Spotlight On

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 musician Val Jeanty, bassist Trevor Dunn – and new addition guitarist Julian Lage.In addition to talking about that band and album, Kris guides us through her musical path and development while hipping us to her important work at the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from Live at the Village Vanguard by Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons)------------------Dig DeeperListen to Live at the Village Vanguard by Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons on Bandcamp or your streaming platform of choiceVisit Kris Davis at krisdavis.netVisit Pyroclastic Records at pyroclasticrecords.comFollow Kris Davis on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) and Pyroclastic Records on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X).Kris Davis Is A Powerhouse and A PolymathKris Davis, a Pianist Fighting for Fringe MusicBerklee Institute of Jazz and Gender JusticeBe sure to peruse this episode's extensive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice.• Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 leads a nonet through material she composed while living in a secluded cabin in Upstate New York. There, she was inspired by the sights, sounds, and, yes, creatures of the nocturnal environment surrounding her.Angelica has been recognized with awards, grants, and fellowships that honor her creativity. She is also an assistant professor at Bard College.And now, she is a guest of Spotlight On.(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from the album Nighttime Creatures by The Angelica Sanchez Nonet) ------------------Dig DeeperListen to Nighttime Creatures by The Angelica Sanchez Nonet on Bandcamp or your streaming platform of choiceVisit Angelica Sanchez at angelicasanchez.comFollow Angelica Sanchez on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTubeComposer Angelica Sanchez takes inspiration from the sound of the woods at nightA Toy Piano Played Like A Grand, BabyBe sure to peruse this episode's extensive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Don Cherry, Jon Hassell, Sam Rivers, Pharaoh Sanders, and many others but had a particularly extensive collaboration with Yusef Lateef over many years, releases, and ensemble configurations.Adam and I connected immediately and had a terrific conversation, which I am ever-so-pleased to share with you. Enjoy.(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from Hu: Vibrational's latest album, Timeless)------------------Dig DeeperCheck out Hu: Vibrational's Timeless on Bandcamp or your streaming platform of choiceFind out more about Adam Rudolph on his homepage, Discogs, and YouTubeVisit Adam's label, Meta Records, on Bandcamp, Facebook, or metarecords.comOrder Adam Rudolph's book Sonic Elements: Matrices, Cosmograms, and Ostinatos of Circularity from BandcampFor Adam Rudolph, Collaboration is CommunicationBe sure to peruse this episode's extensive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 when he was still a child, settling in France, where his musical education and accomplishments took flight. In addition to winning prestigious international competitions and working with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste, Josh Groban, and Sting, Ibrahim is currently enjoying his second Grammy nomination in the “Best Global Music Performance” category for his song “Todos Colores” from his 2022 full-length, Capacity to Love.Ibrahim will be touring throughout France and North America in 2024. To stay on top of all he gets up to, you can check out his website through a link in our show notes.Happy and safe New Year to you and yours. Thank you for all of your support in 2023. See you next year!(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from the Ibrahim Maalouf's latest album, Capacity to Love)------------------Dig DeeperVisit Ibrahim Maalouf at ibrahimmaalouf.comFollow Ibrahim Maalouf on Instagram and FacebookListen to Ibrahim Maalouf's Capacity to Love on your favorite streaming platformThe Four-Valve Trumpeter Who Uses Sharon Stone and Charlie Chaplin to Make JazzMaalouf Masters of the Quarter-Tone TrumpetIbrahim Maalouf - Yves Saint Laurent (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)Ibrahim Maalouf concert datesBe sure to peruse this episode's extensive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice.• Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Gabriel Niño, hot on the heels of his own work on the new Andre 3000 album…This record is the complete package, from the striking cover art to every well-placed organic and synthetic musical touch. Roberto, who is a repeat guest of Spotlight On, and Max are both fun, engaging, and deeply committed artists.(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from the Web Web x Max Herre album WEB MAX II)------------------Dig DeeperCheck out Web Web x Max Herre's album WEB MAX II on Bandcamp or your favorite streaming platformFollow Web Web on Instagram and FacebookFollow Max Herre on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X)Astral Traveling: The Ecstasy of Spiritual JazzKraftwerk And Black America: A Musical DialogueWeb Web x Max Herre live | Jazzline | 2021Be sure to peruse this episode's extensive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, the Spotlight shines On James McKeown, the Bristol, UK-based artist who releases music under the name Hawksmoor. James first created Hawksmoor five years ago, inspired by the six 18th-century churches in London designed by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor. Described as ‘English Baroque’ in style, these buildings are large, foreboding, and even Gothic in nature. Imagine the music inspired by such things, and you have Hawksmoor. Each Hawksmoor album features unique themes and inspirations that have been composed using a sonic palate of analog Moog instruments and electronic rhythms complimented with live bass and subtle, textural guitar elements.Hawksmoor’s latest, their debut on Soul Jazz Records, Telepathic Heights, combines a love of German electronic music of the 1970s alongside British retro-futurism and hauntology — an aesthetic that evokes cultural memory of times past.Great record, great conversation. Enjoy.(Note: All of the music segues heard in this episode are from Hawksmoor's Telepathic Heights album.)------------------Dig DeeperListen to Hawksmoor's Telepathic Heights on your streaming platform of choice or purchase a download directly from Soul Jazz RecordsListen to earlier albums by Hawksmoor on BandcampFollow Hawksmoor on Instagram, Bluesky, Threads, Twitter (X), and YouTubeAn Occult Psychogeography of Hawksmoor’s London ChurchesKraftwerk: Future Music from Germany (the unnamed book mentioned in the conversation)Hawksmoor - "Abstract Machines" (video)Be sure to peruse this episode's extensive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice.• Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, the Spotlight shines On Diana Pasulka, religious studies professor and the author of two books I have really enjoyed in the last few years: 2019’s American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology and Encounters: Experiences with Non-Human Intelligences, released in November 2023.As Diana points out in her work and in our discussion, religious studies is not about the veracity of any particular religion or religious claim, instead, it is about the implications of belief on the believers and the societies they live in. As you will hear, this led to Diana’s interest in other groups of ‘believers’, namely people who claim to have had experiences with UFOs and other non-human intelligences. A big part of this work involves talking with and spending time with the so-called ‘experiencers,’ not only of UFOs but of angels, demons, and other types of perceived sentience and consciousness, including AI.Another strand of Diana’s work, which we only briefly touched on but may be of specific interest to listeners of this podcast, is the role of media in shaping and reinforcing belief - and how context, presentation, and repetition shape perceived ‘truth’ about topics for which there is no objective or agreed upon fact. For example, Diana relays cases of experiencers who report interactions with crafts or beings that do not look like stereotypical flying saucers or little gray aliens. Even in the community of ufologists, those cases get criticized or dismissed because the reports are not what UFOs or aliens are supposed to look like. In our hour together, we covered a fraction of the ground I would have liked to cover, so we are linking to Diana’s website, books, and other resources in the show notes. ------------------Dig DeeperVisit Diana Pasulka at dwpasulka.comFollow Diana Pasulka on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter (X)Purchase Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences from Macmillan, Bookshop, or AmazonBe sure to peruse this episode's exhaustive show notes at spotlightonpodcast.com------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, the Spotlight shines On downtempo electronic music godfather and Thievery Corporation co-founder Eric Hilton.Eric joined us a few weeks after the September release of Corazón Kintsugi, his album with longtime Thievery vocal collaborator Natalia Clavier.Eric produced, arranged, and played the majority of the instruments on the 9-track album, which fuses elements of dub, trip-hop, Bossa nova, vintage film music, and electronica with Natalia’s emotive Spanish and Portuguese vocals. We talk about this record, other aspects of Eric’s musical life, and his engagement with the city of Washington, D.C.Corazón Kintsugi is out on Eric’s own Montserrat House imprint and is available everywhere you get your music now. The music excerpts heard in this episode are from this wonderful album.------------------Dig DeeperVisit Eric Hilton at erichilton.comListen to Corazón Kintsugi featuring Natalia Clavier on Bandcamp or your favorite streaming serviceFollow Eric Hilton on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (X), and YouTubeVisit Natalia Clavier at nataliaclavier.com and follow her on Instagram and FacebookVisit Thievery Corporation at thieverycorporation.com and Eighteenth Street Lounge Music at eslmusic.comKintsugi: The Centuries-Old Art of Repairing Broken Pottery with Gold‘Music dug up from under the earth’: how trip-hop never stopped------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, the Spotlight shines On saxophonist and composer Javon Jackson. Javon sat with us in early October to talk about his film score for the art-world documentary With Peter Bradley, music which came out back in June 2023 on the saxophonist's Solid Jackson Records.Peter Bradley has had a 50-year career as an abstract artist, but one that saw him getting little acclaim until the last few years. In addition to his work as an artist, the daily practice of which is documented in the film, Bradley was a mover and shaker in various mid-late 20th century modern art scenes. His work is interconnected with his love of jazz, to the point that Javon calls Bradley a “musician whose instrument is paint”. The score for the film conjures Bradley's favorite jazz icons — Miles, Coltrane and Jackson's former employer, Art Blakey.I had the opportunity to screen the film before speaking with Javon and I fell in love with the subject, the art and the score. I urge you to check out the music and Peter Bradley’s art. (The music excerpts heard in this episode are all from Javon Jackson’s With Peter Bradley soundtrack.)------------------Dig DeeperVisit Javon Jackson at javonjackson.com and on InstagramLearn more about the documentary With Peter Bradley at withpeterbradley.com and on InstagramListen to Javon Jackson's swinging soundtrack to With Peter Bradley on your streaming platform of choiceArt Blakey: How The Jazz Messenger Shaped The Future Of JazzThe Four Agreements by don Miguel RuizJackie McLean Institute of Jazz - University of HartfordSolid Jackson RecordsJavon Jackson Discography------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, the Spotlight shines On freelance journalist and author Tea Krulos.Tea wrote two books that I enjoyed this year: Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement from 2013 and 2020’s American Madness: The Story of the Phantom Patriot and How Conspiracy Theories Hijacked American Consciousness. Both of those works take the reader deep into parts of contemporary American society that are not often explored and if they are, it is usually done with ridicule or scorn. Tea takes a different approach. He seeks to understand what kind of people are drawn to non-mainstream beliefs and movements, often at the risk of their personal relationships, their livelihood, credibility, and in some cases, their lives.He’s also not afraid to insert himself into his stories, observing up close and often becoming an active participant in the world of his subjects. The results are a much more vulnerable and empathetic look at our fellow citizens and their sometimes troubling worldviews.------------------Dig DeeperVisit Tea Krulos at teakrulos.comFollow Tea Krulos on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter (X)Check out books by Tea Krulos at Bookshop, Powell's, Amazon, and Barnes & NobleHow to talk to conspiracy theorists—and still be kindHow to Spot Misinformation and Disinformation OnlineFor expanded show notes and other episode information, go to this episode’s page on spotlightonpodcast.com ------------------• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.