Back in July 2021, we caught up with Professor Brian Junker of Carnegie Mellon’s department of Statistics and Data Science. He has since retired from the CMU faculty; but the points he made in our discussion still ring true in 2024.

Professor Junker talked candidly about the need for all of us to improve our “Numeracy” — the numeric equivalent of literacy — so we can understand what’s behind the numbers people talk about in politics, medicine, investments, news reports. We must understand the assumptions behind the numbers to make sense of different claims about “what the data means.” Since Professor Junker and his interviewer first met as musicians, the conversation went on a very interesting tangent about how music informs his professional life. A thought-provoking conversation!

Listen to the interview: Prof. Brian Junker

Credits:
Richard Gordon, host, researcher, audio engineer, audio editor
Recorded July 22, 2021; Forbes Avenue debut October 15, 2024

Tune into WRCT on Friday, October 11 at 10:00 p.m. as singer/songwriter Amy Rigby joins the Mockster on Viva le Mock.  

Rigby, known for her emotionally rich and relatable observations about love, relationships, parenthood, and the musician’s life, crafts a sound that adds folk and country accents to straightforward, hooky rock & roll. 

Having cut her teeth in the downtown NYC scene in the late 70s/early 80s, Rigby will be discussing her new album, her memoir, and her upcoming performance in Pittsburgh at the Bantha Tea Bar on October 18.

Don’t miss it! Amy Rigby, 10:00 p.m. on Friday, October 11 on WRCT, Pittsburgh 88.3 FM and streaming from this very website!

This week on Forbes Avenue, we air an interview with jazz bassist Ron Carter recorded the week he turned 87 years young!

The program includes two tracks: “Eighty One,” from a 2006 recording he made with guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Paul Motian (Bill Frisell, Ron Carter & Paul Motian) and “Sweet Lorraine,” from Maestro Carter’s 1994 record Jazz, My Romance. During our conversation he shares his insights from decades in music — he is still playing, practicing and teaching today! Along the way, he reminisces about the Pittsburgh jazz scene; reflects on Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Bill Frisell and other musicians with whom he’s collaborated; gives advice to musicians; and talks candidly about how race relations affected his career. It’s a remarkable conversation with a remarkable man!

Listen to the Interview: Ron Carter

Credits:
Richard Gordon, host, researcher, audio engineer, audio editor
Recorded May 7, 2024; WRCT debut October 8, 2024