Transfigured Night 8/25/07

After extended broadcasts in memory of a great drummer and a great trombonist, I may only hope to be forgiven by their respective memories for my desire to devote the four-hour sound walk we call Transfigured Night to some of the finest examples of pianism. And few, I think, would long dispute Cecil Taylor's position as a fortuitous starting point in considering modern interpretations of this specific instrumental nexus of compositional arrangement of sound and performative, mechanical production of sound (improvisation = instant composition), which is to what I refer with such a (possibly nonetheless unforgivable) -ism. The first selection, a Cecil Taylor-led performance of, in order, "Bemsha Swing" - one of Thelonious Monk's standards, his own composition, "Charge 'em Blues," and Duke Ellington's haunting "Azure" provide an even more traditional-jazz-oriented beginning for the program than the 1950's date would imply. But we are not dealing with tradition for long, and by the fourth, most recent, and final C.T. piece, the music, jazzmusic even still, has undoubtedly attained that state of almost disturbing aural freeness that some dealers in "Jazz" like to hold at arm's length. Here, it don't mean a thing if it do got that swing, and the presence of such musicians as Tomasz Stánko and Frank Wright, in addition to Taylor's irrepressible sound, on "Winged Serpent" render the lexicon of jazz performance and composition less productive of new understandings in my opinion than a treatment of the music within the context of New Music. To this end, I devoted over an hour to certain solo piano compositions of Iannis Xénakis, whose methods of structuring sound have a lot to say to Mr. Taylor's music, which in turn adds new dimensions to the exhilaration of listening to Xénakis. A guest on a recent on-air interview as part of our Afternoon New Music felt content to reply to a detailed question with one word - Cage - and I am tempted to do the same. The late, sparse, solo piano pieces of the figurehead of American new music force one to revisit anew the complicated sound densities of Taylor and Xénakis. Our program, now nearing six o'clock a.m., closed with selections from a recent release from the perpetually interesting Emanem record label, featuring overdubbings of the piano of Howard Riley, an uncertain sound classified absurdly on the back of the CD as "Mostly Free Improvisation." M.D.


1)Cecil Taylor, Steve Lacy, Buell Neidlinger, Dennis Charles
Title: Bemsha Swing, Charge 'em Blues, Azure (recorded 9/14/1956)
Album: In Transition (1975)
Label: Blue Note

2)Cecil Taylor, Jimmy Lyons, Kurt Lindgren, Sunny Murray
Title: Spontaneous Improvisation (recorded 10/1962)
Album: The Early Unit 1962
Label: Ingo Sixteen

3)Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Jimmy Lyons, Andrew Cyrille
Title: Second Act of A (selections) (recorded 7/29/1969)
Album: The Great Concert of Cecil Taylor
Label: Prestige

4)Cecil Taylor Segments II (Orchestra of Two Continents)
Title: Winged Serpent (recorded 10/1984)
Album: Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants)
Label: Soul Note

5)Composer: Iannis Xénakis
Title: Mists (1980), Herma (1961), à r. (1987), Akea (1986), Evryali (1973)
All Solo Piano pieces performed by Claude Helffer. Arditti string quartet also on "Akea."
Album: Chamber Music 1955-1990
Label: Auvidis Montaigne

6)Composer: John Cage
Title: Music for Two (1985), One (1987), One5 (1991)
Performed by Stephen Drury
Album: The Piano Works I
Label: Mode

7)Howard Riley
Music for two pianos overdubbed
Album: Two is One (2005)
Label: Emanem


Host: Marlow Davis

Transfigured Night 8/16/07: Paul Rutherford Memorial

1)Iskra 1903: Paul Rutherford, Derek Bailey, Barry Guy
Title: Improvisations and Offcuts (9/2/1970 and 5/3/1972)
Album: Chapter One (2000)
Label: Emanem 4301 CD

2)Iskra 1903: Paul Rutherford, Philipp Wachsmann, Barry Guy
Title: Frankfurt (8/1/1991)
Album: Frankfurt 1991 (2001)
Label: Emanem 4051 CD

3)Iskra 1903: Paul Rutherford, Philipp Wachsmann, Barry Guy
Title: 903/1-4 (8/5/1992)
Album: ISKRA 1903 (1995)
Label: Maya Records MCD9502

Host: Marlow Davis

Afternoon New Music 8/15/07: Paul Rutherford Memorial

1)Free Jazz Quartet: Paul Rutherford, trombone; Harrison Smith, reeds; Tony Moore, cello; Eddie Prevost, drums
Title: Roman Geese (7/6/1989)
Album: Premonitions
Label: Matchless MR 18 CD

