Today, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on George Grella, one of the sharpest music critics working today.
George is the music editor of The Brooklyn Rail and has written for The Wire, the New York Times, and, luckily for us, The Tonearm.
George just published Minimalist Music, part of Bloomsbury's 33⅓ Genre series. His central argument is that minimalism isn't defined by sparse materials or specific harmonies; it's defined by how it uses time. Understanding that distinction impacts how we approach and hear the music, and what happens to this music when its originators are gone.
We talk about that thesis, the line between minimalism and post-minimalism, and what it takes to build a life in music writing. We also take a detour into John Zorn's visual art.
The musical excerpts heard in the interview are Terry Riley - “In C” (performed by Bang on a Can All-Stars on the album In C ), Philip Glass - "Music in Twelve Parts: Part 1" (performed by The Philip Glass Ensemble on the album Music in Twelve Parts), and Steve Reich - “Drumming: Pt III” (performed by Steve Reich and Musicians on the album Drumming).
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Dig DeeperGuest and Book
- Visit George Grella Jr. at The Brooklyn Rail where he serves as music editor, and on The Tonearm, where he is a contributor
- Subscribe to his Substack newsletter, Kill Yr Idols,, and follow him on Bluesky
- Purchase Minimalist Music (Bloomsbury Academic, 2026) from Bloomsbury, Bookshop.org, Powell's Books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your other retailer of choice
- Read Grella's Substack post "Minimalism at the End" — the piece discussed in this episode
- George Grella Jr.'s previous book: Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (Bloomsbury, 2015) — part of the 33⅓ series
Key Composers
Key Works Discussed
Ensembles and Organizations
Referenced Books
Exhibition
- John Zorn: Hermetic Cartography — The Drawing Center, New York (February 7–May 11, 2025). The exhibition featured drawings, graphic scores, and visual works spanning seven decades of Zorn's practice.
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