In celebration of Philip Glass's 75th birthday, the American Composers Orchestra is presenting the US premiere of Glass's Ninth Symphony plus the NYC premiere of Arvo Part's Lamentate, with pianist Maki Namekawa at Carnegie Hall on Glass's birthday, January 31. The orchestra will be led by ACO co-founder Dennis Russell Davies. According to a press release:

The program notes describe Glass's Symphony No. 9 as "a large scale, three movement work for orchestra, and while direct in form, it will be formidable in performance with piccolos doubled, horn section fortified, and with bass brass, and timpani doubled. The Ninth promises to be, in the composer's words 'big and unrelenting,' with an avoidance of solo passagework, this piece will be a real team effort throughout. Each movement follows a similar plan: an opening theme broadly stated a contrasting highly energized middle section, and a slower ending with a newer version of the opening theme. Throughout the work becomes increasingly dense and contrapuntal thereby giving the whole work its overall dramatic shape."

Tickets for the event are on sale now.

Glass's birthday will also be celebrated two days earlier (1/29) at Le Poisson Rouge with Orange Mountain Music and special guests Kronos Quartet, Dennis Russell Davies, Maki Namekawa, Ira Glass, Michael Riesman, Ensemble Signal, Bruce Brubaker, Tim Fain and more. Tickets for this show are on sale now.

It will again be celebrated at the Tune-In Music Festival at Park Avenue Armory which takes place from February 23-26. "Highlights Include: A World Premiere by Hal Wilner, Bill Frisell and Ralph Steadman, Glass's Music in Twelve Parts, An Evening of Music and Poetry with Patti Smith and Philip Glass, and Glass's Another Look At Harmony." Tickets for the Tune-In festival's events are on sale now.

The Metropolitan Museum is also hosting a celebration for Philip Glass this April (it appears to have been rescheduled from 1/21). The event is taking place on April 21 at The Temple of Dendur and will feature Glass performing his chamber music with violinist Tim Fain. Unreserved seating is on sale now.

Program information on the Carnegie Hall show below...

Continue reading "Philip Glass birthday parties -- Tune-In Music Festival & more"

Bob Dylan by Greil Marcus: Writings 1968-2010 was recently released, just in time for the holidays...

"The book begins in Berkeley in 1968, and ends with a piece on Dylan's show at the University of Minnesota--his very first appearance at his alma mater--on election night 2008. In between are moments of euphoric discovery: From Marcus's liner notes for the 1967 Basement Tapes (pop music's most famous bootlegged archives) to his exploration of Dylan's reimagining of the American experience in the 1997 Time Out of Mind. And rejection; Marcus's Rolling Stone piece on Dylan's album Self Portrait--often called the most famous record review ever written--began with "What is this shit?" and led to his departure from the magazine for five years. Marcus follows not only recordings but performances, books, movies, and all manner of highways and byways in which Bob Dylan has made himself felt in our culture.

Together the dozens of pieces collected here comprise a portrait of how, throughout his career, Bob Dylan has drawn upon and reinvented the landscape of traditional American song, its myths and choruses, heroes and villains. They are the result of a more than forty-year engagement between an unparalleled singer and a uniquely acute listener."

You can buy it at Amazon, or maybe pick up a copy at the Strand tonight, 12/1, where Greil will be speaking in conversation with Stephen Hazan Arnoff, Director of the 14th Street Y, "and special guests Matt and Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces, who will perform a few songs."

Eleanor & Matt Friedberger will also be on hand at the 14th St Y and Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday, December 5th, for a day of Dylan events. The concert at LPR is this:

What Kind of Love Is This:
The Music of BOB DYLAN & THE BAND
w/ Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob, Levon Helm Band), John Medeski (Medeski, Martin and Wood), Rob Burger (Laurie Anderson, Marianne Faithful, Iron & Wine), Tony Scherr (Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Sex Mob), Kenny Wollesen (Norah Jones, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Sex Mob), and special guests Jolie Holland, Laura Cantrell, Nicole Atkins, John Wesley Harding, and Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces. And special Guest Vocalists Chocolate Genius, and David Johansen (New York Dolls).

