2026.03.16 William Hooker and Ahmed Abdullah on Old and New Dreams - 3 of 3

2026.03.16 William Hooker and Ahmed Abdullah on Old and New Dreams - 3 of 3

Author: Small Media Large May 10, 2026 Duration: 59:12
Throw away the map.  Now, how are you going to find your way to your destination?  You will probably find many more answers than you may have thought you'd find when you were looking at that folded-up piece of paper.     The band Old and New Dreams didn't have to follow chord changes, disregarded time signatures, but their music was full of story-songs, each with a beginning, a middle, and an end.  It's four members-- saxophonist Dewey Redman, trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Ed Blackwell-- each sang his song in full voice.  And when you heard them together, you never wondered if or when you would arrive.  You just hoped the journey wouldn't end too soon, even if you knew that it would.    Sonic navigator/drummer William Hooker has chosen Old and New Dreams for this week's episode of Mitch Goldman's Deep Focus, and Ahmed Abdullah as his surprise guest.  Will Mitch find live, unreleased recordings of the band in the WKCR archives?  The day will come when his spotless record is going to get besmirched.  Oh, let's just hope it's not this week!  I guess there's only one way to find out.   Tune in this Monday (3/16) from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD or wkcr.org.     Or join us when it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/.  It will join over 400 promo-free episodes.  Subscribe right now to get notifications when new episodes are posted.  It's ad-free, all free, sponsor-free, totally non-commercial.  We won't even ask for your contact info.   Find out more about Deep Focus at https://mitchgoldman.com/about-deep-focus/ or join us onInstagram @deep_focus_podcast.     Photo credit: no known publishing information.   #WKCR #DeepFocus #WilliamHooker #OldandNewDreams #DeweyRedman #DonCherry #CharlieHaden #EdBlackwell #JazzRadio #JazzPodcast #JazzInterview #MitchGoldman #AhmedAbdullah

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
2025.02.17 Steven Bernstein on The Don Cherry Tapes part 2 - 1 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:11
This Monday's (2/17) Deep Focus is on trumpeter Don Cherry, a wonderful and deeply missed friend of WKCR. Back in the Eighties, Don was a frequent guest on Mitch Goldman's show. Don would guest DJ, talk to the audience,…
2025.02.01 Eric Person on Arthur Blythe - 3 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:32
On our previous Deep Focus, host Mitch Goldman and his guest, saxophonist Eric Person explored the work of the David Murray Octet of the 1980s. Here was an ensemble that punched far above its weight, with swinging horn p…
2025.02.01 Eric Person on Arthur Blythe - 2 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:49
On our previous Deep Focus, host Mitch Goldman and his guest, saxophonist Eric Person explored the work of the David Murray Octet of the 1980s. Here was an ensemble that punched far above its weight, with swinging horn p…
2025.02.03 Eric Person on Arthur Blythe - 1 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:36
On our previous Deep Focus, host Mitch Goldman and his guest, saxophonist Eric Person explored the work of the David Murray Octet of the 1980s. Here was an ensemble that punched far above its weight, with swinging horn p…
2008.11.03 Eric Person on Herbie Hancock, Beaver Harris - 1 of 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:57
Here is another episode from the Deep Focus "Prodigal Children" series. Mitch Goldman first went on the air at WKCR in 1985 and started Deep Focus in 2008. Since his primary focus during the broadcast is hosting and engi…
2025.01.06 Eric Person on David Murray - 3 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:43
In the early 1980s, when saxophonist Eric Person was coming up, one big question that was being addressed was how to combine the free-swinging improv of the Loft scene with the beauty and power of a large ensemble. Many…
2025.01.06 Eric Person on David Murray - 2 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:23
In the early 1980s, when saxophonist Eric Person was coming up, one big question that was being addressed was how to combine the free-swinging improv of the Loft scene with the beauty and power of a large ensemble. Many…
2025.01.06 Eric Person on David Murray - 1 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:02
In the early 1980s, when saxophonist Eric Person was coming up, one big question that was being addressed was how to combine the free-swinging improv of the Loft scene with the beauty and power of a large ensemble. Many…
2024.12.23 Arturo O'Farrill on Carla Bley - 3 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:21
Arturo O'Farrill: "Without Carla (Bley)’s influence, I wouldn’t be where I am today; there would be no Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, no Belongó, no Arturo O'Farrill. She is in everything that I do..." Don't you want to hear…
2024.12.23 Arturo O'Farrill on Carla Bley - 2 of 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:05
Arturo O'Farrill: "Without Carla (Bley)’s influence, I wouldn’t be where I am today; there would be no Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, no Belongó, no Arturo O'Farrill. She is in everything that I do..." Don't you want to hear…