Views and Brews

In this Views and Brews Remix feature on Benny Goodman host Rebecca McInroy and Rabbi Neil Blumofe engage in a spirited discussion about Goodman’s life, music and his relationships to his musicians — specifically, pianist Teddy Wilson, vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, and guitarist Charlie Christian-and some of Austin’s best musicians help us relive Goodman’s style. Featuring: Ben Saffer…

Source

Unsolved mysteries are by their very nature interesting and quite often make for good drama. Our perception and understanding of these mysteries is more often than not informed by television, film, articles and so on. In this Views and Brews discussion, recorded live at the Cactus Cafe , we explored one area where the myths are profound and emotions run high—the relationship between psychics who…

Source

Billy Strayhorn, a long time muse and collaborator for the great bandleader Duke Ellington, brought depth and a languid power to the already sophisticated sound of Ellington’s orchestra. Aching for love and significance, Strayhorn was openly gay in a time of repression and bias, composing ballads filled with longing and disarming vulnerability, which demanded the full attention of both the…

Source

In November of 2012 Texas Performing Arts presented the world premiere of I L I M A Q, a drum kit opera written by American composer John Luther Adams for percussionist Glenn Kotche, drummer for the alternative rock band Wilco. KUT’s Views and Brews couldn’t resist the opportunity to invite John, Glenn and bassist Darin Gray to the Cactus Cafe to discuss the creation process behind this exciting…

Source

In this Views and Brews Remix on Becoming Tenessee Williams professor Charlotte Canning , joins director Norman Blumensaadt and actress Jennifer Underwood for a discussion of the life and work of Tenessee Williams. “When Thomas Lanier Williams found theater, he didn’t just become Tennessee Williams, he allowed us to imagine our lives differently, anew ,” writes Canning in her essay…

Source

Do you define yourself as American? What does that mean to you? What kind of messages are we getting about patriotism, nationalism, and “foreigners” from the media and how does this affect our sense of self? Listen back as KUT’s Rebecca McInroy talks about what it means to be “American” with UT Anthropology Professor John Hartigan , The Department Chair of Radio-Television-Film at UT and…

Source

It’s not an easy discussion, but rather a necessary one. Pornography of Violence refers to the depiction of violent behavior—as in pictures, still or video—in a sensational manner so as to arouse excitement, or a quick intense emotional reaction. During our conversation with NPR’s John Burnett and Pulitzer prize winning author and screenwriter Lawrence Wright , we discuss the exponential…

Source

Thelonious Monk is an original and unique voice in the shaping and the sound of American music. Both his compositions and his inimitable piano playing continue to confound and resound decades after their inception, bringing us to ask questions — how far can one go when listening to your own muse? Does the artist have a responsibility to instruct while creating? Can art just be enjoyed or does it…

Source

Sometimes “thinking smarter” is less about learning and more about re-thinking the way we think and why. In this intimate discussion at the Cactus Cafe UT Psychology Professor and author of Smart Think along with UT Music Professor, Dr. Bob Duke explored modes of study and changing perspectives that can help all of us be more effective and efficient thinkers and teachers. We hope you enjoy…

Source

It was an amazing evening at the Cactus Cafe September 20th, when KUT’s Views and Brews discussed Miles Davis and the Making of Kind of Blue: Jazz and the Art of Indirection. Miles Davis was known as the master of understatement. In his seminal work, Kind of Blue (1959), he helped to define a concept of cool that remains relevant. What lurks behind an image? What music is expressed in the notes…

Source