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September 2006
William Duckworth
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Often referred to as the first “post-minimalist” composer, William Duckworth has created works for solo instruments, large ensembles, and even the internet, as in his 5-year, ongoing piece “Cathedral.” "Cathedral" is one of the first interactive, continuous works of music and art designed specifically for the World Wide Web by Duckworth and media artist Nora Farrell. The Cathedral Band, a global collective of improvising musicians, is the human element of Cathedral that touches down in periodic live performance. On this New Sounds, we hear excerpts from Cathedral and other, acoustic works, several of which have familiar melodies “hidden” within.
New Releases Sept. 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
It's that time of the month again for the new releases show on New Sounds. John Schaefer carefully separates the wheat from the chaff for this harvest moon show. He'll sort through the stacks, bins, and boatloads of new CDs which have come across his desk over the past month to present some of the finest new releases. He'll skim off the cream. He'll pick the lentils from the ashes. You get it. What we can see of his desk from here includes something new from Christopher Willits, big band thrashlounge from the Flat Earth Society, potluck jazz from Taylor Haskins, new orchestral "serious?" music from Danny Elfman, and perhaps a few post-punk samba loungey cover songs.
The End of Cinematics
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Mikel Rouse, the composer of interdisciplinary multimedia works like “Failing Kansas” and “Dennis Cleveland” presents his most ambitious work to date, “The End of Cinematics.” The work, part of BAM’s Next Wave festival, reflects on the way corporate entertainment has transformed the art of cinema, and combines live performance with original music and video/film. Also, Rouse presents some of his latest works, like “International Cloud Atlas,” music he wrote for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, along with the brand new, “Love at Twenty,” and more.
World Music From the 80's
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
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.
Kind of Blues
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
For this New Sounds, listen to the blues that kind of wander someplace else. Hear the droning, bluesy grooves of guitarist Brad Barr, of The Slip, on “Bouba’s Bounce,” drawing inspiration from the late Sandy Bull’s psychedelic folk. Also, there’s a nod to the blues from Mali, with Bill Frisell’s “Boubacar,” from the Intercontinentals record. Plus, there’s Arabic-flavored blues, as Taj Mahal adapts the Mississippi Delta blues tune “Catfish Blues” (“I wish I was a catfish swimming in the deep blue sea, I’d have all you good looking women swimming after me … ”), with references to the Malian cities of Timbuktu and Bamako as well as the capital city of Zanzibar. And as always, much more.
New Music Bands, 80’s Style
Monday, September 25, 2006
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.
Music for Adapted Guitar
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Works by composers who started with guitars, began altering their instruments, and ended up with a whole new sound world are the focus of this edition of New Sounds. Whether it’s adding strings, affixing wooden bars to the instrument, or even stretching the instrument to almost twenty feet in length and playing it like a zither, we’ll hear a variety of approaches to sound. One of these guitarists, Dominic Frasca, in order to adapt certain pieces for guitar, has commissioned specially constructed 6-, 10- and 13 string guitars, rigged with C-clamps and door bolts. Paul Dresher is another guitarist/innovator who has extended the instrument with the Quadrachord, a zither-like instrument with four 160-inch-long strings. Hear music for these adapted guitars and more, along with thoughtful chamber rock music by the group Clogs.
Ethiopiques
Saturday, September 23, 2006
A series of reissues of Ethiopian pop music of the 60s and 70s, called “Ethiopiques,” has renewed interest in this super-groovy style. We’ll hear original recordings by the great Mahmoud Ahmed, the Ethio-jazz-groove innovator Mulatu Astatqe, and Ethiopian pop songs arranged by the brass band The Either/Orchestra, The Code International, along with the American-based Ethiopian singers Aster Aweke and Gigi.
Sundanese Gamelan Pop
Friday, September 22, 2006
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.
Instrumental Crossovers
Thursday, September 21, 2006
On this edition of New Sounds, the string quartet Ethel plays “Nepomuk’s Dances” by Marcelo Zarvos from their brand-new release “Light.” It's a work with a Latin-American flavor, snappy crisp pizzicatos, fiery fast passages and a (literally) foot-stomping final movement. Also, indie-rock heroes Yo La Tengo play their own instrumental “Daphnia,” from the new album whose title just rolls off the tongue, “I Am Not Afraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass.” Plus, music by Explosions in the Sky, Slow Six, and a host of other samplings of music without words.
