Podcasts about Cecil Taylor

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Ralph Estep, Jr. is a public accountant turned podcaster who focused on stewardship in multiple realms. His primary theme is giving control of your finances and your life to God, living your journey with wisdom, purpose, and faith. In this podcast, Estep discusses the intertwining of faith and finances and how one impacts the other. He delves into specific situations, such as marriage or church finances, to show the benefit of mixing God's wisdom and support with sound financial principles. He emphasizes letting God guide your life and trusting God will provide what you need, not necessarily what you want. Highlights of the podcast: 3:00 What a seven-day practical faith means to Estep 5:00 How should your faith influence your financial decisions? 8:18 How to merge faith and fear as a couple in a marriage, and what family financial framework should be put in place 11:24 How does financial stewardship impact your spiritual growth? 13:17 Provision follows obedience 19:55 What God desires of us in terms of financial stewardship 21:59 How people can be content, even when digging themselves out of a financial hole 26:37 Advice for people working in church finance 30:16 The hardest part about putting faith into practice 32:47 Estep's best tip for developing and maintaining a seven-day practical faith 35:03 How to find Estep's podcast, financial services, and more Ralph Estep, Jr. is a podcaster focused on stewardship. His main website, and best starting place, is AskRalph.com.  Estep offers three podcasts: The Financially Confident Christian at FinanciallyConfidentChristian.com; Truth Unveiled with Ralph, a scriptural teaching podcast, found at TruthUnveiledWithRalph.com; and The Content Creator's Accountant on finances and strategy for content creators. Estep offers a free 15-minute discovery call for discussing financial or other problems without judgment. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonFamily.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). Backstage Pass also chronicles my writing journey as I work on two new books during 2026. On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Books & Videos at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonFamily.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. David Gregory is a New York Times best-selling author of award-winning books. His latest novel is “One of Us,” imagines how Jesus would be received today if he came (originally) now rather than 2,000 years ago. Gregory has written 11 books. In this podcast, Gregory shares his view on how faith can be easy when we realize the truth of Jesus's statement, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Gregory explains how the Father, Son, and Spirit all offer pathways to easy faith. He also shares insights into his writing and into how the church can address the next generation. Highlights of the podcast:  3:25 Why Gregory thinks it's important to put faith into practice 6:14 Why faith is easy because of something Jesus told us 10:08 Three factors that make for a life of faith 16:21 Why Gregory wrote his “One of Us” novel with Jesus originally coming to earth today as a Latino from South Texas 21:34 How his novel still mirrors the gospel 23:36 Would Gregory have written this 2024 book differently today given the clamor over immigration? 25:49 How fiction helps make key points difficult to make in nonfiction 28:20 What is the church today missing from the life of Jesus? 33:13 How our “new heart” enables us to be faithful 35:49 What the gospel offers to a new generation 38:32 How to find Gregory's books and resources David Gregory's latest book is “One of Us,” available wherever books are sold. You can find all his books, his blog, and his speaking services at his website, FreeWithGod.com. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk, including my newest free gift, “The Practical Faith Game Plan.” For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonFamily.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonFamily.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Instant Content Products at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonFamily.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

Art Wilson is the leader of G.A.N.G. R.E.S.C.U.E., which for 25 years has gone into gang-infested areas and prisons to bring gang members into relationship and eventually to Christ. Wilson and his team operate off the principle that God's grace can reach everyone and can convert the hardest hearts. The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. In this podcast, Wilson shares amazing stories of faith and providence from his book, “Gangs, Guns, & God.” He and Cecil discuss how everyone is within reach of God's grace and marvel at how God multiplies our obedience in miraculous ways. You'll come away believing more deeply in God's amazing grace and inspired to take action to help others.  Highlights of the podcast: 3:20  What a seven-day practical faith means to Wilson 5:09  Wilson was not originally sympathetic about gang members, but God called him to minister to them 9:54  Why Wilson felt led to travel from Florida to approach gangs in Chicago 12:00  Wilson started by simply taking gang members to lunch 14:55  Gang members listened because they knew they had holes in their lives 17:22  No one is beyond the reach of God 19:40  What Wilson's family thought about his dangerous ministry to gangs 23:46  The scriptural theme of the ministry 25:10  The importance of faith in a venture 27:54  How his ministry expanded into prison ministry 33:47  Why the ministry expanded to gangs in Belize 36:39  How God's mysterious action inspired him to write a second book on the Belize experience 39:19  How God multiples our obedience into amazing providence 42:52  The hardest part of putting faith into practice 46:08  How you can find the book and bring Art to your church or organization to speak Art Wilson is the leader of G.A.N.G. R.E.S.C.U.E., which stands for Gangs Also Need God, and Reach Every Single Child Upon Earth. Wilson's book is called “Gangs, Guns, & God,” which can be found in many online book seller locations. Wilson and his team are also available for speaking events, where they distribute free books. Wilson invites you to reach out to him directly at 850-865-4957. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonFamily.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). Backstage Pass also chronicles my writing journey as I work on two new books during 2026. On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Books & Videos at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonFamily.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

As this Spring's Record Store Day flood of releases floats past our wondering eyes on the stream of time, Pat and Mike discusses four selections you might want to pluck out of the metaphoric water to add to your own collections. Let's hope we don't damp your enthusiasm too much. Among other insights, we learn the piano tuner at the Jazz Showcase didn't have perfect pitch, because he didn't exist. Michel Petrucciani – KUUMBWA; Cecil Taylor – FRAGMENTS; Mal Waldron – STARDUST AND STARLIGHT AT THE JAZZ SHOWCASE; Buster Williams – PINNACLE.

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Sharon Collins combines art and meditations in her devotional book series, Becoming His Masterpiece. Collins has an interesting personal story, as she felt called after retirement to take up both art and authorship. God has used both aspects to lead others while helping Collins grow spiritually herself. In this episode, I'll ask Collins about both her book writing and spiritual journeys. She has a lot to share about how to slow down and listen for God's voice in a fast-paced culture. Highlights of the podcast: 2:45 What seven-day practical faith means to Collins 4:17 How God provided as Collins transitioned from retirement into authorship 8:51 Why we always need to say yes to God's call 12:55 What readers get out of her combination of artwork and meditative writing 16:04 Collins calls herself a slow spiritual learner. How does God teach her? 22:01 What a life lived “upside-down” looks like 27:14 How to find Collins' website and books Sharon Collins is the author of a series of books under the theme, “Becoming His Masterpiece.”  Her latest and third book in the series is entitled “Becoming His Masterpiece: The Journey Continues.”  Her books can be found wherever books are sold, and her blog can be found at www.BecomingHisMasterpiece.com.  You can also find her on Facebook (Sharon North Collins) and Instagram (SharonCollins923). I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonFamily.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). Backstage Pass also chronicles my writing journey as I work on two new books during 2026. On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Books & Videos at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonFamily.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

Y'know, Cecil Taylor is way easier to enjoy if you slow it right down, and other insights from composer, musician, and .25 speed YouTube clip enthusiast, claire rousay.

Zev Feldman returns to reveal 11 Record Store Day 2026 releases, including stunning discoveries from the legendary Joe Siegel Jazz Showcase tape archive featuring Ahmad Jamal, Yusef Lateef, Freddie King, and more never-before-heard recordings. Topics Include: Zev Feldman returns, now dubbed the "Jazz Attorney General" by Nate Feldman has 11 releases this Record Store Day — a personal record The Joe Segal tape archive is the foundation of five RSD releases Segal was an NEA Jazz Master and Chicago's greatest jazz impresario He presented legends like Lester Young starting back in 1947 Feldman first connected with Siegel around 2010-2011 via word of mouth A breakfast meeting with Siegel led to three follow-up Chicago trips The archive may be the world's largest collection of unissued jazz recordings Between 8,000 and 10,000 tapes discovered across reels, cassettes, and more Resonance is partnering with the Siegel family and Wayne Siegel on releases Joe Henderson's 1978 quartet at the Jazz Showcase is raw and electrifying Pianist Joanne Burkeen confirmed this captures exactly how the band really played Ahmad Jamal's 1976 Jazz Showcase run includes a full 26-minute Swahililand Jamal and Siegel shared a deep longstanding friendship spanning many years Yusef Lateef with Kenny Barron: a burning three-LP set from 1975 Lateef played the Jazz Showcase more than any other single artist Mal Waldron and Sonny Stitt reunite in an unusual 1979 bebop week Nate predicts Mal Waldron will be the sleeper hit of RSD 2026 Bill Evans at the BBC features performances Feldman first saw on laser disc This marks Feldman's 15th Bill Evans release — the catalog keeps growing Freddie King from the French INA archives is Nate's personal favourite of the batch Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top contributed to the Freddie King liner notes Cecil Taylor's 1969 Paris recordings premiere officially for the very first time Michel Petrucciani recordings surfaced from the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz Petrucciani died young, making these rare live documents especially precious Terry Callier's 1967 solo guitar recordings came from the Earl of Old Town Roy Hargrove Quintet captured live and burning at Berne Jazz Festival 2000 Buster Williams' debut Pinnacle gets an all-analog AAA reissue on Time Traveler This batch marks Feldman's 96th Record Store Day release across his career Feldman previews a Don Schlitten jazz photography coffee table book on Fantagraphics High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Photo by Zak Shelby-Szyszko Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Hoy vamos a hablar de historia y de música. De la historia de un pueblo a través de su música y de su música a través de su historia. Hoy en Nadie al Volante continuamos contando una porción de la apasionante historia de la población negra estadounidense a través de la respuesta cultural que fue creando desde su llegada como esclavos hasta que establecieron su lugar como ciudadanos de pleno derecho, centrándonos principalmente en su música; y lo vamos a hacer desde el lugar donde lo dejamos en el programa número 89, justo en el momento en que se iniciaba la Gran Migración de esta población hacia las fábricas del Norte de los Estados Unidos, allá por el año 1914. Desde ahí continuaremos contando una porción de la historia cultural de este pueblo hasta el final de la década de los sesenta del siglo XX. Y para este desafío que nos hemos puesto, estamos utilizando el libro Blues People, la música negra en la Norteamérica blanca, escrito por el poeta, ensayista, crítico musical, dramaturgo y activista Amiri Baraka. Un libro único, escrito en un momento en el que prácticamente no existía este tipo de ensayos, y que analiza la historia de los afroamericanos a través de su música, y de esta misma a través de la evolución de la conciencia de los negros estadounidenses, desde la esclavitud, la posterior segregación tras la Emancipación y los diferentes Renacimientos de la cultura negra a lo largo del siglo XX, sin perder nunca el blues como la gran raíz a la que volver para entender el espíritu de todo un pueblo. Hoy nos adentramos en las grandes ciudades industriales como Detroit o Chicago, dónde el blues empezó a transformarse en Rythm & Blues, y donde las grandes bandas de Swing empezaron a recibir a músicos negros del sur que iban a revolucionar la forma en que se estaba tocando el jazz más comercial para devolverlo a sus orígenes, a nivel de autenticidad sobre todo y llevarlo mucho más allá gracias a la mayor destreza técnica y expresiva que estaban adquiriendo los músicos con sus diferentes instrumentos. Veremos los cambios en la psicología y en la conciencia de pertenencia o aislamiento respecto a la sociedad general, que provocó en la población negra su participación tanto en la Primera como en la Segunda Guerra Mundial, así como el aislamiento que sufría en las grandes ciudades y que empezaba a clamar y a reclamar por su lugar y sus derechos como parte de la ciudadanía. Hablaremos también del impacto que supuso la fulgurante aparición en la escena musical neoyorquina del Bebop hasta la llegada de lo que Amiri Baraka llamó el Avant-Garde con la aparición de músicos como Ornette Coleman o Cecil Taylor en la década de los sesenta. Así que vamos a subirnos en un autobús camino de Detroit donde hemos conseguido un puesto en la fábrica Ford; cuando salgamos de trabajar vamos a ir a por la última novedad en la tienda de discos de música racial y vamos a ponerle la banda sonora a todo un país. Una banda sonora que nace del inconformismo y de la rebelión. Hablamos de la Blues People.

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Jessica DeYoung is a podcaster who helps Christian women be seen and heard. Her major theme is putting faith into practice, living what we've been taught. She's also a blogger and is working on her first book. In this podcast, DeYoung talks about obedience to God and what it looks like in daily situation and in uncharted territory. She speaks of the freeing nature of obedience, letting the Holy Spirit direct you, and applying our lived perspectives to our individual faith journeys. You'll find DeYoung's perspective and faith stories inspiring and motivational. Highlights of the podcast: 3:00 What seven-day practical faith means to DeYoung 5:02 What it feels like to have the Holy Spirit flowing through you 7:44 Her podcast focuses on honesty and trust. Why that's important. 10:47 What daily obedience looks like 14:42 What obedience looks like in seasons of uncertainty 17:39 How can someone begin recognizing what God is doing in their current season? 23:16 Her podcast is called “Perspectives into Practice”. What this means in everyday life. 26:03 What did “letting go of stuff” look like for DeYoung? 30:27 DeYoung's best tip for developing and maintaining a seven-day practical faith. 34:29 How to find DeYoung's podcast and other materials   Jessica DeYoung is a podcaster who is expanding her ministry into more offerings. Her podcast, blog, and other resources can be found at https://www.PerspectivesIntoPractice.com. Her primary focus is on Christian women, especially unseen and unheard women. DeYoung emphasizes putting faith into practice and brings “nobody” guests to her podcast so they can share and be heard. DeYoung also created Made Whole, a ministry devoted to helping women grow in faith and walk closely with God in real-life seasons. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonFamily.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). Backstage Pass also chronicles my writing journey as I work on two new books during 2026. On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Books & Videos at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonFamily.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

Consider taking out a paid subscription to The Piano Maven podcast via our Substack page (https://jeddistlermusic.substack.com/about), which you also can access by clicking on the "Donate" button here: https://rss.com/podcasts/pianomaven The unique and iconic improvising pianist, composer and bandleader Cecil Taylor (1929-2018) is the subject of today's episode. Here are links to some of the recordings that Jed recommends:Conquistador (1966) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lq7liyDznkIndent (1973) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ_UYNRKvBQ&list=OLAK5uy_lD9tgOUv7eJXPcsAbhDfEavQdGrMtEuYcSpring of Two Blue-Jays (1973) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=405AX1gCSqUAkisakila (1973) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvrszwugbs8Three Phases (1978) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRv8k9wOc_gGarden (1981) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyJk2wi4SPEThe “Feel” Trio (1990) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1XXbDUzBgs&list=PLfOs1ZtjYFMsEisE06b1lYd0eW2bmG7Te

