Creative musicians from Japan, Korea, China, Israel, Italy, Germany, Argentina, North America, the Low Countries comprise this show, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Takemitsu’s Gitimalya and Wadada Leo Smith’s Reflectativity, noting their influence in new albums by PAN Project, Wu Wei and the Joe Fonda Quartet. Sofia Gubaidulina and microtonalist Tui St. George Tucker get their own commemorations (the former for her piece Quattro, the latter for her centenary). We examine a nostalgic miniature by Louis Andriessen in its premiere recording, while Dan Román revisits postminimalism and Miguel Angel Crozzoli does dark ambient with live instruments. Stefan Prins' new electric guitar concerto uses the orchestra as an amp while its bleating trombones remind us of Tibetan Buddhist music. And Brandon Seabrook does for banjos what Fred Frith’s done for guitars, while Janel Leppin and Angelica Sanchez offer modal jazz to round out the offerings.
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Flotation Device 2024-11-24: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Remembering that composer [0:00]
1. [1:18] Dan Román: Mvmt. 3 (Reverso). From DVXNS (Neuma, 2024) with Cuarteto Latinoamericano: Saúl Bitrán, Arón Bitrán (violins), Javier Montiel (viola), Álvaro Bitrán (cello), Juan Switalski (recording engineer)
2. [4:51] Janel Leppin: Tennessee's a Drag. From To March Is To Love (Cuneiform, 2024) with Ensemble Volcanic Ash: Janel Leppin (cello, piano), Sarah Hughes (alto saxophone), Brian Settles (tenor saxophone), Anthony Pirog (guitar), Luke Stewart (bass), Larry Ferguson (drums), Curtis Fye (recording engineer, Montrose East)
3. [7:55] Miguel Angel Crozzoli: I Am the Ocean - Form we cannot name. From Sounding Numbers (Kairos, 2024) with Jūra Elena Šedytė (voice), Calum Builder (alto saxophone), Miguel Angel Crozzoli (tenor saxophone), Ida Nørby (cello), Johannes Nästesjö (double bass), Miracapillo Valeria (electronics), Simon Mariegaard (recording engineer)
4. [15:02] Louis Andriessen: Remembering that Sarabande. From Tales of song and sadness (Pentatone, 2024) with Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Arjan van Asselt, Albert Brüggen (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2006. First recording of the version for string orchestra
5. [18:35] Sofia Gubaidulina: Quattro for two trumpets and two trombones. From Schwerpunkt (NEOS, 2019) with Ensemble Schwerpunkt: Matthew Brown, Matthew Sadler (trumpet), Mikael Rudolfsson (multitracked trombone). NOTE: Composed 1974, premiered November 22, 1974 in Moscow. First recording
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SET 2: Reflectativity at 50. Tui St. George Tucker at 100 [26:32]
1. [31:28] Wadada Leo Smith: t wmukl - D (excerpt). From Reflectativity (Kabell, 1976, reissued 2004 by Tzadik on Kabell Years: 1971–1979) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet, flugelhorn, Indian flute, atenteben, percussion), Anthony Davis (piano), Wes Brown (bass, atenteben). NOTE: Recorded November 22, 1974, Educational Center for the Arts, New Haven
2. [43:1] Wadada Leo Smith: Reflectativity, Hanabishi (excerpts). From Reflectativity (Tzadik, 2000) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet, flugelhorn), Anthony Davis (piano), Malachi Favors (bass), Jim Anderson (recording engineer, Avatar Studio)
3. [50:55] Joe Fonda: Bright Light Opus #3. From Eyes on the Horizon (Long Song, 2024) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet), Satoko Fujii (piano), Joe Fonda (bass, flute), Tiziano Tononi (drums)
4. [55:42] Outro with Tōru Takemitsu: Mirai eno Isan/The Legend of the Future
5. [1:00:19] Tui St. George Tucker: Venite, Exultemus Domino. From Indian Summer: Three Microtonal Antiphons on Psalm Texts (Opus One, 1983) with Stephen Poulos, Nicholas Solomon (baritones), Andrew Bolotowsky, Stephani Starin (flutes), Harold Seletsky (clarinet), Lester Cantor (bassoon), David Grego (tuba), Tina Pelikan (viola), Robert Lepre (percussion), Tui St. George Tucker (conductor), Peter Darmi (recording engineer)
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SET 3: East meets West [1:10:20]
1. [1:12:43] Tōru Takemitsu: Gitimalya. From Winter, Marginalia, Gitimalya (JVC, 1982) with Michiko Takahashi (marimba), Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Hiroyuki Iwaki (conductor), Fumio Hattori (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1974, premiered November 22, 1974 in Rotterdam
2. [1:26:17] PAN Project: The Naked: question. From Borderless Flows (Neuma, 2024) with Jessika Kenney (vocals), PAN Project Ensemble: gamin (piri), Ned Rothenberg (shakuhachi)
3. [1:31:43] Gabriel Iranyi: Three Soundscapes - 2. Inquieto. From String Quartets Extended (Kairos, 2024) with Wu Wei (sheng), Sonar Quartett: Wojciech Garbowski, Gregoire Simon (violins), Ian Anderson (viola), Konstantin Manaev (cello), Lukas Wilke (recording engineer). NOTE: Video of the 2019 premiere is at https://youtu.be/GuoYmX7u7BY
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SET 4: The aesthetics of noise [1:35:02]
1. [1:38:01] Brandon Seabrook: Unbalanced Love Portfolio. From Object of Unknown Function (Pyroclastic, 2024) with Brandon Seabrook (guitar banjo), Ben Greenberg (recording engineer, Circular Ruin Studio)
2. [1:40:40] Angelica Sanchez: C.B. The Time Traveler. From Nighttime Creatures (Pyroclastic, 2023) with Angelica Sanchez (piano), Michaël Attias (alto saxophone), Chris Speed (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Ben Goldberg (contra-alto clarinet), Thomas Heberer (quarter-tone trumpet), Kenny Warren (cornet), Omar Tamez (guitar), John Hébert (bass), Sam Ospovat (drums), Ryan Streber (recording engineer, Oktaven Audio)
3. [1:47:49] Stefan Prins: under_current (excerpt). From Inhabit (Sub Rosa, 2024) with Yaron Deutsch (electric guitar), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov (conductor)
4. [1:56:43] Outro with Tibetan Buddhist ritual orchestra, Maarphaa (मार्फा) Nepal. NOTE: Video at https://tinyurl.com/TibetanOrchestra
Photo credits: Reflectativity 2000 (Anthony Davis, Wadada Leo Smith, Malachi Favors) by Con Keyes, Janel Leppin via Cuneiform Records, Joe Fonda Quartet (Wadada Leo Smith, JF, Satoko Fujii, Tiziano Tononi) by David Apuzzo, Gabriel Iranyi by Uwe Neumann, Tōru Takemitsu via Bruce Duffie, Brandon Seabrook by Reuben Radding, Tibetan ritual orchestra in Maarphaa, Nepal by Michael Schell, Tui St. George Tucker by Charles A. Miller, Ned Rothenberg by Lois Ellison, Sofia Gubaidulina via Orfeo Music, Gamin Kang via Neuma Records, Louis Andriessen by Marco Borggreve, Miguel Angel Crozzoli by Luise Volkmann, Angelica Sanchez nonet (Michaël Attias, Kenny Warren, Omar Tamez, Thomas Heberer, Ben Goldberg, Sam Ospovat, John Hébert, Chris Speed, AS) by Michael Dyer