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January 2009

Classical Perspectives

Saturday, January 31, 2009

On this New Sounds, we'll have new look at the old masters – from Uri Caine's inventive and improvisatory take on Mozart, to the Kamikaze Ground Crew making sense of Karlheinz Stockhausen. Also, the California Guitar Trio plays a famous piano piece by Beethoven, and various New York “downtown” types offer their perspectives on the music of Schubert. Also, Cuban arrangements of Chopin, and possibly even J.S. Bach on the banjo.


Arid Africa

Friday, January 30, 2009

Music inspired by the arid regions of northwest Africa is the focus of this New Sounds program. We'll hear desert blues from Tinariwen's latest effort Aman Iman. Plus, there's music from Randy Weston & Master Gnawa Musicians, Justin Adams, Susan McKeown, and more.


New Releases January 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

John Schaefer picks through the bucketloads of CDs that have flooded his office to find a sampling of new releases worthy of showcasing in tonight's New Sounds program. Look for some earthy-folky prog chamber rock music from the outfit called QQQ, made up of violin, viola, guitar and drums. Also, there's music from the Bad Plus, along with a new album of works performed by the Ethos Percussion Group. Plus, hopefully we'll sample interpretations of opera by reedman Gianluigi Trovesi that take the Rossini statement, "How wonderful opera would be if there were no singers," and riff entertainingly on all sorts of Italian warhorses (La Traviata, Tosca, L'orfeo, and more.)


Traditionally Rooted New Irish Music

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

New Music from Ireland is in the spotlight for this New Sounds program. Ireland has seen a renaissance in the past 5-10 years or so in contemporary music, with works drawing on minimalism, post-minimalism, electronica, and world music. To that end, we'll hear composer and heavy metal guitarist David Flynn's post-minimalist string quartet “The Cranning.” There's also music from producer and composer Daniel Figgis, along with music from composer and founder of the Crash Ensemble, Donnacha Dennehy. Plus, listen to selections by composer/vocalist Michael McGlynn, founder of the Irish choral ensemble Anúna. And more.


Things With Strings

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

For this edition of New Sounds, hear new music for strings. There’s music from Russian composer Anton Batagov, Estonian composer Arvo Part, and Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson, and Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Andrew Bird. The deluxe edition of Bird’s latest effort, “Noble Beast” is packaged with a companion album of adventurous instrumentals called “Useless Creatures.” We’ll hear selections from this companion record, built mainly around the sounds of Bird's looped violin, although sometimes he harnesses the space of his barn and several amplifiers for drone-like ambience. At other times Bird collaborates with other musicians, like upright bass player Todd Sickafoose and drummer Glenn Kotche, as on “The Carrion Suite,” and occasionally he incorporates the West African rhythms that drive his songs with words (“Banking on a Myth”, “Dear Dirty”) on tracks like “Hot Math.” All this and more.


New Sounds of the Lunar New Year

Monday, January 26, 2009

To celebrate Lunar New Year, we'll hear an assortment of works from China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and other countries in the region that mark this annual holiday. Listen to works from David Mingyue Liang, Mei Han, Min Xiao-Fen, and much more. Happy Year of the Ox!


Drumworld

Sunday, January 25, 2009

This New Sounds offers music for an iron-smelting party alongside the ethereal breezes of bowed and rubbed percussion. Listen to music by Savage Aural Hotbed, the hottest dance band for the Orc prom in Middle Earth. These four players, with the monster chops of the Terminator doing Taiko drumming, cobble together instruments from wrecking yards, surplus stores, and the Home Depot. We'll hear music from their record "The Unified Pounding Theory." Also, there's music from So Percussion, SA Hotbed's musical brothers in arms. They similarly equip themselves with homemade hardware to keep the excitement in their beating. So Percussion shapes melodies by combining glockenspiel, toy piano, vibraphones, bowed marimba, melodica, tuned and prepared pipes, metals, a wayward ethernet port and programming for something completely trippy. Plus, there's music from Synergy, Frank Perry, and Fritz Hauser.


All Over the Musical Map

Saturday, January 24, 2009

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.


New Music From Finland

Friday, January 23, 2009

New music from Finland, including music for kantele (Finnish folk harp) and electronic soundscape is what’s in store for this New Sounds program. Also, there’s music from the folk-pop-electronica group Varttina, along with a tune from the harmonium and fiddle-heavy Finnish folk revivalists JPP. Plus, hear some new works built around pre-existing music, where contemporary ensembles perform strange and unexpected arrangements of Metallica, Kraftwerk and other rock songs.


