Music From Other Minds

On this Music from Other Minds, Liam Herb plays an archival recording of Charles Amirkhanian’s Ode to Gravity: The Music of Conlon Nancarrow. Originally broadcast on NPR stations worldwide in April of 1987, this program includes interviews with the composer in his studio in Mexico City conducted by Amirkhanian in 1977, some of the composer’s Studies for Player Piano also recorded on that trip, and a recording of his String Quartet (1942) performed here by the Kronos Quartet.

This program gives a preview of the artists performing on nights three and four of the 25th Other Minds Festival. Subtitled “Moment’s Notice,” a celebration of the art of musical improvisation. We’ll present work tonight by saxophonist Darius Jones, and the improv duo of Larry Ochs on sax and drummer Donald Robinson. We’ll play work by jazz master Roscoe Mitchell, bassist Junius Paul, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, and guitarists Mary Halvorson and Elliott Sharp. And we’ll end the program with work by James Fei and Anthony Braxton.

On the next Music from Other Minds, Modern works for gamelan including works by Balinese composers Dewa Putu Berata and I Made Arnawa, Americans Bill Alves and John Cage, and Tokyo-based sound artist Sawako.

On this Music from Other Minds, Liam Herb played recordings of Other Minds Festival 25 artists at past festivals.

Tune in for Myra Melford‘s rip-roaring solo piano work Life Carries Me This Way from OM 19, Tyshawn Sorey, Ikue Mori, and Ken Ueno‘s trio performance from OM 17, William Parker‘s composition Spirit Catcher from OM 9, and an excerpt of Jason Moran‘s Slang which featured Mary Halverson on guitar.

This time on Music from Other Minds, we’re giving our listeners a preview of all of the artists performing on nights one and two of the 25th Other Minds Festival. Subtitled “Moment’s Notice,” after the tune by John Coltrane, the festival is a celebration of the art of musical improvisation. We’ll present work by Myra Melford, Mark Dresser, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, William Winant, Jen Shyu, Ben Goldberg, Liberty Ellman, Gerald Cleaver, and William Parker, including a song that features drummer Hamid Drake. We’ll also play a new pre-release track from drummer Tyshawn Sorey and DJ, producer and electronic musician King Britt.

On the next Music from Other Minds: Unseen Rain, Vocal Works of Richard Felciano and Robert Kyr.

On this Music from Other Minds, an archival rebroadcast of Charles Amirkhanian’s 1992 celebration of the 100th birthday of Leo Ornstein. Severo Ornstein, the son of the composer, is in the studio with Amirkhanian to provide commentary, while Leo Ornstein and another near centenarian, Nicolas Slonimsky, are interviewed by phone. The discussion centers on Ornstein’s early history as a wunderkind pianist in the 1910s, and his enormous output of music over nine decades of composing. Slonimsky details a recent revival of Ornstein’s music in his native Russia and Severo talks of his efforts to get Ornstein’s music back into print.

On the next Music from Other Minds, Randall Wong plays works by Dutch iconoclasts, Louis Andriessen and Willem Breuker.

Examples of artists using the spoken word, chanting, and samples of recorded voice to make their points. Some of what they’re trying to communicate is personal. Some of it is overtly political. Either way, it illustrates the intention of the music they make. With examples from Brooklyn-based trumpeter and composer Jamie Branch and Chicago-based musician and artist Damon Locks. We’ll hear a classic work from 1973 by Sun Ra, and a couple from 2021 by the Sons of Kemet. And we’ll hear improvisations by elder statesman Wadada Leo Smith and the young UK-based drummer Sarathy Korwar.

On the next Music from Other Minds, Liam Herb plays an elective mix of compositions by Hildegard Westerkamp, Philip Corner, Hal Clark, WHITE PEOPLE KILLED THEM (Raven Chacon, John Dieterich, and Marshall Trammell), and more.