Category Archives: All Interviews

On the heels of his acclaimed two-album collaboration with the late poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson embarks on a new project paying tribute to one of America’s most revered songwriters, whose own work has been hailed for its intricate poetry and outspoken politics. With Jackson Plays Dylan, scheduled for release on April 10, 2026 via his own Solid Jackson Records imprint in a collaboration with Palmetto Records, the saxophonist explores the music of the iconic singer-songwriter, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Dylan. Jackson Plays Dylan finds the saxophonist delving into songs spanning more than 3 decades of the legendary songwriter’s career, from still-poignant folk anthems to incisive & timeless love songs. Jackson is joined on the album by pianist & keyboardist Jeremy Manasia, bassist Isaac Levine, drummer Ryan Sands, and Grammy-winning guest vocalists Lisa Fischer & Nicole Zuraitis. The jazz-focused saxophonist had grown up with almost no awareness of rock music, unfamiliar with even a cultural icon on the level of Bob Dylan. That didn’t change until he was in his 20s and joined the ranks of the final incarnation of the Jazz Messengers. Mr. Blakey’s attorney was a Dylan fan and introduced Javon to the music and the film Hurricane came out in 1999. That drama starred Denzel Washington as Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a black middleweight boxer who spent more than 18 years in prison for a murder that he didn’t commit. The film brought renewed attention to Dylan’s 1976 song “Hurricane,” which strongly denounces the criminal justice system and its use of racial profiling to falsely convict Carter. The song provided Jackson with a renewed insight into the bold strain of social justice that has illuminated so much of Dylan’s work. In that sense, Dylan’s work parallels that of Nikki Giovanni, with whom Jackson formed a strong bond over the course of their 2 critically acclaimed collaborations: The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni (2022) & Javon and Nikki Go to the Movies (2024). Though the idea of a Dylan tribute had been in the back of Jackson’s mind since he discovered “Hurricane,” the present project was conceived with Giovanni’s participation in mind, but sadly, those plans came to an unfortunate end on December 9, 2024, when Giovanni passed away from complications of lung cancer. Jackson Plays Dylan thus became a dual tribute – a celebration of Bob Dylan’s music and a posthumous continuation of the work that Jackson & Giovanni had embarked upon together.

About Javon:
Missouri-born tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson left his studies at Berklee College of Music in 1986 to join Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, where he remained a fixture until Blakey’s passing in 1990. In 1991, Jackson made his recording debut with Me and Mr. Jones, featuring James Williams, Christian McBride, & master drummer Elvin Jones. He joined Jones’ group in 1992, appearing on the great drummer’s albums Youngblood & Going Home. Jackson’s 1994 Blue Note debut, When the Time Is Right, was a straight-ahead affair produced by iconic jazz vocalist & bandleader Betty Carter. His subsequent 4 Blue Note recordings featured wildly eclectic programs ranging from Caetano Veloso, Frank Zappa & Santana to Muddy Waters, Al Green & Serge Gainsbourg. For the Palmetto label he explored a blend of funk, jazz & soul with such stellar sidemen as organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, guitarists Mark Whitfield & David Gilmore, trombonist Fred Wesley & drummer Lenny White. In 2012, he launched his own Solid Jackson Records with Celebrating John Coltrane.

Once again, I had the pleasure of catching up with Javon about some new music to feed our souls. This time around it is his tribute of sorts to a master of another type of trade, Mr. Bob Dylan. We started by talking about what this release wasn’t before we got into what is is. It was going to be something that his friend and colleague, Nikki Giovanni was going to write some new poetry for and form another collaborative effort with Javon. Unfortunately the world lost Nikki and that was not to be. But plan B was just as wonderful, with the support of Lisa Fischer & friend of the proGran, Nicole Zuraitis and a band as with it as anyone Mr. Dylan would have backing him to tell his stories. We talk about how Javon was not familiar with any of this work until much later in life and just what was it that helped him feel the music and understand the type of person Bob Dylan seemed to be. The entire project really doesn’t stray from the original meaning and hope they were written with, the integrity of the tracks in a almost all for one and one for all fade in mentality, really sits with me as I reflect on times gone by still circling back with such a serious importance. This is one record that should end up in people’s hands with the intent to share.

