postgenremedia

[postgenremedia]

Opportunity to Make Something Special: A Conversation with George Benson

To many, George Benson needs little introduction. During his career thus far, the guitarist-vocalist has been nominated for twenty-five Grammy Awards, winning ten. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And in 2009, the National Endowment of the Arts awarded them one of the highest recognitions: the title of Jazz Master. Much of Benson’s success comes from his unfaltering ability to find…

[postgenremedia]

Music at the Heart: A Conversation with Erik Friedlander

During the seventeenth century, the cello established itself as a mainstay in Western European classical music due to its capacity to provide both an intimacy to small chamber ensembles and grandeur to large symphony orchestras. The instrument’s appeal in this space is undeniable; few can listen to Bach’s Cello Suites, specifically the prelude, without being moved. But the cello has always…

[postgenremedia]

Mixing Vocabularies: A Conversation with Mike Dillon on Punkadelick

Artistic expression has a unique power to flourish even when the soil is arid and lacking nutrients. The COVID pandemic, which destroyed many societal bonds, structures, and lives, nevertheless presented opportunities for artists to craft new works and explore additional avenues of creative expression. Even as social distancing made congregation difficult, many artists were able to form new…

[postgenremedia]

Quiet Within: A Conversation with Ingrid Laubrock

Throughout its history, creative music has always been on a conceptual search for freedom. Ornette Coleman sought to move his music beyond traditional chords. Other artists- Wadada Leo Smith and Anthony Braxton, for instance – abandon notions of Western notation by utilizing graphic scores. But even the removal of such burdens, by themselves, is often inadequate to detach music from biases…

[postgenremedia]

Blasting Through the Barriers: DoomCannon and SXSW's Jazz re:freshed Outernational

The history of jazz presents a melding of different cultural cues which form the core of the music itself. It is no coincidence that the music originated in New Orleans, a city with a unique blending of influences from the Caribbean, Europe, and the African diaspora. Over the ensuing decades, artists have woven sounds from around the globe into the loose improvisation-knit fabric of the music to…

[postgenremedia]

February 2023 Capsule Reviews

For February – just under the wire – we provide capsule reviews of recent works with an eye towards avant-garde expressionism. Two of the selections explore the contributions of legends of the music, while the others showcase the voices of younger practitioners of the craft. For this month, only one of these albums – Mat Muntz’s Phantom Islands (Orenda, 2023) – came out in February proper.…

[postgenremedia]

Interview: A Conversation with an Anonymous Artist

If you are reading this, there is a substantial likelihood you arrived here under false pretenses. Apologies for the deception. This space was initially intended – as a means for this site to celebrate its third anniversary – to host a two-part interview with a significant artist. Since the beginning of our correspondences, this artist – who shall remain anonymous – sent erratic responses. After…

[postgenremedia]

Harlem Hellfighter: A Conversation with Jason Moran on James Reese Europe (Part Two)

We continue our conversation with Jason Moran by going deeper into the songs on his James Reese Europe inspired album, From the Dancehall to the Battlefield (Yes, 2023). These discussions lead us through WC Handy, Albert Ayler, Geri Allen, and student musicians at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We also uncover the meditative aspects or music, the power of a musical rallying call,…

[postgenremedia]

Harlem Hellfighter: A Conversation with Jason Moran on James Reese Europe (Part One)

The passage of time can leave the legacy of important figures underrecognized. For every figure like Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, or John Coltrane who remains indelibly etched in our collective consciousness, dozens more have furthered the music in significant ways yet too often remain overlooked in the history books. One great example can be found in the subject of Jason Moran’s From the…

[postgenremedia]

January 2023 Capsule Reviews

January 2023 Capsule Reviews

With the start of a new year, we also start a new feature on this site. These capsule reviews aim to provide very brief reviews – a few hundred words at most – of albums of note which have come out around the month at issue. For this month, only one of these albums – Lakecia Benjamin’s Phoenix (Whirlwind, 2023) – comes out in January proper. The other three – Satoko Fujii’s Hyaku, One Hundred…

[postgenremedia]

Singing Through the Horn: A Conversation with Billy Harper (Part Two)

Singing Through the Horn: A Conversation with Billy Harper (Part Two)

We continue our conversation with the great Billy Harper with a discussion of the beginning of his professional career in New York, his work with Lee Morgan and Gil Evans, the representation of Black artists in popular culture, and his compositional process. You can check out part one of the interview here. PostGenre: A little earlier, you mentioned musicians leaving Texas after they graduated…

[postgenremedia]

Singing Through the Horn: A Conversation with Billy Harper (Part One)

Singing Through the Horn: A Conversation with Billy Harper (Part One)

The lineage of jazz has long drawn upon ideas from gospel music, whether Louis Armstrong’s presentation of spirituals or Duke Ellington’s or Mary Lou Williams’ sacred music compositions. However, to some, the connection between faith-based songs and contemporary improvised music seems more tenuous. Artists are more likely to find a space between jazz and hip hop than look to the church. But, as…

[postgenremedia]

EIC Rob Shepherd’s Favorite Albums of 2022

EIC Rob Shepherd’s Favorite Albums of 2022

My annual list is the only time each year I try to get more personal with my writing, speaking in the first person and laying out my thoughts on the year passed. While at the outset of 2022, I decided to feature more interviews on the site, I never intended to focus so overwhelmingly on them. By my estimation, I wrote only one review during the year – of a concert by Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye Trio…

[postgenremedia]

Narrative Freedom: A Conversation with Anthony Davis (Part Two)

Narrative Freedom: A Conversation with Anthony Davis (Part Two)

In the second part of our conversation with composer Anthony Davis, we do a deeper dive into his work, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. Part one of our discussion can be found here. PostGenre: X was first presented in 1986. What was behind your decision to revisit the work over thirty years later? Anthony Davis: Well, when the pandemic hit, I wasn’t working on any new projects, and the virus…

[postgenremedia]

Narrative Freedom: A Conversation with Anthony Davis (Part One)

Narrative Freedom: A Conversation with Anthony Davis (Part One)

When one looks beyond the jokes about “the fat lady” singing or baseless accusations of the form being boring, one can find operas sharing some of the most intriguing stories ever told. These tales present the full range of human emotion, from devastating loss to insuppressible joy. Often overlooked, however, are these works’ political overtones. Mozart’s Don Giovanni (1787) celebrates the…

[postgenremedia]

Roots to Infinity: A Conversation with Donald Harrison, Jr. (Part Two)

Roots to Infinity: A Conversation with Donald Harrison, Jr. (Part Two)

We continue our conversation with NEA Jazz Master Donald Harrison (read part one here) by digging into Mardi Gras Indians, Dr. John, Miles Davis, Notorious BIG, and more. PostGenre: Keeping with the topic of New Orleans tribal culture, one of your prior albums, Indian Blues (BMG, 1992), digs deep into the music of Mardi Gras Indians. What did you enjoy most about that project? Donald Harrison:…

[postgenremedia]

Roots to Infinity: A Conversation with Donald Harrison, Jr. (Part One)

Roots to Infinity: A Conversation with Donald Harrison, Jr. (Part One)

While the history of improvised music is replete with works of artistic brilliance, such recordings seldom reach outside the confines of their usual audiences. It is not merely difficult but near impossible for improvisation-laced instrumental music to resonate with the larger popular culture. But there are always exceptions. One of these rare recordings is Herbie Hancock’s Head…