Flotation Device casts an appreciative gaze on some of our favorite new releases of 2022. Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Rzewski, Zorn, Dunn, Shipp, Smith, Halvorson-even Björk-all have prominent spots on the playlist. Heiner Goebbels appears as the composer of A House of Call and the director of Partch's Delusion of the Fury (in its first digital recording), while Java's Wukir Suryadi and Kiev's Dmytro Radzetskyi continue Partch's passion for self-built instruments. We reprise Adam Rudolph's tribute to Yusef Lateef and the latest offering from Brandon Seabrook's off-kilter power trio. On the historical front we sample a precursor to free jazz via the new Lennie Tristano archival compilation, and a classic John Cage collage piece that turned 50 in December.
Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell. Annotated playlist and photo credits with Comments.
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Flotation Device 2022-12-18: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: The best of 2022 [0:00]
1. [1:04] Wukir Suryadi: Enam (excerpts). From Menolak Tunduk/Refuse to Submit (WV Sorcerer, 2022) with Wukir Suryadi (Kentongan series A and B, guitar, Industrial Mutalt, Solet, Senyawa x Benchlab Pedal series R prototype)
2. [7:24] Trevor Dunn: Restore All Things. From Séances (Pyroclastic, 2022) with Trio-Convulsant: Mary Halvorson (guitar), Trevor Dunn (bass), Ches Smith (drums, timpani, conga), Folie à Quatre: Anna Webber (flute, alto flute), Oscar Noriega (clarinet, bass clarinet), Carla Kihlstedt (viola, violin), Mariel Roberts (cello), Ryan Streber (recording engineer)
3. [14:12] Björk: Mycelia. From fossora (One Little Independent, 2022) with Björk (voice), clarinets, Jake Miller (recording engineer)
4. [16:12] Frederic Rzewski: No Place to Go but Around (excerpts). From no place to go but around (Cantaloupe, 2022) with Lisa Moore (piano), Nick Lloyd (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1974. For more on Frederick Rzewski see https://www.secondinversion.org/2018/04/19/frederic-rzewski-at-80-directions-inevitable-or-otherwise/⠀
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SET 2: Excavated songs [23:28]
1. [27:42] Philip Glass: Best Out of Three (160bpm). From Best Out of Three (Bandcamp, 2022) with Evan Ziporyn (clarinets), Luis "Cuco" Daglio (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1968. Premiere recording
2. [39:29] Harry Partch: Delusion of the Fury - Act I (excerpt). From Delusion of the Fury (Wergo, 2022) with Pilgrim (the slayer): Alban Wesly, Ghost (the slain): Bruce Collings, Son of the slain: Carl Rosman, Deaf Hobo, Voice: Marco Blaauw, Old Goat Woman: Christine Chapman, Deaf and near-sighted Justice: Axel Porath, Musician: Melvyn Poore, Kid: Rie Watanabe, Ensemble Musikfabrik (Chorus, Villagers, instruments), Daniel Seitz, Thomas Wegner (recording engineers). NOTE: Composed 1964–66, premiered 1969. This production by Musikfabrik and Heiner Goebbels premiered 2013 and recorded 2015. For more about Harry Partch see https://tinyurl.com/PartchSchell
3. [45:08] Heiner Goebbels: When Words Gone - 3. Kalimérisma/Καλημέρισμα. From A House of Call, My Imaginary Notebook (ECM, 2022) with Ekaterini Mangoúli (recorded voice, Kalymnos 1930), Ensemble Modern Orchestra, Vimbayi Kaziboni (conductor), Gerhard Gruber (recording engineer). NOTES: Premiered by Ensemble Modern August 30, 2021 in Berlin
