I love it when I go to a gig and I see that Micah Gaugh is going to be playing. It means it is certain that something unexpected is going to happen. And Micah surprised me with his selection of a subject for Deep Focus: Ronald Shannon Jackson. I was 19 years old and already a die hard music fan but I had no idea what music could do until I heard Sh…

Tonight (8/19) bassist/composer Melvin Gibbs joins host Mitch Goldman for a Deep Focus on Sun Ra with unheard rarities from the WKCR archives. Here's a serious question, Melvin: what's the Sun Ra/Brooklyn connection? This I have to hear. It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time. Or join us next week when it goes up o…

I love it when I go to a gig and I see that Micah Gaugh is going to be playing. It means it is certain that something unexpected is going to happen. And Micah surprised me with his selection of a subject for Deep Focus: Ronald Shannon Jackson. I was 19 years old and already a die-hard music fan but I had no idea what music could do until I heard Sh…

I love it when I go to a gig and I see that Micah Gaugh is going to be playing. It means it is certain that something unexpected is going to happen. And Micah surprised me with his selection of a subject for Deep Focus: Ronald Shannon Jackson. I was 19 years old and already a die hard music fan but I had no idea what music could do until I heard Sh…

People love to talk about Miles Davis reinventing himself and reinventing the music. They talk about the First Great Quintet in the fifties, the Second Great Quintet in the sixties, the Lost Quintet of 1969, maybe of the electric bands that followed (although often not). What do they almost never talk about? In 1981, Miles hadn't performed in publi…

People love to talk about Miles Davis reinventing himself and reinventing the music. They talk about the First Great Quintet in the fifties, the Second Great Quintet in the sixties, the Lost Quintet of 1969, maybe of the electric bands that followed (although often not). What do they almost never talk about? In 1981, Miles hadn't performed in publi…

People love to talk about Miles Davis reinventing himself and reinventing the music. They talk about the First Great Quintet in the fifties, the Second Great Quintet in the sixties, the Lost Quintet of 1969, maybe of the electric bands that followed (although often not). What do they almost never talk about? In 1981, Miles hadn't performed in publi…

Listen to any song by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. There will be no question in your mind about who is driving the bus or who is riding on the bus or where this bus is going. Who's driving the bus? Art Blakey is driving! Who's riding the bus? Everybody! Where's this bus going? Straight ahead! Seventeen years of Deep Focus and no one has ever…

Listen to any song by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. There will be no question in your mind about who is driving the bus or who is riding on the bus or where this bus is going. Who's driving the bus? Art Blakey is driving! Who's riding the bus? Everybody! Where's this bus going? Straight ahead! Seventeen years of Deep Focus and no one has ever…

Listen to any song by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. There will be no question in your mind about who is driving the bus or who is riding on the bus or where this bus is going. Who's driving the bus? Art Blakey is driving! Who's riding the bus? Everybody! Where's this bus going? Straight ahead! Seventeen years of Deep Focus and no one has ever…

We don't hear enough about Gil Scott-Heron these days. And when we do, we often get the same few crumbs: his invention of a sort of proto-hiphop, some reference to his social concerns, and, of course, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (which too often is wildly misinterpreted). What about Gil Scott-Heron the unique stage performer? What about …

We don't hear enough about Gil Scott-Heron these days. And when we do, we often get the same few crumbs: his invention of a sort of proto-hiphop, some reference to his social concerns, and, of course, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (which too often is wildly misinterpreted). What about Gil Scott-Heron the unique stage performer? What about …

We don't hear enough about Gil Scott-Heron these days. And when we do, we often get the same few crumbs: his invention of a sort of proto-hiphop, some reference to his social concerns, and, of course, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (which too often is wildly misinterpreted). What about Gil Scott-Heron the unique stage performer? What about …

"Who has the hippest chops in the world?" If you're going to ask that question on a record, you had better have the nuts to back it up. I mean, you will be annihilated, humiliated for the rest of time, if you don't. Rahsaan Roland Kirk knew he had them and so did everyone else on the scene. To this day, any time you see a saxophonist playing 3 horn…

"Who has the hippest chops in the world?" If you're going to ask that question on a record, you had better have the nuts to back it up. I mean, you will be annihilated, humiliated for the rest of time, if you don't. Rahsaan Roland Kirk knew he had them and so did everyone else on the scene. To this day, any time you see a saxophonist playing 3 horn…

"Who has the hippest chops in the world?" If you're going to ask that question on a record, you had better have the nuts to back it up. I mean, you will be annihilated, humiliated for the rest of time, if you don't. Rahsaan Roland Kirk knew he had them and so did everyone else on the scene. To this day, any time you see a saxophonist playing 3 horn…

Almost every episode of Deep Focus is now available here as a podcast. I say "almost" because there are a handful that, for technical reasons, were not recorded completely or not recorded at all (if anyone has a home recording of the show that I did with Greg Tate on the band VSOP, please send it my way!). This is the second of those episodes to be…

