HurdAudio Rotation: Oldies Station

Shonen Knife: Happy Hour. 1998. Big Deal: BD 9055.

Naoko Yamano: lead vocals, guitar

Atsuko Yamano: drums, bass, vocals

Michie Takatani: bass, vocals, keyboards

A quick blast from the period when Shonen Knife's shtick was starting to wear a little thin. Even as Happy Hour does deliver on much of the light subject materials of food, cloned sheep, parties and dreaming it does fall short from the chaotic, crazy promise of the opening track "Shonen Knife Planet." A place where one must wake up in time not to miss happy hour. After the initial production (and deliberately "bad" sounds) of that initial wake up the rest of the disc settles into the familiar, punk inflected language of Shonen Knife. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a let down after being jolted into the early promise of a concept album. Their cover of the Monkee's "Daydream Believer" does bring a smile even if it isn't exactly a sterling rendition. Happy Hour does manage to cleanse the aural pallet of heavy listening that goes into the rotation.

Elliott Sharp/Bootstrappers: GI=GO. 1992. Atonal: ACD 3014.

Jan Kotik: drums, percussion

Thom Kotik: prepared bass

Elliott Sharp: guitar, bass clarinet, processing

This offering has aged surprisingly well. Much of it built on the early timbral soundscapes that inspired me back in the day. Now it strikes my ears as a chance to hear Elliott Sharp's electric guitar playing over a seriously rocking rhythm section that is locked into Sharp's musical direction. The titles for these pieces have aged less gracefully than the music they're associated with. "Optimize My Hard Disk, Baby," "Command Z" and "Heapfix" strike an ironic, geek humor pose that simply isn't reflected in the music that remains undeservedly neglected.

Dave Douglas: Freak In. 2003. Bluebird/RCA Victor: 09026-64008-2.

Dave Douglas: trumpet, keyboards, voice

Jamie Saft: keyboards, loops, programming

Marc Ribot: electric guitar

Karsh Kale: tabla, additional drums

Joey Baron: drums

Romero Lubambo: acoustic guitar

Brad Jones: ampeg baby bass, acoustic bass

Ikue Mori: electronic percussion

Seamus Blake: saxophone

Chris Speed: saxophone, clarinet

Craig Taborn: fender rhodes

Michael Sarin: drums

This is an enormously important recording in the Dave Douglas catalog. It's his equivalent to Miles Davis' On The Corner and one day it will be revered as such. The electronic layering, the funky grooves, the explosive turns and the high production values bring an immediacy to this recording that nearly blinds one to the fact that the musical basics of melody and humanity are still at the foundation of this beautiful cacophony. "November" is as beautiful and soul filled as any melodic composition. It would slice to the heart if it were played by Dave Douglas playing over a simple jazz rhythm section or the electronic percussion of Ikue Mori as it is here. Freak In is a reliable thrill ride from start to end that continues to reward the listener with its depth and polish every time.

HurdAudio Rotation: Knife and Voice

Shonen Knife: Brand New Knife. 1997. MCA Victor/Big Deal: 9035-2.

Naoko Yamano: vocals, guitar, melotron
Michie Nakatani: vocals, bass
Atsuko Yamano: vocals, drums, percussion

Guilty pleasure. The addition of the Japanese originals for many of these tracks reveals that some of these songs are sung with a different kind of conviction in their native language. Though the strangely accented syllables and quirky subject matter are a gift. A means of shattering poetic pretense while still taking side alleys toward life's truths. But mostly a guilty pleasure.

Brian Sacawa: American Voices. 2007. Innova: 675.

Brian Sacawa: saxophones
Erik Spangler: turntables, electronics
Wenli Zhou: piano

Piece in the Shape of a Square by Philip Glass
Pre-Amnesia by Lee Hyla
pastlife laptops and attic instruments by Erik Spangler
Netherland by Chris Theofanidis
Bacchanalia Skiapodorum by Derek Hurst
Voice Within Voice by Keeril Makan
The Low Quartet by Michael Gordon

The static, minimalist works of Glass and Gordon book end this recital of works for saxophones. Each work presented with an equal attention to the details and demands of a wide ranging sampling of contemporary aesthetics. Equal respect is offered to the thorny lines of Hyla's Pre-Amnesia and the groove textures of Spanglers's pastlife laptops and attic instruments. The contrasts between selections giving an honest voice to the American Voices offered up on this disc. The details lurking within each individual piece revealing themselves in unexpected ways with repeat listenings. The soundtrack of my brief years in Baltimore.

