Close Enough for Jazz

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.

We record through a tornado warning to explore the global crisis facing live music venues, from the Live Nation antitrust lawsuit to the tragic closure of historic jazz clubs. In this episode, we break down the current state of music venues by analyzing the "ladder" of the live music industry. We discuss the recent Department of Justice antitrust ruling against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, before moving down the ladder to look at the devastating squeeze on mid-sized venues—the "missing middle"—and the recent closures of spaces like the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Highline Ballroom, and Stanhope House. Finally, we discuss the small-cap scene and legendary spots like the 55 Bar, Saint Vitus, and the Cotton Club. We also analyze new data on Gen Z's spending and drinking habits, noting a massive shift toward upscale, hybrid "treat yourself" venues and questioning how touring independent bands will survive without the traditional dive bar circuit.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: Recording through a tornado warning 01:25 - Defining the venue size "ladder" and its impact on musicians 03:22 - Large Venues: Madison Square Garden, Terminal 5, and Brooklyn Steel 04:39 - The DOJ antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster 08:08 - The Ticketmaster settlement and what it means for consumers 10:26 - Medium Venues: The "missing middle" and soaring tour costs 12:48 - Tragic closures: Music Hall of Williamsburg, Highline Ballroom, and The Well 16:04 - The end of the Stanhope House in New Jersey 17:21 - Small Venues: Dive bars, DIY spaces, and the end of the 55 Bar 18:46 - What happened to Saint Vitus Bar and Bowery Electric? 22:56 - Jazz Standard and the historic Cotton Club close their doors 25:11 - Debunking data on Gen Z drinking and spending habits 29:03 - The death of the middle class and the rise of upscale hybrid venues 34:25 - Outro: Are festivals like Big Ears the solution for touring bands? 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.

We open the vault for the second installment of our Blind Pig series, traveling back 14 years to July 23, 2012, for a rare bootleg recording of Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic's Bomb X. Captured on an iPod left on the floor of the Brooklyn venue Sycamore, this unreleased set features an incredible lineup with Michael Attias on saxophone, Art Hirahara on piano, and Tyshawn Sorey on drums. We unpack the context of this performance—which shared a bill with Alan's band, Smirk—and reflect on what these heavyweights were up to in 2012, from Letman-Burtinovic's extended arco techniques to Tyshawn Sorey's prestigious ICE fellowship. Note: Birch Grove Media does not own the recordings featured in this episode.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: What is a Blind Pig speakeasy?01:48 - Traveling back 14 years to July 23, 201202:17 - Introducing Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic's Bomb X03:22 - Discovering the gig was recorded on an iPod06:53 - Art Hirahara’s unexpected avant-garde piano playing07:18 - Playing a double bill with Smirk at Sycamore in Brooklyn09:45 - Michael Attias and the lost Brown House bootleg tapes16:29 - Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic's extended bass techniques and protest music22:49 - A snapshot of Michael Attias's 2012 album releases23:44 - What Art Hirahara and Tyshawn Sorey were up to in 201229:15 - Outro: Tyshawn Sorey's abrupt endingsBIRCH 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 step back to the gritty 2009 Brooklyn loft scene to announce the upcoming Birch Grove Media vinyl release of Fall 2009 by Alan's acoustic avant-garde band, Face. In this episode, we explore the origins of the group, tracking their evolution from high school friendships to playing lost Brooklyn venues like Goodbye Blue Monday and Evening Time Place. Alan breaks down the cast of characters, including the late Andrew Carrico, David Schnug, Pascal Niggenkemper, Cody Brown, and vocalist Matt Scollante—whose intense, yelling spoken-word performance at The Stone gave this album an explicit warning. We also take a clinical look at the realities of early DIY recording, with Alan explaining how he salvaged a highly flawed, 44.1kHz session recorded on cheap gear using modern audio plugins. Packed with stories about the "Almost V-Day Suite" and the parallel run of his electric band Smirk, this episode captures a definitive era of Brooklyn music ahead of the album's double vinyl release alongside Bear Skinner later this year.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: A yelling vocalist at The Stone 00:30 - Announcing the release of Face's Fall 2009 album 01:05 - The cast of characters: David Schnug, Pascal Niggenkemper, and more 02:00 - High school connections and moving to a Brooklyn Bedford Avenue apartment 03:45 - How the band's instrumentation evolved from the "Actually Actually" trio 05:27 - Remembering baritone saxophonist Andrew Carrico 06:43 - Recording the album on Halloween 2009 at the "Evening Time Place" loft 08:19 - The thriving 2009-2012 Bushwick loft scene and lost Brooklyn venues 10:00 - Face as a working acoustic band vs. the electric Smirk project 12:58 - Matt Scollante's unique spoken word performance 14:26 - Writing the "Almost V-Day Suite" over four years 16:56 - Salvaging a flawed 44.1kHz DIY recording with modern audio plugins 19:11 - The double vinyl release plan for Face and Bear Skinner 19:57 - Outro: Pick up the Smirk vinyl Podcast Footer: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.

