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January 2006

January 2006 New Releases

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

It's that time of the month again: the recordings flooding into John Schaefer's inbox haven't let up. John Schaefer once again picks through the bucketloads of CDs that have crowded into his office sice the new year began to find new releases worthy of showcasing in tonight's program.


New Celtic Music

Monday, January 30, 2006

For this New Sounds program, there’s a helping of Celtic music from the non-compromising traditional band Altan, named after the deep and mysterious lake behind Errigal Mountain in Donegal. The group was born of a combination of old Donegal fiddle music and unusual Northern flute tunes and later added a bouzouki-player a guitarist, a second fiddler and an accordion player. Their sound benefits from a deep knowledge and love of other music, as well as Irish, ranging through rock, blues, jazz and country to classical. Also on the show is the most recent record by Canadian singer Mary Jane Lamond – “Storas” (treasures.) Lamond elegantly delivers Scottish Gaelic ballads using modern instruments and progressive arrangements driven by the desire to let the songs breathe. Plus, music from the huge and expressive voice of singer/songwriter Susan McKeown, not just a Celtic singer, but an interpreter who can easily bridge into folk, rock, pop and blues. All that and a whole lot more.


Early Music and the Folk Revival

Sunday, January 29, 2006

The English folk revival and medieval music scenes overlapped in the 1960s and 70s, resulting in a distinctive approach to early music that continues to this day. On this edition of New Sounds, hear some of these intersections of folk and early music, featuring fiddler Dave Swarbrick, "first lady of folk" Shirley Collins, Davey Graham, early music band leader Philip Pickett, and The Albion Dance Band.


Microtonal Music

Saturday, January 28, 2006

On this New Sounds episode, Johnny Reinhard, the composer and director of the annual American Festival of Microtonal Music, presents live recordings from the most recent edition of the festival. In brief, the philosophy of microtonality contends that alternatives exist to the traditional Western 12-tone equal temperament system. According to Reinhard, "The number of pitches is infinite ... just because more importance is placed on the Western system today does not mean it's the best."


Musical Storytime

Friday, January 27, 2006

Gather round, for on this edition of New Sounds, it's time for some musical storytelling. Hear from Mendi + Keith Obadike, and their Internet opera and sonic book The Sour Thunder. It's a duet of stories taking place simultaneously, with one thread about traveling to study in the Dominican Republic, and the other a science-fiction-like story taking place in Solaika Dast, where communication happens by scent. Music in The Sour Thunder incorporates treated hollow body guitars, mbiras (thumb pianos), environmental field recordings and electronically processed vocals. There's also a political narrative about the death of trust in the collaborative hip-hop trance-jazz-rock song cycle by Vijay Iyer and Mike Ladd, called "In What Language?" Plus, the latest from Jerry Granelli and Rinde Eckert, a series of reflections and imaginings using Billy the Kid.


"Rock Me Amadeus," part 3

Thursday, January 26, 2006

For part three of this New Sounds series for Mozart 250, there's music from vocalist Bobby McFerrin and jazz pianist Chick Corea’s collaboration “The Mozart Sessions.” Also, English minimalist composer Michael Nyman builds his film score “Drowning By Numbers” around a Mozart Sinfonia Concertante and American Larry Austin creates a computer-driven Sinfonia Concertante that he subtitles “A Mozartean Episode.” Plus the Hampton String Quartet asks “What If Mozart Wrote ‘Born to Be Wild’?”


"Rock Me Amadeus," part 2

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Mozart 250 continues on this edition of New Sounds, with the second of three nights devoted to the birthday boy. Listen to music from the influential Dutch composer Louis Andriessen’s score “M is for Man, Music, Mozart.” Despite the “Mozart” in the title, there's a strong undercurrent of jazz in the piece. Plus, hear Brubeck's classic "Blue Rondo a la Turk," and American composer Robert Moran's Agnus Dei for Mozart’s unfinished Requiem. Rounding out the show, the world music band Brave Combo offers a somewhat kooky and rollicking polka version of Mozart’s “Rondo A La Turca.”


“Rock Me Amadeus,” part 1

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

On this edition of New Sounds, listen to the first of a three-part series “Rock Me Amadeus,” as WNYC celebrates “Mozart 250.” Hear from the unclassifiable cult musician Pascal Comelade, who has worked with PJ Harvey and Robert Wyatt, among others, in his long career as a non-musician who reclaims the subversive, iconoclastic and ironic spirit of the “avant-garde” Expect something prog-rockish perhaps with toy instruments, as the Frenchman sets to music a letter from Mozart to his young cousin. Mozart and his music are also treated rudely by German electronic pioneer Edgar Froese (Tangerine Dream), American computer music wiz Carl Stone, and French world music producer Hughes Courson. Plus, composer/bassist Edgar Meyer bases his double concerto for himself and Yo Yo Ma on an earlier Mozart double concerto.


