Matthew Shipp picks up the Counterstream mic to share an eclectic mix of chamber jazz tracks. "I picked things I thought people haven't heard...[that have] a certain quirkiness to them," he explained. You won't want to miss this chance to hear Matt's playlist, which includes music featuring the Daniel Levin Quartet, Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone, the William Parker Trio, Jimmy Giuffre 3, and Spring Hill Jack.

Tune in on March 20 at 9 p.m. ET
(recap on March 23 at 3 p.m. ET)

Gilbert Galindo

February 28 at 9 p.m. and March 2 at 3 p.m.

Modernism has gotten a lot of flack over the years—allegedly due to its inaccessibility, intellectual rigor, and above all the modernist composer's fiery disregard for the audience. But that was yesterday. As the 20th century came to a close and the 21st century dawned, some venturesome American composers have returned to expression while keeping these "modernist" sounds in their ears and pens, all done with a healthy regard for the audience. This music bursts with energy, passion, nuance, vigor, sensibility, color, and vibrancy; all without having to sketch down that triad. With that said, join me in exploring what could possibly be a New American Modernism.

Jeffrey Herman

From Perotin to Bob Dylan, Steve Reich has heard influential sounds in all sorts of unexpected places. He takes over the Counterstream mic this week to share with listeners some of these profound musical experiences, and explain how those moments helped shape some of his own trademark work.

Tune in February 7 at 9 pm. Catch the loop again on February 10 at 3 p.m.

Music doesn't have to always be built on hummable melody and lush harmonies. One of the most important developments in modern music has been the use of noise—mere timbres in time. Whether produced electronically or acoustically, noise has become a musical element on par with any other.

Listen in as Counterstream's Technical Producer Trevor Hunter explores the topic from Edgard Varèse to The Locust on January 31 at 9 p.m. Catch the recap February 3 at 3 p.m.

Photo by Jay Blakesberg

Elvis, North American frogs, shortwave radio transmissions: The Kronos Quartet's own David Harrington walks us through his eclectic collection of American music.

You'll definitely want to hear this show twice, so tune in January 10 (@ 9 p.m. ET) and then catch the recap on January 13 (@ 3 p.m. ET).

John Corigliano

December 13 (@ 9 p.m. ET) and December 16 (@ 3 p.m. ET):
Composer John Corigliano shares personal anecdotes and a playlist that includes music by Copland, Bernstein, Rouse, Kernis, and many other friends.

Randy Nordschow Photo by Colin Conroy

Welcome to the Outer Limits, your guide to music in the margins. In this edition we'll explore the 21st-century pop song—the nebulous artifacts of today's genre bending troubadours. These are artists who toss stylistic definitions out the window, and whose work can wind up landing on either side of the ever-blurring divide between commercial pop music and art.

Whether wielding laptops, guitars, harps, or prepared pianos, today's singer-songwriters are exploring highly personalized sonic textures, creating uncategorizable hybrids and pushing the old familiar pop song into new territory. Some of these artists are well-known, some only have what you would call a cult following. The best way to unravel the idiosyncratic work these artists create is to simply listen.

NewMusicBox's Associate Editor Randy Nordschow takes listeners on a guided tour November 29 @ 9 p.m. and December 2 @ 3 p.m.

Vijay Iyer

November 8 (@ 9 p.m. ET) and November 11 (@ 3 p.m. ET):
Composer and pianist Vijay Iyer shares a personal playlist of great music by artists who have served as beacon points in his musical life—both in and outside the jazz tradition.

Photo by Jeffrey Herman

Once upon a time the piano was touted as the instrument that could do everything—an orchestra at a single person's fingertips. But the one thing that has always challenged the piano's abilities is music that falls between the cracks, intervals beyond the piano's twelve keys to the octave. Over the past century, many composers have figured out clever ways around this by retuning the piano, playing inside it, creating works for several pianos (each with differently tuned pitches), or even building new types of pianos capable of a wider range of possibilities.

NewMusicBox's Founding Editor and microtonal music devotee Frank J. Oteri takes listeners on a guided tour of some fascinating American microtonal piano repertoire October 18 @ 9 p.m. and October 21 @ 3 p.m.

Roger Kleier

Produced exclusively for Counterstream Radio, New York-based musician Roger Kleier hosts Boldly Going Where No Guitarist Has Gone Before, a show that features the works of guitarists and composers who, in their own idiosyncratic ways, have pushed the envelope of guitar playing in contemporary music. This show spotlights those performers and composers who could be described as pioneers of the vocabulary of the instrument, the Orville Wrights, Yuri Gagarins, and Sally Rides of this six, and sometimes more, stringed instrument. From Frith to Bailey, from Vierk to Gosfield, from radical visionaries to even a Vietnamese street musician, the work of every performer and composer selected for this show has left an indelible mark on the development of the guitar.

Guitarist and composer Roger Kleier studied composition at North Texas State University and the University of Southern California. He has developed a style that draws equally from improvisation, contemporary classical music, and the American guitar traditions of blues, jazz, and rock. Much of his compositional work involves the development of a broader vocabulary for the electric guitar through the use of extended techniques and digital sound manipulation. He has also composed new works for soloists and chamber groups. With various ensembles Roger has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. His most recent CD, Deep Night, Deep Autumn, was released on the Starkland label.

Mark Morris Photo by Charles Haynes

Choreographer Mark Morris has said that he almost always finds the inspiration for his remarkable dances in the music. In 1999, he told Salon, "I listen to music because I love it and occasionally something sticks out that I think would be a good dance. That's where I start. I study the score and listen, think, then make up a dance. Usually, it's the music that determines who is in it, how long it is and what it's like. I do almost no choreographic homework; I do only musical homework."

In 2006, he received a WQXR Gramophone Special Recognition Award for exposing thousands of people to classical music of the highest standard coupled with his own approach to dance. Morris created this playlist for Counterstream Radio, letting us in on just some of that work that has captured his ears, including music by Harrison, Hovhaness, Cowell, Cage, and Adams.

Jenny Higdon Photo by Jeff Hurwitz

I love the sound of strings, and I've been thinking a lot about violins lately (this sometimes happens when you contemplate the possibility of writing a concerto for violin). And having grown up in an area of Appalachia, where Bluegrass reigns, I find that all sorts of string music inspires me. So here I've selected some of my favorite works from some of my favorite composers and artists. These works constitute a variety of settings for the violin: sometimes as soloist, sometimes as accompanist, and sometimes as an integrated part of an ensemble.

This is a contemplation of The American Violin, including works by John Adams, Aaron Copland, Mark O'Conner, John King, Aaron Kernis, Stephen Hartke, and David Lang.