Joey DeFrancesco Interview [Listen 29:24] – S02Ep07 (2 of 3) – Joey DeFrancesco and . . . What IS that Noise?
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Joey DeFrancesco and What is that Noise
Special Guest (Audio) Joey DeFrancesco (Part 2 of 3): Nicknamed “the finest Jazz organist on the planet,” Joey DeFranceso and GTV present you with an exclusive and in-depth interview, plus his full concert performance in Toronto.
Coming from a long line of established organ players, DeFrancesco started his career off as a child prodigy (starting at age 4) playing with all the greatest organists in the world. He has developed his skill to the point where he dominates the Hammond B3. When DeFrancesco was 17, Miles Davis called him up to ask him to tour with him and play on his 1989 album, “Amandla.” Since that time he has gone on to play with many other "who’s who" in the Jazz world and often being paired with some of the greatest guitarists in Jazz such as Pat Martino, Paul Bollenback, Jimmy Bruno, Dave Stryker, and John McLaughlin. In this podcast we talk about the history of the Hammond B3 organ and talk about all the great guitarists he has played with.
Mysterium Tremendum - Exploring The Vastness of The Infinite Universe With Mickey Hart
Every once in a while there are extraordinary people who come along, who by sheer talent, mixed with hard work and focused dedication are able to achieve something truly unsurpassed and outstanding. They are able to attain a deeper understanding of their particular undertaking to a point where they are able to progress, and in some cases, alter everyone’s understanding
Joey DeFrancesco Interview [Listen 30:40] – S02Ep07 (1 of 3) – Riding the Big Wheel with Joey DeFrancesco
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Riding the Big Wheel with Joey DeFrancesco
Special Guest (Audio) Joey DeFrancesco (Part 1 of 3): Nicknamed “the finest Jazz organist on the planet,” Joey DeFranceso and GTV present you with an exclusive and in-depth interview, plus his full concert performance in Toronto.
Coming from a long line of established organ players, DeFrancesco started his career off as a child prodigy (starting at age 4) playing with all the greatest organists in the world. He has developed his skill to the point where he dominates the Hammond B3. When DeFrancesco was 17, Miles Davis called him up to ask him to tour with him and play on his 1989 album, “Amandla.” Since that time he has gone on to play with many other "who’s who" in the Jazz world and often being paired with some of the greatest guitarists in Jazz such as Pat Martino, Paul Bollenback, Jimmy Bruno, Dave Stryker, and John McLaughlin. In this podcast we talk about his early years, playing with the greats, and his introduction to Miles Davis
Special Guest (Print) John Broven (Part 1 of 1): I have been in contact for quite a while with John Broven, the author of one of my favorite music books, “Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneers.” The book chronicles the history of the independent rock’n’roll record industry, covering the beginning in the 1940’s through to the 1960’s. It tells the amazing story of the record industry; it covers topics like how and why we went from the 78rpm to the 45rpm format, the history of the independent music scene, the musical significance of the jukebox, and even how the record store was born. Through his research, he was able to talk to, interview, and recount the amazing stories of people like Marshall Chess (Chess Records), Jerry Wexler, Ahmet Ertegun, and Miriam Bienstock (Atlantic Records), Joe Bihari (Modern Records), Art Rupe (Specialty Records), Sam Phillips (Sun Records), and a ton more. He goes into topics like the trade magazine “Cash Box,” Payola, and Nashville radio station WLAC, and he describes how they affected how we listen to music today. We are both hoping to post a full written interview to the site sometime in the future (when he gets off his world tour for his book). Until then, he was kind enough to send me an unpublished questionnaire on "Record Makers and Breakers" just after his book came out.
* In many ways, “Record Breakers” is an ode to the 
genius of American capitalism. Was there anything that especially surprised or impressed you as you started to piece these stories together?
I agree that the indie record business is “an ode to the genius of American capitalism.” Somebody told me recently, “This is a great American story.”
