Scott McDowell
banner
longrally.bsky.social
Scott McDowell
@longrally.bsky.social
It’s de-evolution, baby.
JAZZ REALITIES No. 4: Music from LA Woodwind Skill Share, Saint Abdullah & Jason Nazary, Equipment Pointed Ankh, Green Cosmos, Susan Christie, Razen, Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders, Descending Pharoahs, Mark Fell, Tom Skinner, Niklas Persson Trio + more. www.mixcloud.com/NQRA/jazz-re...
Jazz Realities w/ Scott McDowell #4
Scott McDowell—probably the slickest listener in the whole of New Jersey, if not on the entire East Coast—is deeper in the zone than most of us will ever be. Have you signed up to his Jazz Realities n...
www.mixcloud.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Reposted by Scott McDowell
Wrote a lil tribute to our late, great Donna Jean Godchaux, may she rest in peace... 🌹💀⚡️
nqra.live/donna-jean-g...
@nqra.bsky.social
Donna Jean Godchaux (Grateful Dead) obituary by Mike Newman for NQRA
NQRA DJ Mike Newman pays his respects to Donna Jean Godchaux of The Grateful Dead, who died on October 2nd 2025 in this personal obituary.
nqra.live
November 4, 2025 at 5:43 PM
New Jazz Realities post: Scott LaFaro's bass alchemy, the musician/instrument spriritual connection + new Tacoma Park cassette + @nqra.bsky.social Jazz Realities No. 3 playlist & archive. Listen while you read. open.substack.com/pub/jazzreal...
October 29, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Really enjoying The Lowdown especially once I figured out it’s like Bored to Death.
October 23, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Jazz Realities No. 2 playlist and listen links + "Is Dylan even on the stage, man?" open.substack.com/pub/jazzreal...
September 25, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Was hoping to go see Phish for the first time since 1999 or something. Unsuccessful!
September 24, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Scott McDowell
Today on WFMU: On Blurred and Obscured with Jonathan Herweg, a live set from Organs Obsolete aka Brooklyn's Richard Hoffman. Hoffman will be bringing his brand of bass-driven psychedelic pulses and left-field industrial electronics to the Blurred FMU airwaves (10 p.m. ET).
Upcoming Special Programs on WFMU
www.wfmu.org
September 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
This is coming up in 15 min and it's gonna be amazing. Join album producers as we delve into the process and backstory of the landmark release of Woody Guthrie’s home tapes. folk-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
September 18, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by Scott McDowell
Scott McDowell shows are abstract paintings of global sound globules that, when you stand 10 feet back and listen to them whole, just make sense.

Listen up close for yr fave tunes by D'Angelo, Ryan Davis, or Paul Bley. Or pull up an easy chair, stare into the void, and be like, "It's a sailboat!"
September 4, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Subscribe to Jazz Realities the newsletter arm of the new radio show, Jazz Realities, on NQRA Radio. it's where I'll post shows and playlists when they are released jazzrealities.substack.com 1/2
September 3, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Reposted by Scott McDowell
I’m finally digging into this episode this morning and it’s wonderful. I have a lot of these albums but not all, and it’s a delight to hear a bit of the behind-the-scenes on the whole thing.
We are thrilled to announce that our documentary on the incredible Racoon Records label, featuring an extensive interview with Lowell "Banana" Levinger, is now streaming. 🦝✌️

nqra.live/the-story-of...
The Story of Raccoon Records
THE STORY OF RACCOON RECORDSw/ Lowell “Banana” Levinger In 1970, a few short years after their hit record “Get Together”, The Youngbloods’ RCA contract came to an end.…
nqra.live
September 2, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Scott McDowell
on this week’s "blues for allah" deadcast, @sg-marshall.bsky.social & i attempt to untie “slipknot!” & explore the grateful dead’s harmonic & personal ambiguity in early 1975. were they even a band or a “more or less permanent musical association” as jerry garcia put it? www.dead.net/deadcast/blu...
August 28, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by Scott McDowell
You may be familiar with Scott McDowell as the host of The Long Rally at WFMU or as a former producer at MTV's 120 Minutes. Either way, Jazz Realities operates as a glimpse into the McDowell subconscious.

Stretch out on the couch and tell us about your mother at nqra.live/jazz-realiti...
August 22, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Swimming is one of life’s great pleasures. But I can only think of one song about swimming and that’s “The Swimming Song” by Louden Wainwright III.
August 22, 2025 at 12:42 AM
This is good news. For once.
Today, Knight Foundation is committing $10M to the Public Media Bridge Fund — part of a nearly $37M effort to support public media. We’re calling on others to join us in ensuring public media remains a pillar of civic life.

Read more in @nytimes.com:

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/b...
The Race to Rescue PBS and NPR Stations
www.nytimes.com
August 21, 2025 at 9:08 PM
What about starting another record label primarily so I would have something to mail to my friends. Not a great business plan, but very satisfying. Mailing things to your friends is great.
August 21, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Reposted by Scott McDowell
Check out this lineup!!!!!!!! 🤌🏻
August 16, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Brothers and sisters, I’ve got a new show on @nqra_radio at nqra.live called Jazz Realities. Check it out, it’s Friday night. nqra.live/jazz-realiti...
August 16, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Friends, you've done me a disservice by not telling me sooner about this 3-hour convo with Steve Swallow on Joel Harrison's Guitar Talk. substack.com/home/post/p-...
The long and remarkable career of Steve Swallow
a 3 hour interview and some thoughts
substack.com
August 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Refretting Che Chen's guitar to make quarter tones 🎈https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp00_DWk9-4
Mauritanian Guitar Refretting, Nouakchott
YouTube video by osirhan
www.youtube.com
August 13, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Well she’ll die
Lord she’ll die
Grazed by roses
Running wild
And she knows
That it’s quite
All right
A huge new single swings in from Hans Chew today. The second cut out of the gate is the pounding, punishing “She’s A Seer.” Led by Chew’s barroom piano, the single splits the scene between The Black Crows and Leon Russell, bringing a classic feel to the seams of Land of Dream. bit.ly/4mN90Xf
August 13, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by Scott McDowell
“She’s A Seer”, video for side one closer of the forthcoming album Land Of Dreams, available digitally and on LP September 5th. Link to order in bio.

youtu.be/n7sQTKaFtUs
She's A Seer
YouTube video by Hans Chew
youtu.be
August 9, 2025 at 2:01 AM
The world is a vampire—
August 13, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Got a short piece about The Demon, a mythical figure at the birth of bebop, in the new issue of LCD @wfmu.bsky.social’s program guide/magazine. Shout out to editor @kendraplex.bsky.social 🎈
August 10, 2025 at 5:51 PM
I’ve been absolutely rinsing the Ryan Davis record, a marvel of architectural songcraft.
I thank my fellow music critics for turning me on to this absolute gem, happy to admit I was sleeping. My newsletter about him and the band and indie sustainability is now one the World Wide Web for all to read www.npr.org/2025/08/06/n...
Indie rock fans, it's time to get on the Ryan Davis bandwagon
Charming critics and audiences with New Threats From The Soul, his funny, loose, reference-packed album, the veteran Louisville musician is having an unlikely breakthrough at 40 years old.
www.npr.org
August 6, 2025 at 5:57 PM