$35 tickets are still on sale for that part, and $75 tickets which I guess get you into everything at both spaces, are on sale too. If you just want in the symposium happening at the Y, that's $45, described as "a one-of-a-kind exploration of Bob Dylan and the Band's work, featuring scholars, critics, writers, and artists"

Greil Marcus: Author of the definitive book on Bob Dylan and The Band, Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes.

Christopher Ricks: Renowned critic and scholar of English literature and poetry, and author of Dylan's Visions of Sin.

John Niven: Novelist whose book Music from Big Pink vividly imagines the world of Bob Dylan and The Band.

Dana Spiotta: Author of mesmerizing portraits of the 60's underground, including Eat the Document.

Matt Friedberger: Co-founder of the visionary rock band The Fiery Furnaces.

D.A. Pennebaker: Pioneering film documentarian, whose credits include Don't Look Back, the first film on Bob Dylan.

Stephen Hazan Arnoff: Executive Director of the 14th Street Y writes and teaches widely on music, art and religion.

Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding): Singer-songwriter and award winning author of Misfortune.

William G. Scheele: Museum curator and former Equipment/Stage Manager for Bob Dylan and The Band.

Bob Dylan himself, who recently played three nights in a row at NYC's Terminal 5, is not listed anywhere. Maybe he'll come watch. More info on the whole thing at 14th St. Y's site.

John Wesley Harding also has a show coming up at City Winery.

Bill Frisell

today in NYC
* in-stores @ Fat Beats
* Justin Bieber @ MSG
* Jennifer Choi @ The Stone
* Kevin Norton @ The Stone
* Elew @ Hihgline Ballroom
* Bill Frisell @ Village Vanguard
* Blondie, Gorevette @ Nokia Theatre
* Iris, Cruel Black Dove @ Mercury Lounge
* Delicate Steve, Sanctuaries, Sultan @ Union Pool
* Cult of Youth, Cosmetics, King Dude @ Glasslands
* Enthroned, Destroyer 666, Mutilation Rites @ Europa
* Vanessa Bley, Chappo, Run On Sentence @ Mercury Lounge
* Light Pollution, Xylos, The War On Drugs @ The Rock Shop
* Peru Peru, My Favorite Things, Les Bicyclettes Blanche @ Zebulon
* Bird of Youth, Collection Agency, Caravan of Thieves @ The Living Room
* Brownbird Rudy Relic, Orb Mellon, Low Society, Stumblebum Brass Band @ Bowery Electric

Bill Frisell, Paul Motian and Joe Lovano are at Village Vanguard from tonight through September 5th. Bill next plays The Stone on September 7th.

Delicate Steve kicks off a four-show residency at Union Pool tonight.

Califone have a new video for "Giving Away The Bride". Check it out below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

Bono and Gavin Friday (U2Log)

On October 4 at New York City's legendary Carnegie Hall, (RED) unites a world-class line up of artists for a special (RED)NIGHTS concert "Hal Willner Presents: An Evening with Gavin Friday and Friends." The star-studded evening will feature Laurie Anderson, Antony, Elizabeth Ashley, Bono, Adam Clayton, Andrea Corr, The Edge, Flo & Eddie, Joel Grey, Bill Frisell, Guggi, Scarlett Johansson, Courtney Love, Lydia Lunch, Patrick McCabe, Maria McKee, Shane MacGowan, Eric Mingus, Larry Mullen, Jr., JG Thirlwell, Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, Chloe Webb, plus special guests. Tickets for the event will go on sale beginning Wednesday, September 16 at 11AM EST via CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, carnegiehall.org and the box office. As is the case with every (RED)NIGHTS show, a portion of the proceeds from the concert will go directly to the Global Fund. For more information, please visit www.joinred.com/rednights or www.gavinfriday.com.

