voices I miss
Lester Bowie’s New York Organ Ensemble (LB, 1941-1999, MCOTD Hall of Fame, trumpet; Frank Lacy, trombone; James Carter, tenor saxophone; Spencer Barefield, guitar; Kathy Farmer, organ; Famadou Don Moye, drums), live, Madrid, 1992
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Illinois
Last night, after entering this sound world, I didn’t want to leave.
Christian Wolff (1934-), Mountain Messengers (for piano and orchestra, 2020), live (Nicolas Hodges, piano; Basel Sinfonietta [Ilan Volkov, conductor]), Switzerland (Basel), 1/24/21 (world premiere)
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago (Columbus Park)
what’s new
Chris Potter (tenor saxophone, composition) with Bill Frisell (guitar), Nate Smith (drums), Burniss Travis (bass), Rane Moore (clarinet), Zekkereya El-Magharbel (trombone), Sara Caswell (violin), “Into Africa,” published 4/23/26
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Illinois
sounds of Chicago
Music for Union Station, Lia Kohl (composition, cello), Dorothy Carlos (cello), Zachary Good (bass clarinet), Gerrit Hatcher (tenor saxophone) Riley Leitch (trombone), Nick Meryhew (trombone), Beth McDonald (tuba), Zach Moore (bass), Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Macie Stewart (violin), performed 5/15/25 (Union Station, Chicago [rush hour]), published January 16, 2026
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Illinois
sounds of New York
Jim Staley (trombone) with Ned Rothenberg (reeds) and Sylvie Courvoisier (piano), live, New York, 2025
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Illinois (Conservatory)
sounds of New York
Earle Brown (1926-2002), Times Five (1963), for chamber ensemble; Argento New Music Project (Michel Galante, conductor; Francesca Ferrera, flute; William Lang, trombone; Jacqueline Kerrod, harp; Conrad Harris, violin; Michael Katz, cello), live, New York, 2023
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lagniappe
random sights
this morning, Oak Park, Ill.
Complex? Yes. But its complexity is matched by its clarity. It breathes.
Milton Babbitt (1916-2011), Composition for Twelve Instruments (1948, rev. 1954): Ensemble conducted by Ralph Shapey (1921-2002), 1962
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
like nothing else
Live (performance begins at 4:30), New York and San Diego, 2/2/23
New York: Fay Victor (voice), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone)
San Diego: Michael Dessen (trombone), Joshua White (piano), Mark Dresser (bass), Gerald Cleaver (drums)
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
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reading table
We are the main character in the story of our life, and we claim our story is absolutely true, but it’s always edited, if not entirely false.
—author Aleksandar Hemon (1964-, interview), New City, February 2023
sounds of New York
Mary Halvorson (guitar) with Adam O’Farrill (trumpet), Jacob Garchik (trombone), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), “Night Shift” (M. Halvorson), live, New York, 2022
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
this week in Chicago
They will be playing, Thursday night, at the Chicago Jazz Festival.
Henry Threadgill’s Zooid (HT, 1944-, MCOTD Hall of Fame [flute, alto saxophone, compositions]), Liberty Ellman [guitar], Jose Davila [tuba, trombone], Christopher Hoffman [cello], Elliot Humberto Kavee [drums]), live, Washington, D.C., 2013
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Henry Threadgill, interview, 2021
music clip of the day 