Friends of the proGram BALTHVS, the Colombian psych-funk trio, has wrapped up their massive world tour and impressively stayed true to a commitment they made to themselves and their fans: to deliver a unique setlist at every show. As they traveled across Europe, the U.S., & Latin America, with dates opening for My Morning Jacket & major festivals, the band saw firsthand what happens to a song when it is given a year, crowds & open stages to evolve. Their newest album is the product of that time on the road. Aptly titled Transmutations, it defies easy categorization. It is not a live album, nor a conventional studio release, but something rarer: a document of transformation. It was captured live during their late 2025 European concerts and the Flesh & Soul tour, by Zev Russ, with additional studio recordings taking place in San Diego, CA, & Bogota, Colombia, recorded & produced by bandleader Balthazar Aguirre. The album also marks a transitional moment in the band’s story. It serves as both farewell & welcome: a bittersweet send-off for fill-in bassist Vanessa Muñoz, whose ferocious energy redefined the sound of these songs in concert, and a joyful homecoming for Johanna Mercuriana. Both appear on the record, as the band is unwilling to erase either chapter, making Transmutations a living record of the people who shaped it. On the new album, longtime fans will recognize the band’s signature warmth in Johanna’s Dream and their reverence for improvisation in Inner Heights. All is One, their psychedelic centerpiece, grew a full offspring in Outer Reaches, a tribal drum-driven journey that spotlights the percussive brilliance of Santiago. Ojos Verdes similarly gave birth to LSD in Bahia, a hypnotic fusion of Brazilian & Hungarian rhythms filtered through the unmistakable BALTHVS lens. Those newer to BALTHVS will find an entry point in Mood Swing, a dance-floor-ready arrangement born from a remix by collaborator Sinego, & Shakedown Street, the band’s love letter to the Grateful Dead, a group that is foundational to their entire musical pursuit. With Transmutations, BALTHVS celebrates their 1st fully independent release, arriving under their own Cubensis Records imprint. It is a milestone that reflects 5 years of growth not just as musicians but as artists who have full command of their creative & business lives. It is a record that could only exist today, as it is shaped by everything they have lived & learned, by the people who came and went, and by the audiences who helped them discover what their music could become. In just 5 years, BALTHVS has become one of indie music’s most vital & globally resonant voices. Hailing from Colombia, BALTHVS is a three-piece psychedelic funk rock band creating groove-driven, atmospheric music that draws from global influences. Their sound fuses the spirit of 70s psychedelia with funk, Latin rhythms, & ambient texture. Inspired by artists like Santana, Khruangbin, Thievery Corporation, & The Grateful Dead, BALTHVS create music that feels both nostalgic & forward-thinking, a guitar-driven psychedelic funk rock experience that is unmistakably their own. At the heart of the group is Balthazar Aguirre, a self-taught guitarist who started down his musical path after a near death rock climbing accident. The incident opened his eyes to his true passion, music, driving him to leave behind his life as a lawyer and form BATHVS. He is joined by fellow musicians and funk enthusiasts Johanna Mercuriana, the bassist, & Santiago Lizcano, the drummer.

I had the chance to get toGether once again with Balthazar to dive ear first into Transmutations. While this is an adventure of the ears, this band delivers everything they do with a lot of heart as well and that is not missed by me. I feel the family affair going on as an outsider with this group. This music, that energy is what runs in their veins and is spilled out onto the stage (or even in the studio) daily/nightly. We talk about why this album right now and Balthazar doesn’t mince words when he says how this is a complete representation of who/what you get when you attend one of their events – the illusive recreation of a live show on a record. We talk about a challenge they took seriously when touring with My Morning Jacket. We talk about the bassist swamp and adding a new family member to the scene. I would have been remiss if I did not talk a little bit as well about their own label that is releasing the album, Cubensis Records. Of course, as we spoke about before, the influence of the Dead is discussed and how Shakedown Street found its place on the record. Live, they have their own ‘Drums->Space type a spot in their set – of course – more groove than experimental. I found our conversation surrounding Jam Bands in the U.S as a phenomena to be very interesting. While they may be growing up in both numbers and experience, it is those past experiences that still help paint the scene of just who this band is, and the sounds they seek. If you have not yet, it feels like now is the time to get yourself a part of this journey.