Longtime friends and professional collaborators, Willner and Friday came together to bring the concert to life and raise awareness of (RED)™'s mission. Friday, a childhood friend of Bono, is an Irish singer, composer and painter and founding member of the gothic rock group The Virgin Prunes. Willner has produced albums for Marianne Faithfull, Lou Reed, William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, yet is perhaps best known for assembling tribute albums and live events saluting Leonard Cohen, Thelonius Monk, Tim Buckley, Edgar Allen Poe and Marquis de Sade.

Willner said, "This unique evening is a celebration of Gavin and a gathering of friends and amazing musicians. We're all proud to partner with (RED) to help fight AIDS in Africa." "It's an honor to be a part of this (RED)NIGHT because I know the money generated will go directly to people who need it," added Friday.

That is an insane lineup.

Lydia Lunch also performs one day earlier with her band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Rufus and Martha Wainwright are appearing with their father Loudon at Highline Ballroom in NYC TONIGHT (9/15).

The Carnegie Hall event poster with more information below...

Continue reading "a new Hal Willner / Gavin Friday show @ Carnegie w/ Antony, Bono, The Edge, Scarlett Johansson, Courtney Love, Rufus Wainwright & MANY OTHERS!"

by Andrew Frisicano

Ryuichi Sakamoto & the Bang on a Can All-Stars

"This year's marathon offered works by 28 composers on Sunday, from noon to just past midnight, at the World Financial Center in Lower Manhattan. Like the last several, it was presented as a free concert, part of the River to River Festival. Early in the day listeners came and went, but by 5 p.m. the center's atrium (which holds 2,000) was packed, and it remained so to the end." [NY Times]

Sunday, May 31st was the 22nd annual Bang on a Can Marathon in the World Financial Center's Winter Garden. The 2008 fest ran from 6pm to 6am, with a 4am Dan Deacon set in the early morning lull. This year's concert took a more diurnal approach, with a noon start and a finish coming after Tortoise's encore-less set a little past midnight. When the final introducer asked who'd been there since noon, a weary cheer came from that select but healthy part of crowd. Near night's finale, the Winter Garden stairs and seats were all full, and as Tortoise set up, even more filtered in, perhaps from one of the other shows that night.

Around 10pm, Ryuichi Sakamoto sat behind the room's piano for a quiet solo piece punctuated by sparks of crackling static. Mid-set he paused to call a BoaC tech over to fix the piano, before finishing with a burst of dreamy chords and carefully spare melodies.

After welcoming the Bang on a Can All-Stars on stage (a sextet of guitar, bass, percussion, cello, keys and clarinet), Sakamoto and two band members "conducted" with pocket mirrors, reflecting the room's lights on the white backdrop in what looked like lens flare from a sunny photo. The sustained textures of the ensemble's first piece gave way to a more structured, percussive songs that focused on a repeating three-bar phrase and its variations.

The BoaC All-Stars remained on stage for their performance of Steve Martland's Horses of Instruction, apparently an old standard for the group. They certainly had fun with it, adding percussionist Eduardo Leandro on marimba. Clarinetist Evan Ziporyn traded for a tenor sax as he led the piece jumping and gesticulating through the changes. The busy work juxtaposed the restrained Sakamoto songs with parts that moved from shredding cello to Frisell-like guitar comping to swinging and pulsating drums. The song was a sufficient energy boost to prep the crowd for Tortoise, who'd be closing the night.

Tortoise was recently discussed at length in a review of their show at the Bell House one night earlier, but briefly speaking, the band played a short, 7-song set largely driven by its two drum kits. Other songs abandoned the drums for malleted percussion, which moved the group away from driving jams to more minimal pastures. Their volume drowned out the room's rattling air conditioners, but at times the drums, right up front, overwhelmed the total group sound in the echoing hall. Granted, shifting, propulsive beats are kind of Tortoise's raison d'être, and their groove-heavy songs capped the Marathon with engaging, kinetic energy. A collection of psyched devotees jammed along in an area next to the stage.