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Allen C. Paul is a jazz pianist who believes in the power of creativity within each of us. He performs in both Christian and secular settings. Paul also hosts the God And Gigs podcast. In this podcast, Paul not only discusses deploying our creativity through whatever gifts God has given us, but he delves into the tension of living Christian values in a secular world. He encourages Christian creatives who fall into measuring their success in the world's way rather than by God's will. In the midst of this, Paul recommends daily routines allowing us to focus on God and patiently wait for outcomes. Highlights of the podcast:  3:10 What seven-day practical faith means to Paul 4:13  Paul explains his musical talent and career 5:53  Does everyone have creativity they can use? 9:05  Are Christian creatives only limited to creating Christian content? 13:09  What are the headwinds Christian creatives have to deal with? 17:03  On the quandary of creative self-promotion (glorifying self) vs. glorifying God 20:45  Paul's message to Christian creatives who feel they're not successful enough 27:31  How do you handle it when your work environment asks you to do something against your Christian values? 34:01  The hardest part about putting faith into practice 36:10  Paul's best tip for putting faith into practice 38:42  How to find Paul's podcast, book, and coaching.    Allen C. Paul's books and other resources are located at GodAndGigs.com. GodAndGigs360 is his community app for coaching and encouragement of creatives. His podcast, God and Gigs, can be found on any podcast app. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Instant Content Products at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Marit Welker has overcome a couple of family estrangements, one when she was the child, the other when she was the parent. Welker reaches out to parents who don't know what to do when their child has ghosted them. Her model is to follow the example of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. In this podcast, Welker talks about the reasons why children break with their parents, the problems with fixing relationships, and her experience in rebuilding broken relationships. Highlights of the podcast:  2:53 What seven-day practical faith means to Welker 4:23 Why the topic of child estrangement from parents is important 8:53 Why we avoid the hard work of fixing relationships 11:42 Welker recommends parents follow the parable of the father of the prodigal son 18:50 How Welker rebuilt the relationship with her son 20:56 How did humility play a role in restoring relationship? 22:16 How to find Welker's coaching and podcast Marit Welker is a Christian speaker and coach focused on rebuilding family relationships after estrangement. You can access her coaching and speaking services at https://MaritWelker.com. As part of her mission, she hosts the “Still Here with Marit Welker” podcast, available on all major podcasting platforms. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Instant Content Products at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Randy Bishop went through a mid-life transformation and has developed a model for others to do the same in his new book, “The RE Method: A Framework to Becoming.”  Bishop takes a gentle, incremental approach to change, focusing on one thing at a time, and reflecting, reframing, and restoring to become someone new. In this podcast, Bishop suggests simple, straightforward methods to re-evaluate your life, to re-discover your purpose, and to put your faith into practice. His approach is full of humor, good will, and grace. Highlights of the podcast: 2:46 What seven-day practical faith means to Bishop 3:47 The focus of his writing 5:28 What has been the biggest transformation he has made into the man he is now 8:46 What a change journey of reflect, reframe, restore looks like 11:38 On reshooting the movie you tell yourself about your life 13:15 How God factors into a transformation journey 14:13 The people he coaches think they're alone in their experience 17:02 Why he teaches “becoming” rather than “self-improvement” and “fixing yourself” 21:09 A gentle first question for people feeling disconnected from their sense of purpose 22:33 The hardest part about putting faith into practice 25:54  Bishop's best tip for putting faith into practice 29:41 How to find Bishop's books and coaching. Randy E. Bishop's latest book, “The RE Method: A Framework to Becoming,” is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/RE-Method-Framework-Becoming/dp/B0G72MP4LL.  If you're interested in receiving coaching, you can reach him at Randy@LifeLessonsCoaching.net. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Instant Content Products at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. After 22 years of no contact with her parents, Ashley Kinkead started taking steps to reconcile. She worked on herself, developed her faith, and reached out to repair the relationships. Kinkead tells her story in her new book, “After the Locusts: A Story of Hope for Anyone Estranged or No Contact with a Parent". In this episode, Kinkead walks us through how no contact led to regular contact, shares her model for reconciliation, and gives her insights on living out her faith, including what she does each day as soon as her feet hit the floor. Highlights of the podcast:  3:25 What does seven-day practical faith mean to Kinkead 4:30 What it was like for Kinkead to be estranged from her parents for 22 years 7:56 What caused her to reconcile 10:16 What forgiveness looked like in her family's case 13:32 Her six-step process for building a bridge 17:18 The difference between peacemaking and peacefaking 19:06 Peacemaking involves hard conversations 20:14 How quickly can relationships be restored? 21:32 You have to change before you're ready to build a bridge 24:05 How parents should approach prodigal children 25:26 The hardest part about putting faith into practice 27:01 Her best tip for maintaining a seven-day practical faith 28:09 How to follow Kinkead and find her book 30:05 A message of hope for anyone in an estranged situation Ashley Kinkead's first book, “After the Locusts: A Story of Hope for Anyone Estranged or No Contact with a Parent", is available on Amazon. To learn more about the 12-step program Ashley underwent, please visit RegenerationRecovery.org. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Instant Content Products at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Oluwole Babatunde has survived desperate times. Growing up in Nigeria, he was orphaned after losing his mother at age 7 and his father at age 13. Thanks to parental figures that stepped in, Babatunde eventually made his way to South Carolina, where he became a psychiatrist and now operates his own practice. In this podcast, Babatunde discusses his journey through extremely difficult childhood and adolescent circumstances, how those experiences changed him, and how he's sharing how to overcome difficulties in his new book, “Adapt and Advance.” Highlights of the podcast:  2:55 What does seven-day practical faith mean to Babatunde 5:39 Does Babatunde ever look back and wonder how he went from orphan in Nigeria to psychiatrist in the U.S.? 7:23 How those early experiences shaped Babatunde's view of faith, pain, and purpose 13:37 How faith and mental health work together to bring healing 19:51 The seven-point model in his book 29:18 The hardest part about putting faith into practice 32:51 How to follow Babatunde and find his new book Dr. Oluwole Babatunde's first book, “Adapt and Advance: A Faith-Based Step-by-Step Guide to Turning Trials into Triumphs,” is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online booksellers. You can find his monthly videos on YouTube by searching for OluwoleBabatunde1870. You can reach him at Oluwole.Babatunde@Outlook.com. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes, as I mentioned on the podcast. Go to https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com and click on Instant Content Products at the top of the page. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Rebecca Gray knows fear. After a car accident, she was left temporarily speechless and paralyzed. She endured continuing health issues as a result of the accident. Eventually, she recovered enough to write her first book, “I Know Your Fears,” a devotional guide for people to face their fears and work through them with God's help. In this episode, I ask Gray about her motivation for writing the book, her experiences with fear, and her ideas on practical ways we can address fear in our lives. Highlights of the podcast: 3:04 What does seven-day practical faith mean to Gray 4:16 Why Gray took on the topic of fear in her devotional book 7:27 What inspired Gray to write a book at this time in her life 8:55 How to truly release our fears and keep fear from returning 12:01 How fear manifests in different emotions and affects our society 15:01 How she encountered serious health issues after a car accident but was healed. 22:21 How she overcame a fear of a specific driving maneuver by fighting through it 24:58 An episode where she was challenged to put her faith into practice 28:03 How to get her new book and a companion book that is coming out soon You can follow Rebecca on Facebook by finding Rebecca Gray Ministries. Her book “I Know Your Fears” is available on Amazon. You can reach her at RebeccaGrayMinistries@gmail.com.  I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. In the podcast, I mentioned my Amazon author page. Please find it at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cecil-Taylor/author/B0B6TB6P1V for a list of the 15 books I've either written or to which I've contributed. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonFamily.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. Please find a special offer for my book, “Unison Parenting,” on the site. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

Ginny Cruz, Hoping When Hope is Faint. The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Ginny Cruz is a pediatric physical therapist and Christian author. As a therapist, she has lent faith and hope while serving families struck by difficult diagnoses. As an author, she shares her knowledge of babies and toddlers in her latest book, “The New Mom's Guide: Help and Hope for Baby's First Year.” Her training in physical therapy has revealed that facts and science are helpful but rarely provide the answers we need for life's toughest situations. God has those answers. Cruz shares both her faith and her knowledge of children in this episode. Highlights of the podcast:  3:11 What does seven-day practical faith mean to Cruz 5:07 What fuels her beliefs that God uniquely designs each person for purpose and every person can achieve maximum potential 10:26 Where she developed a blend of assuring parents that their child is normal and warning parents when to seek help 16:51 What she's learned from raising adopted children 21:52 How faith informs and infuses Cruz's work 27:36 Faith lessons from another of her books, “Mud Holes and Magnolias” 30:48 The hardest part about putting faith into practice 31:41 Her best tip for developing and maintaining a seven-day practical faith, including a discussion on reading and interpreting the Bible 36:16 How to follow Ginny and find her books   Ginny Cruz's website is GinnyCruz.com. There, you can access her books, her blog, and her other resources such as speaking plus articles and interviews she has provided on child-rearing issues. She invites you to join her Facebook group called Tummy Time Prayers, where she offers morning scripture and prayer prompts as well as child development tips. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting and family site (https://www.UnisonFamily.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonFamily.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts (including Ginny Cruz) to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes. A complete list of my award-winning books and video studies can be found and purchased through https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonFamily.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. On the family site, please see a special $10 offer for my book, “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice.” I'm cutting out the middleman to undersell the big booksellers. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

Lee and Donna Allen, Forgiveness, Faith and Family The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Lee and Donna Allen are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their beloved Christmas book, “The Special Guest,” with an anniversary edition release. Lee wrote the words, and Donna illustrated. Lee has gone on to write a new book, “Legend of the Wooden Star.” The Allens join the podcast to share their themes of forgiveness, family, and faith. Highlights of the podcast:  2:21 The Allens discuss their seven-day practical faith approach and what it has meant in praying for their one-month granddaughter with a heart defect 8:05 The book has a strong theme of forgiveness 13:15 Donna's view on how illustrations enhance a book 15:40 Examples of what a special guest is 19:30 How to use the book to create lasting memories that span generations  23:08 The hardest part about putting faith into practice 24:48 Their best tips for developing and maintaining a seven-day practical faith 26:40 How to find “The Special Guest” and the new sequel, “Legend of the Wooden Star.” Lee & Donna Allen's books, The Special Guest, A Christmas Story and Legend of the Wooden Star, are available everywhere books are sold. Beloved by families for their timeless message of faith, forgiveness, and hope, these stories continue to touch hearts across generations. You can find more about the books, resources, and updates on their website: TheSpecialGuestChristmas.com. You can also follow on social media: Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570868086211  Threads: threads.com/@thespecialguestbook  Instagram: instagram.com/thespecialguestbook  YouTube: youtube.com/@TheSpecialGuestBook I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. On the podcast, I mentioned my speaking ministry. Learn more and download my speaker kit at https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com/speaking. You can also book me for your event right there on the page. I'm booking now for 2026 events, so let's talk about it! I also mentioned three anthology books to which I contributed: Chicken Soup for the Soul's “Spirit of Christmas,” Grace Publishing's “Tis the Season,” and Dressed in Love Press's “From Ruins to Restoration.” Check your favorite booksellers for their availability. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. On the parenting site, please see a special $10 offer for my book, “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice.” I'm cutting out the middleman to undersell the big booksellers. I'll ship it to you for free within the U.S., plus present you with six free bonus gifts! Either visit my parenting site or go directly to the sale at https://www.CecilTaylorAcademy.com/book. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

PROGCAST PATRONS get bonus episodeshttps://www.patreon.com/theprogcastStudy Drums/Composition/Music with Gregg: https://www.bendianmusic.com GREGG BENDIAN is a percussionist/composer/producer/educator/podcaster from Teaneck, New Jersey. During his wide-ranging career he has toured internationally and recorded with Todd Rundgren, Jan Hammer, The Mahavishnu Project, Keneally-Bendian-Lunn, The Musical Box, John Zorn, Derek Bailey, Nels Cline, Cecil Taylor, Pat Metheny, Ornette Coleman and Zoot Horn Rollo. On the academic front, Gregg develops and teaches courses in studio production aesthetics, music history, and composing/arranging at William Paterson University of New Jersey. For the Yale Oral History of American Music, he has contributed over 100 expansive interviews with major figures including Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Carla Bley and Steve Reich. Bendian is archivist/producer for the Bottom LIne Archive of historic concerts. Recorded over 30 years at the Greenwich Village venue, the series features discs by Jack Bruce with Billy Cobham, The Brecker Bros, Lou Reed/Kris Kristofferson, Pete Seeger/Roger McGuinn, and Doc Watson. An accomplished percussionist and a composer of over 200 works, he has created a body of innovative music for jazz, rock, percussion (solo and ensemble) and mixed chamber groups, which include his Interzone and Trio Pianissimo bands. Gregg's music is published by Iamuziks (ASCAP). Begun in August of 2020, The ProgCast explores the creative process and musical history of a diverse assortment of cutting edge artists. You can also find us on:SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0x9bzb0...APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...https://www.bendianmusic.comhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0HBmV...https://www.bottomlinearchive.comhttps://guides.library.yale.edu/oham/...https://www.mahavishnuproject.comhttps://www.wpunj.edu/coac/department...

