Flotation Device celebrates the 80th birthday of Wadada Leo Smith, the 65th birthday of Merzbow and the 50th anniversary of Sun Ra’s first concert tour in Egypt with a cherishing look at all three musicians’ esoteric approach to radical music. We also launch our retrospective of 2021's best new albums of avant-garde music with some compelling music by George Crumb, Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, Joseph Kamaru AKA KMRU, Bill Horist, Sound-In, Acoustic Fringe, Luca Quintavalle, Rhys Chatham and the late Ghédalia Tazartès.
How did Egyptian concertgoers respond to the Arkestra’s bizarre spectacle? How did KBCS-FM’s management respond to our programming Merzbow? Stream this show anytime, anyplace, and find out. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, originally aired December 19, 2021.
Photo credits and annotated playlist with Comments.
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Flotation Device 2021-12-19: annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Happy Birthday Wadada Leo Smith [0:00]
1. [2:15] Wadada Leo Smith: Ep - 1. From Creative Music (Kabell, 1972, reissued 2004 by Tzadik on Kabell Years: 1971–1979) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet), T.J. Sokira (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded December 18–19, 1971
2. [5:15] Wadada Leo Smith: t wmukl - D (excerpts). From Reflectativity (Kabell, 1975, reissued 2004 by Tzadik on Kabell Years: 1971–1979) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet, flugelhorn, seal horn, recorder, atenteben, Indian wooden flute, harmonica, autoharp, hand zithers, bells, parade drum, hand drum, tin drum, aluminum pot drums, cymbals, mobile sounds-gong, metal-plates, steel-o-phone, gongs, Indian bell), Anthony Davis (piano, electric piano, organ), Wes Brown (bass, atenteben, odurogyabe). NOTE: Recorded November 22, 1974 at The Educational Center for the Arts, New Haven, CT
3. [15:45] Wadada Leo Smith, Bill Laswell, Milford Graves: Myths of Civilizations and Revolutions. From Sacred Ceremonies (Tum, 2021) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet), Bill Laswell (basses), Milford Graves (drums, percussion), James Dellatacoma (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded 2015 or 2016⠀
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SET 2: Favorites from 2021 [24:30]
1. [27:31] Ghédalia Tazartès, Rhys Chatham: Jardin de Simone - Acte 2. From Two Men In A Boat (Sub Rosa, 2021) with Ghédalia Tazartès (voice), Rhys Chatham (electric guitar, flute and trumpet loops). NOTE: Recorded September 2018 at a private show in Paris
2. [34:22] Acoustic Fringe: Morning of An Alchemist. From Theater (Fancy Music, 2020) with Goat's Notes Acoustic Fringe: Anna Chekasina (violin), Maria Logofet (violin), Sergey Poltavsky (viola), Vladimir Kudryavtsev (double bass), Gregory Sandomirsky (piano, percussion), Maxim Khaikin (recording engineer)
3. [39:44] Alessandro Solbiati: 11 Variazioni per Ruggero - Variation 9: Presto. From Italian Contemporary Music for Harpsichord (Brilliant Classics, 2021) with Luca Quintavalle (harpsichord), Anton Langer (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2007
4. [41:36] Fred Frith, Ikue Mori: A Thief Breaks into an Empty House. From A Mountain Doesn't Know It's Tall (Intakt Records, 2021) with Fred Frith (home-made instruments, various toys and objects), Ikue Mori (laptop electronics), Peter Hardt (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded 2015
