1 00:00:12,870 --> 00:00:15,590 Welcome to Big EARS conversations about music. 2 00:00:15,670 --> 00:00:19,110 I'm your host, Sarah Gilletti. Today we're returning to the 3 00:00:19,110 --> 00:00:22,830 world of saxophonist, composer and producer Josh Johnson. 4 00:00:23,670 --> 00:00:26,230 This is the second time this season you're hearing from Josh 5 00:00:26,230 --> 00:00:29,120 on the podcast. Josh is everywhere in the 6 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:31,760 current music scene. He's producing Flea and Michelle 7 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,800 and Deyocello. He's releasing his own music and 8 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,840 music with collaborators on labels like Northern Spy, 9 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:40,280 International Anthem and Blue Note. 10 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,480 At Big Ears, he's part of a three night residency with the 11 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:50,040 LA collective FML. Today we hear from Josh in 12 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,320 conversation with festival founder Ashley Capps, who 13 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,760 invited Johnson to curate. Artists who, in Josh's words, 14 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,320 are exceeding the frame. Artists who refuse to be 15 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:04,680 categorized or contained. Josh and Ashley discussed their 16 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:08,440 respective visions for curation and discussed the amazing slate 17 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,560 of artists Johnson has curated this year. 18 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:44,400 Let's listen in. How you been? 19 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,400 What are you working on now? Anything you can tell us about? 20 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:56,960 In the process of working on my next solo record and FML always 21 00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,760 has some things cooking. That's a pretty constant. 22 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,000 A new Jeff Parker ETA Quartet record. 23 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,400 Coming by soon. Yeah, quite a few different 24 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:11,680 things. Just trying to stay active and 25 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,680 inspired and yeah, just keep making things. 26 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:22,880 For whatever reason, I've always been attracted to various 27 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,760 artists for many different reasons, but always wanting to 28 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:31,760 know where that music came from, what its influences were, how it 29 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,800 came to be, following those tangents, to see where they 30 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:40,360 lead. And so in that sense, when I 31 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:46,280 think of curation of Big Ears itself, I, I, people often ask 32 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:50,240 me, what would you not put in, but who would you not book? 33 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,560 And of course there are artists that I would not book, but I 34 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,400 don't know that there's any music that I would not book. 35 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:02,080 It's a, it's a matter of context really. 36 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,200 You know who the artist is and what they're doing and that that 37 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:11,680 context and how it came to be is something that really inspires 38 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,560 me as a listener. Yeah, I think for me, perhaps 39 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:20,120 similarly, it feels like a as I was putting this together and 40 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:24,080 thinking about the role, it does feel very connected to just the 41 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,280 way I listen and grew up listening to music. 42 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,320 I feel you on that. Like the context being so 43 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,760 important, right? The way that it's the piece of 44 00:03:32,760 --> 00:04:08,240 an artist is contextualized. I also really liked what you 45 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:11,440 said about, yeah, the people who are like, and I'm on this 46 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,600 tangent and I want to take it to its conclusion and see what 47 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:17,600 happens there on the margin. Like what happens? 48 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,760 Like, we know where the edge is. But like when I keep going past 49 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,640 it, what happens when people are really committed to finding that 50 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:25,040 out? Because I think also that, like, 51 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:27,640 it pushes all of us. And often that results in 52 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,080 something that's just incredibly unique and compelling. 53 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:35,160 But yeah, I think about the narrative, kind of a story that 54 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:41,080 can be told through curation and kind of imagining with something 55 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,120 that you were talking about of like someone having the 56 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,920 experience of being at the festival. 57 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,680 And even if they don't experience like the entire 58 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:52,800 thing. But there are these I want to 59 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,960 provide like a bunch of different doorways for people to 60 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:02,280 like be able to experience, but also like kind of imagine their 61 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:06,960 own like rich, layered, multifaceted experience through 62 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:08,880 all of this music. And I think there are 63 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,840 connections there to be drawn if that connects with someone's own 64 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:16,240 experience in the room hearing this music, you know? 65 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:23,240 But I do feel it to be important to like, not try to control that 66 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:27,360 overly dictate. Because I think part of what for 67 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:33,040 me, what I look for in this music is I'm often drawn to 68 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:37,720 things that don't fully dictate an experience, but just 69 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:42,400 encourage me to imagine and feel deeply and have my own. 70 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:04,840 Yes, I think that it's interesting. 