New Sounds Archive
July 2005
Medieval/Modern Music Connections
Sunday, July 31, 2005
New Sounds explores the connections between medieval and modern music with music from the British Isles and more. From the Anonymous 4 release, "Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs and Carols", hear some traditional carols sung in various Celtic languages--Irish, Welsh, Cornish, and even old Scots, featuring virtuoso harp accompaniment by Andrew Lawrence-King. Plus there's a string quartet by Sir John Tavener, “The Last Sleep of the Virgin”, dedicated to the Chilingirian String Quartet and scored for almost inaudible string quartet and bells.
Indian Light Classical
Saturday, July 30, 2005
An Indian music sampler of folk-based and "light classical" fare is served up on this edition of New Sounds. Sitarist and vocalist Shujaat H. Khan, comes from one of the most reknowned North Indian (Hindustani) musical families - his father is sitar master Ustad Vilayat Khan. However, Shujaat’s baritone voice on “Hawa Hawa”, sings folk songs from his childhood, accompanied by sitar, tabla and other percussion. These pieces are shorter than the average raga, with a little more melody, and more rhythmic patterns, and have an overall “lighter” feel. Another Hindustani classical musician who subscribed to the idea that ragas had their origins in folk melodies is the late Pandit Kumar Gandharva. From a recent release of his previously unavailable nirguni bhajans, or non-deity specific devotional music, we’ll hear some of these intense vocal meditations, accompanied by tabla, tanpura and harmonium.
July 2005 New Releases
Friday, July 29, 2005
It's that time of the month again for the new releases show on New Sounds. John Schaefer carefully sorts through the stacks, and boatloads of new CDs which have come across his desk over the past month to present some of the finest new releases. What we can see of his desk from here includes a new recording from Abida Parveen, some new music from Alarm Will Sound, Susumu Yokota, and some Mulatu Astatke included on an upcoming soundtrack to a Bill Murray film.
New Sounds of "Jazz Piano"
Thursday, July 28, 2005
On this New Sounds program, we have a new look at “jazz piano,” with the focus on innovators like Jason Moran, Matthew Shipp and the Bad Plus. This is definitely not jazz piano from the conservatory, but that which borrows from all walks and is not afraid to incorporate hip hop, rock, electronica and world music. Jason Moran is one of a new young bunch of percussive pianists, whose impulsive attacks are not soft around the edges, and a lot of his improvisations are eruptive and drumlike. Another non-conservatory jazz pianist is Matthew Shipp whose concept of jazz on a recent release, the electro-acoustic small combo groove “Equilibrium,” is jazz as ambient soundscape. Shipp has also played with Spring Heel Jack, the electronic drum and bass duo, improvising freely over the backdrop provided by the duo. Then there’s the Bad Plus, jazzmen who can improvise anarchically, have something classical to their melody and phrasing, and mess with just about anything that captures their fancy. On their most recent record, “Give,” they even tackle tunes by Black Sabbath and The Pixies.
Quirky Songs
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
This edition of New Sounds offers up songs by the band One Ring Zero, and more. The two-man band —Michael Hearst and Joshua Camp— culls music from anywhere they can in order to achieve the sound they want, using anything from claviola to toy piano, Theremin to kitty litter. ORZ’s most recent album, "As Smart As We Are," features a quirky collection of songs telling tales of hermaphrodites and Jesus to Golem lovers, scored to circus-klezmer tunes. And it’s a literary experience as well, with lyrics contributed by such authors as Jonathan Lethem, Margaret Atwood, Paul Auster, Dave Eggers, A.M. Homes, Rick Moody, and Denis Johnson.
Indian Vocals, Western Music
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
For this New Sounds show, there’s music built around Indian vocals, from the pop style known as filmi to the centuries-old devotional and love poems known as ghazal. Listen to works from the forthcoming Kronos Quartet release, You’ve Stolen My Heart. On the record, Kronos reworks some of Bollywood soundtrack composer RD Burman's best-loved tunes, collaborating with Burman’s wife and muse Asha Bhosle for the project, whose voice, even today, has lost none of the sweetness and fluidity that made her a Playback star back in Bollywood’s heyday, in the 1960’s. Also, there’s music from Brooklyn-based vocalist (and percussionist) Paula Jeanine from her American Ghazal project along with songs by the Canadian singer Kiran Ahluwalia, and her sometimes Celtic-seeming backing band. Plus, music from Terry Riley and Najma Akhtar rounds out the show.
Music & Technology
Monday, July 25, 2005
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.”
