New Sounds Archive
June 2007
Two by Two
Saturday, June 30, 2007
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.
New Releases June 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
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 newcomer from Kenya, Kenge Kenge, Bob Brozman Orchestra and a really fabulous new release by the primitive guitar-whiz James Blackshaw. All this and much more.
Site-Specific Music
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Listen to works inspired by and made for specific locations, including flutist Paul Horn's historic recording in the Taj Mahal, and Robert Fripp's soundscapes for the World Financial Center. Plus, Alvin Lucier's "I Am Sitting In A Room," which actually uses a room's natural resonance to produce the music over time as the initial utterance decays, and Paul Winter's new recording in the alpine valley of Crestone, Colorado.
New Music for Arab Lute
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Music for Arab lutes dominates this New Sounds program. Listen to Kabul-stylings of the Afghan rubâb player Homayun Sakhi, who is heir to a musical lineage steeped in the North Indian classical tradition. Also, there’s “shiny” oud music by a trio of brothers, Le Trio Joubran, sons in a long line of a family of luthiers, in this case, oud-crafters. Their music willfully plays with dividing lines between music of the classical Arab world and Indian classical music, Spanish flamenco, and American jazz. Plus, there’s spacious and absorbing trio work from the Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem, who is joined by Jean-Louis Matinier on accordion and François Couturier on piano.
Kamikaze Ground Crew & Members
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Up on this New Sounds, there's brand new music from one of New York's all-star music groups - the Kamikaze Ground Crew. We'll hear selections from their latest release of skewed habaneras and extended widescreen compositions, called "Postcards from the Highwire." Also, individual projects from the various Crew members including Doug Wieselman, Steven Bernstein, Gina Leishman, Art Baron, leading or supporting such groups as Trio S, Sex Mob, the Millennial Territory Orchestra, Hieroglyphic Ensemble, and Bill Frisell's Trio.
Downtown Gamelan
Monday, June 25, 2007
Listen to the clangorous sounds of gamelan-inspired music from New York’s "downtown" scene on this New Sounds. Gamelan is a group of instruments meant to be played together, generally struck or hammered, from the Javanese, "gamel," and can include tuned metallophones, various gongs, flutes, drums and other percussion. Hear works from the new music ensemble Gamelan Son of Lion, whose instruments were built by Barbara Benary using hubcaps, PVC pipes, steel keys and cans. There’s also music from composer David Simons, whose instrument textures range from theremin to the chain saw, and from the Slinky® to gamelan. Plus, music by Patrick Grant, and more.
New Music from Australia
Sunday, June 24, 2007
On this edition of New Sounds, prepare for music from the land of Oz – Australia, that is. Listen to the “wire music” of Alan Lamb, which explores telegraph wires “singing in the wind,” or more accurately, the sounds generated by the action of wind on long wires. There’s also cross-cultural music from the Sita Band, which includes both western and eastern instruments, and is heavily influenced by Indonesian gamelan music. Plus, hear music performed by the Australian band Topology, who combine violin viola and piano with electric bass guitar, sampler, saxophone and sound engineering. Rounding out the show is music from Michael Askill, the former principal percussionist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Egghead Van Halen
Saturday, June 23, 2007
“You can excite an audience, you can anger an audience, you can even scare an audience, just don't bore an audience." This is the operating philosophy of guitarist, composer, and presenter Dominic Frasca. Equally as concerned with the visual aspects of performance as with the audible, Frasca’s concerts often contain multi-media works, incorporating video, power tools, erotic dancers and even lawn care equipment. He's also been dubbed the "Eddie Van Halen for Eggheads" by Entertainment Weekly magazine. On this edition of New Sounds, Frasca visits the WNYC studio to talk about his latest Olympic weightlifting exploits, the technical set-up of the surround sound at the Monkey - the performance space he operates, and oh yes – play some pretty amazing guitar, both 6 and 10 string.
