Flotation Device highlights an Alice Coltrane classic for its 50th birthday, along with several new albums by contemporary musicians who show her influence. We’ve also got electronic music from a pair of Seattleites, Steve Layton and Marc Barreca, new composed works by a pair of venerated Europeans, Arvo Pärt and Kalevi Aho, and one last farewell to bowed piano pioneer Stephen Scott. Topping it off is a new COVID-era work from Richard Barrett introduced by Richard himself, followed by a nod to the key English minimalist, John White, for his 85th birthday. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Mike Schell.
Photos: Stephen Scott by Debra Gumlich, Steve Layton via the artist, Dave Rempis by Geert Vandepoele, Arvo Pärt by Eric Marinitsch, Bengt Hambraeus via Luisa Râpă, Empty Bridge by Marc Barreca, Alice Coltrane via the artist, Thumbscrew by Amy Touchette, Kalevi Aho by Kuva Rajattu, Lauren Spiceley, Richard Barrett, Alex Paxton via the artists
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Flotation Device 2021-04-04: annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Stephen Scott (1944–2021)
1. [1:14] Stephen Scott: Music One for Bowed Strings. From New Music for Bowed Piano (New Albion Records, 1984 reissued 1999) with Colorado College New Music Ensemble (bowed piano), Stephen Scott (direction), Joseph Auner, Karl Walter (recording engineers)
2. [8:27] Kalevi Aho: Am Horizont. From Songs of Solitude (BIS, 2021) with Hiyoli Togawa (viola), Martin Nagorni (recording engineer)
3. [13:52] Bengt Hambraeus: Rondeau. From Toccatacapriccio: Swedish 20th Century Guitar Music (Caprice, 2021) with Mårten Falk (guitar). NOTE: Composed 1991
SET 2: Layton and Barrett [22:15]
1. [25:33] Steve Layton: Traffic Circles. From Our World (NiwoSound, 2020) with Steve Layton (Reason 11, Audacity)
2. [29:28] Richard Barrett: Dark Matter - De vita coelitus comparanda; Transmission VI. From Dark Matter (NMC, 2012) with Elision, Cikada, Christian Eggen (conductor), Richard Barrett (live electronics), Michael Hewes (sound projection). NOTE: Composed 2003
3. [39:07] Richard Barrett introduces Izar
4. [41:09] Richard Barrett and Ivana Grahovac: Izar. From Binary Systems (Bandcamp, 2021) with Ivana Grahovac (cello), Richard Barrett (electronics)
Voice break with John White: Drinking and Hooting Machine [55:43]
SET 3: Alice Coltrane and her legacy [59:12]
1. [59:51] Alice Coltrane: Universal Consciousness. From Universal Consciousness (Impulse!, 1971) with Alice Coltrane (harp, organ), John Blair, Julius Brand, Leroy Jenkins, Joan Kalisch (violins), Jimmy Garrison (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums). NOTE: Recorded April 6, 1971
2. [1:04:54] Dave Rempis and TOC: No sleep at La Zone. From Closed for safety reasons (Tour de Bras, 2020) with Dave Rempis (alto and tenor saxophone), TOC: Jérémie Ternoy (Fender Rhodes, piano bass), Ivann Cruz (electric guitar), Peter Orins (drums). NOTE: Recorded November 11, 2019 at La Malterie (Lille, France)
3. [1:14:17] Thumbscrew: Never Is Enough. From Never Is Enough (Cuneiform, 2021) with Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Mary Halvorson (guitar), Michael Formanek (bass), Nate Campisi (recording engineer). NOTE: Composition by Michael Formanek
SET 4: New tracks [1:21:09]
1. [1:24:04] Alex Paxton: Music for Bosch People. From Music for Bosch People (NMC Recordings, 2021). Alex Paxton (trombone), David Zucchi, Matthew Herd (saxophones), Mike De Souza, Rob Luft (electric guitars), David Ingamells (drum kit)
2. [1:39:43] Folkatron Sessions: Return Again feat. Juhan Maaker’s tune nr 22. From I hope this finds you well in these strange times, Vol. 4 (Nonclassical, 2021) with Lauren Spiceley (fiddle), Philippe Boudot, Nicholas O’Brien (sound design)
3. [1:42:27] Marc Barreca: Gargoyles. From The Empty Bridge (Palace of Lights, 2021) with Marc Barreca (modular and virtual synthesizers, samplers, effects)
4. [1:48:43] Arvo Pärt: Sequentia (2019 revised version) for violin, percussion and string orchestra. From Miserere (BR-Klassik, 2021) with Stanko Madić (violin), Alexander Fickel (percussion), Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Howard Arman (conductor), Christiane Voitz (recording engineer). NOTE: Original version composed 2005
Outro with Arvo Pärt: Fratres [1:55:56]