A new Sun Ra album documents his 1986 encounter with a video synthesizer. We contrast it's slicker 80s sound with the June 1974 analog edition of the Arkestra as recorded live in New York An orchestral masterpiece by Berio and a Bach-channeling gem by Takemitsu leave their mark in new works by Gabriel Vicéns and Yu-Hui Chang, while Brian Inglis finds avant-garde potential in the humble recorder, Ed Pettersen and Steve Layton deliver unusual takes on Scottish ballads and Indonesian gamelans, Yikii paints a shade of dark blue fusion, and Wayne Horvitz reminisces with Bill Frisell. Returning artists Josh Modney, John Butcher, Alex Harding, Lucian Ban and the VoiceACT quartet round out our eclectic playlist. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, originally aired June 16, 2024.
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Flotation Device 2024-06-16: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
1. [0:00] Intro and SET 1: Deep blue fusion
2. [1:07] Yikii: Mazarine 深蓝. From Chorion (Danse Noire, 2024) with Yikii Tong AKA Yikii
3. [4:44] Wayne Horvitz, Bill Frisell: The Front. From Live Forever, Vol. 3: Frankfurt, Knitting Factory 1989–1990 (Other Room, 2024) with Wayne Horvitz (piano, samplers, synthesizers, drum programming), Bill Frisell (guitar). NOTE: Recorded live January 11, 1990 at The Knitting Factory, New York. Composition by Wayne Horvitz
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SET 2: Old meets new [16:46]
1. [19:57] John Butcher: Slipstream. From Fluid Fixations (Weight of Wax, 2024) with John Butcher + 13: John Butcher (saxophones, recordings), dieb13 (turntables), Isabelle Duthoit (voice, clarinet), Liz Allbee (trumpet), Matthias Müller (trombone), Sophie Agnel (piano), Angharad Davies (violin), Hannah Marshall (cello), Aleksander Kolkowski (stroh viola, musical saw), Pat Thomas (electronics), John Edwards, Pascal Niggenkemper (double basses), Ståle Liavik Solberg (drums), Mark Sanders (percussion), Dave Hunt (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded November 21, 2021 at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Huddersfield, UK
2. [25:55] Brian Andrew Inglis: Sailing to Byzantium - 2. An aged man is but a paltry thing. From To Byzantium and Beyond (Kairos, 2024) with Rachel Barnes (tenor and alto recorder), Gilead Limor (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1999
3. [31:11] Lucian Ban, Alex Harding: Blutopia. From Blutopia (Sunnyside, 2024) with Alex Harding (baritone saxophone), Mat Maneri (viola), Lucian Ban (piano), Bob Stewart (tuba), Brandon Lewis (drums)
4. [34:10] Steve Layton: Pinwheel Gamelan. From Life Askew (NiwoSound, 2024) with Steve Layton (Reason 12, Audacity, sample libraries)
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SET 3: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [38:57]
1. [42:15] Sun Ra & His Arkestra: Cosmos Synthesis. From Discipline 99/Out Beyond the Kingdom Of (El Saturn, 1974, reissued 2018 by Enterplanetary Koncepts) with Sun Ra (piano, organ, Minimoog synth, recitation), Marshall Allen (alto sax, flute, piccolo, oboe, percussion), Danny Davis (alto sax, flute, alto clarinet, percussion), John Gilmore (tenor sax, percussion, vocals), Danny Ray Thompson (bars, flute, libflecto, percussion), Pat Patrick (baritone sax, electric bass), James Jacson (bassoon, Infinity drum, vocals), Akh Tal Ebah (trumpet, flugelhorn, mellophone, vocal), Kwame Hadi (trumpet, percussion), Ronnie Boykins (bass), Clifford Jarvis, unidentified (drums). NOTE: Recorded live June 16, 1974 at Hunter College, New York
2. [47:52] Luciano Berio: Eindrücke. From Sinfonia, Eindrücke (Erato, 1986) with Orchestre National de France, Pierre Boulez (conductor). NOTE: Premiered June 19, 1974 in Zurich
3. [58:10] Outro with Sun Ra: Discipline 99
4. [1:02:32] Ed Pettersen, Henry Kaiser: Fair Ellen. From Riddles Wisely Expounded (Bandcamp, 2024) with Ed Pettersen (voice, instruments), Henry Kaiser (instruments)
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SET 4: New night music [1:11:35]
1. [1:13:34] Yu-Hui Chang: In Thin Air - 1. Allegretto. From Mind Like Water (New Focus, 2024) with Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble: Gabriela Díaz (violin), Donald Berman (piano), Robert Schulz (percussion), Frank Cunningham (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2012
2. [1:18:03] Anna Gadt et al: VoiceACT - Part 6. From VoiceACT (Fundacja Słuchaj, 2024) with Anna Gadt, Marta Grzywacz, Natalia Kordiak, Gosia Zagajewska (voices), Michał Kupicz (recording engineer)
3. [1:21:12] Gabriel Vicéns: Ficción. From Mural (Stradivarius, 2024) with Nu Quintet: Kim Lewis (flute), Michael Dwinell (oboe), Kathryn Vetter (clarinet), Tylor Thomas (bassoon), Blair Hamrick (horn), Nolan Thies (recording engineer)
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SET 5: More from our favorites [1:31:36]
1. [1:33:18] Josh Modney: 7 Fragmentation And The Single Form - III. Song. From Ascending Primes (Pyroclastic, 2024) with Ben LaMar Gay (cornet), Josh Modney (violin with distortion pedal), Erica Dicker (violin), Cory Smythe (piano), Dan Peck (tuba), Kate Gentile (drums), Charmaine Lee (electronics), Ryan Streber (recording engineer, Oktaven Audio)
2. [1:36:40] Tōru Takemitsu: Folios. From Garden Rain et al (Deutsche Grammophon, 1975) with Kiyoshi Shomura (guitar). NOTE: Premiered by Kiyoshi Shomura June 16, 1974 in Tokyo
3. [1:47:59] Sun Ra and his Cosmo Drama Arkestra: Theme of the Stargazers. From Inside the Light World: Sun Ra Meets The OVC (Strut, 2024) with Sun Ra (piano, Prophet VS synth, Yamaha DX7, vocals), Marshall Allen (alto saxophone, flute, percussion), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone, percussion), Danny Ray Thompson (baritone saxophone, percussion), Eloe Omoe (bass clarinet), James Jacson (bassoon, Infinity-drum), Al Evans (flugelhorn), Fred Adams (trumpet), Tyrone Hill (trombone), Bruce Edwards (electric guitar), John Ore (bass), John Brown (drums), Atakatune (conga, percussion), Sidney Burton (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded August 25, 1986 at Mission Control, Westford, MA
4. [1:56:37] Outro with Sun Ra: Calling Planet Earth
Photo credits: Wayne Horvitz and Bill Frisell via Other Room Music, Brian Inglis by Bartosz Pajak, Sun Ra in Calling Planet Earth by Bill Sebastian, Luciano Berio by Philippe Gontier, Yu-Hui Chang by Sharona Jacobs, John Gilmore in Calling Planet Earth by Bill Sebastian, Alex Harding and Lucian Ban by Cornel Brad, Isabelle Duthoit, John Butcher and Liz Allbee via John Butcher, Steve Layton via the artist, Tōru Takemitsu via Durand Salabert Eschig, Ed Pettersen via the artist, Yikii via Danse Noire