Unusual Soundtracks
Sunday, July 24, 2005
There’s Isadora Duncan Award-winning music tonight on New Sounds - a work by San Francisco based composer, performer and bandleader Beth Custer, called “What the Body Knows”, from her "Maverick Strain" score. We’ll sample some of her other country music electronic tango-like songs and instrumentals from major dance productions on that release. Plus, there’s more new music by Kamikaze Ground Crew co-leader and all-around underground veteran Doug Wieselman. Music from his score for the Oscar-winning documentary Long Way Home and other new recordings of his soundtrack compositions have just been released, and we’ll listen to some selections from that CD as well.
New Music from Iceland
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Fresh and innovative, the artists emerging from Iceland these days are surely some of the most creative and breathtaking in music. On this edition of New Sounds, we’ll hear austere, mysterious and strangely beautiful works from the likes of Johan Johannson, the composer Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, and the countertenor Sverrir Gudjunsson. Plus there’s music by the atmospheric and ethereal Sigur Ros and selections from perhaps the best known Icelandic export - Björk.
New Music for Flute
Friday, July 22, 2005
On this New Sounds program, the focus is on the flute. There are flutes of all kinds – from electronically enhanced to Native American flute paired with synthesizer; music from classical flutist Ransom Wilson to the Japanese shakuhachi. Listen to an excerpt from George Crumb’s Voice of the Whale, sort of the oceanic equivalent of Olivier Messiaen's birdcalls, which was inspired by the songs of the humpback whale. Also, hear R. Carlos Nakai’s Native American flute, as he assembles a fusion of something like “SynthacousticpunkNavajazz.” Say that 10 times fast… Plus, music from Herbie Mann’s “Gagaku & Beyond” and the bright and bouncy multi-layered flutes of James Newton’s “Axum.”
Nosferatu Variations
Thursday, July 21, 2005
On this edition of New Sounds, it's another Theme and Variations program: Nosferatu. But instead of a series of variation on a musical theme, we’ll hear numerous responses to a visual one – the 1922 film “Nosferatu.” Hear several original musical scores by Art Zoyd, Mick Rossi, Clubfoot Orchestra, and the Alloy Orchestra to accompany the creepy classic film.
World Music From the 80's
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Hear some works combining the sounds of world music traditions with electronics on this edition of New Sounds. Listen to music by K. Leimer for a film about Jamaica and Bob Marley, along with second of Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi trilogy works by Philip Glass - Powaqqatsi. There’s also music from Turkish multi-instrumentalist Omar Faruk Tekbilek, in collaboration with composer Brian Keane, known for his soundtracks to documentary films and museum exhibits. Also, Moroccan- and Persian-tinged music of Sussan Deyhim & Richard Horowitz. And more.
New Music Bands, 80’s Style
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
On this New Sounds, prepare for an ‘80s show of entirely different constructions. Listen to a work from the Toronto-based new music band Arraymusic, who solidified their lineup during the 1980’s, and are still presenting concerts of Canadian works today. There’s also music from the Michael Nyman Band, from a compilation of mostly film works along with a piece from the Hungarian composer István Márta. Plus, hear music by the Australian outfit Southern Crossings, a collaboration between percussionist Michael Askill, cellist John Napier, multi-instrumentalist Michael Atherton, percussionist Jess Ciampa and clarinetist Nigel Westlake, formed back in 1986 to explore cross-cultural and commissioned works. And more.
British Folk Stories
Monday, July 18, 2005
Ballads and laments "Drop, drop slow tears" on this edition of New Sounds, with an updated take on classic folksong tradition from the British Isles. Hear Steeleye Span rendering "When I Was On Horseback," Fairport Convention's version of The Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood, and Andrew Cronshaw doing "The Ship In Distress." Also, England’s The House Band plays "Bonnie Light Horseman," the song of a woman whose man has been killed in retreat during the Boer War in South Africa. And Joan Baez sings "All in Green Went My Love Riding", as arranged and produced by Peter Schickele.
Songs of the Century
Sunday, July 17, 2005
On this edition of New Sounds, hear 21st century arrangements of 20th century songs by Kurt Weill, Woody Guthrie, Serge Gainsbourg, and others. Performances by the Eastside Sinfonietta, Hans Wenzel, Jane Birkin, Nora York, the Kamikaze Ground Crew, and more.
Worldbeat Music
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Algeria-born and San Francisco-based DJ Cheb I Sabbah’s musical reinventions have included Sufi devotionals, ragas, and even Indian film music layered into trancey warped swirls of drones fused with innovative percussion patterns. On his CD, Shri Durga, he’s taken “world” music for a spin on the club dance floor yet again, with enticing results. Hear selections from DJ Cheb I Sabbah, along with works by Sheila Chandra, Bossacucanova, and the young rappers from Bamako, Les Escrocs, on a New Sounds program of worldbeat music.