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Kirsten Telan is a former teacher who relates well to children, so she has written a book called “A Tale of Two Dogs” about overcoming differences with kindness and understanding. Similarly, Telan writes a blog for adults on spreading kindness called Confetti Effect, with the theme, “Kindness is free. Sprinkle that stuff everywhere.” In this podcast, Telan shares her faith journey and how it has influenced her messaging in her blog and book. She focuses especially on facing fear and getting outside of our comfort zones. Highlights of the podcast:  3:16 What does seven-day practical faith mean to Telan 5:21 Why Telan's blog is called “The Confetti Effect” and the life philosophy behind it 8:58 About her children's book, “A Tale of Two Dogs,” and the qualities it emphasizes 11:36 How the book and its message on the Fruits of the Spirit can apply to the divisions in our society 14:13 Why getting out of your comfort zone is an important lesson for children and adults alike 18:41 What she gained from getting away from her comfort to take an improvisational acting class 21:30 What she learned from demonstrating skin care products on Home Shopping Network 23:31 The hardest part about putting faith into practice 26:09 Her best tip for developing and maintaining a seven-day practical faith 30:26 How to follow Kirsten and find her new book Kirsten writes the Confetti Effect blog and has authored the book, “A Tale of Two Dogs.” You can find her blog and subscribe to her newsletter at KirstenNelsonTelan.com. The book is sold wherever books are sold, including Books a Million, Target, Walmart, Barnes & amp; Noble, andAmazon. You can also read her “Sprinkle of Confetti” family devotional on YouVersion.com or access it through her website. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. - On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of  my life and my ministry). - On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes. My latest is “The Misfits of Christmas” Advent video study. Here are Misfits of Christmas links I mentioned in the podcast: Misfits on the Cecil Taylor online store: https://store.ceciltaylorministries.com/collections/the- misfits-of-christmas Misfits first lesson on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtH7tOLRpPc&t=444s Misfits trailer video: https://www.ceciltaylorministries.com/the-misfits-of-christmas For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible fromthe main site. On the parenting site, please see a special $10 offer for my book, “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice.” I'm cutting out the middleman to undersell the big booksellers. I'll ship it to you for free within the U.S., plus present you with six free bonus gifts! Either visit my parenting site or go directly to the sale at https://www.CecilTaylorAcademy.com/book. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

Note: new mailing address below... THIS WEEK's BIRDS: new music from Arooj Aftab; vintage Najat Al Saghira; vintage bop from Coleman Hawkins; vocalists from Cape Verde: new Teofilo Chantre plus Jorge Humberto & Armando de Pina;  Derek Bailey w. Cecil Taylor; Accra Quartet; neo-Yoruba/jazz from. Michelle Rosewoman; Sahroui vocalist Aziza Brahim; from Mali: Kemin Fanta, Coumba Sira Koïta; cante jondo from. "el Chocolate" ()Antonio Nuñez) & Paquita de Jerez; Jose Mauro & Antônio Neves (from Brazil); new music from Matt Mitchell & Sera Serpa; vintage Oliver Lake;    much, more.... Catch the BIRDS live on Friday nights, 9:00pm-MIDNIGHT (EST), in Central New York on WRFI, 88.1 FM Ithaca/ 88.5 FM Odessa;. and WORLDWIDE online via our MUSIC PLAYER at WRFI.ORG. 24/7 via PODBEAN: https://conferenceofthebirds.podbean.com via iTUNES: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conference-of-the-birds-podcast/id478688580 Also available at podomatic, Internet Archive, podtail, iheart Radio, and elsewhere. Always FREE of charge to listen to the radio program and free also to stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast online: PLAYLIST at SPINITRON: https://spinitron.com/WRFI/pl/21530182/Conference-of-the-Birds and via the Conference of the Birds page at www.WRFI.ORG https://www.wrfi.org/wrfiprograms/conferenceofthebirds/  Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/conferenceofthebirds/?ref=bookmarks Find WRFI on Radio Garden: http://radio.garden/visit/ithaca-ny/aqh8OGBR   NEW MAILING ADDRESS:  Stephen Cope  @ Conference of the Birds, POBOX 428, Tivoli, NY, 12583, USA. 

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Amy Joob's ministry has led her to be an author, life coach (particularly for women), empowerment speaker, and prayer warrior. She recently published her third book, “Arise from Grief and Flourish Again,” informed by her wrestling with the passing of two family members and other life trials. On this episode, Joob shares ideas for dealing with grief, how to build resilience, and how to embed the Holy Trinity into your life each day. She's an energetic advocate for Christ and for people who need encouragement and a listening ear. Highlights of the podcast:   3:01 Joob's hidden talent 3:54 What “seven-day practical faith” means to Joob 4:59 Why she selected the theme of “unstuck” for her ministry 8:00 How do you coach someone to have more resilience? 9:36 Why Joob wrote “Arise from Grief and Flourish Again” 13:43  On doing the hard work of grieving before you can flourish again 15:34 Even if the church has hurt you, the church community can also help you 18:57 Do we ever get over grief? 21:38 What else Joob does in her ministry 25:29 How her past has prepared her for ministry 26:56 The hardest part of putting faith into practice 30:34 Her best tip for developing and maintaining a seven-day practical faith 31:26 How to find Joob's books, speaking, and coaching services   Amy Joob's books can be found on Amazon by searching for Amy Robnik Joob. Her social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Her website is AmyJoob.com, where you can find her speaking and coaching services. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes. My latest is “The Misfits of Christmas” Advent video study. Here are Misfits of Christmas links I mentioned in the podcast: Misfits on the Cecil Taylor online store: https://store.ceciltaylorministries.com/collections/the-misfits-of-christmas Misfits first lesson on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtH7tOLRpPc&t=444s Misfits trailer video: https://www.ceciltaylorministries.com/the-misfits-of-christmas For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. On the parenting site, please see a special $10 offer for my book, “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice.” I'm cutting out the middleman to undersell the big booksellers. I'll ship it to you for free within the U.S., plus present you with six free bonus gifts! Either visit my parenting site or go directly to the sale at https://www.CecilTaylorAcademy.com/book. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Pasquale Mingarelli is a photographer who also serves as an author and speaker. His offering is a free daily devotion combining a nature photograph, a Bible passage, and a couple of paragraphs of devotional text. He also assembled a similar, longer form devotional book called Drawing Near to God. In this podcast, Mingarelli talks about the connection between God and nature, our creative connection to God, and tips for living a seven-day practical faith (and also tips for better photography!). Highlights of the podcast:  2:48 What does seven-day practical faith mean to Mingarelli 4:37 What led Mingarelli to go deeper into nature to connect with God 11:16 How are we all called to create? 13:55 How he started developing visual devotions 16:17 Mingarelli's favorite places and subjects to photograph 21:49 His tips for taking photos 24:36 How to connect to Mingarelli's work   Photographer, author, and speaker Pasquale Mingarelli's home page is TheCreationSpeaks.com also https://visualverse.thecreationspeaks.com/, which is where you can find his daily devotion. Learn more about the devotional guide he describes on the podcast at https://visualverse.thecreationspeaks.com/about-drawing-near/. Check out his speaking and other offerings on the same site.   I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes. My latest is “The Misfits of Christmas” Advent video study. Here are Misfits of Christmas links I mentioned in the podcast: Misfits on the Cecil Taylor online store: https://store.ceciltaylorministries.com/collections/the-misfits-of-christmas Misfits first lesson on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtH7tOLRpPc&t=444s Misfits trailer video: https://www.ceciltaylorministries.com/the-misfits-of-christmas For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. On the parenting site, please see a special $10 offer for my book, “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice.” I'm cutting out the middleman to undersell the big booksellers. I'll ship it to you for free within the U.S., plus present you with six free bonus gifts! Either visit my parenting site or go directly to the sale at https://www.CecilTaylorAcademy.com/book. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

Send us a textJazz on screen is an annual tie-in with the London Jazz festival. recent years have seen 2023The three films are: Imagine the Sound + Introduction by Stewart Lee; Sven Klang's Combo + Introduction by Ehsan Khoshbakht and The Stormy Man.2024Symphonies in Black : Duke Ellington ShortsWe Insist-Black SunSo Watt: Jazz and Improvisation on British TVOur episode on Sven Klang is here 2025The Diaspora Suite by Ephraim Asili-Nov 13thSo Watt: Derek Bailey's On the Edge – Improvisation in Music Nov15thJazz In Exile – Big Ben: Ben Webster in Europe & Cecil Taylor à Paris Nov 16thLink to this years events hereThis is our website This is our InstagramThis is our Facebook group

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Pasquale Mingarelli is a photographer who also serves as an author and speaker. His offering is a free daily devotion combining a nature photograph, a Bible passage, and a couple of paragraphs of devotional text. He also assembled a similar, longer form devotional book called Drawing Near to God. In this podcast, Mingarelli talks about the connection between God and nature, our creative connection to God, and tips for living a seven-day practical faith (and also tips for better photography!). Highlights of the podcast:  2:48 What does seven-day practical faith mean to Mingarelli 4:37 What led Mingarelli to go deeper into nature to connect with God 8:46 What nature indicates about God 11:16 How are we all called to create? 13:55 How he started developing visual devotions 16:17 Mingarelli's favorite places and subjects to photograph 21:49 His tips for taking photos 24:36 How to connect to Mingarelli's work Photographer, author, and speaker Pasquale Mingarelli's home page is TheCreationSpeaks.com also https://visualverse.thecreationspeaks.com/, which is where you can find his daily devotion. Learn more about the devotional guide he describes on the podcast at https://visualverse.thecreationspeaks.com/about-drawing-near/. Check out his speaking and other offerings on the same site.   I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes. My latest is “The Misfits of Christmas” Advent video study. Here are Misfits of Christmas links I mentioned in the podcast: Misfits on the Cecil Taylor online store: https://store.ceciltaylorministries.com/collections/the-misfits-of-christmas Misfits first lesson on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtH7tOLRpPc&t=444s Misfits trailer video: https://www.ceciltaylorministries.com/the-misfits-of-christmas For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. On the parenting site, please see a special $10 offer for my book, “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice.” I'm cutting out the middleman to undersell the big booksellers. I'll ship it to you for free within the U.S., plus present you with six free bonus gifts! Either visit my parenting site or go directly to the sale at https://www.CecilTaylorAcademy.com/book. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.  

The Practical Faith Academy Podcast from Cecil Taylor Ministries presents guests who have important things to say about putting your faith into practice. Cecil interviews each guest to understand their life stories and their ideas for living a seven-day practical faith. Rachel Coggins is a retired chaplain, author, and non-profit leader who shares her war zone chaplain stories in the book, “Gateway to Iraq.” In this podcast, Coggins discusses what it's like to be a military chaplain, how she helped soldiers entering and exiting war zones, and what we can learn from the faith and lives of soldiers. And she shares her own tips for living a daily, practical faith. Highlights of the podcast:   2:47 What does seven-day practical faith mean to Coggins 4:13 How her husband and her both became military chaplains in different service branches 8:35 How military chaplaincy is different and how the chaplain is integral to a unit and its commander 14:02 Was the emotional toll harder for soldiers entering or exiting the Iraq war zone? 17:52 How Coggins, as a female chaplain, represented both Mom and God to the troops 19:09 What we can learn from the faith journeys of military personnel 24:10 Her favorite part of her book, “Gateway to Iraq” 27:45 Coggins' view on volunteerism's role in Christian faith 31:48 The hardest part about putting faith into practice 32:33 Her best tip for developing and maintaining a seven-day practical faith 34:46 How to find Rachel Coggins' books Retired chaplain, author, and non-profit leader Rachel Coggins can be found at RachelCoggins.com. Her book, “Gateway to Iraq,” can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Gateway-Iraq-Rachel-Coggins/dp/1615790594. Her newly released book, “Exploring Turkey's Biblical Heritage,” can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Turkeys-Biblical-Heritage-Inspirational/dp/B0FTY7D8DR. I'm Cecil Taylor – award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and of course, podcaster. I'm focused on teaching Christians to live their faith and represent Jesus every day of the week. Everything I offer for your faith journey can be found at the same starting point: https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com. Please visit and find ways to enrich your daily walk. For regular, free assistance for your faith journey or your parenting journey, please sign up for my free newsletters, either on the main ministry site (https://www.CecilTaylorMinistries.com) or my parenting site (https://www.UnisonParenting.com). Simply scroll down while visiting either home page to find the registration form. On CecilTaylorMinistries.com, I offer Ministry Connection (practical faith tips plus updates on my ministry) and Backstage Pass (an insider look at the behind-the-scenes of my life and my ministry). On UnisonParenting.com, I offer the Unison Parenting newsletter. I'm joined by parenting experts to provide useful tips and thoughts for parenting children of all ages. I also offer Instant Content curriculum to small groups and adult Sunday School classes. My latest is “The Misfits of Christmas” Advent video study. Here are Misfits of Christmas links I mentioned in the podcast: Misfits on the Cecil Taylor online store: https://store.ceciltaylorministries.com/collections/the-misfits-of-christmas Misfits first lesson on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtH7tOLRpPc&t=444s Misfits trailer video: https://www.ceciltaylorministries.com/the-misfits-of-christmas For proven parenting advice that shows how you can raise high self-esteem children to mature, independent adulthood while staying aligned as parents in a harmonious family atmosphere, please visit https://www.UnisonParenting.com. That's my parenting site, also accessible from the main site. On the parenting site, please see a special $10 offer for my book, “Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One Voice.” I'm cutting out the middleman to undersell the big booksellers. I'll ship it to you for free within the U.S., plus present you with six free bonus gifts! Either visit my parenting site or go directly to the sale at https://www.CecilTaylorAcademy.com/book. Thanks for listening to the podcast! Please subscribe to be notified about future podcasts. You can also find dozens of prior podcasts with great guests and topics by searching for Practical Faith Academy.

For the latest edition of Reading Is Funktamental, we speak with Richie Unterberger, author of more than a dozen of the great books on rock ' n ' roll history. His latest work was as a contributor to a great book of essays on underappreciated record producer Tom Wilson, Everybody's Head Is Open To Sound. Wilson was a black Harvard graduate who produced the debut recordings of jazz greats Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor, who produced the incredible early work of Bob Dylan and discovered not only Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention but the Velvet Underground. For more, read my earlier piece, a review of the book for PopMatters here https://www.popmatters.com/tom-wilson-underrated-icon "Reading is Funktamental" is a monthly one-hour show about great books written about music and music-makers. In each episode, host Sal Cataldi speaks to the authors of some of the best reads about rock, jazz, punk, world, experimental music, and much more. From time to time, the host and authors will be joined by notable musicians, writers, and artists who are die-hard fans of the subject matter covered. Expect lively conversation and a playlist of great music to go with it. "Reading Is Funktamental" can be heard the second Wednesday of every month from 10 – 11 AM on Wave Farm: WGXC 90.7 FM and online at wavefarm.org. It can also be found as a podcast on Apple, Spotify, and other platforms. Sal Cataldi is a musician and writer based in Saugerties. He is best known for his work with his genre-leaping solo project, Spaghetti Eastern Music, and is also a member of the ambient guitar duo, Guitars A Go Go, the poetry and music duo, Vapor Vespers, and the quartet, Spaceheater. His writing on music, books, and film has been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, PopMatters, The Seattle Times, The Huffington Post, Inside+Out Upstate NY, and NYSMusic.com, where he serves as the book reviewer.

