#Played Twice
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Tom Skinner Interview: Vessels for Music to Be Heard
Photo by Alex Kurunis
BY JORDAN MAINZER
From the now-defunct jazz greats Sons of Kemet to best-ever Radiohead-adjacent project The Smile, Tom Skinner has not-so-quietly been one of the most versatile drummers of the past half-decade. Though he previously released his own music under the moniker Hello Skinny, earlier this month, Skinner shared his first album under his own name, Voices of Bishara (Brownswood/International Anthem/Nonesuch). The record doesn’t just exemplify Skinner as a player, but encapsulates his imaginative spirit as a listener and reinventor.
Throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns, Skinner listened repeatedly to Abdul Wadud’s 1978 solo album By Myself, privately pressed on Wadud’s label, Bishara. The Arabic name loosely translates to “the bringer of good news;” as lockdowns were lifted, vaccines administered, and live shows returned, it felt an appropriate word to reflect the genesis of what would become Voices of Bishara. A few years back, Skinner was invited to do a Played Twice session at London’s Brilliant Corners, wherein artists improvised in response to a classic album played through the venue’s audiophile system. That night, the album was Tony Williams’ Life Time; Skinner chose cellist Kareem Dayes, tenor saxophonists Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings, and bassist Tom Herbert. They had such natural chemistry that Skinner was inspired to write an album’s worth of new music, which he and the other four recorded live.
Voices of Bishara is far from a traditional jazz album, though, as Skinner returned to the recordings and edited between the instruments like his favorite disco and house producers would do. The result is an album with a tremendous sense of clearance, contrast, and opportunity for the individual players to shine. The muted, melancholy “Bishara” starts with just cello and bass before saxophone and rolling drums enter. “Red 2″, a response to Williams’ “Two Pieces Of One: Red” from Life Time, is shadowy, though Garcia’s flute shines through. Cello and chirping saxophone converse on “The Day After Tomorrow”, with Skinner’s drum rolls underneath the sighs of the woodwinds. “The Journey” and “Voices (Of The Past)” have a bit more of a groove and sway to them, Skinner’s drumming limber and snapping like a more traditional jazz or even boom bap beat. Voices of Bishara is more a retrospective of Skinner’s artistry and curatorial voice than a debut, let alone an assured mid-career album.
I emailed Skinner some questions about Voices of Bishara last month, touching on the album(s) that inspired it, responding to existing music, and composition. Read his responses below, edited for clarity.
Photo by André Baumecker
Since I Left You: Why do you think you found yourself listening to Abdul Wadud's By Myself during COVID so much? What about it resonates with you?
Tom Skinner: There’s a purity to the record. It’s a very direct and deeply personal piece of work. When you’re listening to it, it’s just you and him, no overdubs or studio trickery beyond the odd edit here and there. He’s talking directly to you, and I found that very refreshing and inspiring. In terms of the pandemic, looking back on it, I think maybe I took some solace in that level of intimacy at a time when we weren’t able to interact with other people as much as we were accustomed to. It’s also just a fucking cool record, and his playing on it is absolutely incredible. It’s loose and free with some pretty far-out improv on there but also incredibly melodic and rhythmically very interesting and groovy, too. Somehow, he manages to encompass all of my favorite things about music in one clear and concise statement.
SILY: What was your first experience or relationship with Tony Williams' Life Time?
TS: I’ve been a fan of Tony’s playing from the first time I heard him on the classic Miles Davis quintet records of the 1960’s. His own records from that time, though, always seemed a little more challenging and experimental. I first heard Spring (his second for Blue Note), and it definitely took me a while to appreciate what was going on, but as an aspiring young jazz musician, it was inspiring to hear how he was pushing himself and the music into new directions on those recordings. The thing I love about Life Time in particular is the unusual instrumentation and the fact that each track features a different combination of players. Tony doesn’t even play on the final tune. Even by today’s standards, that feels ahead of its time.
SILY: When playing for the Played Twice session and this album, why did you specifically choose Kareem, Nubya, Tom Herbert, and Shabaka?
