A source for news on music that is challenging, interesting, different, progressive, introspective, or just plain weird

Tag: Arts

  • Musique Machine Reviews

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    From Musique Machine: Future Islands – Wave Like Home Future Islands specialize in wonky,often dense yet criminal additive brand of off-kilter 80’s retro pop meets post punk crunch ‘n’ grime. Think a more active, up-beat and positive take on the kind of thing John Maus has been doing over the last few of years. But…

  • The Thirteenth Assembly Reviewed

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    A recent performance of the avant supergroup is reviewed. The Thirteenth Assembly, a four-piece collective, reconciles more strains of music than might seem prudent at first glance. Its new debut album, “(un)sentimental” (Important), conveys trace amounts of springy funk and chugging metal, along with chamber pop, Latin jazz and a few different takes on free…

  • Through The Eyes Of Magic

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    Image via Wikipedia John “Drumbo” French has a book coming out on his time with Captain Beefheart called Through The Eyes Of Magic – Vol 1. Related articles by Zemanta Lemme tell yuh ’bout it (beefheart.com) It Comes To You In A Plain Brown Wrapper – July release (beefheart.com) Two scratchproof albums and some CDs…

  • Grid Mesh / BCPH Quartet in Syracuse

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    From Metropolis Underground: March 18th 2009 – Grid Mesh w/BCPH Quartet Andreas Willer, guitar Frank Paul Schubert, alto and soprano saxophones Rudi Fischerlehner, drums Grid Mesh: As usual in Berlin, the Grid Mesh group is the result of a project involving musicians who themselves are involved in many other projects of apparent complete stylistic heterogeneity.…

  • Upcoming Detroit Area Shows

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    Paal Nilssen-Love (via last.fm) From the Bohemian National Home in Exile: Sat. March 14th: Jeff Marx Quartet at 2739 Edwin Detroit native Jeff Marx was inspired to dedicate himself to the saxophone after seeing fellow Detroiter Sonny Stitt as a child. He paid some dues here before relocating to the Bay Area, New York and…

  • Tom Baker Quartet/Anne La Berge/Radiosonde in Seattle

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    From WAYWARD MUSIC, on March 14: The Tom Baker Quartet Tom Baker Quartet will share an intimate, acoustic set with Anne La Berge, a flutist from the Netherlands. Exploring the edges of jazz/chamber/improvised music. Radiosonde is a performance group that investigates integrating dance and music through structured improvisations. Consisting of 9 performers, the group is…

  • Tiffany Lin: Piano Racket in Seattle

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    From WAYWARD MUSIC on March 13. 8:00 PM; $5 – $15 sliding scale donation at the door. Seattle pianist and toy pianist Tiffany Lin performs Piano Racket: Music for the Unconventional Piano, a concert featuring solo music for prepared piano, string piano, retuned piano, and toy pianos. The program features a double world premiere of…

  • The Greatest Little Big Band in the History of the Megaverse in Portland

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    Dragging an Ox Through Water (via last.fm) From Portland Eye and Ear Control: John Gruntfest’s Trio – alto sax Megan Bierman – tenor sax Jack Duval – drums PDX Large Ensemble includes: Jonathan Sielaff (Mouthpieces), Jef Brown (Evolutionary Jass Band), Kelvin Pittman (Oregon Artificial Limb Co.), Reed Wallsmith (Blue Cranes), John Niekrasz (Why I Must…

  • Equinox Festival – June in London

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    John Zorn (via last.fm) The Equinox Festival takes place this June in London. John Zorn John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn s recorded output is prolific with hundreds of album credits as a performer, composer, or producer. His work has touched on a wide range of musical…

  • CSO’s MusicNOW series gets another boost

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    Image via Wikipedia Pierre Boulez garners praise in Chicago. Pierre Boulez is a shot in the arm for both the players on the stage and the large audience in the house. Despite the efforts of MusicNOW principal conductor Cliff Colnot, programming of the series under current CSO composers-in-residence Osvaldo Golijov and Mark-Anthony Turnage has not…

  • Mills College Music Department Turns the Wheels of Progress

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    Image via Wikipedia A recent Mills College performance is reviewed. It began with a single riser, draped in black, on a half-lit stage. Atop it sat a desk chair with plain blue cushions, such as you might find in a library or school lab. Surrounding the chair were a laptop computer, an audio processor, and…

  • Free Jazz Blog Reviews

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    From Free Jazz: Monday, March 2, 2009 Steve Lantner Quartet – Given/Live In Münster (Hatology, 2008) **** Saturday, February 28, 2009 Fattigfolket – Fattigfolket (ILK music, 2008) ***½ Friday, February 27, 2009 Denman Maroney Quintet – Udentity (Cleanfeed, 2009) ****½ Related articles by Zemanta AccuJazz.com Launches Avant-Garde Jazz Channel (improvisedcommunications.wordpress.com) Mary Halvorson Featured On NPR…

