What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
I was in Barcelona last summer and went to the Joan Miró museum. I'd never been a huge fan of his, but the museum was excellent—it...
What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
Thelonious Monk’s piano. What I'd heard was titled Misterioso, with a [Giorgio] De Chirico painting on its jacket. I was just 21 years old...
What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
A beautiful 18th century italian viola d'amore. I remember being on a musical tour in Italy and having a week to spend in Padua. A italian...
What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
Pulp Fiction by Quintin Tarantino and Art Spiegelman's Raw magazine. I saw Pulp a year after its release on video. I was an undergrad in...
What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
The cover to Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. It was the first time I saw music—the feel of the sounds—represented in imagery that seemed...
What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
Anais Nin, diaries. Her writing is so fluid and romantic but concise. She can compartmentalize different kinds of love and validate her...
What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
There are so many, but the ones that stick out in my mind are the following: hearing Charlie Parker's Verve Recordings; watching Spike Lee...
What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” made me aware of what was necessary to learn—scales, chords and rhythms—in order to perform jazz music at a...
What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
I watched Sharon-Jones perform when I was 19 years old, and it knocked me on my ass. I adore Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings! I could on...
What piece of art changed your life? How did it affect you?
Verona Rag, a solo recording by Andrew Hill, and specifically the title track. How can one piano piece contain the universe? Somehow this...