PAUL BIELATOWICZ is a composer and master guitarist from England. For the last 20 or so years he has been the featured guitarist in all of drummer CARL PALMER'S projects, with Paul miraculously nailing all of KEITH EMERSON'S keyboard parts on midi-guitar. Paul and I are about to head out on tour performing his NOSFERATU LIVE soundtrack to the original 1921 silent film.We talk about that project, Paul's long history with Mr. Palmer, and so much more, on The ProgCast.PROGCAST PATRONS get bonus episodes  / theprogcast  Study Drums/Composition/Music with Gregg: https://www.bendianmusic.com GREGG BENDIAN is a percussionist/composer/producer/educator/podcaster from Teaneck, New Jersey. During his wide-ranging career he has toured internationally and recorded with Todd Rundgren, Jan Hammer, The Mahavishnu Project, Keneally-Bendian-Lunn, The Musical Box, John Zorn, Derek Bailey, Nels Cline, Cecil Taylor, Pat Metheny, Ornette Coleman and Zoot Horn Rollo. On the academic front, Gregg develops and teaches courses in studio production aesthetics, music history, and composing/arranging at William Paterson University of New Jersey. For the Yale Oral History of American Music, he has contributed over 100 expansive interviews with major figures including Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Carla Bley and Steve Reich. Bendian is archivist/producer for the Bottom LIne Archive of historic concerts. Recorded over 30 years at the Greenwich Village venue, the series features discs by Jack Bruce with Billy Cobham, The Brecker Bros, Lou Reed/Kris Kristofferson, Pete Seeger/Roger McGuinn, and Doc Watson. An accomplished percussionist and a composer of over 200 works, he has created a body of innovative music for jazz, rock, percussion (solo and ensemble) and mixed chamber groups, which include his Interzone and Trio Pianissimo bands. Gregg's music is published by Iamuziks (ASCAP). Begun in August of 2020, The ProgCast explores the creative process and musical history of a diverse assortment of cutting edge artists. You can also find us on:SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0x9bzb0...APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...https://www.bendianmusic.comhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0HBmV...https://www.bottomlinearchive.comhttps://guides.library.yale.edu/oham/...https://www.mahavishnuproject.comhttps://www.wpunj.edu/coac/department...

PER NILSSON is an incredible guitarist and producer from Sweden, whom I've had the pleasure of hearing on several occasions with Meshuggah, when he covered during Fredrik Thordendal's hiatus from the band. Per a founding member of Scar Symmetry and the guitarist for prog rock band Kaipa, and power metal band Nocturnal Rites. PROGCAST PATRONS get bonus episodes / theprogcast Study Drums/Composition/Music with Gregg: https://www.bendianmusic.com GREGG BENDIAN is a percussionist/composer/producer/educator/podcaster from Teaneck, New Jersey. During his wide-ranging career he has toured internationally and recorded with Todd Rundgren, Jan Hammer, The Mahavishnu Project, Keneally-Bendian-Lunn, The Musical Box, John Zorn, Derek Bailey, Nels Cline, Cecil Taylor, Pat Metheny, Ornette Coleman and Zoot Horn Rollo. On the academic front, Gregg develops and teaches courses in studio production aesthetics, music history, and composing/arranging at William Paterson University of New Jersey. For the Yale Oral History of American Music, he has contributed over 100 expansive interviews with major figures including Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Carla Bley and Steve Reich. Bendian is archivist/producer for the Bottom LIne Archive of historic concerts. Recorded over 30 years at the Greenwich Village venue, the series features discs by Jack Bruce with Billy Cobham, The Brecker Bros, Lou Reed/Kris Kristofferson, Pete Seeger/Roger McGuinn, and Doc Watson. An accomplished percussionist and a composer of over 200 works, he has created a body of innovative music for jazz, rock, percussion (solo and ensemble) and mixed chamber groups, which include his Interzone and Trio Pianissimo bands. Gregg's music is published by Iamuziks (ASCAP). Begun in August of 2020, The ProgCast explores the creative process and musical history of a diverse assortment of cutting edge artists. You can also find us on:SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0x9bzb0...APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...https://www.bendianmusic.comhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0HBmV...https://www.bottomlinearchive.comhttps://guides.library.yale.edu/oham/...https://www.mahavishnuproject.comhttps://www.wpunj.edu/coac/department..

My longtime drum pal, JOHN "PUGWASH" WEATHERS is back on The ProgCast! It's always fun and revelatory to chat with JP and this time around we get into John's life before, during and after GENTLE GIANT. Lots of drummer talk as we delve into John's work with MAN, EYES OF BLUE, GRAHAM BOND, THE GREASE BAND and of course, GIANT. Only here, on The ProgCast!PROGCAST PATRONS get bonus episodes  / theprogcast  Study Drums/Composition/Music with Gregg: https://www.bendianmusic.com GREGG BENDIAN is a percussionist/composer/producer/educator/podcaster from Teaneck, New Jersey. During his wide-ranging career he has toured internationally and recorded with Todd Rundgren, Jan Hammer, The Mahavishnu Project, Keneally-Bendian-Lunn, The Musical Box, John Zorn, Derek Bailey, Nels Cline, Cecil Taylor, Pat Metheny, Ornette Coleman and Zoot Horn Rollo. On the academic front, Gregg develops and teaches courses in studio production aesthetics, music history, and composing/arranging at William Paterson University of New Jersey. For the Yale Oral History of American Music, he has contributed over 100 expansive interviews with major figures including Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Carla Bley and Steve Reich. Bendian is archivist/producer for the Bottom LIne Archive of historic concerts. Recorded over 30 years at the Greenwich Village venue, the series features discs by Jack Bruce with Billy Cobham, The Brecker Bros, Lou Reed/Kris Kristofferson, Pete Seeger/Roger McGuinn, and Doc Watson. An accomplished percussionist and a composer of over 200 works, he has created a body of innovative music for jazz, rock, percussion (solo and ensemble) and mixed chamber groups, which include his Interzone and Trio Pianissimo bands. Gregg's music is published by Iamuziks (ASCAP). Begun in August of 2020, The ProgCast explores the creative process and musical history of a diverse assortment of cutting edge artists. You can also find us on:SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0x9bzb0...APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...https://www.bendianmusic.comhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0HBmV...https://www.bottomlinearchive.comhttps://guides.library.yale.edu/oham/...https://www.mahavishnuproject.comhttps://www.wpunj.edu/coac/department...

TONY LEVIN is well-known to The ProgCast audience as bassist for KING CRIMSON, PETER GABRIEL, STICK MEN, LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, and so many more. We talk about Tony's early days as a classical player and his transition to bass guitar/stick. Tony regales us with tales of his time with Buddy Rich, Peter Gabriel, forming the KC "Discipline" band, and even playing under Igor Stravinsky's baton, as a student bassist at Eastman School of music. A rather special episode celebrating the 5th Anniversary of The ProgCast!PROGCAST PATRONS get bonus episodes  / theprogcast  Study Drums/Composition/Music with Gregg: https://www.bendianmusic.com GREGG BENDIAN is a percussionist/composer/producer/educator/podcaster from Teaneck, New Jersey. During his wide-ranging career he has toured internationally and recorded with Todd Rundgren, Jan Hammer, The Mahavishnu Project, Keneally-Bendian-Lunn, The Musical Box, John Zorn, Derek Bailey, Nels Cline, Cecil Taylor, Pat Metheny, Ornette Coleman and Zoot Horn Rollo. On the academic front, Gregg develops and teaches courses in studio production aesthetics, music history, and composing/arranging at William Paterson University of New Jersey. For the Yale Oral History of American Music, he has contributed over 100 expansive interviews with major figures including Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Carla Bley and Steve Reich. Bendian is archivist/producer for the Bottom LIne Archive of historic concerts. Recorded over 30 years at the Greenwich Village venue, the series features discs by Jack Bruce with Billy Cobham, The Brecker Bros, Lou Reed/Kris Kristofferson, Pete Seeger/Roger McGuinn, and Doc Watson. An accomplished percussionist and a composer of over 200 works, he has created a body of innovative music for jazz, rock, percussion (solo and ensemble) and mixed chamber groups, which include his Interzone and Trio Pianissimo bands. Gregg's music is published by Iamuziks (ASCAP). Begun in August of 2020, The ProgCast explores the creative process and musical history of a diverse assortment of cutting edge artists. You can also find us on:SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0x9bzb0...APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...https://www.bendianmusic.comhttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0HBmV...https://www.bottomlinearchive.comhttps://guides.library.yale.edu/oham/...https://www.mahavishnuproject.comhttps://www.wpunj.edu/coac/department...

In this episode of The Covenant Eyes Podcast, hosts Karen Potter and Rob Stoddard welcome author, speaker, and teacher Cecil Taylor to discuss how Christians can live out a practical seven-day faith in today's world.Cecil shares his journey from part-time ministry to launching Cecil Taylor Ministries, which equips believers to bring Sunday into the rest of the week. He talks about parenting with biblical values, building strong family priorities, and guiding children through today's tech-saturated culture.We explore:⛏️  How to remember “who you are and whose you are” daily⛏️  Parenting strategies that instill lasting faith⛏️  How the church can address sensitive issues like pornography and addiction with love and forgiveness⛏️. The importance of community, vulnerability, and trustworthiness in discipleship⛏️. Steering our minds (and our children's) toward positive, God-honoring content

Cecil TaylorTeaching Christians How to Live a Seven-Day Practical FaithI have a mission to teach Christians how to live a seven-day practical faith. As a preacher's kid and as a long-time Sunday School teacher of adults, I kept hearing people say, "I can do this Christian stuff on Sundays, but it's hard for me to do it the rest of the week." I eventually felt a call to go outside my own church to share the gospel in new ways, urging Christians into a deeper level of following Jesus, through books, videos, speaking, blogs, podcasts, and more.Let me divide potential podcast topics into two: (1) parenting (2) putting faith into practice.Parenting is always a hot topic, and I'm well-prepared to discuss it. Besides raising three children (one adopted from China) to adulthood, my background includes teaching Christian parenting classes to 700 families in my church over a 15-year period. I was able to share proven parenting techniques along with things I had picked up along the way, watching families put my suggestions into practice, and getting real-time feedback. It has made me more confident in the material in "Unison Parenting."I also worked as both a volunteer and staff leader with the youth ministry of my churches for more than 30 years. Not only did I get to know teens very well, witnessing the changes and the similarities in teens over time, but I also observed the results of various parenting styles. This experience informs the second half of "Unison Parenting," which is focused on the teen years.Since I wrote the book, I have continued studying parenting and talking to parents, leading to new thoughts and techniques such as "Lean In, Not Away" to deal with what I call "opposition parenting." Want to be a guest on Book 101 Review? Send Daniel Lucas a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/17372807971394464fea5bae3 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Mark Micchelli examines the relationship between music theory and creative practice via a firsthand exploration of the formal structure of Cecil Taylor's solo piano improvisations.This episode was produced by Jason Jedlicka along with Team Lead Matthew Ferrandino. Special thanks to peer reviewers Chris Stover and John Heilig. SMT-Pod's theme music was written by Maria Tartaglia, with closing music by Yike Zhang. For supplementary materials on this episode and more information on our authors and composers, check out our website: https://smt-pod.org/episodes/

Send us a textThe amazing Cecil Taylor, in his own words:  "I have a mission to teach Christians how to live a seven-day practical faith. As a preacher's kid and as a long-time Sunday School teacher of adults, I kept hearing people say, "I can do this Christian stuff on Sundays, but it's hard for me to do it the rest of the week." I eventually felt a call to go outside my own church to share the gospel in new ways, urging Christians into a deeper level of following Jesus, through books, videos, speaking, blogs, podcasts, and more." This is his mission.  Listen now. https://www.ceciltaylorministries.com/https://podmatch.com/hostdetail/1739390916454597dda0211aaContact us:Rumble/ YouTube/ IG: @powerofmanpodcastEmail: powerofmanpodcast@gmail.com.Twitter: @rorypaquetteLooking for Like-Minded Fathers and Husbands? Join our Brotherhood!"Power of Man Within" , in Facebook Groups:https://www.facebook.com/groups/490821906341560/?ref=share_group_linkFree Coaching Consultation call whenever you are ready... Message me!Believe it!

Guest: Cecil TaylorMinistry: Cecil Taylor MinistriesPosition: FounderBook: Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One VoiceInterview Location: 2025 Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference near Andalusia, ALWebsites: ceciltaylorministries.com, unisonparenting.com

Guest: Cecil TaylorMinistry: Cecil Taylor MinistriesPosition: FounderBook: Unison Parenting: The Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Christian Parenthood with One VoiceInterview Location: 2025 Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference near Andalusia, ALWebsites: ceciltaylorministries.com, unisonparenting.com

Music includes: After Yor Gone by the Benny Goodman Quartet, If You Were Mine by Billie Holiday, Harlem Airshaft by Duke Ellington, Manteca by Dizzy Gillespie, Boplicity by Miles Davis and I Love paris by Cecil Taylor. 

durée : 00:59:40 - Confirmation - par : Nathalie Piolé -

Join us for a special episode of Making The Leap, recorded live from the National Religious Broadcasters Convention! We had the incredible opportunity to speak with inspiring leaders, content creators, and change-makers in Christian media. From discussing the impact of faith-driven education and parental rights to media innovation and cultural shifts, this episode is packed with insightful conversations.Special guests include Moms for America's Debbie Kraulidis on the power of engaged mothers, Daniel Cohen on faith-based media in Israel, and author Cecil Taylor on biblical parenting. Stay tuned for part two next week!Follow Making the Leap on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. You can also sign-up for our newsletter or send us an email hello@makingtheleappodcast.com.To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates.

A mediados de la década de los '60 del pasado siglo irrumpe en Estados Unidos el Free Jazz como una manifestación más de los movimientos emergentes que reivindicaban, cada vez con mayor vehemencia, los derechos de los negros norteamericanos. Esta nueva música, suponía un nuevo paradigma en la concepción del jazz que prescindía de las normas que regían hasta el momento la forma de hacer jazz en sus aspectos melódicos, armónicos y rítmicos. Un movimiento rebelde y disruptivo, más político que musical, que rompía amarras con los estándares impuestos por la sociedad y la cultura blanca que mantenía una intolerable opresión sobre el colectivo afroamericano hastiado de abusos e injusticias. Sin embargo. una buena parte de los músicos de aquella generación, aún simpatizando con los principios políticos y sociales que justificaban esa nueva música, decidieron no dar un paso tan osado hacia aquellos territorios desconocidos y se mantuvieron en una frontera musical en un límite que, conservando en lo esencial los vínculos con el jazz ortodoxo, introducía elementos innovadores procedentes de aquel revolucionario movimiento encabezado por músicos como Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry o Cecil Taylor y del que John Coltrane fue proclamado su líder espiritual. El resultado sería una música fronteriza y apasionante, navegando entre dos aguas, con continuas incursiones dentro y fuera de la tonalidad, que conformaría finalmente el mainstream jazzístico de los ‘60 y ‘70 del pasado siglo y que, aún hoy en día, es la principal referencia del jazz acústico contemporáneo. Radio Jazznoend os invita en nuestro nuevo podcast a un largo viaje por aquella frontera azarosa y aventurera de la mano de algunos de los mas relevantes artistas de aquella era, como Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Charles Tolliver, George Russell o Booker Ervin, entre otros.

