Splendid: Let's talk a little bit about the quartet that you assembled for these sessions. Why no bassist?

Craig Taborn: I had been intending to use Aaron (Stewart) and Mat (Maneri) in my next project regardless of what it was, and I had an interest in playing with tenor sax and viola, whose similar registers have such subtly different timbral qualities. I was also excited by the complement/contrast of these two musical personalities playing together. Both are incredibly gifted musicians and improvisers and I needed the breadth of skills they possess in order to pull off the structured and non-structured elements of the music. By the same token, Dave (King) was essential to the realization of the project. He has a very unusual skillset at his disposal, and it is this skillset and his conceptual depth that make him a truly unique drummer. He has the studio fluency and technique to play with sequences and loops, coupled with the jazz impulse to improvise around those figures, but he also has the free-improviser aesthetic sensibility to interact with sound and color in the moment in defiance of both that studio fluency and those performative jazz sensibilities.

I didn't use a bass because it was not necessary for the recording. I will use a bass in the live version of this ensemble.

Splendid: You seem to work well (and often) with violinist/violist Mat Maneri. Despite different styles, your respective approaches seem to gel. How would you describe your work with him?

Craig Taborn: I am not so sure our styles are all that different, but then again, I am not fond of the notion of "style". But allowing for the assumption that we are coming from somewhat different musical places, I would say that Mat and I have a similar affinity with music. We both have the same breadth of influences and actually share a lot of musical tendencies. So it is actually quite easy for us to play each other's music.

Splendid: Did you come into the studio with material already composed, or was a lot of material written/improvised there?

Craig Taborn: There really was no overriding creative process used in recording Junk Magic. In keeping with my improviser mentality, I freely drew on any element at any time, and the works grew out of me trying to be open enough to allow the inspiration to happen. So there were scored compositions, improvisational frameworks, free improvisations, loops, and forms/structures. These were created or realized in both the pre- and post-production phases as well as during recording.

Splendid: Some of the arrangements seem to take an almost layered or additive approach to instrumentation; I'm thinking specifically of "Mystero". Could you tell me a bit about Junk Magic's recording and editing process?

Craig Taborn: Doing an electronic project like this is liberating because the timeline for realizing the recording project is open -- both recording and editing can be done almost anywhere at any time. I have a home project studio, so about 50 percent of the recording was done there. I tracked the live playing in either Brooklyn or Minneapolis, but I was able to bring that material back home with me and work on it there, and also overdub some extra keyboard things at my leisure.

There is a danger in this process with regard to improvised music, because you can lose much of the vital energy of performances by constant tampering. But you can also get too precious with the performances and close yourself off to other creative possibilities. So in the interest of balancing the respective energies of live performance and programming, I tried to make the home electronic process as improvisational as possible, so that I was always engaged in a spontaneous way with the music. This meant documenting ideas as soon as they came, sticking to first takes, and not being afraid to use destructive processes as well as creative ones.

Splendid: "Shining Through" is an incredibly haunting piece. Could you talk a little about its genesis?

Craig Taborn: It is basically an evolution of a ballad I had written for a small group. I really can not speak at length about this piece, because I have very little recollection of all of the exact processes used. I would say that the way in which it was created could be considered analogous to an improvised piano meditation, but I used Maneri's playing and all the components of my home studio instead of piano keys.

Splendid: One of the tunes on Junk Magic is over almost before it has begun --"Stalagmite". Still, it makes quite an impression. Where did that one come from, inspirationally speaking?

Craig Taborn: I was abstractly thinking of mid-nineties New York rap phrasing in the melody. The length and structure was specifically inspired by the Minutemen. I was thinking of both early to mid-eighties funk (Gap Band) and mid-eighties euro-industrial beat stuff with the track, but that is just a reference and the process of creating the piece was really not about self-consciously trying to emulate those artists. I actually made about 20 different versions, using different sound concepts and approaches. Dave was really vibing with the eighties references, so we went with that one. But I have lots of other versions.