71 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:11,200 It's not all about connection. Sometimes it's about contrast or 72 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:16,080 often find myself using food analogies because I I think 73 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:21,680 great cuisine with everything that could be done with spices 74 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:26,280 and contrasts and, and how different parts of the meal can 75 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:30,880 work together. And you know, and in contrast 76 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:35,040 with one another are also part of the musical experience. 77 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:39,440 In a sense, like going to a great restaurant, you don't 78 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:47,360 order everything on the menu and knowing it's there is also part 79 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,480 of the experience of being there as well. 80 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:53,040 I think that's amazing. And I think about it even 81 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,320 outside of the festival context, there's so many, there's so much 82 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:59,280 music or art that I've experienced that I stumbled on 83 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:01,760 or somebody mention, you know, like, have you checked this out, 84 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:03,680 you know? Or like, I think about like 85 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:05,640 going to a show where I was like, yeah, I want to see this 86 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:07,600 artist. I'll get there a little early. 87 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:12,640 And the person who opens or something like that, I'm like, I 88 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:14,600 didn't know that. I needed to hear that, you know, 89 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:19,440 and you know, to your credit, like I, I think that those who 90 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:24,600 have attended before, there's also like a trust in, in both. 91 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,320 If you arrive as a person who's like, I know exactly what I see, 92 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:29,600 I'm going to do this, this and this, you know, But I think 93 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,520 there's a lot of people who come with that trust that like, I 94 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,120 actually, I might have the best experience or the most like 95 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:40,520 enriching experience if I don't have everything, everything 96 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:42,840 planned. Also because I trust that, like 97 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:48,160 there are many doors, right? And what I already know is not 98 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,200 the extent of what will like, move me or inspire me. 99 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:56,560 Courage is a tired mom milk crate and a cardboard sign 100 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,360 trying to find a story for a daughter. 101 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:06,200 This is how the world exists. Let me spin it for you, kid, in 102 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:15,640 a way that's easier to swallow. Thank you for saying that. 103 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,920 I think one of the things that I, I think about for my own 104 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:24,960 cultural development is all of the many people and things that 105 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,320 that were influences without really sitting there intending 106 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:32,039 to be influences. And bookstores owned by people 107 00:08:32,039 --> 00:08:36,480 who loved books and record stores owned by people who loved 108 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,280 records. That became kind of a, a center 109 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:45,680 where you went there not only to buy the new record that had just 110 00:08:45,680 --> 00:08:50,040 come out, but because you're going to learn from other people 111 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,200 that have gathered there about new things that you might be 112 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,320 interested in. And I, I think that's the, 113 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,920 that's what I call the human curatorial component as opposed 114 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:06,680 to the algorithmic human, the algorithmic snake eating its 115 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:10,360 tail methodology that I think is prevalent right now. 116 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:14,400 Yeah, it's, it's felt. Thank you. 117 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,320 Thank you. That means a lot to hear. 118 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:21,000 Cool. I'm really excited about your 119 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:24,880 curation at the festival. I thought here with the festival 120 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:29,200 now just a couple of weeks away, it would be really nice to 121 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:33,480 highlight the artist that you've chosen and talk a little bit 122 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:37,760 about why you chose them. When I ask you to do this. 123 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:41,080 And I'm, I'm so grateful that you said yes because I was 124 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:45,320 looking to be pushed a little bit outside my the realm of what 125 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:48,920 I already know. You know, you have your finger 126 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:52,040 in so many different musical worlds. 127 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:54,680 I was really eager to see what you would come up with. 128 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:59,640 It's been very exciting for me to get to know them and and 129 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:02,440 listen to their music. When I ask you to do this, what 130 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,640 was just right at the top of your mind and said we've got to 131 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:07,720 do this? I think I sat with it for a 132 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:14,240 minute and thought about both people who whose work I've been 133 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,920 inspired or encouraged by and I thought about also kind of 134 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,320 generations of that. I thought of people who are like 135 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,040 ushering in something new. And, and one of the first people 136 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:28,280 that I thought of that just sort of heard some singles from this 137 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:34,960 record, but was Cleo Reed Yes, and it isn't It was the name I 138 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:38,720 had I had been hearing for a while, but for whatever reason, 139 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,520 I didn't make my way to the music until around the time that 140 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:45,400 we started having this conversation. 