On today's show: drummer, percussionist, composer Chad Taylor. I first became aware of Chad's name around the turn of the 21st century, as the players in Chicago's post-rock scene, most famously including the instrumental band Tortoise, began to collaborate with players from Chicago's rich modern jazz world, where the famous creative musician's collective, the AACM was still active. Chad's playing was always distinguished by an extra sense of propulsiveness, juicing the energy and supplying an expressive net beneath his collaborators.
Chad began his long musical partnership with Rob Mazurek under the name Chicago Underground, recording genre-defying improvisational songs and soundscapes that frequently featured Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker. Chad would become one of his era's most prolific drummers working his everyone from Iron & Wine to Pharoah Sanders. After becoming synonymous with Chicago jazz Chad moved east, finally landing in Philadelphia where he's spent the past decade. In this time he has appeared on some of the most critically-lauded jazz records of recent years, including projects with guitarist Marc Ribot as well as the late trumpeter Jaimie Branch and saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, both former guests on Fun 2 Know.
You'll get an idea of just what a genial gentleman Chad is by knowing that although we've communicated through IM's, we'd never actually met or had spoken together until just moments before the tape rolled on our interview. In abundant modesty and good humor Chad talks about his early musical motivations, his teen years, already drumming in Chicago clubs, and his moves to NYC and Philly, his studies with Blue Note drum great Joe Chambers and Chad current gig as Head of Jazz Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Chad has also had success composing and leading his own groups and is celebrating the release of his latest work with his new Philly-centric Chad Taylor Quintet, SMOKE SHIFTER on the Otherly Love label.
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On today's show: drummer, percussionist, composer Chad Taylor. I first became aware of Chad's name around the turn of the 21st century, as the players in Chicago's post-rock scene, most famously including the instrumental band Tortoise, began to collaborate with players from Chicago's rich modern jazz world, where the famous creative musician's collective, the AACM was still active. Chad's playing was always distinguished by an extra sense of propulsiveness, juicing the energy and supplying an expressive net beneath his collaborators.
Chad began his long musical partnership with Rob Mazurek under the name Chicago Underground, recording genre-defying improvisational songs and soundscapes that frequently featured Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker. Chad would become one of his era's most prolific drummers working his everyone from Iron & Wine to Pharoah Sanders. After becoming synonymous with Chicago jazz Chad moved east, finally landing in Philadelphia where he's spent the past decade. In this time he has appeared on some of the most critically-lauded jazz records of recent years, including projects with guitarist Marc Ribot as well as the late trumpeter Jaimie Branch and saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, both former guests on Fun 2 Know.
You'll get an idea of just what a genial gentleman Chad is by knowing that although we've communicated through IM's, we'd never actually met or had spoken together until just moments before the tape rolled on our interview. In abundant modesty and good humor Chad talks about his early musical motivations, his teen years, already drumming in Chicago clubs, and his moves to NYC and Philly, his studies with Blue Note drum great Joe Chambers and Chad current gig as Head of Jazz Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Chad has also had success composing and leading his own groups and is celebrating the release of his latest work with his new Philly-centric Chad Taylor Quintet, SMOKE SHIFTER on the Otherly Love label.
On today's show: music historian Elijah Wald. I was just hanging out in my South Philly neighborhood when I happened to get introduced to Elijah, a music historian who has written over a dozen books, mainly on the subject of roots music but also on subjects as diverse as hitchhiking, the cultural phenomenon known as “the Dozens” and the genetics industry. Elijah won a Grammy for his liner notes in 2002, had the book he co-authored with Dave Van Ronk adapted for the Coen Bros. 2013 film, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS as well as making the scene as a guitarist rooted in the folk blues tradition.
It's just one of Elijah's books that we focused on in this episode, the 2009 publication, “How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music” from the Oxford University Press. The Beatles don't actually appear until near the book's climax, the book's main focus is as a corrective to past musical tomes that distort 20th century history by focusing on the canon of artistically “important artists” at the expense of minimizing many of the commercially dominant artists of their day. It's a rich and challenging book, impeccably researched as well as being highly-readable. We'll dive into the books many ideas, along the way discussing, Guy Lombardo, Paul Whiteman, Tom Waits and Ricky Nelson, as well as The Stones, The Beatles, Dylan and the Three Degrees as well as examining how gender biases cloud the story of 20th century music. You can find out more about Elijah at elijahwald–dot-com
Fun 2 Know Podcast
On today's show: drummer, percussionist, composer Chad Taylor. I first became aware of Chad's name around the turn of the 21st century, as the players in Chicago's post-rock scene, most famously including the instrumental band Tortoise, began to collaborate with players from Chicago's rich modern jazz world, where the famous creative musician's collective, the AACM was still active. Chad's playing was always distinguished by an extra sense of propulsiveness, juicing the energy and supplying an expressive net beneath his collaborators.
Chad began his long musical partnership with Rob Mazurek under the name Chicago Underground, recording genre-defying improvisational songs and soundscapes that frequently featured Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker. Chad would become one of his era's most prolific drummers working his everyone from Iron & Wine to Pharoah Sanders. After becoming synonymous with Chicago jazz Chad moved east, finally landing in Philadelphia where he's spent the past decade. In this time he has appeared on some of the most critically-lauded jazz records of recent years, including projects with guitarist Marc Ribot as well as the late trumpeter Jaimie Branch and saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, both former guests on Fun 2 Know.
You'll get an idea of just what a genial gentleman Chad is by knowing that although we've communicated through IM's, we'd never actually met or had spoken together until just moments before the tape rolled on our interview. In abundant modesty and good humor Chad talks about his early musical motivations, his teen years, already drumming in Chicago clubs, and his moves to NYC and Philly, his studies with Blue Note drum great Joe Chambers and Chad current gig as Head of Jazz Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Chad has also had success composing and leading his own groups and is celebrating the release of his latest work with his new Philly-centric Chad Taylor Quintet, SMOKE SHIFTER on the Otherly Love label.