2)Composer: Tony Oxley
Title: Amass, Megaera
Album: 4 Compositions For Sextet (1999 reissue of material recorded 2/7/1970)
Performers: Tony Oxley, Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Jeff Clyne, Paul Rutherford
Label: Columbia 494437 2 CD

3)Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford
Title: The honker, Arkanther (5/22/1993)
Album: Trio (London) 1993
Label: Leo Records 197 CD

4)Paul Rutherford, solo trombone
Title: Bottling Up (4/26/2002)
Album: Chicago 2002
Label: Emanem 4082 CD

5)Quintet Moderne: Paul Rutherford, Paul Lovens, Teppo Hauta-Àho, Harri Sjöström, Phil Wachsmann
Title: The Strange and the Commonplace (11/4/1989)
Label: Po Torch Records PTR/JWD 19 S LP (1991)

6)The Siger Band: Paul Rutherford, Pete McPhail, George Haslam, Tony Moore, Paul Hession
Title: The Healing, The Three (1/12/1986)
Album: The Healing
Label: Spotlite SPJ533 LP

7)M.L.A. 'Blek': Mark Charig, Radu Malfatti, Paul Rutherford, Fred van Hove
Title: Blek 4-5 (5/12/1980)
Label: Free Music Production SAJ-32 LP

8)Peter Brötzmann Group: Willem Breuker, Peter Brötzmann, Evan Parker, Malcolm Griffiths, Willem van Manen, Buschi Niebergall, Paul Rutherford, Derek Bailey, Fred van Hove, Han Bennink
Title: Fuck de Boere (3/22/1970)
Label: ALP 211 CD


Host: Marlow Davie

Afternoon New Music 8/14/07: Paul Rutherford Memorial

1)Paul Rutherford, improvised trombone solos
Title: Red Rose Afternoon 1 & 2 (9/3/1995); 5-7 China Pig 4/15/1992 London concert
Album: Trombolenium (2002)
Label: Emanem CD 4072

2)Paul Rutherford, trombone; Paul Rogers, double bass
Title: Rogues 1 (11/11/1988)
Album: Rogues (1996)
Label: Emanem CD 4007

3)Günter Christmann, Gerd Dudek, Albert Mangelsdorff, Paul Rutherford, Manfred Schoof, Kenny Wheeler
Title: Horns (3/24/1978)
Only side two, with P.R.'s euphonium solo, was played from this 1979 FMP LP 0660

4)Paul Rutherford, solo, trombone and voice
Live at V. International New Jazz Festival, open air, at Moers, Schloßpark, W-Germany, 6/7/1976.
Album: "Old Moers Almanac" Ring Records LP 0 10 14

5)Paul Rutherford, trombone and euphonium; Tony Rusconi, percussion
Recorded July 1979 live at "Chiostro del Teatro Comunale S. Chiara" during "Estate Aperta 79."
Album: "To Fall A Victim to Ice-Cream's Charm" L'orchestra OLPS LP 55011


Host: Marlow Davis

Transfigured Night 8/14/07: Paul Rutherford Memorial

1)Artist: Iskra3
Title: Act I (of II, tracks 1-4)
Album: Iskra3
Label: psi (2004)

2)Artist : Iskra1903
Titles: Improvisation 5020, Improvisation 5021
Album: Free Improvisation (compilation)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon (1974)

3)Artist: Paul Rutherford and Iskra 1912
Titles: Non-Sequence (PR improvisation), Sequence 73 (Iskra 1912)
Album: Sequences
Label: Emanem (1997)

4)Artist: Paul Rutherford
Titles: [All tracks]
Album: The Gentle Harm of the Bourgeoisie
Label: Emanem (1974)

5)Artist: Spontaneous Music Ensemble
Titles: 2.B.Ornette, After Listening (PR compositions)
Album: Challenge (1966-67)
Label: Emanem

6) Artist/Album: Paul Rutherford & Paul Lovens
Titles: Armand Schulthess, As Deafness Increases
Label: PO Torch records (1977)

7) Artist: Paul Rutherford
Titles: Yep 321, Realign 4, Paunch & Judies (all from 1978)
Album: Neuph
Label: Emanem

Host: Jordan "Nibs Plastic" Paul

Afternoon New Music 8/13/07

Composer Profile: Vinko Globokar

We began with a quick traversal of the Discours series. These pieces demonstrate Globokar's manner of integrating speech and instrumental technqiue. Playing is speaking, speaking is playing...

1. Discours II (1968), for five trombones, performed by Globokar et al.

2. Discours III (1969), for five oboes, performed by Heinz Holliger

3. Discours IV (1985), for three clarinets, performed by Alain Damien et al.

4. Discours VI (1983), for string quartet, performed by the Domus Quartet

Then we jumped back and started working chronologically:

1. Accord (1966), for soprano and five soloists.

2. Aird de voyages vers l'interieur (1971-2), for mixed voices with clarinet and trombone.

3. Toucher (1973), for solo percussion.

4. Échanges (1973), for solo horn, but we listened to a version for solo trombone performed by Globokar.

