Part 3 in a series of shows exploring the connections, both musical and imaginary/philosophical/spiritual, between jazz and Indian music. Featuring music by Shakti, Horace Silver, and more!
Congratulations Justin and Radhika!
This week we feature the music of tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler. A towering and enigmatic figure who made waves in the late 60s by taking the “free jazz” advances of Ornette Coleman even further out, Ayler’s music is actually as soulful and deep as it is intellectual or “out”. We’ll listen to tracks from several periods of his career, from his early days as an “inside” player, to his historic trio recordings with Gary Peacock and Sunny Murray, to his later work with larger groups.
This week we explore the connections between jazz and Hawaiian music. From the history of the electric guitar to the swinging sounds of Martin Denny’s jazz-tinged exotica, Hawaiian musical culture has nourished the mainland, and vice versa, for longer than you might expect. Helping us bring the spirit of aloha to the Friday Riff today will be our special guest, Dr. Revell Carr, scholar of many musics: American popular music, Hawaiian music, and maritime music, among others. Dr. Carr, an ethnomusicologist recentlly of UCSB and bound for UNC Greensboro, will discuss the history of Hawaiian music and it’s complex interactions with American pop culture, including jazz.
Today we feature a special live performance (a first for The Friday Riff!) by local “Gypsy Jazz” group, Les Gendarmes du Swing! In anticipation of their forthcoming album and performance at Muddy Waters the same evening, we’ll enjoy the sounds of 1930s-era Paris swing, in the tradition of Django Reinhardt. Don’t miss it!
Check out Les Gendarmes on the web at http://www.gendarmesduswing.com
“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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Andrew Hill, who was undergoing a renaissance of both personal performance and recording as well as critical appreciation, passed away last week at the age of 75. Today we continue what is unfortunately becoming a trend: Friday Riff musician memorial shows. Luckily we have Mr. Hill’s amazing music which will keep his name and creativity alive.
In addition to honoring the legacy of Andrew Hill, this show is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Yeaton.