Scale of the Day: F Sharp Mixolydian no 4 mapped to the Triative

The F Sharp Mixolydian no 4 mapped to the Triative Scale. With the expansion of all the scalar intervals to fill in the 3/1 triative the gap left by the subtracted fourth degree opens up into a 475.48-cent leap between adjacent scale members.

Branching Out

Jamie Branch/Marc Riordan Duo + Petter O Hanna @ The Red Room, Baltimore, MD
Saturday, March 29, 2008

Petter O Hanna:
Petter Vagan: lapsteel and electronics
Hanna Gjermundrod: voice

Jamie Branch: trumpet
Marc Riordan: drums

Jamie Branch has serious chops. With a warm up routine that includes running through the angular, challenging intervals of Thelonious Monk tunes and ears finely tuned to each nuance Branch deftly explored an expansive territory of free improvisation thick with creative substance and inventive reverie. Marc Riordan balanced out this duo sound with a percussive approach to the drum set that settled into a dynamic range of skins muted by various percussive toys. The dialogue between these players was beautifully focused as pieces dribbled out in well measured portions. These are two talents to keep an ear on.

The duo of Petter O Hanna played the opening set with a long-form improvisation highlighting the restrained, responsive interaction between this pair from Norway. Hanna Gjermundrod's ability to respond and often match the texture of Petter Vagan's electronics was nearly as impressive as Vagan's ability to bend his twisted electric signals in response to Ghermundrod's voice. The meeting point between these two sound sources opened up delicate and engaging sonic vistas.

Scale of the Day: E Flat Mixolydian no 4 mapped to the Square-root-of-2

The intervallic content of the E Flat Mixolydian no 4 mapped to the Square-root-of-2 Scale.

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.

Scale of the Day: F Sharp Mixolydian no 4 diminished 5 mapped to the Square-root-of-2

The F Sharp Mixolydian no 4 diminished 5 mapped to the Square-root-of-2 Scale. Subtractive, altered, compressed into the confines of the 600-cent "tritone" and sporting a single quarter-tone.

Scale of the Day: E Flat Mixolydian no 4 diminished 5

The intervallic content of the E Flat Mixolydian no 4 diminished 5 Scale as one would find it on any conventionally tuned, equal tempered instrument.

Scale of the Day: F Sharp Pythagorean Mixolydian no 4

The F Sharp Pythagorean Mixolydian no 4 Scale. With the perfect fourth subtracted, the 16/9 minor seventh is the solitary utonal scale member.