Flotation Device commences its tribute to the late Sofia Gubaidulina, whose unflinchingly modern but spiritual music made her perhaps the most admired Russian composer since Shostakovich. We revisit some of her breakthrough works from the 70s and 80s, while sampling immersive chill music from the Pacific Northwest, fractured postminimalism from Bernadette Speach, and heterodox big band music by John Hollenbeck and Gellért Szabó. Noriko Baba remembers her father with help from Mahler, while Tristan Murail evokes a karst spring in the spirit of Debussy, and Philip Jeck reminds us of the beauty in old things with help from Faith Coloccia. A 50 year celebration of guitarist John Abercrombie's most exploratory work, recorded for ECM in March 1975, rounds out the playlist. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell from KBCS-FM Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma, originally broadcast March 16, 2025.