Morton Subotnick: and the butterflies begin to sing. 1997. New World Records: 80514-2.

and the butterflies begin to sing (1988) for string quartet, bass, midi keyboard and computer
The Amernet String Quartet:
Kyoko Kashiwagi: violin
Marcia Littley de Arias: violin
Malcolm Johnson: viola
Javier Arias-Flores: cello

Bleda Elibal: double bass
James Tocco: keyboard

All my hummingbirds have alibis (1991) for flute, cello, midi keyboard, midi mallets, and computer
California EAR Unit:
Gloria Cheng: keyboard
Erika Duke: cello
Amy Knoles: percussion
Dorothy Stone: flute
Joan La Barbara: voice
Gene Youngblood: voice
Morton Subotnick: voice

These Morton Subotnick works from the late '80s and early '90s stand out sonically and aesthetically from his early works. There's a mixture of attraction and repulsion to these pieces for me that often requires gazing directly into them from time to time. Many of the textures assembled from live and electronic sound sources are incredibly appealing. Even if many of the midi sourced timbres have not aged particularly well. The tight, sequenced rhythms and impossible fills are also enormously attractive and off putting at the same time. It's a music that draws the listener in (with plenty of substance) while leaving one suspicious that they are gorging on a sonic, sticky substance like too much candy. Over the span of this listening I come away with a mixed bag. and the butterflies begin to sing is a fantastic composition that overcomes much of my qualms about the sweetness of this music. While All my hummingbirds have alibis leaves me disappointed. The mixture of voice with live instruments and electronics creating an uneasy sonic terrain. These are works that need to be revisited and reevaluated within the overall (and impressive) Morton Subotnick oeuvre.

HurdAudio Rotation: Apology to the Daydream Believers

Interplay: Apology to the Atonists / Tritone Suite. 2008. Porter Records: PRCD-4009.

Elliott Levin: poetry, flutes, saxophones
Rick Iannacone: guitars, electronics
Keno Speller: flute, vocals, percussion
Ron Howerton: cuica, percussion
Ed Watkins: percussion

A free flowing group effort that juxtaposes the personalities of the individuals at odd common purpose with one another. Levin's poetry is a spontaneous prose that can invite and repel while finding a strange resonance. As improvisers, this ensemble is anything but tentative. A beautiful cacophony.

Mark Helias' Open Loose: Atomic Clock. 2008. Radio Legs Music: RL 012.

Mark Helias: bass
Tom Rainey: drums, percussion
Tony Malaby: tenor saxophone
guest -
Ellery Eskelin: tenor saxophone (on one track)

Cookin' free jazz numbers that hinge well along Tom Rainey's excellent drumming. Tony Malaby's tone straddles a divide between lyrical and guttural with a superb sense of time. One might almost say you could set an Atomic Clock by that sense of time. Some tasteful post processing on a few of these tracks shift the illumination of this sound - giving the Atomic Clock the feel of neurons firing at odd angles within a twisted mind. This is one great trio.

Shonen Knife: Happy Hour. 1998. Big Deal: BD 9055.

Naoko Yamano: vocals, guitar, bass
Michie Nakatani: vocals, bass
Atsuko Yamano: vocals, drums

A dose of contrast within a listening diet heavy on the serious stuff. Clean punk from a life where one needs to wake up early enough not to miss happy hour. Songs about cookies, chocolate, banana chips, the sushi bar and Dolly the sheep abound in typical Shonen Knife fashion. By the end of this disc the 3-minute song begins to feel a stretched a bit thin given the almost haiku quantity of materials. But then redeems itself with a wonderful track about a magical carp and a cover of the Monkeys' "Daydream Believer" as it settles back into the quirky charms of this cultural cross-over. English as a second language set to music has such a delicious, casual quality to it.

HurdAudio Rotation: Cross-Genre Pollinating

Shonen Knife: Brand New Knife. 1997. MCA/Victor/Big Deal: 9035-2.

Naoko Yamano: vocals, guitar, melotron
Michie Nakatani: vocals, bass
Atsuko Yamano: vocals, drums, percussion

It's punk, with all the visceral pleasures and structural failings often associated with the genre. The additional layer of English-as-second language delivery with the strange phrasing and unusual accents on particular words makes this one disarmingly charming. The unpretentious poetry with its shifting focus on wide ranging - often trivial - subjects speaks toward an inclusive sense of humanity with its range of emotional motivation and twisted intentions.

Brian Sacawa: American Voices. 2007. Innova: 675.

Brian Sacawa: saxophones

Piece in the Shape of a Square - Philip Glass
Pre-Amnesia - Lee Hyla
Pastlife Laptops and Attic Instruments - Erik Spangler
with Erik Spangler: turntables, electronics
Netherland - Chris Theofanidis
with Wenli Zhou: piano
Bacchanalia Skiapodorum - Derek Hurst
Voice Within Voice - Keeril Makan
The Low Quartet - Michael Gordon

In its third pass through the HurdAudio rotation not only do I remain impressed with what these performances reveal about the familiar works of Philip Glass and Michael Gordon, but I also find more revelations in repeated listenings to these clear, clean renditions. In between these two gems of wind-instrument driven minimalism is a healthy, non-dogmatic territory of contemporary creativity. The almost "traditional," chamber virtuosity of Netherland by Chris Theofanidis stands out as a polished work rich with detail. Erik Spangler's Pastlife Laptops and Attic Instruments offers a much needed infusion of pulse and groove that meaningfully folds contemporary vernacular sonic materials into an evolving repertoire. Brian Sacawa brings a balance of thoughtful energy and honest interpretation that brings out flattering details of this living body of music.

