Deep Focus

By Small Media LargeEducation Arts Music Music Commentary

Deep Focus episodes

August 20, 2023 2023.08.07 Steven Bernstein and Scotty Hard on Miles Davis - 2 of 3
You're Miles Davis. It's March of 1970 and you're about to release Bitches Brew, your most incendiary album yet. You have an electric band of young assassins (each of whom will go on to become a legendary bandleader in his own right) and they don't sound like any band anyone has ever heard. You know you've got the goods. You're looking for a new audience for this new sound and you get invited to share a bill with a major rock band at the Fillmore East, THE place where the Woodstock Generation is finding its music. Can you win them over? What do you hit them with?

Slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein and producer/beatmaster Scotty Hard have both been both relentless shatterers of audience expectations and dedicated fans of Miles Davis, particularly in this phase of his career. What happens if we put them in the audience for Miles's first night at the legendary Fillmore East? (and did we mention that it's Wayne Shorter's last gig with Miles?).

Find out Monday (8/7) from 6p to 9p NYC time on Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

Photo credit: Miles Davis - Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. - 1970 by Robert Houston - Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert and Greta Houston.

#WKCR #JazzAlternatives #ScottyHard #StevenBernstein #MitchGoldman #DeepFocus #MilesDavis #JazzRockFusion #FillmoreEast #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #BitchesBrew
1 hr 20 min
August 13, 2023 2023.08.07 Steven Bernstein and Scotty Hard on Miles Davis - 1 of 3
You're Miles Davis. It's March of 1970 and you're about to release Bitches Brew, your most incendiary album yet. You have an electric band of young assassins (each of whom will go on to become a legendary bandleader in his own right) and they don't sound like any band anyone has ever heard. You know you've got the goods. You're looking for a new audience for this new sound and you get invited to share a bill with a major rock band at the Fillmore East, THE place where the Woodstock Generation is finding its music. Can you win them over? What do you hit them with?

Slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein and producer/beatmaster Scotty Hard have both been both relentless shatterers of audience expectations and dedicated fans of Miles Davis, particularly in this phase of his career. What happens if we put them in the audience for Miles's first night at the legendary Fillmore East? (and did we mention that it's Wayne Shorter's last gig with Miles?).

Find out Monday (8/7) from 6p to 9p NYC time on Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

Photo credit: Miles Davis - Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. - 1970 by Robert Houston - Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert and Greta Houston.

#WKCR #JazzAlternatives #ScottyHard #StevenBernstein #MitchGoldman #DeepFocus #MilesDavis #JazzRockFusion #FillmoreEast #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #BitchesBrew
1 hr 5 min
August 10, 2023 2023.07.24 Ahmed Abdullah on Sun Ra, Abbey Lincoln - 3 of 3
The future that Sun Ra sang of has arrived in so many ways. No one knows this better than the musicians who made the music with him. Ahmed Abdullah was part of Sun Ra's Arkestra for more than 20 years and his insights about that time could fill a book. In fact, they have. "A Strange Celestial Road" is newly released and Ahmed joins host Mitch Goldman to discuss it on this week's Deep Focus.

Monday night 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and wkcr.org. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

Special bonus: Tuesday 7/25 at 7pm Mitch Goldman interviews Ahmed Abdullah about "A Strange Celestial Road" at Strand Books at 828 Broadway in Greenwich Village. The event is free and open to all.

Photo credit: Sun Ra - Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture - Gift of David D. Spitzer

#WKCR #SunRa #AhmedAbdullah #JazzAlternatives #MitchGoldman #DeepFocus #SunRaArkestra #AStrangeCelestialRoad #BlankForms #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #LoftJazz #FreeJazz
58 min
August 06, 2023 2023.07.24 Ahmed Abdullah on Sun Ra, Abbey Lincoln - 2 of 3
The future that Sun Ra sang of has arrived in so many ways. No one knows this better than the musicians who made the music with him. Ahmed Abdullah was part of Sun Ra's Arkestra for more than 20 years and his insights about that time could fill a book. In fact, they have. "A Strange Celestial Road" is newly released and Ahmed joins host Mitch Goldman to discuss it on this week's Deep Focus.

Monday night 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and wkcr.org. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

Special bonus: Tuesday 7/25 at 7pm Mitch Goldman interviews Ahmed Abdullah about "A Strange Celestial Road" at Strand Books at 828 Broadway in Greenwich Village. The event is free and open to all.

Photo credit: Sun Ra and Mitch Goldman by Andy Hill

#WKCR #SunRa #AhmedAbdullah #JazzAlternatives #MitchGoldman #DeepFocus #SunRaArkestra #AStrangeCelestialRoad #BlankForms #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #LoftJazz #FreeJazz
1 hr 11 min
July 30, 2023 2023.07.24 Ahmed Abdullah and Monique Ngozi Nri on Sun Ra - 1 of 3
The future that Sun Ra sang of has arrived in so many ways. No one knows this better than the musicians who made the music with him. Ahmed Abdullah was part of Sun Ra's Arkestra for more than 20 years and his insights about that time could fill a book. In fact, they have. "A Strange Celestial Road" is newly released and Ahmed joins host Mitch Goldman to discuss it on this week's Deep Focus.

Monday night 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and wkcr.org. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

Special bonus: Tuesday 7/25 at 7pm Mitch Goldman interviews Ahmed Abdullah about "A Strange Celestial Road" at Strand Books at 828 Broadway in Greenwich Village. The event is free and open to all.

