Deep Focus

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 public, hadn't released a new album, and had barely t...

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 called for Art Blakey's music?  I don't kno...

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 called for Art Blakey's music?  I don't kno...

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 called for Art Blakey's music?  I don't kno...

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 how hilariously funny he was?  What about th...

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 how hilariously funny he was?  What about th...

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 how hilariously funny he was?  What about th...

"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 horns at once or circular breathing or playing t...

"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 horns at once or circular breathing or playing t...

"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 horns at once or circular breathing or playing t...

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 posted to the podcast, and it's a great one: M...

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 posted to the podcast, and it's a great one: M...

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 posted to the podcast, and it's a great one: Me...

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?  Achievement in any one of these categories will bring...

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?    Achievement in any one of these categories will bri...

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?  Achievement in any one of these categories will bring...

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 magnificent Jaki Byard, one of the all-time great p...

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 magnificent Jaki Byard, one of the all-time great p...

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 magnificent Jaki Byard, one of the all-time great p...

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 WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and  wkcr.org .  Nex...

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 WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and  wkcr.org .  Nex...

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 WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and  wkcr.org .  Nex...

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 tapes got tossed in a box and ended up deep in...

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 tapes got tossed in a box and ended up deep in...

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 tapes got tossed in a box and ended up deep in...