One of the world’s most acclaimed comedy ensembles, Baby Wants Candy has performed more than 3,000 completely improvised musicals for audiences across Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore and Madison! Each performance is powered by audience suggestions, a full band and the troupe’s lightning-fast wit—creating a rollercoaster of spontaneous songs, intricate dance numbers and side-splitting comedy. Each show is a roller-coaster ride of spontaneously choreographed dance numbers, rhyming verses and witty, jaw-dropping comedy. Each performance is the opening and closing night of that performance. BWC has performing casts in Chicago (Apollo Theater), Los Angeles (UCB) and New York (UCB) and tours internationally. The world-renowned improv comedy ensemble Baby Wants Candy returns to Madison with two popular shows, “Baby Wants Candy” and “Shamilton,” at Overture’s second annual Fringe Festival running Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1, 2026.

I had a chance to catchup with the group’s leader, Al Samuels about just what will be going down as Baby Wants Candy gets back to Madison for this year’s Fringe Festival at the Overture Center. We get into how this is the type of show for people who like (or don’t like) musicals, the type of examples they might encounter during the performance, how much the band and the cast like to ‘get’ each other and speaking of the band, just what type of musician gets that gig. There are also workshops the cast will be providing, so we talk about the warming of the heart moments when those who thought they could not, do and all the same types of surprises as being on the stage. Here in Madison there will be two shows of each, the audience suggested title of a musical and ‘Shamilton’ – so that is four unique experiences over a weekend for those who attend. If you think you need a laugh (and I speak from experience) this is definitely a show for you.

