Steve Pretty On The Origin of the Pieces – Details, episodes & analysis

Introduction (0:00:07 - 0:14:55):

Steve kicks off the episode with updates on his live shows, including upcoming recordings at the Into the Wild Festival and a special event at Wilton's Music Hall on 30th November. He encourages listeners to join his Patreon for discounted tickets and exclusive offers.

Steve then recaps highlights from episode 18 before diving into an engaging interview with Ola Onabulé.

Exploring Genre Flexibility (0:14:55 - 0:18:40):

Steve reflects on the journey of embracing multiple genres in music. He emphasises the importance of maintaining authenticity and the unique human touch that differentiates their music from AI-generated content. The discussion includes the creative process behind their track "Hacked Soul," highlighting its unpredictable evolution and polyrhythmic elements - and you can listen to the entire song at the end of the episode.

Musical Influence of Nigerian Heritage (0:18:40 - 0:23:44):

Steve and Ola discuss the deep sense of rhythm ingrained from growing up in Nigeria and how these African rhythms translate into genres like hip hop, rock, and blues.

Journey of a Soul Singer (0:23:44 - 0:39:11):

Ola shares his musical journey, starting with the impact of Stevie Wonder's album "Songs in the Key of Life" on his upbringing. He recounts a chance encounter that led him from law school to becoming a renowned singer. Ola then demonstrates his impressive baritone-to-tenor range.

Mexican Corrido (0:39:11 - 0:49:21):

Steve explores the genre of corrido, a traditional Mexican music style. He discusses the evolution of corridos from historical narratives to modern themes tied to narco culture. Insights from an interview with Mexican trumpeter Alex Gonzalez reveal the genre's progression and the blending of traditional and modern elements in corridos tumbados.

The Political Impact of Corridos (0:49:21 - 0:57:35):

They delve into the political undertones of corridos and their influence on Mexican culture. Steve discusses different types of corridos, their coded messages, and his experience attempting to create music in the corrido style. The segment concludes with a reflection on the broader purpose of music in conveying positive messages to future generations.

Genre Exploration (0:57:35 - 1:07:04):

Steve continues to explore corrido music, sharing his journey into understanding the genre and its connections to outlaw narco culture. Inspired by, and featuring Alex, Steve creates his own piece of corrido music. The episode finishes by choosing the next genre for the genre tombola.

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In this episode of "Steve Pretty on the Origin of the Pieces," host Steve Pretty chats with Jeff Miller, a specialist in early brass instruments. They explore the origins and evolution of low brass instruments, particularly the serpent, and its historical significance. The discussion covers the cultural and physical aspects of music, the unique characteristics of various instruments, and the universal nature of musical languages. Steve also recaps his recent experiences at the First Light Festival in Lowestoft. The episode rounds off with an interview with and performance from the Lowestoft Longshoremen, a sea shanty choir, highlighting the cultural importance of their music.

Recap of Last Episode (00:00:07)

Steve summarizes the previous episode, including a session with a BBC engineer, discussion on Debussy and Arabesque music, and experiences at the First Light Festival in Lowestoft.

First Light Festival in Lowestoft (00:02:22)

Steve shares his experiences at the First Light Festival, including performances, interactions, and the festival's significance.

Performances at First Light Festival (00:03:34)

Steve details his performances at the festival, including a parade, concerts, and a dawn set on the beach.

Emotional Experience at Dawn Set (00:05:35)

Steve recounts the emotional impact of playing shells at dawn.

Introduction to Jeff Miller (00:08:41)

Steve introduces Jeff Miller, a multi-instrumentalist and low brass specialist, and their musical collaborations.

Evolution of Low Brass Instruments (00:09:55)

Jeff discusses the origins and evolution of low brass instruments and cultural influences on music.

Cultural Perspectives on Music (00:14:49)

Jeff and Steve explore cultural differences in musical harmony and its impact on music experience.

Classification of Musical Instruments (00:19:21)

Jeff explains the classification of musical instruments and his experience with various brass and woodwind instruments.

The origin of brass instruments (00:20:34)

Discussion on the historical evolution of brass instruments from animal horns to the cornet.

