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We hope your Holiday gifts included lots of intriguing new albums—but if not, check out this podcast featuring some of the past year’s best releases of avant-garde music. In the spotlight are the latest from Bright Sheng, John Zorn, William Parker, John Luther Adams and Mode Records’ ongoing Roger Reynolds at 85 series. Crazy Doberman, Aquaserge, Marshall Trammell, and Mako Sica fortified by Hamid Drake and guests offer improv perspective, and Nastasia Khrushcheva offers a tribute to musical mediocrities. Our 50-years-ago department chimes in with Anthony Braxton and Joseph Jarman’s only duet album, while Ilya P. represents the global culture of dark electronic music. Creative and improvised music, guaranteed carol-free, with host Michael Schell, originally aired December 26, 2021.
Catch Flotation Device live Sunday nights 10pm–Midnight Pacific Time on 91.3 KBCS Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma, streaming worldwide at KBCS.FM.
Photo credits and annotated playlist with Comments.
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Flotation Device 2021-12-26: annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Favorites from 2021 [0:00]
1. [1:30] Aquaserge: Nuit Altérée (à György Ligeti). From The Possibility of a New Work for Aquaserge (Crammed Discs, 2021) with Audrey Ginestet (bass), Benjamin Glibert (guitar), Camille Emaille (percussion), Julien Chamla (drums), Manon Glibert (clarinets), Marina Tantanozi (flutes), Olivier Kelchtermans (baritone saxophone), Robin Fincker (tenor saxophone, clarinet)
2. [4:07] Crazy Doberman: "everyone is rolling down a hill" (excerpts). From "everyone is rolling down a hill" or "the journey to the center of some arcane mystery and the engtanglements of the vines and veins of the cosmic and unwieldy miliue encountered in the midst of that endeavor" [sic] (Astral Spirits, 2021) with Drew Davis, Tim Gick, Jordan Allen, Jason Filer, Zach Rowden, Kyle Flanagan, Casey Flanagan, Josh Russell, Jon K., Paul Baldwin, Casey Synesael, Eric Ficken, Hector Castro, Brett Green, Jason Hodges, Zeno Benamotz, Bradley Fantuzzi. NOTE: Recorded October 2020 in Richmond, VA
3. [21:31] Nastasia Khrushcheva: Trio in Memory of a Non-Great Artist. From Normal Music (Melodiya, 2021) with Nastasia Khrushcheva (piano), Stanislav Malyshev (violin), Olga Kalinova (cello), Mikhail Spassky (recording engineer)⠀
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SET 2: Favorites from 2021 [25:39]
1. [29:02] Joseph Jarman, Anthony Braxton: Together Alone from Together Alone (Delmark, 1975) with Joseph Jarman (synthesizer, flute, soprano sax, sopranino, alto sax, bells, voice), Anthony Braxton (contrabass clarinet, alto sax, piano, flute, voice). NOTE: Composition by Jarman. Recorded December 29, 1971
2. [37:23] Marshall Trammell AKA Music Research Strategies: 4. From Eleven Postures (SIGE Records, 2021) with Marshall Trammell (drums)
3. [39:07] Roger Reynolds: Piano Etude No. 10 (Concatenation). From Roger Reynolds at 85, Vol. 2: Piano Etudes (Mode, 2021) with Eric Huebner (piano)
4. [49:29] William Parker: Cultivation. From Migration of Silence Into and Out of The Tone World (AUM Fidelity, Centering Records, 2021) with William Parker (keringot, hochiku, shakuhachi in D & A, stereophonic bamboo flute, Ojibway overtone bass flute, pocket trumpet, malakan flute, Chinese shakuhachi), Coen Aalberts (conch shell, winti flute from New Guinea, cricket sounds, bird sounds, bamboo brushes, whistles, drum set), Klaas Hekman: dogon flute, shakuhachi, bass Indian flute, piccolo and C flute), Maxim Baghuis (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded May 14, 2019 in Rotterdam
5. [54:38] Outro with Jarman/Braxton: Morning (Including Circles)⠀
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SET 3: More favorites from 2021 [58:20]
1. [59:08] Mako Sica, Hamid Drake: Ourania. From Ourania (Instant Classic, Feeding Tube, 2021) with Hamid Drake (drum set, percussion, frame drum, water phone), Tatsu Aoki (shamisen, upright bass), Thymme Jones (piano, trumpet, organ, balloon, voice, timpani), Mako Sica: Przemyslaw Krys Drazek (trumpet, mandolin, electric guitar), Brent Fuscaldo (vocals, electric bass, harmonica, thumb piano, gong, percussion), Taylor Hayes (recording engineer)
2. [1:11:23] John Zorn: Egregore. From Chaos Magick (Tzadik, 2021) with John Medeski (organ), Brian Marsella (electric piano), Matt Hollenberg (electric guitar), Kenny Grohowski (drums, percussion, congas), Marc Urselli (recording engineer)
3. [1:15:55] John Luther Adams: Arctic Dreams - The Circle of Suns and Moons. From Arctic Dreams (Cold Blue, 2021) with Synergy Vocals, Robin Lorentz (violin), Ron Lawrence (viola), Michael Finckel (cello), Robert Black (double bass). NOTE: String parts originally from Earth and the Great Weather (1993)⠀
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SET 4: Heavens [1:23:43]
1. [1:27:45] Ilya P.: Matière. From Le ciel pour abîme (CAVE 43, 2020) with Ludovic Medery AKA Ilya P. (instruments by Peter Blasser)
2. [1:32:52] Bright Sheng: Zodiac Tales - 1. The God of Rain. From Let Fly (Naxos, 2021) with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Bright Sheng (conductor). NOTE: Composed 2006, revised 2016. First recording
3. [1:38:03] Bright Sheng: Zodiac Tales - 5. The Tomb of the Soulful Dog. From Let Fly (credits as above)
4. [1:47:24] Bright Sheng: Zodiac Tales - 6. The Flying Horses. From Let Fly (credits as above)
5. [1:52:58] Outro with Bright Sheng: My Other Song - 4. Slow funeral march
Photo credits: Marshall Trammell by Per-Otto Oppi Christiansen, Crazy Doberman via the artists, Ludovic Medery via the artist, John Zorn in MindFlux (2010), John Luther Adams by Madeline Cass, Bright Sheng via the artist, Anthony Braxton by Tom Marcello, Nastasia Khrushcheva via Melodiya, Joseph Jarman in Les stances à Sophie (1971), Roger Reynolds by Malcolm Crowthers, Przemyslaw Krys Drazek/Hamid Drake/Tatsu Aoki/Brent Fuscaldo/Thymme Jones by Taylor Hales, William Parker via the artist.