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Wayne Horvitz’s What's Going On festival returns to the Northwest November 13–16, and we've got all the details on this celebration of conduction, improvisation, and the musical legacies of Butch Morris, Henry Threadgill and Sun Ra. We preview some of the classic works slated for reinterpretation, and reacquaint ourselves with festival guests Steph Richards, Ingrid Laubrock and Brandon Ross, as Wayne offers his commentary on the unique African-American culture of musical structure.
We also introduce ourselves to the music of Felipe Lara, preview two major box sets devoted to piano and organ works by Michael Finnissy, and celebrate the 50th birthday of Oxana Omelchuk whose quirky postmodernism reminds us of John Zorn and his new album with the JACK Quartet. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world from 91.3 KBCS.
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Flotation Device 2025-11-09: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: What's Going On (2025) I [0:00]
1. [1:57] Henry Threadgill: Hope A hope A. From Spirit of Nuff…Nuff (Black Saint, 1990) with Very Very Circus: Henry Threadgill (alto saxophone), Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), Brandon Ross, Masujaa (electric guitars), Marcus Rojas, Edwin Rodriguez (tubas), Gene Lake (drums), David Stone (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded November 19–21, 1990 at R.P.M. Studios, New York
2. [9:34] Butch Morris: Conduction #15, Where Music Goes II - Part 2. From Testament: A Conduction Collection (New World, 1995) with Brandon Ross (guitars), Arthur Blythe (alto saxophone), Janet Grice (bassoon), Bill Horvitz (electric guitar), Jemeel Moondoc (flute), Marion Brandis (flutes), Vincent Chancey (French horn), Zeena Parkins (harp), Taylor McLean (percussion, glockenspiel), Curtis Clark (piano), J. A. Deane (trombone, electronics, live sampling), Thurman Barker (percussion, vibraphone), Jason Hwang (violin), Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris (conductor). NOTE: Recorded November 15–16, 1989 at The Whitney at Philip Morris, NYC
3. [20:45] Wayne Horvitz on Butch Morris and the Grateful Dead (from Radio Eclectus, September 12, 2019 and Flotation Device, October 13, 2024)
4. [21:46] Grateful Dead: That's It For The Other One - 4. We Leave the Castle. From Anthem of the Sun (Warner Bros., 1968) with Tom Constanten (prepared piano, piano, electronic tape), Jerry Garcia (guitar)
5. [24:12] Steph Richards: Bunker. From Supersense (Northern Spy Records, 2020) with Steph Richards (trumpet, flugelhorn, resonating drums/water), Jason Moran (piano), Stomu Takeishi (bass), Kenny Wollesen (drums, Wollesonics). NOTE: The LP release is accompanied by a scratch and sniff card, hence the album title
6. [27:11] Sun Ra: Music From The World Tomorrow. From Angels and Demons at Play (Saturn, 1965, reissued 2016 by Enterplanetary Koncepts) with Sun Ra & His Myth Science Arkestra: Sun Ra (Cosmic tone organ, percussion), Phil Cohran (Violin-Uke), Ronnie Boykins (bass), Jon Hardy (drums). NOTE: Recorded June 1960, Chicago
SET 2: What's Going On (2025) II [29:33]
1. [35:38] Wayne Horvitz: Redux #2 (Daylight). From At The Reception (Songlines, 2014) with Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble: Beth Fleenor (clarinet), Kate Olson (soprano saxophone), Ivan Arteaga (alto saxophone), Skerik (tenor saxophone), Greg Sinibaldi (baritone saxophone), Al Keith, Samantha Boshnack, Steve O'Brien (trumpets), Naomi Siegel, Jacob Herring, Willem de Koch (trombones), Ryan Burns (piano), Geoff Harper (bass), Eric Eagle (drums), Wayne Horvitz (conductor), Andy Meyer (recording engineer)
2. [38:03] Ingrid Laubrock, Cecilia Lopez: cuerda floja (excerpts). From Maromas (Relative Pitch, 2023) with Ingrid Laubrock (soprano and tenor saxophone), Cecilia Lopez (electronics, processing), Chris Benham (recording engineer). NOTE: For more on Cecilia Lopez, see https://tinyurl.com/CeciliaLopezComposer
