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Arthur Russell: The Oskaloosa Kid

A classically trained cellist from Iowa who cut his teeth on New York's downtown '80s art scene, composer Arthur Russell recorded everything from disco to experimental music to haunting electronic ballads. He died in 1992 at age 40. Matt Wolf, director of the new documentary "Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell" and New Yorker pop music critic Sasha Frere-Jones join us to talk about Russell’s influence and work.

"Wild Combination" screens on Thursday, May 15 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Kitchen. That venue also presents musical tributes to Arthur Russell on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, both at 8 p.m. More information here.

Our blog: John Schafer on fitting Arthur Russell into "Loose Joints"

The Kitchen web site
"Wild Combination" web site
Sasha Frere-Jones blog at NewYorker.com

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CD Picks of the Week

The Weepies, "Hideaway" (Nettwerk)

If you’re looking for an album to put you in a summer mood, The Weepies might have the solution with their new album “Hideaway.” This husband-and-wife duo, originally from Boston and now based in California, has an admittedly silly name but writes insistently well-crafted folk-pop songs. They’re the kind of songs that film and television supervisors would cry for. --picked by Brian Wise

Firewater, "The Golden Hour" (Bloodshot)

Our next pick comes from Brooklyn via south Asia. Singer/songwriter Tod A leads Firewater, a world music/punk collective whose latest cd is called "The Golden Hours." Tod traveled through Indonesia, India, and Israel -- because he could. His goal was to get to Iraq and Afghanistan. That he couldn’t do. His recorded the local musicians in these various countries, and used them as a basis for his new songs. A few stick doggedly to the political views that sent Tod on his trip in the first place, but much of the album is a celebration of the enduring and infectious sounds of South and southeast Asia –- and how easily they blend with Firewater’s own. --picked by John Schaefer

Nortec Collective, "Bostich + Fussible: Tijuana Sound" (Nacional Records)

And now we go from south Asia to south of San Diego: Tijuana. That’s the hometown of Nortec Collective, a band whose name explains their sound: it’s is an abbreviation of Northern Mexico techno. You might have heard their music in the film "Babel" or in TV ads for Volvo and Fidelity Mutual. Their new album keeps their signature of mixing traditional sounds with new stuff -- like lots of Mexican horns next to loops –- and most importantly, plenty of irreverence. –-picked by Gisele Regatao

Ed Harcourt, “The Beautiful Lie” (Dovecote)

Our final CD pick this week is from British singer-songwriter Ed Harcourt. The onetime Mercury Prize nominee’s latest CD is "The Beautiful Lie." It’s been out for nearly two years in the UK, where Harcourt’s raspy voice, big string arrangements, and classy pop sound earned comparisons to XTC, Jeff Buckley and Tom Waits. Now, Americans are getting a chance to hear heartbreaker tunes like "You Only Call Me When You’re Drunk" and "Visit From the Dead Dog," from Ed Harcourt’s album “The Beautiful Lie.”--picked by Joel Meyer

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Quartet San Francisco

Grammy nominees for their last two albums (2006 and 2007), Quartet San Francisco's latest album, "Whirled Chamber Music," features their own arrangements from Raymond Scott of "Looney Tunes" fame to Chick Corea, Average White Band, Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck as well as originals by the Quartet's leader, Jeremy Cohen. The quartet performs live in our studio.

Quartet San Francisco performs at Joe's Pub on Tuesday, May 13 at 11:30 p.m. More info here.

Quartet San Francisco web site

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