A World of Prayer
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Hear the convergence of Christian and Muslim holy texts on this edition of New Sounds. Norwegian folksinger Sondre Bratland and renowned Qawwali singer Javed Bashir perform psalms and hymns together from their different religious traditions both in mosques in Pakistan, and in two Norwegian churches. From a new CD called “Dialogue,” listen to their two voices, with nothing more than a hand drum as accompaniment. Also, hear Moroccan songs from the mixed Hebrew/Arab tradition of the piyyout from Rabbi Haim Louk, Sufi music from the Ottoman Empire by the Kudsi Erguner Ensemble, and more.
Percussion Paintings
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Listen to works for percussion ensemble that depict natural phenomena, including meteor showers, animals, and others on this edition of New Sounds. Hear Wendy Mae Chambers' work “Night of the Shooting Stars,” which 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.
Joys & Desires
Monday, September 18, 2006
Experience “high torque” ensemble music with the latest from in-and-out-of-jazz drummer/composer John Hollenbeck – “Joys and Desires.” Its mesmerizing and exotic textures are all the more arresting because of the vocal contributions of Theo Bleckmann. Plus, there are selections from “Terror & Magnificence,” music by John Harle, a saxophonist with Michael Nyman's band. The work is kind of like chamber jazz and invokes Tudor texts and English folksongs. Also, hear "Ariadne in Su Laberinto," the final movement from Osvaldo Golijov’s gorgeous song cycle “Ayre.” It’s a juxtaposition of Eastern European Jewish music and Spanish rhythms and Arabic and Latin American rhythms featuring Dawn Upshaw, the soprano and “vocal octopus” (a compliment from the composer himself.) And as always on New Sounds, much more.
In Praise of Dreams
Sunday, September 17, 2006
New works from Europe make up the backbone of this New Sounds program. Daniele Sepe, the Italian saxophonist and composer based in Naples, mixes jazz, funk, and rock in his love songs, serenades, and protest songs, along with pizzicas and tarantellas from his collection, “Senza Filtro." Plus, hear from Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, who has recently released his first new record in nearly 6 years – “In Praise of Dreams.” It’s a collaboration with violist American-Armenian Kim Kashkashian and African-French drummer Manu Katché which expertly improvises a blend of folk and classical, achieving a purity that is both rich and deep. Also, the French horn virtuoso, Arkady Shilkloper, single-handedly layers together music using an incredible arsenal of instruments, among them didgeridoo and Wagner tuba, on his solo record of improvised music, “Pilatus.”
Jazz Inflections
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Pianist Larry Karush’s roots embrace jazz, 20th century Western classical music, African-based percussion, and the music of North India. On this edition of New Sounds, Program #2340, he visits the studio to talk about improvising on themes from Arabic, Appalachian, and his original compositions. Plus, hear the latest from master Lebanese oud player and “the Bob Dylan of the Middle East,” Marcel Khalife, whose new release, “Caress” puts his two sons to work on piano, and percussion.
Works on Film
Friday, September 15, 2006
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.
World Music
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Listen to the dangerous heat of Hazmat Modine, together with Tuvan throat singer Huun-Huur-Tu as we administer a dose of cross-cultural world music on this New Sounds. Some of the most gleeful and unexpectedly wicked combinations of noises come from this band, like the recorded sounds of Sri Lankan crickets or dogs from Bali barking through the night, along with odd instruments like the cimbalom, the claviola, the sarrusaphone, and the contra-bass saxophone. There’s also new music based on Persian and Turkish music from the collaborative efforts of kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor and baglama, or saz player, Erdal Erzincan. And as always, much more.
New Music from Argentina
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Listen to a bunch of new music from Argentina on this New Sounds show, including singer/songwriter Gabriela’s unique combination of Argentine folk music and jazz. Also, hear folktronica from Juana Molina with nature noises, bombo leguero (hollow log drum), and keyboards. Not to be outdone, there’s playful folktronic geekery by Gaby Kerpel which uses plenty of other instruments from South America and samples from anywhere. Plus, arrangements of music by the late great king of the “Nuevo Tango” Astor Piazzolla, new music by bandoneon master Dino Saluzzi, and more.
More Ambient Music
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Ambient music can be music of little or no rhythm, with background sounds and effects as foreground music, perhaps bringing to mind works by Brian Eno. There’s also some danger of falling into the "new age" category. Well, on this edition of New Sounds, listen to some ambient music that takes the modern drone and renders it stately, as in the latest release by K. Leimer, “Statistical Truth,” as well as some looks back to works by Fripp & Eno. Also, works by Michael Jon Fink from the Cold Blue family and Bach as interpreted by Anton Batagov.
Caravan Variations
Monday, September 11, 2006
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.
