Flotation Device salutes Tan Dun with a survey of his career from its experimental cross-cultural origins through its later Ang Lee/Disney-infused fame, culminating in the 2022 Northwest premiere of his Buddha Passion. We emphasize his connection to John Cage (via new albums from guitarist Arturo Tallini and pianist Ralph van Raat), as well as a certain obsession with water that pervades his sound world and aesthetic.
We also say farewell to Seattle synthesist Norm Chambers, and note a shared electroacoustic heritage in new albums by Chloe Alexandra Thompson, David Rosenboom with Sarah Belle Reid, and Qasim Naqvi with Wadada Leo Smith and Andrew Cyrille. Our “50 years ago in the avant-garde” feature contrasts the contemporaneous unveiling of Zappa’s 1972 "Petit Wazoo" band and Henze’s sprawling Second Violin Concerto. Massimo Olla’s lonely drones, River People's globalized style of creative music, and a new accordion piece by Georges Aperghis round out the playlist.
Global chart history
Top position held by this upload
Comments
Flotation Device 2022-11-06: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Petit Wazoo [0:00]
1. [1:14] Frank Zappa: Columbia, S.C. (Pt. 1). From Little Dots (Zappa, 2016) with Frank Zappa (conductor, guitar, vocals), Malcolm McNab, Gary Barone (trumpets), Tom Malone (tuba, saxes, piccolo trumpet, trumpet), Earl Dumler (woodwinds), Glenn Ferris, Bruce Fowler (trombones), Tony Duran (slide guitar), Dave Parlato (bass), Maury Baker (drums, steel drum), Barry Keene (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live November 5, 1972 at Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC
2. [9:45] Chloe Alexandra Thompson: Glass Bits. From They Can Never Burn the Stars (SIGE, 2016) with Chloe Alexandra Thompson (6.2 speaker array), Federico B. Romero (recording engineer)
3. [12:34] Qasim Naqvi: Spiritual is 150. From Two Centuries (Red Hook, 2022) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet), Andrew Cyrille (drums), Qasim Naqvi (modular synth), Rick Kwan (recording engineer)
4. [17:54] Norm Chambers: Graph. From Positron Emission Tomography (Bandcamp, 2021)⠀
⠀
SET 2: Tan Dun [23:10]
1. [27:28] Tan Dun: Ghost Opera - Act IV: Metal and Stone. From Ghost Opera (Nonesuch, 1997) with Wu Man (pipa, soprano voice, vocals, bowed gong, tam-tam, Tibetan bells, paper), Kronos Quartet: David Harrington (violin, water bowl, bowed gong, vocals, one-stringed lute, cymbals, stones), John Sherba (violin, paper whistle, vocals, cymbals, stones, one-stringed lute, bowed gong, water bowl), Hank Dutt (viola, vocals, cymbals, stones, bowed gong, water bowl), Joan Jeanrenaud (cello, vocals, bowed gong, water bowl), Craig Silvey (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1994, recorded 1996 at Skywalker Ranch, Nicasio, CA
2. [44:07] Tan Dun: Through The Bamboo Forest. From Crouching TIger Hidden Dragon (Sony, 2000) with Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Ma Xiao Hui (erhu), Alimjan (rawap), Tang Jun Qiao (bawu, dizi), Kasim (hand drum), David Cossin (solo percussion), Chen Yuan Lin (electronic sampler), Shanghai Percussion Ensemble, Shanghai National Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Chen Xie Yang, Tan Dun (conductors), Lu Xiao Xing, Richard King, Xu Gou Qin (recording engineers)
3. [48:28] Tan Dun: The Fire. From Piano Music (Naxos, 2022) with Ralph van Raat (piano). NOTE: Composed 2020
4. [53:53] Outro with Tan Dun: Water Passion and Buddha Passion
5. [58:47] Rick Countryman: Sol Expression. From Sol Expression (Chap-Chap, 2022) with River People: Rick Countryman (alto saxophone), Johnny Alegre (guitar), Tetsuro Hori (bass), Christian Bucher (drums), Alvin Cornista (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded July 19, 2022 at Crow's Nest Studio, Manila⠀
⠀
SET 3: Henze 10 years later [1:04:43]
1. [1:05:54] David Rosenboom, Sarah Belle Reid: Never Know Night Ears. From Nows (Ravello, 2022)
2. [1:08:27] Massimo Olla: Infinite Loneliness. From Anthology of Post Industrial and Experimental Music from Italy (Unexplained Sounds, 2022)
3. [1:12:28] Georges Aperghis: Merry go round. From Origami (Winter & Winter, 2022) with Teodoro Anzellotti (accordion), Andreas Gernemann-Paulsen (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2019
4. [1:22:24] Hans Werner Henze: Violin Concerto No. 2 (excerpts). From Complete Violin Concertos (MDG Scene, 2005) with Torsten Janicke (violin), Ulf Dirk Mädler (baritone), Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Christian Ehwald (conductor), Holger Schlegel (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1971, premiered November 2, 1972 in Basel by Brenton Langbein, Kurt Widmer and the Basel Chamber Orchestra conducted by Paul Sacher⠀
⠀
SET 4: Music after Cage [1:34:29]
1. [1:37:52] John Cage: A Room. From Histories (Innova, 2016) with Sophia Subbayya Vastek (prepared piano), Adam Abeshouse (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1943
2. [1:40:49] John Cage: A Room. From Changes (Naxos, 2022) with Arturo Tallini (prepared guitar), Andrea Pace, Valdimitro Buzi (recording engineers). NOTE: Arranged by Tallini 2021
3. [1:43:27] Tan Dun: C-A-G-E- (In Memory of John Cage). From Piano Music (Naxos, 2022) with Ralph van Raat (piano). NOTE: Composed 1993
4. [1:56:23] Outro with John Cage: Dream
Photo credits: Georges Aperghis by Xavier Lambours, Hans Werner Henze by Rolf Unterberg, John Cage and Tan Dun via Tan Dun, Sarah Belle Reid by Rafael Hernandez, Chloe Alexandra Thompson by Marcus Fisher, River People (Tetsuro Hori, Johnny Alegre, Christian Bucher, Rick Countryman) by Jun Crame, David Rosenboom with electrode on the Mike Douglas Show, Arturo Tallini by Alice Camandona, Wadada Leo Smith/Qasim Nakvi/Andrew Cyrille by Macha Rose, Norm Chambers via the artist.