ORNETTE COLEMAN “THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME” Hollywood, CA, May 22, 1959Lonely womanDon Cherry (cnt) Ornette Coleman (as) Charlie Haden (b) Billy Higgins (d) JOHN COLTRANE “ASCENSION” Englewood Cliffs, N.J., June 28, 1965Ascension (Edition I – Part 1)Freddie Hubbard, Dewey Johnson (tp) John Tchicai, Marion Brown (as) John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp (ts) McCoy Tyner (p) Jimmy Garrison, Art Davis (b) Elvin Jones (d) CECIL TAYLOR “UNIT STRUCTURE” Englewood Cliffs, N.J., May 19, 1966StepsEddie Gale (tp-1) Jimmy Lyons (as-2) Makanda Ken McIntyre (as-3,oboe-4,b-cl-5) Cecil Taylor (p,bells-4) Henry Grimes, Alan Silva (b) Andrew Cyrille (d) ALBERT AYLER TRIO “SPIRITUAL UNITY” New York, July 10, 1964Ghosts (first variation)Albert Ayler (ts) Gary Peacock (b) Sunny Murray (d) PETER BROTZMANN OCTET “MACHINE GUN” Bremen, May, 1968Music for Han Bennink IPeter Brotzmann (ts,bar) Willem Breuker (ts,b-cl) Evan Parker (ts) Fred Van Hove (p) Peter Kowald, Buschi Niebergall (b) Han Bennink (d) Sven-Ake Johansson (d,perc) Continue reading Puro Jazz 16 de diciembre, 2024 at PuroJazz.

EVERY OTHER KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO MONTHLY $6 USD PATREON SUPPORTERS. This one is fine, but please subscribe now on Patreon so you never miss full episodes. Thanks!Oren Ambarchi discusses his trio with Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin and their latest album, Ghosted II, living in Berlin and Winnipeg, Drag City Chicago pizza advice, when he lived in New York for stints as a young man until he was broke from buying records and seeing shows by Cecil Taylor and Miles Davis, why Stephanie Stone woke John Zorn up to meet Oren and be friends with him ever since, his work with Jim O'Rourke and Alvin Lucier, forthcoming projects and shows, other future plans, and much more. Support vish on Patreon! Thanks to the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad's Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters to Santa. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #898: Jon Benjamin – Jazz DaredevilEp. #884: Tim KinsellaEp. #877: Gastr del SolEp. #817: Nicole Rampersaud & Off WorldEp. #731: Bill NaceEp. #692: WilcoEp. #673: Sonic YouthSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CECIL TAYLOR TRIO “JAZZ ADVANCE” Boston, September 14, 1956Bemsha swing, Charge 'em blues (1)Steve Lacy (sop-1) Cecil Taylor (p) Buell Neidlinger (b) Denis Charles (d) IVO PERELMAN / MATTHEW SHIPP “MAGICAL INCANTATIONS” Brooklyn, NY?, Lanzamiento mayo, 2024Thirteen, Three, Eleven Ivo Perelman (sax), Matthew Shipp (p) ILLEGAL CROWNS “UNCLOSING” New Haven, CT, June 20, 2022Crooked frame, Unclosing, Osmosis crownTaylor Ho Bynum (cnt,flhrn) Benoit Delbecq (p) Mary Halvorson (el-g) Tomas Fujiwara (d) Continue reading Puro Jazz 09 de agosto, 2024 at PuroJazz.

Send us a Text Message.Author Phil Freeman joins hosts David C. Gross and Tom Semioli to discuss the first full-length biography of Avant Garde jazz pioneer Cecil Taylor. Brewing Luminous: The Life & Music of Cecil Taylor with Phil Freeman Playlist

In this episode, we delve into an intriguing conversation with Cecil Taylor, a multiple award-winning author. Cecil founded Cecil Taylor Ministries, which is focused on teaching Christians how to live a seven-day practical faith. His latest book is From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone. Cecil shares his lifelong struggle with the human desire for comfort, a challenge that resonates deeply with many Christians. This episode explores how Jesus calls us to transcend our comfort zones and embrace the profound trust zones where genuine faith and courage flourish. Cecil recounts his personal experiences and the inspiration behind his transformative book, offering insights and practical advice for anyone seeking to take bold steps in their spiritual journey. Whether battling to leave your comfort zone or striving to serve more faithfully, Cecil's wisdom and heartfelt stories will inspire you to trust more deeply and take meaningful risks for Christ's Kingdom.   Podcast Sponsor: The Unconventional Ministry podcast is sponsored by SAT-7 USA, a Middle East and North Africa broadcast media ministry, sponsored this podcast. SAT-7 strengthens the Church, often serving as the only Christian connection for believers facing persecution. Learn more at www.sat7usa.org.  The SAT-7 ministry equips and strengthens the Church. For many believers in the Middle East and North Africa, SAT-7 is their sole connection to other Christians. Their countries are closed to the Gospel, and they face persecution because of their faith. Our Bible teaching, worship, talk shows, and other programs are helping Christians feel connected and grow in their faith. CLICK HERE to learn how you can be involved.

THIS WEEK's BIRDS: Ava Mendoza & Dave Sewelson; Fay Victor & Herbie Nichols SUNG; Herbie Nichols himself, w/ trio; Mal Waldron w. Steve Lacy; Romanian song from Dona Dumitru Siminica, as well as  Dumitru Ridescu & Mituța Ridescu; Balkan music from Ilieve Glogovac Vaska and Ivo Popasov; Anthony Braxton's #296 (w/ quintet;) Algerian cha'abi from Amar el Achab, Cheikh el Hasnaoui, Dahmane el Harrache; Lebanese song from Ziyad Al Rahbani; Liba Villavecchia Trio w. Luis Vicente; Antillean flute from Max Cilla;  Cecil Taylor's Orchestra of Two Continents; Rumbavana (from Cuba) as well as Santeria/ Rumba from Martha Galarraga and others; and of course, much, much more!!!!  Catch the BIRDS live on Friday nights, 9:00pm-MIDNIGHT (EST), in Central New York on WRFI, 88.1 FM Ithaca/ 88.5 FM Odessa;. and WORLDWIDE online via our MUSIC PLAYER at WRFI.ORG. 24/7 via PODBEAN: https://conferenceofthebirds.podbean.com/ via iTUNES: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conference-of-the-birds-podcast/id478688580 Also available at podomatic, Internet Archive, podtail, iheart Radio, and elsewhere. Always FREE of charge to listen to the radio program and free also to stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast online: PLAYLIST at SPINITRON: https://spinitron.com/WRFI/pl/18952193/Conference-of-the-Birds and via the Conference of the Birds page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/conferenceofthebirds/?ref=bookmarks FIND WRFI on Radio Garden: http://radio.garden/visit/ithaca-ny/aqh8OGBR Contact: confbirds@gmail.com  

Have you ever felt the tug at your heart, urging you to step beyond the known and into a life of deeper faith? Join me, Lyvita and my guest Cecil Taylor as we traverse the path that takes us from the cozy confines of our comfort zones to the exhilarating trust zone where God's plan becomes our compass. Cecil, author of "From Comfort Zone to Trust Zone How Jesus Urges Us to Take Leaps of Faith for His Kingdom," imparts wisdom on how to quiet the anxieties that chain us to predictability and how to confidently say yes to the divine adventures set before us. His profound insights promise to guide you through the mental barriers that keep you from experiencing God's full potential for your life.Resources Mentioned on the Episode and suggested reading & social media handles:CecilTaylorMinistries.comhttps://www.facebook.com/ceciltaylorministriesPractical Faith Academy PodcastFrom Comfort Zone to Trust Zone by Cecil TaylorLyvitabrooks.com/contactThe Me Project Academy Email Newsletter: FREE Calls to Action:·        Sign up for The Me Project Academy Newsletter for resources on decluttering your mind in order to grow in Christ, academy news and new releases of the podcast. ·        Website: www.hangingoutwithjesuspodcast.com·        @themeprojectacademy (Pinterest)·        support@themeprojectacademy.com (for comments)·        YouTube Channel: Hanging Out With Jesus PodcastThanks for listening. I pray this episode was a blessing to you. Leave a comment or rate this episode . Then pass it on. Share this link: https://lyvitabrooks.com/

