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Flotation Device celebrates the 100th birthday of David Tudor with a mini-retrospective of his career as pianist, electronicist and chief musical collaborator of John Cage. We also preview Yarn/Wire's upcoming appearance at Seattle's Meany Center with a look at their efforts to expand the repertory of music for two pianos and percussion. Steve Reich, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Enno Poppe, Marcel Zaes, Morton Feldman and Tyondai Braxton are on hand to assist with those two features. And accompanying them is a sampling of new and recent albums by Flotation Device veterans Charles Rumback, Cecilia Lopez, Yikii, Bekah Simms and the Rosa Ensemble, plus newcomers Lila Meretzky and Yang Lingyuan. A first look at Stephan Crump’s Otherlands Trio and a follow up listen to For Living Lovers’ first album in over a decade round out the proceedings. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, from KBCS-FM Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma.
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Flotation Device 2026-01-18: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell (PART ONE)
Intro and SET 1: Cursed Crowd [0:00]
1. [1:32] Lila Meretzky: Quartet. From Simultaneous Contrast (Sawyer Editions, 2025) with Herdís Guðmundsdóttir (violin), Cassia Drake (viola), Benjamin Lanners (cello), Nicholas Hernandez (double bass), Michael Yeung (percussion), Matthew LeFevre (recording engineer)
2. [8:28] Yikii: Transparent Crowd 透明群像. From 雪盲症 ❅ Snowblindness (Bandcamp, 2025) with Yikii Tong AKA Yikii
3. [13:55] Rosa Ensemble: Hillyp. From Oddments (Cuneiform, 2025) with Rosa Ensemble: John Dikeman (saxophones), Koen Kaptijn (trombone), Jeroen Kimman (electric guitar, 19tet baritone guitar), Peter Jessen (double bass), Mei-Yi Lee (percussion), Jasper Schonewile (recording engineer). NOTE: Composition by Jeroen Kimman
4. [17:40] Otherlands Trio: Lateral Line. From Star Mountain (Intakt, 2025) with Otherlands Trio: Darius Jones (alto saxophone), Stephan Crump (acoustic bass), Eric McPherson (drums), David Stoller (recording engineer)
5. [22:10] Lingyuan Yang: Send off the Ghosts. From Cursed Month (Chaospace, 2025) with Lingyuan Yang (guitar, electronics), Shinya Lin (piano), Asher Herzog (drums), Zijie Li (recording engineer)
SET 2: Two pianos and percussion [28:47]
1. [33:05] Steve Reich: Quartet - 3. Fast. From Pulse/Quartet (Nonesuch, 2018) with Colin Currie Group: Colin Currie, Sam Walton (vibraphones), Philip Moore, Simon Crawford-Phillips (pianos). NOTE: Composed 2013
2. [38:59] Enno Poppe: Feld - 1. From Tonband (Wergo, 2021) with Yarn/Wire: Ian Antonio, Russell Greenberg (percussion), Laura Barger, Ning Yu (pianos). NOTE: Composed 2007/17
3. [46:34] Tyondai Braxton: Music for Ensemble and Pitch Shifter/Delay. From Yarn/Wire/Currents Vol. 0 (Bandcamp, 2017) with Yarn/Wire: Laura Barger, Ning Yu (piano), Ian Antonio, Russell Greenberg (percussion). NOTE: Composed 2012
4. [55:23] Outro with Béla Bartók: Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion (Ensemble Intercontemporain)
5. [59:00] For Living Lovers: Race Face/O. People. From Natural Name (Sunnyside, 2025) with Brandon Ross (soprano guitar), Stomu Takeishi (acoustic bass guitar). NOTE: Composition by Brandon Ross
Flotation Device 2026-01-18: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell (PART TWO)
SET 3: Parallel wires [1:03:20]
1. [1:04:45] Charles Rumback: Fast Shadows. From Seven Bridges (Astral Spirits, 2021) with Macie Stewart (violin), Nick Macri, John Tate (basses), Charlie Rumback (drums), Jim Baker (analogue synthesizer), John Hughes (electronics, recording engineer)
2. [1:13:04] Cecilia Lopez, Joe Moffett: criptonita. From Caprichos (Tripticks Tapes, 2021) with Cecilia Lopez (synthesizer, electronics), Joe Moffett (acoustic and amplified trumpet), Kevin Ramsay (recording engineer)
3. [1:15:30] Marcel Zaes with Yarn/Wire: Parallel Prints (excerpts). From Parallel Prints (Editions Verde, 2022) with Jordan Dykstra (mixing), Yarn/Wire: Laura Barger, Ning Yu (pianos), Sae Hashimoto, Russell Greenberg (percussions). NOTE: "Nineteen rhythm fragments for drum pads, synthesizer, grand piano and crotales"
4. [1:22:14] Bekah Simms: Tenebrose. From 20C Remix (Redshift Music, 2021) with Standing Wave: Christie Reside (flutes), AK Coope (clarinets), Rebecca Whitling (violin), Peggy Lee (cello), Allen Stiles (piano), Vern Griffiths (percussion)
SET 4: David Tudor at 100 [1:28:45]
1. [1:32:32] Karlheinz Stockhausen: Klavierstück V. From Klavierstücke (hatART, 1994) with David Tudor (piano), Wilhelm Aulenkamp (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1955, recorded September 27, 1959 by WDR (first recording of this piece)
2. [1:37:16] John Cage: Indeterminacy (excerpts). From Indeterminacy: New Aspect of Form in Instrumental and Electronic Music (Folkways, 1959) with John Cage (reading), David Tudor (music), Mel Kaiser (recording engineer)
3. [1:42:30] David Tudor: Virtual Focus (excerpt). From The Art of David Tudor: 1963–1992 (New World, 2013) with David Tudor (live electronics). NOTE: Recorded October 6, 1990, Paris
4. [1:43:57] Morton Feldman: The Viola in My Life 3. From The Viola in My Life, False Relationships (CRI, 1971) with Karen Phillips (viola), David Tudor (piano), David Hancock (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1970, premiere recording
5. [1:50:07] John Cage: Concert for Piano and Orchestra (excerpt). From Cage Edition 16: The Piano Concertos (Mode, 1997) with David Tudor (piano and live electronics), Ensemble Modern, Ingo Metzmacher (conductor), Frank Cunningham (recording engineer). NOTE Composed 1957–58, premiered May 15, 1958 by David Tudor, Merce Cunningham et al at Town Hall, New York
6. [1:52:45] Outro with John Cage: Concert for Piano and Orchestra (world premiere, May 15, 1958)
Photo credits: Yikii via the artist, Tyondai Braxton by Dustin Condren, Yarn/Wire (Julia Den Boer, Sae Hashimoto, Russell Greenberg, Laura Barger) via the artists, David Tudor and Rainforest at the Andy Warhol Museum in 1994, Enno Poppe via Ricordi, Otherlands Trio (Stephan Crump, Eric McPherson, Darius Jones) via the artists, David Tudor by Betsy Epstein Williams, Lingyuan Yang via the artist, Steve Reich by Jeff Herman, Morton Feldman and Karen Phillips by Steven Sloman, Bekah Simms by Riley Stewart, Lila Meretzky via the artist.
Flotation Device features creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, Sunday nights 10pm–Midnight Pacific Time on 91.3 KBCS-FM Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma. Visit us online at https://www.mixcloud.com/FlotationDevice