A longtime cornerstone of the New York City underground music scene, bassist, producer, label boss & documenter Mr. Bill Laswell has been among the most prolific artists in contemporary music. As a performer, producer & label chief, his signature is on thousands of albums, including more than 135 of his own starting with 1985’s Baselines, the majority are characterized by a signature sound fusing the energy of post-punk with the bone-rattling rhythms of funk, fusion, & dub. He’s also known for star-studded collaborations, having founded Praxis, Material, and several other groups. Mr. Laswell also records immersive electronic ambient explorations as well as fusions of disparate genres from Indian, Latin, & African music to opera, klezmer, hip-hop, jazz, and many other genres. He released 2022’s Nammu with Ulf Ivarsson, and 2 duo recordings with John Zorn, 2022’s The Cleansing and 2023’s Memoria. Mr. Laswell has been a staple of the downtown New York music scene since the late ’70s when he founded Material, a rotating ensemble whose output ranged from angular art-funk (1981’s Memory Serves) to club-friendly, futuristic electro-pop (One Down). His commercial breakthrough came when he co-wrote & produced Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking 1983 electro track “Rockit.” Throughout the decades, he has participated in many musical projects as a bassist, including Last Exit, an avant-jazz-rock supergroup, and has produced dozens of records for a staggering array of artists including Mick Jagger, Nona Hendryx, & Iggy Pop. During the ’90s, Laswell founded/ran the Axiom label to release ambient, dub, & electronic outings. He also helmed a series of remix & reconstruction projects, kicked off by the release of Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969-1974. In the early part of the 80’s he explored Indian music with supergroup Tabla Beat Science, and founded futurist drum’n’bass ensembles Method of Defiance with Submerged. Throughout the 2010s and well into the 2020s, he ran M.O.D. Technologies, a genre-defying label that released albums by avant-jazz artists including Milford Graves & Rudresh Mahanthappa, as well as On Common Ground, a power trio with guitarist Mike Sopko & drummer Tyshawn Sorey. Born on February 12, 1955, in Salem, Illinois, he initially played guitar but soon switched to bass. Raised primarily in the Detroit area, he honed his skills in local funk outfits before relocating to New York in 1978. There Laswell formed Material, an outlet for his experimental approach toward sounds ranging from jazz to hip-hop to worldbeat. Originally the backup unit for Daevid Allen, the group soon began working on its own, issuing its debut EP Temporary Music in 1979. While Material’s early work was more esoteric, they soon released more accessible, pop-influenced music, including the club classic “Bustin’ Out” and the full-length One Down, which included one of Whitney Houston’s first lead vocal performances. In addition to fronting Material, Laswell also mounted a solo career, issuing Baselines in 1983 on Celluloid, a label he partly owned and operated. Appearances on key recordings by the likes of David Byrne, John Zorn, Fred Frith, and the Golden Palominos established him as a virtual nexus of the downtown N.Y.C. community and he broke into the mainstream with his production work on Herbie Hancock’s 1983 smash “Rockit,” which he also co-wrote; Hancock’s follow-up LP, Sound-System, won him a Grammy. Throughout the mid-’80s Laswell was everywhere, playing bass on LPs from artists including Mick Jagger, Peter Gabriel, Yoko Ono, & Laurie Anderson. He also joined the avant group Curlew and produced a number of African acts. In 1986, Laswell joined guitarist Sonny Sharrock, drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, & saxophonist Peter Brötzmann in the group Last Exit; a second solo LP, Hear No Evil, appeared 2 years later, and after a long hiatus he also resurrected Material in 1989 with Seven Souls. Another project, the hip-hop-flavored Praxis, was resumed after almost a decade of inactivity with 1992’s Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis). In 1990, Laswell formed another label, Axiom, to explore his interest in the new sounds of ambient and techno; where in the past his work rarely appeared solely under his own name, by the middle of the decade he was issuing several solo records annually in a wide range of styles from dub to jazz. He also remained among the most prolific producers in the business, collaborating with the likes of Dub Syndicate, Pete Namlook, Buckethead, & DJ Spooky. In 1998 he released Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969–1974, a “remix translation” that won acclaim across the music world. IN 2001 he issued one with Carlos Santana as its subject entitled Divine Light: Reconstructions & Mix Translation. In 2004, Laswell signed a multi-album label deal with the Sanctuary Records group. The deal spawned his new label, Nagual. He also began to collaborate on a series of drum’n’bass-styled recordings with Submerged (aka Kurt Gluck of the Ohm Resistance imprint), the first of these, attributed to Bill Laswell vs. Submerged, was entitled Brutal Calling and issued by Avant in 2004 with contributions from Toshinori Kondo & Guy Licata. Through the Sanctuary label’s earlier acquisition