  • Ethnic Heritage Ensemble in Chicago

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    Image by smlevy24 via Flickr From Delmark: Friday, March 6, 2009, 9pm – Kahil El’ Zabar‘s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble – live performance “Urban Rituals” – The Magic of Music in an “Inspired Terrain” Featuring Kahil El’Zabar, Corey Wilkes, Ernest Dawkins & DJ Madrid, $15 donation Flatfile Galleries, 217 N. Carpenter, Chicago – 708-280-0414

  • KFJC Reviews

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    Image via Wikipedia From KFJC: Tickmayer, Stevan Kovacs – “Cold Peace Counterpoints” – [Rer Megacorp] A crazy cut-up tour de force of keyboards, string instruments, percussion, and sampling, all whirled together in Tickmayer’s compositional blender. Piano, organ, and harpsichord-type sounds are heard throughout, but it’s not all about keyboards; Track 7 goes heavy on electric…

  • Avantgarde Festival in Germany

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    August 28-30 of this year will feature a German avantgarde festival focusing on Krautrock and similar musics. Related articles by Zemanta Noise on the edge of wright – Tonight (netnewmusic.net)

  • At NEC, six hours of Stockhausen

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    Image via Wikipedia A recent Stockhausen performance is reviewed. At just after 3 p.m. on a Sunday, Vic Rawlings begins to “play a rhythm in the vibration of his body.” He’s only following directions, those of the late German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, whose “Verbindung” (“Connection”) gives that instruction. What does it mean? Rawlings interprets it…

  • Good Stuff from Free Albums Galore

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    Free Albums Galore offers several new AMN-approved listings. Eugene Lee – Meditations Genre: Avant-Garde, Jazz Eugene Lee has proven he is a talented artist in the avant-garde circles with his last free online album titled Srivbanacore but this time he’s doing something that is a bit different. On Meditations, he is entering an area that…

  • Seattle Composers Salon on March 6

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    From the Seattle Composers Salon: The Seattle Composers’ Salon is an informal presentation of new music by regional composers. The salon meets the last Friday of every other month, and features finished works, previews, and works-in-progress. It brings together composers, performers and audience members in a casual setting that allows for discussion and experimentation. Next…

  • Billy Bang Quintet & Todd Nicholson’s Otic Band in New York

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    From New York’s RUCMA: NEW VENUE! The Local 269 269 East Houston at the corner of Suffolk Street F to Second Avenue first set @ 7:30PM Otic Band Nabate Isles trumpet Dave Sewelson baritone saxophone Todd Nicholson bass Newman Taylor Baker drums second set @ 9PM Billy Bang Quintet Billy Bang violin James Zollar trumpet…

  • Asko Schoenberg Ensemble on Tour in March

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    A few European shows from Asko Schoenberg: Saterday, 14 maart, 16:30 uur The Hague, Theater aan ‘t Spui Ligeti Academy RODRIGO TASCON Paroxysmal Distorted Resonance DiIEGO SOIFER Periods of ellipsis ABEL PAUL Punta de Fuga MORTON FELDMAN For Frank O’Hara NICCOLÒ CASTIGLIONI Momenti Musicali Saterday, 14 maart, 20:30 uur Rotterdam, Kunsthal, Auditorium Redsound: Steve Reich…

  • Satoko Fujii Ma-do Quartet at the Vortex in London, England

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    All About Jazz provides a review of this show. Satoko Fujii Ma-do Quartet Vortex Jazz Bar London, England February 6, 2009 Japanese pianist and composer Satoko Fujii may have small hands but more than compensates with a big conception, realizing its expression through a bewildering range of vehicles. A full house at London’s Vortex Jazz…

  • Upcoming Detroit Area Shows

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    From the Bohemian Home in Exile Folks: Tues., March 3rd: Gino Robair with Marko Novachcoff, Joel Peterson, Piotr Michalowski, Mike Khoury and James Cornish at Kerrytown Concert House Percussionist Gino Robair is a founding member of Splatter Trio and Pink Mountain. His work spans several genres, including collaborations with Anthony Braxton, Tom Waits, Eugene Chadbourne,…

  • Free Jazz Reviews

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    From Free Jazz: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 Garrison Fewell – Variable Density Sound Orchestra (Creative Nation, 2009) **** Hiram Bullock – Plays Jimi Hendrix (BHM, 2009) * Monday, February 23, 2009 Mark Dresser & Denman Maroney – Live In Concert (Kadima, 2009) **** Related articles by Zemanta Australian trio the Necks makes more sound than…

  • KFJC Reviews

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    From KFJC: Chen, Yuanlin – “Away From Xuan” – Innova/American Composers Chen studied music in his native China where he pioneered a computer and electronic music studio. He has a PhD from SUNY Stony Brook. These three pieces show a lot of variety in his music. “Away from Xuan” is a big symphonic piece. “Wondering…