Episode Description
In this episode, Steven Roby talks with Bay Area trumpeter and composer Sarah Wilson about her luminous new album Incandescence and the creative path that led her from political puppet theater to leading an all-woman horn line in a brass-forward Bay Area ensemble. Wilson explains how visual art, community-based performance, and New Orleans street energy shaped the music on Incandescence, and why she wants audiences to experience the album as one immersive arc at her upcoming Berkeley show.
· Growing up in Healdsburg and finding the trumpet again after college
· How work in political/activist theater shaped her sense of rhythm and movement
· Writing music in response to visual art, especially painter Thomas Reinhold
· Building the Incandescence band: Kasey Knudsen (alto sax), Mara Fox (trombone), John Schott (guitar), Lisa Mezzacappa (bass), Jason Levis (drums)
· Why she wanted an all-woman horn line for this project
· The story behind the piece “Architecture in Space”
· What audiences can expect at The Back Room album-release show
· How joy and a sense of time-suspension are at the center of her music
Sarah Wilson – Incandescence album release
The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley, CA
Saturday, November 8
8:00 p.m. (doors 7:30 p.m.)
Tickets and venue info: https://backroommusic.com
Sarah Wilson’s official site: https://sarahwilsonmusic.com
Music and releases (including Incandescence): https://sarahwilson.bandcamp.com
Follow her on her website for social media updates.
Backstage Bay Area is a Bay Area music journalism podcast hosted by Steven Roby, featuring conversations with the artists shaping our region’s jazz, roots, and creative music scenes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, and help support Bay Area live music by sharing the episode.