The music of hunger: how much soul can you squeeze out of a string and a piece of wood or a hunk of metal? It’s one of the great questions of the music and no one has given a more satisfying answer than Nana Vasconcelos, the brilliant Brazilian percussionist. What a privilege to have bassist Henry Schroy and Brazilian singer/songwriter Negro Leo put unheard recordings of Nana in Deep Focus on Nana's birthday anniversary. 

#WKCR #DeepFocus #MitchGoldman #NanaVasconcelos #NegroLeo #HenrySchroy #BrasilianMusic #Berimbau

The music of hunger: how much soul can you squeeze out of a string and a piece of wood or a hunk of metal? It’s one of the great questions of the music and no one has given a more satisfying answer than Nana Vasconcelos, the brilliant Brazilian percussionist. What a privilege to have bassist Henry Schroy and Brazilian singer/songwriter Negro Leo put unheard recordings of Nana in Deep Focus on Nana's birthday anniversary. 

#WKCR #DeepFocus #MitchGoldman #NanaVasconcelos #NegroLeo #HenrySchroy #BrasilianMusic #Berimbau

How is it possible for the hitting of a drum to convey a sense of awe? A feeling of absolute splendor? A state of moral conviction? An awareness of human possibility, of self-liberation? Plenty of people play drums but few inspire these feelings as Elvin Jones does. And few have made as close a study of Elvin as fellow drummer/conceptualist William Hooker.

How is it possible for the hitting of a drum to convey a sense of awe? A feeling of absolute splendor? A state of moral conviction? An awareness of human possibility, of self-liberation? Plenty of people play drums but few inspire these feelings as Elvin Jones does. And few have made as close a study of Elvin as fellow drummer/conceptualist William Hooker.

How is it possible for the hitting of a drum to convey a sense of awe? A feeling of absolute splendor? A state of moral conviction? An awareness of human possibility, of self-liberation? Plenty of people play drums but few inspire these feelings as Elvin Jones does. And few have made as close a study of Elvin as fellow drummer/conceptualist William Hooker.

When musicians talk about their "influences," it's not always about a harmonic or rhythmic choice that another musician made. Sometimes it's their life choices, the stories they tell and the way they tell them. This is the bond between bassist Jack Bruce and our guest on this Deep Focus from 2014, guitarist Vernon Reid.

When musicians talk about their "influences," it's not always about a harmonic or rhythmic choice that another musician made. Sometimes it's their life choices, the stories they tell and the way they tell them. This is the bond between bassist Jack Bruce and our guest on this Deep Focus from 2014, guitarist Vernon Reid.

When musicians talk about their "influences," it's not always about a harmonic or rhythmic choice that another musician made. Sometimes it's their life choices, the stories they tell and the way they tell them. This is the bond between bassist Jack Bruce and our guest on this Deep Focus from 2014, guitarist Vernon Reid.

Since Sun Ra left the planet in 1993, his star just seems to continue to brighten. Not only do his musical ideas grow in relevance but his Afro-Futuristic vision and even his DIY business ethos gain currency. If only we knew someone who was an active participant in his bands in the Seventies and Eighties, maybe even someone who traveled to FESTAC 1977 in Nigeria with Sun Ra and has first-hand stories of Fela Kuti and the truth of the Space Chord. Imagine what we might discover! Hmmm...

Yes, trombonist/bandleader Craig Harris joins Mitch Goldman for a Deep Focus on Sun Ra from 2015, featuring previously unheard live solar flares from the WKCR archives. 

#WKCR #JazzAlternatives #MitchGoldman #DeepFocus #craigharris #SunRa #JazzRadio #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #spaceistheplace

Photo credit: Mundi-Joe Tilburg, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Since Sun Ra left the planet in 1993, his star just seems to continue to brighten. Not only do his musical ideas grow in relevance but his Afro-Futuristic vision and even his DIY business ethos gain currency. If only we knew someone who was an active participant in his bands in the Seventies and Eighties, maybe even someone who traveled to FESTAC 1977 in Nigeria with Sun Ra and has first-hand stories of Fela Kuti and the truth of the Space Chord. Imagine what we might discover! Hmmm...

Sun Ra - Impulse!, ABC/Dunhill Records - Photographer uncredited most likely Francis Ing who is credited on Astro Black ., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons