Archive for May, 2007

June 1, 2007: Sokkyo Sounds

Wednesday, May 30th, 2007

“Sokkyo,” as Ben Watson details in his recent biography of Derek Bailey, is the Japanese term for improvisation, meaning, literally, “make rise here and now.” Today we explore the diverse strains of Japanese improvised music along with special guests Rami Gabriel and Julia Brock, UCSB graduate students who attended a variety of performances during their Spring visit to Tokyo.

May 25, 2007: The Music of Susie Ibarra

Friday, May 25th, 2007

Bryan and Rob highlight the work of New York City percussionist Susie Ibarra. Susie Ibarra has performed with such notable musicians and groups as Derek Bailey, John Zorn, Pauline Oliveros, Prefuse 73, Yo La Tengo, and many more. She currently performs with and composes for her trio, with Jennifer Choi & Craig Taborn; Mephista, a collective electro-acoustic trio with Sylvie Couvoisier & Ikue Mori; Shapechanger, with poet Yusef Komunyakaa; a duo with bassist Mark Dresser; Mundo Ninos, a children’s music project; and Electric Kulintang, Filipino trance music, with percussionist Roberto Rodriguez.

May 18, 2007: The Latin Connection(s)

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

Even before Jelly Roll Morton claimed that all true jazz must have a “Latin tinge,” the complex relationship between jazz and Spanish, Haitian, Cuban, Brazilian, and other musics from South of the U.S. border was alive and well. On this week’s show will we interview UCSB Professor Gaye Theresa Johnson (Black Studies), who has done significant work in illuminating the history of these connections. Dr. Johnson’s areas of expertise are twentieth century U.S. history; race and racism; social movements and identities, and cultural history with an emphasis on music. She is completing a manuscript entitled The Future Has a Past: Politics, Music and Memory in Afro-Chicano Los Angeles.

May 11, 2007: Muziki—on ESPeranto disk

Thursday, May 10th, 2007

In 1964, Bernard Stollman, a NYC lawyer and music fan, started the independent record label ESP (short for Esperanto Disc; the original idea was to also promote the universal language Esperanto–“muziki” is Esperanto for “making music”). The label was responsible for recording important albums by major artists like Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, et. al., and was one of the early public outlets for music that was otherwise being ignored by most record companies. It folded in the 1970s but has recently been restarted. Today we listen to some of the great music released on the ESP label, including Ayler, Milford Graves, Paul Bley, and more!

May 4, 2007: Harmolodic Appreciation

Tuesday, May 1st, 2007

Composer, perfomer, and jazz luminary Ornette Coleman was once the target of extreme derision; his legendary quartet’s 1959 appearance at the Five Spot in NYC sent shockwaves through the music community. Finally, the world at large is getting hip to Ornette. He just won a Pulitzer Prize, and before that he was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys. On today’s show we’ll tour the complex harmolodic terrain of the music of Ornette Coleman, from his most recent recording, “Sound Grammar,” to his very earliest albums as a leader.