On Demand
New Sounds Archive
August 2008
A World of Prayer
Sunday, August 31, 2008
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.
Joys & Desires
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Experience “high torque” ensemble music with the "Joys and Desires" from in-and-out-of-jazz drummer/composer John Hollenbeck. 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.
August 2008 New Releases
Friday, August 29, 2008
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 show. He'll sort through the stacks, bins, and boatloads of new CDs which have come across his new clutter-free 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 might include "Katrina Ballads" by Ted Hearne, some Tibetan chant, some Arabic fado, nomadic African blues from Terakaft, and hymn-based music from "Big Love" by David Byrne. And more!
Kamikaze Ground Crew & Members
Thursday, August 28, 2008
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.
Roma and Romanian Roots
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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
Monday, August 25, 2008
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.
World Music
Sunday, August 24, 2008
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
Saturday, August 23, 2008
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.
A Journey Off the Silk Road
Friday, August 22, 2008
Hear music from Armenia, Iran, and Brooklyn, as New Sounds takes a journey off of the Silk Road for this program. There are works from the new music quartet Brooklyn Rider, with and without kamancheh (Persian spiked fiddle) player Kayhan Kalhor. We'll also listen to music from Duduk virtuoso Gevorg Dabaghyan and Yo Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble as well.
Unexpected covers
Thursday, August 21, 2008
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.
Another Musical Travelogue
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Another musical travelogue is in store on this edition of New Sounds, with stops in Tokyo, Berlin, Bandung (Java), and other ports of call. Listen for works by Max Richter, Ute Lemper, Sabah Habas Mustapha, Gato Libre, and more.
Music for Large Ensembles
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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.
Old Folk, New Folks
Monday, August 18, 2008
Listen to some new takes on traditional folk songs for this New Sounds programs. Hear Nico Muhly's work "The Only Tune," from his latest, "Mothertongue" a collection of works which began as he tried to reconnect with the folk music of my childhood. Muhly recounts, "I remember my parents singing the ballad of the two sisters - one murdering the other in a river - and I remember a disjuncture between the simple beauty of the song and the intense violence of the words. I still shiver at the memory of the miller fishing the girl's body out with 'his long, long hook,' and the ensuing phrases, in which the girl's corpse is slowly turned into a fiddle, are continuously haunting." Also, more reworkings of old folk songs, including several from The Carter Family, in renditions by Justin Adams, Carla Kihlstedt, Bill Frisell, and Joel Harrison.
More Ambient Music
Sunday, August 17, 2008
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.
Almost Jazz
Saturday, August 16, 2008
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.
Bach, J.S. Bach
Friday, August 15, 2008
New music inspired by J.S. Bach is what you'll hear on this New Sounds. Listen for "Lighthouse" from the Estonian composer, Erkki-Sven Tuur, something of a contemporary take on the baroque, commissioned by Ausbach Bach festival in 1997. Plus there's music by Steve Martland, his work "Crossing the Border," inspired by Bach's Partita for Solo Violin. And much more.
Chain-Link Show
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Hear some links in a musical chain by way of a series of recordings linked by shared personnel. We'll start with John Surman's "Sunday Morning," and hear percussionist Pierre Favre's "Mort d’Eurydice." We'll continue on with Michel Godard & Monks of Liguge Abbey, "Repons," and then there's music from the lauded recording "Officium" by Hilliard Ensemble & Jan Garbarek, possibly even more.
Live Gloryland II
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
From the New Sounds Live concerts at Merkin Hall, Anonymous 4, the famed early music vocal quartet, teams up with violinist Darol Anger and guitarist Scott Nygaard to revisit early American folk spirituals, shape-note hymns, and Gospel blues. This is part 2 of 2, featuring this revival of 19th century American hymnody.
“Electric” Music
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
For this New Sounds, hear some works that make use of the actual sounds of electricity, whether man-made or naturally occurring. Christine Southworth uses the sounds of a Van Der Graaf Generator and two Tesla Coils in her collection called “Zap!” Also, Annie Gosfield and Terry Riley look at the charged sounds made beyond the earth’s atmosphere. And Johanna Beyer, an overlooked figure from the 1930s, is represented by a celestial work for early electric instruments.
Musical Landscapes
Monday, August 11, 2008
Listen to some finely-textured musical landscapes from film, the concert stage, and the studio on this edition of New Sounds. Kronos Quartet & Mogwai play the Clint Mansell score to the movie “Fountain,” Robert Fripp plays an electric guitar Soundscape from a New Sounds Live concert, and there's "glitch” electronica from Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto. And lots more.
Unexpected Strings
Sunday, August 10, 2008
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
Saturday, August 09, 2008
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.”
All Over the Musical Map
Friday, August 08, 2008
For this New Sounds, hear music from the soundtrack to the Anthony Minghella film, "Breaking and Entering," by composer Gabriel Yared in collaboration with Underworld. Also, there's something from the South African guitarist Guy Buttery along with music from reed players Ned Rothenberg and Ken Field, and more.
