Moving to another technology

Hi all,

Thanks for following this blog, for those who have followed it over its sporadic existence. I realized that the kind of writing/linking/paying attention that I wanted to do wasn't being supported by the technology used in this particular blog.

So I moved.

All the old posts from this blog have been migrated to the new location, and I'll hopefully be posting more regularly from there than here. Join in the fun.

radio show 2010 Feb 23

Brief brief commentary on the pieces I played this week...

The Backyard ---- Robert Ashley ---- Private Parts - The Record

The 1977 or 1978 version that would later show up in the TV opera Private Lives. This one comes with tablas rather than piano, in case that matters
Law of Octaves ---- David Seidel ----

A very amusing moment happened as a listener called to ask if the radio station was broken. "Something's wrong with the tower, I think." Uh, no. That's the drone piece slowly building a chord that resolves in the last 20 seconds of a 9 minute drone. The resolution is incredible, because of the long build-up, but the in-between does kind of sound like there's just electronic noise being broadcast by the tower.

Marimba Phase ---- So Percussion ---- Steve Reich at the Whitney 2006

Steve Reich was at this concert. He commented that he couldn't believe that these guys were playing these pieces live, with no notes. His own ensemble, he says, still needs the notes. The piece is a phase piece (hence the title, duh) in which different marimbas play at different tempos and their note patterns cycle against each other to create new structures out of chaos. It's really incredible to listen to - some days I like the chaotic middle sections better, other days I like the resolution into structured patterns better. But it's all the same thing, that's what fascinates me.

antidepressants2006 ---- Corey Dargel ---- Red White and Blue Pills

Act II ---- Robert Ashley ---- Improvement: Don Leaves Linda

A really long Robert Ashley piece, and I wish I had the full recording. My god, what a weird, weird piece of music. Totally freaking bizarre.

02:14:57 ---- Simultaneous Translation ---- April 15, 2007

Spanish and English spoken word like a field recording, none of it making sense.

Bruma ---- Sepulcrum Spei ---- Algor

What?! a FLUTE??! How could I?!??!??! Ah, well, it's lovely. There's rumbling noise in the background, so the feel good native flute sound is really not as feel good as one would think.

Radio show 2010 Feb 9

Another radio show put together at the last second, on the fly, simply seeking songs from my existing library of "hey, this might work." Some old favorites, some new things.

Herald of Air --- mysterybear --- Elementals --- 16:05

A long drone abstract piece.

Sonores Aus Kugeln v.04 - Seetyca --- Seetyca --- Eternal Ice Melts - Voice Sphere Remixes --- 7:47

This is really powerful sounding, sustained voices while a groaning low dark sound and roaring echo-y noises permeate the background. This fits my emotions right now, though. I'm tired and grumpy. This is gets remarkably close to a kind of dark metal sound, without the drums and guitar and bass, but in its darkness and growling. Crazy.

The Sinking of the Titanic (Live Bourges 13-14 1990) (excerpt starting at 6 min mark) --- Gavin Bryars Ensemble --- The Sinking of the Titanic (Live) --- 1:00:19

It's not often you can say that this is positive and hopeful, but compared to the last piece, it is. It continues the theme of drones and undermixed spoken voices, though, so it's thematically similar. I love this piece, majestic and thickly textured and a repetitive drone that goes nowhere except down down down into the water's echo. Popping hull noises, the hymn Autumn played over and over, and a sense that time ends as the chamber music disappears into the depth. It's incredibly powerful. I like this recording of it because of the prominence of some instruments (Bryars himself is on bass, and a bit heavy handed, I think).

Homage to Jack Vanarsky --- Garth Knox --- Shsk'h Vol.05 - Solo Viola d'Amore : Garth Knox --- 7:52

Like the title says, this is solo viola. There's a lot of scraping and

Where All The Frozen Things Went/Remix (Overdub) --- Mick Harris aka Lull & Franziska Baumann --- Eternal Ice Melts - Voice Sphere Remixes --- 15:32

This reminds me of the rumbling darkness that is in the late Swans albums. Mick Harris (of Napalm Death and Painkiller?) is working with Franziska Baumann, whose vocal work I featured last week. This is a remix, and her vocals are pretty strongly processed. It starts really rough on the ears. (The custodian just came in to the studio and said "when I first came in, I thought there was a water leak or something." Great line.) Later into the piece, the vocals are more clear, but the underground unsettled rumble continues, and the chirps and blips of noise still skitter across the speakers.

In C --- Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble --- In C Remixed --- 20:43

After an hour of dark music, I'm trying to change moods. The short GVSU version of "In C" might fit that ticket. Who knows.

Terry Riley --- The Last Camel in Paris (excerpts from sections 5 - 8)

Organs interweaving and building huge walls of sound... not much to add, losing myself in the sound. Later on: wow, totally lost myself for a loooong time in this. Total surprise when suddenly it was ending. Eyes closed, swirling organs, slow bass pedal, and my breathing is in rhythm with it, my body sways with it, it's pretty intense.