We unearth a 41-year-old time capsule from the first edition of OPtion Magazine that accurately predicted the rise of AI in music. We review a 1985 article by computer scientist Eric Mueller, who envisioned "interactive works" where AI reacts to live human improvisation and "distributed works" that use dial-up phone lines to connect musicians and computers in a massive feedback loop. The conversation traces Mueller's impressive background—from developing the DAYDREAMER program at UCLA to his work on IBM's Watson—and contrasts his highly experimental, avant-garde vision of AI with the style-cloning algorithms of today. We also discuss the LISP programming language, Stefon Harris's Harmony Cloud, and the debate over whether software is truly more interesting than hardware. Note: Birch Grove Media does not own the recordings featured in this episode.Featured Musical Examples:George Lewis Rainbow Family Premiere: https://youtu.be/i4bS-0tsVEgLaurie Spiegel on Algorithmic Composition: https://youtu.be/aJBDHxyLEHgTimestamps:00:00 - Intro: What happens when the AI freezes up?00:31 - Unearthing a 1985 AI music time capsule from OPtion Magazine01:46 - Eric Mueller's "Entangling Computers and Music"03:23 - The concept of "interactive works" and reactionary AI04:34 - Comparing early AI ideas to Stefon Harris's Harmony Cloud08:43 - Will musicians become programmers and vice versa?10:42 - Feeding the program multiple source elements for complex reactions13:22 - "Distributed works" and the concept of dial-up avant-garde music17:52 - Learning the LISP programming language in 198520:04 - Debating if software is truly more interesting than hardware22:41 - Eric Mueller's background with UCLA, MIT, and IBM's Watson26:41 - Why 1980s AI concepts lend themselves perfectly to avant-garde jazz27:28 - Interactive free improvisation vs. modern AI cloning apps29:14 - The legacy of OPtion Magazine and its focus on experimental musicBIRCH 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.

To celebrate America's 250th birthday, we explore the wild stories of three legendary jazz musicians whose time in the US military permanently altered their musical paths. We start the conversation with Albert Ayler, who spent his Cold War deployment in France testing out his early free-jazz concepts on GI’s and civilians alike, eventually carrying those twisted military marches into his own quintets. Next, we look at John Coltrane’s strategic enlistment into the Navy to avoid the Army infantry, a move that led to his first public recordings at Pearl Harbor. Finally, we recount Henry Threadgill’s harrowing experience in Vietnam, where a controversial arrangement of "America the Beautiful" resulted in a front-line deployment, surviving the Tet Offensive, and returning home with a reshaped perspective that ultimately defined his compositional voice. Note: Birch Grove Media does not own the recordings featured in this episode.Timestamps:00:00 - Celebrating America's 250th with jazz and military history00:42 - Albert Ayler joins the Army during the Cold War01:46 - Testing avant-garde solos in Parisian cafes and barracks04:01 - Weaponizing military marches in his later music05:14 - Listening to Ayler's 1959 Army band recordings08:23 - John Coltrane’s strategic enlistment in the US Navy11:17 - Kitchen patrol and the segregated military band at Pearl Harbor12:53 - Listening to Coltrane's first-ever recording in Honolulu16:47 - Henry Threadgill gets drafted out of Chicago17:48 - An avant-garde arrangement gets Threadgill sent to Vietnam18:46 - Trading a saxophone for an M-16 during the Tet Offensive20:31 - How surviving the war shaped Threadgill's compositionsBIRCH 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 to launch "The Blind Pig," a new ongoing series featuring rare, unreleased bootleg recordings of legendary live performances. To kick things off, we go back exactly 22 years to June 25, 2004, at the Village Vanguard for the JVC Jazz Festival. The featured recording captures Uri Caine’s "Blue Wail" project, featuring Greg Osby, Drew Gress, and Ben Perowsky. We explore the context of the 2004 jazz scene while listening to the MiniDisc audio capture, and reflect on the era. Note: Please go find and enjoy the music of Uri Caine, Greg Osby, Drew Gress, and Ben Perowsky. 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.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: Launching the Blind Pig bootleg series01:17 - Traveling back 22 years to June 25, 200401:46 - Uri Caine's Blue Wail at the JVC Jazz Festival03:35 - Cheesy Vanguard marketing and Uri Caine's legendary week-long run07:40 - The impressive audio quality of 2000s MiniDisc recorders10:08 - Disclaimer: Birch Grove Media makes zero money on these recordings10:36 - Listening to the trio swing and Ben Perowsky’s deep feel18:22 - Where Uri Caine, Greg Osby, and Drew Gress were in 200421:04 - Alan reflects on his sophomore year at William Paterson27:43 - Giving bass players generous solos and listening to Drew Gress32:03 - Listening to Greg Osby's original composition "Equalatogram"33:57 - Playing Osby charts in James Weidman's ensemble36:09 - OutroBIRCH 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.

