Flotation Device celebrates the prepared piano for its 84th birthday, contrasting its 1940 unveiling by John Cage with three contemporary uses by Matt Choboter, Keitaro Takahashi and Alexander Hawkins, the latter heard alongside Anthony Braxton, who stays in the spotlight for a look at his new Lorraine system of guided improvisation, revealed in two new box sets that we'll sample to see why many consider him the most influential living American composer who's not a minimalist.
We also contrast two different approaches to string orchestras from Samuel Adams and Julia Perry (the latter via a work written in 1961 that's just gotten its first recording). The latest albums from John Zorn (with his Chaos Magick quartet) and John Luther Adams (with the JACK Quartet), plus new miniatures from Nina Deuse, Rhodri Davies and Irving Paul Pereira, and historical electroacoustica from Laurie Spiegel, Beatriz Ferreyra and Dub Taylor (channeling his inner Rocky and Bullwinkle) round out the playlist.
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Flotation Device 2024-04-28: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Lorraine [0:00]
1. [1:55] Nina Deuse: Scratch - 1. From String Quartets by aDevantgarde Composers (aDevantgarde, 2023) with Zentaur-Quartett: Annette Fritz, Marc Kaufmann (violins), Katharina Schmauder (viola), Caio de Azevedo (cello), Sascha Etezazi (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2017, revised 2020
2. [5:58] Irving Paul Pereira: Maybe there is a disco. From Anthology of Contemporary Music from Far East (Unexplained Sounds, 2024) with Irving Paul Pereira AKA Aftervolter
3. [10:08] John Zorn: The Evental Devalorization of the Perhaps (excerpt). From Parrhesiastes (Tzadik, 2023) with Chaos Magick: Brian Marsella (Fender Rhodes piano), John Medeski (organ), Matt Hollenberg (guitar), Kenny Grohowski (drums), Marc Urselli (recording engineer)
4. [14:10] Anthony Braxton: Composition No. 425 (excerpt). From 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (New Braxton House, 2024) with Anthony Braxton (saxophones, electronics), Adam Matlock (accordion, voice), Susana Santos Silva (trumpet), Jon Rosenberg (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live November 7, 2021 in Ulm, Germany
5. [18:28] Anthony Braxton on his music and the Lorraine system. NOTE: See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waPCn_qV7io
6. [20:13] Anthony Braxton: Composition 438 - Antwerp - III (excerpt). From Sax QT (Lorraine) 2022 (I Dischi di Angelica, 2024) with Anthony Braxton (alto, soprano, sopranino saxophone, electronics), James Fei (sopranino, alto saxophone), Chris Jonas (alto, tenor saxophone), Ingrid Laubrock (soprano, tenor saxophone), Griffin Rodriguez (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live June 5, 2022, at De Singel, Blauwe zaal, Antwerp, Belgium
7. [21:53] Anthony Braxton: Composition 439 - Roma - V (excerpt). From Sax QT (Lorraine) 2022 (I Dischi di Angelica, 2024) with Anthony Braxton (alto, soprano, sopranino saxophone, electronics), James Fei (sopranino, alto saxophone), Chris Jonas (alto, tenor saxophone), Ingrid Laubrock (soprano, tenor saxophone), Griffin Rodriguez (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live June 7, 2022, at Summertime, Fondazione Musica per Roma, Rome
8. [24:10] Anthony Braxton: Composition No. 425 (excerpt). From 10 Comp (Lorraine) 2022 (as above)
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SET 2: Happy Birthday prepared piano [28:52]
1. [33:39] Keitaro Takahashi: Ryouka. From Piano Music (Piano Classics, 2023) with Lukas Huisman (prepared piano), Keitaro Takahashi (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2014
2. [40:30] Laurie Spiegel: Appalachian Grove III. From The Expanding Universe (Unseen Worlds, 2012). NOTE: Realized 1974
3. [43:43] Anthony Braxton Quartet: Alfie. From Quartet (Standards) 2020 (New Braxton House, 2021) with Anthony Braxton (saxophones), Alexander Hawkins (prepared piano), Neil Charles (bass), Stephen Davis (drums), Jon Rosenberg (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed by Burt Bacharach. Recorded January 21, 2020 at Cafe Oto, London
4. [47:59] Rhodri Davies: Y Geseg Fedi Hedi Gedi. From Relics of the Horsehair Harp (Amgen, 2024) with Jem Finer (hurdy-gurdy)
5. [50:14] Matt Choboter: Font-de-Gaume. From Postcards of Nostalgia (ILK Music, 2023) with Matt Choboter (microtonal prepared piano, electronics), Simon Mariegaard (recording engineer)
6. [55:23] Outro with John Cage: Bacchanale
7. [1:00:18] Dub Taylor: Variations on the Dudley Do-Right Theme. From Lumière (Sub Rosa, 2017). NOTE: Realized 1974
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SET 3: Various movements for strings [1:03:33]
1. [1:05:23] Samuel Adams: Movements (for us and them). From ACO Originals, Live from City Recital Hall, Sydney, 2018 (ABC Classic, 2020) with Richard Tognetti (violin, conductor), Helena Rathbone (violin), Florian Peelman (viola), Timo-Veikko Valve (cello), Australian Chamber Orchestra, Bob Scott (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2018
2. [1:23:05] Julia Perry: Symphony in One Movement for Violas and String Basses. From American Counterpoints (Bright Shiny Things, 2024) with Experiential Orchestra, James Blachly (conductor), Mark Donahue/Soundmirror (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1961, premiere recording
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SET 4: Song of the crazy man [1:31:01]
1. [1:33:58] Beatriz Ferreyra: Canto del loco. From Canto+ (Room40, 2021). NOTE: Realized 1974, premiered May 1, 1974 at 4ème Festival International de Musiques Expérimentales de Bourges, France
2. [1:46:19] John Luther Adams: Waves and Particles - 5. Murmurs in a Chromatic Field. From Waves and Particles (Cold Blue, 2024) with JACK String Quartet: Christopher Otto, Austin Wulliman (violin), John Richards (viola), Jay Campbell (cello), Nathaniel Reichman, Edwin Kenzo Huet (recording engineers, Oktaven Audio)
3. [1:55:24] Outro with John Luther Adams: Waves and Particles - 6. Particles Rising
Photo credits: Composition No. 425 by Anthony Braxton, Lorraine trio (Anthony Braxton, Adam Matlock, Susana Santos Silva) by Ana Viotti, John Zorn by David Garland, Laurie Spiegel by Stan Bratman, Julia Perry via Bright Shiny Things, John Luther Adams by Madeline Cass, John Cage by Irving Penn, Beatriz Ferreyra by INA grm, Samuel Adams by Lenny Gonzalez, Dudley Do-Right by Jay Ward, Keitaro Takahashi via Babel Scores, Irving Paul Pereira via the artist