Close Enough for Jazz

Birch Grove

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Music Interviews

Tired of the old jazz paradigm? We call this Close Enough for Jazz because "Modern-Avant-Garde-Polyrhythmic-Sound-Art" was too long for the RSS feed. Join Lindsay and Alan Bjorklund (Birch Grove Media) for unfiltered dialogues with the composers and improvisers pushing the boundaries of the modern and avant-garde jazz scene. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25m ago

Discovering Freedom in Frameworks and the Forgotten Borough with Julie Maniscalco

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 Flux BIRCH GROVE MEDIA Web: 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 13

Water as a Muse, Augmented Bass, Sound Curtains and More with Pascal Niggenkemper

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 bass 00:37 - Preparing the bass and using motors for sound 03:34 - Pascal's journey into non-standard bass techniques 08:14 - The SWR NEWJazz Meeting 2024 and the Tuvalu Ensemble 10:59 - Surrounding the audience with vibrating sound curtains 14:40 - Exploring the relationship between humans and nature through poetry 20:18 - The recurring theme of water in Pascal's compositions 23:36 - The Astghik Waterfall Suite and recording in Armenia 28:43 - Finding groove and pulse on the new album The Ocean Within Us 31:22 - Connecting with Gerald Cleaver, Liz Kosack, and Sakina Abdou 36:07 - Looking back on the 2006-2009 Brooklyn loft scene 39:50 - Meeting through Dimitri Mikelis and joining Alan's band, Face 42:46 - The upcoming Birch Grove Media Fall 2009 vinyl release BIRCH GROVE MEDIA Web: 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 6

Anthropic, Media Destruction, and the Dystopian Future of Music AI

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 30

The Disappearing Middle Class of Music Venues

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 MEDIA Web: 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 23

The Bling Pig Series - Bootleg from July 23, 2012

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 MEDIA Web: 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 16

Face’s Upcoming Album and the Glory Days of the Bushwick Loft Scene

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 9

The 1985 AI Music Prophecies from a Computer Science Genius

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-0tsVEg Laurie Spiegel on Algorithmic Composition: https://youtu.be/aJBDHxyLEHg Timestamps: 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 music BIRCH GROVE MEDIA Web: 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 2

The Military Histories of Ayler, Coltrane, and Threadgill

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 history 00:42 - Albert Ayler joins the Army during the Cold War 01:46 - Testing avant-garde solos in Parisian cafes and barracks 04:01 - Weaponizing military marches in his later music 05:14 - Listening to Ayler's 1959 Army band recordings 08:23 - John Coltrane’s strategic enlistment in the US Navy 11:17 - Kitchen patrol and the segregated military band at Pearl Harbor 12:53 - Listening to Coltrane's first-ever recording in Honolulu 16:47 - Henry Threadgill gets drafted out of Chicago 17:48 - An avant-garde arrangement gets Threadgill sent to Vietnam 18:46 - Trading a saxophone for an M-16 during the Tet Offensive 20:31 - How surviving the war shaped Threadgill's compositions BIRCH GROVE MEDIA Web: 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tired of the old jazz paradigm? We call this Close Enough for Jazz because "Modern-Avant-Garde-Polyrhythmic-Sound-Art" was too long for the RSS feed. Join Lindsay and Alan Bjorklund (Birch Grove Media) for unfiltered dialogues with the composers and improvisers pushing the boundaries of the modern and avant-garde jazz scene. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creator

Birch Grove
Years Active

2026
Episodes

25
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Birch Grove
Show Website

Close Enough for Jazz