of the seminal reggae label Trojan, Laswell now had access to the Jamaican label’s sizable back catalog. Picking some of his favorite cuts and remixing them, He issued the Trojan-sourced Dub Massive: Chapter One and Chapter Two in May 2005. Laswell and Submerged re-teamed under the Method of Defiance moniker for 2006’s The Only Way to Go Is Down on Sublight Records. This was followed by 2007’s Inamorata, on Ohm Resistance. This date found the pair teaming various drum’n’bass producers, including Future Prophecies, Evol Intent, & SPL, with jazz, rock, & avant artists such as Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, Nils Petter Molvaer, & Buckethead. That same year he issued the mix translation outing The Tony Williams Lifetime: Turn It Over (Redux). Laswell also released a collaboration with Finnish producer Fanu on Ohm Resistance titled Lodge, which includes contributions from Molvaer & Bernie Worrell. The notion of a live band created around the Method of Defiance structure was initiated with participation from Laswell, Worrell, Kondo, Licata, & Dr. Israel. The group was documented on Nihon from the RareNoise imprint in 2009. In 2010, Laswell initiated a new label called M.O.D. Technologies. Said to be centered around the principles of a solidified Method of Defiance lineup, the label released 3 albums that year: Method of Defiance’s Jahbulon, the instrumental dub-centric Incunabula, and a live offering from Laswell’s spouse, Gigi, with Material, entitled Mesgana Ethiopia. Laswell also collaborated with Submerged (who had left Method of Defiance) for a new group called the Blood of Heroes, which also included Dr. Israel, Enduser, & Justin Broadrick. The band released a self-titled debut & remix album Remain on Ohm Resistance in 2010. Laswell collaborated with master reggae & Radical Jewish Culture bassist/composer David Gould on a dub version of the latter’s 2009 album Feast of the Passover. The new recording, titled Dub of the Passover, was issued by Tzadik in 2011. Metastation released Aspiration, an electronic album billed to Bill Laswell & Friends (including Alice Coltrane, Carlos Santana, Pharoah Sanders, & Zakir Hussain),the tunes were dedicated to the ensemble members’ own inspirational figures, including H.H. Dalai Lama XIV, Sonny Sharrock, Rumi, & Pattabhi Jois. The Blood of Heroes’ 2nd album, The Waking Nightmare, appeared in 2012. M.O.D. Technologies continued releasing material, including archival releases by Praxis as well as Laswell’s collaborations with artists including DJ Krush, Milford Graves & Wadada Leo Smith. In 2014, Laswell collaborated with several Hawaiian musicians for the album Kauai: The Arch of Heaven, which appeared on Metastation. Laswell and Submerged collaborated once again in 2016, when After Such Knowledge, What Forgiveness? appeared on Ohm Resistance. Along with Masahiro Shimba, Laswell combined dub & opera on the ESP-Disk release Risurrezione. He also released work with Japanese drummer Hideo Yamaki & avant-rock guitarist Raoul Bjorkenheim. In 2018, Laswell collaborated with drummer Simon Barker, guitarist Henry Kaiser, & saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa on Mudang Rock, an album inspired by the Shamanic ritual music of Korea. The following year, he teamed with Jah Wobble to release the group offering Realm of Spells with guitarist Martin Chung, keyboardist George King, alternating drummers Mark Layton-Bennett & Hideo Yamaki, with guest Peter Apfelbaum on saxophone & flute. Before year’s end, he cut the single “Showing Up”/”The Power of the Vote” with Dave Douglas and released the 2017 Sonar session featuring electric guitarist David Torn. In April 2020, Laswell released Against Empire, an electro-acoustic offering issued by MOD Reloaded. His sidemen on the session included Sanders & Apfelbaum on saxes & flutes, Herbie Hancock on electric piano, drummers Jerry Marotta, Chad Smith, Satoyasu Shomura, & Yamaki, and Adam Rudolph on percussion. In October he collaborated with guitarist Mike Sopko & drummer Tyshawn Sorey on the power trio outing On Common Ground. Freely improvised, it was inspired by the live albums of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream. Laswell spent most of 2021 working with his M.O.D. Technologies, issuing archival recordings for the first time and long out of print titles. Among the offerings that appeared that year were his own long-form ambient work Essay in Light and Tokyo Rotation, offering volumes drawn from various live sets played in 2009 and 2010 with an enviable clutch of Japanese musicians including Toshinori Kondo, Hideo Yamaki, DJ Krush, & Akira Sakata, among others. In 2022, Mr. Laswell & Swedish composer & multi-instrumentalist Ulf Ivarsson released the avant, electronica-laden fusion of Nammu on Ropeadope. He also issued The Cleansing on Tzadik, a duo recording with John Zorn. They followed it with a 2nd album titled Memoria in May 2023. He has been involved with many projects to this day, which leads us to one of his latest, Cosmic Trip, the new solo album by legendary Miles Davis saxophonist Sam Morrison. Blazing with heat, flowing with cool, crisp and edgy electric sound, the music allows you to savor every aspect of his remarkable talent. Mix-translation of course by Mr. Laswell and the album is presented by his MOD Reloaded label.