141 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:49,560 Just immediately capturing my attention and my and I take 142 00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:52,520 capturing my attention, but also exciting my imagination. 143 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,840 You know, I, I actually, you know, I kind of thought about 144 00:10:55,840 --> 00:11:00,680 also the the experience that I've had playing at and 145 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:03,920 attending big years. And like, I can't speak 146 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,080 specifically to how you talk about your vision, but I 147 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:10,480 experience it as there's this intersection of all these 148 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:14,800 different creative musics and traditions, but also pushing 149 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,280 things forward and all of that living coexisting and sort of 150 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:21,600 informing how everyone's performing, but also like how 151 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,000 people are relating to each other. 152 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,920 That feeling is in Cleo's record to me of it's exploring the 153 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:28,680 intersection of all this different music. 154 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,800 I feel like both the conjures like the South, but also it's 155 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:36,120 undeniably like New York and DC to me. 156 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:38,640 There's a phrase that that has been in my mind that I guided me 157 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:40,640 through this curation. And I feel this way about big 158 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:43,920 ears, but like the the sort of artists who are like exceeding 159 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,080 the frame, artists who refuse to be contained. 160 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,400 And yeah, so Cleo's Cleo came to mind first. 161 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,680 Their work just like really knocked me out. 162 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,440 They're definitely exceeding the frame. 163 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:00,480 Yeah. And boldly and fearlessly, too. 164 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:04,840 It's a it's, it's so infectious to hear their music. 165 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:07,040 Yeah. Do you recall? 166 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:11,560 The track that Do you recall? The track that really just made 167 00:12:11,560 --> 00:12:15,640 you want to hear more. The first one that I heard, I 168 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:17,360 think was I've been out here hustling. 169 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:19,600 I've. Been out here hustling? 170 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:28,440 Three or four part harmony and there's like a joy to that 171 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:32,880 sound. I think I was captured by how 172 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:35,720 there's so many kind of like emotions living side by side. 173 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:41,480 I hear like joy, I hear rage, I hear like humor, I hear 174 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:43,400 tenderness. But all these things are being 175 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,840 conveyed within the same piece of music in a way that I think 176 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:49,240 really just was really engaging to me. 177 00:12:49,240 --> 00:13:09,240 We just sell our image. That album, that might be my 178 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:13,520 discovery of the year. Josh, I, I have, you know, when 179 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:17,040 you first brought them to my attention, I couldn't quit 180 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,960 playing it. It was just completely 181 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:23,480 captivating on so many different levels. 182 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:25,800 And it's going to be a thrill to have them here. 183 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaking of from my perspective, new artists that I've just 184 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,120 discovered, although I'm I've also discovered that they're 185 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:36,440 part of music royalty, so to speak. 186 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:43,240 Yeah, Quran is someone who I've always just admired their 187 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:44,920 artistry. She put out this record, I 188 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:47,240 guess, earlier this year called Pulse. 189 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:53,760 It's allowing all the influences to to come through and kind of 190 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:56,600 asking the question of like what's created when you don't 191 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,000 put these limitations on what you think you're supposed to 192 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:04,280 make or what fits into genre. And in her music, I really hear 193 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,520 like obviously a lot of like jazz, a lot of let's say like 194 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:11,440 cosmic or spiritual jazz. There's like sort of this like 195 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:16,280 an ambient soundscape point of reference to the parts of it 196 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:17,960 that feel very psychedelic to me. 197 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,960 There's a freedom in it that feels like so improvisational to 198 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:23,840 me. I've seen them perform a couple 199 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:26,440 times live as well. There's a freedom that's 200 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:28,400 embodied that I hear on the record too. 201 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,320 But it's kind of like even playing with form and like I 202 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:35,800 hear improvisation in her music. On a form level, she's just 203 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:39,720 somebody who's I'm like, really excited to see what she 204 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:59,880 continues to make. You know, what strikes me about 205 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:07,440 both Cleo and Quran is they bring in this extraordinary 206 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:12,880 range of influences, but it's totally seamless. 