It’s another in the occasional series of theme and variation programs. This time, it’s “Warzsawa” from the record "Low", released by David Bowie and Brian Eno in 1977. Hear music from Geir Sundstol, Philip Glass, and music from Donny McCaslin, who led Bowie’s final band.
Listen to music by Norwegian composer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Geir Sundstøl, whose main instrument is the pedal steel guitar. His re-imagining, called, “Warszaw /Alabama,” is a pairing of David Bowie and Brian Eno’s ‘Warszawa’ with John Coltrane’s ‘Alabama’ and might sound like wide-open spaces in a Ry Cooder-esque way.
Hear a personal and unusual approach to "Warszawa" from Donny McCaslin, whose band backed David Bowie on Blackstar. Their arrangement is something of a memorial dirge that McCaslin and his quartet worked out. [Hear Donny McCaslin from a recent Soundcheck podcast.]
There’s also an arrangement of “Warszawa” by Jan Oyvind Ness for KORK, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, recorded at the 2018 Ultima Contemporary Music Festival in Oslo, Norway. Also, hear the finale of Philip Glass’s "Low" Symphony, the third movement titled, “Warszawa”. Plus, hear “Bowieszawa” from 1981 by the New York-based songwriter, singer, saxophonist, composer and martini-maker Norman Salant.
A reminder that this week, Wed.-Fri., Oct 17-19, an all-star indie rock lineup performs Bowie's Berlin Trilogy (one album each night in this order: Lodger, Heroes, Low) at Brookfield Place with special guests (Shearwater, Dirty Projectors, Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, and the Wordless Music Orchestra.) Admission is FREE and the show starts at 7:30 pm each night.
Program #4161: Theme and Variations - "Warszawa" (First aired 10/15/2018)
ARTIST: Brooklyn Philharmonic | Dennis Russell Davies, cond.
WORK: Symphony No. 1 "Low", Mvmt III - "Warszawa" [1:45]
RECORDING: Low Symphony From The Music Of David Bowie & Brian Eno
SOURCE: Point Music #438 150-2
INFO: Available at Amazon.com
ARTIST: David Bowie & Brian Eno
WORK: Warszawa [6:22]
RECORDING: Low
SOURCE: Rykodisc #10142, reissued on Virgin
INFO: store.davidbowie.com
ARTIST: Norman Salant
WORK: Bowieszawa [2:43]
RECORDING: Saxaphone Demonstrations (sic)
SOURCE/INFO: normansalant.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: KORK Norwegian Radio Orch. | Karen Kamensek, cond.
WORK: Warszawa (arr. Jan Oyvind Ness) [8:18]
RECORDING: Live from Ultima Festival 2018, Oslo
SOURCE: https://ultima.no/en
INFO: nrk.no/kork/the-norwegian-radio-orchestra
ARTIST: Geir Sundstøl
WORK: Warszaw/Alabama [6:20]
RECORDING: Brødløs
SOURCE: HUBRO Music
INFO: hubromusic.com
ARTIST: Donny McCaslin
WORK: Warszawa [8:41]
RECORDING: Beyond Now
SOURCE: Motéma Music 211
INFO: motema.com
ARTIST: Brooklyn Philharmonic | Dennis Russell Davies, cond.
WORK: Symphony No. 1 "Low", Mvmt III - "Warszawa" [9:10]
RECORDING: Low Symphony From The Music Of David Bowie & Brian Eno
SOURCE: Point Music #438 150-2
INFO: Available at Amazon.com