I had the complete honor to get some time with Mr. Laswell to dive into ‘Cosmic Trip‘ to get inside how it came to be. We talk about how the project went from that idea to the powerhouse sonic exploration it turne dout to be. We talk about one of the tracks specifically to get a sense of how it was born and the interesting part of the discussion around the album was just how Mr. Laswell found out just who this cat, Sam Morrison is. This is where the gold started ot be mined. We also talked briefly about his recently departed friend Sly Dunbar, and once again it wasn;t just anbout the music, it was about the person he was (which happens to be all about every side of music)/. We even quickly touched base on one of more recent artists he worked with whom I have had on the proGram, Nevaris, which just keeps reminding me how much of the things I have put into my ears, my mind and all my emotions that Bill has been a part of. He has literally shaped the listener and feeler of music I am. More to come.

Photo by: Hiroshi Ohnuma

Mike Mattison, a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band & the Derek Trucks Band for over 23 years, today releases Turn A Midnight Corner, his 3rd solo outing for Landslide Records. So, what is Turn A Midnight Corner? As is often the case with Mattison, there is a back story. He had an idea to write a novella about a country blues duo from the 1930s, ‘Ted ‘n’ Turk,’ who are ‘rediscovered’ in the early 1970s by a music critic. They’re brought together as aging men and are poised to re-record their old 78 rpm sides. However, the ‘rediscovery’ turns into a bit of a media circus when rockstars come sniffing around, money muddies the waters, race stuff encroaches, resentments emerge, and the whole thing falls to pieces. All the songs in this collection were written by Mattison (Thumbs Plus Music / ASCAP) and recorded in a couple of week-long sessions at Studio MG in Roswell, GA. The LP was co-produced by Mattison and mix engineer Jason Kingsland [Band of Horses, Bryan Ferry, Belle & Sebastian] and engineered by Spencer Garn and drummer Tyler “The Falcon” Greenwell. It features members of his current band, Trash Magic: guitarist Dave Yoke (Dr. John/Susan Tedeschi Band/Scrapomatic), guitarist Greg Spradlin (Los Lobos satellite member), bassist and keyboardist Wesley Flowers, and drummer Tyler Greenwell (Tedeschi Trucks Band.) A native Minnesotan and Harvard University graduate, Mattison penned some of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s signature tunes, e.g., “Midnight in Harlem.” With TTB & DTB, Mattison has won two GRAMMYs, eight Blues Music Awards, and four Canadian Maple Blues Awards. He’s toured the planet, played on five continents, and every state except Alaska.

I have had the chance to chat with Mike a few times over the years. Each time is a growing experience for me. Anyone who knows me knows just how much his group with Paul Olsen (and others of course), Scrapomatic is certainly a guilty please of mine. His voice is something that cause a feel that runs thru me and heads right to my soul. This time around we have a different project to dive into. We talk about the new album ‘Turn a Midnight Corner with his latest group, Trash Magic. We go see to flower on this new music and get to know the band a little bit more. Not a big surprise to me that the beGinning of this music stars with him working on a book. Mike clues us in to how he attempts to box out the other things he has ongoing to find time to make all this happen. Here we are on the day this album drops and a few tour dates with Trash Magic lined up. We take time also to dissect one of the tracks, often I am easily set astray when a tune comes on sounding like the rhythm of a train and there’s one of those right her eon this new record, so we take a walk through that one together as well. The music and Mike make me feel like for a little bit, I (and hopefully we) get to walk into some new stories and be a[part of it, or away from that, for just a little bit.

Photo: Alix Lamber

Thollem is a pianist, keyboardist, composer, improviser, singer-songwriter, activist, author & teacher. He has toured throughout North America & Europe as an itinerant artist for 2 decades, performing, teaching & collaborating in myriad situations across the idiomatic spectrum. Thollem’s known in concentric circles as an acoustic piano player in the free jazz & post-classical worlds, as the lead vocalist for the Italian agit-punk band Tsigoti, and as an electronic keyboardist through a multitude of projects. His lifelong interest has been to work with people from all walks of life, bringing artists & communities together in ways that may create something uniquely valuable to everyone involved. He is currently focused primarily on his multimedia collaboration with New Mexican visual artist ACVilla, his solo piano work Infinite-Sum Game, his new autobiographical songs project Godammit Tommy!, and workshops on the collaborative process. Since 2005, he has played over 3,000 concerts throughout N. America & Europe, releasing more than 100 albums on 27 different vanguard labels. A very brief cross section of his many collaborators include William Parker, Pauline Oliveros, Stefano Scodanibbio, Nels Cline, Sara Lund, Rob Mazurek, Michael Wimberly, Mike Watt, Susan Alcorn, & Carmina Escobar. Thollem is a published author about art, politics and his travels in NewMusic Box, The Anthology of Essays On Deep Listening, Full Moon Magazine (Prague) & First American Art Magazine. 2 years ago Other Minds Records released The Light Is Real with Terry Riley, Thollem, & Nels Cline. This latest album, ‘The Right Is Real’ features Mr. Terry Riley, and is a return to the original duo concept, starting from scratch. Tracks 1 – 4 are the recordings from the 1st session Terry & Thollem recorded on-line. The rest of the album are samples of these recordings played by Thollem through a Wavestate, in real-time. The impetus for this project together was a kind of epiphany he had when he walked into his Suegra’s bathtub room in northern New Mexico surrounded by her mural of a Redwood forest. Thollem was so captivated that he took a photo and simultaneously thought “the light is real” & “Terry Riley”. Mr. Riley and Thollem have been friends for many years and Thollem shared this epiphany with him. They decided to improvise with their voices while meditating on this photo & concept. Now, on the Winter solstice, ‘The Light Is Real (VOICES)’ has been let out into the world.

