Flotation Device commences its tribute to the late Sofia Gubaidulina, whose unflinchingly modern but spiritual music made her perhaps the most admired Russian composer since Shostakovich. We revisit some of her breakthrough works from the 70s and 80s, while sampling immersive chill music from the Pacific Northwest, fractured postminimalism from Bernadette Speach, and heterodox big band music by John Hollenbeck and Gellért Szabó. Noriko Baba remembers her father with help from Mahler, while Tristan Murail evokes a karst spring in the spirit of Debussy, and Philip Jeck reminds us of the beauty in old things with help from Faith Coloccia. A 50 year celebration of guitarist John Abercrombie's most exploratory work, recorded for ECM in March 1975, rounds out the playlist. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell from KBCS-FM Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma, originally broadcast March 16, 2025.
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Flotation Device 2025-03-16: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Big bands revisited [0:00]
1. [1:29] John Hollenbeck: Shaking Peace. From Colouring Hockets (Flexatonic, 2024) with John Hollenbeck (drums, timpani), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, crotales, timpani), Matt Moran (vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, tapan), Marcio Doctor (drums, hand percussion), Florian Weber (piano, Rhodes), NDR Bigband, JC Sanford (conductor), Adrian von Ripka (recording engineer)
2. [7:49] Gellért Szabó: Landscape After the Battle, Ascension (excerpts). From Live at Berghain (Boomslang, 2025) with Gellért Szabó’s Ideal Orchestra, Gellért Szabó (conductor), Christoph Giesemann (recording engineer)
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SET 2: From Mister Porcelain's Pavilion [17:35]
1. [20:36] Bernadette Speach: Échange. From Adjacence (New Focus, 2024) with Daniel Lippel (electric guitar), Renate Rohlfing (piano), Jeffrey Irving (percussion), Ryan Streber (recording engineer, Oktaven Audio). NOTE: Composed 1982, premiere recording
2. [31:04] Noriko Baba: Au pavillon de (Monsieur) Porcelaine… en six variations. From Bonbori (Kairos, 2025) with Jennifer Tani (soprano), Ensemble Cairn: Constance Ronzatti (violin), Alexa Ciciretti (cello), Caroline Cren (piano), Martin Antiphon (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2019, premiere recording
3. [37:00] Voice break with Gustav Mahler: Von der Jugend (The Porcelain Pavilion)
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SET 3: Loops and impressions [38:30]
1. [38:59] Faith Coloccia, Philip Jeck: Mycobiont, I Feel As if the Grass Was Pleased, Sun, Usnea (excerpts). From Stardust (Touch, 2021) with Faith Coloccia (dubplates from cassettes 2015–18), Philip Jeck (2020 recordings, remixes)
2. [44:24] Tristan Murail: Résurgence La Sorgue à Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. From Debussy & Murail: Révolutions (Sony, 2022) with François-Frédéric Guy (piano). NOTE: Composed 2021
3. [51:14] Outro with Philip Jeck: Vinyl Requiem. NOTE: Video at https://vimeo.com/17439345
4. [55:29] Collin Walcott: Scimitar. From Cloud Dance (ECM, 1976) with John Abercrombie (electric guitar), Collin Walcott (tabla), Martin Wieland (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded March 1975, Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, West Germany
5. [58:10] Jack DeJohnette: Sorcery I (excerpt). From Gateway (ECM, 1976) with John Abercrombie (guitar), Dave Holland (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums), Martin Wieland (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded March 1975, Tonstudio Bauer, Ludwigsburg, West Germany
6. [1:00:80] John Abercrombie, Jack DeJohnette: Unshielded Desire. From Gateway (as above) with John Abercrombie (guitar), Jack DeJohnette (drums), Martin Wieland (recording engineer)
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SET 4: Sofia Gubaidulina (1931–2025) [1:05:40]
1. [1:08:08] Sofia Gubaidulina: Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings - 3. From Works for Bassoon (Chandos, 1999) with Valeri Popov (bassoon), Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Pyotr Meshchaninov (conductor), Igor Veprintsev (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1975
2. [1:14:17] Sofia Gubaidulina: Perception - Am Meer. From Jetzt immer Schnee, Perception (Philips, 1995) with Stella Kleindienst (soprano), Siegfried Lorenz (baritone), Netherlands Chamber Choir, Schönberg Ensemble, Reinbert de Leeuw (conductor), Adriaan Verstijnen (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1981–86
3. [1:22:21] Sofia Gubaidulina: Offertorium (ending). From Offertorium (Deutsche Grammophon, 1989) with Gidon Kremer (violin), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit (conductor), John Newton (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1980, revised 1982 and 1986
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SET 5: Northwest chill [1:30:58]
1. [1:33:05] Three Point Circle: Dark Sky, Sirens. From Fluorescent Grey (Palace of Lights, 2025) with Kerry Leimer, Marc Barreca, Steve Peters
2. [1:41:51] Domenica Diavoleria: The Orator's Dream. From Orange Clearing (Eiderdown, 2024) with Dominica Clark AKA Domenica Diavoleria (cello, modular synthesizers, samples, manipulated sounds)
3. [1:46:52] Steve Layton: Meditation. From This Is Fine (69) (NiwoSound, 2025) with Sandy Dunes (vox), Reed Caine (sax), Bo Rosean (cello), Steve Layton (Reason 13, Audacity 3, sample libraries)
4. [1:54:58] Outro with Daniel Menche: Perma De-Frost
Photo credits: Daniel Menche via the artist, Sofia Gubaidulina by Mario Wezel, Tristan Murail via Wikimedia, Steve Layton via the artist, Bernadette Speach by Christopher Drukker, Gateway (Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, John Abercrombie) by Dany Gignoux, Noriko Baba by Kyoko Nagashima, Philip Jeck by Dave Knapik, Domenica Diavoleria via the artist, Gellért Szabó’s Ideal Orchestra by Robin Lambrecht, Collin Walcott by Patrick Hinely, John Hollenbeck by Mercedes Jelinek, Faith Coloccia via Mamiffer