Born Into Brothels Live
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Composer John McDowell’s score for the acclaimed documentary Born Into Brothels has become a live touring ensemble, performing live in the studio on this edition of New Sounds. We’ll hear their buoyant blend of Indian and Western music, featuring harmonium, tabla, bansuri flute, violin and piano, along with Indian vocalists Falu and Gurav. And much more.
Long Time Traveling
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
From the New Sounds Live concerts at Merkin Hall, Anonymous 4, the famed early music vocal quartet, teams up with violinist Darol Anger and guitarist Scott Nygaard to revisit early American folk spirituals, shape-note hymns, and Gospel blues. Straight out of the Ozark and the Appalachian mountains, A4 sing shape note tunes in the spare three-part harmonizations in which they first appear in the nineteenth-century tunebooks. With some instrumental accompaniment by former Turtle Islander fiddler/mandolin player Darol Anger and guitarist Scott Nygaard, there’s a folk/country/roots feeling to each deeply-researched sung poem, which tells a story of love and loss, hope and redemption.
Spacey Country Chamber Jazz
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
For this New Sounds, wander though European cities with the acoustic chamber jazz quartet Gato Libre from their latest effort, "Nomad." This band of Japanese musicians plays acoustic folk, using trumpet, guitar, bass, and accordion, doing tunes that mix up flamenco with Old World waltz, music that stirs up reggae with a touch of blues or a reel from a Scottish pub. Also, listen to country-swing folk jazz from the Tin Hat Trio (now operating as a quintet, and just Tin Hat) from their "Helium" release. Plus, there's the spacey countrified jazz from Bill Frisell's Quartet, and more.
Preaching to the Choir
Monday, August 04, 2008
The only show that could ever reach you, would be the one built around the voice of preachers. And that's what we'll hear on this episode of New Sounds. There's Steve Reich's classic "It's Gonna Rain," when he stumbled upon the out-of-sync patterns created with two cheap tape recorders, playing back the voice of a preacher man. Also, hear a work by Matthew Patton - "Speaking in Tongues" - composed for the Paul Taylor Dance Company, which takes as its model the voices of charismatic ministers from Southern Pentecostal churches who spontaneously erupt into soliloquies of unintelligible, language-like stutterances. Plus, listen to "American Standard"by John Adams, along with David Byrne & Brian Eno's "Help Me Somebody."
Ambient Classical (originally aired Aug. 29, 2006)
Sunday, August 03, 2008
For this New Sounds, listen to ambient classical California composers like Phillip Schroeder, Harold Budd, Daniel Lentz, and more. Composer/music professor Phillip Schroeder uses multiple pianos and digital delays to generate dense masses of shimmering trills and cascades that create a complex calm and openness. Harold Budd’s music, a sparse and tonal wash of keyboard treatments, was inspired at an early age by the humming tone caused by wind blown across telephone wires in the Mojave Desert town of Victorville, California. Also, there’s lush, pitch-drifting electronic soundscapes from California-based composer Daniel Lentz as well.
West African Snap
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Hear some buoyant music from Mali, Bourkina Faso, Senegal, and more on this New Sounds program. We'll hear the latest release from Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra, one of Bamako's most popular bands. Their name refers to a balance between tradition and progress, and their contagiously danceable tunes range from age-old Mandé standards to Cuban-Senegalese salsa. Then there's the driving and energetic "West African Snap," by the World Saxophone Quartet, a most unusual jazz combo, who have been playing together for nearly 30 years, and whose repertoire has ranged from blues to funk, to an album of Jimi Hendrix covers in addition to their latest release, "Political Blues." [Worth mentioning, even though we won't hear any of it on this New Sounds, "Political Blues" is an eloquent musical statement which seethes in anger at the Bush administration's handling of New Orleans relief, homeland security, and racial issues (Justin Time Records.)] There's also music from Bourkina Faso by singer and djembe (a drum carved from a tree trunk) master Amadou Kienou Plus, selections from the final recording by Ali Farka Touré called "Savane."
Extreme Spirituals (originally aired Jan. 5, 2007)
Friday, August 01, 2008
There's gospel singing in a new music context on this edition of New Sounds. Hear some extreme spirituals - rearranged, well known African-American spirituals and 19th century art songs - from the Boston-based chamber rock band Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, in collaboration with Oral Moses. The resulting music is an unorthodox but deeply moving blend of Birdsongs' punk-proggy art rock instrumentation together with the strong and majestic voice of Oral Moses. We'll also listen to the intersection of Jewish music and Black spirituals from the Klezmatics release, "Brother Moses Smote the Water," a team effort with African-American gospel singer Joshua Nelson. Hear age-old Hebrew Passover songs, Nelson’s own brand of “kosher gospel,” and traditional Yiddish Klezmatic anthems, some featuring jazz singer/organist Kathryn Farmer. Plus, music by Bob Telson, Joel Chadabe, and others.
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