Sun Ra and forests take the spotlight as we survey the Arkestra's new album, their first in two decades, and see how it compares with Sun Ra's own live performances from 50 years ago, when he was first experimenting with Moog synthesizers. Meanwhile, Steve Peters has a new album in the esoteric tradition of trees as instruments. We check that out alongside David Dunn's classic album The Sound of Light in Trees, juxtaposing the two with sympathetic new works by William Basinski and Clara Iannotta (via the JACK Quartet).
Plus we've got Alwynne Pritchard performing Globokar, Paul Hillier’s Ars Nova Copenhagen singing Julia Wolfe and Houston Grand Opera tackling Tarik O'Regan’s opera about Da Ponte (and Mozart). Add in some off-kilter fusion from the Polish band Błoto, and the latest tracks from Ge Gan-ru, Ash Fure, Steve Layton, Arrington de Dionyso, Patrick Chan, and the duo of Marilyn Crispell & Angelica Sanchez, and you'll be well caught up with the world’s most radical new music.
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Annotated playlist for show #69⠀
Intro and SET 1: New releases⠀
1. [2:43] Steve Layton: Akimbo. From Pandemic 1 (NiwoSound, 2020) with Steve Layton (Reason 10, Audacity). NOTE: A review of Layton's album No Answer is at https://www.secondinversion.org/2018/03/14/steve-layton-no-answer/⠀
2. [8:05] Chin Ting Chan: Falling Stars. From Drift, Volume 34 (Navona, 2020) with Ball State University Wind Ensemble, Caroline Hand (conductor)⠀
3. [15:48] Angelica Sanchez, Marilyn Crispell: Space Junk. From How to Turn the Moon (Pyroclastic, 2020) with Angelica Sanchez, Marilyn Crispell (pianos)⠀
4. [18:56] Angelica Sanchez, Marilyn Crispell: Twisted Roots. From How to Turn the Moon (credits as above)⠀
5. [21:28] Ashley Fure: Bound to the Bow for orchestra and electronics. From Something To Hunt (Sound American, 2020). Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, Christopher Rountree (conductor). NOTE: Composed and recorded 2016⠀
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SET 2: New solo tracks [38:58]⠀
1. [42:16] Ge Gan-Ru 葛甘孺: Gu Yue (Ancient Music) - 1. Gong. From Piano Music (Grand Piano, 2020) with Yiming Zhang (piano). NOTE: Composed 1985⠀
2. [45:48] Arrington de Dionyso: The Sun is My Blood. From The Dragon Raga (Songs of Psychic Fire) (Bandcamp, 2020). With Arrington de Dionyso (bass clarinet, voice, shruti boxes, lalove (Sulawesi flute), tape echo, electronic manipulations)⠀
3. [51:40] Vinko Globokar: Soprano Tapaguese Sur Ache de Noë (formerly known as "Metamorphosis"). From Les Soliloques décortiqués (Kairos, 2020) with Alwynne Pritchard (percussive singer). NOTE: Composed 2015⠀
4. [58:22] Ge Gan-Ru 葛甘孺: Gu Yue (Ancient Music) - 4. Drum. From Piano Music (as above)⠀
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SET 3: Sun Ra, then and now [1:03:11]⠀
1. [1:07:22] Sun Ra: The Design - Cosmos II. From My Brother the Wind Vol. 2 (Enterplanetary Koncepts, 2014) with Sun Ra (Minimoog). NOTE: Probably recorded at R.A. Moog factory, Trumansburg, NY in Summer 1970⠀
