Kane’s musical roots stretch back to his teen years when he played with his sibling Anthony in the Kane Bros. Blues Bandin upstate New York, paying homage to blues greats such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, James Cotton, Willie Dixon, and Albert, Freddy, and B.B. King. (And the brothers are working together again: they released a disc on their own Mythco Records in 2005.)

Finding himself in New York in the mid to late 70s led to meeting Michael Gira and forming Swans, which in turn led to him working with experimental composers such as Rhys Chatham, La Monte Young (and his Forever Bad Blues Band), and guitarist/songwriter Gary Lucas. In the interview, we talk about how each of these musicians contributed to his current approach longer, blues pieces that build upon some of the main tenets of minimalism.

Kane’s musical relationship with Chatham has lasted nearly twenty years and has influenced Kane, so a bit of background on Chatham is in order: Chatham began playing in the New York noise scene in the 1970s and 80s, performing with the likes of Glenn Branca, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, and Lee Renaldo of Sonic Youth, Wharton Tiers, Fred Maher, Anton Fier, and artist Robert Longo. His pieces have typically been long in duration and symphonic in nature, even when the instruments are electric guitars or Chinese gongs. Chatham is particularly well-known for his use of 100 guitarists in pieces such as “An Angel Moves Too Fast to See,” which we’ll hear an excerpt of in the interview.

Kane’s new two-song EP (which comes in at about twenty minutes in length) is entitled "I Looked at the Sun," the title track being a cover of Mississippi Fred McDowell’s 1966 song.

But, the truth is much of the music included in this interview is hard to communicate with short snippets, so I have let some go longer so you can really feel how these musicians take the minimalism form and build upon it to great effect.

Though we didn’t discuss it in the interview, Kane is also the son of the famed photographer, Art Kane, known for his work in the 1950s and 60s including "A Great Day in Harlem," Bob Dylan, The Who, and fashion photography You can see more of his work at artkane.com and is well worth taking a stroll through the online gallery if you’re not already familiar with his work.

I recently met with Kane in Jackson Heights, New York to discuss:
* how his experience with Chatham and Young also led to his new solo recordings
* which blues artists he admires most and how they have influenced his playing
* what the connection is between minimalism and the blues

Music selects featured in the interview include:
1) Jonathan Kane: Sis (February) (in preview)
2) Jonathan Kane: Pops (February)
3) Kane Bros. Blues Band: Rocket 88 (Kane Bros. Blues Band)
4) Swans: Right Wrong (Filth)
5) Swans: Big Strong Boss (Filth)
6) Swans: Thank You (Filth)
7) Swans: Stay Here (Filth)
8) Swans: Power for Power (Filth)
9) La Monte Young + Forever Bad Blues Band: Just Stompin' (Live at the Kitchen)
10) Rhys Chatham: An Angel Moves Too Fast To See: Prelude (Compendium)
11) Rhys Chatham: Guitar Trio (Compendium) then fades into Jonathan Kane: Guitar Trio (February)
12) Jonathan Kane: Curl (February)
13) Jonathan Kane: Motherless Child (February)
14) Jonathan Kane: I Looked at the Sun (I Looked at the Sun)
15) Rhys Chatham: An Angel Moves Too Fast To See: Allegro (Compendium)
16) Rhys Chatham: An Angel Moves Too Fast To See: Intro (Compendium)
17) Jonathan Kane: BQE (I Looked at the Sun) (full song)

Photo: Holly Anderson

If you like this interview, give a listen to the Well-Rounded Radio Interviews with Mark Dwinell and Tarbox Ramblers.

Jonathan Kane recommends New Randy, Igor Cubrilovic, David Daniell, Paul Duncan, Clara Venus, Chris Brokaw, ragtime, Yiddish vaudeville + Henry Mancini’s Moon River.

Well-Rounded Radio recommends Planet Records and Sally's Place, Records, Tapes, and CDs at 190 Main Street in Westport Connecticut, 203.454.0303.

Well-Rounded Radio also recommends learning more and taking action about net neutrality. Listen to this recent show on Radio Open Source.