• Music

    Johnny Gandelsman – This Is America – An Anthology 2020-2021

    Before I left to China in 2018, the last concert I caught was Iranian-Kurdish master Kayhan Kalhor along with Brooklyn Rider.  As it turns out, their violinist, Johnny Gandelsman, was selling one of his albums on vinyl, which I duly purchased (and have nearly worn out).  I’m pleased to say he has new work out, though this album was released on the 1st of July of 2022. From his Bandcamp site: “To say that 2020 was a difficult year for the United States would be an understatement. Covid 19 took the lives of 385,000 people. Racism and police brutality took the…

  • Music

    Odeya Nini – Ode

    Los Angeles-based composer Odeya Nini is a marvel to listen to.  She uses her voice and body to full effect as an instrument and composes profoundly interesting contemporary classical music, and whose works are radical enough to fit into musique concrète.  If you enjoy the works of Meredith Monk or Anna Homler, this just might appeal to you.

  • Music

    Santiago Fradejas – Montages, Volume Two

    What a joy it is when a friend releases a new album!  Argentine composer (now residing in England) Santiago Fradejas offers an experimental music album composed on an 8-string electric guitar and loops, making a soundscape album that is, at times, Fripperesque.  It’s dark, but not foreboding, and gently flows in and out of consciousness.  A headphone album for sure.

  • Music

    György Kurtág – Signs, Games and Messages (mode230)

    Yesterday, I had the pleasure of going out to the picturesque town of Szentendre, about 35 minutes outside of Budapest, with my girlfriend and some fine old friends.  I expected a nice trip, and instead, we not only have that but we were treated to seeing several galleries, bookstores, and a performance space which featured graphic artist Yorgos Tzortzoglu, a local artist of Greek descent.  His exhibit featured scores from Hungarian composer György Kurtág, and lo and behold, he was in attendance!  Though he is 96 now, Kurtág looked in pretty good condition, and had a smile on his face…

  • Music

    Kivie Cahn-Lipman – Sumna

    From Kivie’s Bandcamp site: Sumna is the third solo album of Kivie Cahn-Lipman (founding cellist of the International Contemporary Ensemble, founder of baroque band ACRONYM and HiP Scottish ensemble Makaris, and co-founder of viol consorts LeStrange and Science Ficta). Here he offers first recordings of new cello solos written for him by Daijana Wallace, Édgar Guzmán, and Vincent Calianno, along with a modern classic by Caroline Shaw and a multitracked cello octet by Kaija Saariaho. Cahn-Lipman’s passion for early music emerges both in the opening track (a fresh take on HIF von Biber’s solo violin Passacaglia, a seventeenth-century masterpiece), and…

  • Music

    Sergey Kuryokhin (谢尔盖·古廖金) – Divine Madness (天赋的疯狂)

    First, a disclaimer: I am posting this review with the understanding that Leo Records has licensed this astounding collection covering the career of the late enfant terrible of Russia’s then-thriving avant-garde music community, Sergey Kuryokhin, to Old Heaven Books Records in Shenzhen, China.  If this is so, it’s wonderful to know that Sergey’s reach will continue to grow almost three decades after his passing.  Collaborators on this box set include Igor Butman, Sergei Belichenko, Valentina Ponomareva and Boris Grebenshchikov among others.  I’m excited to see Old Heaven Books continue to branch out.

  • Music

    Aaron Martin – The End of Medicine (Original Score)

    Lost Tribe Sound continues to surprise and amaze me with the quality of not only the experimental music on the label, but the soundtracks as well.  Cellist Aaron Martin has released his score for the documentary The End Of Medicine, and it’s a deeply resonant collection of music.  From Aaron’s Bandcamp site: This original score is Aaron’s first solo release presented by Lost Tribe Sound, even though the two have a long history of collaboration. The US label has previously released three albums from Aaron’s project with Dag Rosenqvist under the alias, From the Mouth of the Sun. Those titles…