New Sounds Archive
May 2006
New for May 2006
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
It's that time again for the monthly program of new releases. John Schaefer picks through the bucketloads of CDs that have flooded his inbox to find new releases worthy of showcasing in tonight's program. Fact: a favorite game in the office is "Don't Tip the Waiter" making use of the stacks of CDs waiting for airplay on John's desk...
Musical Storytellers
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
For this New Sounds, read the titles and guess the theme of the show. Hear music by Neil Rolnick, and his “The Real Thief of Baghdad,” along with a work by Mikel Rouse entitled “A President up My Sleeve.” Plus, listen to Phil Kline's settings of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's unintentional poetry, “Three Rumsfeld Songs” and more.
Hard Times
Monday, May 29, 2006
Hear another of the “Theme and Variations” programs on this New Sounds, where the theme this time is “Hard Times Come Again No More.” It’s 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. Stephen Foster’s touching, optimistic melody is arranged and varied by Mark O'Connor/Yo Yo Ma/Edgar Meyer, Bill Frisell, Darol Anger, El McMeen, and much more.
Gamelan Music, East And West
Sunday, May 28, 2006
From the Javanese, “gamel,” meaning “hammer,” or “to strike," gamelan is a group of instruments meant to be played together, including tuned metallophones, various gongs, flutes, drums and other percussion. This edition of New Sounds is packed full of gamelan music, from both the east and west. Hear music of the nearly thousand-year old tradition of Java (Indonesia), with ceremonial music from the Surakarta (a.k.a. Soko) court. Plus, Richard Marriott's score to “Legong,” a film and film score incorporating Balinese Gamelan music, and much more.
Songs of Melancholy
Saturday, May 27, 2006
For this edition of New Sounds, hear some pairings of words and music, with settings of poetry, songs of unrequited love, and melancholy. Hear from Robin Williamson, the Scottish founder of the Incredible String Band who sets poetry by Dylan Thomas to music, in "Poem On His Birthday," an epic piece based on one of Thomas's most astonishing late creations. Also, John Renbourn sings "The Snows," a somewhat cynical look at women, backed by his own guitar. Plus, listen to Donna McKevitt’s intimate settings of Derek Jarman’s words and images, in I Walk In This Garden. Rounding out the show is music by the group known as the Dowland Project, made up of ex-Hilliard Ensemble singer John Potter, jazz musicians John Surman and Barry Guy, along with Stephen Stubbs (chitarrone, baroque guitar),and Maya Homburger (baroque violin), re-interpreting songs by John Dowland.
New Music for Thumb Piano
Friday, May 26, 2006
Nearly ubiquitous in sub-Saharan Africa, the thumb piano (also known as mbira, kalimba, sanza, and other regional names) has both a musical and spiritual legacy. We’ll hear contemporary extensions of that tradition on this New Sounds program, including selections from the Congotronics project, where homemade amplification distorts the thumb piano sound so that it has an entirely different texture, and is then accompanied by wickedly insistent percussive groove. Also, listen to Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche’s latest release "Mobile," which has him performing on the thumb piano for his solo drum kit compositions. (If you're in New York City, don’t forget to see him LIVE on Sunday June 4th at the World Financial Center - Winter Garden atrium as part of the Bang on a Can Marathon. Admission is free. More info at www.glennkotche.com.) Plus, there’s music by Ugandan-born New Yorker Samite, the late Camerounian writer/composer/musician Francis Bebey, and more.
Hammers and Sticks
Thursday, May 25, 2006
It’s an action-packed hour of beatings on this edition of New Sounds with music for pianos, marimbas, and pianos together with marimbas. Listen to a somber and melodic new work for piano and percussion by Belinda Reynolds simply called “Play.” Also, from the Australian composer Ross Edwards, “serious” yet exuberant “Marimba Dances,” featuring rhythms derived from insect calls. Plus, music by Marimolin, a combination of marimbist Nancy Zeltsman and violinist Sharan Leventhal. Rounding out the show is a drifting piece for three pianos by composer Kyle Gann, “Long Night.”