Episode 165 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Dark Stat” and the career of the Grateful Dead. This is a long one, even longer than the previous episode, but don't worry, that won't be the norm. There's a reason these two were much longer than average. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-minute bonus episode available, on "Codine" by the Charlatans. Errata I mispronounce Brent Mydland's name as Myland a couple of times, and in the introduction I say "Touch of Grey" came out in 1988 -- I later, correctly, say 1987. (I seem to have had a real problem with dates in the intro -- I also originally talked about "Blue Suede Shoes" being in 1954 before fixing it in the edit to be 1956) Resources No Mixcloud this week, as there are too many songs by the Grateful Dead, and Grayfolded runs to two hours. I referred to a lot of books for this episode, partly because almost everything about the Grateful Dead is written from a fannish perspective that already assumes background knowledge, rather than to provide that background knowledge. Of the various books I used, Dennis McNally's biography of the band and This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead by Blair Jackson and David Gans are probably most useful for the casually interested. Other books on the Dead I used included McNally's Jerry on Jerry, a collection of interviews with Garcia; Deal, Bill Kreutzmann's autobiography; The Grateful Dead FAQ by Tony Sclafani; So Many Roads by David Browne; Deadology by Howard F. Weiner; Fare Thee Well by Joel Selvin and Pamela Turley; and Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads by David Shenk and Steve Silberman. Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is the classic account of the Pranksters, though not always reliable. I reference Slaughterhouse Five a lot. As well as the novel itself, which everyone should read, I also read this rather excellent graphic novel adaptation, and The Writer's Crusade, a book about the writing of the novel. I also reference Ted Sturgeon's More Than Human. For background on the scene around Astounding Science Fiction which included Sturgeon, John W. Campbell, L. Ron Hubbard, and many other science fiction writers, I recommend Alec Nevala-Lee's Astounding. 1,000 True Fans can be read online, as can the essay on the Californian ideology, and John Perry Barlow's "Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace". The best collection of Grateful Dead material is the box set The Golden Road, which contains all the albums released in Pigpen's lifetime along with a lot of bonus material, but which appears currently out of print. Live/Dead contains both the live version of "Dark Star" which made it well known and, as a CD bonus track, the original single version. And archive.org has more live recordings of the group than you can possibly ever listen to. Grayfolded can be bought from John Oswald's Bandcamp Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript [Excerpt: Tuning from "Grayfolded", under the warnings Before we begin -- as we're tuning up, as it were, I should mention that this episode contains discussions of alcoholism, drug addiction, racism, nonconsensual drugging of other people, and deaths from drug abuse, suicide, and car accidents. As always, I try to deal with these subjects as carefully as possible, but if you find any of those things upsetting you may wish to read the transcript rather than listen to this episode, or skip it altogether. Also, I should note that the members of the Grateful Dead were much freer with their use of swearing in interviews than any other band we've covered so far, and that makes using quotes from them rather more difficult than with other bands, given the limitations of the rules imposed to stop the podcast being marked as adult. If I quote anything with a word I can't use here, I'll give a brief pause in the audio, and in the transcript I'll have the word in square brackets. [tuning ends] All this happened, more or less. In 1910, T. S. Eliot started work on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", which at the time was deemed barely poetry, with one reviewer imagining Eliot saying "I'll just put down the first thing that comes into my head, and call it 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.'" It is now considered one of the great classics of modernist literature. In 1969, Kurt Vonnegut wrote "Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death", a book in which the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, comes unstuck in time, and starts living a nonlinear life, hopping around between times reliving his experiences in the Second World War, and future experiences up to 1976 after being kidnapped by beings from the planet Tralfamadore. Or perhaps he has flashbacks and hallucinations after having a breakdown from PTSD. It is now considered one of the great classics of modernist literature or of science fiction, depending on how you look at it. In 1953, Theodore Sturgeon wrote More Than Human. It is now considered one of the great classics of science fiction. In 1950, L. Ron Hubbard wrote Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. It is now considered either a bad piece of science fiction or one of the great revelatory works of religious history, depending on how you look at it. In 1994, 1995, and 1996 the composer John Oswald released, first as two individual CDs and then as a double-CD, an album called Grayfolded, which the composer says in the liner notes he thinks of as existing in Tralfamadorian time. The Tralfamadorians in Vonnegut's novels don't see time as a linear thing with a beginning and end, but as a continuum that they can move between at will. When someone dies, they just think that at this particular point in time they're not doing so good, but at other points in time they're fine, so why focus on the bad time? In the book, when told of someone dying, the Tralfamadorians just say "so it goes". In between the first CD's release and the release of the double-CD version, Jerry Garcia died. From August 1942 through August 1995, Jerry Garcia was alive. So it goes. Shall we go, you and I? [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, "Dark Star (Omni 3/30/94)"] "One principle has become clear. Since motives are so frequently found in combination, it is essential that the complex types be analyzed and arranged, with an eye kept single nevertheless to the master-theme under discussion. Collectors, both primary and subsidiary, have done such valiant service that the treasures at our command are amply sufficient for such studies, so extensive, indeed, that the task of going through them thoroughly has become too great for the unassisted student. It cannot be too strongly urged that a single theme in its various types and compounds must be made predominant in any useful comparative study. This is true when the sources and analogues of any literary work are treated; it is even truer when the bare motive is discussed. The Grateful Dead furnishes an apt illustration of the necessity of such handling. It appears in a variety of different combinations, almost never alone. Indeed, it is so widespread a tale, and its combinations are so various, that there is the utmost difficulty in determining just what may properly be regarded the original kernel of it, the simple theme to which other motives were joined. Various opinions, as we shall see, have been held with reference to this matter, most of them justified perhaps by the materials in the hands of the scholars holding them, but none quite adequate in view of later evidence." That's a quote from The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk Story, by Gordon Hall Gerould, published in 1908. Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five opens with a chapter about the process of writing the novel itself, and how difficult it was. He says "I would hate to tell you what this lousy little book cost me in money and anxiety and time. When I got home from the Second World War twenty-three years ago, I thought it would be easy for me to write about the destruction of Dresden, since all I would have to do would be to report what I had seen. And I thought, too, that it would be a masterpiece or at least make me a lot of money, since the subject was so big." This is an episode several of my listeners have been looking forward to, but it's one I've been dreading writing, because this is an episode -- I think the only one in the series -- where the format of the podcast simply *will not* work. Were the Grateful Dead not such an important band, I would skip this episode altogether, but they're a band that simply can't be ignored, and that's a real problem here. Because my intent, always, with this podcast, is to present the recordings of the artists in question, put them in context, and explain why they were important, what their music meant to its listeners. To put, as far as is possible, the positive case for why the music mattered *in the context of its time*. Not why it matters now, or why it matters to me, but why it matters *in its historical context*. Whether I like the music or not isn't the point. Whether it stands up now isn't the point. I play the music, explain what it was they were doing, why they were doing it, what people saw in it. If I do my job well, you come away listening to "Blue Suede Shoes" the way people heard it in 1956, or "Good Vibrations" the way people heard it in 1966, and understanding why people were so impressed by those records. That is simply *not possible* for the Grateful Dead. I can present a case for them as musicians, and hope to do so. I can explain the appeal as best I understand it, and talk about things I like in their music, and things I've noticed. But what I can't do is present their recordings the way they were received in the sixties and explain why they were popular. Because every other act I have covered or will cover in this podcast has been a *recording* act, and their success was based on records. They may also have been exceptional live performers, but James Brown or Ike and Tina Turner are remembered for great *records*, like "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" or "River Deep, Mountain High". Their great moments were captured on vinyl, to be listened back to, and susceptible of analysis. That is not the case for the Grateful Dead, and what is worse *they explicitly said, publicly, on multiple occasions* that it is not possible for me to understand their art, and thus that it is not possible for me to explain it. The Grateful Dead did make studio records, some of them very good. But they always said, consistently, over a thirty year period, that their records didn't capture what they did, and that the only way -- the *only* way, they were very clear about this -- that one could actually understand and appreciate their music, was to see them live, and furthermore to see them live while on psychedelic drugs. [Excerpt: Grateful Dead crowd noise] I never saw the Grateful Dead live -- their last UK performance was a couple of years before I went to my first ever gig -- and I have never taken a psychedelic substance. So by the Grateful Dead's own criteria, it is literally impossible for me to understand or explain their music the way that it should be understood or explained. In a way I'm in a similar position to the one I was in with La Monte Young in the last episode, whose music it's mostly impossible to experience without being in his presence. This is one reason of several why I placed these two episodes back to back. Of course, there is a difference between Young and the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead allowed -- even encouraged -- the recording of their live performances. There are literally thousands of concert recordings in circulation, many of them of professional quality. I have listened to many of those, and I can hear what they were doing. I can tell you what *I* think is interesting about their music, and about their musicianship. And I think I can build up a good case for why they were important, and why they're interesting, and why those recordings are worth listening to. And I can certainly explain the cultural phenomenon that was the Grateful Dead. But just know that while I may have found *a* point, *an* explanation for why the Grateful Dead were important, by the band's own lights and those of their fans, no matter how good a job I do in this episode, I *cannot* get it right. And that is, in itself, enough of a reason for this episode to exist, and for me to try, even harder than I normally do, to get it right *anyway*. Because no matter how well I do my job this episode will stand as an example of why this series is called "*A* History", not *the* history. Because parts of the past are ephemeral. There are things about which it's true to say "You had to be there". I cannot know what it was like to have been an American the day Kennedy was shot, I cannot know what it was like to be alive when a man walked on the Moon. Those are things nobody my age or younger can ever experience. And since August the ninth, 1995, the experience of hearing the Grateful Dead's music the way they wanted it heard has been in that category. And that is by design. Jerry Garcia once said "if you work really hard as an artist, you may be able to build something they can't tear down, you know, after you're gone... What I want to do is I want it here. I want it now, in this lifetime. I want what I enjoy to last as long as I do and not last any longer. You know, I don't want something that ends up being as much a nuisance as it is a work of art, you know?" And there's another difficulty. There are only two points in time where it makes sense to do a podcast episode on the Grateful Dead -- late 1967 and early 1968, when the San Francisco scene they were part of was at its most culturally relevant, and 1988 when they had their only top ten hit and gained their largest audience. I can't realistically leave them out of the story until 1988, so it has to be 1968. But the songs they are most remembered for are those they wrote between 1970 and 1972, and those songs are influenced by artists and events we haven't yet covered in the podcast, who will be getting their own episodes in the future. I can't explain those things in this episode, because they need whole episodes of their own. I can't not explain them without leaving out important context for the Grateful Dead. So the best I can do is treat the story I'm telling as if it were in Tralfamadorian time. All of it's happening all at once, and some of it is happening in different episodes that haven't been recorded yet. The podcast as a whole travels linearly from 1938 through to 1999, but this episode is happening in 1968 and 1972 and 1988 and 1995 and other times, all at once. Sometimes I'll talk about things as if you're already familiar with them, but they haven't happened yet in the story. Feel free to come unstuck in time and revisit this time after episode 167, and 172, and 176, and 192, and experience it again. So this has to be an experimental episode. It may well be an experiment that you think fails. If so, the next episode is likely to be far more to your taste, and much shorter than this or the last episode, two episodes that between them have to create a scaffolding on which will hang much of the rest of this podcast's narrative. I've finished my Grateful Dead script now. The next one I write is going to be fun: [Excerpt: Grateful Dead, "Dark Star"] Infrastructure means everything. How we get from place to place, how we transport goods, information, and ourselves, makes a big difference in how society is structured, and in the music we hear. For many centuries, the prime means of long-distance transport was by water -- sailing ships on the ocean, canal boats and steamboats for inland navigation -- and so folk songs talked about the ship as both means of escape, means of making a living, and in some senses as a trap. You'd go out to sea for adventure, or to escape your problems, but you'd find that the sea itself brought its own problems. Because of this we have a long, long tradition of sea shanties which are known throughout the world: [Excerpt: A. L. Lloyd, "Off to Sea Once More"] But in the nineteenth century, the railway was invented and, at least as far as travel within a landmass goes, it replaced the steamboat in the popular imaginary. Now the railway was how you got from place to place, and how you moved freight from one place to another. The railway brought freedom, and was an opportunity for outlaws, whether train robbers or a romanticised version of the hobo hopping onto a freight train and making his way to new lands and new opportunity. It was the train that brought soldiers home from wars, and the train that allowed the Great Migration of Black people from the South to the industrial North. There would still be songs about the riverboats, about how ol' man river keeps rolling along and about the big river Johnny Cash sang about, but increasingly they would be songs of the past, not the present. The train quickly replaced the steamboat in the iconography of what we now think of as roots music -- blues, country, folk, and early jazz music. Sometimes this was very literal. Furry Lewis' "Kassie Jones" -- about a legendary train driver who would break the rules to make sure his train made the station on time, but who ended up sacrificing his own life to save his passengers in a train crash -- is based on "Alabamy Bound", which as we heard in the episode on "Stagger Lee", was about steamboats: [Excerpt: Furry Lewis, "Kassie Jones"] In the early episodes of this podcast we heard many, many, songs about the railway. Louis Jordan saying "take me right back to the track, Jack", Rosetta Tharpe singing about how "this train don't carry no gamblers", the trickster freight train driver driving on the "Rock Island Line", the mystery train sixteen coaches long, the train that kept-a-rollin' all night long, the Midnight Special which the prisoners wished would shine its ever-loving light on them, and the train coming past Folsom Prison whose whistle makes Johnny Cash hang his head and cry. But by the 1960s, that kind of song had started to dry up. It would happen on occasion -- "People Get Ready" by the Impressions is the most obvious example of the train metaphor in an important sixties record -- but by the late sixties the train was no longer a symbol of freedom but of the past. In 1969 Harry Nilsson sang about how "Nobody Cares About the Railroads Any More", and in 1968 the Kinks sang about "The Last of the Steam-Powered Trains". When in 1968 Merle Haggard sang about a freight train, it was as a memory, of a child with hopes that ended up thwarted by reality and his own nature: [Excerpt: Merle Haggard, "Mama Tried"] And the reason for this was that there had been another shift, a shift that had started in the forties and accelerated in the late fifties but had taken a little time to ripple through the culture. Now the train had been replaced in the popular imaginary by motorised transport. Instead of hopping on a train without paying, if you had no money in your pocket you'd have to hitch-hike all the way. Freedom now meant individuality. The ultimate in freedom was the biker -- the Hell's Angels who could go anywhere, unburdened by anything -- and instead of goods being moved by freight train, increasingly they were being moved by truck drivers. By the mid-seventies, truck drivers took a central place in American life, and the most romantic way to live life was to live it on the road. On The Road was also the title of a 1957 novel by Jack Kerouac, which was one of the first major signs of this cultural shift in America. Kerouac was writing about events in the late forties and early fifties, but his book was also a precursor of the sixties counterculture. He wrote the book on one continuous sheet of paper, as a stream of consciousness. Kerouac died in 1969 of an internal haemmorage brought on by too much alcohol consumption. So it goes. But the big key to this cultural shift was caused by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, a massive infrastructure spending bill that led to the construction of the modern American Interstate Highway system. This accelerated a program that had already started, of building much bigger, safer, faster roads. It also, as anyone who has read Robert Caro's The Power Broker knows, reinforced segregation and white flight. It did this both by making commuting into major cities from the suburbs easier -- thus allowing white people with more money to move further away from the cities and still work there -- and by bulldozing community spaces where Black people lived. More than a million people lost their homes and were forcibly moved, and orders of magnitude more lost their communities' parks and green spaces. And both as a result of deliberate actions and unconscious bigotry, the bulk of those affected were Black people -- who often found themselves, if they weren't forced to move, on one side of a ten-lane highway where the park used to be, with white people on the other side of the highway. The Federal-Aid Highway Act gave even more power to the unaccountable central planners like Robert Moses, the urban planner in New York who managed to become arguably the most powerful man in the city without ever getting elected, partly by slowly compromising away his early progressive ideals in the service of gaining more power. Of course, not every new highway was built through areas where poor Black people lived. Some were planned to go through richer areas for white people, just because you can't completely do away with geographical realities. For example one was planned to be built through part of San Francisco, a