Photo credit: Sun Ra - Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture - Gift of David D. Spitzer

#WKCR #SunRa #AhmedAbdullah #JazzAlternatives #MitchGoldman #DeepFocus #SunRaArkestra #AStrangeCelestialRoad #BlankForms #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #LoftJazz #FreeJazz
1 hr 9 min
July 27, 2023 2023.07.10 William Hooker on Joseph Jarman - 3 of 3
Who was Joseph Jarman? A shaman? A conjurer? A Buddhist priest? A poet? An Aikido sensei? In the words of his fellow member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Lester Bowie, "Well, I guess that all depends on, ah, what you know." We know that in the universe of this music, which thrives on original thinking, few ranged as far and as free as Jarman. He brought us songs and stories, large-scale compositions, movement, theatricality, costumes and confrontation, along with collaborations and improvisations on every member of the woodwind family (as well as those "little instruments"). With Jarman, walls turned into windows, windows into doors, and those doors flew off their hinges. So what's out there on the other side?

Is it any surprise that William Hooker is summoning Jarman for this week's Deep Focus? An improvising drummer who puts all his food on the same plate, composing spontaneously for silent films, collaborating with DJs and rockers, exploring architecture and futurism and tribal traditions... hungry for the world. No, this one is gonna fly like hot lava from a volcano.

This Monday (7/10) from 6p to 9p on WKCR 89.9FM and WKCR-HD in NYC, wkcr.org on the web. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

#WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #WilliamHooker #JosephJarman #AEC #AECo #ArtEnsembleofChicago #JazzRadio #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast

Photo credit: fair use.
53 min
July 24, 2023 2023.07.10 William Hooker on Joseph Jarman - 2 of 3
Who was Joseph Jarman? A shaman? A conjurer? A Buddhist priest? A poet? An Aikido sensei? In the words of his fellow member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Lester Bowie, "Well, I guess that all depends on, ah, what you know." We know that in the universe of this music, which thrives on original thinking, few ranged as far and as free as Jarman. He brought us songs and stories, large-scale compositions, movement, theatricality, costumes and confrontation, along with collaborations and improvisations on every member of the woodwind family (as well as those "little instruments"). With Jarman, walls turned into windows, windows into doors, and those doors flew off their hinges. So what's out there on the other side?

Is it any surprise that William Hooker is summoning Jarman for this week's Deep Focus? An improvising drummer who puts all his food on the same plate, composing spontaneously for silent films, collaborating with DJs and rockers, exploring architecture and futurism and tribal traditions... hungry for the world. No, this one is gonna fly like hot lava from a volcano.

This Monday (7/10) from 6p to 9p on WKCR 89.9FM and WKCR-HD in NYC, wkcr.org on the web. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

#WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #WilliamHooker #JosephJarman #AEC #AECo #ArtEnsembleofChicago #JazzRadio #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast

Photo credit: fair use.
1 hr 3 min
July 19, 2023 2023.07.10 William Hooker on Joseph Jarman - 1of 3
Who was Joseph Jarman? A shaman? A conjurer? A Buddhist priest? A poet? An Aikido sensei? In the words of his fellow member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Lester Bowie, "Well, I guess that all depends on, ah, what you know." We know that in the universe of this music, which thrives on original thinking, few ranged as far and as free as Jarman. He brought us songs and stories, large-scale compositions, movement, theatricality, costumes and confrontation, along with collaborations and improvisations on every member of the woodwind family (as well as those "little instruments"). With Jarman, walls turned into windows, windows into doors, and those doors flew off their hinges. So what's out there on the other side?

Is it any surprise that William Hooker is summoning Jarman for this week's Deep Focus? An improvising drummer who puts all his food on the same plate, composing spontaneously for silent films, collaborating with DJs and rockers, exploring architecture and futurism and tribal traditions... hungry for the world. No, this one is gonna fly like hot lava from a volcano.

This Monday (7/10) from 6p to 9p on WKCR 89.9FM and WKCR-HD in NYC, wkcr.org on the web. Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

#WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #WilliamHooker #JosephJarman #AEC #AECo #ArtEnsembleofChicago #JazzRadio #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast

Photo credit: fair use.
1 hr 10 min
July 02, 2023 2023.06.12 Vijay Iyer on McCoy Tyner - 3 of 3
Yes, I am starting to see the pattern! Vijay Iyer has joined Mitch Goldman for Deep Focus programs on Andrew Hill, Thelonious Monk, and Geri Allen. This Monday the lens turns to McCoy Tyner. Do you see what I see?

You will this Monday night from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and wkcr.org.

Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

Photo credit: Mccoy Tyner 1973_gh Copyright 1973 Gisle Hannemyr - licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

#WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #VijayIyer #McCoyTyner #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast
59 min
June 29, 2023 2023.06.12 Vijay Iyer on McCoy Tyner - 2 of 3
Yes, I am starting to see the pattern! Vijay Iyer has joined Mitch Goldman for Deep Focus programs on Andrew Hill, Thelonious Monk, and Geri Allen. This Monday the lens turns to McCoy Tyner. Do you see what I see?

You will this Monday night from 6p to 9p NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and wkcr.org.

Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/

Photo credit: McCoy Tyner - Keystone Korner 1981 - Photo by Brian McMillen - This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

#WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #VijayIyer #McCoyTyner #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast
58 min