Give the Drummer Some More

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Drummer/composers take center stage in music on this New Sounds. Hear from the talented Aaron Alexander and his double-drumming punk-klezmer project Midrash Mish Mosh, and sample the sometimes melodic and fluid music of Jim Black's AlasnoAxis. Plus, drummer Brian Blade teams up with guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel for an improvisational foray into the gorgeous, dynamic and restless spaces where loops against loops enable Blade to pick up a guitar as well. Not to be outdone, there's music from Savage Aural Hotbed, who have dubbed themselves the house band for the Orc Prom. Also, listen for the percussive kalimbas through blown-out amps and beatings on car parts of Konono #1, the middle-eastern rockingness of Raquy Danziger and more.

Unconventional Concert Music

Friday, May 29, 2009

There's music boxes, oboe d'amore, grand piano innards, electric bass and cello all on this one New Sounds program. Listen for some music by Eleanor Hovda, featuring oboe d'amore and electric bass. Then, there's music inspired by, and in memory of John Lennon by Aaron Jay Kernis. Plus, John Morton's unusual sound source of music boxes, sampled, processed, and then combined with piano and guitar. And more.

Indie Chamber Music, with Victoire

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Victoire, a quirky Brooklyn-based band founded by composer Missy Mazzoli, combines strings, clarinets, keyboards and lo-fi electronics (including samples of sewing machines and answering machine tapes) to create their "minimalist, post-rock bliss.” As much a child of composer Philip Glass as of instrumental post-rock ensembles Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Sigur Ros, the "band-semble" joins host John Schaefer for this New Sounds program to perform their electro-acoustic indie-classical music live in our studio.

American West

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Listen to music inspired by the American West on this New Sounds including a work by John Adams for two pianos called “Hallelujah Junction,” named for a small truck stop on Highway 49 in the High Sierras on the California-Nevada border. Plus, there's an excerpt from the Piano Concerto #2- "After Lewis & Clark"- by Philip Glass, along with music by Sasha Matson and Ingram Marshall.

May 2009 New Releases

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

All new from the piles of New Sounds chaos! DJ Disorder, aka john Schaefer, lives up to his nom-de-disque, unleashing the May 2009 New Releases show. This is the time of the month when John Schaefer carefully sorts through the stacks of new CDs (digs through them, to be more precise) that have come across his desk to present the newest, greatest cream of the crop, the picks of the piles. From here, we see a collection of remixes of music by Omar Faruk Teklbilek, some Saharan desert blues from Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara, something from the reedman Oran Etkin which fuses Klezmer and Afropop, and a new release from Vieux Farka Toure, "Fondo."

Mighty Winds

Monday, May 25, 2009

Listen to the clarinet textures and eerie cello of Erik Friedlander's recent release Prowl, along with other arresting combinations of instruments like kora, saxophone and Slovenian music, all artfully woven together from Igor Leonardi. Plus, hear music from Canadian saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff, whose release Magic Numbers combines an improvisational sax jazz trio and a neo-classical string quartet for a catchy funky sinewy twist into worlds between Sabbath and Stravinsky. Rounding out the show is music from Robert Stillman, whose wind-driven music contains brilliant melodic washes and Twin Peaks-y buildups.

Classical Musicians Rock It

Sunday, May 24, 2009

For this New Sounds, classical pianist Christopher O’Riley plays the music of folk-rocker Nick Drake and classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery plays the music of Jimi Hendrix. Plus, the string quartet Amiina sings, adds electronics, and writes their own post-rock music. And much more.

On Earth, Peace

Saturday, May 23, 2009

For this New Sounds program, listen to some choral music, including “On Earth, Peace,” a new mass by the choir Chanticleer featuring music by five different composers of different faiths. Each composer was invited to set one standard portion of the Catholic Mass according to his or her personal spiritual beliefs. The resulting work, with settings from Kamran Ince, Ivan Moody, Shulamit Ran, Michael McGlynn, and Douglas J. Cuomo, contains a bit of Latin but also incorporates Jewish texts, Rumi poetry, a Gaelic song and a section of Greek Orthodox liturgy. Also on the show, choral music from the Republic of Georgia, Corsica, the Ensemble Organum, UK composer Joby Talbot, and more.

Mid-Sized Ensembles

Friday, May 22, 2009

We'll hear from four different mid-sized ensembles on this New Sounds program. The thing to keep in mind is the versatility of all these bands, who all have bass and drums, so that they almost look like and sometimes sound like a rock or jazz band. Listen to something from the "indie" classical band Build, John Hollenbeck's ensemble Claudia Quintet, the new music group Flexible Music, and the new music and jazz players of Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.'s group Numinous.

Piano Songs and Solos

Thursday, May 21, 2009

For this New Sounds, we'll hear from Melody Mountain by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, along with the raspy singing and trigonometrical melodies of 101 Crustaceans' Ed Pastorini. Also, listen to music by Seth Kaufman, Francesco Tristano, and perhaps even something new by Meredith Monk.

