The acclaimed clarinetist, improviser, and educator discusses his influences, music education, the nature of sound, and deconstructing the murder ballad in the duo Wayfaring.
Today, the Spotlight shines on clarinetist, penny whistle player, composer, improviser, and educator James Falzone.
Observant listeners will recognize that name, as James and I have been collaborating on an upcoming live event, Improvisation in Music and Life, which will be taking place on June 22 at the Royal Room in Seattle, Washington. That event will be a unique program of performance and conversation between me and the five-piece James Falzone Division Ensemble, where we will explore the nature of improvisation in music and how its principles can be useful in all aspects of life, not just for musicians. There are still some tickets available for that event at theroyalroomseattle.com.
And that’s not the only special attribute of this show, as it is a bit of a two-parter…
This discussion was recorded back in early March of 2024. I reached out to James shortly after seeing him perform with the bassist and vocalist Katie Ernst in their duo Wayfaring. I was initially hoping to record them together. Still, an even better outcome came about: I had separate discussions with each of them, which allowed us to expand beyond their work together and learn more about them both as people, players, and thinkers. Thus, the two-parter: next week’s episode will feature Katie Ernst.
As for today’s episode, we recorded this talk in person in a very special space at Cornish College here in Seattle, where James is both a Dean and Professor of Music. I was very excited to sit in the room the school’s founder, Nellie Cornish, likely used as her sitting room and study about 100 years ago. It was also a thrill to consider that I passed through rooms where John Cage and Merce Cunningham likely met or spent time. I have to thank James here for making that happen. Thank you, James!
James and I spoke for nearly two hours. His instinct to record in person on a Saturday in Seattle allowed us to go slow and let the conversation unfold. As always, I am grateful to producer Michael for transforming the discussion into what you are about to hear.
As we parted ways after our session, I mentioned to James that I was starting to think about the next batch of live shows for Spotlight On. He immediately offered ideas and inspired me to work on them sooner rather than later. Following up over email, we developed the concept we will be bringing to the stage in June (and to the podcast shortly thereafter). I cannot wait to see it manifest and hope we see you there.
(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Six Artifacts, James Falcone’s new improvised collaboration with Lisa Cay Miller and Bonnie Whiting, as well as the song “Who Put the Blood” by Wayfaring)
• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. • Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice. • Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon.
You like Spotlight On. If you also like coffee, art, clothes and more, check out our online shop. We have an ever-changing selection of some terrific limited edition collectibles. Your purchases help us do more of those things we do. Thanks.
Some bands burn bright and fast, leaving behind only tantalizing fragments of legacy. Afterimage, a post-punk group that briefly lit up the Los Angeles scene in the early '80s, is a case in point.
Inspired by the conversation between Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark frontman Andy McCluskey and Spotlight On producer and guest host Michael Donaldson.
Ed Neumeister is a trombonist, composer, arranger and educator operating at the forefront of creative music for more than forty years, including work with Jerry Garcia (in the band, Reconstruction), backing up the likes of Chuck Berry, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Frank Sinatra.
The acclaimed clarinetist, improviser, and educator discusses his influences, music education, the nature of sound, and deconstructing the murder ballad in the duo Wayfaring.
Today, the Spotlight shines on clarinetist, penny whistle player, composer, improviser, and educator James Falzone.
Observant listeners will recognize that name, as James and I have been collaborating on an upcoming live event, Improvisation in Music and Life, which will be taking place on June 22 at the Royal Room in Seattle, Washington. That event will be a unique program of performance and conversation between me and the five-piece James Falzone Division Ensemble, where we will explore the nature of improvisation in music and how its principles can be useful in all aspects of life, not just for musicians. There are still some tickets available for that event at theroyalroomseattle.com.
And that’s not the only special attribute of this show, as it is a bit of a two-parter…
This discussion was recorded back in early March of 2024. I reached out to James shortly after seeing him perform with the bassist and vocalist Katie Ernst in their duo Wayfaring. I was initially hoping to record them together. Still, an even better outcome came about: I had separate discussions with each of them, which allowed us to expand beyond their work together and learn more about them both as people, players, and thinkers. Thus, the two-parter: next week’s episode will feature Katie Ernst.