3. [40:34] Sun Ra: Sea of Sounds. From Space Is the Place (Black Thumb, 1973 reissued 1998 by Impulse! and 2014 by Enterplanetary Koncepts) with Sun Ra and His Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra: Sun Ra (Farfisa organ), Akh Tal Ebah (flugelhorn), Kwame Hadi AKA Lamont McClamb (trumpet), Marshall Allen (alto saxophone), Danny Davis (alto saxophone), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone), Pat Patrick (baritone saxophone), Lex Humphries (drums), Atakatun AKA Stanley Morgan, Odun AKA Russel Branch (percussion), Baker Bigsby (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded October 19–20, 1972, Streeterville Recording Studio, Chicago, IL
4. [48:17] Wayne Horvitz on Sun Ra. NOTE: Video of the source interview is at https://tinyurl.com/WayneHorvitz
5. [50:32] Sun Ra: Rocket Number Nine Take off for the Planet Venus. From Interstellar Low Ways (Saturn, 1966, reissued 1992 by Evidence) with Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra: Sun Ra (piano), Phil Cohran (cornet), Nate Pryor (trombone), Marshall Allen (alto sax, flute, bells), John Gilmore (tenor sax, percussion), Ronnie Boykins (bass, space gong), Jon Hardy (drums, percussion, gong), ensemble vocals. NOTE: Recorded ca. June 17, 1960 at RCA Studios, Chicago
6. [56:45] Outro with Sun Ra/Julian Priester: Soft Talk (Take 1) from Super-Sonic Jazz Expanded Edition
7. [1:00:25] John Zorn: Sigil Magick. From Prolegomena (Tzadik, 2025) with Michael Nicolas (cello), JACK Quartet: Austin Wulliman, Christopher Otto (violins), John Richards (viola), Jay Campbell (cello), Ryan Streber (recording engineer, Oktaven Audio). NOTE: Composed 2020
SET 3: Omelchuk at 50 [1:06:35]
1. [1:08:31] Oxana Omelchuk: Wow and Flutter for 2 trombones and ensemble - I. From Sieben Intraden (Wergo, 2019) with Matthias Muche, Daniel Riegler (trombones), Studio Dan, Stephan Schmidt (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2018
2. [1:11:14] Oxana Omelchuk: 5 Widmungen an die verborgenen Empfänger (excerpts). From From Inner Cities, Contemporary music for piano, accordion and toy piano (WDR, 2021) with Dorrit Bauerecker (accordion), Oxana Omelchuk (tape), Katharina Kiefer (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2013, recorded 2017
3. [1:20:29] Oxana Omelchuk: Sieben Intraden for ensemble. From Sieben Intraden (Wergo, 2019) with Ensemble für Neue Musik Sankt Peter, Jonathan Stockhammer (direction). NOTE: Composed 2004
SET 4: New and notable [1:30:24]
1. [1:32:57] Michael Finnissy: Blackburn (opening). From Organ Works (Métier/Divine Arts, 2025) with Forrest Eimold (organ), VIdda Le Feber (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2022
2. [1:34:59] Michael Finnissy: Preambule zu “Carnaval”, gefolgt von der ersten und zweiten symphonischen Etude nach Schumann - Symphonische Etude 1. From Piano Works (Métier/Divine Arts, 2025) with Ian Pace (piano), Sophie Nicole Ellison (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2009–10, first recording
3. [1:41:00] Michael Finnissy: Blackburn (ending). From Organ Works (credits as above)
4. [1:43:12] Felipe Lara: Mosaic Maze. From Brutal Mirrors (Kairos, 2025) with International Contemporary Ensemble: Isabel Lepanto Bleicher (flute), Nick Masterson (oboe), Joshua Rubin (clarinet), Erin Rogers (alto saxophone), Kyra Sims (horn), Josh Modney, Pala Garcia (violin), John Popham (cello), Nuiko Wadden (harp), Jacob Greenberg (piano), Dennis Sullivan, Clara Warnaar (percussion), David Fulmer (conductor), Scott Metcalfe (recording engineer)
5. [1:56:16] Outro with Felipe Lara: Metafagote for seven bassoons (Rebekah Heller)
Photo credits: Felipe Lara by Celeste Sloman, Wayne Horvitz and Butch Morris by Dany Gignoux, Sun Ra with Yamaha YC30 combo organ, John Zorn in MindFlux 2010 via the artist, Oxana Omelchuk via Orbit, Steph Richards by Chris Weiss, Butch Morris by Chad Batka, Michael Finnissy via the artist, Brandon Ross via 27 East, Henry Threadgill via Pi Recordings, Ingrid Laubrock by Frank Schindelbeck.