Close Enough for Jazz

This episode features saxophonist Aaron Burnett to explore his evolution into "Jazztronica," discussing everything from auditioning for Wynton Marsalis over the phone to building a custom digital pedalboard in Ableton. We examine his unique compositional process, which he describes as "downloading" full melodies from his dreams—a method that helped him write his upcoming swinging, nostalgic album Archangel at just 21 years old. Aaron breaks down his boundary-pushing group The Big Machine and details his use of audio-to-MIDI pitch followers to manipulate his saxophone sound. We also discuss his experiences touring with powerhouse vocalists like Esperanza Spalding and Corinne Bailey Rae, including a nightmare scenario where an airline destroyed his baritone saxophone right before a week of gigs. Packed with stories about going viral with drum and bass remixes and shouting out the next generation of killer musicians, this episode covers the cutting edge of modern improvised musicNote: Birch Grove Media does not own the recordings featured in this episode.Chapter Timestamps:01:01 - The culture of sitting in on gigs and finding inspiration05:22 - The Big Machine: Fusing modern classical, hard bop, and world music07:11 - Creating "Jazztronica" with Ableton and audio-to-MIDI modules12:19 - Branding the music and the upcoming Quantum Breaks project16:37 - Bringing dance music back into the modern jazz ecosystem17:27 - Taking inspration from Tyshawn Sorey, Morton Feldman, and Steve Coleman21:53 - Going viral on social media with a drum and bass remix of "Countdown"25:51 - Touring with Esperanza Spalding and Corinne Bailey Rae28:43 - "Downloading" melodies from dreams and the upcoming Archangel album31:38 - Auditioning for Wynton Marsalis over the phone with "Cherokee"37:25 - Shouting out the next generation of killer jazz musicians41:07 - Aaron's best gig ever: Roulette with Craig Taborn and Tyshawn Sorey42:17 - The worst gig ever: Playing a European tour with a broken baritone saxophoneBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.AARON BURNETThttps://www.instagram.com/aarondjuan/?hl=enhttps://aarondburnett.bandcamp.com/https://soundcloud.com/aaron-burnett-musichttps://www.youtube.com/@aaronburnett476

We sit down with highly in-demand bassist Chris Tordini to discuss his unique approach to the instrument, from his early days playing South Jersey bookstores to holding down the bass chair on Broadway. Chris shares the story of how he unexpectedly came to author two instructional books for Mel Bay, and why his early background in piano helped him seamlessly transition between guitar, electric bass, and upright bass. We talk about his formative years building a DIY jazz scene in South Jersey, how he navigates the New York gig economy using his trusty "two out of three" rule, and the realities of playing eight shows a week on Broadway's Hadestown. Chris also shares his strategies for staying grounded when playing with intense drummers—drawing inspiration from veteran bassist Drew Gress—and recounts a disastrous 2022 European tour featuring a flip-phone-wielding bandleader that taught him the ultimate lesson in trusting his gut. Note: Please go find and enjoy the music of Timo Vollbrecht, Marko Churnchetz, Alec Goldfarb, Chris Speed and Angelika Niescier. A few clips of their music were reposted in this episode. Birch Grove Media does not claim ownership of these performances or musical works, and is not monetizing this episode. This is shared purely for educational and archival appreciation.Chapter Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: Sweating with certain drummers00:25 - Writing two upright bass books for Mel Bay06:00 - Translating technique between electric and upright bass11:06 - Taking the "rock route" to the upright bass13:08 - Growing up and gigging in the South Jersey music scene18:25 - How to prioritize gigs: The "Two out of Three" rule24:41 - Practicing quarter tones, polyrhythms, and meditative focus28:01 - Keeping calm while playing with intense, complex drummers29:56 - Finding inspiration in Drew Gress's relaxed playing at the Village Vanguard32:00 - Knowing when to step out and when to be the glue36:44 - Taking over the bass chair on Broadway's Hadestown42:32 - The mental challenges of playing repetitive shows eight times a week47:55 - Exploring groove-based improvisation and extreme math jazz51:04 - Storytime: The worst tourBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

