A new Sun Ra album documents his 1986 encounter with a video synthesizer. We contrast it's slicker 80s sound with the June 1974 analog edition of the Arkestra as recorded live in New York An orchestral masterpiece by Berio and a Bach-channeling gem by Takemitsu leave their mark in new works by Gabriel Vicéns and Yu-Hui Chang, while Brian Inglis finds avant-garde potential in the humble recorder, Ed Pettersen and Steve Layton deliver unusual takes on Scottish ballads and Indonesian gamelans, Yikii paints a shade of dark blue fusion, and Wayne Horvitz reminisces with Bill Frisell. Returning artists Josh Modney, John Butcher, Alex Harding, Lucian Ban and the VoiceACT quartet round out our eclectic playlist. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, originally aired June 16, 2024.
