The Modern Chamber

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The Modern Chamber is one of Milwaukee radio’s last remaining classical music programs. Focusing mostly on music from the 20^th/21^st century.  Tune in at 3 PM  every Sunday to hear selected musical pieces from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.  At 5pm Jason picks a string quarter to feature.  This is a wonderful program for the best in classical music.

Support for this WMSE program comes from Together with CCHP, an affiliate of Children’s Wisconsin, dedicated to providing individuals and families with health insurance coverage in a 14 county service area.

Get to Know Your WMSE DJ Profile

How do you spend your days and nights when not hosting your radio show?

When I’m not working at my job at the garbage company, I spend my free time playing and recording music with friends in my attic recording space. I also spend a lot of time reading about and researching music. I like to paint and write poetry. I also like to spend time doing activities with my son Lowell. I live in a 150-year-old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere and that takes up a lot of time in upkeep as well.

Do you remember what band, album or song took you from being a casual music listener to a passionate music lover? Is there a memory associated with that experience?

Pink Floyd’s The Wall got me hooked with losing myself in music when I was in the 5th grade. In my teens Bela Bartok’s “Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta” got me obsessed with modern classical and avant garde music. Eric Dolphy’s bass clarinet solo on John Coltrane’s “India” made me go out and buy a horn in my late teens. Jimmy Giuffre’s trio with Bley and Swallow made me rethink improvised music. I think all those things sort of influence my thinking about music today.

What band have you heard or discovered in the past six months that reminded you why you want to continue being a WMSE DJ?

I am constantly picking up new music and doing research for music on my show. Usually I’ll become interested in an offshoot of something and research and buy music that fits that path. Lately I have been really into modern Romanian composers. They really had/have something very special going on there that is quite unique. Also, music from the 1400′s to 1600′s have been of great interest to me lately. It’s a nice contrast on my show to go from 1500′s choral music to angular late 20^th century string quartets.

Who is your favorite non-you WMSE DJ and why?

I like Hal’s show, Alternating Currents a lot for obvious reasons. I really like Team Metal because they play the good stuff I and whenever I hear King Diamond on their show singing about Satan I know Milwaukee is a better place for it.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

G I Gurdjieff.