The Cloud of Unknowing

Monday, September 29, 2008

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.

AllSteel String Quartets

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Composer and guitarist John King joins host John Schaefer on this edition of New Sounds to present his release, "AllSteel." Earthy and blues-based, King’s music is intense, hard driving and at times breathtakingly beautiful. King is able to blend popular music and classical traditions, while writing works that are both fully composed and allow for improvisation. He’s written for Merce Cunningham, the New York City Ballet, Guy Klucevsek, Aki Takahashi, the Bang on a Can All Stars, to name a few. And on this CD "AllSteel," which is a trio of string quartets, the first two pieces were commissioned by the quartet Ethel, who recorded all three quartets, "AllSteel," "'Round Sunrise," and "Lightning Slide."

Covering the World

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Listen to the bossa nova bounce of Nouvelle Vague’s latest collection of 80’s and post-punk music all-done up on this edition of New Sounds. Perhaps you’ll recognize their versions of songs by Blondie, Echo & the Bunnymen and the Buzzcocks. Then Tuvan singer, electric guitarist and experimentalist Albert Kuvezin and his punk band Yat-Kha re-interpret tunes by Joy Division and Iron Butterfly, among others. Plus, The Yoshida Brothers, a shamisen duo, perform an arrangement of Brian Eno’s “By This River.” And we sample some acoustic renditions of David Bowie in Portuguese by Brazilian pop heavyweight Seu Jorge.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Friday, September 26, 2008

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.

Sri Jimi, Carnatic Rock

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The electric guitarist Prasanna comes from a South Indian classical music background, but he also grew up under the influence of western guitarists like Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix, in addition to his exposure to top Indian film soundtrack composers like A.R. Rahman and Illayaraja. For this New Sounds, Prasanna brings his electric guitar and three percussionists (Poongulam Subramaniam on mridangam, S. Karthick on ghatam and Bangalore Amrit on kanjira) into the studio for a live performance of some of his Carnatic rock/World Jazz musical hybrid, including "Sri Jimi" and "Bowling for Peace." There’s also music by sax player Rudresh Mahanthappa, in collaboration with Kadri Gopalnath, from Mahanthappa's latest "Kinsmen."

New Music Em Portugues

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Experience Arabic Fado from Lebanese oud virtuoso Rabih Abou-Khalil for this New Sounds. It’s a triumph of an idea - Portuguese poems set to music performed by an international band and fronted by a young fado singer from Lisbon, Ricardo Ribeiro. In fact, the Guardian critic John L Walters, describes the feeling of drummer Jarrod Cagwin and French tuba phenomenon Michel Godard as a kind of heavy precious metal with a Moorish, Mediterranean flavour that invokes a Led Zeppelin twist. Also on the show, a haunting and rich vocal feast from New York singer Lucia Pulido’s latest "Waning Moon," rooted in traditional Colombian music, but infused with the aching sadness of Portuguese Fado. Plus, music from singer/composer Paolo Braganca, who fuses fado with chamber, rock and jazz, along with fado-folk music from Madredeus, and more.

New Music From the UK

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

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.

Global Small Ensemble

Monday, September 22, 2008

This New Sounds takes us around the world and then some with some works for small ensemble. We’ll hear some non-traditional works from Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla, who has been lauded of late for his film scores for “Brokeback Mountain” and “Babel.” But for Santaolalla’s release, “Ronroco,” he uses a traditional instrument, namely the ronroco, a relative of the South American charango (a small ukulele-like guitar) and forges music inspired by his homeland, while weaving in music of Japan, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Also, out of Italy, the acoustic guitar viruoso Pino Forastiere's "Why Not?" an epic Concerto for electro-acoustic guitar and string orchestra. Plus, northern music by Icelandic composer Skuli Sverrison and much more.

New Music from Japan

Sunday, September 21, 2008

This New Sounds offers a sampling of new music from Japan, with music for the koto (Japanese zither), biwa, Shomyo choir, and more. The young koto and shamisen virtuoso Yoko Reikano Kimura, plays Katsutoshi Nagasawa’s piece, The Pleiades. Also, there’s new music by Ushio Torikai, a large work called Sonbou no toki, for Buddhist Shomyo choir, and features a poem intoned over the chanting monks. Plus, hear solo koto music by Chieko Mori written in a new scale based on gagaku, ancient music of the Japanese imperial court.

