Flotation Device celebrates John Cage on his 109th birthday with a survey of four new albums of his music, plus new works by Wolfgang Heiniger and Satoko Fujii inspired by his Seattle-bred Imaginary Landscapes No. 1 and prepared pianos. We also enjoy fresh techno-Russian ruminations from Gabriel Prokofiev, fractured love songs from Oliver Leith, avant-rock from Mozo Mozo, memories of pre-minimalism from Daniel Goode, modulated piano pulses from Peter Van Zandt Lane, and new improv tracks from old favorites Joe McPhee and Lao Dan. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell.
Annotated playlist and photo credits in Comments. Follow Flotation Device on Mixcloud, Facebook, Instagram and at kbcs.fm.
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Flotation Device 2021-09-05: annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: The Rite of Disco [0:00]
1. [1:08] Gabriel Prokofiev: Be Ready…/Reflessivo/Change Up. From Breaking Screens (Melodiya, 2021) with Gabriel Prokofiev (electronics), OpensoundOrchestra, Stanislav Malyshev (conductor), Ilya Karpov (recording engineer)
2. [9:39] Daniel Goode: Piano Sonata #2 (Memories of Pre-Minimalism, 1959 and Now). From AnnCela Express (New World, 2021) with Joseph Kubera (piano), Ryan Streber (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2015
3. [17:57] Wolfgang Heiniger, Enno Poppe: Tonband (excerpts). From Tonband (Wergo, 2021) with Yarn/Wire: Ian Antonio, Russell Greenberg (percussion), Laura Barger, Ning Yu (electric organs). NOTE: Composed 2008/12⠀
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SET 2 [26:46]
1. [29:51] Joe McPhee, Flow Trio: Recombinant. From Winter Garden (ESP Disk', 2021) with Joe McPhee (tenor saxophone), Flow Trio: Louie Belogenis (tenor and soprano saxophones), Joe Morris (bass), Charles Downs (drums), Jim Clouse (recording engineer)
2. [37:16] Oliver Leith: 664 Love Songs Guaranteed to Cure Heartache. From Me Hollywood (Another Timbre, 2021) with Explore Ensemble: Taylor MacLennan (bass flute), David López Ibáñez (violin), Deni Teo (cello), Siwan Rhys (keyboard), Simon Reynell (recording engineer)
3. [50:49] Peter Van Zandt Lane: Studies in Momentum (excerpts). From Electrocosmia (Innova, 2021) with Peng-chian Chen (piano), Peter Van Zandt Lane (recording engineer)
4. [57:26] Outro with John Cage: Bacchanale⠀
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SET 3: Cage's progeny [1:00:17]
1. [1:01:02] Satoko Fujii: Shiroku (excerpt). From Piano Music (Libra, 2021) with Satoko Fujii (prepared piano, electronics)
2. [1:04:33] Mozo Mozo: No Easy Way Out (excerpt). From s/t (Epileptic Media, 2020) with Mozo Mozo: Friedmeister (bass), Moritz Morast (guitar), Sir Saxalot (saxophone), Yungtoyboy28 (drums)
3. [1:08:56] John Cage: Variations VII (excerpt). From Variations VII (Epicentre Editions, 2021) with Jérôme Noetinger, Lê Quan Ninh, Nadia Lena, Aurélie Maisonneuve, Émilie Mousset, Julien Rabin (on location), Brian Archinal, Victor Barceló, Fabien Bernard, Tiziana Bertoncini, Alexandre Chanoine, Ying-Hsueh Chen, Julien Desprez, Anna-Liisa Eller, eRikm, Jean-Christophe Feldhandler, Pauline Floury, Nathalie Forget, Miguel Ángel García Martín, Jared Gradinger, Bastian Pfefferli, Angela Schubot, Séverin Valière (remote performers), Lê Quan Ninh (recording engineer). NOTE: recorded live August 15, 2020 at Le Bruit de la Musique festival, Domeyrot, Creuse, France. Originally composed for 9 Evenings, Theatre & Engineering, October 13–23, 1966, 69th Regiment Armory, New York
4. [1:12:22] Tu Tu Duo: Tournament of Chopsticks. From TUTU Duo (NoBusiness, 2021) with Lao Dan (Chinese flute), Deng Boyu (drums, percussion)⠀
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SET 4: Happy Birthday John Cage (1912–1992) [1:19:17]
1. [1:24:24] John Cage (attributed): All sides of the small stone for Erik Satie and (secretly given to Jim Tenney) as a koan. From Cage Edition 54: Works for Piano 11 (Mode, 2021) with Aki Takahashi (piano). NOTE: Thought to have been written by Cage in 1978
2. [1:28:40] John Cage: 4 Solos for Voice. From Solos for Voice 93–96 (ASC Records/Prima Facie, 2021) with Electric Phoenix: Judith Rees, Meriel Dickinson, Daryl Runswick, Terry Edwards (voices), John Whiting (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1988, recorded 1999, previously unreleased
3. [1:43:20] John Cage: Ryoanji. From James Wood - John Cage - Brian Ferneyhough (Neos, 2019) with Livia Schönbächler (flute), Ensemble VERTIGO der Hochschule der Künste Bern, Lennart Dohms (conductor). NOTE: Composed 1983–1985 for any solo from or combination of voice, flute, oboe, trombone, double bass ad libitum with tape, and obbligato percussionist or any 20 instruments
4. [1:56:28] Outro with Erik Satie: Gymnopédies
Photo credits: Wolfgang Heiniger by Ernst Fesseler, Gabriel Prokofiev by Nathan Gallagher, score detail from Ryoanji by John Cage, Joe McPhee by Žiga Koritnik, Aki Takahashi via the artist, John Cage by Marion Kalter, video detail from 664 Love Songs Guaranteed to Cure Heartache by Oliver Leith, Peter Van Zandt Lane via the artist, Lao Dan by Ahsan Lin/Bothbin, Satoko Fujii via the artist, Daniel Goode via the artist.