Soundcheck Archive
March 2005
Harmonic Universe
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Composer and educator David Hykes David and his ensemble The Harmonic Choir are celebrating their 30th year of creating enlightenment-dedicated music. Hykes has mastered overtone singing known as Harmonic Chant, the skill developed by Tibetan monk and Mongolian nomads that allows them to sing low and high notes simultaneously. Hykes and his Harmonic Choir explore the normally untapped resonances of the human voice. He’ll join us to talk about the month-long festival devoted to his work at the Rubin Museum. Digital errors -pops, distortion, and system crashes- tend not to be the stuff of music, but rather annoyance. Not so for Glitch musicians, who craft intricate soundscapes out of these "mistakes." Joining us will be two composers who, among other things, seek out these sounds for their works: Laptop performer Carl Stone who has curated performances by top Japanese artist for the Japan Society this weekend, and Taylor Deupree who runs the microsound label 12k out of Brooklyn.
Keeping Score
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
German screen director Wim Wenders has made music a crucial element in such films as "Buena Vista Social Club," "Paris, Texas," and "Wings of Desire." He once quipped "Sex and violence was never really my cup of tea; I was always more into sax and violins." Today, he tells us what he means when he discusses the art of movie scoring, and previews his latest film, "Land of Plenty." Also: Starting in the late 1970s, songwriter John Doe fronted the classic L.A. punk band X. But rarely did it measure up to the hard-driving stereotypes of punk. Now Doe has recorded his first self-described "blues" album. But again, it hardly conforms to traditional expectations. He joins us to share some of the results.
Jazzers are Doing it for Themselves
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Today on the program, the growth of artist-run music label among jazz musicians. From trumpter Dave Douglas to bandleader and composer Maria Schneider, musicians are taking the reins in putting their music. Music writer Larry Blumenfeld walks us through the inside story. And the story of Sarajevo Blues, a new recording by musician and composer Jewlia Eisenberg. Working with Bosnian poetry, Eisenberg explores day to day life under siege, as well as the joys of cafe culture and underground sexuality.
Love Songs for all Kinds
Monday, March 28, 2005
Today on the show, two New York composers have teamed up to create a gender-bending, genre-blending program of original love songs. Eve Beglarian and Phil Kline will joins us to walk us through The Story of B. Also, last week, Herbert Axelrod, a millionaire who sold overvalued musical instruments to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra was sentenced to prison for tax fraud. Today, a look at power, corruption and conflicts of interest in the string instrument world, as we're joined by Fritz Reuter, a Chicago-based string dealer, and Drew McManus, who writes a blog on Artsjournal.com.
Not Your Average Cover Band
Friday, March 25, 2005
Tribute albums in this day and age are notoriously cheesy, and rarely are they anticipated with any sort of enthusiasm. The Los Angeles-based Section Quartet stands this well-worn stereotype on its head with their series of tribute albums to various artists, starting in 1999 with Led Zeppelin and continuing on to Coldplay, Tool, Radiohead, and Pink Floyd, to name a few. The group has also continued on to make contributions to film soundtracks (I Heart Huckabees, Underworld) and to back pop artists like Christina Aguilera, Sam Philips, and Wilco. In advance of their show at the Mercury Lounge this weekend they join us for a live performance of music by David Bowie and the Clash. Also, English singer/songwriter Robyn Hitchcock joins us in the studio to discuss his career with his old band the Soft Boys, his latest solo album, Spooked, and his current U.S. tour. Hitchcock will be performing tonight at Brooklyn music venue Southpaw.
The King of Rock and Roll
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Elvis Presley died nearly 30 years ago…but death isn’t hurting his career. For example, tomorrow, a new show featuring Presley hits opens Broadway at the Palace Theater. There’s a new CBS mini-series coming in May. And Lisa Marie Presley is just about to to release her second CD. Today on Soundcheck, critic Anthony DeCurtis drops by to spend an hour with us, debating the achievements and the legacy of the King of Rock and Roll. We’ll talk about how Presley appropriated black music, hear how his work continues to influence young performers today, and we’ll take your calls.
Funky Drummer
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Some of the most interesting young composers today are also inventors. Take Joshua Fried, whose new piece "Radio Wonderland" involves four milk cartons with laptops, a boombox, "Musical Shoes" (four ordinary shoes mounted upside-down on stands and plugged into electronics which are activated by striking the shoes) and something called the Musical Steering Wheel. He joins us to demonstrate some of these and other creations. Speaking of percussion instruments, Steve Reich's seminal work "Drumming" features the development of a single rhythmic figure inspired by the composer's experiences in Ghana. The four-member ensemble So Percussion has just recorded the piece and many critics are already calling it definitive. So Percussion joins us today to share the results.
