Friday, February 16th, 2007 ... 3:20 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

Delayed start due to Stanford baseball.

Devoted a HUGE chunk of the show to artists who are playing in town during the coming week. I often do that, but this particular week, there was just a ton going on. This is one of the few times when I actually planned out a show -- that is, I didn't select specific tracks, but I played the artists roughly in sequence (starting with those performing tonight, then working through the week), which put an interesting constraint on the show. I enjoy that kind of arrangement once in a while.

Anyway, everything from Mark Dresser on down was chosen that way. Either they're artists performing during the following seven days, or artists really similar in concept to what was coming up. (To represent Mills College's annual Signal Flow festival, for example, I spun a couple of local artists associated with Mills.)

Format:
ARTIST -- "TRACK TITLE" -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)
Horizontal lines denote microphone breaks.

* Mark Helias/Open Loose -- "What Up" -- Atomic Clock (Radio Legs, 2006)

Previously noted here.

Whoa -- Don Byron tries his hand at modern classical music, and does quite well at it. I mean, seriously, there are some jazzy passages here and there among these short pieces (most of them grouped into a couple of suites), but overall, it's definitely a "classical" sound. Great stuff.

* Sean Noonan/Brewed by Noon -- "Connection" -- Stories to Tell (Songlines, 2006)

Very "pop" flavor mixing jazz and West African pop (you know, that fast electric bass and quick-handed, chirpy electric guitar...). But it goes beyond that, bringing in elements of rock, funk, prog. Unexpected and fresh.... maybe a little less so once the Afropop element starts to sink in, but still a great idea for a band. Susan McKeown even sings on one track that's described as "Celtic," although that aspect is hard to hear.

Previously noted here.

* Kris Davis -- "Bloodwine" -- The Slightest Shift (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2006)

Previously noted here.

Two female vocals and a drummer, a different kind of improvisation. The vocals are all in nonsense languages, feeling out for odd sounds rather than melodic constructions, for a playful, experimental sound. The drums kick in with enough jazz drive to give the session a jazz tinge. Argue if you want, but if Al Jarreau were doing this, they'd call it jazz for sure. This is cooler, though.

Gotta love it when you can get the Sam Rivers Trio to be your backing band. Actually, they're more on equal footing with Groder here, although he does most of the composing, as I recall. Groder is a trumpeter, and at first blush, it seems like he meshes will with Rivers' band. The Trio doesn't do their usual instrument swapping -- Doug Matthews sticks to bass and Anthony Cole to drums -- but that's a nit. Good album overall, with a few nice post-bop excursions and several short scribbles.

* Steve Lacy Quintet -- "Esteem" -- Esteem (Atavistic, 2006; recorded 1975)

Previously noted here. This one starts and ends with a shrill alarm blare of saxes, but in between, there's a long jam with a chugging rhythm; today, they'd say it's close to world music.

Previously noted here.

Mark Dresser -- "Trains" -- Invocation (Knitting Factory, 1995)

I'd actually played a chunk of Dresser's stuff earlier in the day. This track was a bit edgier than what I'd spun then, though.

Vladimir Tarasov, drummer for these guys, is apparently in town to appear with Dresser, Fred Frith, and Larry Ochs of ROVA in two shows at 21 Grand.

The Ganelin Trio started 30+ years ago in the old Soviet Union, playing free jazz at a time when such things were frowned upon (even more so than they are in this country). But the ties of music are strong; the trio managed to get its music out, thanks largely to Leo Feigan, proprietor of Leo Records. Now, of course, the Iron Curtain is lifted, and the trio are free to spread their art worldwide.

This seems to be literally a CD of encore tracks, mostly three or four minutes but with one 11-minute improv in there (cleverly titled "Who's Afraid of Anthony Braxton?") Thunderous applause at the ends, lending more grist to the theory.

Back into a more accessible avant-jazz sound, including Theo Bleckman on vocals.

Lots of blippy synths, and sometimes (as here) some breezy pop elements. More often, the band is artsy/hip with its electronica.

