Soundcheck

WNYC Studios
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Semiweekly

WNYC, New York Public Radio, brings you Soundcheck, the arts and culture program hosted by John Schaefer, who engages guests and listeners in lively, inquisitive conversations with established and rising figures in New York City's creative arts scene. Guests come from all disciplines, including pop, indie rock, jazz, urban, world and classical music, technology, cultural affairs, TV and film. Recent episodes have included features on Michael Jackson,Crosby Stills & Nash, the Assad Brothers, Rackett, The Replacements, and James Brown.

  1. 1 hr ago

    Dan Deacon's Joyous Electro-Acoustic Orchestra Ascends a Mountain, In-Studio

    Baltimore-based Dan Deacon has been a mad scientist of electronic music since releasing his debut album Spiderman Of The Rings in 2007.  He built a reputation for wild, dance-oriented live shows, but Dan is also classically trained and in recent years has been doing a lot of film music, along with scoring music for dance. His latest album is the score for a National Geographic documentary called Time and Water, and Dan Deacon, along with an electro-acoustic chamber orchestra -which includes the Bergamot Quartet, members of Baltimore-based contemporary music group Mind on Fire, and a Yamaha Disklavier (an upright bot-assisted piano) - perform in-studio.  Set list: 1.Weeping Birch 2. A Home For All Of Us 3..Become a Mountain Suite  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Dan Deacon's Joyous Electro-Acoustic Orchestra Ascends a Mountain, In-Studio

  2. 1d ago

    Best of Soundcheck: Orquesta Akokán, Hannah Jadagu

    Sometimes music takes us back or far into the future. Other times, time and travel are at the very core of the music we listen to. On this edition of Soundcheck, the (mostly) Havana-based band Orquesta Akokán takes us on a musical time travel through the classic Cuban dance sounds of the mid-20th century, live from our studio. After a substantial dose of mambo, cha-cha-chá, rumba, salsa, and more, Dallas-born and now New York-based singer-songwriter Hannah Jadagu studies the themes of time and travel in her dreamy alt-pop songs, which contain layered vocals that are as light as air.  Orquesta Akokán's Setlist: 1.Con Licencia 2.Pan con Tibiri 3.Caracoles 4.Suave Suave Hannah Jadagu's Setlist: 1.Give Me Time 2.Normal Today 3.My Love Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Best of Soundcheck: Orquesta Akokán, Hannah Jadagu

  3. 4d ago

    Dominican-Italian Singer-Songwriter YENDRY Weaves Delicate Melodies, In-Studio

    Dominican-Italian singer-songwriter YEИDRY has been around for over a decade, and in the span of her rich music career that’s lived many lives, she compiled highly personal songs, some of which would eventually end up on her debut album coming out this Fall. She called it “Como Agua”, which translates to “Like Water”, aptly summarizing not only YEИDRY’s way of making music, but also her way of life. In the process, she learned to go with the flow, taking her notebook filled with scribbled lyrics into the studio each day and getting comfortable with the cathartic moments of translating her experiences into music. Twice an immigrant with loved ones living all over the world, she hasn’t quite figured out where home is yet; she has found a sanctuary in her art instead.  Having already sustained through many years of her “expensive” music career, YEИDRY likens herself to the mythological character of Icarus, flying too close to the sun. “I’m going to fall at some point if I keep wanting more,” she says, but all that fear disappears as soon as she starts singing her delicate melodies for this edition of Soundcheck. - Sırma Munyar Setlist: 1.Amapolas 2.Mala Mia 3.Espejo Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Dominican-Italian Singer-Songwriter YENDRY Weaves Delicate Melodies, In-Studio

  4. Aug 10

    Jazz / R&B Ensemble Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science Amplify Progressive Issues, In-Studio

