Podcast 778: A Conversation with Maria Schneider, Part Two

Podcast 778 completes my two-part conversation with Maria Schneider. A recipient of almost every award given for composing, arranging and conducting, Ms. Schneider has moved to the forefront of genre-bending music. Whether it's the work she did with David Bowie on "Sue (or In A Season of Crime," her thrilling new work Data Lords, or her collaborations with classical music giants like Dawn Upshaw, there does not seem to be anything that she cannot do when she sets her mind to it. One of my favorite of her works, Concert in the Garden from 2004, was selected for induction into the National Recording Registry last year, the same year she was honored as an NEA Jazz Master. And just as this Podcast was being released, she received news that she had two more Grammy nominations to her credit, both for Data Lords, including Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and Best Instrumental Composition for "Sputnik." Part Two allows you to hear Maria talk about her experiences growing up in Minnesota, her exposure to music by friends and mentors, including the legendary Gil Evans  and why she continues to be a strong advocate for musicians' rights, testifying in Congress and writing well-thought out arguments in the press. Ms. Schneider prefers to limit the amount of her music that we can feature in the podcast, so there will be short sections from "Wyrfgy" from her first album, Evanescence, released in 1994; and "Sanzerin" from Data Lords, her most recent. Maria and her Orchestra have made appearances at the Jazz Standard in New York a Thanksgiving tradition. Unable to appear live this year, she premieres some never-before-seen videos from their 2019 Jazz Standard Thanksgiving run along with recording footage from their Data Lords. For the first time ever, Maria and several members of her Orchestra will reunite for some post-Thanksgiving camaraderie on Zoon. You can join the festivities on Friday, November 27th at 7:30 p.m. EST  via www.mariaschneider.com or on Facebook. The presentation will be streamable at your leisure through Monday, November 30th at 12 noon EST.