Flotation Device salutes the uncommon Americanism of Mel Powell, a student of both Willie “The Lion” Smith and Paul Hindemith who recorded his neoclassical compositions for the Vanguard jazz label before working on Tom and Jerry cartoon scores, building one of the first electronic music studios and winning the Pulitzer Prize as a modernist composer. Powell stands as a quintessential “20th Century American Composer.” We also explore those threads with tape pieces from Luigi Nono and Polish composer Bogusław Schaeffer, a recent remix of the JACK Quartet by bassist/composer Nick Dunston, and an extended work from the Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra, plus an overdue nod to the late Wally Shoup on his birthday month with help from long-time associates Bob Rees, Reuben Radding, Paul Flaherty, Chris Corsano, and Thurston Moore.
