#2864: Unusual Small Ensembles

For this New Sounds, listen to a whole treasure trove of unusual instrument combinations in smallish configurations. We’ll hear from the Senegalese singer/kora player Ablaye Cissoko and German-born trumpeter Volker Goetze, who have just collaborated on an exotic and mysterious effort, “Sira,” (translates as Mermaid.) On it, they demonstrate Cissoko’s immersion in jazz, and Goetze's fascination with African music sometimes in dancey, plucked melodies and soft plaintive horn tranquility. Also, we’ll sample music written for dance and theatre by multi-instrumentalists Carla Kihlstedt, Matthias Bossi and bass guitarist Dan Rathbun. It’s a wide-reaching and intense blend of marching percussion, suspense-filled drones; other times with skeletal piano, strings and trumpet; and on another with zither, charango, toy guitar, musical sax, bass harmonica, glass and water. Not to be outdone, there’s also music from cellist Erik Friedlander, in a jazz trio setting. Once again, as with “Block Ice and Propane,” Friendlander offers folky melodies played like a guitar, with a fierce rhythm section of bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Mike Sarin. Plus, instrumental jazz-rock-experimental music from Charlie Hunter-annointed vibraphone player Tim Collins, and a live performance by flute player Robert Dick.

PROGRAM # 2864, Robert Dick & Unusual Small Ensembles (First aired on Wed. 11/05/08)

ARTIST(S)	RECORDING	CUT(S)	SOURCE
SoundCarrier (Robert Dick, Miya Masaoka, Satoshi Takeishi, Ursel Schlicht, Isaac Jaffe)	Bitches Brew	Miles Davis (arr. Robert Dick): Bitches Brew [1:00]	Not commercially available. www.myspace.com robertdickmusic
Robert Dick	Live	Flames Must Not Encircle Sides [4:00] Sliding Life Blues, excerpt [3:00]	See 1981’s “Whispers and Landings” or 1991’s “Ladder 5 of Escape” www.robertdick.net “Sliding Life Blues” not available commercially.
SoundCarrier	Bitches Brew	Miles Davis (arr. Robert Dick): Dancing Pharaohs [1:00]	See above.
Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze	Sira	Gorgorlou [4:30]	ObliqSound 106 www.obliqsound.com
Broken Arm Trio (Erik Friedlander / Trevor Dunn / Mike Sarin)	Broken Arm Trio	Pearls [4:30]	Skipstone Records www.skipstonerecords.com
Tim Collins	Fade	Lake George 1983 (Hell Gate Suite part I) [8:30]	Ropeadope 45 www.ropeadope.com www.timcollinsmusic.com
Kihlstedt/Bossi/Rathbun	Ravish & Other Tales for the Stage	A Private Grace [8:30] Sticks and Paper, excerpt [1:30]	Twelve Cups Records 001 www.twelvecupsrecords.com