We begin this eclectic podcast by celebrating the indefatigable drummer Andrew Cyrille for his 85th birthday with help from Cecil Taylor, Kit Downes and Bill Frisell. We give a long listen to the new Dai Fujikura album with concertos for shamisen, shakuhachi and tuba, plus we sample Sub Rosa’s new anthology of Women in Turkish Electronic Music, and a trio offering by Todd Sickafoose and company that honors Thelonious Monk in an unusual way. Our 50 years ago in the avant-garde feature revisits the November 1974 zeitgeist that produced Éliane Radigue’s Adnos I and George Crumb’s Makrokosmos II. And we hear the fusion styles of Miles Davis and Frank Zappa converging in some contemporaneous studio and live recordings that feature lots of enthusiastic guitar playing plus an extended electric piano solo by George Duke (the only musician to tour with both those men). A latter-day summation by Brandon Seabrook from his new solo album on Pyroclastic Records rounds out the playlist.
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Flotation Device 2024-11-17: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Monk and Ustvolskaya [0:00]
1. [1:37] Ben Goldberg, Todd Sickafoose, Scott Amendola: Self Evident. From Here to There (Secret Hatch, 2024) with Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Todd Sickafoose (acoustic bass), Scott Amendola (drums, electronics), Billy Barnett (recording engineer, Gung-Ho Studio). NOTE: Based on Thelonious Monk: Evidence
2. [10:33] Galina Ustvolskaya: Piano Sonata No. 6. From Piano Sonatas 1–6 (hat[now]ART, 1995) with Marianne Schroeder (piano), Peter Pfister (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1988
3. [16:44] Steve Swell: Hammer, Rocks (excerpts). From Hommage à Galina Ustvolskaya (Silkheart/RogueArt, 2024) with Steve Swell's Imbued with Light: Sara Schoenback (bassoon), Herb Robertson (trumpet, toys), Steve Swell (trombone), Ben Stapp (tuba), Chris Hoffman (cello), Robert Boston (piano), Harris Eisenstadt (drums, percussion), Jim Clouse (recording engineer, Park West Studios)
4. [20:24] Steve Swell: Composite #12 (excerpts). From Hommage à Galina Ustvolskaya (credits as above)
5. [23:44] Voice break with Thelonious Monk: Evidence
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SET 2: I saw the moon [25:01]
1. [25:42] Soosan Lolavar: Mâh Didam. From Song (Delphian, 2021) with The Hermes Experiment: Heloise Werner (soprano), Oliver Pashley (clarinet), Anne Denholm (harp), Marianne Schofield (double bass), Paul Baxter (recording engineer)
2. [31:44] Brandon Seabrook: Melodic Incidents for an Irrational World. From Object of Unknown Function (Pyroclastic, 2024) with Brandon Seabrook (multitracked Neptune twelve-string guitar, and bowed and plucked tenor banjo), Ben Greenberg (recording engineer, Circular Ruin Studio)
3. [36:50] Heinz Holliger: Studie über Mehrklänge für Oboe solo. From Duo for Violin and Cello et al (ECM, 1987) with Heinz Holliger (oboe), Jakob Stämpfli (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1971, premiered November 20, 1974 in Tokyo by Heinz Holliger
4. [41:57] Manfred Schoof: Kontraste und Synthesen (excerpt). From Hamburg '74 (FMP, 1979) with Globe Unity Orchestra: Peter Brötzmann, Rüdiger Carl, Gerd Dudek, Evan Parker, Michel Pilz (reeds), Manfred Schoof, Kenny Wheeler (trumpets), Günter Christmann, Paul Rutherford (trombones), Derek Bailey (guitar), Alex Schlippenbach (piano), Peter Kowald (bass, tuba), Han Bennink (drums, percussion, clarinet), Paul Lovens (drums, percussion), Choir of the NDR-Broadcast AKA NDR Vokalensemble, Helmut Franz (conductor), Werner Münchmeyer (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live November 19, 1974 at the NDR Jazzworkshop, Funkhaus Hamburg
5. [47:36] Alexander von Schlippenbach: Hamburg '74 (excerpt). From Hamburg '74 (credits as above)
6. [51:40] Outro with Aida Shirazi: Albumblatt
7. [58:18] John Zorn: Ab Eo, Quod. From Hannigan Sings Zorn Volume Two (Tzadik, 2024) with Barbara Hannigan (soprano), Jay Campbell (cello), Sae Hashimoto (vibraphone), Ikue Mori (electronics), Ches Smith (drums), Marc Urselli, John Dyer, Trevor Schlam (recording engineers)
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SET 3: From the drums to the birds… [1:06:15]
