The Tonearm

Today, the Spotlight shines On bassist and vocalist Katie Ernst . In addition to many other things, Katie is one half of the duo Wayfaring with last week’s guest James Falzone. Katie is also co-leader of the Chicago-based jazz trio Twin Talk , and the indie rock band Edith Judith , and has garnered much acclaim for her Dorothy Parker poetry song cycle Little Words, which premiered at the Kennedy C...

Today, the Spotlight shines on clarinetist, penny whistle player, composer, improviser, and educator James Falzone . James and I have been collaborating on an upcoming live event, Improvisation in Music and Life , taking place on June 22 at the Royal Room in Seattle. This will be a unique program of performance and conversation between me and the five-piece James Falzone Division Ensemble. We will...

Today, the Spotlight shines on jazz pianist, composer, and educator Francesco Crosara . Francesco was born and raised in Rome, Italy, where both jazz and classical music came into his life early on, particularly through his mother, the influential jazz singer, broadcaster, and educator Lilian Terry. Lilian presented many of the most important names in American jazz, and some—like Max Roach, Abbey...

Today, the Spotlight shines On award-winning vocalist, composer, ethnomusicology researcher, and educator Kavita Shah . Kavita’s work sits at the intersection of modern jazz, new creative music, and world traditions. The impetus for her visit today was her 2023 tribute to African legend Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean Blues (2023). We discuss that music as well as her personal experiences as a lifelon...

Today, the Spotlight shines On legendary writer, vocalist and digital culture commentator, Ken Goffman, better known as R.U. Sirius . Most will know R.U. from his time as co-publisher and editor-in-chief of the 1990s cyberpunk magazine MONDO 2000 . MONDO covered topics like transhumanism, virtual reality and smart drugs at a time when these things offered hope for a better or at least more interes...

Today, the Spotlight shines On returning guest, the innovative musician and composer Markus Reuter . Markus originally joined us for Episode 130 back in November 2022. He joins us now to discuss his project Sea of Hopeless Angels (Unsung Records), which began as several unedited studio solo improvisations by Markus on his electric touch guitar. Those recordings were turned over to mixer Stefano Ca...

Today, the Spotlight shines On Berlin-based electronic music composer and performer Hainbach . I have come to view Hainbach as much an archeologist or audio specimen collector as he is a musician. While he makes beautiful music and soundscapes, they are often showcase pieces for the devices he works on, which include not only vintage and rare modular synthesizers but also tape machines, test equip...

Today, the Spotlight shines On saxophonist/composer Kevin Sun . Kevin joined us to discuss, among other things, his dramatic double album from 2023, The Depths of Memory , which was released in two halves: From All This Stillness in July of that year and The Depths in Slow Motion in October of that year. Kevin’s an intense yet accessible player and composer—and a true working musician. He leads an...

Today, the Spotlight shines On Will Barnes , leader of the Will Barnes Quartet , who joins me to talk about his life in music and, specifically, his ongoing collaboration with landscape artist Erin Hughes . Their first album together, Source of the Severn , is a 21st-century take on classic bebop-era sounds. Erin’s nine original works of art respond to Will and the Quartet’s music, using her own h...

Today, the Spotlight shines On in a much different way than usual, as I am turning the microphone over to guest host Miriam Boulos . Miriam has been a guest contributor to Bonus Tracks , the official blog of Spotlight On, since August 2023. Miriam publishes with us frequently, and her work has included interviews with and essays about a diverse array of artists like James Walsh of Starsailor, Chap...

Today, the Spotlight shines On the Belfast, Ireland, band Chalk . Chalk is Ross Cullen on vocals, Ben Goddard on guitar, and Luke Niblock on drums. They cook up a pretty stunning racket with a unique sound that is nonetheless recognizable in its post-punk, dance, and industrial lineages. If that makes sense to you, you will love Chalk. If it does not, give them a listen. Chances are you will dig w...

Today, the Spotlight shines On Chinese-Malaysian Australian artist, musician and creative producer, Sui Zhen . This is the first of two episodes I recorded on-site at the SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas. This year’s edition of South By Southwest has been the subject of controversy related to event’s work with the US Army and several weapons manufacturers as sponsors for various progr...

