WNYC's Soundcheck

Whole album as concert: roaring or boring? (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 24 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

A growing number of artists – from rock star Bruce Springsteen to the hip-hop group Public Enemy to singer-songwriter Liz Phair – have performed entire, old albums on the stage recently. One critic says those shows are “a cruel perversion of a concert's real-time magic.” Another claims they are often better than regular gigs. Our guests include Washington Post music critic Chris Richards.

The Jazz Loft Project: More Tapes (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 24 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

Thousands of hours of tape recorded in a Manhattan loft in the late 1950s and early '60s were recently discovered. They became The Jazz Loft Project -- and a 10-part WNYC radio series produced in association with the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. In today’s episode, "More Tapes," Sara Fishko takes a close listen to some of the music and conversation captured by photographer W. Eugene Smith's tape recorders, starting in 1957.

This series is produced in conjunction with Sam Stephenson’s book, The Jazz Loft Project, coming out today. For more information on the project, click here.

The Way We Were (On Tape) (Soundcheck: Monday, 23 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:14 GMT

In the 1980s and '90s, young lovers traded cassette mixtapes instead of sending love letters. But in this decade, iPods and file-sharing changed the way we romance one another with music. Today: Jason Bitner, editor of the essay collection Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves, explains why old mixtapes are still powerful. And, authors (and exes) Rick Moody and Stacey Richter attempt to recreate the playlist of a long-lost mixtape.

Tell us: Why do some people have such fond memories of the cassette mixtape? Did it ever play a role in an old romance? Share your story.

The Underrated Haydn (Soundcheck: Monday, 23 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

Franz Joseph Haydn is considered the father of the symphony and the string quartet. He might also be history’s most underrated composer. As the music world marks the bicentennial of Haydn's death, we explore how the composer’s gift for humor may be at the root of why he’s not taken seriously. Austria's Haydn Trio Eisenstadt join us to perform two of their namesake’s works. Also with us is Fred Plotkin, author of several books on music including Classical Music 101.

New York's "Underground Economy" (Soundcheck: Friday, 20 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:26 GMT

Making a living has never been easy for subway musicians but some say it's only getting tougher. Some buskers are striking up deals with corporate sponsors. Others complain that transit police have been cracking down on performers. Today, we get several views on New York’s “underground economy.”

Joining us is Luke Ryan, a musician who struck a deal to be in a deodorant campaign; Heather Haddon, a reporter at amNewYork newspaper, and Steve Zeitlin, executive director of the organization City Lore.

They Might Be Giants (Soundcheck: Friday, 20 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

Are you confused by cosmology? Do you really understand photosynthesis? The brainiacs of They Might Be Giants want to help demystify those scientific concepts and many others, by playing songs from their new album, Here Comes Science, live in our studio.

They Might Be Giants perform an all ages in-store at Barnes & Noble in Union Square on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. More information here.

The Plight of Jazz in New York (Soundcheck: Thursday, 19 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:06 GMT

The recent recession took its toll on New York's jazz community, especially musicians and small venues. And earlier this year, JVC withdrew its sponsorship of the JVC Jazz Festival, leaving the city without a major summer jazz festival for the first time in almost 40 years. Today: how the city's jazz artists and clubs are keeping their head above water. We talk with New York Times jazz critic Nate Chinen.

The Jazz Loft (Soundcheck: Thursday, 19 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:54 GMT

After our look at the state of jazz in New York, we return to a golden age of the genre: the 1950s and '60s. Thousands of hours of tape recorded in a Manhattan loft during that era were recently discovered. They became WNYC’s Jazz Loft Project, a 10-part series produced in association with the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. Today’s episode is about a somewhat mysterious figure, Hall Overton, who is known primarily as Thelonious Monk’s arranger for the 1959 Big Band concert at Town Hall. It turns out Overton was a lot more. WNYC's Sara Fishko joins us for part four of the series.

Grant-Lee Phillips (Soundcheck: Thursday, 19 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:49 GMT

Singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips has led a notable solo career since the breakup of his band Grant Lee Buffalo. But lately, he’s finding the whole band thing to be pretty irresistible. He even roped his opening act, The Winterpills, into serving as his touring band. He joins us to perform songs from his newest album, Little Moon, live in our studio.

New York Music, Block to Block (Soundcheck: Wednesday, 18 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:04 GMT

In 1927, the Harlem renaissance peaked and Duke Ellington’s orchestra became the house band for The Cotton Club. Fifty years later, 1977 gave rise to hip hop's innovators and seminal albums from the CBGB crowd. We talk to author and music journalist Tony Fletcher about his new book, All Hopped Up and Ready To Go: Music From the Streets of New York, 1927-77, a look at local neighborhoods that served as laboratories for some of the most influential music of the 20th Century.