As for today’s episode, we recorded this talk in person in a very special space at Cornish College here in Seattle, where James is both a Dean and Professor of Music. I was very excited to sit in the room the school’s founder, Nellie Cornish, likely used as her sitting room and study about 100 years ago. It was also a thrill to consider that I passed through rooms where John Cage and Merce Cunningham likely met or spent time. I have to thank James here for making that happen. Thank you, James!
James and I spoke for nearly two hours. His instinct to record in person on a Saturday in Seattle allowed us to go slow and let the conversation unfold. As always, I am grateful to producer Michael for transforming the discussion into what you are about to hear.
As we parted ways after our session, I mentioned to James that I was starting to think about the next batch of live shows for Spotlight On. He immediately offered ideas and inspired me to work on them sooner rather than later. Following up over email, we developed the concept we will be bringing to the stage in June (and to the podcast shortly thereafter). I cannot wait to see it manifest and hope we see you there.
(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Six Artifacts, James Falcone’s new improvised collaboration with Lisa Cay Miller and Bonnie Whiting, as well as the song “Who Put the Blood” by Wayfaring)
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Dig Deeper
• Visit James Falzone at allosmusica.org
• Purchase music from James Falzone and Allos Documents on Qobuz or Bandcamp, and listen on your streaming platform of choice
• Follow James Falzone on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
• Prokofiev’s ‘Peter and the Wolf’: A beloved piece of music for children
• How Peter Gabriel made So and became the world’s biggest-selling cult artist
• “Red Rain” - With Stewart Copeland On Hi Hat!
• Simon Shaheen: A Musical Journey
• Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois Remember the Making of U2’s Unforgettable Fire
• Multifaceted musician Robin Holcomb talks career arc ahead of new album
• Nonesuch record label celebrates 60 years of music
• The Most Beautiful Sound: An Introduction To ECM Records
• Ale Möller
• James Di Pasquale on IMDb
• Richie Corpolungo on YouTube
• Darren Scorza | Drummer
• How Eric Dolphy Sparked My Love of Jazz
• Extended Possibilities: William O. Smith at 90
• Eddie Daniels: Woodwind Virtuoso
• Tuskegee Experiments by Don Byron
• Saxophone Vs. Clarinet: Detailed Comparison
• Anat Cohen | Clarinet
• François Houle | Clarinet
• Mike Mcginnis | Multi-Reedist
• What the Third Stream Isn’t | MetaFilter
• James Falzone’s Facebook response to a Juilliard professor
• The Sonic Revolutions of George Lewis
• Phillip Greenlief & Scott Amendola - Stay With It
• Kraftwerk.Intro Tour De France Paradiso Amsterdam 2015
• Age of Reflections
• On Minimalism: Kerry O’Brien and William Robin in conversation
• Miles Davis and Melodic Minimalism
• Steve Reich: New York Counterpoint (11 live clarinets)
• See the Phasing, in a Visualization of Steve Reich’s Piano Phase
• On Music by Theodore Gracyk
• What silence taught John Cage: The story of 4′ 33
• Deconstruction in music : Cage and Noise
• A Brief Literary History of the Murder Ballad
• Wayfaring (Katie Ernst & James Falzone) - Intermezzo
• How music heals us, even when it’s sad
• A disciplined plea for peace – and quiet – from composer Arvo Pärt
• Behind The Song: Nina Simone, “Mississippi Goddam”
• Nina Simone- “Mississippi Goddamn” (Live in Sweden, 1965)
• Spotlight On: Improvisation in Music and Life with the James Falzone Division Ensemble
–
• Did you enjoy this episode? Please share it with a friend! You can also rate Spotlight On ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
• Subscribe! Be the first to check out each new episode of Spotlight On in your podcast app of choice.
• Looking for more? Visit spotlightonpodcast.com for bonus content, web-only interviews + features, and the Spotlight On email newsletter. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Mastodon.
You like Spotlight On. If you also like coffee, art, clothes and more, check out our online shop. We have an ever-changing selection of some terrific limited edition collectibles. Your purchases help us do more of those things we do. Thanks.
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