The Marathon officially kicked off this year's River to River Festival, which will host many shows throughout the summer. Tortoise will be back as well, with a July tour that includes a show at (Le) Poisson Rouge.

Bang on a Can will use the Marathon's momentum to host two benefits this week -- both taking place Wednesday, June 3rd at LPR. The big-money early show and bargain-priced late show will feature established big names and talented up-and-comers, respectively. More specifically, Steve Reich, Meredith Monk, David Cossin, Wu Man, Maya Beiser, Talujon and Doug Aitken appear for the intimate dinner and music early benefit. So Percussion, Gutbucket, Newspeak and NOW Ensemble hold it down late. Tickets for the late show are still on sale.

Check out some videos from the whole day, and a few more pics from the late-night portion, below...

Continue reading "Bang on a Can Marathon 2009 in review w/ pics & video "

by Andrew Frisicano

In the early '60s, McCoy Tyner cut his teeth as 1/4th of the John Coltrane Quartet. Since then, the pianist hasn't slowed much. This weekend, Tyner plays two nights at the Lincoln Center's Allen Room with his trio and guest Ravi Coltrane. Tickets for the Friday, May 15th and Saturday, May 16th shows are on sale. According to his posted schedule, it'll be Tyner's only visit to the NYC area this year.

Tyner's most recent album, 2008's Guitars, featured collaborations with Marc Ribot, John Scofield, Béla Fleck, Derek Trucks, Bill Frisell, Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette.

From those players, Marc Ribot, who giged with Tyner last fall to celebrate the disc's release, is one that's currently in NYC. He's finishing up his birthday week retrospective with Friday and Saturday shows at (Le) Poisson Rouge. The Friday show features Ribot in three combos, Los Cubanos Postizos, Cotito Trio, and Cumbiamba eNeYe. Tickets are on sale. The Saturday gig sees Ribot with Ceramic Dog and Young Philadelphians. Tickets are still on sale for that,

Bill Frisell is also in NYC. He finishes his Tuesday, May 12th to Sunday, May 17th run at the Village Vanguard, performing in a trio with Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen.

Other players from the Guitars album are coming through NYC later in the summer. John Scofield plays a free August 5th show at NYC's Madison Square Park oval. Béla Fleck performs the Central Park Summerstage twice: on July 5th behind Malian singer Oumou Sangare and again on August 3rd with Toumani Diabate. Derek Trucks plays the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival on August 13th at the Damrosch Park Bandshell.

Most of the above guitarists are featured in the making-of trailer for the Guitars album, with tour dates, below...

Continue reading "McCoy Tyner in NYC this weekend, Bill Frisell too & Marc Ribot birthday week continues (all dates)"

"Sarah Siskind (1978 - ) is a singer and songwriter based in Nashville and grounded in folk and Appalachian roots. Her music has been classified as: rock, folk, americana, and alternative. Alison Krauss has championed Sarah and values her songs so highly that she's recorded two of them, both of which became singles and videos that received widespread airplay. Bluegrass/Folk legend Tim O'Brien calls her a rare talent...

...In 2002, Sarah released "Covered." Despite its title, it featured mostly original songs that dealt with love, family and relationships... Sarah invited Bill Frisell, a modern-day giant of jazz guitar, to anchor the studio band.....

...Indie-rock act Bon Iver was so taken with Sarah's song "Lovin's For Fools" that the group closed most of their 2008 tour sets with the song each night, and invited her to join them on their December 2008 European tour. In addition, Ireland's legendary artist, Paul Brady, invited her to join him on-stage for a collaboration in New York City that same year, and had her contribute backing vocals on his new album." [Wikipedia]

Sarah and Bon Iver have also toured together, and Sarah just finished opening for Bill Frisell on a tour that brought the pair to Minneapolis, MN on April 11th. Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) just happened to be in the neighborhood (I guess?), and he joined Sarah and Bill on stage for the above-mentioned favorite song. Watch that video, and others like it, below.