207 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,440 Nothing about it feels like, OK, a little bit of this now, a 208 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:20,320 little bit of that. It flows completely organically 209 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:25,120 and naturally, you know, within the same song from track to 210 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,440 track. It's the the breadth and depth 211 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:33,560 is just, it's extraordinary. It feels effortless. 212 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:37,560 Yeah, in the most beautiful way. I feel like both of them are 213 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:40,880 really like speaking, you know, speaking through their through 214 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,480 their work. You know, there's a directness 215 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:47,520 and yeah, just embody it. Is is what keeps coming to mind. 216 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:53,120 Speaking of ambient, electronic soundtrack or soundscapes, I 217 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:57,440 think you said one of the artists that you chose who I 218 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:02,160 thought I had a little pigeon holed was Will Will Graff. 219 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:06,440 He's another one that just completely full of surprise. 220 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:11,480 It's funny, we hadn't met, We've met recently, but just somebody 221 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:15,360 who I've sort of admired from afar and, and mostly heard him. 222 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,840 I mostly heard him in the context of other people's music. 223 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:23,800 To me, he's really got a like Sonic point of view and there's 224 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:27,960 always unique texture, There's always like unique tone. 225 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,600 And I think I first kind of knew him as, yeah, sort of like 226 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:34,480 affected guitar in a number of different settings and, and like 227 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:39,000 pushing that and finding new things and like in conversation 228 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,360 with a lot of musicians that inspire me. 229 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:44,760 But earlier, I guess this year, the end of last year, he he 230 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:48,600 released these two albums Compositions for guitar, Volume 231 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:53,560 1 and Volume 2. And I was really just blown away 232 00:16:53,560 --> 00:17:02,080 by man, just the he crafts these really like, they're like simple 233 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:05,640 but also quite intricate, just like guitar pieces that often 234 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,680 feel like etudes. But they're very, to me, they're 235 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:13,640 very like, they're very much like distinct scenes. 236 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,480 You know, some of them are very haunting. 237 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:17,800 They're very like. They're like miniatures. 238 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,160 Yeah, they are these like miniatures that that create a 239 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:27,160 lot like visual imagery for me. I think he's really like a 240 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:29,360 master of the instrument, just like tone and touch. 241 00:17:29,360 --> 00:17:35,560 There's it's, I think it's like so difficult to release a solo 242 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:38,840 album on an instrument. It takes a lot of courage and to 243 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:42,480 like for it to have the depth that his does on the 244 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,760 compositional level. But also just like talk about 245 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:50,360 like touch and time and tone. Like that to me is like really 246 00:17:50,400 --> 00:18:15,280 virtuosity. Music One group on this list 247 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,360 that I knew because I bought their first album back 30 years 248 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:24,400 ago, almost 30 years ago, is, you know, Robin Chad's Chicago 249 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:25,560 underground duo. They were in. 250 00:18:42,170 --> 00:18:44,730 The front of my mind too, because they they were, they put 251 00:18:44,730 --> 00:18:46,850 out a new record or just about to as we started our 252 00:18:46,850 --> 00:18:49,560 conversation. But yeah, to the point of people 253 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,720 who have been in that tradition of exceeding the frame and like 254 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:56,320 really combining and synthesizing a lot of different 255 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:01,200 things that that people may see or have seen as like disparate 256 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:05,600 influence. And on a more personal tip for 257 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:11,360 me, like I, I grew up about an hour from Chicago and as a young 258 00:19:11,360 --> 00:19:15,920 person trying to find my way and find music that spoke to me. 259 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:21,080 I think I was probably in high school when I stumbled on a lot 260 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,800 of the different, like Chicago underground recordings, the duo 261 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,720 of the quartet. And I can't say that I fully 262 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:30,640 understood it at that time, but I know that it spoke to me. 263 00:19:47,870 --> 00:19:49,990 I know for me I was like, I have all these different interests, 264 00:19:50,030 --> 00:19:52,030 don't really know how they live together. 265 00:19:52,030 --> 00:19:56,160 The question I'm still trying to answer, but like, people like 266 00:19:56,160 --> 00:20:00,920 Chad and Rob have been seeking to answer those questions far 267 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:04,440 longer than I have and have left behind a beautiful body of work 268 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:08,840 to to check out and live with and be inspired by. 269 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:14,160 And yeah, they're just, you know, like an institution to me. 270 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,720 Yes, indeed. I'm so psyched that they're 271 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,960 coming. And you know, we have Rob's also 272 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:23,080 doing a visual art exhibition this year. 273 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:28,840 So, so he's his, his visual art is going to be on display at the 274 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:31,960 at the university's downtown Gallery. 