I want to thank JG Thirlwell for inviting me to submit my 2023 Year in Review. I had never done one of these before and it’s been a fun challenge to go through my calendar and social media to remember and realize how much I was able to pack into this year! Selecting and writing down all of these things also helped me further grasp and understand how tremendously privileged and lucky I am to be able to do what I love all year around, year after year, and to live my life to the fullest and according to my own wishes and my own design. I don’t take this lightly and I don’t take it for granted. I am very aware that it comes from hard work, limitless passion, and unwavering dedication, not just luck and good fortune, but nevertheless, I am grateful every single day for this life and for being healthy, being able to do all of this, and for all the people in my path who trust me, inspire me, support me, challenge me, and enlighten me!
Don’t miss JG’s very own “2023 Year in Review” and that of many other illustrious guests and colleagues ones which you can read along with mine at JG’s blog at: https://jgthirlwell.tumblr.com/
…or in the Link in Bio or at the following direct link: https://www.tumblr.com/jgthirlwell/738261455669968896/2023-year-in-review?source=share
Or keep reading here to read just mine:
STUDIO SESSIONS, ALBUMS & PRODUCTIONS
When compiling this list, it really dawned on me how fortunate I am to be working with such incredible talents and how privileged I am to be able to witness, participate, and contribute to the creation of exceptional works such as the following:
– Producing, Recording & Mixing sessions with David J of Bauhaus, Norwegian artist Ihsahn (of Emperor) & Toby Driver (of Kayo Dot), John Stanier (of Battles), Brian Chase (of Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Restless Spirit, Vicki Peterson (of the Bangles), John Cowsill (of the Cowsill Family and The Beach Boys touring band) and many others for my new RAMONES tribute album to come out next year on Magnetic Eye records
– Producing, Recording and Mixing a cover of Soundgarden‘s song “4th of July” with my doom metal / throat singing project SteppenDoom for the Magnetic Eye album “Soundgarden (Redux) and featuring Matt Cameron of Soundgarden themselves on drums
– seeing the release of Brian Carpenter’s “Ghost Train Orchestra & Kronos Quartet – The Music of Moondog” album featuring Kronos Quartet (which I recorded at EastSide Sound) and many other amazing guest artists
– Producing, Recording, Mixing, and Mastering a live album by Brazilian artists Zé Ibarra, Dora Morelenbaum, and Julia Mestre of Bala Desejo for Glasshaus Presents & Tower Records
– seeing the HBO release of John Lurie’s “Painting with John” new season where all the music was recorded & mixed by me and seeing my face briefly on TV
– Producing and Recording a remote session in an old church in Italy with Adriano Viterbini and Vincenzo Vasi for a project that will come out sometime next year hopefully
– Mixing new albums by Glenn Max Vanderwolf (produced by Dennis Martin), by Bloodmist (Toby Driver, Mario Diaz De Leon, Jeremiah Cymermann), and by Ikue Mori & Zeena Parkins at EastSide Sound fully utilizing the analog console and the analog outboard gear (something nowadays is more and more rare)
– Recording & Mixing 6 new albums by John Zorn this year alone, which brings my total JZ count to over 120 albums, and which as of this year can finally be heard on streaming platforms as well!