New Music for Violin(s) and Electronics

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Cornelius Dufallo, composer and violinist in the group Ethel, draws inspiration from the New York nightscape on his solo effort, "Dream Streets." On this New Sounds program, we’ll hear how Dufallo's acoustic and electronic elements are used to weave stasis music. Also, composer, software designer, and band leader of Slow Six Christopher Tignor has just released his solo debut, "Core Memory Unwound," full of intimate tone poems for violin (and piano), both acoustic and treated through his software instruments. Then, from violinist/composer and now Massachussetts-based Todd Reynolds, we’ll hear works for processed violin and interactive electronics, plus something from Michael Galasso for solo violin and tape. And more.

African Rhythms

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s "African Rhythms" project features music of the pygmies of Central Africa, paired with the music of Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti and Steve Reich. We'll hear Aimard playing some of these, music by Gyorgy Ligeti, and music by Steve Reich. Plus, we'll hear some of David Lang's work "So-called Laws of Nature" and music from the Aka Pygmies as well.

New Medieval German Music

Monday, May 18, 2009

For this New Sounds, take a new look at the medieval German music, especially the Carmina Burana - the surprisingly earthy songs by monks which inspired Carl Orff's famous oratorio of that name. Listen to takes on these songs from a brand new record by John Potter and The Dowland Project. There's also something from the Berry Hayward Consort, music from Estampie, and more.

Tango, New Sounds-style

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Tangos, both alleged and apparent, from the likes of Jocelyn Pook, the Penguin Café Orchestra, and Pete M Wyer. Plus, hear some tangos for the end of time, some tangos arranged for unexpected instruments, and anything that makes you want to clench a rose in your teeth.

A Love Supreme

Saturday, May 16, 2009

For this edition of New Sounds, the Turtle Island String Quartet perform music by John Coltrane live in the WNYC studios. On its latest release, the San Franciso-based group reworks Coltrane classics like "Naima" and "Moment's Notice," in addition to Coltrane's landmark entity "A Love Supreme."

Ambient Electroacoustic Music

Friday, May 15, 2009

Hear some ambient electronica from the Alaska-based John Luther Adams on this New Sounds. Adams has recently moved away from electronics and into more acoustic chamber music but on "The Place We Began," he goes back to his own beginnings with tape music. Also, listen for some barely-there stasis music from Alva Noto/Ryuichi Sakamoto, along with music by Jon Hopkins. Hopkins is a composer, pianist, and self-taught studio manipulator whose music toes the lines between many genres, merging digital dance-trance coldness with subtle, bucolic textures. We'll listen to some of these artfully constructed rhythmic loops and treated piano and their shimmering depths, and more.

PROGRAM # 2937 Ambient Electro-Acoustica (First aired on Fri. 5/15/09)

World Music Sampler

Thursday, May 14, 2009

It's a whirlwind tour of the latest in world music with something from Toumani Diabate, and a bit of the Garifuna Women's Project for this edition of New Sounds. There's also a tune from the Tuareg band Etran Finatawa and some music by Abdel Hadi Halo & the El Gusto Orchestra of Algiers. Plus, we'll sample from a collection of acoustic Brazilian music, and some Middle Eastern/North African dance music by Jef Stott. That, and much more.

New Music for Sax(es)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

For this New Sounds, we'll sample some music from the incredibly versatile Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society - it's a big band that dips into jazz territory and the minimalist section of new music - and has just released a brand new recording, called "Infernal Machines." Also, there are songs and poetry about the Q train from saxophonist/composer Roy Nathanson, music from Sex Mob, something from drummer/composer John Hollenbeck, and more.

Piano Plus

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

For this New Sounds, listen to a whole bunch of music involving the piano, plus...electronics. Hear music by Marco Benevento, who adds circuit-bending and electronics to his piano works. Plus, Omar Sosa bridges the gap between Anglo-American folk song and Afro-Cuban rhythms with his ensemble, and Daniel Bernard Roumain adds looping and processed sounds to his Hip-Hop Etudes, and more.

New Music from Carl Stone

Monday, May 11, 2009

Computer music pioneer Carl Stone dismantles global song and melody and electro-acoustically re-creates compositions of gradually shifting sounds of distant mystery. On this New Sounds, Carl Stone stops by the WNYC studios to present music from his recent effort, "Al-Noor," and his re-issued first record "Woo Lae Oak" from 1983, a concrete symphony for the tremolo of a rubbed string and the tone of a blown bottle. All that, and more.

Beyond Kronos

Sunday, May 10, 2009

For this New Sounds program, hear music by other West Coast new music ensembles. The California EAR Unit plays works by Ann Millikan and Virko Baley. Millikan's music is packed with propellant polyrhythmic textures and draws on African and Brazilian music, along with jazz. Plus, the New Performance Group of the Cornish Institute plays Janice Giteck and the Paul Dresher Ensemble plays music by Paul Dresher, and more.

