Brian McCarthy blends jazz, astronomy, and the AfterLife

Today, the Spotlight shines On Vermont-based saxophonist, composer and arranger Brian McCarthy. Brian joins us on the occasion of his most recent project, AFTER|LIFE released back in late May, just a few days after we recorded this talk. 

AFTER|LIFE is the second album of Brian’s in the nonet format as well as the second to be brought to fruition through support from the Vermont Community Foundation and the Vermont Arts Council. 

Chris Pearson in The Times of London wrote, “Imagine John Coltrane's A Love Supreme driven by science rather than spirituality…while Coltrane praised God, McCarthy muses musically on death and rebirth in a cyclical cosmos and how we are all linked, down to a molecular level.”

There is a lot of concept packed into this record and Brian guides us through it. We had some laughs, too, though, and this was a very enjoyable talk. Enjoy.

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Dig Deeper

• Listen to the Brian McCarthy Nonet’s AFTER|LIFE on Bandcamp or streaming platforms.
• Visit Brian McCarthy online at brianmccarthyjazz.com
• Follow Brian McCarthy on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• What is a Nonet? 
• Branford Marsalis - Full Concert - 08/26/87 - Newport Jazz Festival
• What Is Free Jazz?
• Vermont Arts Council
• Vermont Community Foundation
• Brian McCarthy on The Better Angels of Our Nature
• We are all made of stars: half our bodies' atoms 'formed beyond the Milky Way'
• Rare interview with Bill Evans recounts the story of Miles Davis and Kind of Blue
• William Patterson Jazz Room Series

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