We open the vault for another installment of our Blind Pig series, traveling back to August 24, 2011, for a rare recording of the Steve Lehman Trio featuring Carlos Homs at The Stone. In this episode, we revisit a blazing set featuring Steve Lehman on alto, Carlos Homs on keys, Chris Tordini on bass, and Damion Reid on drums, listening to a massive wall-of-sound take on Jackie McLean's "Mr. E", a lightning-fast run of Lehman's original "Curse Fraction" and more. Beyond the music, we explore the history and rules of The Stone under John Zorn's direction, including the strict "no bathroom breaks" policy and the origin of its name . We also discuss the 2011 curator scene and note how this unique, one-off quartet served as an early preview for the Sélébéyone project, tracing the group's collaborative roots back to Andrew Carrico's 2008 New School senior recital.Note: Please go find and enjoy the music of Steve Lehman, Carlos Homs, Chris Tordini and Damion Reid. A few clips of their music were reposted in this episode. Birch Grove Media does not claim ownership of these performances or musical works, and is not monetizing this episode. This is shared purely for educational and archival appreciation.Chapter Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: Someone has to... 01:15 - The Steve Lehman Trio featuring Carlos Homs at The Stone 08:42 - Listening to a burning take on Jackie McLean's "Mr. E" 10:05 - Discussing the infamous rules and history of The Stone 13:22 - The 2011 curator scene and Karl Berger's CMS workshops 23:06 - Carlos Homs floating over the top of Lehman's dense harmony 24:38 - What Tordini, Reid, and Homs were recording in 2011 27:08 - A preview of Sélébéyone and Andrew Carrico's 2008 senior recital 29:07 - A lightning-fast performance of "Curse Fraction"BIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Julie Maniscalco sits down to explore the logistical nightmares and creative triumphs of managing an 18-piece jazz orchestra in New York City. We discuss her writing process, contrasting the exposed nature of small group writing to the lush, vibrant colors of a big band, drawing on influences ranging from Tower of Power to Maria Schneider and Arturo O'Farrill. Julie shares the surreal experience of premiering three original pieces at Carnegie Hall—Songbird for Hoyt, Medusa, and Ripple Effect—and explains how writing within strict frameworks actually fuels her creativity. We also shine a spotlight on the often-overlooked Staten Island jazz scene, discussing her Outer Borough Project, the legendary Cargo Cafe, and local artist residencies at Snug Harbor. Finally, we look ahead to her upcoming Chamber Music America grant-funded dectet album, In Flux, slated for release in the summer of 2027. Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: The logistics of managing an 18-piece band02:47 - The compositional process: Why writing for a big band is like mixing a cocktail06:07 - Premiering three original pieces at Carnegie Hall10:46 - Writing for the Susan Wagner High School Wind Ensemble12:28 - Finding creative freedom within traditional musical frameworks18:50 - Major compositional influences: Maria Schneider, Arturo O'Farrill, and Miggy Miyajima23:13 - The Outer Borough Project: A musical tribute to Staten Island29:22 - The history and current state of the Staten Island jazz scene39:29 - Outro: Chamber Music America grant and the upcoming album In FluxBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

We sit down with bassist and composer Pascal Niggenkemper to explore his fascinating approach to the "augmented bass" and look back on our early days together in the 2009 Brooklyn loft scene. Pascal explains how he uses external motors and octophonic settings to create an immersive, ASMR-like experience that places the listener directly inside the instrument. We then discuss his recent large-scale project, the Tuvalu Ensemble, commissioned for the SWR NEWJazz Meeting 2024, which featured eight musicians and a 360-degree audience experience surrounded by vibrating sound curtains. We also trace the recurring theme of water in his work, from his Astghik Waterfall Suite recorded in Armenia to his newest groove-heavy quartet album, The Ocean Within Us. Finally, we reflect on the grueling but foundational Brooklyn DIY circuit of the mid-2000s and reminisce about the recording for the upcoming Birch Grove Media release of Face's Fall 2009. Note: The Tuvalu excerpt mentioned in this episode can be found at https://www.swr.de/kultur/musik/swr-newjazz-meeting-2024-mit-bassist-pascal-niggenkemper-102.html. Chapters:00:00 - Intro: The ASMR effect of the augmented bass00:37 - Preparing the bass and using motors for sound03:34 - Pascal's journey into non-standard bass techniques08:14 - The SWR NEWJazz Meeting 2024 and the Tuvalu Ensemble10:59 - Surrounding the audience with vibrating sound curtains14:40 - Exploring the relationship between humans and nature through poetry20:18 - The recurring theme of water in Pascal's compositions23:36 - The Astghik Waterfall Suite and recording in Armenia28:43 - Finding groove and pulse on the new album The Ocean Within Us31:22 - Connecting with Gerald Cleaver, Liz Kosack, and Sakina Abdou36:07 - Looking back on the 2006-2009 Brooklyn loft scene39:50 - Meeting through Dimitri Mikelis and joining Alan's band, Face42:46 - The upcoming Birch Grove Media Fall 2009 vinyl releaseBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

We explore the dystopian reality of tech companies destroying physical media to train their AI models and what this terrifying trend could mean for the future of the music industry. In this episode, we discuss the alarming revelation that Anthropic, the company behind Claude, has been purchasing physical books, chopping off their spines, and destroying them to ingest their data. We examine the "first-sale doctrine" loophole, recent reports from 404 Media about bulk-buying pre-2022 literature, and Lindsay compares this aggressive consumption of physical history to the "firemen" in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Shifting to our own industry, we analyze the Capitol Records v. ReDigi case and theorize about a future where tech giants purchase classic music catalogs solely to train AI models to perfectly clone legendary artists. Special Note: All the musical excerpts in this episode are from Smirk's "Not Your Grandfather's Jazz" that can be found at birchgrove.io. Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: A dystopian AI episode00:25 - Staying on top of AI in the music industry01:57 - How Anthropic scanned and destroyed physical books to train Claude03:54 - The "first sale doctrine" and the publishers' lawsuit05:51 - 404 Media's report on ISBNdb and bulk-buying pre-2022 books08:25 - Destroying physical history for AI slop-free data09:36 - Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and AI as the new "firemen"11:45 - Private equity firms buying up music catalogs13:45 - The Capitol Records v. ReDigi case and digital audio files15:03 - The terrifying potential of feeding classic catalogs into AI18:00 - Are there legal loopholes for shredding records like books?21:18 - Treating art and physical media as nothing but data for the machine24:29 - The theoretical scenario of an AI cloning George Clinton's catalog25:34 - Outro: Let us know your thoughts in the commentsBIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaGet the Record: Shop our current 180g LP and digital releases on our website. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.