Soundcheck Archive
July 2005
A Wizard of Song
Friday, July 29, 2005
Tom Wopat burst into the national spotlight in the role of Luke Duke on the '80s TV Hit, "The Dukes of Hazzard." But his career has led him back to his first love, the Broadway stage, where's he appeared in everything from Annie Get Your Gun to Chicago to the current production of Glengarry Glen Ross. He'll be in the Soundcheck studio today to perform songs from his recent recording "Tom Wopat sings Harold Arlen." Also: Paul Anka was a teen idol in the 1950s but his new album features big-band arrangements of rock songs by Van Halen, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Billy Idol. Today, he explains how he recast '80s and '90s hits as Sinatra-style swing tunes.
Breaking the Mould
Thursday, July 28, 2005
After briefly checking out the club music scene, influential post-punk rocker Bob Mould comes back to guitar-driven power pop with his new album Body of Song. Mould has enjoyed a wide-ranging career that includes founding the seminal 1980s Minneapolis punk band Hüsker Dü, and later heading such projects as the band Sugar, a DJ project called BlowOff, and finding time to start his own blog. He joins us today with a live performance. Also on the show: The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds is one of the most celebrated, written about, poured over and analyzed pop albums ever. In his new book on the album, author and Wall Street Journal rock critic Jim Fusilli focuses on the emotional elements of the album. He joins us in studio to discuss that and more.
Beethoven by the Byte
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Beethoven's symphonies were downloaded nearly 1.4 million times when they were made available as free MP3 files on the BBC's Radio 3 website recently. Today, we look at the implications of this experiment - and why some in the music industry are worrying - with Radio 3 controller Roger Wright. Also: Jazz vibraphonist and composer Stefon Harris started out as a classical musician, taking up the piano at age six and learning more than a dozen instruments in the following years. He joins us today to share his latest projects. Finally, if you thought road trips were a modern-day invention, you might look back to Mozart. The Salzburg, Austria spent time in Paris, Prague, London, and Italy. Joining us to look at the influence of travel on Mozart's music is Louis Langree, music director of the Mostly Mozart Festival, which starts its 39th season tomorrow night around the theme of Mozart's travels.
Oh no, payola!
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Music’s making big news today as Sony-BMG, the world's largest producer of recorded music, has agreed pay a 10 million dollars settlement for paying DJ's to play its songs. Scott McKenzie, editor of Billboard Radio Monitor, will join us to talk about the crackdown on the time honored tradition of payola…and tell us what it means for what we’ll be hearing on the radio. And Paul Shaffer's big break came in 1982 as the leader of "the world's most dangerous band," serving as sidekick, bandleader and music director on David Letterman's late-night talk show. Today on Soundcheck, Paul Shaffer joins John Schaefer to walk through some career highlights and talk about the re-uniting of some of the key bands who made up the British Invasion. And we'll have a visit from the Brooklyn band, The Howard Fishman Quartet. Fishman's musical interests move between old-time swing and contemporary chamber pop. He and the band will perform live in the studio.
Banjo History, and Berlin today
Monday, July 25, 2005
Banjo player Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers were one of the most popular string bands of the 1920s. Infused with ragtime and pop, their style of swing music was way ahead of its time. Today on Soundcheck, composer Henry Sapoznick talks us through the life and influence of Charlie Poole and the newly released three-CD box set of the remastered original recordings of Charlie Poole. Also: Wunderamerikaner Frank Dodge founded the privately-funded chamber music series Spectrum Concerts in Berlin, Germany. In a country where government funding supports the majority of arts, Spectrum has been unique in that it receives no government subsidies and relies solely on tickets sales, program ads, foundations and contributions by private individuals. Dodge visits us to talk about the group’s success and what American musicians can learn from his experience abroad.
Inspecting Gadgets
Friday, July 22, 2005
Today on Soundcheck, a tour of the newest in music technology – from podcasting to the newest in Ipod gadgetry from Online music stores to wireless headphones, cell phones that can play MP3s, to places to find cool ringtones on the Web. We speak with four top music and technology writers about what you should know about what’s next in music tech.
