Flotation Device celebrates Charles Ives, the original American maverick, for his 150th birthday with a montage of his greatest hits, plus excerpts from Naxos Records' new album of previously-unrecorded fragments, novelties and alternate orchestrations from the dusty corners of the Ives archives. We’ll marvel at his prophetic music, and affirm that however distorted his vision of Americana could be, it was always unfailingly authentic.
We also interview Myra Melford for her recent Earshot Jazz appearance with Fire and Water Quartet. She reflects on her formative years in the Pacific Northwest, as well as influences gleaned from Chicago, Boston and New York on the way to her current post at Berkeley. Butch Morris gets a particular callout apropos to his tribute concerts at Earshot Jazz, as do Julius Hemphill, Wayne Horvitz and Marty Ehrlich.
Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, from 91.3 KBCS Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma.
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Flotation Device 2024-10-20: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
1. [0:00] Intro and SET 1: Myra Melford and her quintets
2. [1:58] Myra Melford: For the Love of Fire and Water - II. From For the Love of Fire and Water (RogueArt, 2022) with Fire and Water Quintet: Myra Melford (piano, melodica), Ingrid Laubrock (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone), Mary Halvorson (guitar), Tomeka Reid (cello), Susie Ibarra (drums, percussion), Nick Lloyd, Greg DiCrosta (recording engineers, Firehouse 12)
3. [4:09] Myra Melford: For the Love of Fire and Water - III. From For the Love of Fire and Water (credits as above)
4. [7:25] Myra Melford: Drawing in the Dark (A Prayer for Peace in the Balkans). From The Same River, Twice (Gramavision, 1996) with Myra Melford (piano), Dave Douglas (trumpet), Chris Speed (clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor sax), Erik Friedlander (cello), Michael Sarin (drums), Jon Rosenberg (recording engineer)
5. [16:00] Myra Melford: For the Love of Fire and Water - VII. From For the Love of Fire and Water (credits as above)
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SET 2: Fire and Water in the Northwest [22:26]
1. [24:37] Myra Melford in conversation with Michael Schell. NOTE: Video of the interview is at https://tinyurl.com/MyraMelford
2. [39:10] Myra Melford: Insertion Two. From Hear The Light Singing (RogueArt, 2023) with Fire and Water Quintet: Myra Melford (piano), Ingrid Laubrock (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone), Mary Halvorson (guitar), Tomeka Reid (cello), Lesley Mok (drums), Nick Lloyd (recording engineer)
3. [45:56] Butch Morris: Under Seige. From Nublu Orchestra conducted by Butch Morris (Nublu, 2006) with Butch Morris (conduction), Nublu Orchestra: Sabina Sciubba, Sylvia Gordon, Chantal Ughi (vocals), Jonathon Haffner (alto saxophone), Doug Wieselman (bass clarinet), Eddie Henderson, Kirk Knuffke (trumpets), Graham Haynes (cornet), Zeke Zima (guitar), Didi Gutman (keyboards), Derek Nievergelt, Jesse Murphy, Michael Kiaer (basses), Aaron Johnston, Daniel Jodocy, Kenny Wollesen (drums), Mauro Refosco (percussion), Gus Oberg (recording engineer)
4. [49:50] Outro with Julius Hemphill: Dogon A.D. (Marty Ehrlich Rites Quartet)
5. [58:42] Charles Ives: Three Places in New England - 2. Putnam's Camp, Redding, Connecticut. From Three Places in New England et al (Seattle Symphony, 2017) with Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot (conductor), Dmitriy Lipay (recording engineer)
Voice break with Charles Ives: Symphony No. 4 (Seattle Symphony, Cristina Valdes) [1:04:57]
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SET 3: Concord, Massachusetts through the years
1. [1:10:00] Charles Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 "Concord, Mass. 1840–1860" - 1. Emerson (partial, version 3) [April 24, 1943]. From Ives Plays Ives: The Complete Recordings of Charles Ives at the Piano, 1933–1943 (New World, 2006) with Charles Ives (piano), Mary Shipman Howard (recording engineer)
2. [1:14:03] Charles Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 "Concord, Mass. 1840–1860" - 2. Hawthorne. From Cristina Valdes piano (Liduvina Records, 2003) with Cristina Valdes (piano), Joe Patrych (recording engineer)
3. [1:26:54] Charles Ives: Piano Sonata No. 2 "Concord, Mass. 1840–1860" - 3. The Alcotts. From The Eye is the First Circle (Supertrain, 2024) with Simone Dinnerstein (piano), Adam Abeshouse (recording engineer)
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SET 4: Charles Ives at 150 [1:32:25]
1. [1:34:16] Charles Ives: Vote for Names. From The Complete Songs of Charles Ives, Vol. III (Albany, 1992) with Paul Sperry (tenor), Irma Vallecillo (piano), Judith Sherman (recording engineer)1
2. [1:35:10] Charles Ives: Set of Incomplete Works and Fragments. From Orchestral Works (Naxos, 2024) with Orchestra New England, James Sinclair (conductor), Benjamin Schwartz, Jonathan Galle (recording engineers). NOTE: Sequenced and edited by Kenneth Singleton, James Sinclair 1974. Premiere recording
3. [1:41:48] Charles Ives: Skit for Danbury Fair. From Orchestral Works (credits as above). NOTE: Composed c.1909, incomplete, premiere recording
4. [1:44:09] Charles Ives: The Rainbow (version 1). From Orchestral Works (credits as above). NOTE: Composed 1914, premiere recording
5. [1:45:59] Charles Ives: They Are There! (third take) [April 24, 1943]. From Ives Plays Ives (New World, 2006) with Charles Ives (voice, piano), Mary Shipman Howard (recording engineer)
6. [1:48:46] Outro with Charles Ives: Central Park in the Dark
Photo credits: Paul Sperry via the artist, Butch Morris by Chad Batka/The New York Times, Charles Ives via the Charles Ives Society, Fire and Water Quintet (Lesley Mok, Tomeka Reid, Myra Melford, Ingrid Laubrock, Mary Halvorson) by Don Dixon, Concord Sonata by Charles Ives, Cristina Valdes by Monica Frisell, Rites Quartet (Pheeroan akLaff, Erik Friedlander, James Zollar, Marty Ehrlich) via Clean Feed Records, Myra Melford via Roulette, Julius Hemphill by Brian McMillen