West Africa Unwired

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Listen to some acoustic music from an area now known largely for its electric Afropop on this New Sounds. We'll hear some works from West African singer and kora players Ballake Sissoko, Toumani Diabate and Mory Kante along with tunes from acoustic guitar legends Baaba Maal, Mansour Seck and Boubacar Traore - mostly from the recent compilation partnership with Amnesty International and Oxfam, "Think Global: West Africa Unwired." Plus, other bluesy sounds from Mali, Wodaabe music from the Sahelian savannah and Manding rhythms, and perhaps music from Senegalese star Youssou N'Dour as well.

New Sounds Live Concert Works

Friday, May 08, 2009

From the New Sounds Live Concert Series, hear music from Paul Lansky, who is probably best known as a computer music composer (one who caught the attention of Radiohead), recorded at the World Financial Center in November of 2007. We'll listen to a suite of works for percussion quartet, featuring the coordinated beatings of the group So Percussion. Plus, there's also music by the Czech violinist, vocalist, composer, and improviser Iva Bittova from the Bang on a Can People's Commissioning Fund Concert recorded at Merkin Hall a few weeks ago.

PROGRAM #2772, From New Sounds Live (First aired on Tuesday, 3-04-08)

Post-Jazz

Thursday, May 07, 2009

What do you get when you infuse driving rock rhythms and cover songs, along with folk traditions of several countries together and put it in the hands and horns of jazz players? Well, for this New Sounds, we'll call it "post-jazz." Folks like The Bad Plus make this music, having fun by covering songs by Yes or Rush, and upping the fun quotient even more by doing arrangements of songs by Ligeti and Stravinsky. Then there's the Tiptons Sax Quartet who have incorporated Balkan music and Italian folk song rhythms into what they're doing. Also, from the UK, as if to answer The Bad Plus, there's the Neil Cowley Trio, bringing "prog" into the conversation as well. We'll hear from all these bands, along with something from the Matthew Shipp Trio and more.

New Concert Music

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

For this New Sounds, we'll hear from the Kronos Quartet's brand new release "Floodplain." This record is full of music from Serbia, Azerbajan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Lebanon, incorporating other sounds, live and taped. Not to be outdone, violist and host of WNYC's weekday Overnight Music Nadia Sirota just released a record of newly commissioned works by Judd Greenstein, Nico Muhly and other new music heavy-hitters involving her instrument and other sounds, called "First Things First." We'll hear from that and Valentin Silvestrov's "Ikon" performed by the Cailino Quartet, and more.

World Jazz

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

New Sounds looks to the jazz masters who have faced east and drifted up for this program. From John Coltrane and those who came after him, all the way out to Sun Ra, we'll explore the sense of transcendence in jazz and those who take a cosmic spiritual approach. We'll hear from sax player and composer Pharoah Sanders, and a piece called "The Creator Has a Master Plan," from the late 1960's. From American pianist and composer Randy Weston, who drifts to China and incorporates the sound of the pipa. Plus, an interpretation of Sun Ra's music from the Respect Sextet. And more.

New Americans XI

Monday, May 04, 2009

Hear music from the Algerian-Jewish community by pianist Maurice El Medioni together with Cuban-born, New York-based percussionist Roberto Rodriguez. Then there's music from fellow Algerian Cheb I Sabbah, now living in San Francisco. Plus, works by Ethiopian singer Aster Aweke, Tibetan refugee Yungchen Lhamo, and Argentinian tango king Astor Piazzolla.

Beats and Loops

Sunday, May 03, 2009

For this New Sounds, listen to music by Rich O’Meara and Richard McCandless for percussion and electronics. Combining the broad sound spectrum of percussion and electronics with the intimacy of chamber music, McCandless's works are fully composed, while O'Meara's can sometimes blend composed and improvised elements. We'll hear McCandless’s "Voyager" for percussion and tape along with O’Meara's "Island Spinning" for vibraphone and four recorded marimbas. And much more.

Inbetween Lines

Saturday, May 02, 2009

For this program, hear some electroacoustic ensemble music that falls between conventional lines of musical categories, always a good thing on New Sounds. Listen to music from the group called Kneebody, who make jazz groove rock with wailing horn lines and crunchy guitars. There's also electro-acoustic techtronica, some veering into slapstick territory, from Secret Mommy, aka Andy Dixon. Perhaps some music from Jerome Sabbagh, featuring guitarist Ben Monder, and more.

Choral and Ambient Choral Music

Friday, May 01, 2009

On this edition of New Sounds, sample some choral and ambient choral music. Hear David Lang's "Passing Measures," a slow work for bass clarinet, amplified orchestra, and women's voices, along with some of the powerful choruses from the opera "The Death of Klinghoffer" by John Adams. Also, portions of Brian Eno's Music for Airports. Music by Philip Glass and Harold Budd round out the show.

PROGRAM #2780, Choral & Ambient Choral Music (First aired on Friday, 3-21-08)