Eye of the Frog

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Take an orchestra, add Hawaiian guitar, electric piano, Tang dynasty poetry, and a liberal helping of virtuosity on the bass clarinet, and you’ll have “Frog’s Eye,” the latest release from clarinetist/composer Evan Ziporyn. Ziporyn is a co-founder and member of the Bang On A Can All-Stars and the Artistic Director and founder the American gamelan called Gamelan Galak Tika (resulting in some 25 years of experience with Balinese gamelan.) On the eve of a Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall concert of his “attempt at ancestor worship,” a musical homage to forbears Stravinsky and Woody Herman in a work called “Big Grenadilla,” he joins host John Schaefer to present selections from his first CD of orchestral works.

Roger Marsh 's Pierrot Lunaire

Friday, September 19, 2008

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.

Cello Songs and Interludes

Thursday, September 18, 2008

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.

New Music for Kora

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The ancient harp/lute of the griots (the traditional storyteller/historian/musicians) of West Africa is now a thoroughly contemporary and global instrument, used by rockers like Björk, in film scores, and elsewhere. We’ll hear from Mamadou Diabate, from his own solo record and his collaborations with Irish singer Susan McKeown and jazz bassist/composer Ben Allison; Foday Musa Suso with Philip Glass; the Seckou Keita Quartet; and Toumani Diabate, among others.

Inadvertent Songs

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Be careful what you say – it could wind up as lyrics to a song. Just ask Donald Rumsfeld, Miss Teen USA, President Bush, and the anonymous posters on Craigslist, all of whom found their way into songs. For this New Sounds, hear Donald Rumsfeld's words as lifted from various Pentagon briefings, and skillfully set by Phil Kline - about the looting in Iraq, known unknowns and near-perfect clarity. Also, listen to Ted Hearne's "Katrina Ballads," where "Brownie, You're Doin' a Heck of a Job," the infamous sentence spoken by George W. Bush, gets cut up and delivered in a rapid-fire repeating staccato. Not to be outdone, Sam Sadigursky's "Miss Teen USA" - is a setting of 2007 pageant contender Miss South Carolina's answer to "Recent polls have shown 1/5 of Americans can’t locate America on a world map. Why do you think this is?" to like, such as - music. Plus, Gabriel Kahane's "Craigslistlieder," yes, based on unedited posts from Craigslist.org. And more!

New Music from North Africa

Monday, September 15, 2008

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.

New Music for the Concert Hall

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Warp Record label’s glitch-tronica and the avant brow-furrowing sounds of contemporary musical heavyweights lock horns in a symphonic smack-down for this New Sounds. From a recent two-disc compilation of concert recordings by the London Sinfonietta - Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters - we’ll hear arrangements of electronic music by Aphex Twin, paired with prepared piano music by John Cage. Now, the London Sinfonietta is not the first group to take on arrangements of music by Aphex Twin (Richard D. James.) This so-called Intelligent Dance Music has also been tackled recently by the new music band Alarm Will Sound, who eagerly exploited this intersection of classical and electronic music on “Acoustica.” Although the London Sinfonietta’s sound is a bit more stripped down, it is still just as engaging and subversive. Plus, music by John Adams and Steven Mackey.

American Primitive

Saturday, September 13, 2008

“American Primitive,” the guitar-style associated with the late John Fahey, blends folk, blues, classical and Eastern music. We’ll hear a few examples on this New Sounds from Fahey’s Takoma label-mates, with new reissues from Robbie Basho and Harry Taussig, and music by guitarist and storyteller Leo Kottke as well. Also, we’ll tap into a new generation of pickers, like Shawn David McMillen, Jack Rose, and Kaki King, among others.