“Concrete” Music
Friday, July 15, 2005
There’s industrial strength "Concrete" music on this New Sounds program. Hear works that incorporate the sounds of typewriters, vacuum cleaners, cash registers, and construction equipment, among other things. Listen as composer Molly Thompson manages to turn an annoyance -the construction going on outside her window- into music, with her work “Draft of Shadows.” Also, there’s music hidden in such things as escalators or typewriters, with “Project Soundwave,” where you’ll hear Viennese based composer Thom Poe’s “Concert for Escalators.” And much more.
Sundanese Gamelan Pop
Thursday, July 14, 2005
There’s gamelan music from Sunda, the western third of the island of Java in Indonesia, on this edition of New Sounds. The Sundanese type of gamelan is called Degung - an unique type of gamelan used for listening and ritual, rather than for various forms of theatre or dancing. In contrast to other gamelan, Degung is smaller in size, having developed in the small courts of Sunda, originally without singing, and may feature a large hanging gong, called goong and a 4-hole bamboo flute, known as suling degung. Gamelan degung has also become the vehicle for arrangements of Sundanese popular music. Listen to this distinctive style of chamber gamelan pop from a 1985 LP of music by E. Koestyara and Group Gapura along with the Western music that it has inspired, like Lou Harrison’s work Main Bersama-Sama, written for Degung, but including an additional horn from the European classical orchestra.
A Musical Calendar
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Thirty days hath September, April, June... On tonight's New Sounds, listen to a musical calendar, featuring monthly works written for Classic FM Radio by British composer Joby Talbot (January, February) and music from Sorrel Hays’s “90s, a Calendar Bracelet.” Plus, music from Swiss-born singer Susanne Abbuehl for "April" and George Winston's December, among others.
Percussion Paintings
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Listen to works for percussion ensemble that depict natural phenomena, including meteor showers, animals, and others on this edition of New Sounds. Hear the broadcast premiere of a new work from composer/toy pianist Wendy Mae Chambers. Her “Night of the Shooting Stars,” is a tone poem for 16 percussionists inspired by The Leonids meteor shower of November 2001, and calls for unusual instrumentation, including Jack-in-the Boxes, key chains, conch shells, sleigh bells, slide whistles, and audience participation on siren whistles. Also, the Nexus Percussion Ensemble plays William Cahn’s work “Fauna,” where melodic marimba lines are punctuated by drum kit fills, coupled with rhythmic animal ambience, rainsticks, z well-placed lion’s roar, and the distinctive hoot of quica. Plus, there’s music featuring the first lady of percussion, Evelyn Glennie, and more.
Works on Film
Monday, July 11, 2005
Music involving film and filmmakers is the focus of this New Sounds program. Listen to music by Simon Fisher-Turner for Derek Jarman’s sly and suggestive film, “Caravaggio,” a biopic of the painter. Also, sample excerpts from "Translucence," Donna McKevitt’s intimate settings of Derek Jarman’s provocative words and images. There’s also music by Satyajit Ray, the Indian master-director and composer, from Ismail Merchant and James Ivory’s first “hit” movie, the 1965 film “Shakespeare Wallah.” Plus, "Variations on Shakespeare Wallah" by Takoma Records guitarist Robbie Basho and film music by trumpeter/synth programmer/session musician Mark Isham.
Eastern European Roots
Sunday, July 10, 2005
There's music by the Klezmatics on this installment of New Sounds. These “possessed Jews with horns” have been making their crazy, spiritual, reflective, and danceable Yiddish party music since the late 1980’s. Tonight, hear tunes from their recent record, “Rise Up!”, a somewhat moody opus with lots of traditional sources, which at times, feels like eavesdropping on religious services. Selections by Les Yeux Noirs and Tarafs de Haidouks round out this program of music with Eastern European roots.
African Cross-cultural Music
Saturday, July 09, 2005
There’s African music from Russia, Italy, England, and, of course, Africa on this edition of New Sounds. Italian reedman Gianluigi Trovesi’s latest project, an octet, has just released a record called ”Fugace.” From it, we’ll hear “African Tryptych,” which merges the spirit of New Orleans with Italian popular song, European classical music, and space jazz. Plus, new interpretations of Senegalese traditional music by singer and musician Mola Sylla and Russian double bass player Vladimir Volkov from the record “Seetu” (Mirror). We’ll also hear from Mali-born vocalist and drummer Abdoulaye Diabate, who sends his soaring voice over traditional W. African instruments and electric bass.
