Arvo Pärt’s latest album on ECM offers new orchestral versions of earlier vocal works. We give it a spin, alongside minimalist Andean salsa by Mirlitorrinco, joyful but heterodox choral music by Philip Corner, and the first recording of Abyss and Caress: a thorny trumpet concerto by the American bohemian Lucia Dlugoszewski (1931–2000). Plus we pay our respects to Francis Dhomont, Yehuda Yannay and Tony Oxley (with help from Cecil Taylor). And our 50 years ago in the avant-garde feature revisits January 1974 premieres by Hans Werner Henze and the drumming duo of Milford Graves and Andrew Cyrille. A last look at Elsa Bergman’s graphically-inclined Playon Crayon and Kate Gentile’s extraterrestrially-inclined b i o m e i.i albums, plus fixed-media soundscapes by Seattle’s Steve Layton and Xiu Xiu's Hyunhye Seo round out the program.
Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell. From KBCS-FM Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma.
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Pure magic, thank you so much for this compilation: it transforms a boring Tuesday at work into a real out-of-body experience!
Thanks for listening!
Flotation Device 2024-01-07: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: 50 years ago in the avant-garde, part I [0:00]
1. [1:44] Kate Gentile: drode. From b i o m e i.i (Obliquity, 2023) with Kate Gentile (drums, percussion), International Contemporary Ensemble: Isabel Lepanto Gleicher (flute, piccolo), Joshua Rubin (clarinet, bass clarinet), Rebekah Heller (bassoon), Jennifer Curtis (violin), Cory Smythe (piano), Ross Karre (vibraphone, percussion), Ryan Streber (recording engineer)
2. [6:32] Hans Werner Henze: Voices - 14. Recht und Billig (Erich Fried). From Voices (Decca, 1978) with Paul Sperry (tenor), Sarah Walker (mezzo-soprano), London Sinfonietta, Hans Werner Henze (conductor). NOTE: Recorded 1978. Premiered January 4, 1974 by these same musicians (except for Rose Taylor instead of Sarah Walker) at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
3. [9:16] Hans Werner Henze: Voices - 4. The electric cop (Victor Hernandez Cruz). From Voices (as above)
4. [10:29] Steve Layton: Steam Toys. From Excavations 2013–2014 (NiwoSound, 2022) with Steve Layton (Reason, Adobe Audition, Audacity)
5. [13:27] Hans Werner Henze: Voices - 5. The distant drum (Calvin C. Hernton). From Voices (as above)
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SET 2: Paying our respects [18:03]
1. [22:35] Lucia Dlugoszewski: Abyss and Caress (excerpts) for solo trumpet and orchestra. From Abyss and Caress (Col Legno, 2023) with Peter Evans (trumpet), Klangforum Wien, Ilan Volkov (conductor). NOTE: Composed 1973–75. Premiere recording
2. [37:13] Francis Dhomont: Objets retrouvés. From Cycle du son (Empreintes DIGITALes, 2001). NOTE: Realized 1996
3. [42:32] Cecil Taylor, Tony Oxley: Part 1b. From Birdland, Neuburg 2011 (Fundacja Słuchaj, 2020) with Cecil Taylor (Bösendorfer piano), Tony Oxley (drums). NOTE: Recorded live November 18, 2011 at the Birdland Jazz Club, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany
4. [51:10] Yehuda Yannay: Nine Branches of the Olive Tree - 8. From Music Now and from Almost Yesterday (Innova, 1996) with Edward Gogolak (recorders), William Helmers (bass clarinet), John Holmquist (guitar), Martin Shadd (percussion), Jon Welstead (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1983–84
5. [53:37] Outro with Lucia Dlugoszewski: Fire Fragile Flight
6. [1:01:44] Mirlitorrinco: Mirlitónico. From Odas mixtas para criaturas mínimas (Dur et Doux, 2022) with Mirlitorrinco: Ricardo Arias (flute, soprano sax, kazoo), María "Mange" Valencia (soprano and bass clarinet, alto sax, shehnai), Nicolás Eckardt (guitar, electric banjo), Mauricio Ramírez (percussion, drums, jaguar), Juan Camilo Montañez Riveros (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded in Bogotá, Columbia
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SET 3: 50 years ago in the avant-garde, part II [1:04:52]
1. [1:06:08] Andrew Cyrille, Milford Graves: Dialogue of the Drums (excerpt). From Dialogue of the Drums (IPS/Institute of Percussive Studies, 1974) with Andrew Cyrille, Milford Graves (voice, drums, percussion), Fred Seibert (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live January 1974 in New York
2. [1:17:38] Elsa Bergman: Kaleidoscope II. From Playon Crayon (Bergman Inspelningar, 2023) with Susana Santos Silva (trumpet), Katt Hernandez (violin), David Stackenäs (guitar), Elsa Bergman (double bass), Matilda Rolfsson (drums), Göran Stegborn (recording engineer)
3. [1:19:54] Philip Corner: Stop! Stop! Stop!. From Chorus at The Corner - A Joyfull Noise (i dischi di angelica, 2023) with Coro Arcanto, Coro per Futili Motivi, San Giorgio in Coro, Giovanna Giovannini (conductor), Roberto Salvati (recording engineer)
4. [1:21:05] Giovanna Giovannini: Scultura sonora. Chorus at The Corner - A Joyfull Noise (credits as above)
5. [1:23:45] Philip Corner: Chorus kit for sacred (and very resonant) spaces. Chorus at The Corner - A Joyfull Noise (credits as above)
6. [1:27:09] Philip Corner: Peace be still II. Chorus at The Corner - A Joyfull Noise (credits as above)
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SET 4: Spiritual noise [1:30:40]
1. [1:33:07] Arvo Pärt: Littlemore Tractus. From Tractus (ECM, 2023) with Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tõnu Kaljuste (conductor), Tammo Sumera (recording engineer). Composed 2000 for mixed choir and organ, premiere recording of the 2022 version for mixed choir and orchestra
2. [1:40:21] Hyunhye Seo: Eel I. From Eel (Room40, 2023) with Hyunhye Seo AKA Angela Seo
3. [1:54:57] Outro with Arvo Pärt: Greater Antiphons (2015 version for string orchestra, from Tractus)
Photo credits: drode by Kate Gentile, Philip Corner with Piccolo Coro Angelico by Margherita Caprilli, Yehuda Yannay via the artist, Angela Seo by Julia Brokaw, Steve Layton via the artist, Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley by Heinrich Brinkmöller-Becker, Erick Hawkins with Lucia Dlugoszewski and Dana Madole via the Hawkins estate, Andrew Cyrille and Milford Graves by Luciano Rossetti, Francis Dhomont via ElectroCD, Elsa Bergman quintet (Matilda Rolfsson, Katt Hernandez, EB, Susana Santos Silva, David Stackenäs) by Nike Bergman, Hans Werner Henze by Rolf Unterberg, Arvo Part by Kaupo Kikkas.