TS: The personal connections and friendships between myself and the people I work with are at the heart of all my projects and collaborations, and this record is no exception. I have known everybody on the record for a long time, and we have a deep and rich history of performing together in different contexts. Getting this specific group together came at a time when we were all playing regularly at Brilliant Corners in various combinations, often for the Played Twice sessions. What attracted me to this particular combination of personalities and players was the scope for orchestration that it presented: Kareem’s cello and Tom’s double bass is a small string section, and Shabaka and Nubya’s tenor saxophones are the wind section, with the added possibility of them doubling on either clarinets or flutes, respectively, and then me on percussion. I also wanted to allow the musicians as much space and freedom as possible within the framework of the songs and, although there are “featured” players on certain tracks, the music was written with a collective and egalitarian approach to improvisation in mind.
SILY: "Red 2" is about a quarter of the length of "Two Pieces of One: Red" and a bit more shadowy in spirit. How did you go about coming up with your version of it, and how did you approach the differences with the original?
TS: I wasn’t approaching it with the original piece in mind at all, and I definitely didn’t want to recreate what had already been done. I wouldn’t really call it a cover, either. With our "version" of “Two Pieces of One: Red”, I wanted to try to break it down to its base elements and focus on only a very small section of the original piece, almost like a sample or a loop that you might find on a hip-hop record. In that sense, the repetition of it becomes a compositional device, too. We then used this as a jumping off point for improvisation. In addition to this idea, I wanted to play around with the sound of the recording, using hard edits between the different instruments and microphones to accentuate an almost jarring sense of space and perspective in the music.
SILY: "Voices (Of The Past)" certainly has a more retro jazz feel to it, and the drums could almost be a part of a boom bap 90's hip hop song. What voices of the past were you referencing on this track?
TS: That’s a very good question and, if I’m honest, I’m not sure I really know. Perhaps I was referencing the music I grew up listening to? Specifically a steady diet of early 90’s hip hop during my teen-age years. That’s when I got heavily into jazz, too: Miles, Coltrane, Ornette, Monk, all the classics. When you’re young, you learn very quickly and soak up so much information. All that music is digested and becomes part of your DNA. So, in a way, I feel that, subconsciously, all those things are probably filtering through.
On a deeper level, though, as musicians, when we play, we are channeling the spirits of our ancestors and forefathers. The music exists all around us, and we are vessels for it to be heard.
SILY: "Quiet As It's Kept" is the most stark track on here, comparatively speaking. How important is it for you to use empty space in your compositions?
TS: Extremely important. Silence, a rest, or a pause are as important, if not more important, than any note that’s written or played. I’m trying to tap into that more and more with my approach to playing the drums and compositionally, too. Space is the place.
SILY: Why did you decide to release this album under your name as opposed to Hello Skinny?
TS: Initially it wasn’t the plan to release it under my own name. I was just going to call it Voices of Bishara. But, for various reasons, it made more sense to release it as Tom Skinner. At first, I wasn’t keen on the idea. I’m used to hiding behind another name--like Hello Skinny or whatever--and stepping out like that felt a bit daunting. But gradually, I came around to the idea and soon came to realize that releasing music under my own name actually gives me a lot more artistic freedom. This way, I’m not tied to any particular sound, style, or group. From one release to the next, I can essentially do what I want. That feels very liberating for me going forward.
SILY: What's the story behind the album art?
TS: The album artwork and design are by the supremely talented Paul Camo. We’ve known each other for many years but only started working on projects together quite recently. This is the second sleeve he’s designed for one of my projects, the first being the Okumu, Herbert, Skinner Trio album Undone: Live at The Crypt released via Vinyl Factory in 2019.