Previously noted here.

Yoshida Brothers -- "Hyakka Ryouran" -- Yoshida Brothers (Domo, 2003)

Superstar Japanese combo: Two guys on shamisens. Apparently they'll dress up in samurai gear for their shows sometimes. The shamisen is a three-stringed Japanese instrument; you've heard it plucked in contemplative zen mode before. These guys choose to shred instead, rocking out in a dueling-shamisen mode, often with the backing of a band. This one's a nice fast track with just the two of them (Ryoichiro and Kenichi Yoshida).

Local noise/electronics artist. Not related to the same-named art-rock band in Seattle. Often works in a loud droney mode using lots of music-related samples (organs, strings, etc.) This track is a little different: lots of fast blippy sounds, relatively quiet but busy.

This time with tabla, other percussion, and guitar -- a rich, full sound, and a nice groove. Cool!

Includes heavy guitar, light drumbeats, and odd electronics and samples (not all at the same time). I thought I remembered these guys being more "electronic" than this, but 1) it's an older album, and 2) OK, I admit it, I know diddly about Climax Golden Twins. They're definitely on the to-do list.

Now this is electronics! Leonard also appears on the fabulous compilation Women Take Back the Noise, which we got into rotation this week. I'll be spinning that one a lot.

Leonard and Climax Golden Twins are each doing a performance at the Exploratorium this weekend. Leonard's (aided by a couple of musicians) is an installation piece for amplified water and percussion.

Now, how's this for a bill: Dos (two basses) and Good for Cows (bass plus drums). Nice choice by the Hemlock Tavern.

Dos -- "Number Seven" -- Justamente Tres (Kill Rock Stars, 1996)

The husband-wife duo of Mike Watt and Kira, both on electric basses. No other instruments! For all their hardcore credentials, they made some lovely duet music with Dos. In fact, their tracks ended up being the melodic cool-down segments for this set.

The duet of Devon Hoff and Ches Smith, on just acoustic bass and drums. Previously noted here, the duo is quite effective as a band and seems to get gigs consistently. This track is a driving, jazzy sprint, good stuff.

Back to melodic dreaminess with Dos. Nice.

Possibly my favorite 'Cows track, another peppy, jazzy one.

This set was supposed to stop at four tracks, but midway through "Dream of San Pedro," it occurred to me that I hadn't checked our vinyl collection for the first two Dos albums, the ones where Kira sings. Sure enough, we had this one stashed away in there, as yet unkeyed into our Zookeeper online catalogue.

Enough with the pretty melodic tracks; this one's got a tougher edge to it. Kira's voice is unconvincing in trying to sound aggressive here, and yet, maybe because she's got the credentials, it seems to work. Nice way to end the set, a nice departure without abandoning the quieter, bass-heavy sound of the first four tracks.

Previously noted here.

Marco left the Bay Area for Vienna in late 2005, hoping to find an environment better suited to supporting himself with music. I'd played a block of his stuff in tribute here.

He's back in the U.S. for a visit, although he's got only a couple of gigs around here. (Plus a couple in New York, one at The Stone.)

The Flying Luttenbachers -- "Number Three" -- Revenge (ugEXPLODE, 1996)

Played these guys to note that Weasel Walter's quartet will be on the same bill as Marco Eneidi this coming week.

Kyaw Kyaw Naing -- "Enchanting Lake of the Elephant" -- Drum Circle of Burma (Shanachie, 1998)

Naing plays the Pat Waing, or, basically, drum circle. It's a collection of percussion, most of it metallic, and he's able to riff some pretty complex sounds, as if he were playing some kind of reed instrument. Wonderful stuff, fast and exciting.

Naing relocated to the United States from Myanmar circa 1999, and he's been promoting Burmese music ever since. People at the time were calling Burma the last frontier of world music, an untapped source even in a time when musics of the world were gaining in popularity here. He'll take the mission to Stanford this coming week, playing a show in the Pan Asian Music Festival.