I think it’s fair to say that as the interviews and research progressed, I realized:
(1) Just what a small industry the indie record business was at the start – I called it a “cottage industry”;
(2) How the record men had to learn the business from scratch: not just the art of recording but also building pressing plants themselves, setting up distribution systems, learn publishing, etc. etc. (see Art Rupe's wonderful new rules, chapter 25).
(3) How everybody seemed to know each other and worked together to a large extent;
(4) How the nascent industry was dependent upon several integral cogs in the machine i.e. record distributors, jukebox operators and distributors, radio/television, disc jockeys, promo men, retail outlets, trade magazines etc. It wasn’t just about the record makers – or indeed the artists.
(5) I was aware of the cover version syndrome and like everybody else put the blame on the "nasty" major labels, but then I began to understand that indie publishing companies were pitching their hit songs to majors – and recorded covers themselves. So it wasn't all one-way traffic.
(6) Must admit I didn't realize the full extent of the majors poaching the indie hit artists until I started listing the artists and the labels.
* Tell me about the importance of the jukebox market (compared to radio and retail).
Just to say that, as stated in the book through New Orleans’ Cosimo Matassa early on, the jukebox operators were terribly influential in dictating the sound of the record, also the length of the record – the shorter the record, the more plays. Basically jukebox play was free promotion – and represented bulk sales to the indies. The jukebox people, whatever their business practices, were very important cogs in the rock ‘n’ roll machine.
JJB
March 16, 2012
Gerard Rejskind and Christian Wolff interviews [Listen 41:22] – S02 Ep06 (2of 2) – Slowly turning yourself into a composer with Christian Wolff
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S02 Ep06 (2of 2) Slowly turning yourself into a composer with Christian Wolff
Special guest (Audio) (part 2 of 2) – Christian Wolff is one of the most respected and revered modern composers of our time. Starting out composing with a group of extraordinary artists and composers (what became to be known as the New York School Movement) consisting of Morton Feldman, Earl Brown, David Tudor, (choreographer) Merce Cunningham, and John Cage. It was Wolff who changed John Cage's musical direction forever by giving him the 'I Ching'; in addition, he worked with other leading 20th Century Composers like Frederic Rzewksi and Cornelius Cardew. He has gone on to compose well over 200 compositions, dating back to the early 1950's. His compositions are often improvisational, complex, and sometimes political in nature and intent.
Special guest (Print) (part 3 of 3) – Gerard Rejskindis a High-end stereo/Audiophile expert and the chief editor of UHF Magazine. With over 30 years of experience behind him, Mr.Rejskind has also taken his knowledge and written three books of particular interest to the industry. In addition to this, what he is probably most famous for are his "State of the Art” columns at the back of his magazine; which, in my opinion, is a wellspring of audiophile knowledge. He was nice enough to answer some stereo and turntable questions that I asked on behalf of our fans, fans of High-end, and those who are just getting into vinyl and High-end audio. (Note: Photo of Mr.Rejskind receiving the lifetime achievement award at Salon Son & Image last year) Congratulations you deserve it!
UHF website, or to order your subscription HERE.
GoingThruVinyl's Interview with UHF Magazine's Chief Editor Gerard Rejskind (Final)
GTV - I understand you have three audiophile books that you can buy from your site. Would you like to describe each one briefly, and what knowledge can be gained from them? The World of High Fidelity- The UHF Guide to High Fidelity- State of the Art-
GR - The original book, The UHF Guide to High Fidelity. was intended to bring together a number of articles on the principles of high fidelity, including articles that had been published in UHF itself. It was a runaway best seller, paying its costs in just six weeks. The second book, The World of High Fidelity, had the same general theme, but expanded
Christian Wolff and Gerard Rejskind interviews [Listen 33:45] – S02 Ep06 Drinking Orange Juice with Christian Wolff
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WolffS02 Ep06 (1 of 2) - Drinking Orange Juice with Christian Wolff
Special guest (Audio) (part 1 of 2) – Christian Wolff is one of the most respected and revered modern composers of our time. Starting out composing with a group of extraordinary artists and composers (what became to be known as the New York School Movement) consisting of Morton Feldman, Earl Brown, David Tudor, (choreographer) Merce Cunningham, and John Cage. It was Wolff who changed John Cage's musical direction forever by giving him the 'I Ching'; in addition, he worked with other leading 20th Century Composers like Frederic Rzewksi and Cornelius Cardew. He has gone on to compose well over 200 compositions, dating back to the early 1950's. His compositions are often improvisational, complex, and sometimes political in nature and intent.