Story Ballads
Friday, June 22, 2007
For this New Sounds, gather round for some story ballads, old and new. Traditional British and American ballads from Fairport Convention, Darol Anger, and Traffic meet their contemporary descendants in songs by The Knitters (members of X), Bill Morrissey, and The Decemberists. Listen to selections ranging from the story of the ill-fated leader of the Peasant’s Revolt to burials at sea, and possibly a version of "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair. Perhaps even a murder ballad will grace the mix, and more.
Roma and Romanian Roots
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Hear some frenzied Romanian gypsy punk from the New York-based Luminescent Orchestrii on this edition of New Sounds. Not willing to stop there, they can also rock the klezmer, bust out hip-hop beats and call upon Appalachian fiddle as well. We'll also listen to music from that "band of brigands," Taraf de Haïdouks, who come from the small Romanian Village Of Clejani, southwest of the capital city of Bucharest. They mix up Romanian folk tradition, both soul and speed, ranging from haunting heartland ballads to dizzying fiddle dances. Plus, there's Osvaldo Golijov's “Night of the Flying Horses," a slow dark viola lullaby that erupts into a fast gallop, boasting a theme that the composer proudly claims to have stolen from Taraf de Haïdouks. Throw in the globe-spanning music from the Kronos Quartet release Caravan, and that's a show. But there's probably even more!
Global Guitars
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Hear two living legends of the guitar playing world, John Williams and John Etheridge in a collaboration running the gamut from Bach to African folk music. Listen to tunes from their latest album Places Between, recorded live at the 2006 Dublin Guitar Festival, with music from Africa, Madagascar, South America, and Cape Verde on this edition of New Sounds. There's also music from Montreal's answer to Michael Hedges - Erik Mongrain, and the flamenco-rich fusions of Son de la Frontera, among others.
Electronic Music
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Irish composer Linda Buckley summons both electronic and acoustic forces and her works to date have used organ and multi-channel tape, prepared piano and Javanese Gamelan, among others. We'll hear some of her music written for the theatre on this New Sounds program. Plus, Madison, Wisconsin-based composer Gregory Taylor marries the Javanese slendro scale and synthesizers, sampling, looping and processing to create some incredibly textured and layered clouds of gamelan music and glitch-ambience. There's also music from Norway's Arve Henriksen, Seattle's K. Leimer, and more.
Indigenous Shrinking World
Monday, June 18, 2007
For this New Sounds, sample some music whose instrumentation, tuning, and blend of styles reflects the collision of East and West, old and new, composed and improvised. This "indigenous music for a shrinking world" includes music by Ken Schaphorst, this time in a trio setting, from his release Indigenous Technology, which layers rich textures of cello, piano, and marimba. Plus, there’s music by Steven Mackey, whose work “Indigenous Instruments,” sounds like folk music from an invented world, what with the microtones, extended techniques and unusual sounds. And more.
Beyond Words
Sunday, June 17, 2007
On this edition of New Sounds, listen to vocal music without texts, from the sort of angelic minimalism of Mary Jane Leach to the jazzical vocals of Bobby McFerrin. Also, "whole world" music from the Indian-influenced Shelia Chandra, and works from composer, singer, director, filmmaker, and choreographer Meredith Monk.
Under the Traditional Influence
Saturday, June 16, 2007
On this New Sounds program, hear western music based on and infused with Middle Eastern influences. Sample the latest from Brooklyn-based Raquy Danziger and the Cavemen, a Turkish-rooted rock outfit. Listen to Axiom of Choice, an ensemble with roots in traditional Persian repertoire, but who blend Middle Eastern and African percussion together with Western instruments to create exotic and sensuous music. There’s also music by Reza Derekshani, a Persian instrumentalist whose latest release was arranged by Doors’ drummer John Densmore and combines devotional styles with jazz and rock. Plus, selections by Basya Schechter, from her latest release, “Queen’s Dominion,” a hypnotic instrumental album of oud, santur, percussion, and violin music.