– Recording and Producing a new album by Marco Cappelli‘s Italian-inspired band IDR at EastSide Sound in NYC and then going to Rome, Italy to overdub trombone and vocals with famed contemporary Neapolitan singer Raiz
– Producing, Recording, Mixing, and Mastering 2 new albums by incognito jazz / blues artist Russell Orr with legendary Brian Marsella & Brian Mitchell on keys, respectively
– Recording, Mixing, and Mastering two new albums by Jessica Pavone and her trio
– Producing, Recording, Mixing and Mastering a “We Are the World”-type track for NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs with a song composed by Captain Beefheart / Jeff Buckley’s guitarist Gary Lucas and 10 other musicians from various parts of the world playing their local instruments and singing in their mother’s tongue
– Recording and Mixing the new album by Italian singer/songwriter Beppe Voltarelli, produced by Simone Giuliani, which took second place in Italy’s Premio Tenco
– Recording a new film score by composer Billy Martin (of Medeski, Martin & Wood) and arranged by Simon Hanes (of Tredici Bacci)
– Producing, Recording, Mixing, and Mastering contemporary classical music sessions commissioned by Miller Theater and Columbia University with artists such as Laura Barger & Julia Den Boer, Miguel Zenon, Matt Mitchell & Miles Okazaki, Russell Greenberg & Vicky Chow
– Recording new albums by contemporary classical/jazz musicians such as Miles Okazaki, Brian Drye, Anna Webber & Matt Mitchell, and others
– Recording new albums by amazing Latin Jazz artists such as Gili Lopes, Homan Alvarez, Rodrigo Recabarren, Benjamin Furman
SOUND DESIGN GIGS & LIVE SOUND MIXING GIGS
Similarly to the list above, I am eternally grateful for the fact that all these wonderfully talented people trust me with designing, mixing, and amplifying their sound so that the rest of the world can truly and fully experience their art in the most complete, sonically articulated, detailed and full spectrum way there is! Some of these highlights include:
– Mixing a 90-piece orchestra + 90-piece choir playing the score to Stanley Kubrick “2001: A Space Odyssey” live-to-picture conducted by Brad Lubman in the Auditorio Nacional of Mexico City to a sold-out crowd of 10’000 people
– Mixing the Grammy Award Premiere Ceremony in Los Angeles and being there to amplify and mix the immensely talented house band led by Cheche Alara and the performances by musicians such as Samara Joy, Anoushka Shankar, Arooj Aftab, and more…
– Mixing the Robbie Robertson tribute concert & memorial organized by Martin Scorsese at Village Studios in Los Angeles with artists such as Jackson Browne, Jason Isbell, Rocco DeLuca, Citizen Cope, Angela McCluskey, Blake Mills and Jim Keltner
– Mixing the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony concert at the White House with artists such as Dionne Warwick, Samara Joy, Joe Walsh of the Eagles, St. Vincent, and others.
– Sound Designing and Mixing the world premiere of “Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine” at the DNO Dutch National Opera House in Amsterdam, a beautiful performance/concert/opera directed by Peter Sellars, composed by Tyshawn Sorey and performed by Tyshawn Sorey and ICE International Contemporary Ensemble with soprano Julia Bullock
– One of my sound design pieces inspired by Icelandic nature sounds and folklore was presented at the “Le Son 7” Art Gallery in Madrid between the 3rd and the 13th of May 2023, after it was presented the year before in London and will be presented in January 2024 in New York
– mixing 12 shows by John Zorn in 2 days at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville TN
– mixing more shows by John Zorn to celebrate his 70th birthday in places like Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Miller Theater in New York, Reggio Emilia and Modena in Italy, Philharmonie in Paris, November Music Festival in Den Bosch Netherlands and Mexico City
– Mixing Brian Carpenter’s Ghost Train Orchestra live at Roulette with special guests David Byrne, Karen Mantler, Joan As Policewoman AND doing so right after I mixed another matinee gig earlier in the day with the New York Choral Society
– working sound for the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with musical guests Lizzo and David Byrne
– Mixing Claudia Acuna at Lincoln Center
– mixing Idina Menzel‘s performance in Trafalgar Square in London for Gay Pride 2023
– playing keys (something I almost never ever do!) for Japanese electronic artist Coppé‘s first-ever performance in Italy