Special guest (Print) (part 2 of 3) – Gerard Rejskind is a High-end stereo/Audiophile expert and the chief editor of UHF Magazine. With over 30 years of experience behind him, Mr.Rejskind has also taken his knowledge and written three books of particular interest to the industry. In addition to this, what he is probably most famous for are his "State of the Art” columns at the back of his magazine; which, in my opinion, is a wellspring of audiophile knowledge. He was nice enough to answer some stereo and turntable questions that I asked on behalf of our fans, fans of High-end, and those who are just getting into vinyl and High-end audio.
UHF website, or to order your subscription HERE.
GoingThruVinyl's Interview with UHF Magazine's Chief Editor Gerard Rejskind (continued)
GTV - Has this era's recession affected the audio market?
GR- It has, but in fact it accelerated what had begun years before. Those audiophiles who set up shop because they wanted to demonstrate how much better their products could sound have largely retired, or died. There are far fewer good dealers. That's especially serious for turntables, because turntables are mostly not plug-and-play. Even dealers who sell turntables have trouble finding people who know how to set one up correctly. At UHF, we see new turntables that were incorrectly set up at the factory, often shipped with alignment gauges that are inaccurate.
GTV - Some say that Hi-Fi systems for the home really got started when Linn brought out the Linn LP12 turntable? Is that true, and what was so special about that turntable?
GR-The Linn LP12 actually had predecessors, but it is iconic because it is the only one of those quality turntables whose development has continued into the modern era. Before the LP12, the motor was considered to be the dominant source of noise, then known as rumble. Linn, and some others, realized that in most tables the vibrations mainly came from the bearing. Thus, making a good turntable became a machining challenge. A bearing had to be quiet, but at the same it needed to be free of play, which would compromise
Anton Newcombe talks about the new Brian Jonestown Massacre record – Aufheben [Listen 31'17"] S02 Ep05 Living in a reverse world
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S02 Ep05 (1 of 1) - Living in a reverse world with Anton Newcombe
Special Guest (Audio) - Mr. Anton Alfred Newcombe is a free thinking intellect, passionate communicator, and singer-songwriter & multi-instrumentalist for the band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. I contacted him by phone at his residence in Germany and got to have one of the most interesting and intense conversations I've had with an artist yet.
We talk about religion/spirituality, pitfalls of the music industry, the vinyl record industry, and topics from Rev. Jim Jones, to popular culture and onwards. He talks about his new album, Aufheben, the concept behind destroying something in order to preserve it and he even gives me a perfect example (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's use of the term.) He's an amazing guest, great musician, and fascinating interview.
More videos, links and info at the end of the written interview with Gerard Rejskind.
Special guest (Print) (part 1 of 3) – Gerard Rejskind is a High-end stereo/Audiophile expert and the chief editor of UHF Magazine. With over 30 years of experience behind him, Mr.Rejskind has also taken his knowledge and written three books of particular interest to the industry. In addition to this, what he is probably most famous for are his "State of the Art” columns at the back of his magazine; which, in my opinion, is a wellspring of audiophile knowledge. He was nice enough to answer some stereo and turntable questions that I asked on behalf of our fans, fans of High-end, and those who are just getting into vinyl and High-end audio.
UHF website, or to order your subscription HERE.
