Today, the Spotlight shines On Paul Stache, co-owner (with his wife and partner Molly Sparrow Johnson) of Smoke Jazz Club, one of New York City’s premier live music venues. Smoke is celebrating its 25th anniversary throughout 2024 and Paul joined us to talk about the storied venue’s past, present, and…
In this excerpt from Spotlight On, jazz critic Paul de Barros (author of Shall We Play That One Together? The Life and Art of Jazz Piano Legend Marian McPartland) shares his strategies for conducting insightful interviews, emphasizing preparation and thoughtful questions. He recounts a difficult interview with Ray Charles and…
Today, the Spotlight shines On guitarist Dominic Miller, a musician unique in his ability to fit in and contribute as a sideman, but also to step up as a band leader. Dominic may be best known as guitarist — and in his own words, “Lieutenant” — for Sting, a position…
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…
Today, the Spotlight shines On Gabriel Kennedy, the author of the forthcoming biography Chapel Perilous: The Life and Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson, which hits shelves in February 2024 from Strange Attractor/ MIT Press. The subject of that book, Robert Anton Wilson, wrote 35 books and over 1,500 published…
Today, the Spotlight shines On author, entrepreneur, and teacher Seth Godin. I recently watched an interview with Seth wherein he was describing a discussion he had with someone asking him for career advice and he remarked, “I was not always Seth Godin”. For some of us, that is hard to…
Today, the Spotlight shines On Kerry O’Brien and William Robin, co-authors of the book On Minimalism: Documenting a Musical Movement from University of California Press. Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley and LaMonte Young are stereotypically described as the “Big Four” of minimalism in music. While On Minimalism does nothing…
Today, the Spotlight shines On Danish saxophonist, composer, and best-selling author Benjamin Koppel. Benjamin joined us to discuss his July 2023 release Perspective, the latest work from KCB Collective, a trio that, in addition to Koppel, includes Scott Colley on bass and Brian Blade on drums. It looks great on…
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…
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…
In this excerpt from the new episode of Spotlight On, author Paul de Barros shares his experiences writing about pianist Marian McPartland, highlighting her jazz advocacy, personal archive, and the challenges of working with her closely. Be sure to check out more of this conversation on the Spotlight On podcast:…
Today, the Spotlight shines On musician, songwriter, journalist, and returning guest, Jeff Slate. Jeff joined us about two years ago and while that discussion was more focused on his work as a writer and cultural observer, this talk focuses on his music career. Based in New York City, Jeff has…
What can be scarier than Halloween ghouls? How about a trip through the LSD underground? Today, the Spotlight shines On Erik Davis, and this trip is no bummer. Erik is an author, award-winning journalist, and teacher in San Francisco. He is the author, most recently, of Blotter: The Untold Story…
Today, the Spotlight shines On David Rodriguez, Executive Vice President and Executive Producer at NJPAC - the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. David works in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, and has led a fascinating life in the performing arts. He was a full-time musician on the road with…
Today, the Spotlight shines On Cat Henry, the Brooklyn, NY-based Executive Director for Live Music Society, a philanthropic foundation whose mission is to recognize and protect small music venues and listening rooms across the U.S. so that live music remains accessible to all. Before LMS, Cat served as Vice President,…
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…
The acclaimed jazz critic discusses his updated biography of Marian McPartland, revealing how the Piano Jazz host's complex personality and vast musical connections created both challenges and opportunities in documenting her remarkable life. ------------------ Today, the Spotlight shines On award-winning jazz critic and author Paul de Barros. Throughout his storied…
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…
Today, the Spotlight shines On Josh Johnson, the Los Angeles-based saxophonist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and Grammy Award-winning producer. Josh joined me earlier this year to talk about his second solo album, Unusual Object, which came out this past April on Northern Spy Records. Equal parts futuristic jazz and modern composition, Josh…
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…
Today, the Spotlight shines On Brad Mindich, an entrepreneur who works directly with artists, athletes, and others in music, culture, and sports to expand their legacies and create powerful connections with their fans. Brad currently does this work as the founder and CEO of Inveniem/Definitive Authentic, which helps its clients…
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…
Today, the Spotlight shines On the musician and producer David John Haskins, better known to the world as David J, bassist and co-founder of both post-punk goth band Bauhaus and, subsequently, Love and Rockets. As if having such a luminary visiting our podcast isn’t enough, today’s talk is guest-hosted by…
Today, the Spotlight shines On Andy McCluskey, the singer, songwriter, musician, and producer best known as the lead singer and bass guitarist of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (also known as OMD). Andy joined Spotlight On producer and guest host Michael Donaldson to discuss topics as varied as the political…