In a Room --- John Luther Adams --- The Place We Began --- 8:35

This is a quieter drone, something to take the body back down after a long immersion in Terry Riley's late 70s ecstatic eastern meditation music. Lovely ending to a show...

Radio show 2010 Feb 2

This is a spiraling show, starting with a wonderful Steve Roden piece and then starting a spiral through Joan La Barbara doing Kenny G's 73 poems, Terry Riley doing the Last Camel in Paris, Garth Knox from the great Shsk'h label, and a mix of others.

Though I planned this show at the last possible second, I have really enjoyed listening to every part of it. It's a nice spiral, old thoughts returned to and revised.

• Winter Couplet -- Steve Roden -- Winter Couplet -- 25:17



• Track 04 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:40



• Track 05 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:48



• Microclimate - Iv. Wet Face - Natasha Barrett -- Natasha Barrett -- Sleppet -- 6:53



• 1 -- Terry Riley -- The Last Camel in Paris -- 4:43



• Track 06 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:45



• Track 07 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:44



• Microclimate - V. Water Fall - Natasha Barrett -- Natasha Barrett -- Sleppet -- 5:12



• Fabula Fantasy -- Garth Knox -- Shsk'h Vol.05 - Solo Viola d'Amore : Garth Knox -- 5:08



• Gossamer -- Franziska Baumann -- Vocal Suite -- 4:43



• 2 -- Terry Riley -- The Last Camel in Paris -- 3:05



• Track 08 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:13



• Track 09 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:15



• Track 10 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:15



• Track 11 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:19



• Track 12 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:29



• Celestrograph I -- Jeff Harrington -- Celestographs -- 10:09



• Drop'n Roll -- Franziska Baumann -- Vocal Suite -- 2:25



• Sympathetic spheres II -- Garth Knox -- Shsk'h Vol.05 - Solo Viola d'Amore : Garth Knox -- 6:58



• 3 -- Terry Riley -- The Last Camel in Paris -- 3:19



• Track 13 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:43



• Track 14 -- Joan La Barbara + Kenneth Goldsmith -- 73 Poems -- 0:45



• Tuner -- Takeo Toyama -- Etudes -- 4:56



• Other colour -- Garth Knox -- Shsk'h Vol.05 - Solo Viola d'Amore : Garth Knox -- 6:30



• Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet -- The Vienna Wind Soloists -- The Vienna Wind Soloists -- 12:52



• 4 -- Terry Riley -- The Last Camel in Paris -- 7:11

Radio show 2010 Jan 26

Posted without much commentary. I'm really enjoying Shsk'h as a record label, the Raag Megh had audio issues, Terry Riley's Poppy Nogood is the unknown precursor to the Who's Baba O'Riley, and Steve Roden continues to be awesome.

• Salzburg Bells Multiple -- live recording -- Herrnau Kirche Aufnahmen


• With Paul (Bluehouse Edit) -- Dot Tape Dot -- Tomavistas: (Selected Rarities 2002-2007)


• 08 'Not Just More Idle Chatter -- Paul Lansky -- Tellus #22 'False Phonemes'


• Raag Megh -- Kamalesh Maitra -- Tarang


• Knee Play 2 -- Philip Glass Ensemble -- Einstein on the Beach (1979)


• Sympathetic spheres I -- Garth Knox -- Shsk'h Vol.05 - Solo Viola d'Amore : Garth Knox


• camino -- Murcof -- Remembranza


• Dear Thunder - Ione, Pauline Oliveros -- Ione, Pauline Oliveros -- Nile Night


• I -- Terry Riley -- Poppy Nogood And The Phantom Band "All Night Flight" Vol. 1


• Bottleneck bow scan -- Garth Knox -- Shsk'h Vol.05 - Solo Viola d'Amore : Garth Knox


• retrato -- Murcof -- Remembranza


• Ancient Bridge Part 1 -- Tange -- Complex Silence 2 [tmth05A]


• My Dog Is a Yufo - Steve Roden -- Steve Roden -- Cosmic Debris Vol. II


• Vermont Counterpoint -- Hans Balmer -- Minimal Flute


• Lettres à des amies-enfants - To Marion Richards -- Jody Pou -- Lettres à des amies-enfants (Silverman version)


• Lettres à des amies-enfants - To Ethel Arnold -- Jody Pou -- Lettres à des amies-enfants (Silverman version)


• Lettres à des amies-enfants - To Dolly Argles -- Jody Pou -- Lettres à des amies-enfants (Silverman version)


• Lettres à des amies-enfants - To Jessie Sinclair -- Jody Pou -- Lettres à des amies-enfants (Silverman version)


• Lettres à des amies-enfants - The mad gardener's song -- Jody Pou -- Lettres à des amies-enfants (Silverman version)