– mixing my first ever K-pop gig in Times Square NY
– teaching Mixing Workshops at SAE in Mexico City and MOB Studios in Rome, Italy
RECORDS
In no particular order, here are some of my favorite records of 2023 that I was not involved with but I wish I had been ;-)
– Anohni and the Johnsons “My Back Was a Bridge for you to Cross”
– Lil Yachty “Let’s Start Here”
– Boygenius “The Record”
– Ryuichi Sakamoto “12”
– Jaimie Branch “Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((World War))”
– Arooj Aftab / Vijay Iyer / Shahzad Ismaily “Love in Exile”
– Peter Gabriel “I/O”
– Hania Rani “Ghosts”
– Meshell Ndegeocello “The Omnichord Real Book”
– Bill Frisell “Four”
– Ambrose Akinmusire, Bill Frisell, Herlin Riley “Owl song”
– Porcupine Tree “Closure / Continuation”
– Dr. John “The Brightest Smile in Town”
– Spencer Zahn “Statues II”
– Meshuggah “Chaosphere 25th anniversary 2023 Remastered edition”
– Ennio Morricone “Segreto Songbook 1962-1973”
– Sin Fang, Kjartan Holm “Angakok”
MUSIC SHOWS
It’s always hard for me to recount the shows I’ve seen because I usually see about 300-500 shows every year. LPR (Le Poisson Rouge) definitely shines through as my favorite venue and the one I’ve visited most often! Here are some of the highlights of 2023:
– Spotlights, Imperial Triumphant, Puzzled Panthers at Saint Vitus
– “La Splendida”, a heavy metal opera by Laurent David & Kilter at Culture Lab LIC
– Exotech 3 times, at Public Records, Mark Morris Dance Theater and at LPR
– Tredici Bacci at least 2-3 times, one of which at Sultan Room
– John Cale at Paradiso, Amsterdam
– Plini at Melkweg, Amsterdam
– Mary Halvorson Quintet at Bimhuis, Amsterdam
– Thurston Moore at OCCII, Amsterdam
– Jeff Goldblum at Town Hall
– Xylorius White at LPR
– Hal Willner’s Amarcord tribute concert at Roulette
– Snarky Puppy at Beacon Theater
– Tim Bernardes at LPR
– Groa at Taste of Iceland showcase at Pianos
– JG Thirlwell & Mivos Quartet at National Sawdust
– Bloodywood at Irving Plaza
– Hermeto Pascoal twice, at Pioneer Works and LPR
– Sexmob at Fotografiska
– Grace Jones at Hammerstein Ballroom
– Lisa Fisher at Blue Note
– Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry / Blondie, London
– Laurie Anderson & SexMob Let X=X at Barbican in London and BAM in Brooklyn
– The Cult at MEDIMEX festival in Taranto, Italy
– Tom Morello at MEDIMEX festival in Taranto, Italy
– Emperor at Kings Theater
– Ibrahim Malouff at Drom
– Elan Mehler & Dave Douglas at Fotografiska
– The Misfits at Prudential Center
– Oumou Sangare at Brooklyn Bandshell
– Red Fang at Gramercy Theater
– The Eagles & Steely Dan at MSG
– Tammy Faye Starlight at Joe’s Pub
– Julian Lage at Village Vanguard
– Mdou Moctar at Summerstage
– Makaya McCraven at Locus Festival, in Locorotondo Italy
– Fatoumata Diawara at Locus Festival, in Locorotondo Italy
– Sisters of Mercy at Cinzella Festival, in Grottaglie Italy
– SunRa Arkestra at Locus Festival, in Locorotondo Italy
– Robert Plant at Locus Festival, in Bari Italy
– Mr. Bungle at Terminal 5
– Melvins, Boris and all the other amazing bands at Desert Fest at Knockdown Center
– Front Line Assembly at LPR
– Peter Gabriel at MSG
– Empire State Bastard at LPR & St Vitus
– Cavalera Conspiracy at Irving Plaza
– Swans at Music Hall of Williamsburg
– Steven Bernstein w/ Millennial Territory at Dizzy’s
– Nick Cave & Jonny Greenwood 3 times, twice at Beacon Theater and once at Kings Theater
– The Mission at LPR
– Titan to Tychons at NuBlu
– Dresden Dolls at Bowery Ballroom
– Robert Glasper‘s Art Blakey tribute at Blue Note
– Puzzled Panthers at Bowery Electric
– Ghost Train Orchestra at Roulette
– Arthur Brown in London
– The Mongol Khan theater production at the Coliseum in London
– 8 Bit Big Band at Sony Hall
– Bud Spencer Blues Explosion at Monk in Rome Italy
– plus all the amazing artists I can’t recall individually that I have seen at Winter Jazz Festival, Long Play Festival and Big Ears Festival
BOOKS
I am sadly a slow reader and my pile of books on my bedside table is always bigger than the time awake I have when I finally do get to bed, but here are some I have read, or started to read or am planning on starting to read:
– Kid Congo Powers “Some New Kind Of Kick”
– Nick Cave & Seán O’Hagan “Faith, Hope and Carnage”
– Warren Ellis “Nina Simone’s Gum”
– Rick Rubin “The Creative Act: A Way of Being”
– Quincy Jones “12 Notes: On Life and Creativity”
– Quincy Trouple “Miles & Me”
MUSEUMS