Splendid: "The Golden Age" seems to take its inspiration as much from modern concert music and electroacoustic music as jazz. How do you manage to bring so many disparate elements together into an organic whole?

Craig Taborn: To my ear all of these elements already exist as part of what Max Roach has called the "World of Sound". Sound is just sound, and as I stated before, I am not that invested or interested in the idea of "style". So when I am dealing with this sound information, I just try to find a specific compositional process, and also a structure in which to fit these things together. All of the elements will relate to each other in one way or another; I just try to juxtapose them so that the way they are relating has a certain narrative flow, or even just evokes a mood or has some kind of magic about it.

Splendid: Your mentioned that some of the compositions on Junk Magic started from notated sketches. I know that you have an extensive background as a composer; do you have any interest in creating new works that are fully notated, perhaps concert works, in the future?

Craig Taborn: Possibly, but I would not say that my background as a composer is that extensive! I don't really set out to write improvised or through-composed works -- they just turn out that way depending on how they develop. It is the 21st century and there are now enough musicians fluent with improvisation and interpretive performance that I don't have to ask myself questions about whether a work is "concert" music or not. So something may come up that will be a larger scale work, but I already have fully notated work in my book, some people just don't know that it is. Note that the computer allows the realization of "through-composed" material so it can be included that in the "fully notated" category.

Splendid: You are a triple threat keyboardist, playing piano, organ and doing electronics/programming. Lately, it seems as if you're adding more programming and synthesizers to your sound. Do you see that as a one-way move, or do you think that balancing these various elements will depend on each project?

Craig Taborn: I think that presently more people have been recognizing and utilizing me for this aspect of my musical personality. But I have always had an equal amount of interest in acoustic piano, electric piano, organ and electronics (although I do not consider myself a true jazz organist of the quality of Joey De Francesco or Larry Goldings).

During the time I was working with James Carter, I was actually much more active with synthesizers than the recordings of that period suggest. These days that situation has reversed. But for me there is really no movement in one direction or other. My primary consideration is music making, and I use whatever means that I feel are appropriate for the context. In fact the majority of recordings that I am on that will be released this year have me playing acoustic piano, and almost no electronics.

Splendid: In addition to Junk Magic, you also recently appeared on another Thirsty Ear album, Tim Berne's The Sublime and. You have had a long association with Tim Berne. What is it about his music that interests you?

Craig Taborn: I have been a huge fan of Tim Berne since I saw him in Minneapolis at the Walker Art Center when I was in high school (that was the Sanctified Dreams group with Joey Baron, Herb Robertson, Hank Roberts and Mark Dresser). I admire the way that Tim has been able to evolve a unique compositional approach. He has a coherent and constantly evolving musical language that has an intensive compositional component but is improvisationally driven. Drawing from his influences (like Julius Hemphill), he has been able to create his own lexicon of structural approaches that, while clearly embracing to their inspirational sources, are completely personal. I also find the fact that he is never resting on his past successes very inspiring. With Tim I never have to worry about if what I'm doing is "working" or not. I'm free to explore and discover, and fail if need be, all in the interest of trying to get to something new. That is quite rare these days.

Splendid: One of my favorite moments on the Berne album is your electronics solo on "Small Fry". Could you tell me a little bit about how you came up with that? It contains some very cool sounds.

Craig Taborn: "Small Fry" was just a completely improvised moment from that tour. I think in context it was an intro to his piece "Sigh Fry", but Tim liked this particular intro so much he thought it should stand on its own. I am glad it was documented because it was definitely a pure improvisation that never happened before and will never happen again.

Splendid: What electronic music inspires you?