Zithered
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Was that an acoustic guitar? A harp? Well, for this New Sounds, everything comes from the zither (and digital delays) when the Austrian bassoonist/composer Christof Dienz performs live in the WNYC studio. Dienz was a bassoon player for the Vienna Opera Orchestra and composed most music for his genre-defying band ensemble "Die Knödel." For this project, he samples little specks of noise or short melodies from an electric zither which he thump or strums with a tuning fork, a glass slide, wooden sticks, his hands or paper clips. The result is rhythmic soundfields of beaten string layers. You’ve got to hear it! Oh yes, and much more.
Odd Ambient Post-Rock
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
“Post-Rock” is a catch-all term used to describe music that subverts many elements associated with indie rock, yet works in elements of jazz, minimalist chamber music, experimental and ambient music. For this New Sounds, we’ll sample some ambient post-rock from seminal orchestral rock subversives Rachel’s, along with music from the instrumental multimedia Montreal group Godspeed You! Black Emperor. We’ll also hear from Clogs, the bassoon-driven, viola-employing quartet, and the Icelandic band Sigur Ros. With any luck, there’ll be some gorgeous wordless music from Bell Orchestre, Amina, Tortoise, and Explosions in the Sky as well.
Digital Dervish
Monday, May 22, 2006
With one foot in Montréal, and one foot dancing and lingering in his native Turkey, the 21st century dervish Mercan Dede has taken the electronic groove and beats out of the DJ booth and melded them to traditional instruments like the darbouka, santur, and ney. The result is something like Arabic techno-folk and on this New Sounds, Dede presents tracks from his latest record, “Su.” The name means “Water,” and the CD features collaborations with Indian singer Susheela Raman, TransGlobal Underground sitarist Sheema Mukherjee, Tunisian singer Dhafer Youssef, and many others.
Young People’s Guide to Astronomy
Sunday, May 21, 2006
This New Sounds program, “The Young People’s Guide to Astronomy,” features works that take astronomical phenomena and translate them into music. Hear Elodie Lauten’s Variations on the Orange Cycle, an experience of time, with the earth’s 24 hour rotation cycle as a point of departure. Venture further out with music by Neil Ardley, based on the idea of the “Harmony of the Spheres,” the celestial music that the ancient Greeks believed was given out by the planets as they float through space. Ardley realized this notion by converting the orbit times of our solar system’s nine planets into musical notes, whose upper and lower limits correspond to the range of human hearing, and composing music with these frequencies. Plus, hear Terry Riley’s “Sun Rings,” drawing on sounds directly from our solar system collected by NASA, like the crackling of solar winds, the whistling of deep-space lightning, and other cosmic phenomena.
New Music From California
Saturday, May 20, 2006
This New Sounds program is devoted to new music from California, with some brand-new Cold Blue recordings along with recent moody piano musings from Harold Budd. Listen to selections from Budd’s ambient and dreamy “The Room,” whose walls invite discovery. Also, there’s music from the composer and founder of the recently revived Cold Blue Music label, Jim Fox, and his piece for trombones, strings and piano, “The City The Wind Swept Away,” self-described as both “motionless and moving forward with a strange sense of inevitability.” Rounding out the show is more compelling music from Cold Blue by Daniel Lentz, with his far-reaching “Los Tigres De Marte,” for clarinet, string quartet and electronic keyboards.
European Minimalism
Friday, May 19, 2006
Listen to “zen-funk” a sort of “ritual groove” from Nik Bartsch’s Ronin, insistent with its propulsive interlocking rhythms and demanding constant attention, rather than mind-wandering meditation. The gradual evolving sound of Ronin makes one jump to use the “m” word, but there’s melody and improvisation here in addition to the repetitive motifs. Also on the show, Dutch minimalism from Louis Andriessen. Hear excerpts from the opera "Writing to Vermeer," which is centered around letters from three women in Vermeer’s life. The collaborative project includes bursts of electronic music contributed by Michel van der Aa, with the libretto (and as those who might have seen the production recall) and a gigantic film component by Peter Greenaway. Plus, work by Piero Milesi for the cinema and the theater from "The Nuclear Observatory Of Mr. Nanof" release. If we’re lucky, we’ll hear the frantic gamelan piece, Three Figurations. And, as always, much more.