New Music for Brass

Thursday, January 22, 2009

For this New Sounds, hear a bunch of new music for brass. Listen for a canon for horns by composer and theorist Larry Polansky, who weaves mathematics and psychoacoustic science throughout his music. Also, solemn outdoor music for winds and brass by Olivier Messiaen, from “L’Ascension.” Plus, cosmic music from ambient tuba player Tom Heasley, and music by David Byrne inspired by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from his “Music for the Knee Plays.” All this and more.


New Sounds Live with So Percussion

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

From the New Sounds Live concert series at the World Financial Center. So Percussion plays the US premiere of "Fratres" by Arvo Pärt in a new percussion arrangement, and the New York premiere of a 10-part cantata for percussion by Paul Lansky.


Globalfest '09! Live

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Hear highlights from the annual world music event, Globalfest, the annual showcase that provides a "sneak peek" at global musicians on the verge of international fame. The buzz this year was all about Tanya Tagaq, an Inuit Canadian who has taken the traditional mouth singing of Inuit women - singing into each others' mouths - and married it to modern electronics. Listen for other performances as well, hopefully including some music by Brooklyn Qawwali Party, who stepped in at the last minute for an ailing Femi Kuti. The BQP is sort of a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan tribute band, in that they have taken his songs and arranged them for maximum party feel - incorporating elements of jazz, a little funk, some soul into the devotional singing. And a lot more.


New Americans: Central Europe

Monday, January 19, 2009

Listen to works by vocal gymnast Theo Bleckmann and composer Michael Hoenig (both are American-based musicians originally from Germany). Also, German chanteuse, actress, painter, and as of late, radio host Ute Lemper — along with something from guitarist vocalist, composer and orchestrator Leni Stern.


Musical Landscapes

Sunday, January 18, 2009

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.


Live Gloryland II

Saturday, January 17, 2009

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.


Hearing Solar Winds

Friday, January 16, 2009

Vocalist/composer David Hykes joins New Sounds to celebrate his landmark recording with the Harmonic Choir, "Hearing Solar Winds." Hykes has mastered overtone singing known as Harmonic Chant, the skill developed by Tibetan monks and Mongolian nomads that allows them to sing low and high notes simultaneously. The one-time New York-based ensemble, the Harmonic Choir, now resides in France, and there is also a new US-based Harmonic Presence Foundation home base in Sag Harbor, New York.


Away From Jazz

Thursday, January 15, 2009

For this New Sounds, get a load of jazz musicians stepping away from the jazz tradition. There's music from clarinetist Beth Custer and pianist Marco Benevento. Plus, "C'mon, it's only a dollar" from the punkass jazz melody-makers known as Gutbucket off of their latest release, "A Modest Proposal." Also, we'll hear from the latest by Matthew Shipp, called "Harmony and Abyss" and much more.


Just Intonation

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Guitarist John Schneider and percussionist TJ Troy perform live works that draw on Asian and Near Eastern music, and on alternate forms of tuning. Schneider (also a Los Angeles radio personality) uses a guitar that features a tuneable fretboard for various types of Just Intonation. Incidentally, Lou Harrison (1917-2003) wrote his last guitar piece for a National Steel guitar, custom fretted in Just Intonation. For this New Sounds, we'll hear Schneider and Troy perform some music by Lou Harrison, and more.


Cross-Cultural Music

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

For this New Sounds, we'll hear from California-based composer Bill Alves who leads the Harvey Mudd American Gamelan and writes new music for the group. Sometimes he incorporates electronics and even Japanese shakuhachi in non-traditional tunings like just intonation. Also on the show is music from Tim Ries, Rolling Stones' sax player and sometime keyboard player. We'll hear his Tuareg-inflected version of a 1970's song by the Rolling Stones. That, and more.


Ambient Soundscapes

Monday, January 12, 2009

For this New Sounds, we'll hear some ambient soundscapes for acoustic and electronic instruments including Icelandic composer Johan Johannsson's latest, "Fordlandia." Also, listen to the new Jim Hall & Bill Frisell, a work called "Migrations" and the post-rock epic guitar droning on Mountains, from their release "Choral." Plus, music by Bruce Gremo and more.