2. [1:09:44] Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Research Arkestra: Live performance excerpts from Black Myth/Out in Space, Live at the Donaueschingen and Berlin Festivals (Motor Music, 1998) with Sun Ra (Farfisa organ, Hohner clavinet, piano, Rocksichord, Spacemaster organ, Minimoog, Hohner electra, vocals), Kwame Hadi (trumpet), Akh Tal Ebah (mellophone, trumpet), Marshall Allen (alto saxophone, flute, oboe, piccolo, percussion), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone, percussion), Pat Patrick (baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, drum), Danny Davis (alto saxophone, flute, clarinet), Abshalom Ben Shlomo (alto saxophone, flute, clarinet), Danny Ray Thompson (baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, flute), Leroy Taylor (oboe, bass clarinet), Robert Cummings (bass clarinet), Augustus Browning (English horn), Alan Silva (violin, viola, cello, bass), Alejandro Blake Fearon (bass), Lex Humphries (drums), James Jackson (percussion, oboe, flute), Nimrod Hunt (hand drums), Hazoume (fireeater, dance, African percussion), Math Samba, Ife Tayo (dance, percussion), June Tyson (vocals). NOTE: Part 1 recorded at the Kongresshalle as part of the Berlin Jazz Festival on November 7, 1970. Part 2 recorded at the Stadthalle as part of the Donaueschingen Music Festival on October 17, 1970⠀
3. [1:28:41] Sun Ra: Infinity I'll Wait for You. From Swirling (Strut Records, 2020) with the Sun Ra Arkestra: Marshall Allen (leader, alto saxophone, EVI), Knoel Scott (alto saxophone), James Stewart (tenor saxophone, flute), Danny Ray Thompson (baritone saxophone, flute), Michael Ray, Cecil Brooks (trumpets), Vincent Chancey (French horn), Dave Davis (trombone, vocals), Farid Barron (piano), Dave Hotep (guitar), Tyler Mitchell (bass), Wayne Anthony Smith, Jr. (drums), Elson Nascimento (Surdo drums, percussion), Stanley "Atakatune" Morgan (congas), Tara Middleton (vocals, violin), Peter Tramo (recording engineer)⠀
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SET 4: The return of Mozart and Da Ponte [1:37:59]⠀
1. [1:40:27] Błoto: Oset. From Kwiatostan (Astigmatic, 2020) with Cancer G (drums, percussions, electronics), Książę Saxonii (saxophones, AKAI EWI 5000, percussions), Latarnik (piano, synths), Wuja HZG (bass guitar, MOOG)⠀
2. [1:43:59] Błoto: Mak. From Kwiatostan (credits as above)⠀
3. [1:48:54] Tarik O'Regan: The Phoenix - Act I (excerpts). From The Phoenix (PentaTone, 2020) with Lorenzo Da Ponte: Thomas Hampson (baritone), Young Da Ponte: Luca Pisaroni (bass-baritone), Mozart: Rihab Chaieb (mezzo-soprano), Emperor Joseph II: Chad Shelton (tenor), Houston Grand Opera, Patrick Summers (conductor). NOTE: Recorded 2019⠀
4. [1:58:41] Julia Wolfe: Guard My Tongue. From … and … (Naxos, 2020) with ARS NOVA Copenhagen, Paul Hillier (conductor). NOTE: Composed 2009⠀
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SET 5: Tree music, then and now [2:06:16]⠀
1. [2:10:54] Steve Peters: Arboretum (forest). From Arboretum (Bandcamp, 2020)⠀
2. [2:24:33] Clara Iannotta: Earthing - Dead Wasps (Obituary) for prepared string quartet, transducers and electronics. From Earthing (Wergo, 2020) with JACK Quartet⠀
3. [2:37:25] William Basinski: Passio. From Lamentations (Temporary Residence Limited, 2020)⠀
4. [2:43:47] David Dunn: Excerpt from The Sound of Light in Trees (Acoustic Ecology, 2006)
Photo credits: Vinko Globokar via Edition Peters Group, William Basinski by James Elaine, Steve Layton via the artist, Ashley Fure by Daniel Dorsa, Alwynne Pritchard by Thor Brødreskift, Julia Wolfe by Peter Serling, Steve Peters via the artist, Chin Ting Chan via the artist, Błoto via the artists, Marilyn Crispell & Angelica Sanchez via the artists, Sun Ra by System D-128, Tarik O'Regan by Peter Greig, Marshall Allen by Marek Lazarski, Ge Gan-ru via Columbia University Department of Music, David Dunn via UCSC Music Department.