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Flotation Device bids farewell to Scott Johnson with a look back at his signature "speech melody" technique, embodied in his breakout piece John Somebody and his magnum opus Mind Out of Matter. We also wish Chen Yi a happy 70th birthday, report on Caroline Shaw’s most recent Seattle appearance, and revisit two avant-garde gems—a late work by Maderna and an early one by Murail—for their 50th anniversaries.
Also on the docket are new recordings by Ivan Fedele, Cheer-Accident, the Barre Phillips/György Kurtág Jr. duo, and David Lang with his trademark style of postminimalism based on near—rather than exact—repetition. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world, with host Michael Schell. Originally broadcast Sunday, April 2, 2023 on 91.3 KBCS Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma.
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Flotation Device 2023-04-02: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Scott Johnson (1952–2023) [0:00]
1. [2:37] Scott Johnson: Mind Out of Matter - Invisible Agents. From Mind Out of Matter (Tzadik, 2018) with Daniel Dennett (sampled voice), Alarm Will Sound: Miles Brown (double bass, electric bass), Caleb Burhans (violin, electric guitar), David Byrd-Marrow (French horn), Michael Clayville (trombone), Stefan Freund (cello), Michael Harley (bassoon), Sam Jones (trumpet), Erin Lesser (flute, piccolo), John Orfe (piano, keyboard), Courtney Orlando (violin, triangle), Luke Rinderknecht (percussion), Christa Robinson (oboe), Nadia Sirota (viola, shaker), Matt Smallcomb (percussion), Chad Smith (clarinet, saxophone), Elisabeth Stimpert (clarinets), Chris Thompson (drums, percussion), Alan Pierson (conductor), Marc Urselli (recording engineer). NOTE: See https://www.secondinversion.org/2018/07/18/scott-johnson-mind-out-of-matter-music-out-of-speech/ for more about Scott Johnson and this piece
2. [11:26] Scott Johnson: Mind Out of Matter - Winners. From Mind Out of Matter (credits as above)
3. [14:45] Caroline Shaw: The Wheel. From The Wheel (Alpha, 2022) with I Giardini: Pauline Buet (cello, voice), David Violi (piano), Olivier Rosset (recording engineer)⠀
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SET 2: Chen Yi at 70 [25:09]
1. [27:57] Barre Phillips, György Kurtág Jr.: Stand Alone. From Face à Face (ECM, 2022) with Barre Phillips (double bass), György Kurtág jr. (live electronics), Gérard de Haro, Manfred Eicher (recording engineers)
2. [30:51] Ivan Fedele: Suite Francese VIb - Corrente I (di volo!). From Works for Violin (Kairos, 2022) with Francesco Abbrescia (live electronics), Francesco D'Orazio (electric 5-string violin), Peter Ghirardini (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2014
3. [36:26] Izumi Kimura et al: Part One. From Kind of Light (Fundacja Słuchaj, 2022) with Izumi Kimura (piano), Artur Majewski (cornet, electronics), Barry Guy (bass), Ramon Lopez (drums, percussion), Kuba Sosulski (recording engineer)
4. 43:45] Chen Yi: Sparkle. From Sparkle (New World, 1999) with New Music Consort: David Fedele (flute, piccolo), Sean Osborn (E♭ clarinet), Rolf Schulte (violin), Theodore Mook (cello), Victor Kioulaphides (bass), William Trigg, Michael Lipsey (percussion), Christopher Oldfather (piano), Claire Heldrich (conductor), Adrian Carr (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1992
5. [55:52] Outro with Igor Stravinsky: Fireworks
6. 1:00:30] Cheer-Accident: Theme, Good Start, Solo Rest Stop (excerpts). From A New Ear: 2023 (Bandcamp, 2023) with Cheer-Accident: Billie Howard (violin, keyboard), Johanna Brock (violin), Jeff Libersher (guitar), Thymme Jones (synthesizer, piano, drums, vocals, recorder, trumpet, drone layer, keyboard), Paul Velat (alto sax), Cory Bengtsen (synthesizer, electric sax), Mike Hagedorn (trombone, tuba, slide trumpet, recorder, synthesizer). NOTE: Recorded live January 1, 2023 at CheerAx Basement, Humboldt Park, Chicago⠀
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SET 3: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [1:11:14]
1. [1:13:34] Tristan Murail: Les Nuages de Magellan. From Les Nuages de Magellan (ReR Megacorp, 2014) with L'Ensemble Volta: Augustin Viard, Nadia Ratsimandresy (ondes Martinot), Victor Paimblanc (electric guitar), Lucie Antunes (percussion), Lauren Codoul (recording engineer). NOTE: Premiered March 23, 1973 in Orléans, France by Françoise Pellié, Tristan Murail (ondes Martenot), Claude Pavy (guitar) and Michel Gastaud (percussion)
2. [1:27:08] Bruno Maderna: Satyricon - Trimalchio ed il monumento. From Satyricon (Salabert, 1992 reissued by Naïve) with Paul Sperry (tenor), Divertimento Ensemble Milano, Sandro Gorli (conductor). NOTE: Premiered March 16, 1973 at Holland Festival by William Neil, Debria Brown, Paul Sperry, Radio Kamerorkest de Hilversum, Bruno Maderna (conductor)⠀
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SET 4: Bang on a shadow [1:35:55]
1. [1:38:52] David Lang: shade. From shade (Cantaloupe, 2023) with Mammoth Trio: Elly Toyoda (violin), Ashley Bathgate (cello), Lisa Moore (piano), Contemporaneous, David Bloom (conductor), Nick Lloyd, Isaiah Abolin (recording engineers)
2. 1:57:35] Outro with David Lang: wed
Photo credits: Bruno Maderna via Wikimedia Commons, Scott Johnson by Patricia Nolan, David Lang and Mammoth Trio (Elly Toyoda, Ashley Bathgate, Lisa Moore) via Cantaloupe Music, Caroline Shaw in Graveyards and Gardens by Dayna Szyndrowski, Tristan Murail via KAIROS Records, Ivan Fedele by Ugo Dalla Porta, György Kurtág Jr. and Barre Phillips via France Musique, Cheer-Accident (Mike Hagedorn, Jeffrey Libersher, Billie Howard, Johanna Brock, Cory Bengtsen, Thymme Jones, Paul Velat) via the artists, quartet (Barry Guy, Izumi Kimura, Artur Majewski, Ramon Lopez) by Krzysztof Machowina, Chen Yi by Kuandi Photos.