275 00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:34,000 They're right there on K St. So. 276 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:35,360 That's incredible. I don't. 277 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:38,960 Know that kind of emerged from other conversations, but it 278 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:42,200 wouldn't have happened if if the duo wasn't coming. 279 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:46,120 So while we're in Chicago, we should talk about Marquis. 280 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,200 Yes, my guy. Marquis Hill. 281 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:16,320 I've probably known Marquis since I was 18, and so many of 282 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:20,760 the things that are true about him, I could say we're true then 283 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:24,280 too. And and to me, he's always had 284 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:31,240 this just like a resting sound. Yeah, it's it's it's unmatched 285 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,560 to me. And I remember hearing about him 286 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,720 before we'd ever met and me and a couple friends sitting and 287 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:39,960 listening to his bootlegs and be like, that's that's got to be a 288 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:42,200 flugelhorn, right? That's that cannot. 289 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:44,640 Who has a trumpet sound like that? 290 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,640 That's just so like full and rich and warm. 291 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,320 But Marquis, I think is is like one of our great trumpet 292 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:53,840 players. It brought me great joy a number 293 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:56,320 of years ago, I guess almost 10 years ago at this point, when 294 00:21:56,320 --> 00:22:02,640 he, I think through winning the Thelonious Monk trumpet 295 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:07,000 competition, just became more widely recognized. 296 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,040 I think that people in Chicago have always been like Marquis 297 00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:12,440 Guy. But I think outside of Chicago, 298 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:14,880 a lot of people just weren't aware of his playing and his 299 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:20,000 writing. And yeah, to me, I'm inspired by 300 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:25,040 him and I, not just the playing and the writing, but I also 301 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,520 think that he's always pushing. He's pretty much a record a year 302 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,040 person and he's always trying to push himself in a new territory. 303 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:38,320 I see him as as fearless in just like reaching for what's next 304 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:41,080 and trying to push himself to grow and expand. 305 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:46,400 Feels like a great oversight that we're finally rectifying, 306 00:22:46,680 --> 00:23:06,000 so thank you. I guess we might as well stay in 307 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:09,800 Chicago and talk about one of the groups that I had never 308 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:14,000 heard of until you brought them to our attention, and that would 309 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:38,680 be twin talk. Twin talk. 310 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:44,560 Yes, a trio who folks I, I have known for a very long time, I 311 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:50,080 really love seeing and hearing the results of like long term 312 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,240 collaborations. As much as I enjoy like the 313 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:58,000 freshness and newness of like new collaborations. 314 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:03,240 I think there's just like the potential for such depth and 315 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:06,800 over time, like an ease in communication. 316 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:12,080 And to me, like, that trio has been working for at least 10 317 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:13,880 years, maybe close to 15 at this point. 318 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:19,080 And the way they play together is just so exciting to me 319 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:23,280 because it, it, it's like, yeah, I, I, I often describe it as 320 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:26,040 like telepathic kind of level communication. 321 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:31,160 It's so wonderfully both fresh and in the pocket. 322 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,720 Yeah, But there's something, there's just, there's definitely 323 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:38,640 something in there sound that is timeless. 324 00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:43,920 And that I think only comes with time of playing together. 325 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:47,200 You can just hear it. Very mature. 326 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:51,920 Like, I think part of the beauty of it for me is like exactly 327 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:54,400 what you described. There's such an ease to that. 328 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:58,080 It's so natural, it's so unforced to me. 329 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:01,680 There's like some folk references and like these songs 330 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:08,360 that have really lyrical and like memorable melodies but also 331 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:11,560 have the room to kind of open up and stretch. 332 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,720 I feel like their records are like ones that 15 years from now 333 00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:17,400 I put on and I'm like. That's it. 334 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:20,320 Sounds timeless in the best sense, yes. 335 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:29,520 So we've left one for last. Who seems to be someone who's a 336 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:32,920 regular collaborator of yours at the current moment. 337 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,160 What can we say about the Anthony Parks? 338 00:25:53,540 --> 00:25:57,220 De Anthony's like one of one. He's one of those artists who 339 00:25:58,060 --> 00:26:01,100 you might like, like if I say, if we say his name to any given 340 00:26:01,100 --> 00:26:03,180 person, they have an association. 