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July 2007

From the Vaults: Stewart Copeland

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

For this New Sounds From the Vaults, listen to a 1993 program with drummer and composer Stewart Copeland. On this show, he talks about the film scores he'd been working on at the time, some of the field recordings he'd made in Africa, and some of the incriminating side projects he'd put out while with his band the Police.


From the Vaults: Ali Akbar Khan

Monday, July 30, 2007

The late great classical Indian sarod master Ali Akbar Khan came to the U.S.A. in the 1950's, influenced a generation of musicians and had a huge impact on the sound of rock and jazz in the 1960's. He was also the brother-in-law of Ravi Shankar. On this "From the Vaults" presentation of New Sounds, we revisit a show from June of 1991, where Khan Sahib talked us through some of the different recordings he had made during his long and illustrious career.


New Music for Flute

Sunday, July 29, 2007

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.”


World Music From the 80's

Saturday, July 28, 2007

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 Releases, July 2007

Friday, July 27, 2007

It's the end of the month round-up. John Schaefer once again picks through the bucketloads of CDs that have flooded his office office this past month to find a sampling of new releases worthy of showcasing in tonight's New Sounds program.


Bang on a Can 2007 Marathon, Pt. 3

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Music from the 2007 version of the annual Bang On A Can Marathon. Part 3 of 3 from the 27-hour-long event, which featured music by a range of artists from the literary indie duo the Books to mischief-makers Real Quiet, along with the Bang on a Can All-Stars.


Bang on a Can 2007 Marathon, Pt. 2

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Music from the 2007 version of the annual Bang On A Can Marathon. Part 2 of 3 from the 27-hour-long event, which featured music by a range of artists from the post-rock instrumental band Clogs to nu-jazz wunderkind Vijay Iyer, along with the percussion ensemble red fish blue fish.


Bang on a Can 2007 Marathon

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Music from the 2007 version of the annual Bang On A Can Marathon. Part 1 of 3 from the 27-hour-long event, which featured music by a range of artists from literate indie-rockers The Books, Clogs and Dälek to Uzbeki traditionalists Mashriq, along with new music purveyors Eighth Blackbird and the NOW Ensemble.


Six-String Riley

Monday, July 23, 2007

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.


New Music Bands, 80’s Style

Sunday, July 22, 2007

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.


Sundanese Gamelan Pop

Saturday, July 21, 2007

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.


New Sounds Rocks

Friday, July 20, 2007

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.


Afro-pop-a-go-go

Thursday, July 19, 2007

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.


Neruda Settings.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

For this New Sounds program, experience the poetry of Pablo Neruda, set to music by a diverse array of composers, including the new recording of "Oceana" by Osvaldo Golijov. There's also Peter Lieberson's "Neruda Songs," his farewell to his wife, the late mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. Plus, music by Luciana Souza, and Francesca Ancarola, along with the Rachel's.


The Cloud of Unknowing

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

The anonymous monk who penned "The Cloud of Unknowing, " a 14th century work of Christian mysticism, could not possibly have known that 700 years later, his work would be inspiring new music. On this New Sounds, we’ll hear works by English guitarist James Blackshaw, drummer John Hollenbeck and his Claudia Quintet, Norwegian saxophonist/composer Jan Garbarek, and Alaska composer John Luther Adams – all inspired by (and titled after) this medieval work.


Andalusian Origins

Monday, July 16, 2007

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.


Percussion Paintings

Sunday, July 15, 2007

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.


Works on Film

Saturday, July 14, 2007

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 Post-Minimalism

Friday, July 13, 2007

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.


Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Thursday, July 12, 2007

For this New Sounds, there's new music from Gaudi & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Near the 10th anniversary of the death of the great Pakistani singer, Anglo-Italian producer Gaudi takes early vocal tracks by Nusrat and marries them to contemporary dance beats not too far removed from the traditional dance beats of Pakistani qawwali music. Also, Nusrat's collaborations with Michael Brook, Eddie Vedder, and Peter Gabriel. Plus, music from the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Qawwali Party itself.


New music from the UK

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

On this New Sounds, hear works by violist/composer Jocelyn Pook, and her sometime collaborator composer, pianist and bandleader Jeremy Peyton-Jones. There's also music by the original young composer Geoff Smith, whose 4AD lushness coupled with minimalist cool, comes out sounding part-Cocteau Twins, part- Philip Glass. Listen for music by Michael Nyman and more.


Central Asian Voices

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

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...


Cello Songs and Interludes

Monday, July 09, 2007

Beginning with Nick Drake's haunting "Cello Song," we'll move on to songs by Donna McKevitt and Arthur Russell on this New Sounds program. Also experience the striking eight-part harmonies of the Wulu Bunun people of Taiwan - with cello layers by David Darling. Plus, hear instrumentals by Erik Friedlander, Jamie Sieber, possibly some music from Sharp Wire, and more.


Caravan Variations

Sunday, July 08, 2007

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

Saturday, July 07, 2007

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.


New Music from North Africa

Friday, July 06, 2007

On this New Sounds program, listen to works from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt, featuring Les Musiciens de Nil. Plus, hear excerpts from the The Rough Guide's compilation "North African Cafe," featuring artists from Algeria's legendary Maurice El Medioni to French-Tunisian oud master, Smadj. Plus, live performances from the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music and more.


Post Chamber Rock

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Brooklyn-based Slow Six makes new electroacoustic music with amplified violins, viola, cello, electric guitars, fender rhodes, piano, and software instruments and it's hard to describe: Post-rock, post-chamber? Hear some of their new record, "Nor'easter" on this edition of New Sounds. Also, there's music inspired by the inner journey of Mahatma Gandhi by saxophone/flute player and composer Andrew Sterman, known for his work in the Philip Glass Ensemble. Listen to some of Sterman's "The Path to Peace" combining free-jazz, ballads, and world music. Plus, experimental, folk psychedelia from the post chamber group Oak. And more.


American Fiddle

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

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.


Roger Marsh 's Pierrot Lunaire

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

English composer Roger Marsh has taken the cycle of poems known as "Pierrot Lunaire" - originally set by Arnold Schoenberg in a controversial, landmark work in the early 20th century - and created a new, extended set of songs based on these fevered, surreal poems. On this New Sounds program, listen to Marsh's setting, featuring The Hilliard Ensemble, Red Byrd, Juice, and other performers.


Computer Music

Monday, July 02, 2007

For this New Sounds, it’s a sampling of computer music. Hear Neil Rolnick’s piece, “Digits,” - not just 0 and 1 anymore - where pianist Kathleen Supové takes her own digits, via digital looping and computer processing, on a wild ride. Listen also to Michael McNabb’s music for the ballet “Invisible Cities,” (inspired by the dream-like images from Italo Calvino’s novel of the same name), with digitally processed environmental sounds, and two live instrumental/electronic performers. Plus, there's music by computer music pioneer Paul Lansky, whose processed sounds have included his children playing kitchen utensils, and most recently, the alphabet, as recited by longtime collaborator Hannah MacKay.


Music of Former Yugoslavia

Sunday, July 01, 2007

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.