Babbitt to Bollywood
Thursday, July 21, 2005
In a career that has spanned over seven decades, composer Milton Babbitt is best known for being one of the early gurus of the synthesizer and electronic music, as well as for his intellectual arrangements for classical and jazz music. Now, he is collaborating with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City on a new project, and he'll join us to talk about working with a younger generation of musicians. The WNYC Young People's Radio Chorus will also present a world premiere of a new work by composer Kevin James, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Then we'll travel to the Indian subcontinent as we take a look at the music and dance traditions of Bollywood. We'll speak with WNYC's cultural producer Judith Kampfner, and with Sandip Roy, music commentator and radio personality.
Pump up the Volume
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Daby Touré is a rising star in the world music realm and makes his CD debut on Real World Records with the release of Diam (Peace), which combines his strong African roots with singer-songwriter pop fusion. He joins us in studio to talk about his music in between concert appearances in town. Also on the show, James Poke, one of the founders of Icebreakeran amplified 12-piece group from Britain who specializes in performance of contemporary musicto discuss their specialties, which include a decible-heavy live show that hits all of your senses. This week they give the U.S. premiere of the dance piece AtaXia choreographed by Wanyne McGregor and scored by Michael Gordon of Bang on a Can.
Popstrological Viewpoint
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Today on the show: Ian Van Tuyl, author of the book Popstrology: The Art and Science of Reading the Pop Stars. Do you think you know what star you were born under? Think again! Van Tuyl has created a new method of self-discovery: examining not the stars in the sky, but the pop stars on the charts the day you were born. We'll open the phones for popstrological readings.
Rhapsody in Red
Monday, July 18, 2005
Like good fusion cuisine, the music of Chinese-born composer Ge Gan-ru mixes ancient Chinese and modern Western ingredients. He visits the studio today to share his story, which included consigned work in an agricultural labor camp, and later, studies at the Shanghai Conservatory and Columbia University. His latest CD is "Chinese Rhapsody." Also: author Julia Blackburn stops by to talk about her new biography of jazz legend Billie Holiday. Later, critic and lecturer Fred Plotkin shares his review of the French film "The Beat That My Heart Skipped," the story of a real estate thug who struggles to give up his shady lifestyle to become a concert pianist.
Best Fantasy Supergroup?
Friday, July 15, 2005
British rock fans recently asked to create a "supergroup" - usually a mix of players from different bands - chose all four members of Led Zeppelin. The poll, conducted by Planet Rock Radio, asked 3,500 people to create their fantasy band. We look at the results with Planet Rock producer Mark Jeeves, and we take calls, asking listeners to weigh in with their chosen supergroup. Also: When contemporary country artist Shelby Lynne took home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2001, she already had more than a decade of record-making under her belt. Before getting on Central Park Summer Stage this evening, she joins us in studio to talk about the development of her music throughout the years.
Paris Revue
Thursday, July 14, 2005
One of France's most beloved singers was Edith Piaf. Her dramatic voice and hard-scrabble life captivated audiences. She continues to inspire, as Ziaf, a Boston alternative band has demonstrated -- by singing just the songs of Piaf. Today, in honor of Bastille Day, the group joins us for a life performance in the studio. Also on the show: the music of the Senegalese hip-hop group Daara J has been described as a mix of American and French rap, reggae, roots, soul, funk and Latin. They join us today to discuss the U.S. release of their album "Boomerang." Lead singer Faada Freddy states, "Hip-hop was born in Africa [and] went around the world to come back to Africa, like a boomerang that has been thrown from the motherland and is back home."
The South Rises
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Southern-gothic folk singer Jim White is tour guide of the American South in a new documentary film, "Searching For The Wrong-eyed Jesus." During his travels, he encounters everything from Mountain Gospel churches to prisons and truck stops. He also speaks to such musicians as The Handsome Family, 16 Horsepower and Cat Power and reflects on the inspiring power that the South has had on its musicians. Also: Martin Carthy of the British folk icons and family band Waterson:Carthy visits us today to perform his special brand of folk roots music and speak about his life in Britain's first family of folk.
Get Funky
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
The Billy Nayer Show is a rock band that found success by starring in a sci-fi film entitled "The American Astronaut," which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001. The Village Voice likens Billy Nayer Show's performances and music to "co-productions of Kurt Weill and Neil Young." Today, lead singer Corey McAbee discusses how cult cinema brought underground stardom to the band. He'll also discuss his latest record, Rabbit. Also joining us is New York's Latin-funk collective Yerba Buena, who will bring their Afro-Cuban, gyspy and cumbia influenced sound into our studios for a live performance that will make your body want to get up and swing.
