Soundcheck WNYC Studios
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- Arts
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WNYC, New York Public Radio, brings you Soundcheck, the arts and culture program hosted by John Schaefer, who engages guests and listeners in lively, inquisitive conversations with established and rising figures in New York City's creative arts scene. Guests come from all disciplines, including pop, indie rock, jazz, urban, world and classical music, technology, cultural affairs, TV and film. Recent episodes have included features on Michael Jackson,Crosby Stills & Nash, the Assad Brothers, Rackett, The Replacements, and James Brown.
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Daymé Arocena Infuses Spirituality and Pan-Caribbean Pop Into Afro-Cuban Jazz
Daymé Arocena, an Afro-Cuban singer from Havana now based in Puerto Rico, has been performing semi-professionally since she was 8 years old. She was trained as a composer, arranger, choir director, and band leader (Wikipedia) at conservatory, in addition to being “a practitioner of the Santeria religion, and a master of its profound musical tradition,” (Afropop Worldwide). Arocena was also part of the band Maqueque, an all-female band of young Cuban artists blending folkloric Cuban music and jazz (NPR Music).
Since emerging as a solo artist, her songwriting has been a winning mix of jazz, soul, Caribbean, rumba, and folkloric music, imbued with Yoruban spirituality. But her latest release, Alkemi, celebrates the sounds of North American and Latin pop, intentionally so, as she picked Eduardo Cabra of Calle 13 to help produce on the album, which also features guests and sounds from around the Caribbean. Daymé Arocena and her band play some of the songs from Alkemi, in-studio. - Caryn Havlik
Set list: 1. America Boy 2. Como Vivir Por El 3. Por Ti -
Sheherazaad's Insightful Blend of Poetry and Music, In-Studio
The singer and songwriter Sheherazaad blends the rich tradition of poetry and music from South Asia with Western instruments and production techniques. Her new album, Qasr, was produced by Grammy-winning Pakistani-American singer Arooj Aftab, and it offers a subtly colored, moody collection of songs that, in the tradition of the old collection 1001 Nights, tell stories. Stories that conjure "real strains of displacement, the push and pull of diaspora, and the depravity of erasure and forgotten roots", (Erased Tapes). Sheherazaad and her ensemble perform the music of her origins, in-studio.
Set list: 1. Dhund Lo Mujhe 2. Khatam 3. Koshish -
Composer and Flutist Nathalie Joachim Explores Family and Identity in Song
Haitian-American composer, flutist, vocalist, and educator Nathalie Joachim is half of the duo Flutronix, whose music blends classical flute playing with electronic sounds. She also played for a spell in the Grammy-winning contemporary classical music ensemble Eighth Blackbird. But in 2019 Nathalie began exploring her family’s roots in Haiti with a striking album called Famn d’Ayiti, using flute, string quartet, electronics, field recordings and her own singing. Now, she’s continued that exploration with a new album called Ki moun ou ye, or Who Are You / and the Kreyol meaning is Who Claims You? On it, her precisely assembled original songs and compositions explore ideas about family, ancestry, and identity using recorded voices of family members, along with her own flute riffs and voice, and percussive elements. Nathalie Joachim presents music from her latest album called Ki moun ou ye, or "Who Are You / Who Claims You?", in-studio.
Set list: 1. Kenbe m 2. Kouti Yo 3. Ki moun ou ye -
Mary Timony Recaptures Her Joy On 'Untame The Tiger"
Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and educator Mary Timony has been a hugely influential figure on the indie and alternative rock scenes for over 30 years. Starting with the band Autoclave in 1990, she went on to front the group Helium for much of the 1990s, was a member of the supergroup Wild Flag, and is a guitarist and singer of the band Ex Hex. Her latest album, Untame The Tiger, is a solo record – her first in at least 15 years – is full of tasty guitar licks and thoughtful lyrics. Mary Timony and her band play some of the new tunes, in-studio.
Set list: 1. Summer 2. No Thirds 3. The Guest -
Helado Negro's Return To What The Sun Feels Like
Helado Negro is the avant pop project of Roberto Carlos Lange, born in Florida to Ecuadorian parents but for many years based in Brooklyn. In recent years he’s moved around a bit (Marfa, TX!) and is now based in Asheville NC, which is where he made his new dreamscapey bilingual avant-pop album called Phasor. While it definitely has the dreamy, warm sound of an Helado Negro album, it also feels different - the grooves are more prominent and there are new sonic textures we haven’t heard before, perhaps due to inspiration from Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening, Foley sound art, and many other sources – including what the sun feels like.
Set list: 1. Echo Tricks Me 2. Out There 3. Best For You And Me -
The American Patchwork Quartet Plays Songs of Enduring American Culture, In-Studio
The American Patchwork Quartet is a group that reflects the American melting pot – the patchwork quilt of people who’ve come and made the U.S.A. their home. APQ features two-time Grammy winner Clay Ross, of the band Ranky Tanky, drummer Clarence Penn, and two musicians who immigrated from Asia: the singer Falu (from India) and bassist Yasushi Nakamura (from Japan). Their debut, untitled album is just out, and includes fresh, often Indian-tinged arrangements of old fiddle tunes, folk hymns, and early blues. As the famed folksong collector and producer Alan Lomax said, “America has a patchwork culture made of the dreams and songs of all its people.” The American Patchwork Quartet performs their take on old folk songs in-studio.
Set list: 1. Wayfaring Stranger 2. Lazy John 3. Shenandoah
Customer Reviews
Insightful & great
John the host actually listens to music, & asks thoughtful questions. He doesn't just read the publicity sheet.
The in-studio live sessions interest me less than the conversations. I miss the conversations with critics, biographers, & comedians about music history, especially the "THAT was a HIT?" recurring segment.
Genius
This is simply the BEST podcast about music.The encyclopedic knowledge (I'm dating myself) the host, John Schaffer has about both history and directions of modern music is unparalleled. And the podcast had the best ratio of music:talking. This show is also one of the reasons I'm a WNYC member!
If you’re looking for new music...
... this is a perfect place to find it. Guests are often musicians or groups that are just under the popular radar but deserve more love and attention.