PROGRAM # 2591, American Primitive Guitar (First aired on Thurs. 10/05/06)

Signal & Steve Reich

Friday, September 12, 2008

For this edition of New Sounds, we’re joined by Brad Lubman, the leader of Signal, New York's new-music “supergroup,” a flexible army of 13-30 musicians who combine the intimacy of chamber music with the power of a compact orchestra. The bandsemble includes all of So Percussion, along with members of Alarm Will Sound, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, punkass-thrash jazz quartet Gutbucket, and other leading New York ensembles. Signal made their giant splash at this year’s Bang on a Can Marathon, performing music by Steve Reich. This weekend, the “supergroup” takes on Reich’s seminal “Music for 18 Musicians,” the magical shifting masterpiece of American minimalism where winds, strings, pianos, and percussion meld in ever-changing combinations, propelled by an irresistible pulsation. Also on the program is one of Reich’s more recent works, “You Are (Variations),” which will be heard for the first time locally with solo voices and ensemble (rather than chorus and ensemble). The 25-minute piece sets four aphoristic truisms from the Torah, the Talmud, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, and 18th-century mystic Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, whose saying, "You are wherever your thoughts are" gives the piece its title.

EuroMinimalism, Part II

Thursday, September 11, 2008

For this New Sounds, listen to a follow-up to last night’s show, with minimal and post-minimal music from Michael Nyman, Anton Batagov, Ludovico Einaudi, Nik Bärtsch, and others. Nik Bartsch’s Ronin make "ritual groove," with repetitive motifs that gradually evolve. We'll also hear music from the Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi, and English minimalist Michael Nyman. Plus there's some music from the Russian keyboard player/composer Anton Batagov, who self-produces electronic and experimental works and releases them on his own private label. And as always, much more.

PROGRAM # 2843, Euro-Minimalism, Part 2 of 2 (First aired on Thurs, 9/11/08)

EuroMinimalism, Part 1

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Though it developed in the States, Minimalism has spread, and now post-minimal music can be heard on both sides of the Atlantic. We'll hear music by Hauschka, Howard Skempton, Max Richter, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Wim Mertens, and more. Hauschka is the alias of German pianist/composer Volker Bertelmann, who playfully explores the ‘prepared’ piano in his works. We'll hear something from his latest release - "Ferndorf." There's also music by British composer Howard Skempton, Belgian minimalist Wim Mertens, and much more.

PROGRAM # 2842, Eurominimalism, pt 1 (First aired on Wed. 9/10/08)

Post Chamber Rock

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

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.

PROGRAM #2696, Indie Chamber Music (First aired on Thursday, 7/5/07)

Sacred Music of the Near East

Monday, September 08, 2008

Sample some Islamic, Christian, and Jewish music from the Middle East on this New Sounds program. Listen to a performance by Sheik Ahmed Al-Tuni from Upper Egypt, recorded live at the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music. Also, hear Moroccan cantor Emil Zrihan, presently the cantor of the main synagogue in Ashkelon, Israel, music by Sister Marie Keyrouz from Lebanon, and much more.

PROGRAM # 2841, sacred music of the Near East (First aired on Mon, 9/8/08)

The End of Cinematics

Sunday, September 07, 2008

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 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.

Kind of Afroblues

Saturday, September 06, 2008

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.

Orchestral Songs

Friday, September 05, 2008

Once the province of classical or “adult contemporary” singers, the orchestra is increasingly being heard backing up adventurous rockers. On this New Sounds program, we’ll hear Thomas Feiner, Bjork, David Sylvian, Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom, and Anne Ternheim, among others.

Global Appalachia

Thursday, September 04, 2008

This New Sounds mixes up traditional songs from the Appalachian mountains with the traditions of Mali, China, and beyond. Hear from Jayme Stone & Mansa Sissoko on a new project "Africa To Appalachia." There's also pipa player Wu Man & banjo-man Lee Knight collaborating on "I’m Going Back To North Carolina." Listen for an arrangement of "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow," and more.

Site-Specific Music

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

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.

John Zorn

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

For this edition of New Sounds, hear music more music by John Zorn. The MacArthur Fellow, sax player, composer, and record label founder is one of the central figures on the New York "downtown scene." Today is his birthday. We'll hear some Masada chamber music, something from the Filmworks series, some of his Ennio Morricone arrangements, and much more.

Instrumental Crossovers

Monday, September 01, 2008

On this edition of New Sounds, the string quartet Ethel plays "Nepomuk’s Dances" by Marcelo Zarvos from their recent 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 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.