From the Soundcheck Podcast series of live performances and interviews, hear guitarist and improviser Jeff Parker’s ETA IVtet, and South African guitarist Derek Gripper plays music translated from kora, the 21 stringed lute-harp, on his 6-string guitar. Guitarist Jeff Parker is probably best known for his work in the Chicago-based post rock band Tortoise, but he’s had a prolific career as a soloist and a sideman. In the past few years he’s been leading his ETA IVtet, an all-star group of musicians (saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Jay Bellerose) - on the L.A. experimental music scene. Together, they create transcendent, long-form journeys into innovative, often uncharted territories of groove-oriented, painterly, polyrhythmic, minimalist and mantric improvised music (Bandcamp liner notes). The Jeff Parker ETA IVtet plays in-studio. South African guitar virtuoso Derek Gripper plays music originally meant for the 21 stringed lute-harp, the kora, on his 6-string Segovia-styled guitar. His original music is informed by the late kora master Toumani Diabaté, Malian singer-songwriter Salif Keita, Estonian minimalist composer Arvo Part, Brazilian guitarist Egberto Gismonti and German Baroque innovator, J.S. Bach. Gripper plays another unbelievable arrangement of a Malian kora song, as well as an original song informed by the cascading style of kora music, plus the Prelude of the second cello suite by J.S. Bach, in-studio. - Caryn Havlik Program #4978, From Soundcheck: Jeff Parker's ETA IVtet, and Derek Gripper (First aired 2/13/2025) ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Jarabi [1:38]RECORDING: One Night on Earth: Music from the Strings of MaliSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: https://newcape.bandcamp.com/album/one-night-on-earth-music-from-the-strings-of-mali ARTIST: Jeff Parker ETA IVtetWORK: Improvisation [3:49]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Dec. 2024SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-out-of-easy ARTIST: Jeff Parker ETA IVtetWORK: Improvisation on Freakadelic [8:45]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Dec. 2024SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-out-of-easy ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Alla L'a Ke [2:32]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Jan. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: derekgripper.com ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude (Arr. for Guitar by Derek Gripper) [:20]RECORDING: Lost Time- Bach's First Cello SuiteSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: https://newcape.bandcamp.com/album/lost-time-bachs-first-cello-suite ARTIST: Ballaké Sissoko and Derek GripperWORK: Ninkoy [:26]RECORDING: Ballaké Sissoko and Derek GripperSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: newcape.bandcamp.com/album/ballak-sissoko-and-derek-gripper ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Moss on the Mountain [2:38]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Jan. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: derekgripper.com ARTIST: Derek Gripper and Mike BlockWORK: Ana [:42]RECORDING: Saturday Morning in BostonSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: newcape.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Derek Gripper WORK: Ana [:20]RECORDING: A Year of SwimmingSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: newcape.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Ballaké Sissoko and Derek GripperWORK: Koortjie [:37]RECORDING: Ballaké Sissoko and Derek GripperSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: newcape.bandcamp.com/album/ballak-sissoko-and-derek-gripper ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: J.S. Bach: Prelude BWV 1008 (Second Cello Suite) [3:20]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Jan. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: derekgripper.com ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Elyne Road [1:47]RECORDING: One Night on Earth: Music from the Strings of MaliSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: https://newcape.bandcamp.com/album/one-night-on-earth-music-from-the-strings-of-mali
From the Soundcheck Podcast series of live performances and interviews, hear guitarist and improviser Jeff Parker’s ETA IVtet, and South African guitarist Derek Gripper plays music translated from kora, the 21 stringed lute-harp, on his 6-string guitar.
Guitarist Jeff Parker is probably best known for his work in the Chicago-based post rock band Tortoise, but he’s had a prolific career as a soloist and a sideman. In the past few years he’s been leading his ETA IVtet, an all-star group of musicians (saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Jay Bellerose) - on the L.A. experimental music scene. Together, they create transcendent, long-form journeys into innovative, often uncharted territories of groove-oriented, painterly, polyrhythmic, minimalist and mantric improvised music (Bandcamp liner notes). The Jeff Parker ETA IVtet plays in-studio.
South African guitar virtuoso Derek Gripper plays music originally meant for the 21 stringed lute-harp, the kora, on his 6-string Segovia-styled guitar. His original music is informed by the late kora master Toumani Diabaté, Malian singer-songwriter Salif Keita, Estonian minimalist composer Arvo Part, Brazilian guitarist Egberto Gismonti and German Baroque innovator, J.S. Bach. Gripper plays another unbelievable arrangement of a Malian kora song, as well as an original song informed by the cascading style of kora music, plus the Prelude of the second cello suite by J.S. Bach, in-studio. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4978, From Soundcheck: Jeff Parker's ETA IVtet, and Derek Gripper (First aired 2/13/2025)
ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Jarabi [1:38]RECORDING: One Night on Earth: Music from the Strings of MaliSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: https://newcape.bandcamp.com/album/one-night-on-earth-music-from-the-strings-of-mali
ARTIST: Jeff Parker ETA IVtetWORK: Improvisation [3:49]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Dec. 2024SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-out-of-easy
ARTIST: Jeff Parker ETA IVtetWORK: Improvisation on Freakadelic [8:45]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Dec. 2024SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-out-of-easy
ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Alla L'a Ke [2:32]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Jan. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: derekgripper.com
ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude (Arr. for Guitar by Derek Gripper) [:20]RECORDING: Lost Time- Bach's First Cello SuiteSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: https://newcape.bandcamp.com/album/lost-time-bachs-first-cello-suite
ARTIST: Ballaké Sissoko and Derek GripperWORK: Ninkoy [:26]RECORDING: Ballaké Sissoko and Derek GripperSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: newcape.bandcamp.com/album/ballak-sissoko-and-derek-gripper
ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Moss on the Mountain [2:38]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Jan. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: derekgripper.com
ARTIST: Derek Gripper and Mike BlockWORK: Ana [:42]RECORDING: Saturday Morning in BostonSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: newcape.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Derek Gripper WORK: Ana [:20]RECORDING: A Year of SwimmingSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: newcape.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Ballaké Sissoko and Derek GripperWORK: Koortjie [:37]RECORDING: Ballaké Sissoko and Derek GripperSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: newcape.bandcamp.com/album/ballak-sissoko-and-derek-gripper
ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: J.S. Bach: Prelude BWV 1008 (Second Cello Suite) [3:20]RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Jan. 2025SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.INFO: derekgripper.com
ARTIST: Derek GripperWORK: Elyne Road [1:47]RECORDING: One Night on Earth: Music from the Strings of MaliSOURCE: New Cape RecordsINFO: https://newcape.bandcamp.com/album/one-night-on-earth-music-from-the-strings-of-mali