GoingThruVinyl's Interview with UHF Magazine's Chief Editor Gerard Rejskind
The audio world is filled with heated debate, with passionate adherents to one particular label, technology, format, class, and the debates are often filled with jargon and technical figures. Can you lend your expertise to simplify the debates and jargon to include the budding vinyl aficionado reading this?
GTV - When did you first get into High-end Stereos and what made you want to start UHF magazine?
GR - I would have been in my early teens. A local doctor was the first in town with a hi-fi system, complete with folded corner horn, and when I first heard it (on a piece of lieder, then unfamiliar to me), I got goose bump. I badgered my parents to buy me my own hi-fi, and the doctor would then let me borrow his records, after showing me how to handle them safely. My own hi-fi was not very good, and I began modifying it, which meant I needed to learn how to solder. I learned a lot more once I was in university, in physics and math. In my 20's, I began designing my own electronics, and started a small company to market my amplifiers, preamplifiers, and even a tape recorder. At one point I also spent time as chief engineer of an FM station, whose sound I improved radically.
I didn't actually start the magazine,
Leafcutter John interview [Listen 24'15"] Picking Up Sound and Spreading the Idea S02 Ep04 (part 3 of 3)
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Picking up Sound and Spreading the Idea with Leafcutter John S02 Ep04 (part 2 of 3)
Special Guest: Leafcutter John is an
artist, an electronics hobbyist, and a musician who is always thinking up new ways of exploring sound. He has brought out a list of incredible albums like “Microcontact” [Planet-Mu] ,“The Housebound Spirit” [Planet-Mu], “The Forest And The Sea” [Staubgold], and "Tunis" [Tsuku Boshi] as well as worked with the jazz band Polar Bear (with Seb Rochford) on their album “Peepers” [Leaf Label]. He has a website where he describes some fascinating projects that he has worked on like “Making your own Acoustic Guitar,” “Soundtrap 2,” “M-Log Controller,” “Growing your own Contact Mic,” “How to make Laser Microphones, “ “Light Controlled Music,” and much more. Check him out HERE.
ATTENTION: We are having a draw to win a Colorado Record Crate. Just hit the "like" button at the top of this page to enter. We have one more draw to win (Next deadline is Monday April 16 @ 1 pm). You must be 18 years old and answer a skill test question to win. Tell your friends!!!!(Winners outside North America pay shipping fees.)
Article On A Long Thin Wire
Guitar, drums, bass, keys, maybe a DJ 
scratching a disc if you're hip. You're hip, right? That's what you need to make music, ya? Forget the laptop, you tool. Without these things you'd be reduced to a cappella, yes? Well, there's a lot more to the world that can be used to produce a work of music, or sound art, or whatever you want to call it, and a lot of it is really brilliant.
Sound can come from many things. Often, the knee-jerk reaction is to dismiss sound art as ridiculous; it gets a lot of flak, and there will always be opponents to anything new, but one thing we're hoping to do here on this site is to introduce listeners to new forms of music; we do this for the love of music. Try it, you might like it. All you need to do is open up your mind and ears and accept music from another approach.
Leafcutter John interview [Listen 35'55"] Filling Up Space and Doing What I’m Told S02 Ep04 (part 2 of 3)
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Filling Up Space and Doing What I'm Told
Special Guest: Leafcutter John is an artist, an electronics tinkerer and a musician who is always thinking up new ways of exploring sound. He has brought out a list of incredible albums like “Microcontact” [Planet-Mu] ,“The Housebound Spirit” [Planet-Mu], “The Forest And The Sea” [Staubgold], and Tunis [Tsuku Boshi] as well as worked with the jazz band Polar Bear (with Seb Rochford) on their album “Peepers” [Leaf Label]. He has a website where he describes some fascinating projects that he has worked on like “Making your own Acoustic Guitar,” “Soundtrap 2,” “M-Log Controller,” “Growing your own Contact Mic,” “How to make Laser Microphones, “ “Light Controlled Music,” and much more. Check him out HERE.