Six-String Riley
Thursday, May 18, 2006
For this edition of New Sounds, Gyan Riley joins us in the studio to present recent works and sneak peeks at in-progress studio recordings. The gifted young guitarist and composer is also the son of legendary American composer Terry Riley. Let it be known that Gyan started out on violin, but coveted the electric guitar because of an older brother’s band. He later won a raffle for a nylon string guitar and four free classical lessons. When he wasn't practicing classical stuff, he was learning every Dead Kennedys, Dead Milkmen, Descendents, Misfits, etc., and other punk song he could get his hands on. Listen to some of Gyan playing guitar with the World Guitar Ensemble, The Falla Guitar Trio; as the mandocellist of the Modern Mandolin Quartet, and some of his own works from his debut recording “Food for the Bearded.” Also, there’s music by the post-rock/chamber group called Clogs, and more.
Nordic Soundscapes
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Experience the sparse beauty of the Tord Gustavsen trio on this edition of New Sounds. The Norwegian pianist has just released a second CD called “The Ground” on which the trio’s minimalist though expressive playing delivers the listener into a kind of hushed and sober reflective state. Also, listen to the Norwegian saxophone player Jan Garbarek from an album of intricate duets with Ralph Towner, “Dis.” Note that this release goes back to the early days of the ECM label. Plus, there’s music by both the Norwegian double-bass player Arild Andersen and the pianist/composer Ketil Bjornstad
New Sounds Rocks
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
For this edition of New Sounds, listen to strange covers of rock songs by David Bowie, The Pixies, and Elliott Smith, featuring (among others) Brazilian singer Seu Jorge, the jazz trio The Bad Plus, classical pianist Christopher O'Riley, and downtown trombonist Curtis Hasselbring. Listen to Finnish jazz and acoustic Brazilian arrangements of Bowie’s "Starman," along with an acoustic-surf-jazz version of the Pixies’ “Ana.” Also, the Norwegian singer Hanne Hukkelberg deconstructs “Break My Body,” (Frank Black Francis) complete with accordion, woodwinds and brushed drums, taking the song to a previously unanticipated level of masochism. And who could resist the Bad Plus doing the Pixies' “Velouria,” which rises to a fever pitch of insanity and twistedly busts out dance moves, while simultaneously feeling like a Liszt piano concerto? All that and so much more.
More Lullabies
Monday, May 15, 2006
This New Sounds programs offers more lullabies – a whole hour of nocturnal works by Meredith Monk, Natacha Atlas, Taj Mahal, Harold Budd, and many others. From a new recording with the Brodsky Quartet, hear Meredith Monk’s wordless invocation, “Gotham Lullaby.” Also, listen to “Adam’s Lullaby,” a collaboration between English composer Jocelyn Pook and singer Natacha Atlas, whose Arabic vocals are lushly enveloped by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Plus, lullabies from the Balanescu Quartet inspired by "Romania’s Edith Piaf," Maria Tanase.
Hi Tech, Lo Tech, (New Tech,) No Tech
Sunday, May 14, 2006
It’s a New Sounds for the Dr. Suess set, or at least for those who like to experiment with sound-producing technological toys. There’s music from Chris Butler’s latest, called “Museum of Me,” where he recorded onto wax cylinders, wire recorders, and antique tape machines. Then listen to a bit from Michael Gordon’s latest, “Light Is Calling.” Its avant-classical sound is somewhat drum-and-bass like, with twisted loops that might not be out of place at a dance club. Also, hear music by Daniel Figgis from his recording, “Skipper,” coupled with ambient re-compositions of Figgis’ loopy samples and instrumental electronic washes. These works are from a new compilation, “When It’s Ajar,” by Ireland’s finest soundmakers, who run the gamut from electroacoustic music, glitch and micro-sound, to hip-hop, ambient and dance music.