Peggy Lee Band: Worlds Apart. 2004. Spool: SPL124.

Peggy Lee: cello
Brad Turner: trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn
Jeremy Berkman: trombone
Tony Wilson: electric guitar, acoustic guitar
Andre Lechance: electric bass, acoustic bass
Dylan van der Schyff: drums
& Ron Samworth (on 4 tracks): electric guitar, acoustic guitar

Inspired by Peggy Lee's warm-up routine prior to a New Orchestra Now performance, an audience member seated behind me commented that they wished to "be a female cello player in my next life." Hearing Peggy Lee perform inspires a similar awe for the life currently being lived and experienced aurally. The fact that she surrounds herself with so many players from Vancouver's vibrant improvisation scene just makes her music even more engaging. Worlds Apart documents a slice of that sonic beauty. The unusual coloration of cello with guitars, drums, bass and brass gives this sound an unusual hue. The composition "Spells" in particular is something special. The interplay of fretted and unfretted strings weaves any number of spells throughout this experience. This one leaves behind a thirst to hear more.

HurdAudio Rotation: Japanese and American Voices

Shonen Knife: Brand New Knife. 1997. MCA Victor/Big Deal: 9035-2.

Naoko Yamano: vocals, guitar, melotron
Michie Nakatani: vocals, bass
Atsuko Yamano: vocals, drums, percussion

It's not all heady jazz and dusty classical in the HurdAudio rotation. And there are times when the ears need some candy.

There's something undeniably pleasant about this strange mix of an all-grrl punk trio filtered through the cultural lens of Japanese-to-English translation. The quirky song subject material (roller coasters, fear of frogs, boredom, eating healthy, etc.) combined with the non-native English language with it's "off" tenses and rhythms makes for several amusing moments. The draining of the concrete baggage of language that results is a positive byproduct. The seven "bonus" tracks of the original Japanese versions of these songs allows one to hear the startling difference in vocal delivery between the two languages.

Brian Sacawa: American Voices. 2007. Innova: 675.

Brian Sacawa: saxophones

Piece in the Shape of a Square by Philip Glass
Pre-Amnesia by Lee Hyla
Pastlife Laptops and Attic Instruments by Erik Spangler
Netherlandi by Chris Theofanidis
Bacchanalia Skiapodorum by Derek Hurst
Voice Within Voice by Keeril Makan
The Low Quartet by Michael Gordon

Yo, Brian! Wassup! When's that Hybrid Groove Project disc gonna drop? I'm diggin' that Pastlife Laptops and Attic Instruments and all and looking forward to some fresh beats from the Dubble8... Actually, after hearing Pastlife live a few times and spinning American Voices in the rotation the integration of groove and turntable technique with Sacawa's tone and sensibility draws the ears deeper into promising territory yet to be fully explored.

I'm also struck by Derek Hurst's Bacchanalia Skipodorum this time through American Voices. The timbral similarity between the electronic sounds and the saxophone is explored to great effect. The placement of live saxophone (with light reverberation) within the electronic soundscape helps accentuate the rhythmic qualities of this piece's construction as Sacawa threads his way through the electronic jungle.

Joe Lovano Ensemble: Streams of Expression. 2006. Blue Note Records: 946 3 41092 2.

Joe Lovano: composer, arranger, tenor saxophone, alto clarinet, aulochrome
Gunther Schuller: composer, conductor, arranger
Tim Hagans: trumpet
Barry Ries: trumpet
Larry Farrell: trombone
Steve Slagle: alto saxophone, flute, soprano saxophone
George Garzone: tenor saxophone
Ralph Lalama: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Gary Smulyan: baritone saxophone
John Hicks: piano
Dennis Irwin: bass
Lewis Nash: drums
Charles Russo: clarinet, bass clarinet
Michael Parloff: flute
James Weidman: piano

This disc succeeds on so many different levels it's scary. A focused listening is enough to come away smitten by this music. The brilliantly arranged and composed "The Birth of the Cool Suite" by Gunther Schuller is centerpiece of this listening experience. This gem is surrounded by movements from Lovano's own "Streams of Expression" composition along with three smaller ensemble pieces mixed in to fill out the outstanding sequence of music that unfolds over this disc. The range of small and large ensembles gives this one a nice range of density. And its the use of density that makes the Gunther Schuller's writing so deeply engaging. Beyond the compositional riches there is also a wealth of great improvisation from Lovano (and the rest of his ensemble too, but Lovano's playing is on a whole other plane here). I'd give this one an A+, four stars and a 10 out of 10 or whatever metric one uses to measure quality.