I didn’t give Paul any specific direction; rather, I was more interested in him having complete freedom, to see how he reacted to the music creatively and allowing that to dictate the direction we took. Talking regularly with him and throwing ideas around was a very important part of the process as a whole in creating this record, and I feel like the artwork informs the music as much as vice versa, to the point where he’s now become a part of the group! Paul is a fantastic DJ and selector with a vast knowledge of all music but with a keen ear for deep jazz and improvised music. He performed with us on CDJs and samples at Church of Sound back in September. He has a regular show on NTS called We Are… which is well worth checking out. In addition to that, he runs Margate Radio (Margate is a town on the Kent coast where he is based) and is very active in the local music and art scene there.
SILY: Are you playing these songs live?
TS: We played one show in London at Church of Sound in September, and hopefully, we’ll get a chance to play some more shows next year. There are some potential opportunities on the horizon.
SILY: What's next for you?
TS: A tour across the US with The Smile that will take us right up to Christmas. I’ve started writing material for a second Bishara record. Plus, there are a few other album projects and collaborations in the works.
SILY: What have you been listening to, reading, and watching lately?
TS: Music (in no particular order): Sam Gendel, Armand Hammer, billy woods, Elucid, Low, Ingram Marshall, Robert Stillman, Loraine James, Joe Lovano’s Trio Tapestry, Julius Hemphill, Earl Sweatshirt, Coby Sey, Mica Levi, Moin, Aaron Dilloway, Lucrecia Dalt, Ohbliv, Jaimie Branch, keiyaA, Henry Threadgill, Tara Clerkin Trio, Charles Stepney, Rotary Connection, Jeanne Lee, The Beatles, Broadcast… I could go on, but we’d be here all day.
Books: The History of Bones by John Lurie and The Passengers by Will Ashon.
Film: The Hand of God by Paolo Sorrentino.
youtube
#tom skinner#interviews#brownswood#international anthem#nonesuch#brilliant corners#shabaka hutchings#voices of bishara#alex kurunis#sons of kemet#the smile#hello skinny#brownswood recordings#nonesuch records#abdul wadud#by myself#played twice#tony williams#life time#nubya garcia#kareem dayes#tom herbert#André Baumecker#bishara#miles davis#spring#blue note#john coltrane#ornette coleman#thelonious monk
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i love the idea of the batfam wearing each other's merch cause like. i know they'd be petty about it. usually they'd wear their siblings merch in (kinda) equal rotations, but they'd change it up depending on sibling squabbles or sibling favours. Tim, walking into the kitchen in a Red Hood shirt: Dick: TIM!? Tim: what Dick: it's Tuesday. you always wear Nightwing merch on Tuesdays. Tim: oh. Tim: you stole my last granola bar, last week. Steph, looking for something in Jason's room: JASON WHY DO YOU HAVE EVERYONE'S MERCH BUT MINE?! Jason, peeking into the room: i have your merch. in the trash. Steph: WHY Jason: you hit me with a blue shell in mario kart last game night. i'm never forgiving you. Damian, sporting a full-on Red Robin hoodie: Tim: woah. what brought this on? you usually only exclusively wear Batman or Nightwing merch Damian: you helped me take that splinter out of Alfred's paw yesterday. Richard on the other hand has recently messed up my painting palette. Dick, from the other room: IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! Damian: he'll get over it. Cass, wearing Nightwing merch for the 5th day in a row: Jason: goddamn. what did Dickie do to get in your good graces like this? Cass, smiling: he made me a flower crown Jason: ... that's it? Cass: it was a very nice flower crown. Dick, buying seven Signal shirts: One for everyone. Duke, behind him: Dick, you really don't-- Dick: shhhh, sunshine. everyone will love your new merch. (they all wore exclusively Signal merch for a week straight) Bruce isn't allowed to change up his rotation or not wear someone's merch because he immediately gets accused of playing favourites. He'd rather keep some of his sanity, thank you.
#batfam#batman#cassandra cain#damian wayne#dc comics#dick grayson#duke thomas#jason todd#stephanie brown#tim drake#bruce wore a black bat shirt twice in a row once#cause he mistook it for his own merch#and got flamed by the whole family for playing favourites#he never made the mistake again#they all have mugs with their logos on them btw#source? trust me bro
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the PJO fandom working their butts off to find two italian babies in the background only to realize the Easter egg is Nico calling for Bianca around the 12:3 mark.