Born Into Brothels Live

Sunday, January 11, 2009

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

Saturday, January 10, 2009

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.


New Americans: Latin America

Friday, January 09, 2009

We focus on works from Latin America, including music by Argentinian-born Osvaldo Golijov. Also, music from Brazil by pianist/composer Marcelo Zarvos and guitarist/composer Sergio Assad, along with something from composer and Teaching Artist for the Third Street Music School Settlement Raimundo Penaforte.


The 2008 Listener Poll Show

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Here's the rebuttal to last night’s program where the listeners weigh in on the best new music releases of 2008. First off, a big thank you to all of the listeners who voted! We found that there were some hard-fought battles this year between a young composer who blogs, a bit of Afro-pop, and a string quartet. BUT, find out who emerged victorious from this year's contest on the 23rd annual New Sounds Listener Poll show.

Also, there were a few "Honorable Mentions" included in the poll, because they seemed like fun at the time and we are curious about you: Best Reissue, Best New Music Venue, a write-in option for the Best Live Event of 2008, and the Best Portal for New Music (websites, subscription services, blogs)

And those winners are:
Best Reissue: Overwhelmingly, the listeners chose Philip Glass' Glass Box: A Nonesuch Retrospective 10 CD set

Best New Music Venue: Le Poisson Rouge, by quite a few votes. But BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) was a strong second.

Best Concert Event of 2008: the all-night long Bang on a Can Marathon 2008 beat out GlobalFEST 2008 by just one vote.

Best Website/Blog/Online Portal for Discovering New Music: Interestingly, the listeners chose NPR Music.

Thanks again to everyone who responded to our survey.


The 2008 New Sounds Top 10

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

For this New Sounds program, John Schaefer presents his annual, highly subjective, completely opinionated list of the ten best new-music releases of 2008. Listen to what made the cut this year: love songs for cello, spoken samples in twitchy minimalism, solo piano works rooted in IDM (blippy dance music), Estonian choral music and so much more.


European Keyboard-based Music

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Listen to some recent releases of keyboard-based ensemble pieces with electronics on this New Sounds. We'll hear from England's Max Richter, Belgium's Eric Mertens, Italy's Ludovico Einaudi, and more.

TAKE THE 2008 NEW SOUNDS LISTENER POLL


December 2008 New Releases

Monday, January 05, 2009

For this New Sounds program, we finally get to the last batch of new releases from 2008. Look for the new release of Gavin Bryars played by Sentieri Selvaggi, something from post-rock outfit Mountains, perhaps a bit by the Celtic/Baltic/Sephardic-sounding Teslim, maybe some squonk-rock from Gutbucket, and maybe a little something from the new Jim Hall/Bill Frisell collaboration. And much more.

TAKE THE 2008 NEW SOUNDS LISTENER POLL


Spacey Country Chamber Jazz

Sunday, January 04, 2009

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.

TAKE THE 2008 NEW SOUNDS LISTENER POLL


Preaching to the Choir

Saturday, January 03, 2009

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."


"Extended" Chamber Music

Friday, January 02, 2009

New Sounds takes a broad view of chamber music on this program, where we’ll hear from the percussionist Susie Ibarra on kulintang (Filippino gongs related to Indonesian gamelan), as well as animal sounds recorded on the island of Bali, together with a string quartet. Also, there’s music from jazz guitarist Andy Summers (yes, the one from the Police) together with classical guitarist Ben Verdery, along with a piece for violin and guitar by Giancarlo Vulcano, Plus electronic audio art installation music from Steve Peters and music for prepared piano and trombone from the German composer Hauschka. And much more.


Bang a Gong

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Sample some of the music of New Zealand composer/entertainer Gareth Farr on this New Sounds. We'll hear Farr's work, called "From the Depths Sound The Great Sea Gongs" evoking "masses of gleaming bronze, covered with seaweed, lurking far beneath the waves." There’s also the bowed piano of Stephen Scott's "Vikings of the Sunrise." The title refers to the intrepid explorers who most likely started out in Indonesia, and then gradually made their way into the sunrise, settling the islands of the Pacific. Then, listen to Lou Harrison's "Concerto In Slendro," using the Indonesian scale which makes the violin, celeste, tack piano and percussion sound like a gamelan. Plus, John Luther Adams's work "For Lou Harrison," and more.