Flotation Device revisits some recent favorites by Alvin Curran, Olga Neuwirth, Georg Friedrich Haas and Wadada Leo Smith, with support from Claire Chase, Bill Laswell, J. S. Bach and the late Milford Graves. The Master Musicians of Jajouka help us celebrate Arrington De Dionyso’s 50th birthday, while his fellow Northwesterner Josh Medina drifts toward the absolute. We dust off an out-of-print (and hard to find) solo album by the free improv world's leading exponent of the Korean komungo, Jin Hi Kim. And we close with a new album by the Polish band Błoto that reminds us of musique concrète pioneer Pierre Henry during his flirtation with rock-n-roll. It's might not be easy listening, but it’s as easy as it gets on Flotation Device, and we're delighted to have you along for the ride.
Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, originally broadcast December 29, 2024.
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Flotation Device 2024-12-29: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Smith and more [0:00]
1. [1:26] Alvin Curran: Inner Cities No. 3. From From Inner Cities (WDR, 2021) with Dorrit Bauerecker (toy piano), Katharina Kiefer (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1999
2. [9:00] Master Musicians of Jajouka, Arrington de Dionyso: Many Years with the Secrets. From Jajouka Baraka: A Benefit Album for the Master Musicians of Jajouka (Bandcamp, 2020) with Arrington de Dionyso (bass clarinet), The Master Musicians of Jajouka, Bachir Attar (leader), Jacopo Andreini (additional percussion, recording engineer)
3. [17:21] Wadada Leo Smith: Nine (9) Stones on a Mountain. From Creative Music (Kabell, 1972, reissued 2004 by Tzadik on Kabell Years: 1971–1979) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet, flugelhorn, seal horn, recorder, atenteben, Indian wooden flute, harmonica, autoharp, hand zithers, bells, parade drum, hand drum, tin drum, aluminum pot drums, cymbals, mobile sounds-gong, metal-plates, steel-o-phone, gongs, Indian bell). NOTE: Recorded December 18–19, 1971
4. [20:45] Wadada Leo Smith: Family, A Contemplation of Love - Part 1: Agape - Unselfish Love. From Trumpet (TUM, 2021) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet), Miikka Huttunen (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded 2016
5. [23:02] Wadada Leo Smith, Bill Laswell, Milford Graves: Social Justice - A Fire for Reimagining the World. From Sacred Ceremonies (TUM, 2021) with Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet), Bill Laswell (basses), Milford Graves (drums, percussion), James Dellatacoma (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded 2015–16 in Bill Laswell's studio, West Orange, NJ
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SET 2: Microtonality then and now [29:34]
1. [33:18] Jin Hi Kim: Core. From Komungo (O.O. Discs, 2001) with Jin Hi Kim (komungo)
2. [38:43] Jin Hi Kim: Jupiter's Moons (excerpt). From Komungo (as above) with Kang Kwon Soon (Korean Kangok singing), Jin Hi Kim (komungo with delay)
3. [43:03] Georg Friedrich Haas: Ein Schattenspiel. From Ein Schattenspiel, String Quartets No. 4 & 7 (NEOS, 2021) with Sophie-Mayuko Vetter (piano), Reinhold Braig, Maurice Oeser (sound direction). NOTE: Composed 2004, recorded 2019
4. [56:09] Outro with Ivan Wyschnegradsky: 24 Preludes in Quarter-Tone System
5. [1:01:02] Josh Medina: Lie Dormant. From Drifting Toward the Absolute (Eiderdown, 2021) with Josh Medina (acoustic guitar, analog synthesizer, organ, cassette tape, loops, effects)
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SET 3: Neuwirth revisits Bach [1:06:13]
1. [1:07:04] Olga Neuwirth: Aello (Ballet mécanomorphe). From The Brandenburg Project (BIS, 2021) with Claire Chase (flute), Anders Hemström, Margit Csökmei (trumpets), Oskar Ekberg (keyboard), Lars Fhager (percussion), Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard (conductor), Fabian Frank (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2016–17
2. [1:23:44.251 Voice break with Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
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SET 4: Pierre Henry and his legacy [1:25:42]
1. [1:27:17] Błoto: Autentyzm. From Kwasy i zasady (Astigmatic, 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)
2. [1:33:11] Błoto: Boczniak/Prawdziwek (excerpts). From Grzybnia (Astigmatic, 2024) with OlafSaxx (saxophones, Roland Aira System-1, Roland Aira TR-8, percussion), Latarnik (piano, Minimoog Voyager, Nord Stage 3, Junost 21, percussion), Wuja HZG (bass guitar, Moog Little Phatty Stage I, percussion), Cancer G (drums, Roland SPD-SX, percussion), Piotr Zabrodzki (recording engineer)
3. [1:33:56] Błoto: Hipokryzja. From Kwasy i zasady (credits as above)
4. [1:36:57] Pierre Henry: Grand remix. From Galaxie (Decca France, 2021). NOTE: Realized 2015
5. [1:56:49] Outro with Pierre Henry: Psyché rock
Photo credits: Pierre Henry by Jean-Christophe Windland, Sacred Ceremonies (Bill Laswell, Wadada Leo Smith, Milford Graves) by R.I. Sutherland-Cohen, Alvin Curran by Susan Levenstein, Jin Hi Kim by Shim Hyun-chul, Georg Friedrich Haas via Universal Edition, Olga Neuwirth by Dieter Brasch, Josh Medina via the artist, Arrington de Dionyso with his drawings, Błoto (Paweł Stachowiak, Marek Pędziwiatr, Olaf Węgier, Marcin Rak) via the artists, Ivan Wyschnegradsky via his estate