#literally just checked it out#heard Nico calling Bianca twice he sounds so small and it makes me wanna tear up#veggie tells#pjo#pjo series#pjo fandom#pjo spoilers#pjo tv show#percy jackson series#percy jackon and the olympians#percy jackson#nico di angelo#besure to listen CLOSELY i had to play it mutiple times until his voice broke through the crowd jumble
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percy : casually strangled a snake as a toddler.
yall :
percy : defeats the minotaur with his bare hands at the age of 12 with no training at all.
yall :
percy : fights and defeats the literal god of war with only a few weeks of training, again, at 12.
yall :
percy : holds the weight of the entire sky at the age of 14.
yall :
percy : carries a literal goddess on his shoulders.
yall :
percy : gets judoflipped by his best friend who is professionally trained and sparred with him for years. where he wasn't even hurt or injured and casually laughs it off.
yall : she aSsAuLtEd him. annabeth is aBuSiVe. percabeth is tOxIc.
#percy jackson#pjo#percy jackson and the olympians#heroes of olympus#hoo#annabeth#annabeth chase#percabeth#i don't know how to explain this#but percy's physical strength + demigod training makes him twice as strong as an average man#a judoflip is basically child's play
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can we see your fish man🙏
hell yeah. please do not the fish
#assuming you meant him bc he was in fact who i was referring to in the tags a couple posts ago :)#been enjoying this game. while it's a bit derivative it is derivative of things I enjoy and it's fun to play. soloed it twice now#pressure#sebastian solace#ask
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Because I have just seen this specific thing for the second time, I would like to say:
If I reblog your art, I do not expect you to reblog (or share!) my fic in return
If I comment on your fic, I do not expect you to comment on (or read!) mine in return
My enjoyment of anyone's work does not come with strings or expectations
My friendship is not a bill that you will have to pay later
That's it!
#the fucking obsession with fandom becoming ~content creation~ has got to stop. this is not a business.#i don't like it when someone acts like i owe them because they complimented my work#and i will never do that to someone else#kindness has to be freely given or it isn't kindness; it's manipulation#this just. makes me feel super gross and it upsets me that it's happened twice#and that both people explicitly stated in their profiles that this is an expectation they have of fandom#you can't form a community by force. that's not how it works.#anyways. rant over. i just want it to be known that i'm not expecting anything from anyone lol#if i talk to you or hang out it's because i want to. i don't want anything from you except you know#kindness and companionship or w/e#bleargh. gonna go play a game or something.#dixeram
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Shigaraki, perilously trying to tell you that an enemy’s quirk turned him into a cat.
You, too busy making up silly songs about the new cat you just found.
—
Spinner: “Where’s Shigaraki?”
You: “I dunno, but check out this cat.”
You, holding up Shigakitty.
You: “I’m calling him lil Stinky.”
—
You, petting Shigakitty on your lap.
Spinner: “I’m getting a little worried about how long Shigaraki’s been missing.”
Dabi: “He’s probably out pissing around some arcade. Who cares? Maybe I’ll step up and finally give this group a competent leader.”
Shigakitty, walking over to Dabi and swatting him on the head.
Dabi: “Ow-.”
Dabi, spraying him with water: “Bad lil Stinky.”
—
You, trying to feed him.
You: “This is premium canned tuna.”
Shigakitty, swatting it away.
You: “Hmm… maybe you prefer chicken instead?”
You turn around to get a different can and turn back seeing Shigakitty with a bag of Doritos in his mouth.
You: “Oh.”
—
Mr. Compress, walking into the room: “I just saw the most peculiar thing.”
You: “What?”
Mr. Compress: “I swear I saw lil Stinky trying to play on Shigaraki’s Nintendo Switch.”
Shigakitty, desperately trying to start Animal Crossing.
—
Twice and Toga, trying to teach Shigakitty to play fetch.
Shigakitty, sitting in place as toy mice fly by him, glaring.
