Mark Isham: Analog Machines and a Jazzman's Breath

This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on trumpeter, composer, and synthesist Mark Isham. He's out now with At the Carousel Club, his first solo album in fifteen years, built around vintage analog synthesizers and a band that includes Nels Cline, Vinnie Colaiuta, and a string quartet.

We talk about where the album's title comes from, his history with David Sylvian, and what it was like hearing the finished record on vinyl after sixteen hours of sessions.

(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Mark Isham's At The Carousel Club)

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Dig Deeper

Artist and Album:

• Visit Mark Isham at isham.com and follow on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook
• Purchase At the Carousel Club from the Mark Isham store, Bandcamp, or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice.

The Band:

• Nels Cline
• Vinnie Colaiuta
• Kaveh Rastegar
• Ayo Awosika
• Orchid Quartet
• Wilco

Musical References:

• Weather Report, I Sing the Body Electric
• Friedrich Gulda
• Sonny Sharrock
• Bach, Mass in B minor

Film:

• Never Cry Wolf (1983), directed by Carroll Ballard

Trumpet Players and Builders:

• Doc Severinsen
• David Monette
• Maynard Ferguson
• Arturo Sandoval
• Wynton Marsalis

Bay Area:

• Cal Tjader
• Merl Saunders
• Jon Faddis
• John Coppola

David Sylvian:

• David Sylvian
• Brilliant Trees (1984)
• Holger Czukay
• Kenny Wheeler
• Jon Hassell

Jazz Collaborators:

• Horace Silver
• Charles Lloyd

The Next Generation:

• Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (Christian Scott)
• Keyon Harrold
• Theo Croker

From The Tonearm:

• Nels Cline: Tales of a Daunted Guitarist (The Tonearm Podcast)
• OK Bloomers — Nels Cline Finds His Happy Place

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