Tonight (Monday, April 27), Sarah is in NYC to play a free show at the Living Room...

7PM - Sarah Siskind
8PM - Jo Williamson
9PM - Caroline Jones
10PM - The Makepeace Brothers
11PM - Jim Campilongo

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Sarah Siskind, who plays w/ Bon Iver & Bill Frisell (videos), is in NYC - free show tonight & other tour dates"

by Andrew Frisicano

Ryuichi Sakamoto

The Bang on a Can Marathon returns to World Financial Center for its fourth year to kick-off the 2009 River To River Festival on May 31st. The 12-hour marathon (noon-midnight) of mind-boggling, genre-bending music will include Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tortoise, Bill Frisell, Bang on a Can All-Stars and more.

Those acts will be performing "music composed by Gavin Bryars, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, Evan Ziporyn, and many more." The annual NYC event is free.

As previously reported, Tortoise will play a Saturday, May 30th show at the Bell House, in addition to the Marathon. Tortoise also has an appearance at Pitchfork Fest, plus a new album coming out and a track on Thrill Jockey's Record Store Day comp.

Michael Gordon, whose work will be performed at the Bang on a Can Marathon, is also having his composition Trance performed by Signal at a (Le) Poisson Rouge show on Wednesday, April 22nd.

Other free shows coming up at the World Financial Center this summer include M83, Mountains and Scanners. Clogs and Laurie Anderson play there TONIGHT (April 15).

The Japan Times recently profiled Japanese pianist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who will be performing at the Bang on a Can Marathon, about his 30 year career and his connections with David Bowie, John Cage, and others. Read an excerpt from that, with videos of Sakamoto solo and with Iggy Pop, below...

Continue reading "Bang on a Can Marathon - initial 2009 lineup (Bill Frisell, Tortoise, and RYUICHI SAKAMOTO included)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Trap Them - They Followed the Scent of Jihad All The Way to Thieves Paradise from "Sleepwell Deconstructor" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Earth - Omens And Portents I: The Driver from "The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nasum - Doombringer from "Helvete" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Behemoth - Prometherion from "The Apostasy" (MP3)

The Hidden Hand, Place Of Skulls, The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, and the aforementioned Shrinebuilder all have had one thing in common, the stamp of quality by doom legend Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Now Southern Lord brings word of "Punctuated Equilibrium", aka the "Wino" solo record! Backed by skinsman extraordinaire Jean-Paul Gaster (Clutch) and Jon Blank (Rez n) on bass, the new record will be tracked by producer (and legend in his own right) J Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, etc).

Fresh off of the right & left hook known as "Sleepwell Deconstructor" and "Seance Prime", hardcore punkers Trap Them will be bobbin' & weavin' through Europe and the east & west coasts through the end of April, including a date at the Charleston on March 12th and another at The Knit on June 16th. Look for them to support the massive multi-instrument collective The Ocean and grind pioneers Extreme Noise Terror in Europe. Sprechen about Germany's The Ocean, check out their guest blog over at Headbanger's Blog and if you play cello and/or viola and feel like touring Europe & the US, email em!

D-Beat kings Tragedy (ex-His Hero Is Gone) have added a May 2nd show at the Knitting Factory with Japanese hardcore band Systematic Death & Disnihil. Tickets are on sale. Definitely highly reccommended.....

Torche posted a new track from their upcoming Kurt Ballou-produced LP "Meanderthal". The track "Piranha" is now streaming at their myspace, and the "Meanderthal" track listing and updated tour dates (including a date with Municipal Waste & Iron Lung) is below......along with a whole lot of other stuff....

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (2/13/08)"