Flamenco Festival

Monday, January 23, 2006

Palestinian oud player Simon Shaheen and Flamenco guitarist Gerardo Nunez perform in the WNYC studio on this edition of New Sounds. Oud master Simon Shaheen (he’s also a violinist) is one of the most important Arab musicians and composers of his generation. He's also a teacher who has done a great deal to foster Arabic music in the West. Gerardo Núñez, known for his cross-cultural collaborations, is both a guitar virtuoso and a highly respected flamenco innovator. He is one of the best Flamenco guitarists in the world today, equally comfortable with playing deeply emotional traditional Flamenco at an amazing speed as he is venturing into jazz, Latin music, and other genres. Speaking of Flamenco, New York's annual Flamenco Festival gets underway on February 3.

Additional Resources:
» World Music Institute
» Gerardo Nunez's website
» Simon Shaheen's website


Double-Bass Upfront

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Whether it’s a jazz player standing isolated at the back of a stage, or a small army of players standing to one side of the orchestra, often too close to the brass section, double-bass players don’t often get the props they deserve for holding the line. On this edition of New Sounds, the focus is on these unsung musicians – the bass player/composers- and their new works. There’s music from New York-based Arnold Dreyblatt, who with his Orchestra of Excited Strings, literally beats the sound out of various stringed instruments. Upon close listening, Dreyblatt’s rhythmic, textured music might seem like an entire universe of tones -maybe not even what he composed- because of the way our brains can perceive the overtone structure of the strings. Plus, hear from virtuoso electric upright bass player Eberhard Weber, Oregonian Glen Moore, Norwegian Arild Andersen and genre-jumper Edgar Meyer, among others.


Laurie Anderson & Ethel

Saturday, January 21, 2006

From New Sounds Live at Merkin Hall recorded in late February 2004, Laurie Anderson performs new works for voice, violin, and keyboard. Hear her dry and witty streams of thought storytelling wend their way over alternately pulsing and thunderous keyboard programming, interspersed with violin interludes. Plus, the string quartet Ethel performs works by either John King or Todd Reynolds, and a breathtakingly melting work by Phil Kline.


Post-Rock Instrumentals

Friday, January 20, 2006

With roots in indie rock, and a combination of experimentation and unclassifiable sounds that fuse ambient, jazz, and minimalist chamber music together, “Post-Rock” music tends to subvert many elements associated with rock and roll. Rather than melodic hooks or song structure, it is usually instrumental, and if it does have vocals, they seem incidental to the overall effect. That said, on this New Sounds program, we’ll hear a number of post-rock instrumentals from bands like Tonetraeger, two guys from Düsseldorf who use string arrangements, produced sounds, interesting patterns and soundscapes to create moods rather than pop songs. Also on tap are Battles (ex-Don Caballero & Helmet!), who might sound something like foreign folks songs, hyper jazz, intelligent rock, and a bit of Steve Reich’s loops all shaken up together. Plus the irresistible chamber rock of Krakatoa and those “subversives with a cello,” Rachel’s.


New Music from Spain

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Mainly new music from Spain fills this New Sounds program. Listen to the flamenco blend of the unconventional cross-pollinators, Son de la Frontera. Their pounding flamenco footsteps over thundering guitars toes the line of Spanish-based traditions, and mixes in beats and melodies from Cuba, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela. Also, there’s electroacoustic music from self-confessed musical alchemists Radio Tarifa. This trio draws from a wide variety of folkloric traditions: Castillian, Andalusian, Japanese, with diversions to Renaissance music just to keep you guessing. Plus, the “terrifyingly good technique” of Juan Martin (according to the Spanish paper El Mundo) as showcased in some medieval-inspired flamenco. And much more.


Cross-Cultural Sampler

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

New Sounds offers some cross-cultural music spanning the traditions of several different continents on this program. There’s delicate Arabic-Andalusian folk rock by Algerian singer/songwriter Souad Massi, with some flamenco underpinnings. Also, listen to danceable Persian-inflected worldtronica from Niyaz - a trio of vocalist Azam Ali, instrumentalist Loga Ramin Torkian and producer/mixer Carmen Rizzo. Stay put, (if you can) for the Romanian gypsy horn madness of Fanfare Ciocarlia, 12 musicians (horns, trumpets, clarinets and timpani) who are masters of intricate rhythms and dizzying speeds. Plus, sample from Congotronics, Vol. 2, where more heavily-distorted electrified thumb pianos, more DIY amplification are joined by an array of buzzing drums, swirling guitars and hypnotic balafons. It’s the most recent collection of traditional trance music to come from Kinshasa.