5. Voix instrumentalisee (1973), for bass clarinet .

6. ?Corporel (1979), for percussionist, performing only with his body.

...and there's more coming next week, including perfomances by Globokar of Stockhausen, Kagel and Berio.

These recordings came from a variety of CDs:

Globokar by Globokar (Harmonia Mundi)
Alain Damien, Clarinette (Adda)
Atelier schola cantorum 4, Schola Cantorum Stuttgart (Cadenza)
Vinko Globokar (Koch)
Toucher, Matthias Kaul, percussion (Wergo)


Host: Brian Kane

Live Constructions 8/12/07

During this program, selections of William Parker's "In Order to Survive" (Black Saint CD 120159-2, 1995) were played. The music, composed by Parker, was performed at Roulette in NYC on April 11, 1993 by a sextet led by Parker on bass, composed of Lewis Barnes, Grachan Moncur III, Rob Brown, Cooper-Moore, and Denis Charles. The pieces were entitled:

1)Testimony of NO FUTURE
2)ANAST IN CRISIS Mouth Full Of Fresh Cut Flowers
3)Testimony of THE STIR POT (only the beginning of this last selection was heard, due to time constraints of the program)


Host: Marlow Davis

Transfigured Night 8/11/07

(2:00am)

1)Composer: Mayumi Tsuda
Title: Tadpole (1997), F-line (1998)
Album: Microtonal Works (1990-2000) (2001)

2)Performer: Paul Rutherford
Title: Lonescario, Osirac Senol, Er Player Blues Now (1974)
Album: The Gentle Harm of the Bourgeoisie (1976)
Label: Emanem LP 3403

3)Performer: Fritz Hauser (drums) duos with Lauren Newton, Pauline Oliveros, Christy Doran, Stephan Grieder, Rob Cloet, and René Krebs
Album: Zwei (1988) tracks 2-8
Label: hat ART CD 6010

(3:10am)

4)Composer: Andreas Willers
Title: The Private Ear
Album: sound aspects SAS CD 034

5)Composer: Willem Breuker
Title: Ouverture Kleine Amsterdam Rhapsodie (1980)
Performed by Willem Breuker Kollektief
Originally on: BVHAAST 041/2
Played from: BVHAAST CD 9601

6)Composer: Sun Ra
Title: Of Heavenly Things, Nebulae, Dancing in the Sun, The Sun Myth (1965)
Played by Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra
Label: ESP-DISK' 1014

7)Composer: Sofia Gubaidulina
Title: Zehn Präludien für Violoncello solo (1974)
Performed by Julius Berger
Label: Wergo CD WER 6288-2

(4:25am)

8)Composer: Morton Feldman
Title: Four Instruments (1965)
Performed by the Ensemble Avantgarde in 1995
Label: Wergo CD WER 6273-2

9)Composer: Toshio Hosokawa
Title: Landscape I (1992), Vertical Time Study III (1994)
The former performed by the Arditti String Quartet, the latter by Irvine Arditti (violin) and Ichiro Nodaira (piano)
Label: Auvidis; Montaigne Records MO CD 782078

10)Composer: Mauricio Kagel
Title: Zwei Akte (1989), rrrrrrr...: 5 jazzstücke (1982), Blue's Blue (1979).
Label: Disques Montaigne CD 782003

11)Composer: Paul Rutherford
Title: Sequence 72 (1972)
Performed by ISKRA 1912, conducted by Paul Rutherford
Label: Emanem CD 4018

(6:00am)


Host: Marlow Davis

Afternoon New Music 8/7/07

1)Composer: Anthony Braxton
Title: P-JOS●●4K-D-
Performed by Frederic Rzewski, solo piano
and
2)Composer: Frederic Rzewski
Title: Variations on "No Place to Go But Around"
Performed by Frederic Rzewski, solo piano
Album: First Recordings (1976)
Label: Finnadar SR 9011 0698 LP

3)Performer: Cecil Taylor Unit (C.T. + Jimmy Lyons, alto saxophone & Andrew Cyrille, drums)
Title: Bulu Akisakila Kutala
Album: Akisakila (5/22/73)
Label: Trio Records 2-LP PA-3004-5

4)Perfomer: The Music Improvisation Company
Title: Third Stream Boogaloo, Dragon Path, Packaged Eel, Untitled No. 1 & 2 (all 1970)
Album: ECM LP 1005

5)Performer: Spontaneous Music Ensemble
Title: 1.2. Albert Ayler (1971)
Album: Affinity Records LP AFF 81

