The ProgCast With Gregg Bendian

Pianist/composer/improviser Vicki Ray's musicality has spanned the gamut of many new musical worlds - genre-be-damned. Vicki's expressive reach is just incredible. We explore her work with The California Ear Unit, the music of Morton Feldman, Mel Powell, Wadada Leo Smith, and the micro-tonal music of Harry Partch. All of that, and Vicki's current dive into the solo piano music of Cecil Taylor, on The ProgCast right now.

Stu Goldberg was the keyboardist in the final, quartet version of the Mahavishnu Orchestra ("Inner Worlds") and went on to join John McLaughlin in the One Truth Band on "Electric Dreams." In addition to working with Al DiMeola, Miroslav Vitous and Wayne Shorter, he is an amazing soundtrack composer and bandleader in his own right. We get into all things Mahavishnu, and much more.

Malcolm Mortimore drummed for Gentle Giant on the "Three Friends" album, and later with the Three Friends band playing classic GG with guitarist Gary Green. Malcolm has played with a large range of musical artists including Arthur Brown, Ian Dury, Tom Jones, Mick Jagger, and Barnie Kessel, before rounding up the guys for an incredible Giant reunion on the major prog event of 2020 - GG and their fans together performing an award-winning "Proclamation" video. Lots on that and more! Giant is one of the reasons I do what I do, so this one was a blast.

Bassist/composer Bryan Beller is well-known to fans of progressive music for his stellar work with The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Dethklok, and Mike Keneally. Bryan's latest release, "Scenes From The Flood" is a massive concept album - an epic for the current moment. We dive deep into that, and have lots of fun touching on his love for Yes, Pink Floyd, and Meshuggah.

DAVE GREGORY (pt 2)  DAVE GREGORY is known the world over as the guitarist/keyboardist of XTC. Dave and I take a deep dive into the details of the band's fascinating history and their myriad musical approaches.

Vocalist JAY CLAYTON is a pioneer of free jazz and an original member of Steve Reich & Musicians - performing on the premiere of "Music for 18 Musicians" and "Tehillim, and more. Free jazz AND minimalism?! Clearly, Jay has come to the right place to discuss her amazing artistry and musical history.

DAVE GREGORY is known the world over as the guitarist/keyboardist of XTC. Dave and I take a deep dive into the details of the band's fascinating history and their myriad musical approaches. Part two coming soon.

DAVID WITHAM is a wonderful pianist, composer, producer, and arranger. We've worked together a bunch in my Trio Pianissimo, as well as Jeff Gauthier's Goatette. We cover Dave's musical history, his studies with Jaki Byard, his work with George Benson and Barbra Streisand, and his longtime involvement with Cryptogramophone Records, among lots of other cool stuff.

I've always been fond of BONE STRUCTURE, an improvised rock ensemble formed with my Los Angeles pals - GE Stinson, Steuart Liebig, and Jeff Gauthier. Getting the guys back together to reminisce about making the Bone Structure disc and our unique type of spontaneous live performance was a true pleasure and tons of laughs.

SAMUEL ANDREYEV is an incredible composer with a fascinating analytical musical mind. We talk about Samuel's rich creative life, and break off into composers like Debussy, Ives, Varese, Stockhausen, among many others. Lots of common ground here, including a mutual admiration of Captain Beefheart.