Observing Ryuichi Sakamoto

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

On this edition of New Sounds, listen to the many musical sides of Ryuichi Sakamoto, whose birthday is today. The Japanese pianist, producer, songwriter, classical composer, actor, and DJ has recorded early music (Danceries), film music (Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence), “glitch” music with Alva Noto, moody songs with David Sylvian, even moodier orchestral music (Discord), and classic Brazilian tunes with the trio Morelenbaum2Sakamoto. Hear some of all of these, and more.


Strange Arrangements

Monday, January 16, 2006

This edition of New Sounds is given over to unusual arrangements of three "minimalist" classics. Marco Cappelli plays "Electric Counterpoint" by Steve Reich on string instruments from around the world; the Shanghai Film Orchestra plays "In C" by Terry Riley on traditional Chinese instruments; and Bruce Brubaker plays an excerpt from the Philip Glass opera Satyagraha on solo piano.


World Music from Mali To New Guinea

Sunday, January 15, 2006

One of Afghanistan's best-known female singers, Ustad Farida Mahwash, trained with classical masters, and now lives in exile in California. She had given concerts and performed on the radio long before the Taliban regime came to power and has just released a tour CD, "Mahwash: Radio Kaboul,” recorded in honor of the musicians of Radio Kabul. On this edition of New Sounds, listen to music by Ustad Mahwash. Also, sample from the recent double live CD by Habib Koite of Mali, backed by the superstar musicians of Bamada. Koite's velvety, intimate voice combines with balafon, calabasse, harmonica, and the six-string kora-like kamale n'goni, for layers of sound “as light as filo pastry, as substantial as whole-grain bread,” according to The Beat magazine. Plus, hear recordings from Namibia, Mozambique, and Sunda (Indonesia).


Music for Piano

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Anton Batagov is a young Russian artist, both keyboard player and composer. Not only is he the first Russian pianist to have taken on works by John Cage, Morton Feldman, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass, but he also self-produces electronic and experimental works, and releases them on his own private label. Hear pieces from Batagov's CD "Music for Piano" on this edition of New Sounds. Plus, there’s a work by George Crumb, "Eine Kleine Mitternacht Musik," based on Thelonius Monk’s “Round Midnight." Pianist Simone Dinnerstein treats us to a live performance of the piece in the WNYC studio.


Electro-Acoustic Music

Friday, January 13, 2006

On this edition of New Sounds, there are works by and for Canadian composer and guitar player Tim Brady. Brady's "Frame 1 – Resonance" was imagined as piece for piano and guitar where the guitar acts like a big, electronic resonator for the piano part, in effect becoming an electro-acoustic sustain pedal. Hear the piece played by the ensemble Bradyworks; Pamela Reiner on piano and Tim Brady himself on guitar and treatments. Then there’s "Dancetracks," which began life as a piece for tape and improvising electric guitar, created for Brady on commission by the Sonic Arts Network of London. The version that’s part of this New Sounds program is a composite of improvisations made out of real time, and in multiple tracks, by Steve Mackey, against the grid of the tape/drum track. Plus, hear a piece for mulitple marimbas, "Loops, Blips, and Flesh" by the Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy.


Mostly Acoustic Indie Chamber

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Can you imagine a show where you hear violas, french horn, trumpet, bassoon, stand-up bass, organ, guitars, drums, xylophone, steelpan, accordion and typewriter all together in the same hour-long program? Give a listen to the adventurous music of several hard-to-describe jazz/classical/experimental/post-rock ensembles on this New Sounds show. First off, we’ll peek at the most recent Clogs record, Lantern, an intimate song-based affair. Also, there’s music by the Bell Orchestre. (For those keeping score, it could be worth noting that Clogs includes guitarist Bryce Dessner and violist Padma Newsome from The National, and Bell Orchestre features The Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry and Sarah Neufeld.) Plus, listen to lyrical jazz-ish folk chamber music by Gato Libre, with an unusual combination of trumpet and accordion anchored by guitar and bass. There’s also music by the Australian combo Coolangubra (it’s Aboriginal for skull of kangaroo), slow-core electric guitar dreamy rockers Slow Six, and more.