Twice: “I don’t think he likes this.”
Toga: “Let’s try something else.”
Twice, opening up a bag of catnip.
You, walking in: “How’s lil Stinky doing?”
Shigakitty, rolling around on the floor, high as fuck.
—
You: “Wait until you meet our leader Shigaraki. I hope he lets me keep you. I think he might. It may be surprising, but he can actually be kind of sweet sometimes.”
Shigakitty purrs and curls up next to you and you both go to sleep.
The quirk wears off during the night.
You wake up, see Shigaraki in your bed, and scream.
Shigaraki sits up and sees he’s back to normal.
You: “Why are you in my bed?? Where’s my cat?!”
Shigaraki: “That was ME.”
You, gasping and poking his face: “Lil Stinky?”
Shigaraki: “Stop calling me that.”
You: “Sorry.”
Shigaraki: “So… You think I’m sweet?”
You, freezing: “I don’t recall.”
—
The league did not stop calling him lil Stinky for several weeks.
#afterwards he starts coming to you so you’ll pet/play with his hair#secretly he tried the catnip again- but unfortunately it no longer worked lmao#bnha#boku no hero academia#my hero academia#mha#league of villains#shigaraki#tomura#tomura shigaraki#shigaraki tomura#tomura x reader#shigaraki x reader#long post#Dabi#touya todoroki#toga#toga himiko#twice#jin bubaigawara#spinner#shuichi iguchi#mr compress#sako atsuhiro
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At your side [End of Season 2]
[First] Prev <–-> Next
#poorly drawn mdzs#mdzs#wei wuxian#lan wangji#wen ning#jin ling#wen qing#jiang yanli#a-yuan#It may have taken a year but we did it! The end of season 2!!!#(Granted: this season was nearly twice the length of season one.)#It's been a really fantastic season to draw for. So many iconic moments! It was a lot of work but I had a blast B*)#I also enjoyed experimenting more and more with my comic style. I'm growing as a comic artist bit by bit!#There is even a little bit of shadowing in this one for next season. As a treat. All the fun (and not heart breaking) scenes to come!#Comic talk time: Recently saw 12 angry men for first time and I love the coincidence of the themes aligning here.#They both touch upon the horror of judicial systems - in which the most persuasive argument wins and the truth is a nuisance.#All it takes is one person to stand against the crowd and say 'I do not know what is true. And that is reasonable doubt enough.'#When the majority is for condemning someone guilty - that in itself is persuasive enough.#One will set their mind to what the 'truth' is and refuse to see it any other way. That their perspective is the only correct one.#No one is born with a monopoly on the truth.#Everyone has biases and agendas. Some care not for the outcome - only that they can be on the convenient side.#Lan Wangji is putting everything on the line to say 'I'm not going to go with the majority vote.'#And that is a huge deal in a story that is so politically focused as MDZS is. Everything is a careful chess move to these sects -#and to not play the game is basically sacrificing everything you are and your families name. For some it is unthinkable.#And there is no doubt in LWJ's mind. He would stand there and lose everything if it means upholding justice.#More importantly - these two have each other's backs. The bond is unbreakable. This is the most ride or die I have seen two people be.
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(source)
#hades ii#hades 2#i played this game twice#this is canon#i swear#melinoe#hades game#hades melinoe#melinoe x nemesis#supergiant games#zagreus
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Some comics
#rain world#comic#rw hunter#five pebbles#spearmaster#rivulet#artificer#First one is back when I first started to learn how play the game seriously#And was super jumpy about enemies because of it. Kept killing things before our buddy had the chance to try#I'm better now lmfao but it was still funny#Also I never draw riv the same way twice. Literally#I just choose a random pink purple and blue#Hope it works out#art
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i really don’t think it’s “typical dragon age fandom nonsense” for people to be genuinely upset about the world state choices. combat, level design, art direction, gameplay gimmicks, those have all varied across each dragon age game. the one thing that’s remained constant are nods to our previous choices.
i wasn’t expecting my HoF to come riding in on a griffon, but i can’t find a monument dedicated to warden tabris somewhere around the anderfels? lucanis couldn’t have some lines about the time that one arainai boy was stirring up trouble in antiva city? you’re gonna tell me that making a mage the new divine wouldn’t have some impact on nevarra and antiva? on the anderfels, the supposed most devout militant andrastian nation in thedas? you’re saying nobody in the north is paying attention to who rules orlais or ferelden? come on.
