Tod Lippy

Esopus magazine editor Tod Lippy talks about the songs he commissioned for the CD Esopus 19: Customer Service.

First published in 1947, Nicolas Slonimsky’s “Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns” has inspired musicians ranging from jazz saxophonist John Coltrane to Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo. Today: we hear new songs that incorporate exercises from Slonimsky’s Thesaurus, as part of a project sponsored by Esopus magazine. We talk with editor Tod Lippy and New York-based musician Cat Martino, who composed her song “Radial Brief” for the project’s CD.