6)Performers: Paul Rutherford (trombone, euphonium), Paul Lovens (percussion)
Title: And When I Say Slowly, I Mean As Soon As Possible (11/1976)
Album: Po Torch Records LP PTR/JWD 3

7)Performer: Paul Rutherford, solo trombone
Title: Elaquest
Album: The Gentle Harm of the Bourgeoisie (1976)
Label: Emanem CD 4019


Host: Marlow Davis

Transfigured Night 8/7/07

1)Performer: Jon Balke with Oslo 13
Title: Stealing Space I/II, Stop, Blic (all 1992)
Album: Nonsentration
Label: ECM CD 1445 (1992)

2)Performer: Fantastic Merlins
Title: Look Around
Album: Look Around (2007)
Label: innova CD 670

3)Composer: Luciano Berio
Performer: Randall Hall, saxophone
Title: Sequenza VIIb
Album: Neither Proud Nor Ashamed (2006)
Label: innova CD 660

4)Composer: Bernard Parmegiani
Title: Rouge-Mort: Thanatos (1987)
Label: INA.GRM 2-CD C 1012-3

5)Composer: Wolfgang Fortner
Title: New Delhi Music (1960)

6)Composer: Klaus Heinrich Stahmer
Title: Aristofaniada (1979)

7)Composer: György Ligeti
Title: Passacaglia Ungherese (1971)

8)Composer: Henri Pousseur
Title: Madrigal II (1961)

(5-8 performed by Prima Vista on "Pro Musica Da Camera" - Thorofon LP MTH 224)

9)Composer: Heitor Villa-Lobos
Performer: Konrad Ragossnig, guitar
Title: Chôro No. 1 "Típico brasileiro" (1928), Prélude No. 4 (1940)
Label: Wergo LP 60105

10)Composer: Folke Rabe and Bo Anders Persson
Title: Was??
Label: Wergo LP 60047

11)Composer and Performer: Anthony Braxton
Title: Composition 113 (1983)
Label: Sound Aspects LP 003

12)Composer and Performer: P16.D4
Album: Tionchor (all 1987)
Label: Selektion LP 013

13)Composer: Roman Haubenstock-Ramati
Title: Vermutungen Über Ein Dunkles Haus, Tableau I (1967)
Performed by the Symphony Orchestra of Südwestfunks, Baden-Baden
Label: Wergo LP 60049


Host: Marlow Davis

Transfigured Night 8/2/07

1)Composer: Maryanne Amacher
Album: Sound Characters: Making The Third Ear
Label: Tzadik

2)Composer: Namanax
Title: Cascading Waves Of Electronic Turbulence
Album: Cascading Waves Of Electronic Turbulence
Label: Relapse Records

3)Composer: P16.D4
Tracks 1-9
Album: Acrid Acme (of) P16.D4
Label: Selektion

4)Composer: Jason Kahn, Norbert Moslang, Gunter Muller, Keiichiro Shibuya, Maria
Album: Signal To Noise Vol. 1
Label: For 4 Ears

5)Composer: Tomas Korber, Christian Weber, Katsura Yamauchi
Album: Signal To Noise Vol. 2
Label: For 4 Ears

Host: Young

Afternoon New Music 8/1/07

1)Composer: Luciano Berio
Title: Cinque Variazioni (1953); Rounds (1967)
Performed by David Arden, solo piano
Label: New Albion CD 089

2)Composer: Luciano Berio
Title: Sequenza IV for Piano (1966), Sequenza VI for viola (1967), Sequenza X for trumpet in C and piano resonance (1984), Sequenza IX b for alto saxophone (1981)
Album: Sequenzas performed by the Ensemble InterContemporain
Label: Deutsche Grammophon 3-CD 457 038-2

3)Composer: İlhan Mimaroğlu
Title: Piano Music for Performer and Composer; Six Preludes for Magnetic Tape (1966-67)
Album: Electronic Music III
Label: Turnabout Vox LP TV 34177

4)Composer: Bernard Parmegiani
Title: Dedans-Dehors (1977)
Label: INA.GRM 2-CD C 1012-3

5)Composer: John Cage
Title: Imaginary Landscape No. 1 (1939), Imaginary Landscape No. 3 (1942), Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (1951).
Performed by the Maelström Percussion Ensemble directed by Jan Williams
Label: hat ART CD 6179 (1995)

6)Composer: John Cage
Title: Music for Six (1984)
Performed by the Barton Workshop
Label: ETCETERA records 3-CD KTC 3002

7)Composer: Krzysztof Penderecki
Title: Sonata for violin and piano (1953)
Label: Sony SK CD 66 284


Host: Marlow Davis