Close Enough for Jazz

Josh Lopes: Dither, John Zorn, and the Art of Blasting White Noise

Guitarist and composer Josh Lopes opens up about the intersection of classical chamber music discipline and underground experimentation. He walks through the collaborative history of Dither, the psychology of working directly under John Zorn, translating Laurie Spiegel’s planetary orbit tracking data to fretted instruments, and how an iPad mechanical failure turned a performance at the Stone into a living nightmare. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:25 - From Rhode Island to the Avant-Garde Scene 01:46 - Euphoniums, Marching Band, and Transferring Schools 03:44 - William Paterson University and the "Bossa Nova" Trap 05:44 - Unlearning Jazz Robot Habits and Developing Soft Skills 06:39 - Getting Academic Probation for Breaking Into Shea 09:25 - The Difference Between Chamber Musicians and Jazz Players 11:47 - Forming the Electric Guitar Quartet 14:22 - The Intensity of Performing John Zorn's Game Pieces 18:39 - A Shattered iPad During a Solo Bagatelle 20:09 - A Weird Mother's Day Encounter with John Zorn 22:23 - Playing "Rugby" at The Kitchen 23:22 - Translating Laurie Spiegel's Electronic Scores 26:50 - The Pretentious Venice Biennale Concert 28:37 - Blasting White Noise for Sensory Deprivation Music 33:03 - The $100 Vintage Japanese Guitar Project 35:15 - Learning Tuvan Throat Singing in a Trader Joe's Milk Cooler 37:37 - Discovering "Genghis Blues" and Ham Radio Harmonics 41:56 - Teaching Music in Newark to Kids Who Don't Listen to Music 44:29 - Replacing Standard Notation with YouTube QR Codes 49:49 - Why Good Guitarists Secretly Have Mental Disorders 51:13 - Missing the Grit of the Old Stone BIRCH GROVE MEDIA * Web: birchgrove.io * Follow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram. * Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMedia * Get the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Sam Ospovat: From Cecil Taylor to Blight Music

Drummer Sam Ospovat discusses his technical evolution and the historical weight of performing with masters like Cecil Taylor. He breaks down the differences between the New York and Nordic music communities, the creation of his project Blight Music in a Brooklyn warehouse, and the discipline required to maintain a creative voice across different continents. Timestamps: * 00:00 - Intro: The difficulty of moving to New York * 01:13 - Formative years at UC Santa Cruz * 04:16 - Mills College: An incubator for the avant-garde * 05:32 - Two weeks with Cecil Taylor: Focus and improvisation * 08:12 - Moving to NYC and the influence of mentors * 11:46 - Relocating to Finland and the Nordic scene * 19:07 - Classical music as a Finnish national identity * 26:19 - Rhythmic ratios: Composing with prime numbers * 29:39 - Virtuosity and the feeling of total abandon * 32:11 - The "Blight Music" concept and the warehouse scene * 39:51 - Writing for non-specialists in complex structures * 44:19 - Timbre and the intellectual component of music * 50:13 - The Brooklyn warehouse and the Blight Music festival * 56:10 - Identifying the true originals in the current era * 1:03:59 - How to find Sam Ospovat’s music BIRCH GROVE MEDIA * Web: birchgrove.io * Follow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram. * Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMedia * Get the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Smirk: Not Your Grandfather’s Jazz and the Birth of a Label

Alan and Lindsay Bjorklund explore the decade-long journey of the album Not Your Grandfather’s Jazz featuring Tyshawn Sorey, Matt Mitchell, Jeremy Viner, Travis Reuter, and Kim Cass. They break down the band history of Smirk, the process of recording world-class improvisers at GSI Studios, and why they chose to build an independent platform for creative music. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro: Reflecting on the label’s first release 01:00 - The origins of Smirk (2011 at Ibeam) 02:00 - Smirk vs. Face: Electric and Acoustic quintets 04:14 - Expanding to a sextet with Matt Mitchell 09:29 - Personnel rotations and sub-players 11:44 - Writing specifically for the 5-string electric bass 12:04 - Bass chemistry with Tyshawn Sorey 15:28 - Meeting Tyshawn Sorey and early collaborations 19:51 - Inside the 2017 GSI recording session 22:38 - The decision to fund a project and start a label 25:58 - Interconnectedness: The Merry Poppins session 30:05 - The Nublu release gig and the live energy 31:14 - Tyshawn’s perfectly timed stick drop 32:39 - Nostalgia for the 55 Bar and intimate spaces BIRCH GROVE MEDIA * Web: birchgrove.io * Follow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram. * Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMedia * Get the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Kevin Scott: Scene Building and the Dancing Poodle

Bassist Kevin Scott shares lessons from the road and the technical secrets of playing "out" while keeping the pocket. From touring with Gov't Mule to the manifestation stories that led to playing with his idols, Kevin discusses the necessity of artistic sacrifice and the "Dancing Poodle" analogy that defines the industry landscape. Timestamps: 00:00 - The reality of the professional music environment 00:26 - Touring with a "Raccoon Ambassador" 03:49 - Tour Hacks: Bus etiquette and sideman logistics 08:34 - Maintaining health and gym routines on the road 09:53 - Resonant Paths: Hiring Greg Osby and Ryan Clackner 13:42 - Manifestation: Joining Warren Haynes’ solo band 20:46 - Handling nerves when playing when being a “fanboy” 28:09 - The 55 Bar legacy and the 2026 NYC scene 35:36 - Building collaborative communities through sacrifice 44:19 - Playing "out" while maintaining the pocket 49:31 - The "Abusive Partner" analogy: Double Bass vs. Electric 53:14 - Electric Bass: The history of the "Ultimate Bastard" instrument 56:26 - The Mythic Pursuit: Col. Bruce Hampton and moving to Atlanta 01:06:16 - The Dancing Poodle Analogy: Why it always wins 01:10:19 - Upcoming records with Matt Chamberlain and Ryan Clackner BIRCH GROVE MEDIA * Web: birchgrove.io * Follow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram. * Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMedia * Get the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Recording Unobtainium: The Bear Skinner Session

Alan and Lindsay Bjorklund join Matt Scollante to explore the intensive process of recording the new Bear Skinner album, Unobtainium. They discuss the technical challenge of live tracking during a snowstorm, the discipline of creating original audio patches, and the infrastructure required to document high-level creative music. BIRCH GROVE MEDIA * Web: birchgrove.io * Follow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram. * Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMedia * Get the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.