Zippo Songs Live
Sunday, September 10, 2006
From the New Sounds Live Concert Series, it's a sociopolitical blowout show. Hear Phil Kline's "Zippo Songs," art songs for rock band (and the musical equivalent of a kick to the gut), along with excerpts from Scott Johnson's work, “How It Happens,” featuring the voice of I.F. Stone and Ethel, all performed live from the stage at Merkin Hall. Phil Kline's Zippo Songs are provocative and intense, hard-rockin' music with settings of "poems" inscribed on army-issue Zippo lighters by American GIs in Vietnam. Also, hear Kline's "Rumsfeld songs" containing texts from various Pentagon briefings, all sung by Theo Bleckmann and featuring the Zippo Band: violinist Todd Reynolds, percussionist David Cossin, and the composer himself on guitars.
With Pino Forastiere
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Guitarist and composer Dominic Frasca is opening the ultimate boutique performance space in Chelsea, where the music (rather than the booze, burlesque or meat market scene) takes center stage – The Monkey. The first performer to grace this freshly-drilled and surround-sound equipped new venue is the extraordinary Italian guitarist Forastiere, who combines the blues with tapping on his acoustic 6-string. On this edition of New Sounds, Forastiere performs his original solo compositions live in the studio. The music is something like a mix of Steve Reich's interlocking rhythmic patterns meet Michael Hedges' techniques, all while admiring Eddie Van Halen. Also, John Schaefer speaks with Frasca about this intimate new space and its capabilities for concerts and multimedia events.
A Stretch of Jazz
Friday, September 08, 2006
For this New Sounds show, sample some recent recordings of works that stretch the definitions of jazz. Listen to Sex Mob's latest record "Sexotica" with its riffs on of the booze-drenched lounge feel of 50's bandleader Martin Denny. The results are playful and adventurous, and with the electronic splicing after the free expression (courtesy of GoodandEvil - Brooklyn producers Danny Blume and Chris Kelly), sound like a primal reinvigoration of exotica. Also, listen to pianist Jason Moran’s work, “The Shape, The Scent, The Feel of Things” a commission for the Dia Art Foundation, which accompanied performance/video artist Joan Jonas' abstract video piece. Plus, music by the unpredictable trio of Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, and Paul Motian, who take “Pretty Polly” and let it timeshift and almost swing, with a blend of skewed folksiness and behind-the-beat blues phrasing.
New Sounds Live, the Early Years
Thursday, September 07, 2006
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.
Unexpected Strings
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
For this New Sounds, listen to some chamber music for zither and strings, for sampled guitar and electronics, and more. There’s music from composer Dan Joseph, whose past work for Gamelan Son of Lion includes writing a piece for hammer dulcimer and Javanese Gamelan. Plus, there’s music from Turkish electronic composer, Erdem Helvagioglu, featuring guitar with live electronics and processing. And much more.
Piano and Voice
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
This New Sounds highlights evocative but enigmatic songs for that apparently simplest of combinations – piano and voice. From the most recent record by Susanne Abbuehl, hear “In the Dark Pine-Wood” with poetry by James Joyce, and something new from songwriter Lee Feldman. Also, there’s a beautiful tune - “Strange Lures” by the reclusive Ed Pastorini. Hear more music for piano and voice by Robin Holcomb with a breathtaking track, “Deliver Me.” Plus, Peter Gabriel’s “Here Comes The Flood.”
Two by Two
Monday, September 04, 2006
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.
Chamber Jazz and Tokyo Road
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Listen to tracks from "Book of Silk" by the Tin Hat Trio (Mark Orton, Carla Kihlstedt and Rob Burger) on this edition of New Sounds. "Book of Silk" is named for an ancient Chinese manuscript of the first recorded renderings of comets. Much of this idiosyncratic chamber jazz was actually recorded as a quintet, featuring harpist Zeena Parkins (a fixture on New York’s “avant-garde” music scene and Bjork’s sometime collaborator) and tuba master Bryan Smith (symphony player, and he’s with Deep Banana Blackout) along with the trio’s quirky blend of violin, accordion and guitar. The trio continues to focus on removing the boundaries between classical, world music, and jazz – and between improvisation and composition with this lush and intriguing record. Also on the show is music from pianist Brad Mehldau’s latest CD, a live recording made in Tokyo. On it he takes on standards from George Gershwin and Cole Porter to modern standards like Radiohead and Nick Drake and achieves strange, yet marvelous creative interpretations of those tunes, with help from bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy.
Music of Former Yugoslavia
Friday, September 01, 2006
Yugoslavia, which is now Serbia and Montenegro, 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.
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2009-2010 Concert Season
Guitarist Vernon Reid's multi-media "Artificial Afrika" to the music of avant-pop Dutch composer Jacob TV, songs by Elizabeth and the Catapult, new music to silent films by Yasujiro Ozu, and more.
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