Today, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on George Grella, one of the sharpest music critics working today. George is the music editor of The Brooklyn Rail and has written for The Wire, the New York Times, and, luckily for us, The Tonearm. George just published Minimalist Music, part of Bloomsbury's 33⅓ Genre series. His central argument is that minimalism isn't defined by sparse materials or specific harmonies; it's defined by how it uses time. Understanding that distinction impacts how we approach and hear the music, and what happens to this music when its originators are gone. We talk about that thesis, the line between minimalism and post-minimalism, and what it takes to build a life in music writing. We also take a detour into John Zorn's visual art. The musical excerpts heard in the interview are Terry Riley - “In C” (performed by Bang on a Can All-Stars on the album In C ), Philip Glass - "Music in Twelve Parts: Part 1" (performed by The Philip Glass Ensemble on the album Music in Twelve Parts), and Steve Reich - “Drumming: Pt III” (performed by Steve Reich and Musicians on the album Drumming). — Dig DeeperGuest and BookVisit George Grella Jr. at The Brooklyn Rail where he serves as music editor, and on The Tonearm, where he is a contributorSubscribe to his Substack newsletter, Kill Yr Idols,, and follow him on BlueskyPurchase Minimalist Music (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026) from Bloomsbury, Bookshop.org, Powell's Books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your other retailer of choiceRead Grella's Substack post "Minimalism at the End" — the piece discussed in this episodeGeorge Grella Jr.'s previous book: Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (Bloomsbury, 2015) — part of the 33⅓ seriesKey ComposersSteve Reich — official websitePhilip Glass — official websiteMeredith Monk — official websiteMorton Feldman — WikipediaLa Monte Young — WikipediaArvo Pärt — official websiteLouis Andriessen — WikipediaJohn Zorn — Tzadik websiteKey Works DiscussedMusic for 18 Musicians — Steve ReichElectric Counterpoint — Steve ReichDrumming — Steve ReichDifferent Trains — Steve ReichEinstein on the Beach — Ictus, Suzanne Vega, Collegium Vocale Gent (VLEK, 2025) — the recording discussed in this episodeGlassworks — Philip GlassPanthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969–1974 — reconstructed and mixed by Bill Laswell (Sony, 1998)Kind of Blue — Miles DavisEnsembles and OrganizationsBang on a Can — including the Bang on a Can All-Stars and the annual Long Play FestivalSō Percussion — Grammy-winning percussion quartetIctus Ensemble — Brussels-based contemporary music ensembleReferenced BooksOn Minimalism: Documenting a Musical Movement — Kerry O'Brien and William Robin (University of California Press, 2023)Kerry O'Brien and William Robin on The Tonearm PodcastThe Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century — Alex Ross (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007)ExhibitionJohn Zorn: Hermetic Cartography — The Drawing Center, New York (February 7–May 11, 2025). The exhibition featured drawings, graphic scores, and visual works spanning seven decades of Zorn's practice.— Dig into this episode's complete show notes at podcast.thetonearm.com— • Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate The Tonearm ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of The Tonearm in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit podcast.thetonearm.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Talk Of The Tonearm email newsletter. You can also follow us on Bluesky, Mastodon, YouTube, and LinkedIn. • Be sure to bookmark our online magazine, The Tonearm! → thetonearm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