Design and structure of the serpent (00:23:31)

Description of the serpent, its components, and design.

Challenges of playing the serpent (00:27:07)

Explanation of the difficulties in playing the serpent.

Range and performance of the serpent (00:33:19)

Demonstration of the serpent's range and its use in orchestral performances.

Musical examples and timbre of the serpent (00:36:16)

Performance of a cello piece on the serpent and discussion of its unique timbre.

Challenges of playing the serpent (00:38:44)

Exploration of the difficulties in playing the serpent.

Serpent musical performance (00:39:39)

Musical performance on the serpent.

Challenges of playing traditional brass instruments (00:40:49)

Frustrations faced by modern brass players with traditional instruments.

Exploring the nature of sound through synths (00:42:28)

Jeff's journey into sound manipulation through electronic instruments.

Passing down heritage through sea shanties (00:58:06)

The importance of passing down heritage through sea shanties.

Singing Shanties (00:58:59)

Discussion on the tradition and history of singing shanties.

Diversity of Shanties (01:00:12)

Exploration of the diverse origins of shanties and their global influence.

Performance and Audience Interaction (01:01:51)

Reflection on shanty performances and audience engagement.

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In maybe the most varied episode yet, Steve speaks to Nathanial Dye about how terminal cancer reinforced his passion for music (and running the London marathon whilst playing the trombone), then, via a brief foray into the importance of reverb (as performed at Wilton's Music Hall on 20th January), finds himself making a cowpunk song set in East Anglia, with the help of his trusty AI lyricist.

Show website: http://www.originofthepieces.com

Patreon (including access to full recording of Wilton's Music Hall show): https://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces

Nathanial Dye: https://bowelcancerbucketlist.com/

Please rate, review and share!

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Steve talks about and plays some music from recent live gigs (including one with a rather special dress code), and we hear a beautiful performance and fascinating chat from Filament Choir. No genre tombola this time, so strap in for an exploration of Cowpunk next episode…

Steve's website: http://www.stevepretty.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces

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Steve kicks off 2024 in typically contrasting style by celebrating the London Symphony Orchestra's school outreach program, and getting lost in a world on samplers and synthesisers as he sets out to create a UK Hardcore version of the podcast intro, courtesy of the genre tombola...

Wilton's Music Hall tickets for 20th January: https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/854-steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-origin-of-the-pieces

Steve's website: http://www.stevepretty.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces

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To close out the year, in this bumper Space Special, Steve is joined by astronaut Chris Hadfield, trombonist Rosie Turton and composer Steve Thompson - all of them trombonists with a number of additional skills in their portfolio!

Steve Thompson tells us about his project 1201 Alarm and how his album Hello World will be the first album on the moon! Then trombonist, composer and stalwart of the recent UK jazz revival Rosie Turton is in the studio to give us a binaural tour of the simultaneously most comedic and melancholy instrument of all: the trombone. And to close out the episode - and in fact the year - Steve interviews astronaut Chris Hadfield, former Commander of the International Space Station, experienced musician and bestselling author. Chris doesn't really do podcast interviews usually, so this is quite a coup, and in this extended, wide-ranging chat, Steve and Chris discuss the links between exploration and music, the evolution of music and its links to mankind's restless, travelling nature, international jam sessions on the ISS, and changing guitar strings in orbit.

Wilton's Music Hall tickets: https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/854-steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-origin-of-the-pieces

Steve's website: http://www.stevepretty.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces

Chris Hadfield's Space Oddity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo

Chris' books: https://chrishadfield.ca/books/

Rosie Turton: https://www.rosieturton.com/

1201_Alarm: http://www.1201-alarm.com/home.html

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In a little Christmas gift to the listeners, Steve offers us a little taste of the forthcoming interview with Commander Chris Hadfield, astronaut, musician and author, but most of all an incredibly generous and wonderful individual.

Chris performs a song which he wrote and originally recorded whilst he was commander of the International Space Station (ISS), orbiting earth and looking through his window at the 7.8 billion people living on the beautiful blue sphere below him.

