The ProgCast With Gregg Bendian

Percussionist/improvisor Jamie Muir is best known for his incredible work on King Crimson's "Lark Tongues In Aspic." Jamie's "Dart Drug" with Derek Bailey had a huge impact on my idea of sound and improvisation. Today I speak about Jamie's brilliance, and our London hang in the summer of '88. Plus: How I ended up playing Jamie's gear on a Bailey gig, and a very special memento from those heady days. 

Music:

https://www.madeofwater.bandcamp.com 

https://www.greggbendian.bandcamp.com

Violinist/composer Tom Chiu leads the Flux Quartet, a cutting edge quartet from NYC who've taken on the massive 6-hour, "String Qt No.2 by Morton Feldman. Tom has collaborated with Oliver Lake, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Henry Threadgill. Tom and I worked with Ornette Coleman in Ornette's  Harmelodic Chamber Players. We chat about that wild project, Tom's composition, "RETROCON," and more.

Fred Frith has changed the worlds of guitar, guitar sound, rock songs, rock bands, improv, and beyond. We chat about Fred's early years, Henry Cow, Art Bears, Massacre, and Skeleton Crew, plus Captain Beefheart, Derek Bailey, and John Cage come up too.

Composer/harpist/improviser/educator Anne LeBaron and I are old friends and collaborators from the New York improv/new music scene. She is renowned for pioneering extended harp techniques, and electronic enhancements. Anne has covered so much musical ground during career - from early gigs with Derek Bailey,  to composing unique and groundbreaking operas and concert theater. That and much more, on The ProgCast.

Part three kicks into interstellar overdrive with Andy's film and literary heroes, lots more Beefheart, Star Wars v. Space Patrol, Andy's ant fascination, Patrick Stewart v. Bill Shatner, and his POWERS project. Andy holds court, and things get a bit unhinged, as even higher levels of geekery ensue.

In part two of my chat with Andy, we remember the late Harold Budd, and talk about Andy's writing process, the great Terry Chambers and the XTC drum sound, major comic book geekage on Jack Kirby and our favorite illustrators, Colin's bass parts, and the origins of XTC's name. Plus, I give Andy my take on XTC's influence upon 80's King Crimson. Special thanks to our mutual pal, Mike Keneally for making this meeting possible.

Guitarist/composer/raconteur ANDY PARTRIDGE of XTC is my delightful guest for the next three episodes of The ProgCast. Part one of our freewheeling exchange covers everything from novelty and psychedelic music to Tony Williams Lifetime, Yes, Captain Beefheart, Andy's favorite Dave Gregory solo, XTC band lingo, and what it was like to be onstage with that four-piece juggernaut. Plus: Andy plays guitar for us!  Special thanks to our mutual pal, Mike Keneally for making this meeting possible.

Pianist/composer/educator Hal Galper is an important elder-statesman of jazz, hailed as a bandleader ,and as a collaborator of Cannonball & Nat Adderly, Sam Rivers, Phil Woods, and Tony Williams. Hal's recall of the music's history, paired with his wry sense of humor, makes him one of my favorite jazzmen to chat with.

Rolf Schulte is one of the most riveting violinists performing contemporary classical music. He is widely acknowledged as a passionate and exacting soloist, a champion of Elliott Carter's music, and has worked closely with composers Gyorgy Kurtag, Milton Babbitt, and Charles Wuorinen. Rolf reflects on 50-plus years of interpreting the headiest music of the 20th Century, as we discuss his experiences and his approach to this fiercely modern music.

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson is a violinist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger well-known for his work with Thundercat, Erykah Badu, Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington, and more. Miguel's work bridges so many areas of musical culture it makes my head spin. A deep and detailed chat about creativity between kindred spirits, today on The ProgCast.