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Anthony Braxton might be the most influential living American composer who’s not a minimalist. Flotation Device celebrates his 78th birthday with a peek at his new Lorraine writing method. We also sample the new 70th birthday retrospective from sonic ecologist David Dunn, and catch up on new releases by Brandon Seabrook, Claire Chase, Matana Roberts, Roxane Métayer, Cecilia Damström, and the Grdina/Maneri/Lillinger and Ullén/Bergman/Lund trios. Our 50 years ago in the avant-garde feature has its spotlight on contemporaneous works of Penderecki, Nancarrow, Cecil Taylor, Marion Brown and even Copland, and we’ll relate the first two back to last week’s Ligeti celebration.
Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell. Photo credits and annotated playlist with Comments.
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Flotation Device 2023-06-04: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Down home strummin' [0:00]
1. [1:14] Brandon Seabrook: The Perils of Self-Betterment. From brutalovechamp (Pyroclastic, 2023) with Brandon Seabrook (guitar, mandolin, banjo), Nava Dunkelman (percussion, glockenspiel), Marika Hughes (cello), Eivind Opsvik, Henry Fraser (contrabasses), Chuck Bettis (electronics), John McCowen (contrabass clarinet), Sam Ospovat (drum set, chromatic Thai nipple gongs, vibraphone, concert chimes), Ben Greenberg (recording engineer)
2. [5:43] Roxane Métayer: Ode au feu. From Perlée de sève (Marionette, 2023)
3. [8:04] Grdina | Maneri | Lillinger: Communion. From Live at the Armoury (Clean Feed, 2023) with Gordon Grdina (oud), Mat Maneri (viola), Christian Lillinger (drums). NOTE: Recorded 2018 at The Armoury Studios, Vancouver, BC⠀
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SET 2: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [18:56]
1. [22:24] Conlon Nancarrow: Study No. 21 (Canon X). From Studies for Player Piano, Volume III (Wergo, 1990) with Robert Shumaker (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded January 1988 on Nancarrow's custom-altered 1927 Ampico reproducing piano at his Mexico City studio
2. [25:33] Cecil Taylor: Choral Of Voice (Elesion). From Solo (Trio, 1973) with Cecil Taylor (piano), Okihiko Sugano (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live May 29, 1973 in Tokyo
3. [32:51] Aaron Copland: Threnody II for alto flute and string trio. From Chamber Music with Flute (Koch, 2000) with Fenwick Smith (alto flute), Boston Chamber Music Society: Stephanie Chase (violin), Katherine Murdock (viola), Ronald Thomas (cello), Scott Kent (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1973, premiered June 2, 1973 at the Ojai Festival, Ojai, CA
4. [37:49] Krzysztof Penderecki: Canticum canticorum salomonis. From Canticum Canticorum Salomonis et al (EMI, 1976) with Kraków Philharmonic Chorus, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Krzysztof Penderecki (conductor). NOTE: Composed 1970–73, premiered June 5, 1973 in Lisbon
5. [54:38] Outro with György Ligeti: Requiem
6. [58:56] Marion Brown: Once Upon A Time (A Children's Tale). From Geechee Recollections (Impulse, 1973, reissued 2011 as Geechee Recollections/Sweet Earth Flying) with Marion Brown (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, percussion), Wadada Leo Smith (brass, strings, percussion), James Jefferson (bass, cello, percussion), Steve McCall (drums, percussion), Jumma Santos (congas, percussion), William Malone (mbira, autoharp, percussion), Bill Hasson (percussion, narration), A. Kobena Adzenyah (percussion, idiophone). NOTE: Recorded June 4–5, 1973 at Intermedia Sound Studios, Boston⠀
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SET 3: New, female and intriguing [1:05:24]
1. [1:07:03] Roxane Métayer: Limace pâlissante. From Perlée de sève (as above)
2. [1:09:20] Ullén/Bergman/Lund: Joint Attention. From Space (Relative Pitch, 2022) with Lisa Ullén (piano), Elsa Bergman (double bass), Anna Lund (drums), Mats Äleklint (recording engineer)
3. [1:17:53] Matana Roberts: Auricular Hearsay - Version 2. From Density 2036: Part VIII 2021 (New Focus, 2023) with Claire Chase (flute), Susie Ibarra (percussion), Senem Pirler (live electronics), David Dennison (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2021
4. [1:23:13] Cecilia Damström: Cura. From Symmetria Pario: Creation (Yarlung, 2023) with Pekka Kuusisto (violin), Joonas Ahonen (piano), Bob Attiyeh, Arian Jansen (recording engineers). NOTE: Composed 2020⠀
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SET 4: Happy Birthday Braxton and Dunn [1:30:34]
1. [1:34:13] Anthony Braxton: Composition No. 429 (excerpts). From Duet (Other Minds) 2021 (Other Minds, 2022) with Anthony Braxton (saxophones), James Fei (saxophones, recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live October 17, 2021 at Other Minds Festival, Taube Atrium Theater, San Francisco, CA
2. [1:41:19] David Dunn: Listening To What I Cannot Hear (excerpts). From At The Margin of The Sensate (Neuma, 2023). NOTE: Realized 2006
3. [1:52:49] Outro with David Dunn: The Sound of Light in Trees
Photo credits: Cecil Taylor in Chrystel Egal/Alain Kirili: IFA, Krzysztof Penderecki by Romina Santarelli, Anthony Braxton and Brandon Seabrook via the artists, David Dunn by Lizbeth Rymland, Marion Brown by Donald M. Shaw, Matana Roberts via the artist, Cecilia Damström via the artist, , Anna Lund/Elsa Bergman/Lisa Ullén by Tina Axelsson, Roxane Métayer by Cramer Âû Florian, Aaron Copland by CBS, Gordon Grdina via the artist, Conlon Nancarrow via 1750 Arch Records