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PODCAST

Spotlight On

Lawrence Peryer

The musicians, writers, innovators and ideas shaping media, entertainment, and culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All Episodes

50:51

Gordon Grdina: the axe man cutting down borders

Spotlight On ·

2024/09/05

Today, the Spotlight shines On JUNO Award-winning oud player and guitarist Gordon Grdina.Gordon’s work defies limitations, be they geographical, distance, time, or genre. He incorporates avant-garde jazz, free improvisation, indie rock, and Arabic tradition into his music.So much music, so many collaborators, and so much ground to cover in our talk. We made the most of our time together, exploring projects, processes, the fusion of musical traditions, appropriation, authenticity, and more.If you are

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54:30

Steve Wynn: a music and memoir grand slam

Spotlight On ·

2024/08/29

Today, the Spotlight shines On trailblazing songwriter and now memoiristSteve Wynn.Steve first hit public consciousness in the early 1980s with his bandThe Dream Syndicate, frequently mentioned in the same breath as REM and The Replacements as the pioneers of American indie rock.The Dream Syndicate’s initial run did not outlast the decade that birthed them, but Steve’s career did, with over 30 years of solo albums and collaborations to his credit—including a relaunched Dream Syndicate in the early

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49:55

Graham Reynolds: soundtrack virtuoso takes center stage

Spotlight On ·

2024/08/22

Today, the Spotlight shines On the acclaimed and intriguing composer, bandleader, and improviserGraham Reynolds.The Austin-based Reynolds has composed for countless film, television, dance, and theatrical productions, serving most notably as the sonic collaborator of director Richard Linklater. He is also Artistic Director of the new music-focused non-profit Golden Hornet.Graham joined me on the occasion of his solo release from earlier this year,Music for Prophet (Parts 1–4), onFire Records. We

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44:09

Satoko Fujii: composing beyond the jazz spirit

Spotlight On ·

2024/08/15

Today, the Spotlight shines On pianist and composerSatoko Fujii, an incredibly unique and prolific artist.Satoko works at the intersection of jazz, contemporary classical, rock, and traditional Japanese music, composing for ensembles of many sizes and configurations. However, she is especially adept with the jazz orchestra format. For all of her efforts, Satoko is widely decorated as an improviser, composer, arranger, and band leader.Satoko has released over 100 albums as leader or co-leader, at a

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43:47

David J: unearthing tracks from the attic

Spotlight On ·

2024/08/08

Today, the Spotlight shines On the musician and producer David John Haskins, better known to the world asDavid J, bassist and co-founder of both post-punk goth band Bauhaus and, subsequently, Love and Rockets.As if having such a luminary visiting our podcast isn’t enough, today’s talk is guest-hosted by Spotlight On producer Michael Donaldson, who filled in for me for this and another special episode we will tell you about soon.David came by to talk aboutTracks from the Attic(released onIndependent

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45:23

Ches Smith & Shara Lunon: dismantling musical...

Spotlight On ·

2024/08/01

Today, the Spotlight was meant to shine On drummer, percussionist, and composerChes Smith, whose albumLaugh Ashwas released earlier this year onPyroclastic Records. As we arranged to get together, Ches suggested we includeShara Lunon, the transdisciplinary poet, vocalist, composer, and improviser featured on the album.Laugh Ashis one of the most intriguing records I have encountered in quite some time, with its mix of form and improvisation, acoustic and synthetic, quiet and explosiveness.In

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1:20:03

Live at The Royal Room: improvisation in music and life

Spotlight On ·

2024/07/25

Today’s episode is a recording of our recent live event, which took place at The Royal Room in Seattle, WA, on June 22, 2024. The event, Improvisation in Music and Life, featured me in conversation with and performances by James Falzone’s Division Ensemble.The Division Ensemble is a group of master improvisers that includes James Falzone on clarinet, Ray Larsen on trumpet, Wayne Horvitz on piano, Abbey Blackwell on bass, and Rocky Martin on drums.During the live show, we explored the nature of

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44:52

Riccardo La Foresta: drumming without drumming

Spotlight On ·

2024/07/18

Today, the Spotlight shines On Modena, Italy-based sound artist and percussionistRiccardo La Foresta.Riccardo has spent the last several years exploring the Drummophone—an array of bass drums that create sound by being confronted with compressed air and which, in turn, produce complex acoustic drones. By combining the Drummophone with other electro-acoustic devices and changes in the air pressure in the room where it is set up, a generative system results, one that can create endless possibilities

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46:19

Janek van Laak: drumming up a circle of madness

Spotlight On ·

2024/07/11

Today, the Spotlight shines On Berlin-based drummer, composer, and producerJanek van Laak.Janek grew up in post-reunification Berlin which gave birth to a vibrant culture of music and art. He joined me earlier this year, around theSonar Kollektivrelease of his debut solo album,Circle Of Madness, a work that makes me glad I do not own a record store because I have no idea where I would file it. That said, it might not get filed at all because it would be playing all day.Listeners will find jazz,

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51:42

Bill Anschell: unearthing jazz's improbable solutions

Spotlight On ·

2024/07/04

Today, the Spotlight shines On Seattle pianist and composer Bill Anschell.We’ve had award winners of all types on the podcast, but as far as I can remember, Bill is the first to have won an award for humor: in 2014, Bill was the winner of the inaugural Paul Desmond Award, the website All About Jazz’s celebration of the funniest jazz artists. We get to that and his satirical essay, “Careers in Jazz,” which is the all-time most-read piece on All About Jazz.As a much younger man, Bill left Seattle to

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39:33

Ruiqi Wang: subduing the silence with vocal...

