Author Archives: Joseph Sannicandro
Vladislav Delay Quintet ~ vd5
One of my hobbyhorses I love to beat—likely familiar to longtime readers—is that percussionists often make the most interesting composers: Steve Reich, Egisto Macchi, Iannis Xenakis, Edgar Varése, John Cage, Lou Harrison, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Paul Motian,
Vladislav Delay Quintet ~ vd5
One of my hobbyhorses I love to beat—likely familiar to longtime readers—is that percussionists often make the most interesting composers: Steve Reich, Egisto Macchi, Iannis Xenakis, Edgar Varése, John Cage, Lou Harrison, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Paul Motian,
SP* Episode 41: THE PILGRIMAGE – BIG EARS 2026 [podcast]
The Sound Propositions podcast is back for a five-part mini-season exploring Big Ears 2026. Rather than another day-by-day recap (you can find that in the newsletter), or a thematic synthesis (see my 2026 review), the following five conversations sketch out
SP* Episode 41: THE PILGRIMAGE – BIG EARS 2026 [podcast]
The Sound Propositions podcast is back for a five-part mini-season exploring Big Ears 2026. Rather than another day-by-day recap (you can find that in the newsletter), or a thematic synthesis (see my 2026 review), the following five conversations sketch out
Cole Pulice ~ Land’s End Eternal
There are moments on Cole Pulice’s Land’s End Eternal where you might find yourself asking what, exactly, you’re listening to, and that’s by design. The saxophonist and composer has spent the better part of a decade cultivating a signal processing
Cole Pulice ~ Land’s End Eternal
There are moments on Cole Pulice’s Land’s End Eternal where you might find yourself asking what, exactly, you’re listening to, and that’s by design. The saxophonist and composer has spent the better part of a decade cultivating a signal processing
A Closer Look: Big Ears 2026
A CLOSER LOOK: Big Ears 2026 Four days, forty-two shows, six interviews, and one pilgrimage to Knoxville. I began my first day at Big Ears with a question that had lingered since the festival first popped on my radar more
A Closer Look: Big Ears 2026
A CLOSER LOOK: Big Ears 2026 Four days, forty-two shows, six interviews, and one pilgrimage to Knoxville. I began my first day at Big Ears with a question that had lingered since the festival first popped on my radar more
Big Ears 2026 Preview
In advance of the 2026 edition of the Big Ears festival in Knoxville, Tennessee–happening 26-29 March–Joseph Sannicandro reflects upon this year’s programming and previews some of the most anticipated performances. Knoxville, Tennessee’s Big Ears festival of contemporary music first popped
Big Ears 2026 Preview
In advance of the 2026 edition of the Big Ears festival in Knoxville, Tennessee–happening 26-29 March–Joseph Sannicandro reflects upon this year’s programming and previews some of the most anticipated performances. Knoxville, Tennessee’s Big Ears festival of contemporary music first popped
Catherine Lamb x Ghost Ensemble ~ interius/exterius
The cover of Catherine Lamb and Ghost Ensemble’s interius/exterius depicts resonance abstractly, but the music itself is a concrete study in sonic architecture. The nonet dismantles traditional notions of ensemble interplay; harmony is not a fixed destination but a relational
Catherine Lamb x Ghost Ensemble ~ interius/exterius
The cover of Catherine Lamb and Ghost Ensemble’s interius/exterius depicts resonance abstractly, but the music itself is a concrete study in sonic architecture. The nonet dismantles traditional notions of ensemble interplay; harmony is not a fixed destination but a relational
Riccardo La Foresta ~ ZERO, 999…
The cover of Riccardo La Foresta’s ZERO, 999… depicts an impossibly tall spiral tower vanishing into the sky, an aptly disorienting visual metaphor for an album that dismantles traditional notions of drumming. Here, drums are not rhythmic anchors but vessels
Riccardo La Foresta ~ ZERO, 999…
The cover of Riccardo La Foresta’s ZERO, 999… depicts an impossibly tall spiral tower vanishing into the sky, an aptly disorienting visual metaphor for an album that dismantles traditional notions of drumming. Here, drums are not rhythmic anchors but vessels
ACL Weekly Newsletter
After years of inquiries, we started a newsletter for A CLOSER LISTEN at the start of 2022. Compiled by me, Joseph, it’s mostly been a digest of what’s been on the blog, as well as an archive for our constantly
ACL Weekly Newsletter
After years of inquiries, we started a newsletter for A CLOSER LISTEN at the start of 2022. Compiled by me, Joseph, it’s mostly been a digest of what’s been on the blog, as well as an archive for our constantly
a closer listen 