Fortunate Son
Monday, July 11, 2005
Founder of alt.country leaders Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt, Jay Farrar joins us for a live performance on the eve of Son Volt's latest release, Okemah and the Melody of Riot. Also: composer Raphael Mostel, who has written music commemorating the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was performed at ceremonies in 1987 and can be heard on Blood on the Moon. His latest work is "Night and Dawn," a commission in honor of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. He joins us with a preview.
The Sleepwalking Soprano
Friday, July 08, 2005
Renowned Korean coloratura soprano Sumi Jo joins us as she prepares for her Caramoor debut as a sleepwalker in Bellini's opera La Sonnambula. Jo's past bel canto roles have been acclaimed from Salzburg to La Scala to the Metropolitan Opera, and she helps present Bellini's original score for the first time here in America. Also: Microtonal composer, author and music critic Kyle Gann joins us to today to discuss his collection of essays about the experimental music scene in New York entitled "Music Downtown: Writings from the Village Voice." He'll also talk about his latest release, "Nude Rolling Down an Escalator: Studies for Disklavier," a work that uses mechanical piano controlled by a computer via MIDI data.
Gay or straight: can you hear the difference?
Thursday, July 07, 2005
A recent article in the Dallas Morning News examined how some of America's signature music was written by gay composers, including Copland, Bernstein, and Barber among others. By contrast, 20th century composers writing in a more complex, thorny, and modernist style tended to be straight, including Charles Ives, Elliott Carter and Roger Sessions. We look at the issue with the article's author, music critic Scott Cantrell, and play some examples. Also: There is more to sound recording than just recording sound. Far from being simply a tool for the preservation of music, the technology is a catalyst. This is the clear message of the new book Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music. We visit today with the book's author Mark Katz.
Pulling Strings
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens has embarked on an ambitious project, to write an album for each of the 50 states. The first state in the series was Michigan. Today, he discusses how he traveled the state of Illinois to uncover its oddities and misfits as research for the series' newest installment. Also on the show: Puppeteer Basil Twist's production of Respighi's long forgotten "La bella dormente nel bosco" (Sleeping Beauty in the Woods) gets its New York premiere as part of the Lincoln Center Festival. Twist joins us along with Neal Goren, artistic director of Gotham Chamber Opera and conductor of the production, to discuss how they brought to life this captivating opera.
» View a slideshow of today's guests
Who could ask for anything more?
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Every few minutes it seems that another musician puts their stamp on Gershwin's music. Today, jazz pianist Bill Charlap shows how he brings a modernized, yet still traditional take on the Gershwin songbook that is far from predictable. Also, The Frank and Joe Show is a weekly jazz show at the club Sweet Rhythm in New York City. Humorous and eclectic they are comprised of percussionist Joe Ascione and guitarist Frank Vignola, and they join us today with a live performance. Finally, a review of this past weekend's Live 8 concerts.
The Heart of Song: Renée Fleming with Fred Hersch
Monday, July 04, 2005
Opera soprano Renée Fleming is a familiar face on the world's greatest opera stages, but on her latest CD, "Haunted Heart," she leaps to the worlds of jazz, pop, and folk. On this encore edition of Soundcheck, Fleming joins pianist Fred Hersch to offer a live performance of jazz and pop standards in the studio. Included is music from Joni Mitchell’s classic 1971 "Blue" release, the standard "Love for Sale," and exclusive archival performances from Fleming’s earliest days as a young college student.
» Slideshow: Renée Fleming & Fred Hersch perform live on Soundcheck
» More about The Heart of Song
The Lowdown on Live 8
Friday, July 01, 2005
In 1985, Irish rocker Bob Geldof organized what was then the biggest charity concert series in history: Live Aid, which raised $200 million for African famine relief. Now, two decades later, Geldof has organized a sequel, Saturday's Live 8 concert series. In advance of the nine worldwide shows, we get a Live 8 primer with Blender magazine senior editor Ann Powers. Also: Through his band the Eels, singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett has drawn on the turmoil and tragedy in his life to create ambitious music that, according to Rolling Stone, "demonstrates disarming wit, tear-stained awareness and heavenly loser love." His recently released CD, Blinking Lights and other Revelations, has been called "some of the best-written songs of this new century" by the magazine Under the Radar, and on today's show, Uncle E himself comes by guitar-in-hand for a performance and a chat. Finally, Noche Flamenca has developed into one of Spain's most successful flamenco companies. They join us in the studio to talk about flamenco and their recently extended run at Theatre 80.
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