Sounds from Down Under
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
As a French pianist who happens to raise a pack of wolves at her home, Hélène Grimaud’s upcoming recording deals with a theme that must not be far from her mind, “death and transcendence.” The former child prodigy will discuss this new Deutsche Grammophon release, featuring works from Chopin and Rachmaninov, and we may even coax her into mentioning her synaethesia (the ability to hear in color). Also on the show, the Go-Betweens, dubbed “the quintessential cult band of the 80’s.” Arriving with a new release, and reunited after a long split, the Aussie duo will discuss their on and off relationship, and their claims that the Australian Premier and Princess of Monaco name themselves as fans.
Mixed Blessings
Monday, March 21, 2005
Diagnosed with Kidney disease in 1995, Sekou lived a story familiar to thousands of people and their families. He transforms his experience into a one man show Blessing the Boats, which will be part of Gift of Life, a one night gathering of artists at Harlem’s Apollo theater, organized to raise public awareness about this life threatening illness. He’ll be on Soundcheck to talk about his experience with kidney failure and how it’s influenced his work. Next we’ll be joined by Dierdre Dubois who, as a member of Ekova, gained recognition for her imaginative, wordless east-meets-west vocal stylings. She’ll talk with us about why, after 10 years, she’s split with the group and how working on her first solo album, has allowed her to collaborate with other artists, explore other forms of music, and has even led her back to her musical roots.
Sondheim at 75
Friday, March 18, 2005
From West Side Story to his most recent work, Assassins, Stephen Sondheim has made an indelible mark on American musical theatre. His 75th birthday is coming up this weekend, and we'll walk through the highs and lows of his career with New York Times arts writer, Jesse Green. We will then be joined by award-winning scholar Joseph Horowitz who will discuss his new book Classical Music in America: A History of Its Rise and Fall, which illustrates classical music's rise and fall in America from the nineteenth century to the present. Also on the program: WNYC's Sara Fishko has travelled to New Orleans to produce her radio documentary, An Hour with Henry Butler. The legendary jazz pianist speaks with Fishko about his blindness, about growing up black in the South in the 1960s and about his views on mainstream jazz. We'll have a sneak preview today on the show.
From Irish Eyes to Short Attention Spans
Thursday, March 17, 2005
The book Green Suede Shoes is a rock 'n' roll story of Irish immigration, told by Larry Kirwan, the leader of the Irish American rock band, Black 47. It describes his journey from County Wexford, Ireland to the Bronx and follows him downtown to the clubs of the Lower East Side, where his best friends in his new homeland were the punk rockers the Ramones, the soon-to-be-starlit Cyndi Lauper and the future members of his legendary band. In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, he walks us through his musical memoir. Also: an oft-cited criticism of classical music is that symphonies, operas, etc. are just too long. But there are also plenty of examples of composers who can write really short pieces – many less than one minute in length - and still get their point across, from Chopin to Webern. Briefing us on this issue is Frank Oteri, composer and editor of NewMusicBox.org.
Illegal Downloading: A Cautionary Tale
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
The Recording Association of America (RIAA) recently launched a series of lawsuits against people illegally downloading music from the Internet. Today, writer Nick Mamatas talks about his personal experience of being sued by the RIAA, and about the association's claims that illegal file sharing amounts to taking money directly from artists' pockets. Also on the show: Naftule's Dream, a klezmer-based group joins us with a preview of a concert that commemorates Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer. Titled, the "Singer Suite," it features narration from six supernatural Singer tales to surreal and innovative Klezmer compositions.
Celtic Roots
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Her voice combines the rhythms of American jazz with the roots of her Irish heritage. Karan Casey has made her name on the Celtic rock scene and she and her band will perform live in the studio. And Wretched Refuse is a motley musical collective that takes its inspiration from electronica, old timey string bands and a practice of total irreverance.
New York on Stage and in Song
Monday, March 14, 2005
On the eve of the Carnegie Hall premiere of a collection of pieces called Gotham Glory, pianist Anthony de Mare joins host John Schaefer in the studio. He’ll talk about this new work, which includes commissions from the Pulitzer Prize-winning composers David Del Tredici and Paul Moravec. And the Broadway star Capathia Jenkins, who played the role of Caroline in Caroline or Change, will pay homage to the great American poet, Maya Angelou. She'll perform live in our studio in advance of her porgarm, "Phenomenal Woman," at Joe's Pub.
The Naked Nexus of Music and Politics
Friday, March 11, 2005
In 1997, after years of international protests, the Vienna Philharmonic voted to admit women members. This appeared to bring to an end the orchestra's 150 year old tradition of being an all-male ensemble. In advance of tonight's WNYC broadcast of the Vienna Philharmonic live from Carnegie Hall, a look at this complex nexis of social change and musical tradition. Guests will include William Osborne, an American, Germany-based composer and musicologist who has led the campaign to encourage the VPO to admit women; and his wife, Abbie Conant, former principal trombonist for the Munich Philharmonic as well as Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed. Then on to China, when music journalist Ken Smith and musicologist Joanna Lee stop by to talk about the intermingling of music and politics at the five year old China Philharmonic.
