6. John Ferrari Discusses David Sylvian, Brilliant Trees

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Growing up in Allendale, New Jersey, I spent countless hours listening to and talking about music with my friend, John Ferrari. On this episode, John – who is a drummer and percussionist with Tilted Axes, Meridian Arts Ensemble and New Millennium Ensemble – joins me for yet another discussion. This time around, we’re talking about one of his favorite albums, David Sylvian’s Brilliant Trees.

At the end of this episode, I mentioned that John will be performing in a show entitled Centennial Vibes: Celebrating the Vibraphone, Invented in 1921. You can find information on how to view this performance via live stream at https://composersconcordance.wixsite.com/2020-21-season/concerts. You will need to scroll down to event no. 11.

Check out John’s music!

Tilted Axes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiltedaxes

Tilted Axes website: http://tiltedaxes.com/tiltedaxes.html

Meridian Arts Ensemble on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/meridian-arts-ensemble/66272989

New Millennium Ensemble on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/new-millennium-ensemble/145616329

At the 34:00 mark, I made a reference to the Houston-based group Khruangbin. I asked “what’s the difference between David Sylvian and Khruangbin?”, but never followed up on the thought. The very short answer is that both have created music that is smooth and relaxing, but they have done it different ways. What I may not have made clear is that I LOVE Khruangbin. If you have not yet listened to them, here’s a great video to start with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4xKvHANqjk&t=383s.

1:29 John joins the show

2:00 John’s house was a formative place for my musical tastes

5:08 John meets his biggest musical hero

7:09 John meets Frank Zappa

10:14 Why John picked Brilliant Trees for this podcast

18:13 John’s favorite tracks from Brilliant Trees

20:58 Al’s initial impressions

Track by track breakdown

28:09 Pulling Punches

32:56 The Ink In The Well

38:27 Nostalgia

41:19 Red Guitar

45:33 Weathered Wall

48:00 Backwaters

50:55 Brilliant Trees

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