Videos

In this clip from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, Steven E. Jones recalls Frank Zappa’s joke that his work had no commercial potential, and Tom Wilson’s support for Zappa despite the music’s obvious difficulty for audiences at the time. Listen in: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/steven-e-jones-tom-wilsons-radically-eclectic-pop-of-1966-everything/ #Shorts #StevenEJones #TomWilson #1966 #BobDylan #FrankZappa…

The literary historian joins us to discuss 'Everything Is Everything,' his book on the Waco-born producer who took Bob Dylan electric, signed Frank Zappa, and stood by Nico while the Velvet Underground pushed her out. ------------------ This week we’re putting The Tonearm’s needle on author Steven E. Jones. His new…

In this clip from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, Koen Holtkamp describes setting aside the looping and layering of his work with Mountains after moving upstate. He spent his new free time listening to West African kora music and guitar soli. Tune in to the conversation: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/koen-holtkamp-modular-plucks-drums-and-horns-after-dark-nightlife-mountains/ #Shorts…

Setting aside the loops and dense layers of his past work, the composer discusses 'Nightlife,' an album that passes for a band until you hear how far apart he kept each player. ------------------ This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on composer Koen Holtkamp. For years, Koen worked as half…

In this excerpt from the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast, Wadada Leo Smith ties the mystery in “Dark Matter, Particles of Light, Mirror of the Unseen” to everything that stays unseen, from the core of the Earth to the organs inside each of us. Don't miss the full conversation:…

In this excerpt from the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast, Wadada Leo Smith says a perfect picture of 'Constellations and Hemispheres' would be made entirely of light, translucent, vibrating, and never still. Hear more of this fascinating conversation: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/wadada-leo-smith-a-trumpeter-composing-in-light-constellations/ #Shorts #WadadaLeoSmith #Trumpet #CreativeMusic #AACM #BurningAmbulance #NewHaven #TheTonearm #Podcast #short

In this clip from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, Wadada Leo Smith describes running out of space for his Ankhrasmation scores and mounting them on his walls. As he walked past them every day, he learned more about them. Tune in to the full conversation: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/wadada-leo-smith-a-trumpeter-composing-in-light-constellations/ #Shorts #WadadaLeoSmith…

The AACM veteran joins us to discuss 'Constellations and Hemispheres,' a record he built like a dub producer from four ensembles, and the color research he asks of every player, kept secret from the rest of the band. ------------------ This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on trumpeter and composer…

In this excerpt from The Tonearm Podcast, composer Midori Hirano describes how she processes non-musical sounds like tables, doors, and footsteps into new material, and how that habit brought the film’s birds and water into her score for The Juniper Tree. Don't miss this fascinating episode: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/midori-hirano-piano-and-synth-that-know-when-to-stop-juniper-tree/ #Shorts #MidoriHirano #TheJuniperTree…

In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, Midori Hirano explains why she steered clear of The Juniper Tree’s traditional orchestral score, at times muting the film to follow the images before turning to its dialogue to shape what she calls “a conversation with the film.” Don't miss the full conversation:…

In this excerpt from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, composer and pianist Midori Hirano describes her live setup for The Juniper Tree, which pairs acoustic piano with synthesizers, and explains why the film called for two sound sources that act as opposites. Tune in to the full conversation:…

The Berlin composer and pianist joins us to discuss 'The Juniper Tree,' her new score for Nietzchka Keene's 1990 film starring Björk, written without the original soundtrack in her ears and pared back by the Japanese idea of ma. ------------------ This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on composer and…

In this excerpt from The Tonearm Podcast, Charlotte Greve describes bringing in Shahzad Ismaily to produce 'Waterbodies' so its range of styles wouldn't sound random, and how one small suggestion from him made a track fall into place. Hear more on the latest episode of our podcast: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/charlotte-greve-everything-she-loves-under-her-own-name/ #Shorts #CharlotteGreve…

In this excerpt from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, saxophonist and singer Charlotte Greve recalls arriving in New York from Berlin, where she'd been pegged as doing "just this one thing," and finding that nobody cared what she did, which freed her to add electronics, start singing, and…

The Brooklyn saxophonist, composer, and singer joins us to discuss 'Waterbodies,' her tenth album, which brings '80s power ballads, an orchestra, and a choir back to the one long saxophone tone where all her music starts. ------------------ This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on saxophonist, composer, and singer Charlotte…

In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, David Perlis says the embers of the Marinaissance still burn in Marin County. He adds that the pipeline that once let young artists move there, work part-time jobs, and learn from an older generation has largely been shut off. Don't miss the full…

In this excerpt from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, author David Perlis tells Lawrence Peryer how writing 'Morning in Marin' made him fall in love with Marin County in a way he had never experienced before. Don't miss the full conversation: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/david-perlis-everything-you-love-is-from-marin/ #Shorts #DavidPerlis #MarinCounty #MorningInMarin #AlanWatts #GratefulDead…

The Marin-born author and former WFMU host joins us to discuss 'Morning in Marin,' his history of how Alan Watts, the Grateful Dead, George Lucas, and Philip K. Dick turned one county north of the Golden Gate into a center of postwar American culture. ------------------ This week we're putting The…

In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, Mark Isham describes his new album, 'At the Carousel Club,' as a set of images, stories, and universes to live in for four to six minutes at a time, with the repeat button as another ride. Don't miss the full conversation: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/mark-isham-analog-machines-and-a-jazzmans-breath-trumpet-carousel/ #Shorts…

In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, Mark Isham tells host Lawrence Peryer that he follows what feels emotionally right rather than expected musical form, and explains why his new album often goes for an about-face, a dramatic bang, or a moment with no emotion at all. Don't miss the…

In this excerpt from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, trumpeter and composer Mark Isham explains why he calls his vintage synth setup "a little untamable beast" and how he values that it produces sounds he wouldn't think of on his own. Don't miss the full conversation: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/mark-isham-analog-machines-and-a-jazzmans-breath-trumpet-carousel/ #Shorts…

The Grammy-winning trumpeter and film composer joins us to discuss 'At the Carousel Club,' his first solo album in 15 years, built from a wall of vintage analog synthesizers and a band featuring Nels Cline and Vinnie Colaiuta. ------------------ This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on trumpeter, composer, and…

In this excerpt from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, legendary record producer Bob Ezrin describes the song as the script for a film and the record as the film itself, built from performances and atmosphere. Don't miss the full conversation: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/bob-ezrin-holding-artists-to-their-own-best-work/ #Shorts #BobEzrin #RecordProducer #MusicProduction #MusicHistory #TheJayhawks #SanctuaryPark…

In this excerpt from The Tonearm Podcast, Bob Ezrin describes mixing the Jayhawks' Sanctuary Park to sound neither too modern nor like a throwback, and treating each record as a task he sets himself and then works to accomplish. Don't miss the full conversation: https://podcast.thetonearm.com/bob-ezrin-holding-artists-to-their-own-best-work/ #Shorts #BobEzrin #RecordProducer #MusicProduction #MusicHistory…