Today’s guest on The Music Folder is Gavin Bryars, one of the most significant post‑minimalist composers to emerge from the British music scene in the late 1960s and ’70s. With a philosophy degree and a background as double bassist in jazz ensembles, Bryars has explored free improvisation, minimalism, the avant‑garde, and experimental music. His catalog spans more than 50 years, from the seminal The Sinking of the Titanic (1969) and Jesus’s Blood Never Failed Me Yet (1971) to the more recent trio Altissima Luce, a work created to support struggling musicians during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns.

For our new episode, Gavin Bryars is interviewed by musicologist and media historian Veniero Rizzardi. Together, they talk about the composer’s formative years in the experimental British music scene, charting his transition from free jazz improvisation to experimental composition under the influence of John Cage and Morton Feldman. A central focus is the origin and evolution of Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, its use of found audio, its emotional impact, and the significance of its 1993 re-recording with Tom Waits. Bryars also shares personal anecdotes about Cage and Feldman’s generosity, his experiences performing with Steve Reich, and the shifting perception of avant-garde music.

Interview by Veniero Rizzardi, 28/12/2021.

The Music Folder is a talk-series, curated by Archivio Storico Ricordi, which investigates the intersection of music, memory, and arts.