341 00:26:03,540 --> 00:26:07,460 And it's rare that somebody is like, knows actually the like 342 00:26:07,540 --> 00:26:11,520 breath of things that he's been a part of and contributed to 343 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:18,200 because he's like integral to so many situations and such a like 344 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:24,000 diverse range of interests. And to me, he is obviously like 345 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:28,680 an incredible drummer and percussionist, but also 346 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,320 composer. I think there are many people 347 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:35,320 who aren't fully familiar with the power of his pen as well. 348 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,400 But I also see him as like a real, like a, like a, an 349 00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:42,600 innovator and like visionary, like music technologist, you 350 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,040 know, the project that he's bringing techno self. 351 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:50,120 He's got a whole like, yeah, like a whole ethos and 352 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:52,600 philosophy behind it, which which is deep. 353 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:56,800 And like, you know, his, his, I can't summarize it, but he's 354 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:00,400 talking about like humans, like we're like we are the technology 355 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:03,960 kind of like stretching the imagination. 356 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:09,960 And I think that he is just somebody who is, is so musical 357 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:13,720 and also just is always pushing and stretching. 358 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:15,200 There's like the on the instrument. 359 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:17,480 Also like if you see his, there's often like these 360 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:21,120 beautiful visual elements. You'll see him like, you know, 361 00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:24,320 manipulating these samples and playing drums and like you kind 362 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:29,720 of hear, it's amazing to me to observe him hear something new 363 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:31,680 and imagine a whole new world from it. 364 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,440 The way that he performs this project to it. 365 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:39,080 Like really as a listener and an audience member, like you're 366 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:43,320 part of the creation. It's like a a collaboration in 367 00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:46,000 real time where like you're part of the process of him. 368 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:50,200 John Kale, Michelle Andre Mars Volta. 369 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:56,040 Like, like it's the, the art is, is deep in him, you know? 370 00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:00,000 Yeah, I, I've seen videos of some of the solo performances 371 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:05,360 and, you know, it's just like, you know, I, I'm very much 372 00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:09,080 looking forward to that one. Yes, yeah, it's it's something 373 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:10,800 to be experienced. Yeah, if you get. 374 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:14,040 It's funny, I was at the listening party for Fleas 375 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:17,280 record. Like it's the art is deep in 376 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:19,600 him. Yeah, I've seen videos of some 377 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:23,320 of the solo performances and it's just, I'm very much looking 378 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:26,600 forward to that one. Yes, it's something to be 379 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:42,840 experienced. So what's SML got up their 380 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:46,520 sleeve? Y'all got like we got like 2 381 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:48,920 shows at night for three nights in a row. 382 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:54,960 We do we, we, we'll have some special guests. 383 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:59,480 We're always looking to explore and I think we're always wanting 384 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:02,120 to expand. We know what we've already done, 385 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:05,520 but we want to see what else we can do and see what new terrain 386 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:09,200 and topography we can explore. And for us too, I think often 387 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:12,840 having guests is a nice injection of some different 388 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,320 energy that also makes us do different things. 389 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,000 And So what do we do now? What are we going to find? 390 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:22,080 And, and we love sharing that experience with people. 391 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:27,080 I think on the topic of humanity, I think like all of 392 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,280 us, going on that ride together is like one of the most exciting 393 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:33,600 things for me. So you're ready to start your 394 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:37,160 own festival after this little test of of curating? 395 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:39,120 You know, I like the curation front. 396 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:42,080 I know there's, I know there's a lot of other work. 397 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:44,880 I haven't, I haven't, I haven't seen so. 398 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:49,080 But yeah, I, I'm, I'm so grateful that you asked. 399 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,280 And yeah, it's real, real pleasure. 400 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:56,560 Well, I'm so grateful that you said yes because you know, it's 401 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:01,320 it's it's introduced a really fresh aspect to the festival 402 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:05,480 this year that has made it certainly more exciting for me 403 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:07,600 and I think for everyone who attends. 404 00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:14,200 So can't wait to hear that these artists and three nights of FMLS 405 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:29,400 explorations. You can catch Josh Johnson and 406 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:32,680 his curation all over Big Years 2026. 407 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,440 For daily schedules, visit bigyearsfestival.org. 408 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:40,000 Big Years Conversations about Music is a production of Big 409 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,480 Years Festival. I'm your host Sarah Gilletti. 410 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:44,760 The show is produced by Matt Marowitz. 411 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,480 This episode was edited by Alex Arif. 412 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:51,440 Ashley Capps is the executive and artistic director of Big 413 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:54,200 Ears Festival. Thanks for listening and until 414 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,280 next time, keep those ears wide open.