The Indonesian Reach

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Hear some traditional and pop music from Indonesia, and the music it’s inspired on this New Sounds program. Dip into music by the Canadian-based contemporary gamelan group the Evergreen Club, along with some rare cuts by E. Koestyara and Group Gapura. Plus, listen to the singer Idjah Hadidjah, as accompanied by hand drums, gongs, and mallet instruments, from a Nonesuch Explorer CD. There’s also music that makes liberal use of gamelan orchestra by Lou Harrison, Evan Ziporyn, Patrick Grant, and more.


New York Guitar Festival Sampler

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

On this edition of New Sounds, listen to highlights from the biannual New York Guitar Festival Marathon, including performances from Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz (on electric and lap steel guitar, respectively) and Brazilian music from the Assad Brothers. Plus, listen to music from flamenco player Dennis Koster, guitar designer and new music arranger Dominic Frasca, pawnshop-style guitarist Ed Gerhard, and more.


Virtual Cathedral

Monday, January 09, 2006

From the New Sounds Live concert series, William Duckworth and The Cathedral Band play music on real and virtual instruments from Duckworth's enormous, 5-year multimedia web-based piece Cathedral. The live concert, recorded at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden Atrium, also incorporated the music made by concert-attending laptop users and those who played along through the world wide web on the virtual instrument called Pitchweb.
Click here to view a slideshow of this New Sounds Live concert recorded at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden.


Frisell Trio Scores

Sunday, January 08, 2006

From the New Sounds Live concerts, hear new music for silent films by Bill Frisell and his trio, recorded this past January at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden. The performances by The Bill Frisell Trio feature Kenny Wollesen on drums and Tony Scherr on bass, and were part of the 2004 New York Guitar Festival.


Ragas and Sagas

Saturday, January 07, 2006

On this edition of New Sounds, hear a collaboration between Pakistanis and Norwegians from an exotic CD called Ragas and Sagas, featuring saxophonist Jan Garbarek’s improvising saxophone, along with voice, sarangi, and tabla. In fact, the show is just full of cross-cultural Nordic music, including ambient trumpet jazz from Nils-Petter Molvaer, with wending solos, sometimes hypnotic and trip-hop smooth. Plus, Indian-flavored psychedelia and Irish bagpipes come together in violinist/composer Eyvind Kang’s work, “the Story of Iceland”.


Twittering Machines

Friday, January 06, 2006

On this edition of New Sounds, experience music driven by a relentless pulse. There's music by the "superminimalist" and "machinist" Lithuanian composer Rytis Mazulis. His work, "Twittering Machines" is computer-controlled mechanical piano organized into dense layers whose insistent rhythmic patterns gradually shift over time. Then, listen to "AC/DC," from a brand-new CD by the Italian new music group Sentieri Selvaggi. Plus, hear a work by electronic music innovator Morton Subotnick for chamber orchestra and computer based on a surrealistic novel by Max Ernst - "The Key to Songs."


Listener Poll 2005 Results

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Here's the rebuttal to last night’s program where the listeners weigh in on the best new music releases of 2005. Thanks to all of the listeners who voted. As we sort through the responses, the color commentary isn't that different from years past. Some of the usual suspects ranked highly this year, and there were also some relatively new artists. Listen for the shocking results...


Schaefer's Top 10 of 2005

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

On this special episode of New Sounds, John Schaefer presents his annual, highly subjective, completely opinionated list of the ten best new-music releases of 2005. Listen to what made the cut this year: a record of choral music drawn from diverse traditions, klezmer music by way of the carnival, Ethio-jazz from a live recording, a Senegalese artist, a Turkish-born electro-groove DJ, and more.


Ethio Jazz Live

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

From the New Sounds Live concert series, the Either Orchestra, the Massachusetts-based brass band, plays arrangements of classic Ethiopian pop music, with special guest Mulatu Astatqe, one of the leaders of the Ethiopian pop scene in the late 60s/early 70s. The E/O's innovative and tricky "Ethiopian Suite" was a definite show-stopper. Hear it and other works recorded at the World Financial Center’s Winter Garden Atrium this past fall of 2004.
Click here to view a slideshow of this New Sounds Live concert recorded at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden.


But Is It Jazz?

Monday, January 02, 2006

It’s music of a jazz sort on this New Sounds program featuring uncategorizable music by Australia’s trio The Necks. This threesome (piano/organ, bass, drums) is driven by hypnotic, deceptively simple riffs and motifs, which on their latest effort, “Drive-By”, is one epic improvised work, with color and accents to a pulse, over an hour in duration. Hear a portion of it, along with the idiosyncratic music of the Lounge Lizards, and the so-called acid jazz of Medeski, Martin & Wood on this edition of New Sounds.


Pre-empted

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Pre-empted by Paul Winter's Silver Solstice Special.