Music from East Africa
Friday, June 15, 2007
It’s a musical journey through an overlooked part of Africa, with excerpts from the Ethiopiques series, the new Zanzibara series, and recordings by Nursery Boys, Samite, and more. For this program, we’ll dip into the Ethiopiques series, so far numbering 21 in a series of 30 releases, all kinds of hypnotic groove from the "golden" years of the late '60s and early '70s in "swinging" Addis Ababa. Hear the ska, funk, and blues which permeated the Ethiopian pop and jazz music of the day, some with ferocious horns, some with swirls of Latino and Middle Eastern sounds as well. Plus, there’s orchestral taarab music from the island of Zanzibar – from the brand new series called Zanzibara. With oud, ney, qanun (zither) and frame drum, augmented with violins and accordion, it’s a blend of sounds from the Arab world, India, Indonesia and the West, combined with the classical traditions of Swahili poetry, local rhythm and melody. And more.
Unexpected covers
Thursday, June 14, 2007
This New Sounds program is chock full of unexpected cover songs, including arrangements by classical pianist Christopher O'Riley and cellist Christopher Rex doing Radiohead's "Pyramid Song." Also, listen as Angelique Kidjo turns Ravel's "Bolero" into an Afropop song while The Persuasions offer a new take on the songs of U2. And much more.
Music for Large Ensembles
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
For this New Sounds, listen to some large-scale works by Lou Harrison and John Adams, among others. First of all, we'll hear Harrison's Solstice, a 30-minute drama depicting the struggle between the new year and the old, represented by the Sun Lion (the warmth of summer) and the Moon Bull (the dark days of winter ushered in by the December solstice). For this work, Harrison created a gamelan orchestra sound by combining celesta and tack-piano, joined by a double bass player beating up the instrument. Plus, there's the Finale of John Adams' Violin Concerto on the show. Throwing aside the usual dialogue between soloist and orchestra, Adams instead has the violin constantly weaving in and out of the orchestra like some kind of daredevil in traffic. Also, there's music by Colin McPhee and Tan Dun.
New York-based Ensembles
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
For this edition of New Sounds, tenor saxophonist Paul Shapiro stops by to present tracks from his latest exuberant release, “It’s in the Twilight” (another in John Zorn’s Radical Jewish Culture series.) The record is full of playful interactions that might be best described as Cuban-Jewish Blue Note soul that jumps, jives, and swings, while somehow merging the secular and the spiritual throughout. Listen for a traditional Passover Seder tune arranged for the band. Also, hear from drummer Bobby Previte’s latest project - The Coalition of the Willing - an all-star band doing guitar fueled instrumental rock/jazz, and much more.
World Music and Then Some
Monday, June 11, 2007
For this New Sounds, we'll hear from Nawal, a singer from the Comoros Islands, whose acoustic-accompanied songs and trance-inducing chants draw from her Sufi heritage and Indian Ocean island rhythms. Also, guitarist and singer Tcheka plays an alluring hybrid of traditional Cape Verdean music and sun-kissed jazz. His second album, Nu Monda, won him the prestigious Radio France International “World Music Prize.” Plus, there's music from the Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio, a global cast of immigrant musicians based in Rome, and more.
Early New Sounds Live
Sunday, June 10, 2007
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.
Banana/ Dump Truck
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Composer, Princeton University professor, and unrepentant electric guitarist Steven Mackey visits the WNYC studios for this edition of New Sounds. Mackey’s performance background is that of an accomplished Baroque lutenist who was also a “psychedelic” guitar player in Northern California rock bands during the late 1960’s and 70’s. As a composer, Mackey freely incorporates the influences of Led Zeppelin, Stravinsky, Monteverdi, Muddy Waters, Mahler, Monk, and others into his pieces. Listen to music from his new CD, Banana/Dump Truck, featuring the title piece, a concerto for cello, and two duos for guitar and cello intended to be performed with his friend, cellist Fred Sherry. And much more.
A Brazilian Experiment
Friday, June 08, 2007
Listen to music by a Brazilian original, the multi-instrumentalist and composer (and eccentric) Hermeto Pascoal, who blurs barriers between jazz, improvisation, folkloric, ethnic, Brazilian music, tone and noise. For this edition of the show we’ll hear two New Sounds Live performances of Pascoal’s music: one by the Manhattan Marimba Quartet and one by the Bang On A Can All-Stars. We’ll also hear other experimental music from Brazil including Uakti, who perform their music on a collection of instruments they designed and built. Plus, guitarist/composers Egberto Gismonti and Caetano Veloso mix socio-political messages into their instrumental and vocal works respectively.