rich, white part. But the people who owned properties in that area had enough political power and clout to fight the development, and after nearly a decade of fighting it, the development was called off in late 1966. But over that time, many of the owners of the impressive buildings in the area had moved out, and they had no incentive to improve or maintain their properties while they were under threat of demolition, so many of them were rented out very cheaply. And when the beat community that Kerouac wrote about, many of whom had settled in San Francisco, grew too large and notorious for the area of the city they were in, North Beach, many of them moved to these cheap homes in a previously-exclusive area. The area known as Haight-Ashbury. [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, "Grayfolded"] Stories all have their starts, even stories told in Tralfamadorian time, although sometimes those starts are shrouded in legend. For example, the story of Scientology's start has been told many times, with different people claiming to have heard L. Ron Hubbard talk about how writing was a mug's game, and if you wanted to make real money, you needed to get followers, start a religion. Either he said this over and over and over again, to many different science fiction writers, or most science fiction writers of his generation were liars. Of course, the definition of a writer is someone who tells lies for money, so who knows? One of the more plausible accounts of him saying that is given by Theodore Sturgeon. Sturgeon's account is more believable than most, because Sturgeon went on to be a supporter of Dianetics, the "new science" that Hubbard turned into his religion, for decades, even while telling the story. The story of the Grateful Dead probably starts as it ends, with Jerry Garcia. There are three things that everyone writing about the Dead says about Garcia's childhood, so we might as well say them here too. The first is that he was named by a music-loving father after Jerome Kern, the songwriter responsible for songs like "Ol' Man River" (though as Oscar Hammerstein's widow liked to point out, "Jerome Kern wrote dum-dum-dum-dum, *my husband* wrote 'Ol' Man River'" -- an important distinction we need to bear in mind when talking about songwriters who write music but not lyrics). The second is that when he was five years old that music-loving father drowned -- and Garcia would always say he had seen his father dying, though some sources claim this was a false memory. So it goes. And the third fact, which for some reason is always told after the second even though it comes before it chronologically, is that when he was four he lost two joints from his right middle finger. Garcia grew up a troubled teen, and in turn caused trouble for other people, but he also developed a few interests that would follow him through his life. He loved the fantastical, especially the fantastical macabre, and became an avid fan of horror and science fiction -- and through his love of old monster films he became enamoured with cinema more generally. Indeed, in 1983 he bought the film rights to Kurt Vonnegut's science fiction novel The Sirens of Titan, the first story in which the Tralfamadorians appear, and wrote a script based on it. He wanted to produce the film himself, with Francis Ford Coppola directing and Bill Murray starring, but most importantly for him he wanted to prevent anyone who didn't care about it from doing it badly. And in that he succeeded. As of 2023 there is no film of The Sirens of Titan. He loved to paint, and would continue that for the rest of his life, with one of his favourite subjects being Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster. And when he was eleven or twelve, he heard for the first time a record that was hugely influential to a whole generation of Californian musicians, even though it was a New York record -- "Gee" by the Crows: [Excerpt: The Crows, "Gee"] Garcia would say later "That was an important song. That was the first kind of, like where the voices had that kind of not-trained-singer voices, but tough-guy-on-the-street voice." That record introduced him to R&B, and soon he was listening to Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, to Ray Charles, and to a record we've not talked about in the podcast but which was one of the great early doo-wop records, "WPLJ" by the Four Deuces: [Excerpt: The Four Deuces, "WPLJ"] Garcia said of that record "That was one of my anthem songs when I was in junior high school and high school and around there. That was one of those songs everybody knew. And that everybody sang. Everybody sang that street-corner favorite." Garcia moved around a lot as a child, and didn't have much time for school by his own account, but one of the few teachers he did respect was an art teacher when he was in North Beach, Walter Hedrick. Hedrick was also one of the earliest of the conceptual artists, and one of the most important figures in the San Francisco arts scene that would become known as the Beat Generation (or the Beatniks, which was originally a disparaging term). Hedrick was a painter and sculptor, but also organised happenings, and he had also been one of the prime movers in starting a series of poetry readings in San Francisco, the first one of which had involved Allen Ginsberg giving the first ever reading of "Howl" -- one of a small number of poems, along with Eliot's "Prufrock" and "The Waste Land" and possibly Pound's Cantos, which can be said to have changed twentieth-century literature. Garcia was fifteen when he got to know Hedrick, in 1957, and by then the Beat scene had already become almost a parody of itself, having become known to the public because of the publication of works like On the Road, and the major artists in the scene were already rejecting the label. By this point tourists were flocking to North Beach to see these beatniks they'd heard about on TV, and Hedrick was actually employed by one cafe to sit in the window wearing a beret, turtleneck, sandals, and beard, and draw and paint, to attract the tourists who flocked by the busload because they could see that there was a "genuine beatnik" in the cafe. Hedrick was, as well as a visual artist, a guitarist and banjo player who played in traditional jazz bands, and he would bring records in to class for his students to listen to, and Garcia particularly remembered him bringing in records by Big Bill Broonzy: [Excerpt: Big Bill Broonzy, "When Things Go Wrong (It Hurts Me Too)"] Garcia was already an avid fan of rock and roll music, but it was being inspired by Hedrick that led him to get his first guitar. Like his contemporary Paul McCartney around the same time, he was initially given the wrong instrument as a birthday present -- in Garcia's case his mother gave him an accordion -- but he soon persuaded her to swap it for an electric guitar he saw in a pawn shop. And like his other contemporary, John Lennon, Garcia initially tuned his instrument incorrectly. He said later "When I started playing the guitar, believe me, I didn't know anybody that played. I mean, I didn't know anybody that played the guitar. Nobody. They weren't around. There were no guitar teachers. You couldn't take lessons. There was nothing like that, you know? When I was a kid and I had my first electric guitar, I had it tuned wrong and learned how to play on it with it tuned wrong for about a year. And I was getting somewhere on it, you know… Finally, I met a guy that knew how to tune it right and showed me three chords, and it was like a revelation. You know what I mean? It was like somebody gave me the key to heaven." He joined a band, the Chords, which mostly played big band music, and his friend Gary Foster taught him some of the rudiments of playing the guitar -- things like how to use a capo to change keys. But he was always a rebellious kid, and soon found himself faced with a choice between joining the military or going to prison. He chose the former, and it was during his time in the Army that a friend, Ron Stevenson, introduced him to the music of Merle Travis, and to Travis-style guitar picking: [Excerpt: Merle Travis, "Nine-Pound Hammer"] Garcia had never encountered playing like that before, but he instantly recognised that Travis, and Chet Atkins who Stevenson also played for him, had been an influence on Scotty Moore. He started to realise that the music he'd listened to as a teenager was influenced by music that went further back. But Stevenson, as well as teaching Garcia some of the rudiments of Travis-picking, also indirectly led to Garcia getting discharged from the Army. Stevenson was not a well man, and became suicidal. Garcia decided it was more important to keep his friend company and make sure he didn't kill himself than it was to turn up for roll call, and as a result he got discharged himself on psychiatric grounds -- according to Garcia he told the Army psychiatrist "I was involved in stuff that was more important to me in the moment than the army was and that was the reason I was late" and the psychiatrist thought it was neurotic of Garcia to have his own set of values separate from that of the Army. After discharge, Garcia did various jobs, including working as a transcriptionist for Lenny Bruce, the comedian who was a huge influence on the counterculture. In one of the various attacks over the years by authoritarians on language, Bruce was repeatedly arrested for obscenity, and in 1961 he was arrested at a jazz club in North Beach. Sixty years ago, the parts of speech that were being criminalised weren't pronouns, but prepositions and verbs: [Excerpt: Lenny Bruce, "To is a Preposition, Come is a Verb"] That piece, indeed, was so controversial that when Frank Zappa quoted part of it in a song in 1968, the record label insisted on the relevant passage being played backwards so people couldn't hear such disgusting filth: [Excerpt: The Mothers of Invention, "Harry You're a Beast"] (Anyone familiar with that song will understand that the censored portion is possibly the least offensive part of the whole thing). Bruce was facing trial, and he needed transcripts of what he had said in his recordings to present in court. Incidentally, there seems to be some confusion over exactly which of Bruce's many obscenity trials Garcia became a transcriptionist for. Dennis McNally says in his biography of the band, published in 2002, that it was the most famous of them, in autumn 1964, but in a later book, Jerry on Jerry, a book of interviews of Garcia edited by McNally, McNally talks about it being when Garcia was nineteen, which would mean it was Bruce's first trial, in 1961. We can put this down to the fact that many of the people involved, not least Garcia, lived in Tralfamadorian time, and were rather hazy on dates, but I'm placing the story here rather than in 1964 because it seems to make more sense that Garcia would be involved in a trial based on an incident in San Francisco than one in New York. Garcia got the job, even though he couldn't type, because by this point he'd spent so long listening to recordings of old folk and country music that he was used to transcribing indecipherable accents, and often, as Garcia would tell it, Bruce would mumble very fast and condense multiple syllables into one. Garcia was particularly impressed by Bruce's ability to improvise but talk in entire paragraphs, and he compared his use of language to bebop. Another thing that was starting to impress Garcia, and which he also compared to bebop, was bluegrass: [Excerpt: Bill Monroe, "Fire on the Mountain"] Bluegrass is a music that is often considered very traditional, because it's based on traditional songs and uses acoustic instruments, but in fact it was a terribly *modern* music, and largely a postwar creation of a single band -- Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys. And Garcia was right when he said it was "white bebop" -- though he did say "The only thing it doesn't have is the harmonic richness of bebop. You know what I mean? That's what it's missing, but it has everything else." Both bebop and bluegrass evolved after the second world war, though they were informed by music from before it, and both prized the ability to improvise, and technical excellence. Both are musics that involved playing *fast*, in an ensemble, and being able to respond quickly to the other musicians. Both musics were also intensely rhythmic, a response to a faster paced, more stressful world. They were both part of the general change in the arts towards immediacy that we looked at in the last episode with the creation first of expressionism and then of pop art. Bluegrass didn't go into the harmonic explorations that modern jazz did, but it was absolutely as modern as anything Charlie Parker was doing, and came from the same impulses. It was tradition and innovation, the past and the future simultaneously. Bill Monroe, Jackson Pollock, Charlie Parker, Jack Kerouac, and Lenny Bruce were all in their own ways responding to the same cultural moment, and it was that which Garcia was responding to. But he didn't become able to play bluegrass until after a tragedy which shaped his life even more than his father's death had. Garcia had been to a party and was in a car with his friends Lee Adams, Paul Speegle, and Alan Trist. Adams was driving at ninety miles an hour when they hit a tight curve and crashed. Garcia, Adams, and Trist were all severely injured but survived. Speegle died. So it goes. This tragedy changed Garcia's attitudes totally. Of all his friends, Speegle was the one who was most serious about his art, and who treated it as something to work on. Garcia had always been someone who fundamentally didn't want to work or take any responsibility for anything. And he remained that way -- except for his music. Speegle's death changed Garcia's attitude to that, totally. If his friend wasn't going to be able to practice his own art any more, Garcia would practice his, in tribute to him. He resolved to become a virtuoso on guitar and banjo. His girlfriend of the time later said “I don't know if you've spent time with someone rehearsing ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown' on a banjo for eight hours, but Jerry practiced endlessly. He really wanted to excel and be the best. He had tremendous personal ambition in the musical arena, and he wanted to master whatever he set out to explore. Then he would set another sight for himself. And practice another eight hours a day of new licks.” But of course, you can't make ensemble music on your own: [Excerpt: Jerry Garcia and Bob Hunter, "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" (including end)] "Evelyn said, “What is it called when a person needs a … person … when you want to be touched and the … two are like one thing and there isn't anything else at all anywhere?” Alicia, who had read books, thought about it. “Love,” she said at length." That's from More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon, a book I'll be quoting a few more times as the story goes on. Robert Hunter, like Garcia, was just out of the military -- in his case, the National Guard -- and he came into Garcia's life just after Paul Speegle had left it. Garcia and Alan Trist met Hunter ten days after the accident, and the three men started hanging out together, Trist and Hunter writing while Garcia played music. Garcia and Hunter both bonded over their shared love for the beats, and for traditional music, and the two formed a duo, Bob and Jerry, which performed together a handful of times. They started playing together, in fact, after Hunter picked up a guitar and started playing a song and halfway through Garcia took it off him and finished the song himself. The two of them learned songs from the Harry Smith Anthology -- Garcia was completely apolitical, and only once voted in his life, for Lyndon Johnson in 1964 to keep Goldwater out, and regretted even doing that, and so he didn't learn any of the more political material people like Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, and Bob Dylan were doing at the time -- but their duo only lasted a short time because Hunter wasn't an especially good guitarist. Hunter would, though, continue to jam with Garcia and other friends, sometimes playing mandolin, while Garcia played solo gigs and with other musicians as well, playing and moving round the Bay Area and performing with whoever he could: [Excerpt: Jerry Garcia, "Railroad Bill"] "Bleshing, that was Janie's word. She said Baby told it to her. She said it meant everyone all together being something, even if they all did different things. Two arms, two legs, one body, one head, all working together, although a head can't walk and arms can't think. Lone said maybe it was a mixture of “blending” and “meshing,” but I don't think he believed that himself. It was a lot more than that." That's from More Than Human In 1961, Garcia and Hunter met another young musician, but one who was interested in a very different type of music. Phil Lesh was a serious student of modern classical music, a classically-trained violinist and trumpeter whose interest was solidly in the experimental and whose attitude can be summed up by a story that's always told about him meeting his close friend Tom Constanten for the first time. Lesh had been talking with someone about serialism, and Constanten had interrupted, saying "Music stopped being created in 1750 but it started again in 1950". Lesh just stuck out his hand, recognising a kindred spirit. Lesh and Constanten were both students of Luciano Berio, the experimental composer who created compositions for magnetic tape: [Excerpt: Luciano Berio, "Momenti"] Berio had been one of the founders of the Studio di fonologia musicale di Radio Milano, a studio for producing contemporary electronic music where John Cage had worked for a time, and he had also worked with the electronic music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Lesh would later remember being very impressed when Berio brought a tape into the classroom -- the actual multitrack tape for Stockhausen's revolutionary piece Gesang Der Juenglinge: [Excerpt: Karlheinz Stockhausen, "Gesang Der Juenglinge"] Lesh at first had been distrustful of Garcia -- Garcia was charismatic and had followers, and Lesh never liked people like that. But he was impressed by Garcia's playing, and soon realised that the two men, despite their very different musical interests, had a lot in common. Lesh was interested in the technology of music as well as in performing and composing it, and so when he wasn't studying he helped out by engineering at the university's radio station. Lesh was impressed by Garcia's playing, and suggested to the presenter of the station's folk show, the Midnight Special, that Garcia be a guest. Garcia was so good that he ended up getting an entire solo show to himself, where normally the show would feature multiple acts. Lesh and Constanten soon moved away from the Bay Area to Las Vegas, but both would be back -- in Constanten's case he would form an experimental group in San Francisco with their fellow student Steve Reich, and that group (though not with Constanten performing) would later premiere Terry Riley's In C, a piece influenced by La Monte Young and often considered one of the great masterpieces of minimalist music. By early 1962 Garcia and Hunter had formed a bluegrass band, with Garcia on guitar and banjo and Hunter on mandolin, and a rotating cast of other musicians including Ken Frankel, who played banjo and fiddle. They performed under different names, including the Tub Thumpers, the Hart Valley Drifters, and the Sleepy Valley Hog Stompers, and played a mixture of bluegrass and old-time music -- and were very careful about the distinction: [Excerpt: The Hart Valley Drifters, "Cripple Creek"] In 1993, the Republican political activist John Perry Barlow was invited to talk to the CIA about the possibilities open to them with what was then called the Information Superhighway. He later wrote, in part "They told me they'd brought Steve Jobs in a few weeks before to indoctrinate them in modern information management. And they were delighted when I returned later, bringing with me a platoon of Internet gurus, including Esther Dyson, Mitch Kapor, Tony Rutkowski, and Vint Cerf. They sealed us into an electronically impenetrable room to discuss the radical possibility that a good first step in lifting their blackout would be for the CIA to put up a Web site... We told them that information exchange was a barter system, and that to receive, one must also be willing to share. This was an alien notion to them. They weren't even willing to share information among themselves, much less the world." 