Chicago is one of the great musical powerhouses of America. Since the Twenties, its Black population has produced colossal talents, such as classical composer Florence Price and soul singer Curtis Mayfield, not to mention any number of jazz pioneers, from Sun Ra to Quincy Jones to Herbie Hancock. Less well known to the mainstream than some of the above, saxophonist Henry Threadgill has a place in this pantheon, having crowned an eventful 50-year career with the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 2016.
When asked about his hometown, the 79-year-old Threadgill has an interesting historical point to make. “They used to describe it as being as far down south as you can go up north!”, Threadgill says on a clear transatlantic phone line. “That’s what the definition is because the majority of the population is from Mississippi. You gotta remember that it’s a Southern city, basically.” Although he has lived in...
When asked about his hometown, the 79-year-old Threadgill has an interesting historical point to make. “They used to describe it as being as far down south as you can go up north!”, Threadgill says on a clear transatlantic phone line. “That’s what the definition is because the majority of the population is from Mississippi. You gotta remember that it’s a Southern city, basically.” Although he has lived in...
- 11/12/2022
- by Kevin Le Gendre
- The Independent - Music
Following a listening party on Monday, Deerhoof dropped a surprise new album, Love-Lore, via Joyful Noise Recordings.
Love-Lore was recorded live in the studio over a single afternoon at Rivington Rehearsal Studios in New York City. The album contains a medley of 43 covers, which range from the Velvet Underground to Krzysztof Penderecki.
Muindi Fanuel Muindi wrote an essay to accompany the release, while Benjamin Piekut wrote the liner notes. “Deerhoof is not the future of music and doesn’t want to be — they simply want to embrace you, here and now,...
Love-Lore was recorded live in the studio over a single afternoon at Rivington Rehearsal Studios in New York City. The album contains a medley of 43 covers, which range from the Velvet Underground to Krzysztof Penderecki.
Muindi Fanuel Muindi wrote an essay to accompany the release, while Benjamin Piekut wrote the liner notes. “Deerhoof is not the future of music and doesn’t want to be — they simply want to embrace you, here and now,...
- 9/28/2020
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
In a way, there are two Deerhoofs: the killer rock band and the anything-goes experimental collective. For around 25 years, they’ve been churning out albums full of skewed yet tuneful songs (see the great new Future Teenage Cave Artists). Alongside that, together and separately, the members have joined forces with avant-garde luminaries from Ensemble Dal Niente to Matana Roberts and Anthony Braxton. On an upcoming Bandcamp-only release — To Be Surrounded By Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh Is Enough, a title borrowed from Walt Whitman — we’ll get to hear a little of both,...
- 6/18/2020
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
Near the end of a recent conversation with Rolling Stone, in which he emphasized time and again that his musical tastes aren’t confined to any one style, eminent avant-gardist Anthony Braxton illustrated his point by sharing a nickname he’s earned from those close to him.
“My friends call me Anthony ‘Beefheart Boy’ Braxton!” he says cheerfully.
“He was totally creative,” Braxton says of the late Captain Beefheart. “His compositions were outrageously beautiful and original. His ensemble was really special. Some people talk of Captain Beefheart as a far-out rock musician,...
“My friends call me Anthony ‘Beefheart Boy’ Braxton!” he says cheerfully.
“He was totally creative,” Braxton says of the late Captain Beefheart. “His compositions were outrageously beautiful and original. His ensemble was really special. Some people talk of Captain Beefheart as a far-out rock musician,...
- 6/18/2019
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
Fifty years after the Art Ensemble of Chicago first became an internationally known force in avant-garde music, co-founder Roscoe Mitchell has no plans to make any major changes to the group’s working method, which unifies musical strands ranging from deep blues and heavy funk to rigorous composition, ritualistic soundscapes and beyond under the tagline “Great Black Music — Ancient to the Future.”
“We worked on our music and we kind of let the other stuff fall in line on its own, and that’s worked up to this point,” the 78-year-old says,...
“We worked on our music and we kind of let the other stuff fall in line on its own, and that’s worked up to this point,” the 78-year-old says,...
- 3/25/2019
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
“I know I’m an African-American, and I know I play the saxophone, but I’m not a jazz musician,” Anthony Braxton told me in 2007. “I’m not a classical musician, either. My music is like my life: It’s in between these areas.”
Born in 1945 on Chicago’s South Side, the brilliant and unstoppably prolific composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist has spent the past 50-plus years constructing one of the most impressive bodies of work in all of American music — a vast, diverse and utterly personal output, inspired by countless genres but circumscribed by none.
Born in 1945 on Chicago’s South Side, the brilliant and unstoppably prolific composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist has spent the past 50-plus years constructing one of the most impressive bodies of work in all of American music — a vast, diverse and utterly personal output, inspired by countless genres but circumscribed by none.
- 9/4/2018
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
And Sometimes the Boats Are Low by Leighton Pierce (1983)
As of this writing, there does not appear to be much written about this particular film by Pierce, even though there is quite a bit written about his work in general, particularly by film historian Scott MacDonald.
Two known screenings of the film have been at the 3rd Experimental Film Festival in 1986 run by the Experimental Film Coalition; and at a “Personal Cinema Program” event at the Millennium Film Workshop in New York City on November 30, 1987. The “Personal Cinema Program” included Pierce’s And Sometimes the Boats Are Low, plus his films Not Much Time (1982) and The Miracle of Change (1984).
(Note: In the mid to late ’80s, Pierce credited his work as “J. Leighton Pierce.” Since that time, he has dropped the “J.” and is written about just as “Leighton Pierce.”)
Although there isn’t much written specifically on And Sometimes the Boats Are Low,...
As of this writing, there does not appear to be much written about this particular film by Pierce, even though there is quite a bit written about his work in general, particularly by film historian Scott MacDonald.
Two known screenings of the film have been at the 3rd Experimental Film Festival in 1986 run by the Experimental Film Coalition; and at a “Personal Cinema Program” event at the Millennium Film Workshop in New York City on November 30, 1987. The “Personal Cinema Program” included Pierce’s And Sometimes the Boats Are Low, plus his films Not Much Time (1982) and The Miracle of Change (1984).
(Note: In the mid to late ’80s, Pierce credited his work as “J. Leighton Pierce.” Since that time, he has dropped the “J.” and is written about just as “Leighton Pierce.”)
Although there isn’t much written specifically on And Sometimes the Boats Are Low,...
- 1/7/2018
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Since its first edition in 2009, the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tn has earned a reputation as a daring music festival whose eclectic lineup is unfettered by commercial or corporate concerns. Artists run the gamut: avant garde jazz (Anthony Braxton), experimental hip hop (Shabazz Palaces), electronic (Nicolas Jaar), modern classical (Philip Glass). All of this takes place in remarkable indoor venues within walking distance of each other in the city’s downtown center. Governed by the idiosyncratic taste of its founder, Ashley Capps of AC Entertainment, Big Ears has attempted to expand its scope into film and video. In the 2015 edition, there was a […]...
- 4/12/2016
- by Adam Cook
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.