1. [1:07:36] Steve Coleman and Five Elements: Spontaneous Drum. From PolyTropos/Of Many Turns (Pi, 2024) with Steve Coleman (alto saxophone), Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), Rich Brown (bass), Sean Rickman (drums), Sylvain Pierre-Justin (recording engineer)
2. [1:15:45] Olivier Messiaen: Des canyons aux étoiles… - Le cossyphe d'Heuglin. From Des canyons aux étoiles… (Seattle Symphony, 2023) with Steven Osborne (piano), Jeffery Fair (horn), Matthew Decker (glockenspiel), Michael A. Werner (xylorimba), Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot (conductor), Dmitriy Lipay (recording engineer). NOTE: Premiered November 20, 1974 at Alice Tully Hall, New York by Yvonne Loriod (piano), Musica Aeterna Orchestra, Frederic Waldman (conductor)
3. [1:19:55] Olivier Messiaen: Des canyons aux étoiles… - Cedar Breaks et le don de crainte. From Des canyons aux étoiles… (credits as above)
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SET 4: Wendy Carlos at 85 [1:27:11]
1. [1:29:13] Wendy Carlos on just intonation (with Two-Part Invention No. 14 in B major from Switched-On Bach)
2. [1:32:26] Wendy Carlos: Episodes for piano and electronic sound. From By Request (Columbia, 1975, reissued 2003 by East Side Digital) with Phillip Ramey (piano). NOTE: Composed 1964, realized at Columbia Princeton Electronic Music Center
3. [1:38:15] Wendy Carlos: Tronaction (original version). From Disney's Tron (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Disney, 2001). NOTE: Created 1982
4. [1:39:42] Wendy Carlos: Incantation. From Beauty in the Beast (Audion, 1986)
5. [1:46:28] Wendy Carlos: Beauty in the Beast. From Beauty in the Beast (Audion, 1986)
6. [1:50:27] Wendy Carlos, Weird Al Yankovic: Carnival of the Animals Part II - Finale. From Peter & The Wolf (CBS, 1988)
7. [1:53:20] Outro with Wendy Carlos: Sonic Seasonings
Flotation Device 2024-11-10: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Andrew Cyrille at 85 [0:00]
1. [1:28] Cecil Taylor: Conquistador (excerpts). From Conquistador! (Blue Note, 1968) with Bill Dixon (trumpet), Jimmy Lyons (alto saxophone), Cecil Taylor (piano, bells), Henry Grimes, Alan Silva (double bass), Andrew Cyrille (drums), Rudy Van Gelder (recording engineer)
2. [11:46] Bill Frisell, Kit Downes, Andrew Cyrille: Untitled 23. From Breaking the Shell (Red Hook, 2024) with Bill Frisell (electric guitar), Kit Downes (pipe organ), Andrew Cyrille (drums), Joseph Branciforte (recording engineer). NOTE: Composition by Kit Downes
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from George Crumb: Makrokosmos, Volume II (premiered November 12, 1974 at Alice Tully Hall, New York by Robert Miller):
3. [15:17] 3. Rain-Death Variations (Pisces). From Makrokosmos, Vol. II (Odyssey, 1976, reissued 2015 by Sony in Masterworks of the 20th Century) with Robert Miller (piano), Bud Graham, John Johnson, Marty Greenblatt, Milt Cherin (recording engineers)
4. [16:50] 4. Twin Suns (Doppelgänger aus der Ewigkeit) [SYMBOL] (Gemini). From Makrokosmos I & II (Mode, 2004) with Margaret Leng Tan (piano), David Walters (recording engineer)
5. [19:55] 5. Ghost-Nocturne: for the Druids of Stonehenge (Night-Spell II) (Virgo). From Makrokosmos Vol. 1 & 2: 24 Fantasy Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano (Innova, 2010) with Laurie Hudicek (piano), Jeremy Tressler (recording engineer)
6. [21:38] 6. Gargoyles (Taurus). From Piano Works (L'Empreinte Digitale, 2002) with Toros Can (piano), Maurice Salaün (recording engineer)
7. [22:55] Aslı Kobaner: Life and a Cleansing Ritual. From An Anthology of Women in Turkish Electronic Music (Sub Rosa, 2024)
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SET 2: SET 2: East meets West [27:40]
1. [30:42] Dai Fujikura in conversation with Michael Schell. NOTE: Source interview is at https://tinyurl.com/FujikuraInterview
2. [32:25] Dai Fujikura: Daidai (excerpt). From Wavering World (Minabel/New Focus, 2024) with Eriko Daimo (marimba), Casey Cangelosi, Gene Koshinski, Pius Cheung (percussion), Jasper Walton (recording engineer)
3. [36:58] Dai Fujikura: Shamisen Concerto (orchestra version) (excerpt). From Wavering World (as above) with Hidejiro Honjoh (shamisen), Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Roberto Forés Veses (conductor), Keiji Ono (recording engineer)
4. [46:07] Dai Fujikura: Shakuhachi Concerto (version for chamber ensemble) (excerpt). From Wavering World (as above) with Akihito Obama (shakuhachi), Ensemble Nomad, Norio Sato (conductor), Koichi Ishimaru (recording engineer)