ATTENTION: We are having a draw to win a 
Colorado Record Crate. Just hit the "like" button at the top of this page to enter. We will be picking one winner once a week for two more weeks (Next deadline is Monday April 9 @ 1 pm). You must be 18 years old and answer a skill test question to win. Tell your friends!!!!
Embracing the Experimental
There are scores of books on experimental music, and many of them are very pointedly academic and obfuscate the concepts to the point that you simply must be an academic, or a dedicated and passionate fan of experimental music already to get through the convoluted and highfaluting verbiage. That's not our point here with this article (except when using the word obfuscate as a case-in-point). I won't even get into the debate about whether avant-garde and experimental music are the same or not; I could, but I want this article to be something different than that.
Experimental music may do themselves a disservice by catering to themselves in nerdy-elitism; but honestly, they probably want it that way. And really, if you can't get past the point of thinking that this type of music is mostly just screeching sounds and random percussion and it really isn't for you, then so be it. You're a lost cause. But if there's something there that intrigues you at all, then this type of music can really take you down a whole new avenue of musical appreciation, and obviously, a type that you can't get elsewhere.
Leafcutter John interview [Listen 29:30 min] Landing My Spaceship with Leafcutter John S02 Ep04 (part 1 of 3)
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Special Guest: Leafcutter John is an 
artist, an electronics tinkerer and a musician who is always thinking up new ways of exploring sound. He has brought out a list of incredible albums like “Microcontact” [Planet-Mu] ,“The Housebound Spirit” [Planet-Mu], “The Forest And The Sea” [Staubgold], and Tunis [Tsuku Boshi] as well as worked with the jazz band Polar Bear (with Seb Rochford) on their album “Peepers” [Leaf Label]. He has a website where he describes some fascinating projects that he has worked on like “Making your own Acoustic Guitar,” “Soundtrap 2,” “M-Log controller,” “Growing your own Contact Mic,” “How to make Laser Microphones, “ “Light Controlled Music,” and much more.
ATTENTION: We are having a draw to win a Colorado Record Crate. Just hit the "like" button at the top of this page to enter. We will be picking one winner once a week for the next three weeks (first deadline is Monday April 2 @ 1 pm). You must be 18 years old and answer a skill test question to win. Tell your friends!!!!
Are you a Painter, or a Musician?
Musicians, painters, actors, social activists - the line blurs sometimes, and sometimes it is forced upon us. It's forced upon us to accept that success in one area necessarily means ability in another. Sadly, it seems that one of the first steps towards building your musical aspirations is to launch your modelling career. I think the industry is losing sight of something.
Final Mike Garson interview [Listen 41:19 mins] – Mike Garson Sticks His Neck Out To Protect Our Country S02 Ep03 (part 4 of 4)
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S02 Ep03 (part 4 of 4) - Mike Garson Sticks His Neck Out To Protect Our Country
Special Guest: Mike Garson is an improvisational and multi-genre piano icon and one of the most respected and sought after rock sidemen in the industry. In addition to his side work, he has also had a successful solo career in both the classical and jazz worlds, as well as worked with some of the most impressive people in music. But the thing Garson is most known for is the work he has done with David Bowie. Having worked with Bowie since his North American Ziggy Stardust tour back in 1972, the amazing stories and insights into Bowie's output helps to add a depth into Bowie’s art that few, if any, could touch. Through the years, Garson has helped shape some of Bowie’s most notable songs and albums including; Aladdin Sane, Pin Ups, David Live, Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, Black Tie White Noise, Outside, Buddha of Suburbia, Earthing, Hours, Heathen, and Reality. I met up with Garson when he played live at the Detroit Institute of Arts on December 2nd, 2011, during his “Bowie Variations tour” promoting his new album. In this podcast, Garson and I talk about Bowie being called a chameleon, Mike Garson being a secret weapon, and how he unselfishly risked his life to protect our country.
