Saxophonist Ryan Muncy is at the forefront of new music, collaborating closely with many of today’s most cutting edge composers and ensembles. He received a Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University in 2012 and has been a crucial member of many of today’s most important ensembles such as the International Contemporary Ensemble, Talea, Ensemble Dal Niente, Wet Ink and others. For today’s talk we get into it, discussing all matters sax and Ryan’s work for the past two decades.

James Plotkin is a legend of underground music. Active for the past three decades as a guitarist, composer, producer and mastering engineer, his influence across a broad range of adventurous music cannot be overstated. From his earliest days with Regurgitation to his participation in Khanate, one of the most influential metal bands of the last twenty years, James has been steadily contributing to the language of modern dark music. He is also a lynchpin of the 5049 label, having mastered all but one of our releases. For this talk we go back ton his earliest days in Jersey, hanging out with Morbid Angel as a teenager, making electronic music, mixing and mastering records and a whole lot more. James Plotkin is a first rate artist who deserves serious attention.

Nick Dunston is a talented young bass player who is quickly making a mark on the world of contemporary improvisation and jazz. Raised in New York and educated at the New School, he started at cello at age four and has been playing the bass since a teenager. Not yet out of college, he is already a member of bands led by Marc Ribot, Dave Douglas, Amirtha Kidambi and Tyshawn Sorey. In addition to being a naturally gifted musician, he is also a 2019 Van Lier fellow by way of Roulette Intermedium.

On the verge of releasing his first recording of chamber music, the best dude around, Trevor Dunn, returns to the podcast for a second go-round on the mics. Living in Brooklyn since 2000 Trevor has been a key figure in dozens of projects led by John Zorn, Mike Patton, Erik Friedlander, Kris Davis and many many more. Now at the age of 51, he is embarking on a series of releases of his own projects. For this talk we cover a lot of ground: being a sideman, compositional process, Ornette Coleman, film-scoring, the Fyre Festival and a lot lot more. It’s a good time to be a Trevor Dunn fan.

Chicago based composer/laptop improviser Sam Pluta has been developing a completely personal language for the better part of the past two decades. A professor at the University of Chicago, he has worked closely with Peter Evans, George Lewis, Jeff Snyder and Evan Parker. He is a member of the Wet Ink Ensemble and is a co-founder of Carrier Records. He’s also a really funny and likable guy and today’s talk is a good one.

Born in 1974, Alex Ward is a London based clarinetist and guitarist who got his start in free improvised music when he was eleven years old, playing with Derek Bailey. Over the years he’s worked closely with Steve Noble, Simon H. Fell, Weasel Walter, Pat Thomas and many others. In addition to being a gifted clarinetist, Alex is an accomplished guitarist who has been forging an idiosyncratic language all his own. Most recently he has been touring with This Is Not This Heat, which brought him over the States for a series of shows. Clarinet, guitar, London, improvisation and a whole lot more. Today is a good one!

“Salt” - Oren Ambarchi, Audience of One

“Hive” - Melt-Banana, Fetch

“Optical Inversions” - Milford Graves, Stories

“Manto: Manto I” - Garth Knox, Spectral Viola

“Rothko Chapel 5” - Morton Feldman, Feldman: Rothko Chapel, Why Patterns?

“II” - John McCowen, | OBF 14 |

“Gogo” - John Zorn, Film Works XVII - Notes On Marie Menken

“Mr. Lonely Viola” - Sun City Girls w/ Eyvind Kang, Mister Lonely

“People” - Skeletons, People

“And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind” - Toru Takemitsu, Toward the Sea / Rain Tree / Rain Spell / Bryce

“Snow Falls” - Morton Feldman, Three Voices For Joan La Barbara

“Rosemary's Baby Komeda Composing 1” - Krzysztof Komeda, Rosemary's Baby

“Take A Look At That Baby” - John Fahey, The Best Of John Fahey 1959-1977

“Gogo's Goggles” - Alain Goraguer, Jazz In Paris - Go-go-Goraguer

“Inviolata genitrix / Felix virgo / Contratenor / Ad te suspiramus” - Guillaume de Machaut

“C'est un jardin secret, ma soeur, ma fiancee, une fontaine close, une source scellee” - Garth Knox, Spectral Viola

“Eurotrash Ballade” - Anthony Coleman, Selfhaters

“Death” - Catherine Sikora & Brian Chase, Untitled: After

“Out of Many Waters” - Jeremiah Cymerman, Decay of the Angel

“Taxi Driver (Main Title)” - Bernard Hermann, Original Soundtrack

“Bacchanale” - Richard Maxfield, Oak of the Golden Dreams: Works by Richard Maxfield and Harold Budd

“Waltz Across Texas “ - Ernest Tubb

“Die Tote Aus Der Themse” - Peter Thomas, Filmmusik - Die Original Musik Aus Den Edgar Wallace Und Jerry Cotton Filmen

“La Femme” - Alain Goraguer, La Planète Sauvage (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

“Obombration” - Deathspell Omega, Fas - Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum

“The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep)” - Sunno)))/Boris, Altar

For episode 200, we welcome young bass virtuoso, Henry Fraser, onto the show for lots of good talk about his first few years in New York, his work with the Anthony Coleman Trio, his ongoing collaboration with Sam Weinberg, starting to play electric bass in his twenties, Boston and a whole lot more. Henry is the man and you will be hearing from him for years to come. To kick things off, we go through six years of listener emails to which I am finally getting around to responding. EPISODE 200!!!!

Guitarist Alan Licht has been active across a broad range of activity in the wold of experimental music since the late 80s. Born and raised in Jersey, based in Brooklyn, Alan has been playing guitar since he was a teenager. He’s worked closely with Loren Connors, Lee Ranaldo, Jim O’Rourke and many others. He’s a published author and for many years was the booker for the legendary NYC club Tonic. Alan has stayed very busy over the years and has a perspective all his own, with a lot of stories to tell.

Producer/Sound Alchemist Raz Mesinai has been a vital force across several strains of the New York Underground since the late eighties. Active as a soundtrack composer, DJ, mix engineer, percussionist, educator and more, he’s released records on ROIR, Asphodel, Tzadik and more. Along with Scotty Hard, he started the Underground Producers Alliance, a consortium of creative producers offering courses in music production. This conversation was recorded in Raz’s studio in Brooklyn.