by Kurt Knecht | Jan 8, 2021 | Uncategorized
I’ve just read a transcript of an interview between Bryan Magee and Iris Murdoch. The interview is particularly interesting now that we are living in the midst of a culture where so many musicians are trying to use their art to advocate for social issues. Magee...
by Kurt Knecht | Jan 5, 2021 | Uncategorized
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down with composer/pianist Sergio Barer to talk about some of my more recent compositional output. I don’t always like to do this because composers talking about their own music tends to bore me to death. However,...
by Kurt Knecht | Dec 26, 2020 | Uncategorized
I had a conversation with John Conahan in late November in which I said, “I’m not sure if I want to do this again. I feel like I’m re-treading too much old ground.” John convinced me to do another CarolRagnarok by saying, “It’s just...
by Kurt Knecht | Dec 20, 2020 | Uncategorized
The entries continued for week 3. Here’s a quick recap in case you missed anything. It was like fire. We started off with my Herbie Hancock O Come Emmanuel John responded with a Benjamin Britten Silver Bells. I came back with a Fats Waller Hark the...
by Kurt Knecht | Dec 13, 2020 | Uncategorized
Carol Ragnarok Week 2 did not disappoint. Here’s the recap in case you missed anything. The week began with me testing John with a Ralph Vaughan Williams Rhosymedre where the main melody was replaced with O Tannenbaum. John, seeing the rocky terrain, chose...
by Kurt Knecht | Dec 6, 2020 | Uncategorized
Each year in December an irresistable force meets and unmovable object to test their musical wits in a carol reinvention contest known as Carol Ragnarok. Basically, John Conahan and I fool around in our spare time. In case you missed any entries from week one,...
by Kurt Knecht | Dec 2, 2020 | Uncategorized
One of the great joys in my life that has happened because of Covid is the new video series that we’ve started at St. Paul’s Episcopal KCMO. The most recent addition to this diverse series includes my Sonata for Trombone. Around ten years ago, I found...
by Kurt Knecht | Nov 26, 2020 | Uncategorized
One of the great pleasures that enforced isolation has brought to my life is a renewed focus on chamber music. We can do it at a safe social distance and there are only a few people involved. Sam Anderson, the music director at St. Paul’s KCMO decided that we...
by Kurt Knecht | Nov 24, 2020 | Uncategorized
I find it such a weird time in our culture. MMEA is being celebrated for branching out beyond the standard repertoire, and they rightly should be, but here are the things I don’t understand. For all the people that are somehow just now discovering that there are...
by Kurt Knecht | Nov 18, 2020 | Uncategorized
David von Kampen and I were guests on Steve Grives’ pod to talk about Christmas songs. Christmas Song...
by Kurt Knecht | Oct 7, 2020 | Uncategorized
A friend passed along the recent New York Times article from Sept. 6, 2020 by Giovanni Russonello entitled, “Is Jazz Capable of Meeting This Moment?” In the article, they talk to historian Robin D.G. Kelley about teaching jazz in the University. He says,...
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