Listen to vocal ensembles like the groups Roomful of Teeth, Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble, and the band Briars of North America, along with electronically-produced virtual choirs in music from Brooklyn-based Pakistani composer Arooj Aftab, Icelandic musicians Jónsi & Alex, and the musician Moby.
There’s new work from the vocal octet Roomful of Teeth in a new recording of the single, “Fall Into Me” by Grammy-nominated German-Turkish composer Alev Lenz. One of the cool things about this version is that it was recorded in The Tank—an 80-year-old seven-story Corten steel water tank in Rangely, Colorado, known for its otherworldly acoustics, with a natural 45-second delay for added reverb. Also, listen to “Sami,” by New York-based pianist and composer Michael Harrison, which is in the Just Intonation tuning system. On this piece, Roomful of Teeth sings Nom-tom syllables, derived from mantras, and used by Indian classical vocalists.
Then, listen to an eerie and beautiful virtual chorus in music by Brooklyn-based Pakistani composer Arooj Aftab from her record, Siren Islands. Also, there’s ethereal work for voice and electronics from Jonsi, who is the singer for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, and musician/artist/producer Alex Somers, who collaborate as Jónsi and Alex, and have released two albums, Riceboy Sleeps and Lost & Found.
Plus, hear music from the group Briars of North American, a trio making music "at the crossroads of ambient, indie and so-called new music — delivered with the precision of chamber music, the emotional transparency of folk, and the weight of ritual (Bandcamp bio). Also, listen to music from Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble from On Behalf of Nature, a record written in response to climate change. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4510, Music for Vocal Ensembles (First Aired 6/17/2021)
ARTIST: Roomful of Teeth
WORK: Alev Lenz: Fall Into Me [1:30]
RECORDING: Live at the TANK
SOURCE: New Amsterdam Records
INFO: roomfulofteeth.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Jónsi & Alex
WORK: Daniell In The Sea [7:10]
RECORDING: Riceboy Sleeps
SOURCE: XL Recordings
INFO: https://ffm.to/ja_rbs2019.oem
ARTIST: Arooj Aftab
WORK: Ovid's Metamorphoses [5:12]
RECORDING: Siren Islands
SOURCE: New Amsterdam Records
INFO: aroojaftab.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Roomful of Teeth
WORK: Alev Lenz: Fall Into Me [5:16]
RECORDING: Live at the TANK
SOURCE: New Amsterdam Records
INFO: roomfulofteeth.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Roomful of Teeth
WORK: Sami: The Acoustic Constellation [2:32]
RECORDING: Michael Harrison: Seven Sacred Names
SOURCE: Cantaloupe Music
INFO: michaelharrison.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble
WORK: Spider Web Anthem [6:07]
RECORDING: On Behalf of Nature
SOURCE: ECM 4812794
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Briars of North America
WORK: The Albatross of Infinite Regress [8:19]
RECORDING: Supermoon
SOURCE: Brassland
INFO: briarsofnorthamerica.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Moby
WORK: A Seated Night [2:17]
RECORDING: Wait For Me
SOURCE: Little Idiot/Mute
INFO: Available at AppleMusic, Spotify, Amazon.com, Youtube Music