---
title: "Instant Musicality with Nicole McCabe (Dolphin Hyperspace, Louis Cole, Patrice Rushen)"

description: "Instrumental music can sing. Nicole is proof! She’s one of my favorite musicians, bridging jazz and electronic music, with her own distinct sound. I always know when it’s her. We talked about how she got there. The practice routines. The gigs. The leaps of faith. And her new LP just dropped. As always, it’s on repeat."

status: complete

date: 2026-03-10

kind: guest

guestSlugs:
  - nicole-mccabe

listenUrl: "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/Instant-Musicality-with-Nicole-McCabe-Dolphin-Hyperspace--Louis-Cole--Patrice-Rushen-e3g5lng"

lmwUrl: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHXamkHt6s8"
appleUrl: "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/instant-musicality-with-nicole-mccabe-dolphin/id1567355195?i=1000754416553&uo=4"
spotifyUrl: "https://open.spotify.com/episode/548zn2fQHOBwAMJCtso24B"
youtubeUrl: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QONe7GFChOw"

topicsDiscussed:
  - "Collaboration"
  - "Electronic music"
  - "Jazz"
  - "Genre"
  - "The evolution of practice routines and performance preparation"
  - "Navigating a music career, teaching, performing, and composing"
  - "The role of technology in modern music creation"

hostNote: |
  Nicole McCabe plays saxophone the way good jazz has always worked, you know it’s her before you know who you’re listening to. She’s bridged jazz and electronic music in **Dolphin Hyperspace**, worked with **Louis Cole** and **Patrice Rushen**, and just dropped a new LP built from the jazz canon without being a replica of it.
  
  We dig into how she developed the instant adaptability that lets you step into a session mid-conversation without disrupting it, how the pandemic pushed her into home recording, what touring self-care actually looks like in practice, and how her new work processes everything she’s absorbed into something that feels current.

selectedMoments:
  - label: "Nicole's initial introduction"
    startSec: 108
    note: "A warm welcome to the podcast and an overview of Nicole's background as a musician."
  - label: "Adaptability in musical settings"
    startSec: 271
    note: "Discussion on stepping into different musical conversations and how unique experiences shape her contributions."
  - label: "The impact of the pandemic on her work"
    startSec: 609
    note: "Nicole shares how the pandemic led her to learn recording and produce music at home."
  - label: "Discussion on touring life"
    startSec: 1856
    note: "Nicole talks about the challenges and routines of being on tour as a professional musician."
  - label: "Collaborative composing process"
    startSec: 2020
    note: "An insight into how Nicole approaches composition for her projects versus Dolphin Hyperspace."
  - label: "Reflections on musical influences"
    startSec: 2348
    note: "Nicole discusses how historical jazz influences shape her current sound."

excerptQuotes:
  - text: "I always think it’s a really fun challenge to try to fit into what they’re doing and complement what they’re doing if there’s a singer."
    startSec: 449
    reviewed: true
  - text: "The pandemic helped me kind of jump start that process... everyone was just recording on everyone's stuff for fun, for free."
    startSec: 585
    reviewed: true
  - text: "I just try my best to just be as healthy as possible because when I do get sick and I take really good care of myself on tour then I get better quicker."
    startSec: 1860
    reviewed: true
  - text: "There’s always these big albums that the genre kind of revolves around, and I feel like I’ve just taken in all this information and then trying to create something that feels relevant right now."
    startSec: 2349
    reviewed: true

faq:
  - question: "What is Instant Musicality?"
    answer: "Instant Musicality refers to the ability to jump into different musical settings and contribute immediately, often requiring deep listening and adaptability."
  - question: "How does Nicole McCabe balance jazz and electronic music?"
    answer: "Nicole bridges jazz and electronic music by incorporating elements from both genres into her compositions, allowing her to create a distinct sound."
  - question: "What has been Nicole's experience with touring?"
    answer: "Nicole discusses the challenges of balancing touring life, maintaining friendships, and the importance of self-care while on the road."

transcriptPublished: false

draft: false
---