Neptunian Maximalism
There are a lot of different ways you can combine jazz and metal (and avant-garde noise) to create something more powerful than any one of those elements on its own. Kevin Martin, best known these days...
View ArticleBrotzmann Roundup
The indefatigable Peter Brötzmann has been a favored subject of this site since its inception. Many of his albums have been discussed here over the past ten years, and he was the subject of episode 49...
View ArticleSopko Laswell Sorey
Ohio-based guitarist Mike Sopko should be better known than he is. He’s recorded a wide variety of music, from acoustic singer-songwriter material to jazz, improv, and even avant-garde metal. He’s...
View ArticleSly & Robbie
Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare are one of the most prolific and widely recorded rhythm sections in music history. For over 40 years, they’ve been heard on records by virtually every...
View ArticleBA Podcast 75: Bob Stewart
The latest episode of the Burning Ambulance podcast is out now. It features an interview with tuba player Bob Stewart. Here are three ways to listen: Osiris // Apple // Spotify I have said all season...
View ArticleBA Podcast 76: Adam Rudolph
The latest episode of the Burning Ambulance podcast is out now, featuring an interview with percussionist and Go! Organic Orchestra leader Adam Rudolph. In previous episodes, we’ve talked about what...
View ArticlePharoah
I almost interviewed Pharoah Sanders once. Derek Walmsley, my editor at The Wire, asked me to try and set up a conversation in mid-2014. I didn’t know if Sanders had a manager or a publicist or any...
View ArticleHoly Tongue
Mark Stewart died last month at 62. I didn’t know much about him — for example, I was shocked to learn that he was 6’6”. I owned one of his albums, Metatron, when I was in high school. I bought it...
View ArticleThe Brotz & The Gnawa
What does religious music mean to the unbeliever? I’ve spent a significant portion of my life considering this question, and speaking only for myself, the answer varies. I was raised Roman Catholic,...
View ArticlePurple Trap
In case you hadn’t heard, John Zorn (who turned 70 on September 2) has at long last allowed his Tzadik label’s catalog to appear on streaming services like Spotify and Tidal. With close to 1000...
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