Overview

Transfigured New York presents conversations with iconic, genre-bending artists who shaped the sounds of experimental movements like no wave, avant-jazz, and electronic music. As an undergrad in the 1980s, Brooke Wentz hosted the show Transfigured Night on Columbia University's WKCR-FM, discussing art and ideas with avant-garde music luminaries. She unearths these candid interviews-heard before only when first broadcast-from cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes, letting readers today feel the excitement and creative energy of the 1980s New York underground scene. Musicians and artists, now icons of their craft, tell their stories and share their thoughts about the creative process, capturing the ambition and energy that animated their work. Legends in the making like Bill Frisell, Philip Glass, and Laurie Anderson convey what it was like to be a struggling artist in 1980s New York, when the city was alive with possibilities. Others who were well known at the time, including John Cage, La Monte Young, and Ravi Shankar, advocate for their distinctive ideas about art and open up about their creative lives. Featuring an astonishing range of interviewees-Morton Subotnick, Joan Tower, Steve Reich, Glenn Branca, Joan La Barbara, Living Colour, Arthur Russell, John Lurie, Eric Bogosian, Bill T. Jones, and many more-Transfigured New York provides new insight into the city's cultural landscape in this era. It is a one-of-a-kind account of one of the most exhilarating and inventive periods for art and culture in New York City's history.

Full Product Details

Author:   Brooke Wentz
Publisher:   Columbia University Press
Imprint:   Columbia University Press
ISBN:  

9780231210881

ISBN 10:   0231210884
Pages:   400
Publication Date:   14 November 2023
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

Lee Ranaldo on the Scene Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. The Founding Theorists: Influential Figures of Contemporary Thought and Music Composition 1. John Cage 2. La Monte Young Part II. The Materials Scientists: Pioneers of Tape and Electronic Music 3. David Behrman 4. Alvin Curran 5. Mario Davidovsky 6. Otto Luening 7. Roger Reynolds 8. Pril Smiley 9. Morton Subotnick 10. Joan Tower 11. Vladimir Ussachevsky Part III. The Composers: Notable Contributors of Contemporary Musical Repertoire 12. Anthony Davis 13. David Diamond 14. Jacob Druckman 15. Lukas Foss 16. Philip Glass 17. Steve Reich Part IV. The Iconoclasts: Eccentric Thought-Provoking Performers 18. Kelvyn Bell 19. Jean-Paul Bourelly 20. Glenn Branca 21. Fred Frith 22. Wayne Horvitz Part V. The Vocalists: Experimenters with Voice and Words 23. Laurie Anderson 24. Joan La Barbara Part VI. The Dissenters: Modern Jazz Innovators 25. Andrew Cyrille 26. Bill Frisell 27. Ronald Shannon Jackson 28. Evan Parker Part VII. The Popular Avant-Garde: Pop Idiom Crossovers 29. Living Colour 30. Peter Gordon and Arthur Russell 31. John Lurie 32. Andy Partridge Part VIII. The Global Nomads: International Superstars of Western Thought 33. Baaba Maal 34. Astor Piazzolla 35. Ravi Shankar Part IX. The Performance Artists: Art Meets Movement 36. Eric Bogosian 37. David Harrington 38. Bill T. Jones 39. Margaret Leng Tan 40. Michel Waisvisz Notes Index

Reviews

Since her WKCR radio show in the eighties, Brooke Wentz has been an inspiring explorer of global music and has also remained a devoted and curious fan, always looking for new sounds in diverse countries and cultures. Her excitement vibrates on every page of this engrossing read. Enjoy Brooke’s journey! -- Chris Watson, founding member of Cabaret Voltaire The avant-garde artists Brooke Wentz so adeptly interviewed in the 1980s reveal how music of that decade defied genre limitations and categorization, introduced fresh perspectives and explored sounds as no one had before, truly transfiguring not only New York, but creative culture worldwide. There are rich stories here, informing how we listen today. -- Howard Mandel, author of <i>Miles Ornette Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz</i> and <i>Future Jazz</i> This book is a one-of-a-kind account of one of the most exhilarating and inventive periods for art and culture in New York City's history. * NYS Music * My mind was blown on almost every page of this engaging, near-exhaustive collection. -- Mat Smith * Further *

Since her WKCR radio show in the eighties, Brooke Wentz has been an inspiring explorer of global music and has also remained a devoted and curious fan, always looking for new sounds in diverse countries and cultures. Her excitement vibrates on every page of this engrossing read. Enjoy Brooke’s journey! -- Chris Watson, founding member of Cabaret Voltaire The avant-garde artists Brooke Wentz so adeptly interviewed in the 1980s reveal how music of that decade defied genre limitations and categorization, introduced fresh perspectives and explored sounds as no one had before, truly transfiguring not only New York, but creative culture worldwide. There are rich stories here, informing how we listen today. -- Howard Mandel, author of <i>Miles Ornette Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz</i> and <i>Future Jazz</i>

Since her WKCR radio show in the '80s, Brooke Wentz has been not only an inspiring explorer of global music, she has also remained a devoted and curious fan, always looking for new sounds in diverse countries and cultures. Her excitement vibrates on every page of this engrossing read. Enjoy Brooke’s journey! -- Chris Watson, founding member of Cabaret Voltaire The avant-garde artists Brooke Wentz so adeptly interviewed in the 1980s reveal how music of that decade defied genre limitations and categorization, introduced fresh perspectives and explored sounds as no one had before, truly transfiguring not only New York, but creative culture worldwide. There are rich stories here, informing how we listen today. -- Howard Mandel, author of <i>Miles Ornette Cecil: Jazz Beyond Jazz</i> and <i>Future Jazz</i>

Author Information

Brooke Wentz is a Billboard Music Award–winning music producer, music supervisor, and former radio host who founded Seven Seas Music and the Rights Workshop. She is a leading expert on music copyrights and former ESPN music director. Her books include Hey! That’s My Music: Music Supervision, Licensing, and Content Acquisition (2007) and Music Rights Unveiled: A Filmmaker’s Guide to Music Rights and Licensing (2017).

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