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Soundcheck

Wednesday, March 23, 2005
  • Joshua Fried
    Joshua Fried

    Funky Drummer

    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.

The Ill Effects of Urban Noise

Soundcheck

Soundcheck received an overwhelming response to our segment on the effects of urban noise. So much so that Arline Bronzaft decided to address the feedback. Listen to the original segment and read Bronzaft's response.