4. [52:26] Outro with Philip Glass: Best Out of Three (120 bpm)
5. [58:18] John Zorn: Functives. From Multiplicities: A Repository of Non-Existent Objects (Tzadik, 2022) with Chaos Magick: John Medeski (Hammond Organ), Brian Marsella (Fender Rhodes Piano), Matt Hollenberg (guitar), Kenny Grohowski (drums)⠀
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SET 3: More of the best of 2022 [1:03:38]
1. [1:05:00] Brandon Seabrook Trio: Seething Excitations. From In The Swarm (Astral Spirits, 2022) with Brandon Seabrook (guitar), Gerald Cleaver (drums, electronics), Cooper-Moore (diddley bow), Colin Marston (recording engineer)
2. [1:10:30] Bennie Maupin, Adam Rudolph: First Movement. From Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef (Strut, 2022) with Bennie Maupin (woodwinds), Adam Rudolph (percussion), Chris Harbach, Jonathan Rowden (recording engineers)
3. [1:18:01] Steve Reich: Reich/Richter (excerpts). From Reich/Richter (Nonesuch, 2022) with Ensemble Intercontemporain: Emmanuelle Ophèle, Sophie Cherrier (flutes), Didier Pateau, Philippe Grauvogel (oboes), Jérôme Comte, Martin Adámek (clarinets), Diego Tosi, Jeanne-Marie Conquer (violins), John Stulz (viola), Éric-Maria Couturier (cello), Géraldine Dutroncy, Hidéki Nagano (pianos), Benoît Maurin, Samuel Favre (vibraphones), George Jackson (conductor). NOTE: Composed 2019⠀
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SET 4: An open Cage [1:24:21]
1. [1:28:41] John Cage: Bird Cage (excerpt). From Bird Cage (Electronic Music Foundation, 2000) with John Cage (voice, field recordings), Joel Chadabe (1972 production assistance), William Blakeney (1998 live playback and mix). NOTE: Premiered December 9, 1972, at State University of New York at Albany
2. [1:33:22] Lennie Tristano: Digression Expanse. From Personal Recordings 1946–1970 (Dot Time/Mosaic, 2021) with Lennie Tristano (piano), Lee Konitz (alto saxophone), Warne Marsh (tenor saxophone), Billy Bauer (guitar, recording), Lenny Popkin (restoration). NOTE: Recorded 1948 at Tristano's house, Flushing, NY, 1948. Previously unreleased, this anticipates the 1949 Capitol recording of Digression and Intuition with the same quartet plus Arnold Fishkin (bass) and Denzil Best (drums)
3. [1:36:33] Gordon Grdina, Mark Helias, Matthew Shipp: Trimeter. From Pathways (Attaboygirl, 2022) with Gordon Grdina (electric guitar), Matthew Shipp (piano), Mark Helias (bass), Marc Urselli (recording engineer)
4. [1:41:38] Wadada Leo Smith: A Sonic Litany on Peace. From The Emerald Duets (Tum, 2022) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet, piano), Pheeroan akLaff (drums), James A. Farber (recording engineer)
5. [1:49:29] Dmytro Radzetskyi: Outroscape in G-Dur, a-moll & A-Dur. From Live (volume 1: Solo) (Bandcamp, 2021) with Dmytro Radzetskyi Дмитро Радзецький (8 & 10-strings MIDI Radz-guitar)
6. [1:55:12] Outro with John Cage: Bird Cage
Photo credits: Steve Reich via the artist, Wukir Suryadi by Alifarkat, Bruce Collings and MusikFabrik performing Delusion of the Fury by Wonge Bergmann, Trio-Convulsant (Ches Smith, Mary Halvorson, Trevor Dunn) via Discogs, Lennie Tristano by William P. Gottlieb, Vimbayi Kaziboni and Heiner Goebbels by Wonge Bergmann, Philip Glass via the artist, Lisa Moore by Greg Barrett, Wadada Leo Smith and Pheeroan akLaff by Enid Farber, Gordon Grdina/Mark Helias/Matthew Shipp by Genevieve Monro, John Zorn by Scott Irvine, Björk by Viðar Logi, Frederic Rzewski by Michael Wilson, John Cage by Marion Kalter.