Enjoy our special Independence Day edition as we do Americana *our* way, with topical contributions from Ives, Partch, Braxton and Zappa. Savor the avant-garde impressions of America’s clangorous soundscape by several immigrant composers. Say farewell to the late Jon Hassell and Frederic Rzewski. Eavesdrop on The Residents, Pamela Z and Stockhausen as they have fun with the Star-Spangled Banner. We keep things anchored with some Native songs from the Northwest alongside a rarely-heard percussion piece by the neglected bridge composer Louis Ballard. Two hours of American musical ingenuity, certified free of clichés and cynicism for the 4th of July.
Photos: Varèse via Wikimedia, Chen Yi by Kuandi Photos, Rzewski via Alexis Rzewski, Braxton by Edu Hawkins, Partch with Gourd Tree, Tania J. Leon via the artist, Roderick Harris via the artist, Fawn Wood via National Arts Centre, Zappa by Jay L. Handler, Louis W. Ballard via the artist, Jon Hassell by Henryk Kotowski, Pamela Z by Lori Eanes
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Flotation Device 2021-07-04: annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Roots and Rzewski [0:00]
1. [1:21] Roderick Harris: Youth Chant. From Sotia's Love (self, 2002) with Roderick Harris (voice, drum)
2. [3:05] Fawn Wood: After All. From Iskwewak: Songs of Indigenous Womanhood (Canyon, 2012) with Fawn Wood (voices, drum)
3. [6:05] Louis Ballard: Cacéga Ayuwípi (Decorative Drums) - 1. Pacific Northwest. From Incident At Wounded Knee (Wakan Native American Classics, 1987) with percussion players from Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, Louis Ballard (conductor). NOTE: Composed 1970. Digital restoration by Andrew Rosenblum
4. [12:52] Charles Ives: The Fourth of July. From New England Holidays, Orchestral Sets Nos. 1 & 2 (Seattle Symphony, 2017) with Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot (conductor), Dmitriy Lipay (recording engineer)
5. [19:27] Traditional: Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues. From American Industrial Ballads (Folkways, 1956, reissued 1992 by Smithsonian Folkways) with Pete Seeger (voice, banjo)
6. [20:33] Frederic Rzewski: North American Ballads - 4. Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues. From North American Ballads & Squares (hat[now]ART, 1991) with Frederic Rzewski (piano), Peter Pfister (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1979⠀
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SET 2: Souza meets free jazz [32:05]
1. [36:37] Anthony Braxton: Composition No. 58. From Creative Orchestra Music 1976 (Arista, 1976). Solos: Leo Smith (trumpet), George Lewis (trombone), Anthony Braxton (clarinet), Jon Faddis (piccolo trumpet). Ensemble: Anthony Braxton (alto saxophone, clarinet), Seldon Powell (alto saxophone, flute), Ron Bridgewater (tenor saxophone), Bruce Johnstone (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet), Roscoe Mitchell (bass saxophone), Kenny Wheeler, Cecil Bridgewater (trumpets), Jon Faddis (trumpet, piccolo trumpet), Leo Smith (trumpet, conductor), George Lewis, Garrett List (trombones), Jack Jeffers (bass trombone), Jonathan Dorn (tuba), Dave Holland (bass), Karl Berger (glockenspiel), Warren Smith, Barry Altschul (snare drum), Frederic Rzewski (bass drum), Philip Wilson (marching cymbals). NOTE: Parade music
2. [43:24] Jon Hassell: Delicado. From Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two) (Bandcamp, 2020)
3. [47:22] Karlheinz Stockhausen: Hymnen Region III (excerpt). From Hymnen (Deutsche Grammophon, 1969, reissued 1995 as Stockhausen Edition 10 by Stockhausen-Verlag). NOTE: Realized 1966–67 at Studio für elektronische Musik, WDR Köln
4. [50:24] John Stafford Smith, Francis Scott Key: Star Spangled Banner. From Liver Music (UWEB, 1990) with The Residents. NOTE: Recorded November 1982 at "Uncle Sam Mole Show", Washington D.C., "a special additional ending to The Mole Show for this New Music America event".
5. [51:15] Pamela Z: De-spangled. From A Secret Code (Neuma, 2021) with Pamela Z (voice and electronics). NOTE: Composed 2003
6. [56:25] Outro with Anthony Braxton Quartet: I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together⠀
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SET 3: Immigrant avant-Americana [59:58]
1. [1:00:42] Chen Yi: Sparkle. From Sparkle (New World, 1999) with New Music Consort: David Fedele (flute, piccolo), Sean Osborn (E♭ clarinet), Rolf Schulte (violin), Theodore Mook (cello), Victor Kioulaphides (bass), William Trigg, Michael Lipsey (percussion), Christopher Oldfather (piano), Claire Heldrich (conductor), Adrian Carr (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1992
2. [1:12:46] Chou Wen-chung: Leggeriezza. From Clouds Sum (Mode, 2011) with Brentano String Quartet. NOTE: Composed 1996
3. [1:15:09] Tania León: Rituál. From Indígena (New World, 1994) with Clemens Leske (piano), Dennis Ferrante (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1987
4. [1:20:36] Harry Partch: Ulysses Departs from the Edge of the World. From New Music for Trumpet (Orion, 1972, reissued 1998 on Enclosure 5 by Innova) with Jack Logan (trumpet), Larry Livingston (baritone saxophone, speaker), Danlee Mitchell (diamond marimba), John Grimes (bamboo marimba, cloud chamber bowls), Linda Schell Pluth (bass marimba, cloud chamber bowls). NOTE: Originally composed 1955, this version (with trumpet and saxophone) recorded here for the first time in (July?) 1971⠀
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SET 4: "And he dared to call it Americas" [1:27:02]
1. [1:31:44] Edgard Varèse: Amériques. From Amériques, Nocturnal, Ecuatorial (Vanguard, 1966, reissued 1991) with Utah Symphony Orchestra, Maurice Abravanel (conductor). NOTE: Composed 1918–21, revised 1927
2. [1:54:05] Outro
3. [1:56:32] Katharine Lee Bates: America The Beautiful. From Zappa '88: The Last U.S. Show (Zappa Records, 2021) with Frank Zappa (lead guitar, computer-synth, vocal), Ike WIllis (guitar, synth, vocal), Mike Keneally (guitar, synth, vocal), Robert Martin (keyboards, vocal), Ed Mann (vibes, marimba, electronic percussion), Walt Fowler (trumpet, flugel horn, synth), Bruce Fowler (trombone), Paul Carman (alto, soprano and baritone sax), Albert Wing (tenor sax), Kurt McGettrick (baritone, sax, bass sax, contrabass clarinet), Scott Thunes (electric bass, Mini-Moog), Chad Wackerman (drums, electronic percussion), Bob Stone (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded March 25, 1988, at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, the last US stage appearance by Frank Zappa