Rickie Lee Jones Live (Soundcheck: Wednesday, 18 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

Thirty years after she won a Grammy for best new artist, singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones has an album that she says feels like her debut. The so-called “Duchess of Coolsville," joins us to talk about the healing aspect of her new album, "Balm in Gilead," and to perform live in the studio.

High Drama: Pop vs. Score (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 17 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:50 GMT

Soundcheck Smackdown goes Hollywood! Today: music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, who compiled the hit soundtrack to the new Twilight film New Moon, and Variety film writer Jon Burlingame debate which makes for better movie music: pop music or original score.

Dionne Warwick (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 17 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

In a career spanning nearly five decades, Dionne Warwick has earned five Grammy Awards and 56 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including "Say a Little Prayer" and "Do You Know the Way to San José." In the 1960s and early '70s she was a muse for the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, who wrote specifically for her cool, sophisticated alto voice. Now 68, Warwick shows few signs of slowing down, and joins us in advance of a concert with composer Michel Legrand.

Dionne Warwick performs with Michel Legrand and singer Mario Pelchat at Avery Fisher Hall on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8:00 p.m. More information here.

Too Close for Comfort? (Soundcheck: Monday, 16 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:49 GMT

Residential sounds are the number-one noise complaint in New York City, according to the City's 311 complaint hotline. Today, Arline Bronzaft, chair of the noise committee at the city's Council on the Environment, tells us how to cope in the latest installment of Soundcheck’s monthly series on noise.

Weigh in:Do you have noisy neighbors? Any confrontations? Learn to live and let live?

Forro in the Dark Live (Soundcheck: Monday, 16 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:19 GMT

When the rhythm known as forro made its way from the Northeast of Brazil to the Lower East Side it lost the accordion, gained more drums…and some American pop. New York-based outfit Forro in the Dark has featured David Byrne in its first album and for their new album, Light A Candle, they gather Brazilian Girls' Sabina Sciubba and singer-songwriter Jesse Harris. They’ll play live in our studio.

The Life of Robert Palmer (Soundcheck: Friday, 13 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:15 GMT

The late Robert Palmer was best known as a New York Times music critic, Rolling Stone editor and author of the book Deep Blues. Others knew him as a musicologist and record producer. But Palmer was also a difficult man whose ambitions and addictions overshadowed loved ones. We talk with writer and critic Anthony DeCurtis, editor of a new collection of Palmer's work called Blues & Chaos: The Music Writing of Robert Palmer.

Picks of the Week (Soundcheck: Friday, 13 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:00 GMT

This week, our staff picks offer something for the jazz enthusiast, the indie music fan -- and something for nothing. Read our full reviews here.

Sir Willard White (Soundcheck: Friday, 13 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:11 GMT

Bass-baritone Sir Willard White grew up as the son of a dockworker in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1968 he won a scholarship to study at the Julliard School. Since then, he's performed at the world’s major opera houses, recorded both opera and albums of folk songs, and received a knighthood. He joins us to talk about his current role in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Janacek's From the House of the Dead.

The Search for Soul (Soundcheck: Thursday, 12 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:55 GMT

The Search for Soul: Beatlemania was rekindled briefly this year with a set of Fab Four remasters. But in recent years, obscure soul-music reissues have sparked a different obsession. Today: we look at the quest for “outsider soul” at labels like Numero Group, Wax Poetics and Soul Jazz. Guests include Ben Greenman of The New Yorker and Syl Johnson, the singer-producer behind ‘60s songs like the much-sampled “Different Strokes” and “Is It Because I'm Black?”

Sara Tavares Live (Soundcheck: Thursday, 12 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:01 GMT

Sara Tavares was born and raised in Lisbon to Cape Verdian parents. The young singer-songwriter juggles languages, global influences and styles to make music that places her as a potential successor to the diva of Cape Verde, Cesaria Evora. She joins us to play live songs from her new album, Xinti.

Iggy Pop Takes on the French (Soundcheck: Wednesday, 11 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:56 GMT

Punk godfather Iggy Pop spent much of this decade reuniting and rocking with his raw and influential group, The Stooges. But his latest solo album takes its cue from New Orleans jazz, French pop, and author Michel Houellebecq’s 2005 novel The Possibility of an Island. Pop joins us to talk about crafting Préliminaires.

Elizabeth and the Catapult (Soundcheck: Wednesday, 11 November 2009)

listenerservices@wnyc.org (WNYC, New York Public Radio) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:00 GMT

The band Elizabeth and the Catapult describes itself as “baroque pop”, but there are elements of jazz, funk and soul on their music. They join us to perform songs from their new album, Taller Children.