Choral Works
Saturday, May 13, 2006
The visionary collaboration between Polish film director Krzysztof Kieslowski and composer Zbigniew Preisner was cut short in 1995 when the director had a heart attack and died. Hear the composer’s deeply religious musical memorial written as a final goodbye for his director friend on this edition of New Sounds. This heavy choral work is in both Latin and Polish, accompanied by a string quintet, organ and percussion. Also on tap is Steve Reich's Proverb, a choral work which pays homage to the 12th-century composer Perotin and makes liberal use of the medieval hocket technique. Plus, Meredith Monk’s mammoth "Atlas," a travelogue opera in three parts, with its dreamlike vocalise and rich vocal textures.
Afro-pop-a-go-go
Friday, May 12, 2006
Take a sampling of some of the latest Afro-pop releases on this edition of New Sounds. There’s acoustic guitar-based Senegalese blues from Nuru Kane, along with sunny lively tunes from the French-Madagascan trio Wa-Zimba. Also, savor a taste of Zimbabwean pop with reissues from the guitar-rooted 70’s pop stars the Green Arrows, and the Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, featuring one Thomas Mapfumo. And of course, lots more.
Radiohead Revisited
Thursday, May 11, 2006
The English rock band Radiohead has attracted an unusual amount of attention from other-than-rock musicians. On this edition of New Sounds, listen to arrangements of their songs by Christopher O’Riley, Brad Mehldau, Geoff Keezer, Russell Donnellon, and a Radiohead piece built on a sample of electronic music by composer Paul Lansky.
Andalusian Origins
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Jewish/Algerian pianist and composer Maurice El Medioni, Grandmaster of Raï (once called the “Rubén Gonzaléz of the Maghreb”), teamed up with Cuban/Klezmer super-drummer Roberto Rodriguez on a new record for a combustible blend of Arabic, African, Jewish, and Latin elements. Surprisingly not that far apart, Algeria and Cuba are connected by a common cultural heritage originating from Andalusian Spain in the 10th century. The two exiles, Rodriguez and El Medioni, come together in this Descarga (which literally translates as ‘to unload’ and is used to refer to a Cuban jam session) and celebrate a time when Jews and Arabs met to make music and share things. Listen to tunes from this latest release “Descarga Oriental: The New York Sessions,” and more on this edition of New Sounds.
American Roots
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
For this edition of New Sounds, there’s music by master guitarist Brandon Ross, a versatile musician who has worked with the likes of Henry Threadgill, Butch Morris, Oliver Lake, and Cassandra Wilson. Listen to selections from his brilliant new CD, “Costume,’ which runs the gamut from acoustic guitar to twangily intense banjo, cornet to Chinese flute, and features the poetry and vocals of Sadiq Bey. But wait, there’s more. Hear the Turtle Island String Quartet play a slightly twisted but affectionate work dedicated to and named for the painter Grant Wood, known best for his “American Gothic.” Plus, a deconstructionist fantasy on “Louie Louie” from environmentalist mayor, former MTV rocker, and composer Phillip Kent Bimstein.
World Post-Minimalism
Monday, May 08, 2006
For this New Sounds program, sample some post-minimalism from around the world. There’s music from the brand-new release, “Paranoid Cheese” by Baltimore-born composer Marc Mellits. In places, there are relentless repetitive motifs that rock hard, while other pieces, like the title track, absolutely soar with long lovely phrases. Also, hear music by Kevin Volans, a South African composer now living in Dublin, Ireland. His work, “White Man Sleeps” for string quartet, is a collaboration with the Kronos Quartet, and the title refers to the startling silences found in a Nyanga panpipe dance. According to tradition, these quiet interruptions represented an effort not to awaken sleeping white landowners. Plus, listen to music by Philip Glass arranged for the modern Brazilian group Uakti – so named for the legendary Amazonian creature with holes all over his body. Whenever he ran through the forest, the wind passing through his body made wonderful and intriguing sounds, much like the group’s exotic instruments, which were constructed using everyday materials: pipe, glasses, metal, rocks, rubber, and even water. And there's much more.
