Andrew Mcintosh Little Jimmy Yarn/Wire Kairos Composer and sound recordist Andrew Mcintosh has worked with Yarn/Wire, a quartet of two pianos and two percussionists, for over a decade, and this Kairos portrait CD demonstrates their keen musical connection. The title work references a special scene: recordings of Rosenita Saddle in Angeles National Forest, where Mcintosh routinely walked. It has since been ravaged by damage from wildfires. Sounds from wildlife, particularly wind, birds, and crunching underfoot during nature walks, connect Little Jimmy’s title work and solo piano piece “I Have a Lot to Learn” with feelings of the loss of the
Read moreBarre Phillips and György Kurtág Jr. Face á Face ECM Records Luminary avant-jazz bassist Barre Phillips and György Kurtág Jr., son of the well-known Hungarian composer and an electronic musician, join together on Face á Face. Kurtág uses a variety of synths, providing both pitched material and percussion to complement Phillips’ bass-playing. It might not be a pairing one would have readily thought of, even with Phillips’ long pedigree of collaborations, but Face á Face is a compelling recording. The album opener, “Beyond,” finds the two in a cat-and-mouse game, Kurtág beginning
Read moreMatthew Shipp Trio World Construct ESP Disk’ Matthew Shipp, piano; Michael Bisio, bass; Newman Taylor Baker, drums On World Construct, pianist Matthew Shipp is joined by bassist Michel Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker. Shipp has recorded with a plethora of current jazz performers. Each collaboration brings about different aspects of his playing and the ensemble vibe. A short prelude, “Tangible,” establishes the vibe here, with melodic interplay between piano and bass, and drums punctuating the action. “Sustained Contrast” demonstrates Shipp’s connection to the jazz tradition, with plaintive descending arpeggiations in a ballad context. This is counterweighted with low
Read moreFile Under Favorites 2022 Olivia de Prato I.AM. New World Records Violinist Oliva de Prato is one of the stalwarts of the New York new music community, performing premieres with a plethora of organizations and in demand as a solo artist. Her latest recording for New World, I.AM. is a celebration of “Artistry and Motherhood.” De Prato, a mother herself, commissioned composers who are navigating motherhood and their careers. The project provides a nurturing, welcome perspective. “Automatic Writing Mumbles of the Late Hours,” is by Natacha Diels, a composer and sound artist. The piece requires de Prato to trigger
Read moreSequenza 21 mourns the loss of Mimi Parker, drummer and vocalist for the band Low. Parker had been diagnosed with cancer in 2020 and the band recently had to cancel performances as she was treated for her illness. Parker had an incomparable voice, well-matched to Low guitarist/vocalist Alan Sparhawk’s in harmony singing, and beautifully soaring in her lead vocals. As a drummer, Parker’s economical style became a signature of Low’s sound, and she was a role model for many female drummers who took up the sticks because of her example. Our condolences go out to Alan and all
Read moreTyondai Braxton Telekinesis Nonesuch/New Amsterdam Telekinesis is Tyondai Braxton’s largest piece to date. It is inspired in part by the Japanese manga classic Akira, the story of a young boy’s discovery of his telekinetic powers and the disaster that ensues. Commissioned by the Southbank Centre in London and Musica Nova Helsinki Festival, Telekinesis is scored for electric guitars, orchestra, choir, and electronics. It is the latter that Braxton has thus far been associated with, but Telekinesis includes large sections of notated music, blending with the electronics to make thickly layered amalgams. The performers on the Nonesuch/New Amsterdam recording
Read moreNico Muhly – Alice Goodman The Street Parker Ramsay, harp; Rosie Hilal, narration; The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, Daniel Hyde, Director of Music King’s College, Cambridge, 2xCD The Street, Nico Muhly’s first collaboration with Alice Goodman, a librettist best known for her work with John Adams, presents a modern retelling of the Stations of the Cross. The first CD sets the mood for the drama to come, with performances of the Bach C-minor Partita No. 2 and the instrumental version of The Street by harpist Parker Ramsay. Ramsay is a gifted performer – his recordings include a fluent rendition
Read moreJeffrey Derus From Wilderness – A Meditation on the Pacific Coast Trail Choral Arts Initiative, Brandon Elliott, conductor; Kevin Mills, cello Navona CD/DL With From Wilderness, Jeffrey Derus has written a soaring and eclectic full length work for Choral Arts Initiative, an ensemble committed to new music with nearly twenty commissions and seventy premieres under their belts. Their previous recording, music of Dale Trumbore, supplied significant exposure for her laudable choral works. One imagines that From the Wilderness will do the same for Derus. Derus has an intimate connection with the environs of the Pacific Coast Trail. He
Read moreKirk Knuffke Trio Gravity Without Airs Kirk Knuffke, cornet; Matthew Shipp, piano; Michael Bisio, bass Tao Forms Cornetist Kirk Knuffke plays his instrument with equal versatility to the more common trumpet, presenting a wide range of compass, dynamics, and articulations that leave his work continually fascinating. On Gravity Without Airs, a title taken from Marcus Aurelius, he joins with pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist Michael Bisio. Many of the compositions on the recording are Knuffke. The other pieces are spontaneous improvisations. There is a permeability between composed and improvised selections. Knuffke brought the music to the recording date without sharing
Read moreDuo Bruno Bavota and Chantal Acda have released a teaser track from their forthcoming album, “A Closer Distance” (Temporary Residence). The recording is out on October 7th. In the meantime, one can revel in Acda’s gentle singing of short phrases and keening overdubs alongside Bavota’s post-minimal arpeggiations. They are a well-suited musical pair. A Closer Distance by Bruno Bavota & Chantal Acda
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