#4220: Music By and For Steve Martland
The late British composer, educator, and activist Steve Martland was a punk rock refugee, who studied with the influential Dutch composer and pianist Louis Andriessen, before forming his own ensemble - The Steve Martland Band. For this New Sounds, listen to music by Steve Martland, as well as a tribute work for electric guitar quartet by Canadian composer Scott Godin.
Hear Martland’s work, “Horses of Instruction,” written for the Bang on a Can All-Stars, which sounds like a funk and jazz-soundtracked parley between Steve Reich and Igor Stravinsky. Then, listen to music by Scott Godin for electric guitars, with references to hoedown music, progressive rock, and minimalism, which builds on Martland’s eclectic sound world in fascinating ways (Kozinn). It’s from the new record by Instruments of Happiness, which features guitarist and composer Tim Brady.
Listen also to Martland’s large-scale work, "Crossing the Border," inspired by Bach's Partita for Solo Violin. It’s played by The Steve Martland Band - a small orchestra with lots of horns, and a full rock band hidden within the ensemble.
Program #4220: Music By and For Steve Martland (First aired 4/02/2019)
ARTIST: The Steve Martland Band
WORK: Steve Martland: Crossing the Border [1:30]
RECORDING: Crossing The Border
SOURCE: Factory #366, reissued on Catalyst 68345 (RCA Records), now out of print.
INFO: factoryrecords.org
ARTIST: The Steve Martland Band
WORK: Steve Martland: Horses of Instruction [15:10]
RECORDING: Horses of Instruction
SOURCE: Black Box Classics
INFO: Available at Amazon.com
ARTIST: Instruments of Happiness
WORK: Scott Godin: Martlandia [11:50]
RECORDING: The Happiness Handbook
SOURCE: Starkland 232
INFO: starkland.com
ARTIST: The Steve Martland Band
WORK: Steve Martland: Crossing the Border [23:54]
RECORDING: Crossing The Border
SOURCE: Factory #366, reissued on Catalyst 68345 (RCA Records), now out of print.
INFO: factoryrecords.org