Well, I’m really sad to see Mike Garson’s concert and interview come to an end; I wish it could go on. As you may have noticed in a previous podcast, I alluded to another guest from Bowie’s entourage - Reeves Gabrels – guitar virtuoso, singer-songwriter, producer, previous Bowie collaborator, and all around music improv expert has agreed to come on the show. He is working to finish his new record and is on board to come on when it’s finished, so stay tuned for that! I was also talking to some members of Bowie’s old band and asked them for their list of favorite Bowie records. Both Mike Garson and Gail Ann Dorsey were nice enough to send me there picks; so here they are:
Mike Garson:
1) Aladdin Sane
2) Outside
3) Diamond Dogs
4) Young Americans
5) Hunky Dory
6) Buddha of Suburbia
7) Heathen
8 ) Reality
9) Ziggy Stardust
Gail Ann Dorsey: my Top albums starting at number one would be,
1) Young Americans
2) Station To Station
3) Stage
4) Outside
5) Earthling
6) Ziggy Stardust...
Low and The Lodger are also big on my list...
“Top Live Bowie Albums of All Time”
Number 7: Tin Machine – Oy Vey, Baby
Tin Machine – Oy Vey, Baby – I have to say, I had a lot of hope in this album when it first came out; especially after seeing Tin Machine play live earlier that year. Although the lowest ranking of the Bowie live albums, it’s worth
The David Bowie Variations – with Mike Garson [Exclusive interview and Full Concert](3 of 4) [Listen: 25:10 minutes] – Mike Garson helps us out of our Rut
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S02 Ep03 (part 3 of 4) - Mike Garson helps us get out of our Rut
Special Guest: Mike Garson is an improvisational and multi-genre piano icon and one of the most respected and sought after rock sidemen in the industry. In addition to his side work, he has also had a successful solo career in both the classical and jazz worlds as well as worked with some of the most impressive people in music. But the thing Garson is most known for is the work he has done
with David Bowie. Having worked with Bowie since his North American Ziggy Stardust tour back in 1972, the amazing stories and insights into Bowie's output helps to add a depth into Bowie’s art that few, if any, could touch. Through the years, Garson has helped shape some of Bowie’s most notable songs and albums including; Aladdin Sane, Pin Ups, David Live, Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, Black Tie White Noise, Outside, Buddha of Suburbia, Earthing, Hours, Heathen, and Reality. I met up with Garson when he played live at the Detroit Institute of Arts on December 2nd, 2011, during his “Bowie Variations tour” promoting his new album. In this podcast, Garson and I talk about some of the amazing people he has been trained by and played with, such as Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans, what it was like playing on Trent Reznor’s last concert, and what Garson brings to a Bowie record. But first I ask him about the reported 22 hours of recorded jam sessions for the Outside album.
Top 5 David Bowie Albums of All Time
I envy people who are looking to discover David Bowie and have never heard these last five albums. Records so original and exciting are very rare. To discover them and experience the thrill of expanding your appreciation of Bowie (and of music in general) is alone an experience profound enough to give birth to a new vinyl aficionado and spur a lifetime hobby of searching, digging, and collecting. My advice to those new Bowie fans is to take these albums on one at a time and consume them gradually. These aren’t “Jager bombs” or bottles of “Blue Nun” that you are consuming for a quick buzz, but these albums are like the finest aged Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot the world has to offer (musically speaking). Let the music gradually wash over you while the concepts and their sounds slowly take you over. I have found, like with all of the greatest music in the world, it is an acquired taste. It is only with repeated and attentive listening that records of this calibre become your favourites. Each one of these albums have a character quite separate from each other; but together, in my opinion, they make up the finest part of one of the finest musical careers in rock history. I have rated each of these Bowie albums according to my thoughts; but with the pack so close together in this race, I really had to listen to my heart and go with that.
Number 5: Heroes
Heroes – This album captures the ambiance of what it must have been like to be in Berlin circa 1977.