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Now in podcast format: improvised music by Fred Frith, Myra Melford, John Hollenbeck and the New Origins trio, plus an unusual album from Ingrid Laubrock that features four different voice+instrument combinations setting short poems by Erica Hunt. The Pancrace quintet from France liberates the pipe organ from its churchly dependencies, while Sofia Gubaidulina takes a more credulous approach to Christian mysticism in a late violin concerto that we’ll contrast with her early side career as a free improviser. DJ Molécule pursues an unusual variety of crossover music that combines live and sampled orchestral sounds, Carl Schimmel channels 18th century contortionists, and the late Peter Ablinger creates layers of microtones and microrhythms. Finally, a 50th anniversary cameo by Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart recalls their only joint tour in Spring 1975. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, originally broadcast April 27, 2025.
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Photo credits: Shelley Burgon by Neil Harrison, Sofia Gubaidulina via WKCR, Pancrace (Arden Day, Prune Bécheau, Léo Maurel, Julien Desailly, Jan Vysocky) via the artists, Carl Schimmel via Illinois State University, Fred Frith by Heike Liss, Koan 38 by Ingrid Laubrock, Bongo Fury (top: Bruce Fowler, Napoleon Murphy Brock, bottom: Tom Fowler, George Duke, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Denny Walley, Terry Bozzio) via the Zappa estate, Molécule by Goledzinowski, Myra Melford by Bryan Murray, Peter Ablinger by Siegrid Ablinger, Colouring Hockets (Matt Moran, Florian Weber, Patricia Brennan, John Hollenbeck, Marcio Doctor) via Fully Altered Media
Flotation Device 2025-04-27: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Koans for contortionists [0:00]
1. [1:37] Carl Schimmel: The Alphabet Turn’d Posture Master, or The Comical Hotch Potch. From Adjacence (New Focus, 2024) with Flexible Music: Timothy Ruedeman (tenor saxophone), Daniel Lippel (electric guitar), Eric Huebner (piano), Haruka Fujii (percussion), Christopher Jacobs (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2008, premiere recording
2. [8:22] Ingrid Laubrock: Koan 28. From Purposing the Air (Pyroclastic, 2025) with Fay Victor (voice), Mariel Roberts (cello), Ryan Streber (recording engineer, Oktaven Audio). NOTE: Lyrics from Erica Hunt: Mood Librarian - a poem in koan
3. [11:33] Ingrid Laubrock: Koan 5. From Purposing the Air (as above) with Sara Serpa (voice), Matt Mitchell (piano), Charles Mueller (recording engineer)
4. [13:07] Ingrid Laubrock: Koan 24. From Purposing the Air (as above) with Theo Bleckmann (voice), Ben Monder (guitar), Ryan Streber (recording engineer, Oktaven Audio)
5. [15:36] Ingrid Laubrock: Koan 42. From Purposing the Air (as above) with Sara Serpa (voice), Matt Mitchell (piano), Charles Mueller (recording engineer)
6. [17:40] Ingrid Laubrock: Koan 34. From Purposing the Air (as above) with Duo Cortona: Rachel Calloway (voice), Ari Streisfeld (violin), Ryan Streber (recording engineer, Oktaven Audio)
7. [19:13] Ingrid Laubrock: Koan 40. From Purposing the Air (as above) with Theo Bleckmann (voice), Ben Monder (guitar), Ryan Streber (recording engineer, Oktaven Audio)
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SET 2: Shooting stars [23:20]
1. [25:57] Myra Melford: Freewheeler. From Splash (Intakt, 2025) with Myra Melford (piano), Michael Formanek (bass), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone), Michael Brändli (recording engineer, Hardstudios Winterthur)
2. [29:57] New Origin: Aux filantes étoiles. From The Poets Walk (Fundacja Słuchaj, 2025) with Christophe Rocher (clarinets), Joe Fonda (bass), Harvey Sorgen (drums), Jay Anderson (recording engineer, Mountain Rest Studios)
3. [36:29] John Hollenbeck: Owts Hgis. From Colouring Hockets (Flexatonic, 2024) with John Hollenbeck (drums, timpani), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, crotales, timpani), Matt Moran (vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, tapan), NDR Bigband, JC Sanford (conductor), Adrian von Ripka (recording engineer)
4. [42:23] Pancrace: Farben. From Papotier (Penultimate Press, 2025) with Pancrace: Prune Bécheau, Arden Day, Julien Desailly, Léo Maurel, Jan Vysocky (spatialized and MIDI controlled Organous, 1778 Sibermann organ, voices, Baroque violin, bird calls, rattles, ventilators, inhaler, whisties, uilleann pipes, etc.)
5. [47:57] Pancrace: Bouche à Bouches. From Papotier (credits as above)
6. [50:40] Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Mothers of Invention: Debra Kadabra. From 20 Years of Frank Zappa: 11. Soup & Old Clothes (Mud Shark, 1981) with Captain Beefheart (vocals, harp), Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals), Denny Walley (slide guitar, vocals), Napoleon Murphy Brock (sax, vocals), Bruce Fowler (trombone), George Duke (keyboards, vocals), Tom Fowler (bass), Terry Bozzio (drums). NOTE: Recorded live April 27, 1975 at Music Hall, Boston
7. [55:34] Outro with Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart: Debra Kadabra (from Bongo Fury)
8. [59:30] Fred Frith, Shelley Burgon: Memory Lane. From The Life and Behavior (Relative Pitch, 2025) with Fred Frith (acoustic guitar), Shelley Burgon (harp), Myles Boisen (recording engineer)
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SET 3: Sofia Gubaidulina (1931–2025) [1:03:16]
1. [1:05:39] Sofia Gubaidulina: Violin Concerto No. 3 (Dialog: Ich und Du) - Parts 5–7. From Dialog: Ich und Du, The Wrath of God, The Light of the End (Deutsche Grammophon, 2021) with Vadim Repin (violin), Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons (conductor). NOTE: Composed 2018
2. [1:10:18] Astraea Ensemble: Archipelagos of Sounds in the Ocean of Time (excerpts). From Astraea (Divine Art Recording Group, 2020) with Vyacheslav Artyomov, Sofia Gubaidulina, Viktor Suslin. NOTE: Recorded 1977 in Moscow
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SET 4: Peter Ablinger (1959–2025) [1:27:49]
1. [1:32:17] Molécule: Symphony No. 1 "Quantique" (excerpts). From Symphonie N° 1 "Quantique" (Alpha, 2025) with Romain de La Haye-Serafini AKA Molécule (electronics), Orchestre National de Lille, Alexandre Bloch (conductor), Jiri Heger (recording engineer)
2. [1:45:26] Peter Ablinger: Hypothesen über das Mondlicht. From Augmented Studies (Maria de Alvear World Edition, 2014) with Erik Drescher (16 multitracked flutes with extentible headjoint)
3. [1:56:58] Outro with Gidole flute ensemble (from Ritual Music of Ethiopia)