasons, were not recorded completely or not recorded at all (if anyone has a home recording of the show that I did with Greg Tate on the band VSOP, please send it my way!).   This is the second of those episodes to be posted to the podcast, and it's a great one: Melvin Gibbs again, now on the topic of the stupendous Arthur Rhames and the stunning Mixashawn Lee Rozie, again at Soundscape.  It was recorded September 20, 2010 and here is the second and last extant recordings, presented in its entirety.     Photo credit: Arthur Rhames -2017-by-shigeki-masumoto