Mobile, Solo Kotche
Thursday, June 07, 2007
The percussionist Glenn Kotche, best known as the drummer for the band Wilco, joins host John Schaefer for a tour through his new solo CD "Mobile," on this edition of New Sounds. It's an incredible feat that somehow Kotche plays with the patterns of Steve Reich's "Clapping Music," takes apart the Nonesuch Explorer recordings of Shona Mbira music, works through mobile sculpture, negative space and Wilco drumbeats, and nods to percussionists Tony Allen and Ed Blackwell in just 8 tracks. For the crowning masterpiece of the CD, he uses live crickets (looped), plastic piping, vibraphone, springs, gongs, orchestral bells, and a fruit basket to create an original percussive rendering of the "Monkey Chant," based on the Ramayana story of the abduction of Sita and her subsequent rescue by an army of monkeys.
New Choral Works
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Composer Eric Whitacre purports to be influenced by Depeche Mode, Bjork and seventies prog rock as much as he is by Bartok, Barber and Monteverdi. Whitacre, who published his first choral work at 21, has shrewdly centered his oeuvre around choral writing, since those works are more likely to get premiered and then have continuing performances. But his electric chilling harmonies and tone-clusters have also been transcribed for concert band, and electronics have recently made their way into his work as well. On this edition of New Sounds, sample some of Whitacre’s new record, “Cloudburst,” along with music by Gyorgy Ligeti. Plus, the latest from the group Chanticleer and more.
Music With Narration
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
For this New Sounds, there's an hour of offbeat words and music. From Aussie composer Ernie Althoff to Toby Twining with John Ventimiglia (from "The Sopranos"), we'll hear tales of misbehaving robots, blows to the head, and what our future looks like - maybe. Listen to "Saturday Stories" by Ernie Althoff along with "Wandering" by Toby Twining. Plus, David Byrne's "In The Future" and David Lang's "Are You Experienced."
Loungey Latin Jazz
Monday, June 04, 2007
Sample some Latin/lounge/jazz-tinged music for this edition of New Sounds. There's music by Tex-Mex cumbia-fication practioners Charanga Cakewalk, along with exotic and soulful yet danceable Jewish-Cuban tunes from Septeto Rodriguez. Also, listen to David Kane's Them JazzBeards, where rock meets jazz meets film noir in a kind of campy 1950’s sci-fi way. Plus, hear music by M'Lumbo, a “brilliantly silly seven-piece jazz/funk/afropop improvisarama” (Richard Gehr,Village Voice) and something from Gustavo Santaolalla. And much more.
What's Up with Gavin Bryars
Sunday, June 03, 2007
English composer Gavin Bryars first made his musical reputation as an improvisational jazz bassist in the mid-sixties, but he abandoned improv to work for a time in the United States with John Cage. He last stopped by the WNYC studio to present excerpts from his 2001 collaboration with Merce Cunningham, “Biped.” Besides his works for theatre and dance, Bryars has written prolifically for the concert hall and has written three full-length operas to date. Among Bryars’ fans and collaborators are the songwriter Tom Waits, guitarist Bill Frisell, and early music specialists The Hilliard Ensemble. On this edition of New Sounds, English composer Gavin Bryars joins John Schaefer in the studio to unveil new works not yet heard in the States.
An Hour of Björk
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Hear an hour of music by the elfin Icelandic singer and songwriter Björk on this edition of New Sounds. Listen to selections from albums like “Medulla,” “Vespertine,” and more. Plus, unusual arrangements of Björk songs by the Brodsky Quartet, Geoff Keezer, Rachel Z, and the Decemberists, among others.
Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain, part 3
Friday, June 01, 2007
For this New Sounds, hear still more excerpts from the NY Guitar Festival concert series, reinterpretations of classic blues by Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Elizabeth Cotten, and Charlie Patton. Some of the live performers included Jorma Kaukonen, Taj Mahal, Toshi Reagon, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and many more.
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