1962 brought a new experience for Robert Hunter. Hunter had been recruited into taking part in psychological tests at Stanford University, which in the sixties and seventies was one of the preeminent universities for psychological experiments. As part of this, Hunter was given $140 to attend the VA hospital (where a janitor named Ken Kesey, who had himself taken part in a similar set of experiments a couple of years earlier, worked a day job while he was working on his first novel) for four weeks on the run, and take different psychedelic drugs each time, starting with LSD, so his reactions could be observed. (It was later revealed that these experiments were part of a CIA project called MKUltra, designed to investigate the possibility of using psychedelic drugs for mind control, blackmail, and torture. Hunter was quite lucky in that he was told what was going to happen to him and paid for his time. Other subjects included the unlucky customers of brothels the CIA set up as fronts -- they dosed the customers' drinks and observed them through two-way mirrors. Some of their experimental subjects died by suicide as a result of their experiences. So it goes. ) Hunter was interested in taking LSD after reading Aldous Huxley's writings about psychedelic substances, and he brought his typewriter along to the experiment. During the first test, he wrote a six-page text, a short excerpt from which is now widely quoted, reading in part "Sit back picture yourself swooping up a shell of purple with foam crests of crystal drops soft nigh they fall unto the sea of morning creep-very-softly mist ... and then sort of cascade tinkley-bell-like (must I take you by the hand, ever so slowly type) and then conglomerate suddenly into a peal of silver vibrant uncomprehendingly, blood singingly, joyously resounding bells" Hunter's experience led to everyone in their social circle wanting to try LSD, and soon they'd all come to the same conclusion -- this was something special. But Garcia needed money -- he'd got his girlfriend pregnant, and they'd married (this would be the first of several marriages in Garcia's life, and I won't be covering them all -- at Garcia's funeral, his second wife, Carolyn, said Garcia always called her the love of his life, and his first wife and his early-sixties girlfriend who he proposed to again in the nineties both simultaneously said "He said that to me!"). So he started teaching guitar at a music shop in Palo Alto. Hunter had no time for Garcia's incipient domesticity and thought that his wife was trying to make him live a conventional life, and the two drifted apart somewhat, though they'd still play together occasionally. Through working at the music store, Garcia got to know the manager, Troy Weidenheimer, who had a rock and roll band called the Zodiacs. Garcia joined the band on bass, despite that not being his instrument. He later said "Troy was a lot of fun, but I wasn't good enough a musician then to have been able to deal with it. I was out of my idiom, really, 'cause when I played with Troy I was playing electric bass, you know. I never was a good bass player. Sometimes I was playing in the wrong key and didn't even [fuckin'] know it. I couldn't hear that low, after playing banjo, you know, and going to electric...But Troy taught me the principle of, hey, you know, just stomp your foot and get on it. He was great. A great one for the instant arrangement, you know. And he was also fearless for that thing of get your friends to do it." Garcia's tenure in the Zodiacs didn't last long, nor did this experiment with rock and roll, but two other members of the Zodiacs will be notable later in the story -- the harmonica player, an old friend of Garcia's named Ron McKernan, who would soon gain the nickname Pig Pen after the Peanuts character, and the drummer, Bill Kreutzmann: [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, "Drums/Space (Skull & Bones version)"] Kreutzmann said of the Zodiacs "Jerry was the hired bass player and I was the hired drummer. I only remember playing that one gig with them, but I was in way over my head. I always did that. I always played things that were really hard and it didn't matter. I just went for it." Garcia and Kreutzmann didn't really get to know each other then, but Garcia did get to know someone else who would soon be very important in his life. Bob Weir was from a very different background than Garcia, though both had the shared experience of long bouts of chronic illness as children. He had grown up in a very wealthy family, and had always been well-liked, but he was what we would now call neurodivergent -- reading books about the band he talks about being dyslexic but clearly has other undiagnosed neurodivergences, which often go along with dyslexia -- and as a result he was deemed to have behavioural problems which led to him getting expelled from pre-school and kicked out of the cub scouts. He was never academically gifted, thanks to his dyslexia, but he was always enthusiastic about music -- to a fault. He learned to play boogie piano but played so loudly and so often his parents sold the piano. He had a trumpet, but the neighbours complained about him playing it outside. Finally he switched to the guitar, an instrument with which it is of course impossible to make too loud a noise. The first song he learned was the Kingston Trio's version of an old sea shanty, "The Wreck of the John B": [Excerpt: The Kingston Trio, "The Wreck of the John B"] He was sent off to a private school in Colorado for teenagers with behavioural issues, and there he met the boy who would become his lifelong friend, John Perry Barlow. Unfortunately the two troublemakers got on with each other *so* well that after their first year they were told that it was too disruptive having both of them at the school, and only one could stay there the next year. Barlow stayed and Weir moved back to the Bay Area. By this point, Weir was getting more interested in folk music that went beyond the commercial folk of the Kingston Trio. As he said later "There was something in there that was ringing my bells. What I had grown up thinking of as hillbilly music, it started to have some depth for me, and I could start to hear the music in it. Suddenly, it wasn't just a bunch of ignorant hillbillies playing what they could. There was some depth and expertise and stuff like that to aspire to.” He moved from school to school but one thing that stayed with him was his love of playing guitar, and he started taking lessons from Troy Weidenheimer, but he got most of his education going to folk clubs and hootenannies. He regularly went to the Tangent, a club where Garcia played, but Garcia's bluegrass banjo playing was far too rigorous for a free spirit like Weir to emulate, and instead he started trying to copy one of the guitarists who was a regular there, Jorma Kaukonnen. On New Year's Eve 1963 Weir was out walking with his friends Bob Matthews and Rich Macauley, and they passed the music shop where Garcia was a teacher, and heard him playing his banjo. They knocked and asked if they could come in -- they all knew Garcia a little, and Bob Matthews was one of his students, having become interested in playing banjo after hearing the theme tune to the Beverly Hillbillies, played by the bluegrass greats Flatt and Scruggs: [Excerpt: Flatt and Scruggs, "The Beverly Hillbillies"] Garcia at first told these kids, several years younger than him, that they couldn't come in -- he was waiting for his students to show up. But Weir said “Jerry, listen, it's seven-thirty on New Year's Eve, and I don't think you're going to be seeing your students tonight.” Garcia realised the wisdom of this, and invited the teenagers in to jam with him. At the time, there was a bit of a renaissance in jug bands, as we talked about back in the episode on the Lovin' Spoonful. This was a form of music that had grown up in the 1920s, and was similar and related to skiffle and coffee-pot bands -- jug bands would tend to have a mixture of portable string instruments like guitars and banjos, harmonicas, and people using improvised instruments, particularly blowing into a jug. The most popular of these bands had been Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, led by banjo player Gus Cannon and with harmonica player Noah Lewis: [Excerpt: Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, "Viola Lee Blues"] With the folk revival, Cannon's work had become well-known again. The Rooftop Singers, a Kingston Trio style folk group, had had a hit with his song "Walk Right In" in 1963, and as a result of that success Cannon had even signed a record contract with Stax -- Stax's first album ever, a month before Booker T and the MGs' first album, was in fact the eighty-year-old Cannon playing his banjo and singing his old songs. The rediscovery of Cannon had started a craze for jug bands, and the most popular of the new jug bands was Jim Kweskin's Jug Band, which did a mixture of old songs like "You're a Viper" and more recent material redone in the old style. Weir, Matthews, and Macauley had been to see the Kweskin band the night before, and had been very impressed, especially by their singer Maria D'Amato -- who would later marry her bandmate Geoff Muldaur and take his name -- and her performance of Leiber and Stoller's "I'm a Woman": [Excerpt: Jim Kweskin's Jug Band, "I'm a Woman"] Matthews suggested that they form their own jug band, and Garcia eagerly agreed -- though Matthews found himself rapidly moving from banjo to washboard to kazoo to second kazoo before realising he was surplus to requirements. Robert Hunter was similarly an early member but claimed he "didn't have the embouchure" to play the jug, and was soon also out. He moved to LA and started studying Scientology -- later claiming that he wanted science-fictional magic powers, which L. Ron Hubbard's new religion certainly offered. The group took the name Mother McRee's Uptown Jug Champions -- apparently they varied the spelling every time they played -- and had a rotating membership that at one time or another included about twenty different people, but tended always to have Garcia on banjo, Weir on jug and later guitar, and Garcia's friend Pig Pen on harmonica: [Excerpt: Mother McRee's Uptown Jug Champions, "On the Road Again"] The group played quite regularly in early 1964, but Garcia's first love was still bluegrass, and he was trying to build an audience with his bluegrass band, The Black Mountain Boys. But bluegrass was very unpopular in the Bay Area, where it was simultaneously thought of as unsophisticated -- as "hillbilly music" -- and as elitist, because it required actual instrumental ability, which wasn't in any great supply in the amateur folk scene. But instrumental ability was something Garcia definitely had, as at this point he was still practising eight hours a day, every day, and it shows on the recordings of the Black Mountain Boys: [Excerpt: The Black Mountain Boys, "Rosa Lee McFall"] By the summer, Bob Weir was also working at the music shop, and so Garcia let Weir take over his students while he and the Black Mountain Boys' guitarist Sandy Rothman went on a road trip to see as many bluegrass musicians as they could and to audition for Bill Monroe himself. As it happened, Garcia found himself too shy to audition for Monroe, but Rothman later ended up playing with Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. On his return to the Bay Area, Garcia resumed playing with the Uptown Jug Champions, but Pig Pen started pestering him to do something different. While both men had overlapping tastes in music and a love for the blues, Garcia's tastes had always been towards the country end of the spectrum while Pig Pen's were towards R&B. And while the Uptown Jug Champions were all a bit disdainful of the Beatles at first -- apart from Bob Weir, the youngest of the group, who thought they were interesting -- Pig Pen had become enamoured of another British band who were just starting to make it big: [Excerpt: The Rolling Stones, "Not Fade Away"] 29) Garcia liked the first Rolling Stones album too, and he eventually took Pig Pen's point -- the stuff that the Rolling Stones were doing, covers of Slim Harpo and Buddy Holly, was not a million miles away from the material they were doing as Mother McRee's Uptown Jug Champions. Pig Pen could play a little electric organ, Bob had been fooling around with the electric guitars in the music shop. Why not give it a go? The stuff bands like the Rolling Stones were doing wasn't that different from the electric blues that Pig Pen liked, and they'd all seen A Hard Day's Night -- they could carry on playing with banjos, jugs, and kazoos and have the respect of a handful of folkies, or they could get electric instruments and potentially have screaming girls and millions of dollars, while playing the same songs. This was a convincing argument, especially when Dana Morgan Jr, the son of the owner of the music shop, told them they could have free electric instruments if they let him join on bass. Morgan wasn't that great on bass, but what the hell, free instruments. Pig Pen had the best voice and stage presence, so he became the frontman of the new group, singing most of the leads, though Jerry and Bob would both sing a few songs, and playing harmonica and organ. Weir was on rhythm guitar, and Garcia was the lead guitarist and obvious leader of the group. They just needed a drummer, and handily Bill Kreutzmann, who had played with Garcia and Pig Pen in the Zodiacs, was also now teaching music at the music shop. Not only that, but about three weeks before they decided to go electric, Kreutzmann had seen the Uptown Jug Champions performing and been astonished by Garcia's musicianship and charisma, and said to himself "Man, I'm gonna follow that guy forever!" The new group named themselves the Warlocks, and started rehearsing in earnest. Around this time, Garcia also finally managed to get some of the LSD that his friend Robert Hunter had been so enthusiastic about three years earlier, and it was a life-changing experience for him. In particular, he credited LSD with making him comfortable being a less disciplined player -- as a bluegrass player he'd had to be frighteningly precise, but now he was playing rock and needed to loosen up. A few days after taking LSD for the first time, Garcia also heard some of Bob Dylan's new material, and realised that the folk singer he'd had little time for with his preachy politics was now making electric music that owed a lot more to the Beat culture Garcia considered himself part of: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Subterranean Homesick Blues"] Another person who was hugely affected by hearing that was Phil Lesh, who later said "I couldn't believe that was Bob Dylan on AM radio, with an electric band. It changed my whole consciousness: if something like that could happen, the sky was the limit." Up to that point, Lesh had been focused entirely on his avant-garde music, working with friends like Steve Reich to push music forward, inspired by people like John Cage and La Monte Young, but now he realised there was music of value in the rock world. He'd quickly started going to rock gigs, seeing the Rolling Stones and the Byrds, and then he took acid and went to see his friend Garcia's new electric band play their third ever gig. He was blown away, and very quickly it was decided that Lesh would be the group's new bass player -- though everyone involved tells a different story as to who made the decision and how it came about, and accounts also vary as to whether Dana Morgan took his sacking gracefully and let his erstwhile bandmates keep their instruments, or whether they had to scrounge up some new ones. Lesh had never played bass before, but he was a talented multi-instrumentalist with a deep understanding of music and an ability to compose and improvise, and the repertoire the Warlocks were playing in the early days was mostly three-chord material that doesn't take much rehearsal -- though it was apparently beyond the abilities of poor Dana Morgan, who apparently had to be told note-by-note what to play by Garcia, and learn it by rote. Garcia told Lesh what notes the strings of a bass were tuned to, told him to borrow a guitar and practice, and within two weeks he was on stage with the Warlocks: [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, “Grayfolded"] In September 1995, just weeks after Jerry Garcia's death, an article was published in Mute magazine identifying a cultural trend that had shaped the nineties, and would as it turned out shape at least the next thirty years. It's titled "The Californian Ideology", though it may be better titled "The Bay Area Ideology", and it identifies a worldview that had grown up in Silicon Valley, based around the ideas of the hippie movement, of right-wing libertarianism, of science fiction authors, and of Marshall McLuhan. It starts "There is an emerging global orthodoxy concerning the relation between society, technology and politics. We have called this orthodoxy `the Californian Ideology' in honour of the state where it originated. By naturalising and giving a technological proof to a libertarian political philosophy, and therefore foreclosing on alternative futures, the Californian Ideologues are able to assert that social and political debates about the future have now become meaningless. The California Ideology is a mix of cybernetics, free market economics, and counter-culture libertarianism and is promulgated by magazines such as WIRED and MONDO 2000 and preached in the books of Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly and others. The new faith has been embraced by computer nerds, slacker students, 30-something capitalists, hip academics, futurist bureaucrats and even the President of the USA himself. As usual, Europeans have not been slow to copy the latest fashion from America. While a recent EU report recommended adopting the Californian free enterprise model to build the 'infobahn', cutting-edge artists and academics have been championing the 'post-human' philosophy developed by the West Coast's Extropian cult. With no obvious opponents, the global dominance of the Californian ideology appears to be complete." [Excerpt: Grayfolded] The Warlocks' first gig with Phil Lesh on bass was on June the 18th 1965, at a club called Frenchy's with a teenage clientele. Lesh thought his playing had been wooden and it wasn't a good gig, and apparently the management of Frenchy's agreed -- they were meant to play a second night there, but turned up to be told they'd been replaced by a band with an accordion and clarinet. But by September the group had managed to get themselves a residency at a small bar named the In Room, and playing there every night made them cohere. They were at this point playing the kind of sets that bar bands everywhere play to this day, though at the time the songs they were playing, like "Gloria" by Them and "In the Midnight Hour", were the most contemporary of hits. Another song that they introduced into their repertoire was "Do You Believe in Magic" by the Lovin' Spoonful, another band which had grown up out of former jug band musicians. As well as playing their own sets, they were also the house band at The In Room and as such had to back various touring artists who were the headline acts. The first act they had to back up was Cornell Gunter's version of the Coasters. Gunter had brought his own guitarist along as musical director, and for the first show Weir sat in the audience watching the show and learning the parts, staring intently at this musical director's playing. After seeing that, Weir's playing was changed, because he also picked up how the guitarist was guiding the band while playing, the small cues that a musical director will use to steer the musicians in the right direction. Weir started doing these things himself when he was singing lead -- Pig Pen was the frontman but everyone except Bill sang sometimes -- and the group soon found that rather than Garcia being the sole leader, now whoever was the lead singer for the song was the de facto conductor as well. By this point, the Bay Area was getting almost overrun with people forming electric guitar bands, as every major urban area in America was. Some of the bands were even having hits already -- We Five had had a number three hit with "You Were On My Mind", a song which had originally been performed by the folk duo Ian and Sylvia: [Excerpt: We Five, "You Were On My Mind"] Although the band that was most highly regarded on the scene, the Charlatans, was having problems with the various record companies they tried to get signed to, and didn't end up making a record until 1969. If tracks like "Number One" had been released in 1965 when they were recorded, the history of the San Francisco music scene may have taken a very different turn: [Excerpt: The Charlatans, "Number One"] Bands like Jefferson Airplane, the Great Society, and Big Brother and the Holding Company were also forming, and Autumn Records was having a run of success with records by the Beau Brummels, whose records were produced by Autumn's in-house A&R man, Sly Stone: [Excerpt: The Beau Brummels, "Laugh Laugh"] The Warlocks were somewhat cut off from this, playing in a dive bar whose clientele was mostly depressed alcoholics. But the fact that they were playing every night for an audience that didn't care much gave them freedom, and they used that freedom to improvise. Both Lesh and Garcia were big fans of John Coltrane, and they started to take lessons from his style of playing. When the group played "Gloria" or "Midnight Hour" or whatever, they started to extend the songs and give themselves long instrumental passages for soloing. Garcia's playing wasn't influenced *harmonically* by Coltrane -- in fact Garcia was always a rather harmonically simple player. He'd tend to play lead lines either in Mixolydian mode, which is one of the most standard modes in rock, pop, blues, and jazz, or he'd play the notes of the chord that was being played, so if the band were playing a G chord his lead would emphasise the notes G, B, and D. But what he was influenced by was Coltrane's tendency to improvise in long, complex, phrases that made up a single thought -- Coltrane was thinking musically in paragraphs, rather than sentences, and Garcia started to try the same kind of th

Veteran ER doctor Thomas Fisher's new book describes his experiences in the first year of the Covid pandemic treating patients on Chicago's South Side. He never had enough time or resources for his needy patients before the pandemic, but 2020 brought COVID and a wave of gun violence that stressed patients, doctors and staff in new ways. His new book is The Emergency.Also John Powers reviews the new Apple TV series Pachinko, based on the best-selling novel by Korean American author Min Jin Lee, and Kevin Whitehead reviews an album by Cecil Taylor.