#dragon age#yes i’ve seen john epler’s explanation on only wanting to carry forward choices that they could ‘really do something with.’#and i understand what he’s saying and i’m curious to see how those 3 choices they brought forward will impact the story!!#but i’m still disappointed. and i think telling people why they shouldn’t be disappointed is just gonna make them More disappointed.#also don’t really appreciate dev comments like ‘careful what you wish for with cameos. it just gives us an excuse to find new and horrific#ways to kill your faves teehee 🤭🤭’ like okay???????? what???#alistair came back twice & could be fine both times. loghain’s inquisition cameo was so meaningful because who the hell expected to see him#again? leliana can straight up die in origins and yall brought her back anyways. like what are we doing out here.#also when i think of ‘typical’ nonsense for this fandom it’s people doxxing each other over fictional character opinions. or what#fictional side your fictional inquistor took in the fictional mage-templar war. or just plain old racism.#NOT ‘damn it’s fucking upsetting that this excited replay i’ve been doing of the previous games and all the recommending i’ve been doing#for new fans to play the other games before veilguard has turned out to be pretty fucking pointless.’#might as well tell someone to watch a let’s play of trespasser and that’s it.
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Extortion
#keoart#A hat in time#bow kid#hat kid#the snatcher#woe. aHiT comic upon ye.#based on a time I was playing with my sibling on the switch version#I got the relic on the top of the tree then the game proceeded to glitch when I (as bow kid) summoned snatcher an softlocked the game#so I had to climb up snatcher's tree TWICE#I was TICKED#the only cutscene that worked with P2 bow kid was the one after beating snatcher where P1 hat kid died at the last second#I demand COMPENSATION for my ASSETS mister SHADOW WORM.
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blood and smoke.
got to see the sweeney todd revival on broadway last week and i have basically thought of nothing else since.
#sweeney todd#sweeney todd revival#mrs lovett#mrs. lovett#aaron tveit#sutton foster#fanart#digital#broadway#musical fanart#i love them so much i truly think they're perfect and the particular way they're playing them is sooooo#making me lose my marbles#i had to commemorate it all somehow#we actually saw it twice in a week lmao....
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nothing new, just average skyrim experience
#tes#elder scrolls#skyrim#khajiit#oc: reino#that guy got raptured at least twice#appeared again after that and went straight up#a couple of days later my sister was playing and an already dead horse fell from the sky on a mountain and im like ah ok that tracks <3#i love skyrim so much#never change
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(found a minute to finish a wip based on a couple posts by @thesexydancingcrepe from a while ago; something about reader meeting the monkey boys when they’re kids, and the adorable shenanigans they get into)
the bad end boys, because of their “birthless”nature (one came outta a rock, the other a shadow? idk), are raised by…all the mama monkey yaoguai in their troop. since they’re nobodies babies, they’re everybody’s babies. they don’t see humans very often (or ever, since they’re on an island). but they're not horrible yet, so cuteness will ensue :)
#click for quality cause mobile is stupid#twice as bad au#bad end wukong#before the bad I suppose#they haven’t become bloodthirsty warlords yet#just lil baby bros#and lil reader probably just thinks its all an elaborate dream shes having#like yeah sometimes she gets transported to a magical island where she plays with cute monkey boys. what about it
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I just love them so much 😭
#adoribull#dorian pavus#the iron bull#like really if we get even a tiny nod to them in Veilguard#I will be so feral about it#(I finally got their dialogue today on this current playthrough#trying to figure out if they patched it at some point to give less dialogue? cuz#it took nearly twice as long to get it this time than it did in my first couple plays)
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