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Soundcheck / August 27, 2007

Soundcheck

Monday, August 27, 2007
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  • Philip Glass
    Philip Glass

    The Maturing of Minimalism

    Composer Philip Glass turned 70 this year and minimalism is as popular as ever. It's also controversial, as some feel it's been overly commercialized and misrepresented. Today, music critics Kyle Gann and Steve Smith debate what – and who – is minimalist. Also on the show: Anoushka Shankar, the sitarist and daughter of Ravi Shankar and Karsh Kale, a producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist team up on the album "Breathing Under Water." They join us to share their musical and cultural fusions.

Minimalism: Point and Counterpoint

In honor of Philip Glass's 70th birthday year, the music critics of the New York Times recently published their list of essential recordings of minimalist music. The list unleashed a heated debate on the Internet, with some bloggers attacking the list for its omissions and biases. Today, we debate the minimalist canon with Kyle Gann, composer and former Village Voice music critic; and Steve Smith, classical music critic at the New York Times and music editor of Time Out New York.

Weigh in: Who is your favorite minimalist composer? What's your favorite minimalist recording?

Kyle Gann's blog
Steve Smith's blog
Steve Smith and Kyle Gann's Top Five Lists

Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale

Sitarist Anoushka Shankar and composer and producer Karsh Kale join forces on "Breathing Under Water," a new album that shows the many dimensions of so-called fusion and crossover music. The album also features Sting and Shankar's sister Norah Jones, and prolific Bollywood soundtrack composer Salim Merchant. Shankar and Kale join us today.

Breathing Under Water on Amazon

The Pacifica Quartet

Soundcheck

Carter Burwell and Maya Beiser

Soundcheck

Ben Gibbard and Jay Farrar's Ode to Jack Kerouac

Soundcheck

The Ill Effects of Urban Noise

The Ill Effects of Urban Noise

Soundcheck

Soundcheck received an overwhelming response to our segment on the effects of urban noise. So much so that Arline Bronzaft decided to address the feedback. Listen to the original segment and read Bronzaft's response.

RZA on the Tao of Wu

Soundcheck