Back to School with Tim Crofts

"Timothy Crofts is a true 21st Century pianist. His main focus is improvisation and world music aesthetics. In performance, Timothy explores the full sonic capabilities of the acoustic piano through extended techniques and a wide range of piano preparations. He is able to coax a variety of colour and extreme dynamic contract through employing traditional and non-traditional techniques in tandem." That's what his bio says. Tim is also a professor at Dalhousie University and co-director of SuddenlyLISTEN in Halifax. The layperson would probably call what he does "avant-garde" or "experimental" music. As you'll hear, though, he's interested in all types of music as well as its social/cultural context. We talk about the art-school origins of a lot of popular music, going deep into whatever you're learning, his own start as an 80s guitar guy, and more.