Today, the Spotlight shines On musician and songwriter Nicholas Dembling , aka Nic North, aka Nic West, of seminal New York CIty New Wave Pop band, Comateens . The New York that birthed Comateens was in the midst of a particularly vibrant musical moment. There was new music everywhere. Jazz cats were staging loft concerts in pre-glitz SOHO. The punks and no wavers were holding court on the Lower E...

Today, the Spotlight shines On drummer, composer, and improviser Phil Haynes . Phil published a unique memoir last November, which includes not only his reflections on a life in and of music but also stands as an important document of nearly 40 years of music in New York City and beyond. Phil delivers plenty of inside observations of his work with figures like Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, Dave Lie...

Today, the Spotlight shines On Dave Wish , founder and Chief Vision Officer for Music Will . This nonprofit organization funds and runs one of the largest instrumental and vocal music programs in US public schools. Dave, a former Palo Alto, California school teacher, launched Music Will due to frustration with the lack of music programming in his school. He started by borrowing instruments from fr...

Today, the Spotlight shines On musician and producer Daniel Ögren . Daniel is one of the artists propelling Sweden’s contemporary new music scene. He has an extensive body of work as a solo artist and as a member of Sven Wunder , The Greys , and, most notably, Dina Ögon . He also works as a producer and musician for other artists. Daniel joined us upon the release of his album Fastingen-92 on the...

Today, the Spotlight shines On Mareike Wiening . Mareike is a drummer and composer who joined us on the occasion of the release of her third record as bandleader, Reveal , out on Greenleaf Music . Featuring her long-time group: tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, pianist Glenn Zaleski, guitarist Alex Goodman, and bassist Johannes Felscher, the band is joined on three tracks by trumpeter and Greenleaf fo...

Today, the Spotlight shines On music impresario Jonathan Shank , the CEO and Founder of Terrapin Station Entertainment . Jonathan is known for his instincts and successes in sniffing out unique opportunities in under-served spaces in the live entertainment industry, creating business successes in categories and markets often overlooked by the large corporations that dominate so much of the enterta...

Today, the Spotlight shines On multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, and performer Brendan Grey of the Canadian hip-hop group Super Duty Tough Work . In addition to his duties as MC, drummer, and band leader, Brendan has become a sought-after performance, session, and touring drummer. We spoke back in the autumn of 2023 for a conversation that still sticks with me. I look forward to hearing w...

Today, the Spotlight shines On the innovative pedal steel guitar player Susan Alcorn . While Susan got her start playing in country & western bands in Texas, she has taken the pedal steel into new and uncharted territories, exploring 20th-century classical music, improvisational jazz, and various world musics. On her latest project, CANTO , Susan explored Chilean folk music and nueva canción...

Today, the Spotlight shines On Grammy-winning pianist and composer Kris Davis . Kris joined us in the wake of the September 2023 release of her album Live at the Village Vanguard , out on her own Pyroclastic Records label. Live at the Village Vanguard is the second release from her band Diatom Ribbons , an adventurous quintet featuring drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, turntablist and electronic musi...

Today, the Spotlight shines On pianist and composer Angelica Sanchez , who joined us late last year to discuss her latest record, Nighttime Creatures , out on Pyroclastic Records . Since moving to New York from Arizona in 1994, Angelica has collaborated with artists including Wadada Leo Smith, Paul Motian, Richard Davis, Tim Berne, Ben Monder, and many others. On Nighttime Creatures , Angelica lea...

Today, the Spotlight shines On composer, improviser, and master percussionist Adam Rudolph . A global performer - and global citizen - Adam has been called "a pioneer in world music" by the New York Times. With dozens of recordings to his credit, he joined us upon the release of Timeless from his percussion group, Hu: Vibrational , on his own Meta Records. Adam has worked with artists including Do...

Today, the Spotlight shines On trumpet virtuoso and international superstar Ibrahim Maalouf . Ibrahim is exactly the type of artist we love hosting - sensitive, open and unwilling to be limited by genre or expectations. His work mixes jazz, pop, classical, electronic, Middle Eastern, and African influences into a cosmopolitan sound all his own. Ibrahim and his family fled the civil war in Beirut w...

Today, the Spotlight shines On Roberto Di Gioia of the German Jazz supergroup Web Web and his group’s collaborator, the songwriter and producer Max Herre . WEB WEB’s fifth album is also their second with Max, appropriately titled, WEB MAX II , out now on Compost Records . This is an exciting, genre-bending album that includes appearances from Los Angeles-born percussionist and producer Carlos Gabr...