I had the chance to get back together with family to the proGram, Thollem to discuss this recent offering into the sonic landscape. We get into the original ideas, hearing them back now since it has been ‘released’ and the work that went into it once the thoughts were shared. In the early Spring, Post Consumer Records will be doing a physical release of this album for people to get a chance to hold it in their hands. Thollem assures us (there is no doubt) that the art that will accompany will be yet another part to this gift. He reminds us of the music he is creating for his forst autobiographical project, Godammit Tommy!, from which I have shared a few tracks, and this is a completely different beast than this work with Mr. Riley. COMPLEETELY! There is no reason to not be reminded about the work he and Angela have done with the documentary series Artists Engaged, as we talk about how we both find new people to become immersed into because of each other. This space is a place where open minded deep listeners can go to be introduced to ‘off the beaten path’ artists to feel.

Grammy Winner, Doris Duke Artist & Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced & blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation & tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking & influential saxophonists/composers of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical influences. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has released 18 recordings as a leader, including his latest, Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard (2025), the Grammy-nominated Golden City (2024), & the Grammy-winning album El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2 (2023). He has worked with luminaries such as The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Kurt Elling, Joey Calderazzo, Steve Coleman, Ray Barreto, Andy Montañez, The Mingus Big Band & Bobby Hutcherson. In April 2008 he received a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Later that year he was one of 25 distinguished individuals chosen to receive the coveted MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “Genius Grant.” In 2011 he founded Caravana Cultural, a program which presents free-of-charge Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. In 2022 he received an Honorary Doctorate from La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the highest honor bestowed by the institution. In 2024 he received a Doris Duke Artist Award from the Doris Duke Foundation. Zenón has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe & The Chicago Tribune. In addition, he topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year & Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories in the 2014 JazzTimes Critics Poll and was selected as Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2015, 2018, 2019 & 2020 (when he was also recognized as Arranger of the Year). In 2023 he was recognized by the same organization as the Composer of the Year. As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, NYO Jazz, The New York State Council on the Arts, Chamber Music America, Logan Center for The Arts, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, MIT, Spektral Quartet, Miller Theater, The Hewlett Foundation, Peak Performances, PRISM Quartet, Kinetic Ensemble and many of his peers. Zenón has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is an Associate Professor in the Music & Theater Arts Department at MIT.

I had the honor to get some time catching up with Miguel ahead of the December 5th event in Madison at Arts Literature Laboratory with the great pianist, Mr. Luis Perdomo. We get into what people can expect this time around with their ‘El Arte Del Bolero’ concert that evening. We talk about what a new person to this scene might expect. Miguel also shares about them workshopping in some new music into these sets. That leads to a conversation around improv, live recordings versus studio work and we end up finding out what he has been listening to these days. The dive into making of his latest record and sharing the moments that have been captured in time and getting it to the point of wanting it to be documented and shared was such a highlight for me to wrap my mind around. Considering the people he has worked with and been inspired by, it was very insightful when we get talking about him being an instrument for someone else’s project.