Episode 7 will feature an interview with Chris about music, exploration, the logistics of recording songs in space, and much more. TUNE IN!

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Christmas is coming, so of course we had to have a little look at Christmas music, but not quite in the way you would expect, unless minimalist classical composer Steve Reich is a kind of santa figure for you. Steve performs a festive version of Reich's piece Clapping Music, and is nearly driven completely mad as a result.

But then the day is saved by legendary composer and music producer Nitin Sawhney. Steve heads to Nitin's studio to learn about Soleá, the genre he was allocated in episode 5, and along the way discovers a lot of commonalities between Indian classical music and flamenco, how the guitar can be used as a percussion instrument to accompany itself, and some fascinating technical insights into the sounds of flamenco. This free-flowing interview with a musical legend covers all the usual show bases in one go as we learn about the Entertaining Noises of the flamenco guitar, dig deep into Music Feary as we examine the nuts and bolts of flamenco, and of course the Genre Tombola as we look at the commonalities between musical traditions so geographically distinct.

Oh, and Steve gives you a little reminder of his brand new Patreon, where you can help support the show for just $5 a month, as well as getting access to a huge treasure trove of unedited interviews and songs from the show, ticket discounts, exclusive offers and much more.

Wilton's Music Hall tickets: https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/854-steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-origin-of-the-pieces

Nitin's website: https://www.nitinsawhney.com/

Steve's website: http://www.stevepretty.com

Little playlist of music referenced in the episode: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQPkPcql9kp8MovgfBM0u0Z-BXVWzNAR_&si=HwQLzYIDcsKmY8CJ

Please spread the word, rate and review the show if you enjoy it! It's a HUGE help in these early days. Seriously.

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This episode sees Steve recording in not one but TWO idyllic studios in Norway, where he's been working with some incredibly talented young people, helping them to compose and create music to support a forthcoming Hackney Colliery Band tour there. We hear some of the things he's been up to, as well as chatting with some of the musicians in question about creativity, how to overcome blank page syndrome, and the intricacies of a grand piano. Then, back in Blighty, Steve talks to emo pop fan, album listening club founder and Christmas EP maker L K Francis to get to grips with what emo pop is all about, before he teams up with Chat GPT to create a whole new emo song just for this show!

Oh, and Steve launches his brand new Patreon, where you can help support the show for just $5 a month, as well as getting access to a huge treasure trove of unedited interviews and songs from the show, ticket discounts, exclusive offers and much more.

Wilton's Music Hall tickets: https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/854-steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-origin-of-the-pieces

L K Francis on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/gb/song/this-is-our-christmas/1711865299

L K Francis on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kceyBEKSyxcH8ffqcgH1n?si=ygPpCLm8Tsam4Z3-2Eg2rQ

North Norway Jazz Centre: https://www.europejazz.net/profile/nordnorsk-jazzsenter

Steve's website: http://www.stevepretty.com

Please spread the word, rate and review the show if you enjoy it! It's a HUGE help in these early days. Seriously.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the most varied episode yet of this podcast helping you to hear and understand music in new ways, musician Steve Pretty uses a moving experience performing at a Remembrance Day service to talk about musical harmonics, before learning about blues shouting, whistle tones and microphones from singer Nicole Cassandra Smit (including a brief appearance by Jamie Cullum and the Hackney Colliery Band), and finishing off with a deep dive into the niche crossover metal genre of deathgrind, and a discussion about the taxonomy of heavy metal with comedian, musician, and author of the History of Heavy Metal, Andrew O'Neill.

Oh, and there's a track Steve's written which will surely launch his deathgrind career into the stratosphere. But which legendary poet wrote the lyrics Andrew sang? Tune in to find out!

Wilton's Music Hall tickets: https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/854-steve-pretty-and-friends-on-the-origin-of-the-pieces

Abney Park Cemetery: https://abneypark.org/

Nicole Cassandra Smit: https://nicolecassandrasmit.com/

Andrew O'Neill: https://www.andrewoneill.co.uk/

Steve's website: http://www.stevepretty.com

Please spread the word, rate and review the show if you enjoy it! It's a HUGE help in these early days. Seriously.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.