What confers greatness?  There are many pathways, the most obvious being distinctive playing.  Are there others?  What about brilliant composing? Or inspiring bandleading?  Or creating your own sound?  How about honoring the tradition while still being blazingly original?  Or just going your own way, whether anyone else is on that path or not?    Achievement in any one of these categories will bring listeners' admiration but few reach the heights in all of them.  Those are the heroes.   This Monday (3/18) cornetist/composer Graham Haynes j ..read more

What confers greatness?  There are many pathways, the most obvious being distinctive playing.  Are there others?  What about brilliant composing? Or inspiring bandleading?  Or creating your own sound?  How about honoring the tradition while still being blazingly original?  Or just going your own way, whether anyone else is on that path or not?  Achievement in any one of these categories will bring listeners' admiration but few reach the heights in all of them.  Those are the heroes.   This Monday (3/18) cornetist/composer Graham Haynes joins ho ..read more

We tend to think of the subjects of Deep Focus as conjurers, as master architects, as grand statesmen, as sonic sculptors, as Renaissance men and women.  But what about when they’re the guy down the street? Or the dad of your elementary school friend?  How does that change the perspective?   Cornetist Graham Haynes grew up down the block from the magnificent Jaki Byard, one of the all-time great pianist/arranger/educators and one of the most engaging characters ever on the bandstand.  Stories?  Graham’s got stories!     Join host Mitch Goldman on De ..read more

We tend to think of the subjects of Deep Focus as conjurers, as master architects, as grand statesmen, as sonic sculptors, as Renaissance men and women.  But what about when they’re the guy down the street? Or the dad of your elementary school friend?  How does that change the perspective?   Cornetist Graham Haynes grew up down the block from the magnificent Jaki Byard, one of the all-time great pianist/arranger/educators and one of the most engaging characters ever on the bandstand.  Stories?  Graham’s got stories!     Join host Mitch Goldman on De ..read more

We tend to think of the subjects of Deep Focus as conjurers, as master architects, as grand statesmen, as sonic sculptors, as Renaissance men and women.  But what about when they’re the guy down the street? Or the dad of your elementary school friend?  How does that change the perspective?   Cornetist Graham Haynes grew up down the block from the magnificent Jaki Byard, one of the all-time great pianist/arranger/educators and one of the most engaging characters ever on the bandstand.  Stories?  Graham’s got stories!     Join host Mitch Goldman on De ..read more

Not all of our heroes have streets named after them but this one does.  So, will we be playing recordings of Sonny Sharrock on Deep Focus this Monday night (Feb 5)?   Will they be recordings that you've never heard?   Will we have an insightful listening session with drummer/conceptualist William Hooker?    Find out Monday night from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and wkcr.org.  Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/   Find out ..read more

Not all of our heroes have streets named after them but this one does.  So, will we be playing recordings of Sonny Sharrock on Deep Focus this Monday night (Feb 5)?   Will they be recordings that you've never heard?   Will we have an insightful listening session with drummer/conceptualist William Hooker?    Find out Monday night from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and wkcr.org.  Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/   Find out ..read more

Not all of our heroes have streets named after them but this one does.  So, will we be playing recordings of Sonny Sharrock on Deep Focus this Monday night (Feb 5)?   Will they be recordings that you've never heard?   Will we have an insightful listening session with drummer/conceptualist William Hooker?    Find out Monday night from 6pm to 9pm NYC time on WKCR 89.9FM, WKCR-HD and wkcr.org.  Next week it goes up on the Deep Focus podcast on your favorite podcasting app or at https://mitchgoldman.podbean.com/   Find out ..read more

Tonight's Deep Focus (Jan. 22) is on 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, bring guests... It was an ongoing Eighties NYC Don Cherry party.  And if there was a blank cassette handy, Mitch would make a recording.  The tapes got tossed in a box and ended up deep in storage.     Tonight Mitch and his guest, the bandleader, slide trumpeter and bon vivant, Steven Bernstein are blowing the dust off of those tapes.   Will ..read more

Tonight's Deep Focus (Jan. 22) is on 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, bring guests... It was an ongoing Eighties NYC Don Cherry party.  And if there was a blank cassette handy, Mitch would make a recording.  The tapes got tossed in a box and ended up deep in storage.     Tonight Mitch and his guest, the bandleader, slide trumpeter and bon vivant, Steven Bernstein are blowing the dust off of those tapes.   Will ..read more