These guys aren't playing in town next week, but with the whole Asian drum thing going on, and this CD sitting in rotation, taunting me, I had to give it a spin. Big fun Taiko stuff.

I would later find out that taiko artist Kenny Endo is doing a residency at Stanford and is leading an ensemble in a Feb. 23 performance. So, taiko turns out to be relevant to the theme after all.

This set is meant to relate to the 2+2 series of shows put on by Raskin and Phillip Greenlief. Each show consists of two pairs of improvisers performing in separate duets.

The CD, kind of a cousin to 2+2, is credited to Myles Boisen and John Raskin. It's a collection of two dozen solo improvisations, all three or four minutes long. The idea is to use them as backdrop for one's own improvising; it's like an exericse book, and the musicians were instructed to build the recorded improvisations with that idea in mind. Interesting concept.

I'm reminded of Jean Derome's CD, Le Magasin de Tissu, which consists of 69 improvisations recorded in random groups of one, two, or three, creating fragments of imaginary duets and trios.

Trumpet and prepared guitar. Tiner and fellow trumpeter Darrell Johnston are playing in the next 2+2, with Greenlief and Raskin forming the other duet.

Along with Greenlief's duo with Trevor Dunn (bass), an important document of the jazz/improv scene in the '90s. This is a disc of improvisations; I happened to choose a catchy, tuneful one to end the set.

Every year, Mills College puts on Signal Flow, a festival of new works by the school's graduate students, presented across three or four evening programs. Almost by definition, we don't have CDs from these students, so instead I trotted out some local electronics/noise folks, as it's the kind of stuff I expect to hear for at least part of Signal Flow. Payne and Bischoff, I later learned, teach at Mills.

Maggi Payne -- "Lab Fountain" -- V/A: The Lab 20th Anniversary CD (The Lab, 2004)

Harsh noises like an airplane revving up and taking off. Then it splinters into a strong, loud flow of choppier sounds. The ending is just great, kind of abrupt, showing that noise music can be constructed with a conventional sense of drama.

Peaceful and even pretty. Small, quiet electronic tones that lay out slowly, kind of forming a crystalline melody.

Back to harsher sounds. Compomicro-Dexall is the duo of Jake Rodriguez (aka "The Bran (Pos)") and Mike Guarino, playing bass and drums respectively but adding other instruments and electronics and noisemakers. Jeremy Stone was a member for a while, too, and is probably on this CD (it definitely sounds like more than two people). The disc is just the one 23-minute track, probably a combination of improvisations and a few composed bits of brutal mathy rock, judging by other Compomicro performances.

Beanbender's, by the way, was a weekly music venue in Berkeley, an abandoned bank building that was being used as an art classroom by day. It was a comfortable and well-lit place to see shows, and it was instrumental in getting me into this kind of music in the first place.

Badland -- "Nissa" [excerpt] -- The Society of the Spectacle (Emanem, 2005)

Saxophonist Simon Rose is coming to town for a gig or two. He's the front voice in this trio, with bassist Simon H. Fell and drummer Steve Noble. I was quite impressed with this disc, a nice set of jazz improvisations showcasing a versatile and lively Rose.

Lastly, saxophonist Lurie is swinging down from Seattle for a couple of shows. Her music is that kind of NPR-friendly mix of jazz, Latin, world, and blues, with plenty of drive and funk. There's also some edge -- like the swarming angry sax invasion that starts "Z.I.P.A." -- but most tracks settle into accessible melody and pleasant beats.

Her stuff works, though, on pop and jazz levels. This track happens to have her singing lyrics, so I figured I'd play it here, followed by a more challenging instrumental.

? Jessica Lurie Ensemble -- "Z.I.P.A." -- !ZIPA BUKA! Watch Out, Noise! (self-released, 2002)

* = Item in KZSU rotation
! = Pop anomaly
? = Item not in KZSU library

-- Go back to Memory Select playlists.
-- Bay Area free/improv music calendar: http://www.bayimproviser.com.