I try to visit museums in every city I go to, whether I am on tour, working, traveling for pleasure or whatever the reason is… Art is my passion, my love and a way of life…
– Museu Picasso, Barcelona, Spain
– Fundcaio Joan Miró, Barcelona, Spain
– The Salvador Dali Theater and Museum, Figueres, Spain
– Salvador Dalí House / Fundació Gala, Cadaqués, Port Lligat, Spain
– Park Gúell, Barcelona, Spain
– Moco Museum, Barcelona, Spain
– Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
– Vermeer Exhibit, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Moco Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Amsterdam Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
– Art on Paper, New York
– Frieze, New York
– Karl Lagerfled “A Line of Beauty”, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
– Yayoi Kusama “Infinity Mirror Rooms”, Tate Modern, London, UK
– Frida Kahlo & Diego Riviera House & Studio, Mexico City
– Palacio De Bellas Artes, Mexico City
– Museo Jumex, Mexico City
– Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporanea, Mexico City
– Paul Gugelmann “Poetic Machines”, Aarau, Switzerland
MOVIES
There are soooo many movies I still want to / need to see… I love movies but I prioritize work and live music in my life and I will only watch movies on planes, on (very very) rainy days or those rare times when I don’t have a concert on my calendar, so here are a few of those rainy/non-concert films, in no particular order:
– Killers of the Flower Moon (for the story, the acting and the soundtrack)
– Equalizer 3 (because aside from its Hollywood-ish story and ending, it’s a realistic look at how organized crime works in Italy)
– Little Richard: I am Everything (for his story, his character, his music, and his courage!)
– Psychedelicized: The Electric Circus Stroy (for the amazing portrait of a time that’s past but that changed NYC forever!)
– American Symphony (for the amazing story, talent, spirit and courage of Jon Batiste)
– 32 Sounds (because my life is about sound…)
– Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song (because Leonard was an amazing artist and songwriter and singer and so many friends are in this movie)
– Oppenheimer (because that history is so complex and so divided as the country in which it took place)
TRAVEL
Travel is the riches of life! I travel SO MUCH that I am on a plane AT LEAST once a month and usually it is to an international location… This year was no different, so I’ve decided to only list 12 trips for this section:
– January: Ringing in the year in a medieval tower in Barcelona and spending the first 4 days of the new year trying all the tapas bars, restaurants, and food stands this beautiful city has to offer and seeing the Sagrada Familia cathedral for the 3rd time in my life
– February: Living in Amsterdam for 3 weeks visiting all the museums, all the music venues and all the while working at the Dutch National Opera with some amazing folks (see list above)
– March: Snowboarding the Swiss and the French Alps
– April: Visiting Knoxville Tennessee for Big Ears (easily the best independent music festival in the US!!!) for the 2nd time in 2 years, and hopefully the beginning of many more visits in the future!
– May: Spending time in sunny Los Angeles and plotting a way to spend more time there and make music
– June: Visiting London twice in one month to work and see amazing music shows, theater shows, and art exhibits
– July: coming back from London on July 6th only to realize that strangely there is no travel for the rest of this month! So weird and unusual!
– August: Spending the month in Puglia, Southern Italy eating good food, kitesurfing in the Adriatic and Ionium seas, seeing tons of concerts, and playing one myself!
– September: arriving in Mexico City and getting my very own police escort motorcade to make it in time from the airport to the theater
– October: On tour with John Zorn in Italy, France and the Netherlands
– November: Flying to Los Angeles with a 36-hour notice for a concert I was hired for in secrecy having been told “we need a mixing engineer who can mix music for a room full of musicians” and showing up for the Robbie Robertson tribute organized by Martin Scorsese with people like Joni Mitchell and Leonardo DiCaprio in attendance
– December: DC-to-DF aka flying to Washington DC to work at the White House and then flying straight to Mexico City
I’ve finished the year with travel to my motherland of Switzerland, my fatherland of Italy, and my second home of London UK!