Journal
- Friday, November 22, 2024
The Way Out of Easy, the first album from guitarist Jeff Parker and his long-running ETA IVtet—saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss, drummer Jay Bellerose—since their 2022 debut Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy, which Pitchfork named one of the Best Albums of the 2020s So Far, is out now on International Anthem / Nonesuch Records. Like that album, The Way Out of Easy comprises recordings from LA venue ETA, where Parker and the ensemble held a weekly residency for seven years. During that time, the ETA IVtet evolved from a band that played mostly standards into a group known for its transcendent, long-form journeys into innovative, groove-oriented improvised music. All four tracks on The Way Out of Easy come from a single night in 2023, providing an unfiltered view of the ensemble, fully in their element.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News
- Friday, October 28, 2022
Makaya McCraven concludes his North American fall tour in Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Richard Goode performs Beethoven at London's Wigmore Hall. Kronos Quartet celebrates Philip Glass’s 85th birthday in the Rainbow Room in NYC. Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade perform at Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. Chris Thile is in Lyon and Luxembourg. Molly Tuttle, Golden Highway celebrate Halloween in Florida.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend EventsFriday, October 28, 2022“You want to talk about amazing live musicians: the guest on today’s show, Chris Thile,” guitarist Cory Wong says of the guest on the latest episode of his Premier Guitar podcast Wong Notes. “Oh my gosh, this dude is insane. One of my absolute favorite musicians of all time. One of my favorite musicians to ever play with. One of my favorite thinkers, creative minds. This guy is incredible.” You can hear their conversation here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On Tour, PodcastThursday, October 27, 2022The Magnetic Fields will tour the US next spring following a four-city tour of Latin America this December. The band closes out 2022 with concerts in Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina. The spring run of US shows starts with two nights in Denver, March 17 and 18, followed by dates in Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Austin, St. Louis (two nights), Cleveland, and Pittsburgh (two nights), culminating at City Winery Hudson Valley on April 3.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On TourTuesday, October 25, 2022Rhiannon Giddens was on NPR’s All Things Considered to discuss her book debut, Build a House, and her song that inspired it. The illustrated book, out now on Candlewick Press, was inspired by, and features the lyrics of, a song she wrote and recorded with Yo-Yo Ma to commemorate Juneteenth in 2020. Both the book and song tell the story of an enslaved family that will not be moved, and the music that sustains them. You can hear what Giddens told NPR’s Ailsa Chang about it here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, RadioMonday, October 24, 2022Tyondai Braxton has shared a preview video of the first studio recording of Telekinesis—an eighty-seven-piece work for electric guitars, orchestra, choir and electronics—due November 11 on New Amsterdam / Nonesuch Records. The album features the Metropolis Ensemble conducted by Andrew Cyr, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus conducted by Dianne Berkun Menaker, and chamber choir The Crossing conducted by Donald Nally.
Journal Topics: Artist NewsFriday, October 21, 2022Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Brian Blade begin their European tour in Switzerland, Germany, and Luxembourg. Sam Amidon, Marc Ribot are in Newport and NYC. Timo Andres celebrates Ingram Marshall in NYC. Joachim Cooder performs the Dead in Vancouver. Emmylou Harris is in Texas. Kronos Quartet is in Irvine CA. Makaya McCraven plays in Portland and San Francisco. Cécile McLorin Salvant tours France and Spain. Caroline Shaw, Roomful of Teeth join NY Phil at David Geffen Hall. Chris Thile is in Budapest and Vienna. Molly Tuttle returns to Grass Valley, CA.
Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend EventsFriday, October 21, 2022Laurie Anderson is the guest on the latest episode of the new CNN podcast All There Is with Anderson Cooper, a personal exploration of loss and grief. On the new episode, Anderson reflects on the death of her husband Lou Reed. They also discuss her 2015 film Heart of a Dog, a personal essay on joy and heartbreak and remembering and forgetting, which she made following the death of her beloved dog Lolabelle. You can hear their conversation here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, PodcastThursday, October 20, 2022Guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson has released a video of her performing her song "Night Shift" live with a newly formed sextet of master improvisers—Patricia Brennan on vibraphone, Nick Dunston on bass, Tomas Fujiwara on drums, Jacob Garchik on trombone, and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet—at Roulette in Brooklyn on September 8, 2021. The performance took place just three days before the musicians recorded the piece for Amaryllis, one of Halvorson’s two Nonesuch debut albums, along with Belladonna, released this past May. You can watch it here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, VideoTuesday, October 18, 2022Tom Skinner has released “The Journey,” the latest single from his forthcoming new album, Voices of Bishara, out November 4, as well as a live performance video of the track, featuring himself on drums and percussion, Tom Herbert on acoustic bass, Kareem Dayes on cello, Chelsea Carmichael and Robert Stillman on tenor saxophone, and Paul Camo on samples. You can hear the new song and watch the video, filmed last month at St. Luke’s Church in West Holloway, London, here.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News, VideoMonday, October 17, 2022"A lot of the music I write, I write at the piano first," Makaya McCraven tells WBUR's Here & Now in a chat with producer Chris Bentley about his new album, In These Times. "But then also sometimes I am writing in more technological ways, where I might be sampling myself or something that happened. And then it's like, 'how do I put this all together? How do I make it cohesive?' And then that becomes a hurdle, and the hurdle becomes a space for me to become creative." You can hear their conversation here. McCraven is now touring the US, with shows in Colorado, Oregon, California, Washington, and New Mexico through October.
Journal Topics: Artist News, RadioFriday, October 14, 2022The Blue Hour, a song cycle collaboration among composers Rachel Grimes, Angélica Negrón, Shara Nova, Caroline Shaw, and Sarah Kirkland Snider, is out now on New Amsterdam / Nonesuch Records. The piece was commissioned and performed by the chamber orchestra A Far Cry, who are joined by singer Shara Nova. Set to excerpts from Carolyn Forché’s epic poem On Earth, the music follows one woman’s journey through the liminal space between life and death via thousands of hallucinatory and non-linear images. You can take a quick look inside the album here.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News, VideoFriday, October 14, 2022Rhiannon Giddens is joined by Allison Russell in conversation in Hartford then kicks off her Carnegie Hall Perspectives series in Weill Recital Hall with Francesco Turrisi. John Adams is performed by NY Phil in David Geffen Hall and by Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The Black Keys are in Houston. Jeremy Denk plays Brahms with Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. Gabriel Kahane joins St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Kronos Quartet is in Oakland. Mariza sings at SFJAZZ. Makaya McCraven kicks off his tour in Vancouver. Punch Brothers play festivals in Georgia and Florida. Cécile McLorin Salvant is in France and Belgium. Vagabon is in Toronto and joins Jason Isbell at the Ryman in Nashville.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On Tour