PvI#112: Musical Zoom w/ Jerome Kurtenbach

PvI#112: Musical Zoom w/ Jerome Kurtenbach

From Philosophy vs. Improv by Mark Linsenmayer

February 18, 2026 · 1h 4m · Season 5 · Episode 112

About this episode

The episode features an interview with composer Jerome Kurtenbach discussing musical improv and the function of art.

Jerome is an LA composer/director/screenwriter who is involved in a lot of musical improv, so Mary and Mark interview him about that and about the function of art, plus songs for pets, a support group for people who sing all the time, and more. Jerome sticks around for the post-game, which is normally restricted to supporters, but which you get to hear as a sample this time. We demonstrate why collaborative singing over the Internet does not work. How fast should one sing “Happy Birthday”? Listen to the dirge version of “12 Days of Xmas.” We talk about the relation between composition and improv. Hear more PvI . Support the podcast to get all the post-game chatter and an ad free experience. Sponsor:  Visit  squarespace.com/LINSENMAYER  (code LINSENMAYER) for a free trial and 10% off your first website or domain. Image Note: Today’s MidJourney prompt was “an opera singer running very fast while singing, with a zigzagging cartoon dust trail behind to indicate speed, as drawn by a child in crayon.” As usual, the request to draw like a child was ignored, but at least we have some good crayon texture. You can choose to watch…

People in this episode

Host: Mark Linsenmayer

Guest: Jerome Kurtenbach

Topics covered

  • musical improv
  • art
  • collaboration
  • composition
  • singing
  • pets

Keywords

  • musical improv
  • Jerome Kurtenbach
  • art
  • collaboration
  • singing
  • 12 Days of Xmas
  • Happy Birthday

Sponsors

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