2024.07.08 Matt Garrison on 1981 Miles Davis - 1 of 3

2024.07.08 Matt Garrison on 1981 Miles Davis - 1 of 3

Author: Small Media Large July 28, 2024 Duration: 1:01:30
People love to talk about Miles Davis reinventing himself and reinventing the music.  They talk about the First Great Quintet in the fifties, the Second Great Quintet in the sixties, the Lost Quintet of 1969, maybe of the electric bands that followed (although often not).  What do they almost never talk about? In 1981, Miles hadn't performed in public, hadn't released a new album, and had barely touched his horn in 5 years (consider that for a moment!).     How does a legend go from a standing start to a full-on touring and recording schedule overnight?    How does he address the way the music has changed (partly from his influence)?   Who is he going to have in his band? What music are they going to play?     So many questions!   Bassist/impresario Matt Garrison saw this band when they first played in Rome.  Deep Focus host Mitch Goldman saw the same band at their first appearance in New York City.  Both were enthralled by what they saw and heard.  On Deep Focus this Monday night (7/8), you will listen to that Rome concert with them.  Mitch has "so many questions!" for Matt about this experience.   It's on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org Monday from 6pm to 9pm NYC time.  Or join us next week when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  Either way, it's ad-free, all free, totally non-commercial.  Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us onInstagram at deep_focus_podcast.   Photo credit: Miles Davis 1981 by David D. Spitzer - courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution, used with the principles of fair use under Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act -  NMAAHC-2012_164_127_001   #WKCR #JazzAlternatives #DeepFocus #MattGarrison #MilesDavis  #MitchGoldman #JazzInterview #JazzPodcast #JazzRadio

Mitch Goldman, from Small Media Large, sits down with a different working musician each week for Deep Focus. The premise is beautifully simple yet endlessly revealing: together, they dive into rare archival recordings-bootlegs, demo tapes, lost studio sessions-of an artist the guest deeply admires. This isn't a standard interview format. Instead, you're listening in on a shared, intimate listening session between two knowledgeable fans. The conversation flows from technical dissection of a guitar tone to personal stories about how a particular live bootleg soundtracked a pivotal life moment. You'll hear the crackle of a vintage tape as Mitch and his guest pause, rewind, and marvel at a forgotten vocal take or an experimental arrangement that never made the official album. This podcast lives in the spaces between the famous tracks, uncovering the raw, unpolished moments that often reveal an artist's true process and passion. It’s for anyone who believes the magic isn't just in the finished product, but in the journey of how it got there. Each episode of Deep Focus feels like being invited into a private club where the sole entry fee is a genuine love for music's hidden corners.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Deep Focus
Podcast Episodes
2025.09.29 Vernon Reid on James Blood Ulmer - 2 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:53
What is the great lesson of a James Blood Ulmer for fellow guitarist/composer/bandleader Vernon Reid? Find out this Monday (9/29) when Vernon Reid and host Mitch Goldman plunge into the WKCR archives in search of rare, l…
2025.09.29 Vernon Reid on James Blood Ulmer - 1 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:37
What is the great lesson of a James Blood Ulmer for fellow guitarist/composer/bandleader Vernon Reid? Find out this Monday (9/29) when Vernon Reid and host Mitch Goldman plunge into the WKCR archives in search of rare, l…
2025.09.01 Ben Tyree on Spectrum Road - 3 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:11
Who came up with the idea that the middle of the road is the right place to be? Regular listeners to Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus know that it's those shadowy corners, those Edge Cities, where new things start to happen. A…
2025.09.01 Ben Tyree on Spectrum road - 2 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:29
Who came up with the idea that the middle of the road is the right place to be? Regular listeners to Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus know that it's those shadowy corners, those Edge Cities, where new things start to happen. A…
2025.09.01 Ben Tyree on Spectrum road -  1 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:31
Who came up with the idea that the middle of the road is the right place to be? Regular listeners to Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus know that it's those shadowy corners, those Edge Cities, where new things start to happen. A…
2025.08.18 Bob Dee on Jef Lee Johnson - 3 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:12
How is it possible that you have never heard guitarist Jef Lee Johnson? He was as incendiary and as nakedly original as any soloist you have ever heard (absolutely any!). But his greater distinction might have been his s…
2025.08.18 Bob Dee on Jef Lee Johnson - 2 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:39
How is it possible that you have never heard guitarist Jef Lee Johnson? He was as incendiary and as nakedly original as any soloist you have ever heard (absolutely any!). But his greater distinction might have been his s…
2025.08.18 Bob Dee on Jef Lee Johnson - 1 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:25
How is it possible that you have never heard guitarist Jef Lee Johnson? He was as incendiary and as nakedly original as any soloist you have ever heard (absolutely any!). But his greater distinction might have been his s…
2015.08.03 Eric Person on Ornette Coleman - 3 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:51
Ornette Coleman, one of our brightest lights, died in June of 2015. Here is a Deep Focus from August of that year, with Eric Person as my guest, remembering Ornette. This show features a beautiful live recording from 197…
2015.08.03 Eric Person on Ornette Coleman - 2 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:02
Ornette Coleman, one of our brightest lights, died in June of 2015. Here is a Deep Focus from August of that year, with Eric Person as my guest, remembering Ornette. This show features a beautiful live recording from 197…