#5148, From Soundcheck - Elori Saxl and Henry Solomon; Darian Donovan Thomas
Photo: (Top) Darian Donovan Thomas ; (Bottom) Elori Saxl and Henry Solomon
Hear music that exists between electronic pop and classical art song by composer and violinist Darian Donovan Thomas; and music that also combines acoustic and electronic sounds in a collaboration by minimalist composer Elori Saxl and improvising saxophonist Henry Solomon.
As a violinist, Darian Donovan Thomas has played with alternative soul singer Moses Sumney, the chamber ensemble Mediaqueer, and the Pakistani-American singer Arooj Aftab, among many others. But Thomas is also a singer, songwriter and producer whose own music reflects his omnivorous musical experience. Hyper-pop, ambient electronica and contemporary classical music are all fair game in his latest record, which is called A Room With Many Doors – Day. Darian Donovan Thomas and Phong Tran play some of these songs, live in-studio. (-Caryn Havlik)
Experimental music composer Elori Saxl and saxophonist and improviser Henry Solomon found common ground in electroacoustic duets in their collaborative album, Seeing Is Forgetting. Solomon is a Los Angeles-based saxophonist who can improvise in any musical setting, whether he’s recording with Paramore, Miley Cyrus, and HAIM, or assembling a score for a film. Saxl’s intricate music writing also knows no bounds, dancing between classical and electronic music in her commissions from PBS, Guggenheim, and This American Life.
Together, the duo recorded three hours of music in LA, embarking on a sonic adventure free of hesitation and doubt. Blurring the rigidity of the steps between musical notes, they filled the gradients with glides and noise, often losing track of who’s playing which parts, as their sessions went on. The tricky part of their creative process was narrowing their “near-telepathic” musical conversations down to an album form. But they finally did, achieving fluid cohesion between Saxl’s JUNO-106 harmonies and Solomon’s baritone sax and bass clarinet melodies. Although they’ve had to re-learn from the recordings of improvisations made for the album, their conversations continue on stage and throughout the live performances captured at our Manhattan studios, built upon the base of Seeing Is Forgetting, but continuously encountering new ideas and happy accidents. (-Sırma Munyar)
Program #5148, from Soundcheck- Elori Saxl and Henry Solomon; Darian Donovan Thomas (First aired 6/2/26)
ARTIST: Darian Donovan Thomas, with Phong Tran
WORK: Safe Space [:57]
RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2026
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: https://darianthomas.myportfolio.com | https://ddt93.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Elori Saxl & Henry Solomon
WORK: Reno Silver [3:19]
RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, March 2026
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: https://elorisaxl.bandcamp.com/album/seeing-is-forgetting
ARTIST: Elori Saxl & Henry Solomon
WORK: A Thousand Steps [5:52]
RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, March 2026
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: https://elorisaxl.bandcamp.com/album/seeing-is-forgetting
ARTIST: Elori Saxl
WORK: Wave II [1:15]
RECORDING: The Blue of Distance
SOURCE: Western Vinyl
INFO: https://elorisaxl.bandcamp.com/album/the-blue-of-distance
ARTIST: Elori Saxl
WORK: It Will Be Gone [:50]
RECORDING: Texada
SOURCE: Western Vinyl
INFO: https://elorisaxl.bandcamp.com/album/texada-original-score
ARTIST: Elori Saxl & Henry Solomon
WORK: Heart [5:12]
RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, March 2026
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: https://elorisaxl.bandcamp.com/album/seeing-is-forgetting
ARTIST: Darian Donovan Thomas, with Phong Tran
WORK: Safe Space [:57]
RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2026
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: https://darianthomas.myportfolio.com | https://ddt93.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Darian Donovan Thomas
WORK: Ugly Betty [:54]
RECORDING: A Room With Many Doors: Day
SOURCE: New Amsterdam Records
INFO: https://ddt93.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Darian Donovan Thomas, with Phong Tran
WORK: Mr & Mr Married/Safe Space [7:37]
RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2026
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: https://darianthomas.myportfolio.com | https://ddt93.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Darian Donovan Thomas
WORK: OhNo [:24]
RECORDING: A Room With Many Doors: Day
SOURCE: New Amsterdam Records
INFO: https://ddt93.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Darian Donovan Thomas, with Phong Tran
WORK: Snow Storm [7:10]
RECORDING: Live for the Soundcheck Podcast, Feb. 2026
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: https://darianthomas.myportfolio.com | https://ddt93.bandcamp.com