Between the poetic observations of family to the proGram, Oliver and his brother, bassist & vocalist Chris Wood — with percussionist & multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix completing the trio — Puff of Smoke is an 11-song collection brimming with joy in the face of challenges, delivering lyrical wisdom with the winking subtlety of John Prine and the musical hive mind of a seasoned group with two decades of shared experiences. Fans who have hopped aboard at waypoints along the journey that began with their now classic 2006 debut Ways Not to Lose already know to expect a new drop from The Wood Brothers will bring inventive songwriting, a grounded lyrical wit, and an adventurous sweep of sonic avenues. Unpredictability is part of the listening experience. Jano and the brothers Wood will be bringing the tour supporting the latest release to Madison on November 14th at the Memorial Union‘s Shannon Hall. Also, a big event in Jano’s world is another new release, just dropped yesterday, with his father, veteran drummer Luther Rix, whose career includes work with Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, Leonard Cohen, and Bette Midler among numerous others, have joined forces on record for the first time. Simply calling themselves RIX, today the father/son duo have released their debut album, Legacy, Vol. 1, a collaboration more than 12 years in the making, via RPF Records/Royal Potato Family. Between them, Jano and Luther bring decades of musical experience. Luther’s career has taken him from work with rock ‘n’ roll legends such as Dylan, Cohen and Midler to symphonies, Broadway pits, and Schoolhouse Rock! sessions. Jano’s multi-instrumental work has been central to The Wood Brothers’ acclaimed Americana sound, while he has produced records for artists such as Seth Walker, Steve Poltz, Oliver Wood, Upstate, and Chris Kasper. Yet Legacy, Vol. 1 is their most personal statement, made not to chase trends or charts but to capture their shared love of music, document a unique family bond, and embrace the spirit of their shared groove.

I had the chance to get some time with Jano (like he has any extra to give) to talk about the upcoming event with The Wood Brothers from his perspective. He gets into the ins and outs of the shows, how he became the third member of the trio and the evolution of the Shuitar. Then we slide right into this new album with his father. The stories, the memories and the way it all went down over span of time that seemed long, but it might have been just right. This album does its thing with you as you listen in and it sure was interesting to hear Jano dive into it. It was certainly not just a chat about all the work he has been doing, we take time to hear with track of each of these new albums (Puff Of Smoke & Legacy Vol. 1) he would choose to build a set around and then he fills it in just like you’d come to expect here on the program. Magic will happen.

Bizhiki is almost wholly a made-in-Wisconsin project, a collaboration between Dylan ‘Bizhikiins’ Jennings, Joe Rainey and the multi-instrumentalist Sean Carey (S. Carey). Bezhikiins Jennings grew up singing within the powwow tradition, around the Lac Du Flambeau & Lac Courte Oreilles reservations in Central Wisconsin. He now makes his home in Northern Wisconsin, on the Bad River reservation on the shores of Lake Superior. He’s joined on the album by his adopted brother, Rainey, a Red Lake Ojibwe powwow singer from Minneapolis who now makes his home within his wife’s Oneida Nation on the shores of Lake Michigan. Bizhiki’s first album, Unbound, is a confluence of sounds bringing traditional and powwow music into an expanded musical palette. In 2015, Jennings got a call from Justin Vernon, the front man of the indie folk band Bon Iver. Vernon invited Jennings to participate in Eaux Claires, a music & arts festival he was launching that summer and they took him up on that offer. They are heading to Madison to be a part of a couple of noteworthy events. On Sunday, November 9, 7:30pm, Arts + Literature Laboratory welcomes Bizhiki, part of the programming associated with the Native Art Market, which takes place the day before, Saturday, November 8, from 10:00am to 6:00pm. Also, to celebrate Native November 2025, the six-piece band will be joined by Native dancers alongside classic Ojibwe storytelling, leaving audiences feeling intellectually, spiritually, and culturally nourished. The performance will be followed by a moderated question and answer with Jennings & Rainey. Special thanks to members of the Indigenous Student Center Coalition for making this month’s programming possible. More information here: An Evening With Bizhiki: A Musical Performance followed by Q&A Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at UW Madison’s Union Theater Shannon Hall.

I had the chance to catch up with Dylan Jennings ahead of these two special events. Dylan and I got into what each performance could shape up to be, the timeline of the group, just how they were able to find the time to get some creative work done in the studio to create the album ‘Unbound’ and get this show out on the road.

Photo by: Graham Tolbert