“Genre bending” has long been just another genre to the music business, but it’s nevertheless what we purvey in this show which honors the 50th anniversary of The Residents’ Not Available album with a look at their brand of minimal, lo-fi, Partchian rock-n-roll, whose remnants are discernable in recent tracks by Yikii, Błoto and Joe Santa Maria. We also hear the superhuman soprano Barbara Hannigan tackle John Zorn’s sprawling Kalevala-inspired song cycle Jumalattaret in its premiere recording, while Bryce Dessner offers a different kind of goddess-oriented crossover on his new album Solos, and Ryuichi Sakamoto crosses his own thresholds in his posthumously-released album Opus. Tom Varner, Jessica Ackerley and Patricia Brennan offer fresh takes on free improvisation, while Matt Shipp’s latest solo album blends Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner and Charles Ives, leading us to a Concord Sonata cameo via Donald Berman’s new traversal of that most monumental of all modern piano compositions.
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Flotation Device 2024-09-01: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [0:00]
1. [1:15] The Residents: Death in Barstow. From Babyfingers (Ralph, 1979, reissued 2018 by New Ralph/Cherry Red as Fingerprince pREServed) with Snakefinger (guitar), The Residents (vocals, horns, synthesizers, keyboards, percussion). NOTE: Recorded following Harry Partch's death on September 3, 1974
2. [3:19] The Residents: Saint Nix. From Residue of the Residents (Ralph, 1983) with The Residents. NOTE: First recorded shortly after Richard Nixon's resignation August 9, 1974. Completed 1983
3. [5:48] Yikii: Moon Dial 月之晷. From The Crow-Cyan Lake 鸦青湖畔 (Unseelie, 2023) with Yikii Tong AKA Yikii
4. [9:46] The Residents: Mourning Glories (live, 2014). From Not Available pREServed edition (New Ralph Too, 2018 with The Residents, Scott Colburn (restoration). NOTE: Recorded live 2014 during the Shadowland tour
5. [13:25] Błoto: Autentyzm. From Kwasy i zasady (Astigmatic Records, 2021) with Olaf Węgier AKA OlafSaxx (saxophones, AKAI EWI 5000), Marek Pędziwiatr AKA Latarnik (keyboards), Paweł Stachowiak AKA Wuja HZG (bass guitar), Marcin Rak AKA Cancer G (drums)
6. [19:20] Joe Santa Maria: Play Play. From Echo Deep (Orenda, 2023) with Joe Santa Maria (saxes, clarinet, keyboards), Andrew Conrad (reeds), Dan Rosenboom, Brandon Sherman, Andrew Rowan (trumpets), Ryan Dragon, Julianne Gralle (trombones), Max Kutner (guitar), Lauren Baba (strings), David Tranchina (bass), Tim Carr (drums)
7. [23:01] Patricia Brennan: Mudanza (States of Change). From Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic, 2024) with Jon Irabagon (alto and sopranino saxophones), Mark Shim (tenor saxophone), Adam O’Farrill (trumpet, electronics), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone, electronics, marimba), Kim Cass (bass), Marcus Gilmore (drums), Mauricio Herrera (percussion), Ben Greenberg (recording engineer, Power Station BerkleeNYC)
8. [25:05] The Residents: Ship's A'Going Down, Epilogue. From Not Available (Ralph, 1978) with The Residents. NOTE: Completed September 1974
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SET 2: Crossing over [30:42]
1. [33:54] Bryce Dessner: Delphica II. From Solos (Sony, 2024) with Nadia Sirota (viola)
2. [38:26] Jessica Ackerley: All of the colours are singing. From All of the colours are singing (AKP, 2024) with Jessica Ackerley (electric guitar), Concetta Abatte (violin), Walter Stinson (upright bass), Aaron Edgcomb (drums), Alan F. Jones (mastering)
3. [42:48] Tom Varner: The Angry Viola and the Angry Cello. From DATH Quartet (Tom Varner, 2024) with Tom Varner (French horn), Dan Clucas (cornet), Heather Bentley (viola), Aniela Perry (cello), Barry Sebastian (recording engineer)
4. [45:51] Matthew Shipp: The Data #11. From The Data (RogueArt, 2024) with Matthew Shipp (piano), Randy Thaler (recording engineer)
5. [53:24] Outro with Charles Ives: Concord Sonata (Donald Berman)
6. [1:00:49] John Zorn: Civil Disobedience. From 444 (Tzadik, 2023) with Chaos Magick: Brian Marsella (electric piano), John Medeski (organ), Matt Hollenberg (electric guitar), Kenny Grohowski (drums, percussion), Marc Urselli (recording engineer)
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SET 3: Barbara Hannigan sings John Zorn [1:04:16]
1. [1:06:13] John Zorn: Nazdar, Poupon, Nazdar. From Hannigan Sings Zorn Volume One (Tzadik, 2024) with Barbara Hannigan (voice), Stephen Gosling (piano). NOTE: Composed c.1971. First recording
2 [1:08:46] John Zorn: Katzatz. From New Masada Quartet Vol. 2 (Tzadik, 2023) with New Masada Quartet: John Zorn (alto saxophone), Julian Lage (guitar), Jorge Roeder (bass), Kenny Wollesen (drums), Ryan Streber (recording engineer)
3 [1:13:00] John Zorn: Jumalattaret. From Hannigan Sings Zorn Volume One (Tzadik, 2024) with Barbara Hannigan (voice), Stephen Gosling (piano). NOTE: Composed 2012, premiered 2019. First recording
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SET 4: Finland and Japan [1:26:25]
1. [1:30:23] Ryuichi Sakamoto: Trioon. From Opus (Milan, 2024) with Ryuichi Sakamoto (piano). NOTE: Recorded 2022, first release of the solo piano version
2. [1:36:27] Pehr Henrik Nordgren: Chamber Symphony, Op. 97. From Streams (Alba, 2023) with Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Ville Matvejeff (conductor), Simon Fox-Gál (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1995. First recording
3. [1:55:16] Outro with Ryuichi Sakamoto: For Jóhann
Photo credits: Jessica Ackerley by Anabelle Ellwein, Not Available by The Residents, New Masada Quartet (Julian Lage, John Zorn, Kenny Wollesen, Jorge Roeder) via Roulette, Eyeball by The Residents, Błoto via the artists, Ryuichi Sakamoto by Janus Films, Patricia Brennan band by Frank Heath, Yikii via the artist, Charles Ives via the Charles Ives Society, Pehr Henrik Nordgren via Kai Nordgren, Katzatz by John Zorn, Bryce Dessner by Jens Koch, Barbara Hannigan by Erika Gerdemark