Jazztronica, Dream Melodies, and The Big Machine with Aaron Burnett

This episode features saxophonist Aaron Burnett to explore his evolution into "Jazztronica," discussing everything from auditioning for Wynton Marsalis over the phone to building a custom digital pedalboard in Ableton. We examine his unique compositional process, which he describes as "downloading" full melodies from his dreams—a method that helped him write his upcoming swinging, nostalgic album Archangel at just 21 years old. Aaron breaks down his boundary-pushing group The Big Machine and details his use of audio-to-MIDI pitch followers to manipulate his saxophone sound. We also discuss his experiences touring with powerhouse vocalists like Esperanza Spalding and Corinne Bailey Rae, including a nightmare scenario where an airline destroyed his baritone saxophone right before a week of gigs. Packed with stories about going viral with drum and bass remixes and shouting out the next generation of killer musicians, this episode covers the cutting edge of modern improvised music

Note: Birch Grove Media does not own the recordings featured in this episode.

Chapter Timestamps:

01:01 - The culture of sitting in on gigs and finding inspiration

05:22 - The Big Machine: Fusing modern classical, hard bop, and world music

07:11 - Creating "Jazztronica" with Ableton and audio-to-MIDI modules

12:19 - Branding the music and the upcoming Quantum Breaks project

16:37 - Bringing dance music back into the modern jazz ecosystem

17:27 - Taking inspration from Tyshawn Sorey, Morton Feldman, and Steve Coleman

21:53 - Going viral on social media with a drum and bass remix of "Countdown"

25:51 - Touring with Esperanza Spalding and Corinne Bailey Rae

28:43 - "Downloading" melodies from dreams and the upcoming Archangel album