Almost every episode of Deep Focus is now available here as a podcast. I say "almost" because there are a handful that, for technical reasons, were not recorded completely or not recorded at all (if anyone has a home recording of the show that I did with Greg Tate on the band VSOP, please send it my way!). This is the second of those episodes to be…

Almost every episode of Deep Focus is now available here as a podcast. I say "almost" because there are a handful that, for technical reasons, were not recorded completely or not recorded at all (if anyone has a home recording of the show that I did with Greg Tate on the band VSOP, please send it my way!). This is the first of those episodes to be …

What confers greatness? There are many pathways, the most obvious being distinctive playing. Are there others? What about brilliant composing? Or inspiring bandleading? Or creating your own sound? How about honoring the tradition while still being blazingly original? Or just going your own way, whether anyone else is on that path or not? Achievemen…

What confers greatness? There are many pathways, the most obvious being distinctive playing. Are there others? What about brilliant composing? Or inspiring bandleading? Or creating your own sound? How about honoring the tradition while still being blazingly original? Or just going your own way, whether anyone else is on that path or not? Achievemen…

What confers greatness? There are many pathways, the most obvious being distinctive playing. Are there others? What about brilliant composing? Or inspiring bandleading? Or creating your own sound? How about honoring the tradition while still being blazingly original? Or just going your own way, whether anyone else is on that path or not? Achievemen…

We tend to think of the subjects of Deep Focus as conjurers, as master architects, as grand statesmen, as sonic sculptors, as Renaissance men and women. But what about when they’re the guy down the street? Or the dad of your elementary school friend? How does that change the perspective? Cornetist Graham Haynes grew up down the block from the magni…

We tend to think of the subjects of Deep Focus as conjurers, as master architects, as grand statesmen, as sonic sculptors, as Renaissance men and women. But what about when they’re the guy down the street? Or the dad of your elementary school friend? How does that change the perspective? Cornetist Graham Haynes grew up down the block from the magni…

We tend to think of the subjects of Deep Focus as conjurers, as master architects, as grand statesmen, as sonic sculptors, as Renaissance men and women. But what about when they’re the guy down the street? Or the dad of your elementary school friend? How does that change the perspective? Cornetist Graham Haynes grew up down the block from the magni…

Not all of our heroes have streets named after them but this one does. So, will we be playing recordings of Sonny Sharrock on Deep Focus this Monday night (Feb 5)? Will they be recordings that you've never heard? Will we have an insightful listening session with drummer/conceptualist William Hooker? Find out Monday night from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on…

Not all of our heroes have streets named after them but this one does. So, will we be playing recordings of Sonny Sharrock on Deep Focus this Monday night (Feb 5)? Will they be recordings that you've never heard? Will we have an insightful listening session with drummer/conceptualist William Hooker? Find out Monday night from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on…

Not all of our heroes have streets named after them but this one does. So, will we be playing recordings of Sonny Sharrock on Deep Focus this Monday night (Feb 5)? Will they be recordings that you've never heard? Will we have an insightful listening session with drummer/conceptualist William Hooker? Find out Monday night from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on…

Tonight's Deep Focus (Jan. 22) is on Don Cherry, a wonderful and deeply missed friend of WKCR. Back in the Eighties, Don was a frequent guest on Mitch Goldman's show. Don would guest DJ, talk to the audience, bring guests... It was an ongoing Eighties NYC Don Cherry party. And if there was a blank cassette handy, Mitch would make a recording. The t…

Tonight's Deep Focus (Jan. 22) is on Don Cherry, a wonderful and deeply missed friend of WKCR. Back in the Eighties, Don was a frequent guest on Mitch Goldman's show. Don would guest DJ, talk to the audience, bring guests... It was an ongoing Eighties NYC Don Cherry party. And if there was a blank cassette handy, Mitch would make a recording. The t…

Tonight's Deep Focus (Jan. 22) is on Don Cherry, a wonderful and deeply missed friend of WKCR. Back in the Eighties, Don was a frequent guest on Mitch Goldman's show. Don would guest DJ, talk to the audience, bring guests... It was an ongoing Eighties-NYC-Don Cherry party. And if there was a blank cassette handy, Mitch would make a recording. The t…

This music is at its best when the artist is telling you exactly who they are. Pianist Andrew Hill always seemed able to take us inside his internal mindscape of thoughts, puzzles and emotions. Whether alone or in an ensemble, in both his playing and his writing, he did so with an articulateness that could seem offhand but betrayed a distinct preci…

This music is at its best when the artist is telling you exactly who they are. Pianist Andrew Hill always seemed able to take us inside his internal mindscape of thoughts, puzzles and emotions. Whether alone or in an ensemble, in both his playing and his writing, he did so with an articulateness that could seem offhand but betrayed a distinct preci…

This music is at its best when the artist is showing you exactly who they are. Pianist Andrew Hill always seemed able to take us inside his internal mindscape of thoughts, puzzles and emotions. Whether alone or in an ensemble, in both his playing and his writing, he did so with an articulateness that could seem offhand but betrayed a distinct preci…