» Statement for WNYC's Soundcheck from Vienna Philharmonic (PDF)
Artists off the Beaten Path
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Gregory Colbert, the filmmaker and photographer currently exhibiting his ongoing project Ashes and Snow, joins us in the studio today. Ashes and Snow was premiered in Italy in 2002, ten years after his last exhibition. Focusing on the profundity of the relationship between human beings and animals, Ashes and Snow is being taken around the world in the Nomadic Museum – a portable gallery for Colbert’s work. Also: Russell Sherman, a brilliant pianist and probing musician and teacher, usually has an original take on any work he plays. But he's always charted a career slightly off the beaten virtuoso path. Find out why as he joins us in advance of his 75th birthday.
» View images from "Ashes and Snow"
Punk Pioneers
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
The Ramones almost single-handedly created 1970's punk rock with their fast-paced, two-minute songs inspired by horror movies and glue sniffing. But the Ramones were hardly a happy family - at least according to the documentary End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones, a critical favorite of 2004, which is now available on DVD. Today on Soundcheck, drummer Tommy Ramone talks about the turbulent life behind the scenes.
Cafe Cubano
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
The probing Cuban-born pianist Omar Sosa has mixed Latin jazz, avant-garde exploration and spiritual Cuban roots music in his past albums. With his newest release, "Mulatos," he adds Middle Eastern, Asian and electronic elements to his free-spirited mix. The Boston Herald recently called it his "most accessible and enjoyable recording yet," and today he joins us to share the results. Also: It's possibly the hottest new sector of the digital music business: cell phones capable of playing music. Last month, Microsoft announced it would team up with phone manufacturer Nokia to create cell phones capable of accessing digital music. Other brands have followed suit and this week, Motorola will announce the first cell phones that will carry Apple's popular iTunes music software. Joining us to discuss the implications of this is Brian Garrity, Senior Business Writer for Billboard.
So long, farewell
Monday, March 07, 2005
Ukrainian Mariana Sadovska is folklorist, storyteller, composer and singer whose music celebrates the rural music of Eastern Europe. "A song," she's said, "can be a map that leads to your heart." She'll perform live in the studio. And Harold Budd, a long time avant garde composer, is saying "basta" to the music world. We'll talk to him about why's he's throwing in the towel.
The Art of Collaboration
Friday, March 04, 2005
Today, Ben Neill, composer, performer, and inventor of the mutantrumpet, joins us to talk about his latest project: Palladio, a collaboration with media artist Bill Jones to adapt Jonathan Dee's 1998 novel of the same name to the big screen. A combination of drama, music, and TV commercials, Palladio makes its New York premiere at Symphony Space this week. We'll also be joined by Michael Harrison and Jacky Terrasson, two of 40 classical and jazz pianists who are converging in town for a 12-Hour Tsunami Relief Pianothon this weekend.
Thoroughly Modern Mutter
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Anne-Sophie Mutter, the globe-trotting violinist with elegance to burn, is noted for once saying "I have too much fire to ever be burnt out." These days she is known for her busy commissioning agenda as well as her marriage to the conductor André Previn. Currently, the husband-and-wife team are touring the U.S. playing the Previn Violin Concerro (subtitled "Anne-Sophie")a piece which won a Grammy Award last month. Today, Mutter joins us to bring us up to speed on her busy career. Also on the show, Billboard columnist Anastasia Tsioulcas joins us to preview the Masters of Persian Music tour and discuss the growing popularity of Iranian music. Despite the increasingly tense political climate with Iran, she reports that the nation's music has never been more popular.
Roots and radicals
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Composer and sax player John Zorn has spent ten years creating Radical Jewish Culture in Lower Manhattan. We'll explore the roots of that radical culture. We'll also look at the psread of MTV and its pop music culture into African nations. MTV's just launched their first broadcasts across the continent we'll ask whetehr it's a force for good, or the start of homogenizing one of the planet's most musically diverse continents.
New Directions for Winds and Strings
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
The Imani Winds, a young wind quintet of African/Latin American heritage, has just released a CD titled The Classical Underground. It features jazz- and Latin-inspired classical music that shakes up the expectations of the genre. Now on a cross-country tour, they stop by today to share their vibrant music. And the teaming up of two great string ensembles: the Ying Quartet and the Turtle Island String Quartet. Their new cd is a collaborative project that features a diverse mix of classical and jazz.
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