5. [43:52] Joseph Kamaru AKA KMRU: canthenta. From Opaquer (Dagoretti Records, 2020)
6. [54:03] Outro with Ghédalia Tazartès, Rhys Chatham: Jardin de Simone - Acte 4⠀
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SET 3: More favorites from 2021 [58:09]
1. [59:09] George Crumb: Metamorphoses, Book II - Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer (Lady in Gold) (Gustav Klimt, 1907). From Crumb Edition 20: Metamorphoses, Books I & II (Bridge, 2021) with Marcantonio Barone (amplified piano), Adam Abeshouse (recording engineer)
2. [1:01:32] George Crumb: Metamorphoses, Book II - Purple Haze (Simon Dinnerstein, 1991). From Crumb Edition 20: Metamorphoses, Books I & II (Bridge, 2021) with Marcantonio Barone (amplified piano), Adam Abeshouse (recording engineer)
3. [1:06:02] George Crumb: Metamorphoses, Book II - Guernica (Pablo Picasso, 1937). From Crumb Edition 20: Metamorphoses, Books I & II (Bridge, 2021) with Marcantonio Barone (amplified piano), Adam Abeshouse (recording engineer)
4. [1:11:16] Bill Horist: Dislocation Services. From Tastemaker Epics (Cudighi, 2021) with Bill Horist (prepared electric guitar), Ellison Wolf (recording engineer)
5. [1:15:51] Steve Layton and Sound-In: La forêt mécanique. From April to May (NiwoSound, 2021) with Maria E. Ljungdahl, Chris Vaisvil, Benjamin Smith, James Bailey, Steve Layton⠀
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SET 4: Happy Birthday Merzbow [1:22:15]
1. [1:26:26] Merzbow et al: We Went up with Mother (excerpts). From Cuts Open (RareNoiseRecords, 2020) with Masami Akita AKA Merzbow (noise electronics, percussion), Mats Gustafsson (flute, fluteophone, baritone saxophone, live electronics, percussion), Balázs Pándi (drums, percussion). NOTE: Recorded June 18, 2018 at Studio Gok, Tokyo
2. [1:41:17] Sun Ra: Starwatchers, Egyptian Oasis 2. From Egypt 1971 (Strut, 2020) with Sun Ra (intergalactic Farfisa organ, tiger organ, Mini-Moog synthesizer, Rockichord electric harpsichord, piano, vocals), Kwame Hadi (trumpet, congas, vocals), Marshall Allen (alto saxophone, flute, oboe, percussion, vocals), Larry Northington (alto saxophone, congas), Danny Davis, Hakim Rahim (alto saxophone, flute, percussion, vocals), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone, flute, percussion, drums, vocals), Pat Patrick (baritone saxophone, flute, bass guitar, percussion, vocals), Danny Thompson (baritone saxophone, flute, vocals), Eloe Omoe (bass clarinet, flute, percussion, vocals), Tommy Hunter (drums, alto saxophone, percussion, recording engineer), Clifford Jarvis, Lex Humphries (drums, percussion), June Tyson, Cheryl Banks, Wisteria El Moondew AKA Judith Holton (voices). NOTE: Recorded December 17, 1971, Balloon Theater, Cairo, Egypt
3. [1:46:27] Sun Ra: Nidamu (Part 1). From Egypt 1971 (credits as above). NOTE: Recorded December 12, 1971, home of Hartmut Geerken, Heliopolis, Egypt
4. [1:51:40] Sun Ra: Space is the place. From Egypt 1971 (credits as above). NOTE: Recorded December 17, 1971, Balloon Theater, Cairo, Egypt
5. [1:55:08] Outro with Merzbow: Woodpecker No. 2 and Feldman: Palais de Mari
Photo credits: Sun Ra and Arkestra at Balloon Theater 1971 by Hartmut Geerken, young Wadada Leo Smith by Roberto Masotti, Merzbow by Jenny Akita, Ghédalia Tazartès via Dais Records, Sun Ra by System D-128, George Crumb via Bridge Records, KMRU via Delia Bookings, Rhys Chatham via the artist, Fred Frith by michaelz1/Flickr, Bill Laswell, Wadada Leo Smith, Milford Graves by R.I. Sutherland-Cohen, Bill Horist by Daniel Sheehan, Ikue Mori by Caroline Mardok.