Music in Suspended Time
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Forget about the space-time continuum on this edition of New Sounds. Hear “Birds in Warped Time II” by Somei Satoh, featuring violinist Anne Akiko Meyers rendering the somewhat Japanese-sounding melody, still and spare over the repetitive piano. Also, listen to some of Morton Feldman's late masterpiece "Triadic Memories," slow-moving and mostly quiet piano music, raising awareness of the silence around it as much as it engages with sound. Pianist Louis Goldstein, on performing Triadic Memories, relates that “my own sense of time is stretched and tugged in ways I never before experienced.” Plus American composer Peter Garland’s work, "Walk In Beauty," written for pianist Aki Takahashi. The piece is based on the peyote chants of the American southwest and seems to have captured the sense of suspended time as well.
New Versions of Old Folk Songs
Saturday, May 06, 2006
The English folk song Scarborough Fair dates back to late medieval times, when the seaside resort of Scarborough was an important venue for tradesmen from all over England. Scarborough Fair was actually a huge forty-five day trading event, starting around August fifteenth, which was exceptionally long for a fair in those days. Now that there's a sense of place and time, on this episode of New Sounds, you'll hear many new versions of old folk songs like Scarborough Fair, including the ambient arrangement of that tune by the British musician/composer/producer Tom Green, a.k.a. Another Fine Day. Also, bassist-leader Marc Johnson, along with drummer Peter Erskine and celebrated guitarists Bill Frisell and John Scofield take on the folk ballad "Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair," a tune probably from the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Plus Nora York’s riveting interpretation of one of the most famous of Irish folk songs “She Moved Through The Fair,” and more.
Sacred Music, Irish and Otherwise
Friday, May 05, 2006
The name Anuna derives from the ancient Irish name "An Uaithne," which collectively describes the three ancient types of Celtic music; lullaby, happy song, and lament (Suantrai, Geantrai and Goltrai, respectively.) This Irish group, who were the original “Riverdance” choir, blend Middle English, Scots Gaelic, Irish, Breton, Medieval Irish, Latin, and Greek choral music together in tunes ranging from folk songs to newly composed music based on ancient texts. On this New Sounds, we’ll hear from Anuna’s recent retrospective CD, along with other sacred works. Plus, selections from a stunning new release by Alexandra Montano of mostly medieval Spanish songs, called "Reflejo Medieval."
American Fiddle
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Violinist and composer Darol Anger, a founder of the Turtle Island String Quartet, joins us to talk about his current group, The Republic of Strings. This intergenerational string quartet/band somehow connects jazz, bluegrass, world music, jam band and chamber music, old-time jazz, soul, country and fuses them into a unique slice of Americana. For this New Sounds, Anger presents tunes from the new CD, Generation Nation and more.
A Private Reel
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
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: fro-Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and percussionist Minu 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.”
Central Asian Voices
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Listen to central Asian voices on this New Sounds program, where we’ll feature the new album by Tibetan refugee singer and composer Yungchen Lhamo - AMA. AMA means ‘mother’ in the Tibetan language, and is dedicated to Yungchen’s own mother. The songs are infused with the quiet spiritual power of Tibetan Buddhism, and use trumpet, strings, African kora, Middle Eastern percussion and National Steel guitar, all wrapped around Lhamo’s voice. There’s also music from Selwa, the most recent collaboration between the Buddhist nun Choying Drolma and Steve Tibbetts, which sounds like gorgeous layers of ancient ritual chants with electronic sounds, acoustic guitar and percussion. Hear the otherworldly ritual music of the Gyuto monks, the Tibetan choir whose traditional chanting of the sutras is accompanied by both short and long trumpets and percussion. Plus, music in the multi-octave Tuvan throat-singing style by vocalist Sainkho (Namtchylak.) Her deep guttural moans and high-pitched whistles and buzzing overtones (the tradition of her homeland located just south of Siberia) can sound like demons, children, Tuvan, gospel, blues, and opera. And much more...
Music from West Africa
Monday, May 01, 2006
There’s music from West Africa on this edition of New Sounds. Listen to tunes from a new retrospective release by the veteran Malian singer-songwriter-guitarist Boubacar Traore. The selections for the CD, "The Bluesman from Mali," were hand-picked by Traore himself. Plus, hear the latest record from the legendary balafon master Keletigui Diabate, S"andiya." It's a gorgeous collection of music for mallets, solo and accompanied by kora, guitar, flutes and percussion, which features guest artists Habib Koite, Toumani Diabate, among others. And there’s much more.
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