Billy Polo: Audio Engineer as Archaeologist

Fresh from sessions for Trio of Bloom, the Wilco guitarist reflects on working with Craig Taborn and Marcus Gilmore for the first time, reconciling insecurity with ambition, and why comfort might be creativity's biggest enemy.

The bassist behind the chordless trio album ‘Strange ‘Heavens reflects on studying Dave Holland's transcriptions, competing as a Thelonious Monk semifinalist, and learning to be comfortable with her own sound rather than imitating her heroes.

From Mexican marimba traditions to astronomy-guided composition, the vibraphonist explains how her album 'Of The Near And Far' maps constellations onto the circle of fifths to generate raw material for genre-defying new work.

Five Grammys and a working museum of tape machines later, Osiris Studio's Michael Graves reflects on the ethics of restoration, the problem of artist intent, and why the work never stops surprising him.

From a Detroit high school full of concert grand harps to the experimental clubs of the East Village, Parkins traces the unlikely path that made her one of the most restless instrumentalists in contemporary music.

Claire Devlin and Eli Davidovici of Bellbird talk about the bird whose recorded cry became the foundation of 'The Call', the chordless sound that defines the quartet, and the political commitments embedded in the music.