Caravan Variations
Friday, July 08, 2005
Like camels slogging through the sand, the exotic strains of “Caravan,” by Duke Ellington and his sometime trombonist Juan Tizol (with rarely heard lyrics by Irving Mills), have been played loose, fast, swinging, and/or slow by just about everyone. For this New Sounds program, it’s another of the occasional series of programs of Theme and Variations, where the premise is simple: take a single piece of music and explore what a number of musicians have done with it, through arrangements, deconstructions, and revisions of the original theme. This time around, it’s Duke Ellington’s “Caravan.” Listen to arrangements by Romania’s Fanfare Ciocarlia, Hungary’s Kalman Balogh & The Gipsy Cimbalom Band, the California Guitar Trio, the ska group Hepcat, banjoman Bela Fleck, Lebanese composer Rabih Abou-Khalil, and trumpeter/composer Jon Hassell, among others.
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.
Music of Former Yugoslavia
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Yugoslavia, which is now Serbia and Monetengro, was a former kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, and encompassed a sprawling region that included the former republics of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia-Slavonia, Macedonia, and the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina, along with Dalmatia. But for this New Sounds, after the quick geography refresher course of the Balkan states, there’s an hour of music from former Yugoslavia and former Yugoslavians. Listen to the music of sometime cult rock star and soundtrack composer Goran Bregovic whose current work has mixed traditional music of the Balkans, tango and brass bands. Also, there’s new music based on near and far eastern folk melodies with clarinet, guitar, and possibly even accordion from the Milan Milosevic Trio. Plus, listen to works from composer and guitarist Dusan Bogdanovic.
Unusual Guitar Works
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
On this edition of New Sounds, hear inventive music from the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, with selections from the new CD, "Guitar Heroes." Embracing their roots- both individually and collectively- the quartet pays tribute to jazz, bluegrass, rock and flamenco guitarists who have influenced and inspired them. The pantheon includes Frank Zappa, Hendrix and Michael Hedges; Pat Metheny, Django Reinhart and John McLaughlin; Steve Howe and Ralph Towner, among others. And much more.
New Music from Mexico
Monday, July 04, 2005
The unpredictable and adventurous Mexican band Café Tacuba takes top billing on this New Sounds program. Don’t miss a sampling of their forays into punk, bolero, ranchera, salsa, chamber music (with and without the Kronos Quartet), rock, soul, trance, techno, metal, funk, industrial, and even disco, sometimes all at once. Plus, hear the weird otherworldly sounds of the plasmaht, developed by Mexican innovator Ariel Guzik. It’s an instrument creation that responds to electromagnetic energy from objects in the environment - or even from people themselves - to trigger musical sounds from the strings coated in a variety of metals. And to round out the show, there's music by Mexican recorder virtuoso Horacio Franco.
Phoning It In
Sunday, July 03, 2005
From dial tones to busy signals, phone messages and disconnects, as well as the conversations in between, listen to a number of works about the telephone, or even with the telephone as the instrument on this New Sounds program. Hear Anton Batagov's “Dialog,” featuring the voice of a Russian automated Telebanking system. Also, listen for Lou Reed’s “New York Telephone Conversation," a cutesy poke at Warhol-era New York pop-sphere gossip. Plus there’s the Penguin Café Orchestra classic “Telephone and Rubber Band,” along with many other phone-based tunes.
World-Based Concert Music
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Concert works inspired by non-Western traditions take center stage on this edition of New Sounds. Hear Lou Harrison’s "Threnody for Carlos Chavez," written for viola and gamelan ensemble, as well as a work by New Zealand’s Gareth Farr, who, like Harrison, draws on percussive influences of the Pacific. Then there’s music by composer Tunde Jegede, from his CD “Lamentation”, which incorporates both of the instruments he plays - the West African harp-lute known as kora and the European traditional classical cello. Also on tap is music by Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian.
Two by Two
Friday, July 01, 2005
This New Sounds program offers several combinations of twos, with music from Mali, Jewish-Arab music, Balinese-influenced percussion music, and jazz trombone together with African kora. Hailing from Mali, the married duo Amadou & Mariam (who also happen to be blind) perform electric and acoustic music on their latest Manu Chao-produced CD, “Dimanche a Bamako.” Then there’s music from Chris Brown’s project, “Talking Drum,” where a combination of humans and machines - field recordings fused with electronic music - make percussive soundscapes. Also, Duo Esperanto pick and choose from the incredibly diverse Jewish and Arab traditions and deliver melodies on oud and guitar. Plus, hear music from the duo collaboration of veteran jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd and kora player Toumani Diabate, where restless jazz meets West African folk songs.
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