"Rock." "Jazz." "Classical." "Blues." We rarely question the value of categorizing music. These words are handy buckets to drop songs into: "I like this but I don't like that." Occasionally, an artist will come along and smudge the lines between them and these are often the artists we celebrate on Deep Focus. Tru Born (a.k.a. Anthony Michael Peters…

"Rock." "Jazz." "Classical." "Blues." We rarely question the value of categorizing music. These words are handy buckets to drop songs into: "I like this but I don't like that." Occasionally, an artist will come along and smudge the lines between them and these are often the artists we celebrate on Deep Focus. Tru Born (a.k.a. Anthony Michael Peters…

"Rock." "Jazz." "Classical." "Blues." We rarely question the value of categorizing music. These words are handy buckets to drop songs into: "I like this but I don't like that." Occasionally, an artist will come along and smudge the lines between them and these are often the artists we celebrate on Deep Focus. Tru Born (a.k.a. Anthony Michael Peters…

Bassist Mark Peterson joins me tonight from 6pm to 9pm on WKCR (89.9FM and wkcr.org) in a Deep Focus on German bassist/bandleader Eberhard Weber. Weber is a wholly distinctive musical thinker. Hmmmm… what ELSE do he and Mark have in common? This one is going to be fun! #WKCR #MarkPeterson #DeepFocus #MitchGoldman #JazzPodcast #JamesBloodUlmer #Stan…

Bassist Mark Peterson joins me tonight from 6pm to 9pm on WKCR (89.9FM and wkcr.org) in a Deep Focus on German bassist/bandleader Eberhard Weber. Weber is a wholly distinctive musical thinker. Hmmmm… what ELSE do he and Mark have in common? This one is going to be fun! #WKCR #MarkPeterson #DeepFocus #MitchGoldman #JazzPodcast #JamesBloodUlmer #Stan…

Bassist Mark Peterson joins me tonight from 6pm to 9pm on WKCR (89.9FM and wkcr.org) in a Deep Focus on German bassist/bandleader Eberhard Weber. Weber is a wholly distinctive musical thinker. Hmmmm… what ELSE do he and Mark have in common? This one is going to be fun! #WKCR #MarkPeterson #DeepFocus #MitchGoldman #JazzPodcast #JamesBloodUlmer #Stan…

There is a point at which the usefulness of language ends. You are simply not going to be able to express in words the sense of awe that you feel when creation overwhelms you but you always know when someone else is feeling it, too. In this moment you will find pianist Matthew Shipp and others who admire saxophonist Albert Ayler. Albert Ayler died …

There is a point at which the usefulness of language ends. You are simply not going to be able to express in words the sense of awe that you feel when creation overwhelms you but you always know when someone else is feeling it, too. In this moment you will find pianist Matthew Shipp and others who admire saxophonist Albert Ayler. Albert Ayler died …

There is a point at which the usefulness of language ends. You are simply not going to be able to express in words the sense of awe that you feel when creation overwhelms you but you always know when someone else is feeling it, too. In this moment you will find pianist Matthew Shipp and others who admire saxophonist Albert Ayler. Albert Ayler died …

"Easily Slip Into Another World," Henry Threadgill's recent memoir, is required reading for a full appreciation of tonight's Deep Focus. It reveals the roots, the rich harvest, and the hidden, dark corners of a vibrant, creative life. The prose is plainspoken and forthright but the content is absolutely mind-expanding. No one of Threadgill's explos…

"Easily Slip Into Another World," Henry Threadgill's recent memoir, is required reading for a full appreciation of tonight's Deep Focus. It reveals the roots, the rich harvest, and the hidden, dark corners of a vibrant, creative life. The prose is plainspoken and forthright but the content is absolutely mind-expanding. No one of Threadgill's explos…

"Easily Slip Into Another World," Henry Threadgill's recent memoir, is required reading for a full appreciation of tonight's Deep Focus. It reveals the roots, the rich harvest, and the hidden, dark corners of a vibrant, creative life. The prose is plainspoken and forthright but the content is absolutely mind-expanding. No one of Threadgill's explos…

In the sixties, they explained evolution to us with that March of Progress illustration, a lockstep development from the proto-human Dryopithecus to modern man. That same approach was also used to explain jazz evolution: New Orleans to Chicago to New York, hot jazz to swing to bebop to cool... Contemporary evolutionary biologists will tell you that…

In the sixties, they explained evolution to us with that March of Progress illustration, a lockstep development from the proto-human Dryopithecus to modern man. That same approach was also used to explain jazz evolution: New Orleans to Chicago to New York, hot jazz to swing to bebop to cool... Contemporary evolutionary biologists will tell you that…

------ In the sixties, they explained evolution to us with that March of Progress illustration, a lockstep development from the proto-human Dryopithecus to modern man. That same approach was also used to explain jazz evolution: New Orleans to Chicago to New York, hot jazz to swing to bebop to cool... Contemporary evolutionary biologists will tell y…

If Eric Dolphy's music were a school of painting it would be analytical cubism: planar and angular, multi-directional and austere, But it's not abstract. It's showing us something we know; we are simply experiencing it in a completely new way. His work, in its frame, becomes an entire reality unto itself. It's endless. So what happens when you plac…