5. [49:08] Dai Fujikura: Tuba Concerto (version for chamber ensemble) (excerpt). From Wavering World (as above) with Shinya Hashimoto (tuba), Ensemble Nomad, Norio Sato (conductor), Koichi Ishimaru (recording engineer)
6. [55:25] Outro with Elliot Goldenthal: Alien 3 (soundtrack)
7. [59:03] Ben Goldberg, Todd Sickafoose, Scott Amendola: In Walked. From Here to There (Secret Hatch, 2024) with Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Todd Sickafoose (acoustic bass), Scott Amendola (drums, electronics), Billy Barnett (recording engineer, Gung-Ho Studio). NOTE: Based on Thelonious Monk: In Walked Bud
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SET 3: 50 years ago in fusion [1:05:36]
1. [1:07:36] Miles Davis: Hip-Skip (excerpt). From The Complete On The Corner Sessions (Columbia, 2007) with Miles Davis (organ), Sonny Fortune (flute), Reggie Lucas, Dominique Gaumont (electric guitars), Michael Henderson (bass guitar), Pete Cosey (drums), James Mtume (congas, percussion). NOTE: Recorded November 6, 1974, Columbia Studio E, New York
2. [1:11:21] Frank Zappa: Space Boogers. From One Shot Deal (Zappa, 2008) with Frank Zappa (guitar), George Duke (keyboards), Chester Thompson (drums). NOTE: Recorded live November 8, 1974 at Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
3. [1:12:45] Miles Davis: What They Do (excerpt). From The Complete On The Corner Sessions (as above) with Miles Davis (organ), Sonny Fortune (tenor saxophone), Pete Cosey, Reggie Lucas, Dominique Gaumont (electric guitars), Michael Henderson (bass guitar), Al Foster (drums), James Mtume (congas, percussion)
4. [1:16:55] Frank Zappa: RDNZL (excerpt). From Zappa/Erie (Zappa, 2022) with Frank Zappa (lead guitar, vocals), Napoleon Murphy Brock (tenor saxophone, flute, lead vocals), Ruth Underwood (percussion), George Duke (keyboards, synthesizer, vocals), Tom Fowler (bass), Chester Thompson (drums, percussion), Bill Hennigh (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live November 12, 1974 at Erie, PA
5. [1:20:50] Brandon Seabrook: Gondola Freak. From Object of Unknown Function (Pyroclastic, 2024) with Brandon Seabrook (multitracked Neptune twelve-string and telecaster guitars), Ben Greenberg (recording engineer, Circular Ruin Studio)
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SET 4: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [1:28:04]
from George Crumb: Makrokosmos, Volume II (NOTE: See https://tinyurl.com/CrumbInRetrospect for more on George Crumb):
1. [1:31:19] 1. Morning Music (Genesis II) (Cancer), 2. The Mystic Chord (Sagittarius). From Bojan Gorišek Plays George Crumb, 1 (Audiophile Classics, 1997) with Bojan Gorišek (piano), Matjaž Culiberg (recording engineer)
2. [1:36:27] 7. Tora! Tora! Tora! (Cadenza Apocalittica) (Scorpio). From Makrokosmos I–IV (Classico, 2000) with David Burge (piano), Karin Jürgensen (recording engineer)
3. [1:38:50] 8. A Prophecy of Nostradamus [SYMBOL] (Aries). From Makrokosmos I–II (Simax, 2008) with Ellen Ugelvik (piano)
4. [1:41:21] 9. Cosmic Wind (Libra). From Crumb Edition 8: Makrokosmos I–II (Bridge, 2004) with Robert Shannon (piano), Adam Abeshouse (recording engineer)
5. [1:43:35] 10. Voices from "Corona Borealis" (Aquarius). From Piano Works (L'Empreinte Digitale, 2002) with Toros Can (piano), Maurice Salaün (recording engineer)
6. [1:47:14] 11. Litany of the Galactic Bells (Leo), 12. Agnus Dei [SYMBOL] (Capricorn). From Makrokosmos I–III (Kairos, 2018) with Yoshiko Shimizu (piano), Yukio Kojima (recording engineer)
7. [1:53:46] Outro with Éliane Radigue: Adnos I (composed 1973–74, premiered November 10, 1974 at Festival d'automne, Musée Galliera, Paris)
Photo credits: Dai Fujikura by Michael Schell, Miles Davis electric (James Mtume, Al Foster, MD, Michael Henderson, Reggie Lucas, Sonny Fortune, Pete Cosey) via the Cosey estate, Here to There (Ben Goldberg, Todd Sickafoose, Scott Amendola) by Lenny Gonzalez and Grady McFerrin, Brandon Seabrook by Luke Marantz, Yoshiko Shimizu and George Crumb by Natsumi Shimizu, Hidejiro Honjoh by Koh Okabe, Aslı Kobaner via the artist, Andrew Cyrille by Shawn Brackbill, Frank Zappa in 1974 (Tom Fowler, Napoleon Murphy Brock, FZ, George Duke, Ruth Underwood, Chester Thompson), Éliane Radigue by Yves Arman