This week we take a step back to reintroduce the mission of Birch Grove Media and provide a behind the scenes tour of the studio driving the podcast. They detail their decade of experience in the industry, explaining the technical workflow of their sister company, Podfuel. The conversation transitions into a critique of AI editing tools, detailing why algorithmic cuts destroy conversational nuance and why human editors remain essential for quality short-form content. They also explore the podcast's role as a scene-building tool to support upcoming record releases and avant-garde musicians.Timestamps:00:00 - Reintroducing Birch Grove Media and Podfuel02:04 - A decade of podcasting experience turning into a business02:50 - Behind the scenes of the studio and camera setup04:34 - Timecode syncing and the technical workflow05:40 - Why Riverside beats Zoom for remote podcast recording06:53 - Using a teleprompter setup for direct eye contact07:27 - The documentary style of the show and skipping cheesy intros08:58 - Why AI ruins podcast edits and short-form content11:32 - Using AI strictly as an administrative tool for audio cleanup13:41 - A tour of the control room and audio gear14:45 - The human-led quality assurance process for Podfuel16:24 - Using the podcast to build the Birch Grove Media community18:33 - Calling for future guest recommendationsPodcast Footer: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.

Keyboardist and producer Carlos Homs sits down with Lindsay to trace his journey from the highly intellectual avant-garde jazz scene back to his roots in hip-hop production. Carlos shares stories from his time in the NJPAC Jazz for Teens program, watching a young Tyshawn Sorey play out-of-this-world piano, and cutting his teeth with heavyweights like Peter Evans and Steve Lehman. The conversation unpacks how Lehman’s Sélébéyone project and the psychotic work ethic of super-producer Cirkut pushed Carlos to team up with bassist Brady Watt and eventually work out of DJ Premier’s studio. They also tackle the debt traps of jazz education, the esoteric nature of channeling music, the 440Hz conspiracies behind his 2020 trio album, and the realities of collaborating with his wife, vocalist Jamie Homs.Please go find and enjoy the music of Aaron Burnett, Brady Watt and Steve Lehman. A few clips of their music was reposted in this episode, Birch Grove Media does not claim ownership of these performances or musical works.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro: Couples working together & transitioning to hip-hop00:49 - Growing up on 90s hip-hop and discovering sampling02:03 - Entering the NJ jazz scene and meeting Tyshawn Sorey & Alan Bjorklund04:51 - The intense contrast between playing with Peter Evans and Steve Lehman06:26 - How Steve Lehman’s Sélébéyone brought Carlos back to hip-hop09:27 - Classical piano lessons and the unique New Jersey jazz ecosystem11:12 - NJPAC Jazz for Teens and Tyshawn Sorey's lunchtime concerts15:33 - Berklee dropouts, the problem with jazz education, and college debt22:57 - The Berklee networker who never paid tuition24:12 - Reconnecting with Brady Watt and working out of DJ Premier’s studio27:49 - Learning a "psychotic work ethic" from super-producer Cirkut34:07 - Treating music like entrepreneurship and overcoming the fear of failure37:22 - Is improvisation creating or channeling?45:21 - The Theory Conspiracy: Lizard people, 440Hz, and spontaneous studio albums52:39 - Navigating the industry and keeping collaborations organic with his wife, Jamie HomsBIRCH 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.