Music

New Sounds with John Schaefer has presented exclusive performances from inside and outside the WNYC studios since 1982. This is the online reference page to listen to the archives of some of these concert recordings from New Sounds Live and our WNYC Live recordings.

Hear some early instances of electronic and electroacoustic music on this New Sounds program, as we continue to mine the vast motherlode of riches from the early years of New Sounds Live performances. Hear the first farewell performance of "Big Mouth," a work for musical shoes by Linda Fisher, as played by Linda Fisher and Joshua Fried. Imagine men’s shoes, mounted on a stand, and then beaten with drumsticks. When the soles of the shoes are hit, a gate is triggered, which plays a sample - and in the case of "Big Mouth," the samples are of classic cartoons talking crazy talk. Also, listen to Ingram Marshall’s work Hidden Voices, where he uses various tape looping techniques to come up with some the eeriest sounds ever recorded, featuring the soprano voice of Cheryl Bensman-Rowe. Plus, computer music by Neil Rolnick, and his piece called “Balkanization.”

New Sounds Live   Thursday, July 07, 2005

This edition of New Sounds features highlights from several New Sounds Live concerts recorded in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Hear performances by South Indian violinist L. Shankar and new music for ancient instruments by Raphael Mostel and the Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble. Also, listen to pre-Colombian instruments of Central America played by Antonio Zepeda. Plus, the Moroccan- and Persian-tinged music of Sussan Deyhim & Richard Horowitz.

Early New Sounds Live   Tuesday, June 14, 2005

For more than 20 years, New Sounds has been presenting new and unusual music from inside and outside the WNYC studios. On this edition of the program, we’ll revisit some of the early years of the New Sounds Live concert series with music by David Borden, from a 1988 concert, played by the world’s first synthesizer ensemble, Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Company. There’s also music by the wide-ranging piano duo Double Edge - Edmund Niemann and Nurit Tilles – from a concert in 1989. Niemann is a long-time member of Steve Reich & Musicians, while Tilles has performed with the Mother Mallard band. Plus, Kronos Quartet performs Michael Daugherty’s Beat Boxer for string quartet and tape, and one of their African pieces from a live concert recorded in 1992.

Streetwalker And More   Saturday, May 21, 2005

To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Bang on a Can mounted a weekend of concerts at Symphony Space last summer. The festivities began with the fifth annual incarnation of its newest program, the People's Commissioning Fund. A large and enthusiastic audience was on hand to hear seven new works, while New Sounds' John Schaefer interviewed the composers between the works. Among the highlights was the piece "Streetwalker" by Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy, commissioned by WNYC for the Bang On A Can All-Stars. Hear this brand-new work and other selections on this edition of New Sounds.

New Sounds Live, More Early Years   Thursday, May 19, 2005

Hear music from the early years of concert recordings on this edition of New Sounds. Listen to performances from the long-running concert series by Peter Gordon’s all-star NYC band the Love Of Life Orchestra, the Canadian bagpipe-driven band Rare Air, technofolkies The Horse Flies. Plus, there’s electronic counterpoint from David Borden and Mother Mallard, and funky horns in the memorable “Ramayana Monkey March” courtesy of A. Leroy.

A Private Reel

It’s another in the series of programs on New Sounds called “A Private Reel,” featuring live performances from the WNYC studio. This time, hear music originally recorded for other WNYC programs: Omar Sosa & Mino Cinelu from the afternoon program Soundcheck, The Warsaw Village Band from “The Next Big Thing,” Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo from "Soundcheck," Mariana Sadovska from “Studio 360,” and Maggie & Suzzy Roche from “Soundcheck.”

A Private Reel   Monday, April 4, 2005

On this New Sounds program, it’s another installment of the “Private Reel” series of shows, exclusive live performances from the WNYC studio. Hear works by bassist Edgar Meyer with Jerry Douglas and Sam Bush, tunes by Michael Franti and Spearhead, and music by vocalist Sanda Weigl. Listen to live improvisation by sitar maestro Shahid Parvez Khan and works by flamenco singer/songwriter Enrique Morente. Plus, the Japanese duo the Yoshida Brothers perform updated shamisen music, and German cabaret star Wenzel sings music by Woody Guthrie.

Musical Leftovers   Friday, March 25, 2005

From the New Sounds Live concert series, there’s more music on this program from the biannual New York Guitar Festival Guitar Marathon, featuring works by global slide guitarist Bob Brozman, Brazilian guitar great Vinicius Cantuaria, and African guitarist and griot Abdoulaye Diabate joined by guitarist, journalist and radio personality Banning Eyre. Also, David Starobin plays Fernando Sor, Michael Newman plays Villa-Lobos, and sometime Weissenborn guitar player Ed Gerhard performs “The Water is Wide.” Plus, hear music by the Tin Hat Trio recorded live at Merkin Hall.

Plundering the Archives   Wednesday, March 09, 2005

We’ll be mining the New Sounds Live archives on this edition of New Sounds with performances going all the way back to the 1980’s, featuring pianist, composer and arranger Mark Kirkostas. Also, hear the quirky Austrian band Die Knodel from a concert recorded at Merkin Hall in 1995. Their goofy blend of Zappa instrumentals meet Fellini film music somehow rides the divide between pop and art. Plus, there’s world music from Brian Keane and his collaborator Omar Faruk Tekbilek, also from a New Sounds Live concert, and much more.

On this installment of New Sounds, hear live in-studio performances from WNYC’s afternoon program “Soundcheck.” There’s music from the Tin Hat Trio, and their blend of tango, bluegrass, contemporary classical, and Eastern European folk traditions. Listen to music by Calexico, who perch on a pinhead drawing from country, folk, jazz, surf, mariachi, and the blues. Plus, the WNYC Young People’s Radio Chorus sings Tod Machover, tunes from The Bad Plus, Celtic beats from the energetic Irish funsters Flook, and more.

A Private Reel   Wednesday, September 10, 2003

This installment of New Sounds is the latest in the ongoing series called “A Private Reel”, where we dig into some of the live recordings made here in our WNYC studios. Tonight’s program features performances by songwriters Lucy Kaplansky, and John Hiatt; Ken Field’s Alto Sax Project; pianist Vijay Iyer and poet/vocalist Michael Ladd; composer/accordionist Pauline Oliveros; and pianist Jason Moran.

A Private Reel   Sunday, December 29, 2002

Over the years, WNYC has played host to some truly remarkable performances that never saw the light of day on a commercial recording. All the better reason to tune into this edition of New Sounds, as we feature a variety of live performances from the New Sounds vaults. The World Saxophone Quartet, Philip Glass, Paul Neubauer and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Uptown String Quartet are among the show's highlights.