Craig Taborn: I am very interested in the entire history of electronic music, from many of the early experiments with electric and electronic devices used in composition and performance in both European Concert and African Improvised and performance contexts. But to list all of the specific composers would be exhaustive. With respect to Junk Magic, I would say major electric/electronic music influences were Stockhausen, Xenakis, Sun Ra, Drexciya, Robert Hood, RZA, Frank Zappa, Raymond Scott, I.G. Culture, Eno, Silver Apples, Jimi Hendrix, Jack McDuff, Autechre, Morton Subotnick, Larry Fast, Carl Craig, blah, blah, blah...

Splendid: From what I understand, there's going to be an LP of remixes of some of the Junk Magic material. What was the nature and level of your involvement in that? What is your thinking about remixing?

Craig Taborn: The vinyl remixes are done by Val-Inc., who to my mind is one of the most interesting, soulful and talented electronic artists out there. I always had the possibility of remixes in mind, and Thirsty Ear wanted to do this series of remixes, so again it was ripe to happen. I told them I wanted Val to do it and they were fine with that. I love remixing. But it depends on what you mean by remix. I'm fascinated by the creative potential of a complete revisioning of a piece of music, and also by the revisioning of its purpose or aesthetic effect. In fact, a lot of remixes are potentially more interesting than the original work. I have no real sense of preciousness about music. As long as I know that the original work is documented and accessible, I don't mind if someone does something to a composition of mine. I am concerned about publishing rights, however, and I prefer to have some say in who is reworking my material. That is just a courtesy.

Splendid: What else are you working on? Are any other albums slated for release?

Craig Taborn: Nothing of my own is ready to be released. There is a new Susie Ibarra recording on Tzadik, Steve Coleman's new one, a Dave Binney recording, and I just did a recording session with Leo Smith.

Splendid: What was it like recording with Leo Smith? Who else was played on the date?

Craig Taborn: It was my first time working with Leo on his music and it was incredible. I got just a glimpse into his musical world and was astounded. I have been a fan of Leo's since my early teens, but this was my first opportunity to actually engage his concepts directly. The project is a Tzadik recording with some great musicians, including John Zorn, Gerald Cleaver, Susie Ibarra, Erik Friedlander, Marc Ribot and a host of others (I am momentarily forgetting everyone). I play on two or three pieces. Anthony Coleman and Yuko Fujiyama also play piano on this recording.

Splendid: Which pianists do you admire?

Craig Taborn: Hank Jones, Cecil Taylor, Lowell Davidson, Earl Hines, Herbie Hancock, Monk, Sun Ra, Art Tatum, Glenn Gould, Nat King Cole, Bill Carrothers, Artur Schnabel, Frank Emilio, "Lili" Martinez, Muhal Richard Abrams, Keith Jarrett, Claudio Arrau, Kenny Kirkland, blah, blah, blah...

Splendid: How are you finding live performing lately? Has the still-sluggish economy cut into your plans at all?

Craig Taborn: I am busier than I have ever been, for which I am very grateful. In fact, I am so busy that I don't have any time to tour with the Junk Magic ensemble, so that is the only downside to my performance life at the moment.

Splendid: Which Thirsty Ear record on which you've played is your favorite so far?

Craig Taborn: I would site Mat Maneri's Sustain and Tim Berne's The Sublime and as my two favorites, for different reasons. Tim's record documents a particularly fun night on tour, and captures the improvisational electronic integration I was going for during that tour very well. It also captures the group in particularly fine form. David Torn's mixing prowess actually is a major part of why that recording is so satisfying for me, he was able to pick out nuances and interplay and bring them into bold relief, a quality that is often lost on live recordings due to sound issues. Mat's record documents a similar aspect of my playing in the studio. But the process with which it was recorded and the way that he and the great Jamie Saft worked was an inspiration and directly informed certain aspects of my approach to Junk Magic. It gave me a certain confidence in the process as well.

Splendid: What are your goals for the near future? What about down the road?

Craig Taborn: I would definitely like to put together a live Junk Magic entity, and work on more new projects, specifically another electronic project (perhaps asking different musical questions), and a larger acoustic ensemble -- by larger, I mean a quintet or sextet.