    Grammy-nominated jazz and R&B ensemble, Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science, are back with their sophomore album, Trip the Night Fantastic, after a seven-year-long break. In line with their debut record, Waiting Game, the group has a new batch of songs dealing with a wide range of social justice issues, voiced in melodies and spoken words. “Once you open your eyes to any social issue, so many others go hand in hand, because they overlap. There are all these intersections, so I can’t really do anything without thinking about gender justice or even racial justice, because those are two huge parts of my identity,” says the bandleader Terri Lyne Carrington, whose day job as the founder and artistic director of Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice undoubtedly highlights the source material for the album. But, at the end of the day, Trip the Night Fantastic is a communal effort, with each member sparking the flame for a new creation which then becomes enriched with the input of guest artists such as Arooj Aftab, Brandee Younger, and Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball. And though those artists are missing from this Soundcheck session, most of the Social Science band is present, with Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, Matthew Stevens on guitar, Morgan Guerin on bass, joined by guest vocalists Christie Dashiell and Ian Michael, who also plays our piano. - Sırma Munyar (Photo of Terri Lyne Carrington by Meredith Truax) Setlist: 1.Autonomy Song 2.Children's Song 3.Solidarity Song Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Jazz / R&B Ensemble Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science Amplify Progressive Issues, In-Studio

  5. Aug 9

    Best of Soundcheck: We Are Scientists, Art Brut

    Welcome to the WASABI edition of Soundcheck! No, not the spicy green paste that comes with your sushi order. We’re talking about the collaborative project formed by the London-born indie rock band Art Brut and their New York counterpart, We Are Scientists, known as We Are Scientists Art Brut International. Though they released a collaborative record in 2019, each band visited our studios at separate moments in time. But how could we not combine their sessions into one when they all spoke so fondly of each other? Join us, as we revisit their recent live performances and interviews with our host, John Schaefer. We Are Scientists' Setlist: 1. Please Don't Say It 2. Dead Letters 3. What You Want Is Gone Art Brut's Setlist: 1. Formed a Band 2. Emily Kane Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Best of Soundcheck: We Are Scientists, Art Brut

  6. Aug 6

    Yasser Tejeda y Palotré Celebrate Ancestral Dominican Traditions

    Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer Yasser Tejada & the group Palotré combine African-rooted Dominican traditional folk styles and fuse them with R&B, church gospel, funk, jazz, and rock into a celebration of Afro-Dominican culture. On this edition of Soundcheck from 2019, they play some songs from their record, Kijombo, in-studio.  Watch the video of the session here.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Yasser Tejeda y Palotré Celebrate Ancestral Dominican Traditions

  7. Aug 3

    The Calm Spark of South African Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim Persists

    The late South African pianist and composer Abdullah Ibrahim (aka "Dollar Brand") had a notable career, helped early on by Duke Ellington, and  acknowledged later by Nelson Mandela, who called Ibrahim “our Mozart.” In 2019, Abdullah Ibrahim became a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, and he released an album titled The Balance, (which was his 70th or 71st LP, and that's not including his work as a sideman, which might push the total album credits to over 100!). The Balance is full of "lush horn lines, lilting melodies, and uplifting chord progressions, characteristic of Abdullah's own particular brand of Township Jazz," and on this episode of Soundcheck, which was recorded in August 2019, Abdullah Ibrahim performs some solo piano works, in-studio.  Setlist: 1.Dreamtime 2.Nisa 3.The Balance Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    The Calm Spark of South African Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim Persists

  8. Aug 2

    Best of Soundcheck: Meklit, The Bad Plus

    On this episode of Soundcheck, a great band bids farewell after a monumental career that lasted more than a quarter of a century. American avant-garde group The Bad Plus spent long years fusing instrumental jazz with rock music, with each member playing their seemingly traditional instruments to their fullest extent in unexpected ways. They perform some tunes from their final record, “Complex Emotions” and reflect on their creative journey. Also, Ethiopia-born, California-based singer Meklit joins us with live renditions of some songs from her album, “A Piece of Infinity,” singing in her native tongue of Amharic and taking inspiration from the Golden Age of Ethiopian pop music. Meklit's Setlist: 1. Ambassel 2. Tizita The Bad Plus' Setlist: 1. Casa Ben 2. Carrier   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Best of Soundcheck: Meklit, The Bad Plus
See All (294)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

WNYC, New York Public Radio, brings you Soundcheck, the arts and culture program hosted by John Schaefer, who engages guests and listeners in lively, inquisitive conversations with established and rising figures in New York City's creative arts scene. Guests come from all disciplines, including pop, indie rock, jazz, urban, world and classical music, technology, cultural affairs, TV and film. Recent episodes have included features on Michael Jackson,Crosby Stills & Nash, the Assad Brothers, Rackett, The Replacements, and James Brown.

Information

  • Creator
    WNYC Studios
  • Years Active
    2005 - 2026
  • Episodes
    294
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © WNYC Radio
  • Show Website
    Soundcheck

More From WNYC

You Might Also Like