Spotlight On ·

2024/06/27

Today, the Spotlight shines On vocalist, composer, and improviser 王睿琪 Ruiqi Wang (pronounced as “Ray-Chee Wong”).Ruiqi Wang creates stunning experimental music, combining influences from jazz, contemporary Euro-classical music, and traditional Chinese music.Ruiqi Wang joined me earlier this year on the heels of the release of her debut album, Subduing the Silence, out through Orchard of Pomegranates. This profound, 36-minute album boasts an all-female cast of collaborators and expresses a musical

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48:47

Paul Chastain: The Small Square's big sounds

Spotlight On ·

2024/06/20

Today, the Spotlight shines On singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Paul Chastain.Paul is one half of the duo The Small Square, with drummer, percussionist, and vocalist John Louis Richardson. He is also a songwriter for and co-founder of the group Velvet Crush and has worked with Matthew Sweet, Roger McGuinn, Susanna Hoffs, the late Tommy Keene, and many others.Paul and John released the second record from The Small Square, Ours & Others, on Farm to Label Records in October 2023. While

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57:24

Jeff Slate: tales from a rock 'n' roll troubadour

Spotlight On ·

2024/06/13

Today, the Spotlight shines On musician, songwriter, journalist, and returning guest, Jeff Slate.Jeff joined us about two years ago and while that discussion was more focused on his work as a writer and cultural observer, this talk focuses on his music career.Based in New York City, Jeff has traveled quite an interesting road from his roots in the mid-80s post-punk world to rubbing shoulders and working with luminaries like Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Pete Townshend, Roger McGuinn, Jeff Tweedy,

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48:08

Katie Ernst: bass notes and murder ballads

Spotlight On ·

2024/06/06

Today, the Spotlight shines On bassist and vocalist Katie Ernst. In addition to many other things, Katie is one half of the duo Wayfaring with last week’s guest James Falzone.Katie is also co-leader of the Chicago-based jazz trio Twin Talk, and the indie rock band Edith Judith, and has garnered much acclaim for her Dorothy Parker poetry song cycle Little Words, which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.Katie is a working musician, performing as part of many jazz and improvised music

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1:33:29

James Falzone: joyful noise from the pain stick

Spotlight On ·

2024/05/30

Today, the Spotlight shines on clarinetist, penny whistle player, composer, improviser, and educator James Falzone.James and I have been collaborating on an upcoming live event, Improvisation in Music and Life, taking place on June 22 at the Royal Room in Seattle. This will be a unique program of performance and conversation between me and the five-piece James Falzone Division Ensemble. We will explore the nature of improvisation in music and how its principles can be useful in all aspects of life,

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1:06:20

Francesco Crosara: jazz journeys from Rome to Seattle

Spotlight On ·

2024/05/23

Today, the Spotlight shines on jazz pianist, composer, and educator Francesco Crosara.Francesco was born and raised in Rome, Italy, where both jazz and classical music came into his life early on, particularly through his mother, the influential jazz singer, broadcaster, and educator Lilian Terry. Lilian presented many of the most important names in American jazz, and some—like Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Chick Corea, and Dizzy Gillespie—influenced young Francesco’s artistic growth.We spoke in early

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52:28

Kavita Shah: embracing the saudade of Cape Verde

Spotlight On ·

2024/05/16

Today, the Spotlight shines On award-winning vocalist, composer, ethnomusicology researcher, and educator Kavita Shah.Kavita’s work sits at the intersection of modern jazz, new creative music, and world traditions. The impetus for her visit today was her 2023 tribute to African legend Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean Blues (2023). We discuss that music as well as her personal experiences as a lifelong New Yorker of Indian origin, her work as an advocate for gender and racial equity in the arts, and

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1:00:27

R.U. Sirius: inside the mind of a cyberdelic shaman

Spotlight On ·

2024/05/09

Today, the Spotlight shines On legendary writer, vocalist and digital culture commentator, Ken Goffman, better known as R.U. Sirius.Most will know R.U. from his time as co-publisher and editor-in-chief of the 1990s cyberpunk magazine MONDO 2000. MONDO covered topics like transhumanism, virtual reality and smart drugs at a time when these things offered hope for a better or at least more interesting world, though the editorial tone always subversively poked at the soft white underbelly of

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55:11

Markus Reuter: recording music across space and time

Spotlight On ·

2024/05/02

Today, the Spotlight shines On returning guest, the innovative musician and composer Markus Reuter.Markus originally joined us for Episode 130 back in November 2022. He joins us now to discuss his project Sea of Hopeless Angels (Unsung Records), which began as several unedited studio solo improvisations by Markus on his electric touch guitar. Those recordings were turned over to mixer Stefano Castagna, whose sonic wizardry included not only mixing but fully collaborating with the recordings, adding

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1:00:56

Hainbach: crafting soundscapes from forgotten relics

Spotlight On ·

2024/04/25

Today, the Spotlight shines On Berlin-based electronic music composer and performer Hainbach.I have come to view Hainbach as much an archeologist or audio specimen collector as he is a musician. While he makes beautiful music and soundscapes, they are often showcase pieces for the devices he works on, which include not only vintage and rare modular synthesizers but also tape machines, test equipment, and other industrial machinery. A particular highlight of his work is his YouTube channel, where

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277 results

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