Interpretations

On Saturday May 12, Interpretations presents an evening at of music at Roulette featuring a mammoth new Guggenheim commission from composer Earl Howard, and a performance of amazing new works for violin duo by FLUX Quartet members Tom Chiu and Conrad Harris.  

In anticipation of this event, we are offering two great tracks, one by Conrad Harris and one by Tom Chiu.  Alvin Lucier's duet for two violins with sine tones will be performed by Chiu and Harris on Saturday, and appears here in a version recorded for Lovely Music by Conrad Harris.  Tom Chiu will have a world premiere for two violins on the Saturday concert, and here we are offering a piece he wrote for the FLUX Quartet with special guest pianist Bobby Few. Enjoy!

This week, Thursday through Saturday, Interpretations and Performing Arts Services present Robert Ashley's The Old Man Lives In Concrete at Roulette.  Each of the four evenings presents totally new material--  every night features totally different and totally new material:  a culmination of Ashley's longstanding Conrete project with his esteemed ensemble featuring singers Sam Ashley, Thomas Buckner, Jacqueline Humbert, Joan La Barbara, and Robert Ashley, with mixing and live processing by Tom Hamilton.

Robert Ashley’s newest opera follows Robert Ashley’s preoccupation with the speech of the homeless and of people living together in a home for old people. The libretto might be considered to be the “musings” of an old man, who thinks about strange questions and answers in various forms of sarcasm, indifference, questions about the questions, and explanations.

In anticipation of this major premiere, we are offering a recording of Robert Ashley's work World War Three (Just The Highlights), performed by Thomas Buckner at The Kitchen last year.  We would also like to share an extended interview with Robert Ashley, conducted by fellow composer Richard Carrick.  Enjoy!

On March 8 Interpretations presents an evening of two innovative women in music on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Lam premieres her “Five Songs From Cold Mountain” (baritone, flute, viola & harp) & “Age D’Or” (french horn & baritone), and her “…Like Water” (violin, piano & percussion) receives its New York premiere. Buzzarté premieres White’s “Tracing”, for trombone and electronic sound, which was funded by the MAP Fund for Creative Arts Performance Projects. Buzzarté also presents works by Pauline Oliveros (with pianist Sarah Cahill), Alice Shields, Sorrel Hays, & Buzzarté’s own work “Subtle Winds” for trombone octet.

Interpretations would like to offer a new track: "Sails Returning To Yabase"  from Bun-Ching Lam's new release on Mutable Music, The Heidelberg Concerts. Plus, trombonist Monique Buzzarté's mesmerizing duo with Ellen Fullman is included here already-- we've included this one.

Also, have a look at this interview with trombonist Monique Buzzarté and Alice Shields:

On Thursday, Thomas Buckner presents his 24th annual concert of commissioned works for baritone voice. Composers featured on this evening include his long-time collaborators, esteemed composers Robert Ashley, Annea Lockwood, and Alvin Lucier, along with New York premieres by Anne Guthrie, Narong Prangcharoen, and Kit Young.

In anticipation of this event, we are offering a recording of Thomas Buckner premiering "37 Haiku" by Christian Wolff, recorded at Buckner's April 12, 2007 Interpretations event. 

With Gerry Reuter, oboe; Jill Van Nostrand, french horn; Liuh-Wen Ting, viola; Jennifer Devore, cello; Petr Kotik, conductor. Interpretations series, April 12, 2007

Also, here is a video of Thomas Buckner discussing the history of Interpretations, and also his collaborations with the composers featured in this upcoming concert!

This Thursday, Interpretations presents music by Jason Kao Hwang at Roulette in Brooklyn.  Canadian saxophone quartet Quasar presents new music by Hwang (featuring vocalist Thomas Buckner), as well as music by Iannis Xenakis, JF Laporte, and Luc Marcel.  Hwang's own band Local Lingo then follows, featuring Joe McPhee, William Parker, Sang Won Park, Thomas Buckner performing works based on poetry by many of New York's greatest poets!

We would like to share a new track by Jason Kao Hwang's Spontaneous River, his large string ensemble, whose recent album "Symphony of Souls" was released in 2011.  This opening movement features a great solo from Hwang, followed by some amazing textures from the strings and percussionist Andrew Drury!

In celebration of Wadada Leo Smith's 70th Birthday next weekend, Interpretations is presenting two nights of Smith's music, featuring six amazing ensembles: December 15th features Leo Smith’s Golden Quartet (with Angelica Sanchez, piano, John Lindberg, bass and Pheeroan AkLaff, drums), Mbira (with Min Xiao Fen, pipa, and Pheeroan AkLaff, drums) and his String Quartet plus Thomas Buckner, voice, and Smith on trumpet. December 16th features Leo Smith’s Golden Quintet (adding Susie Ibarra on drums), Silver Orchestra, & Organic.

We would like to share two tracks: An evoctative and profound solo performance from Wadada Leo Smith himself, and also one track by bassist/composer John Lindberg, recorded live during the April 23, 2009 Interpretations performance by Lindberg's longstanding String Trio of New York (with Rob Buger, violin, and James Emery, guitar).  Enjoy!!!

Thursday October 13 we will present an evening of new projects by two of New York's most celebrated jazz musicians: Joe McPhee and Andrew Cyrille.  From work with Cecil Taylor to John Coltrane to Anthony Braxton, these two artists and the artists in their employ have been huge figures in jazz for decades.

Mr Cecil Taylor will be the subject of Joe McPhee's tribute work EROC TINU, which augments McPhee's regular Trio X (Dominic Duval and Jay Rosen) with Steve Dalachinsky (poetry), Roy Campbell (trumpet), and Hilliard Greene (bass).   Andrew Cyrille puts together an unorthodx trio with maverick guitarist Elliott Sharp and analog synthesizer innovator Richard Teitelbaum.

In advance of this concert we are presenting three new tracks: 

- A live recording by Joe McPhee's Urban Assault Vehicle (with Joe Giardullo, Roy Campbell, Dominic Duval, Mike Bisio, and Jay Rosen) from the Knitting Factory in 1999

- One track from the Andrew Cyrille / Richard Teitelbaum duo recording Double Clutch, from 1981 on Silkheart.

- A 40-minute interview with guitarist/composer Elliott Sharp from Ten Thousand Hours.  Elliott discusses his creative development, compositional processes, and some recent projects. Plenty of great audio from some of his recent CDs as well!

Got to www.interpretations.info  and purchase tickets for this event--  all who purchase advance tickets are automatically entered in a drawing to win a 5-CD box set of Joe McPhee's Trio X live on tour in 2008, recently released on CIMP Records!

Now entering it’s 23^rd season, Interpetations is Thomas Buckner’s longstanding series for new music in New York City.  With a special emphasis on premieres of new works and new collaborative endeavors, Interpretations has a long history of presenting the most innovative composers and performers from New York City and around the world.  As curators for the Free Music Archive, we are offering material recorded at events from previous seasons, as well as unreleased material from artists featured on the current season.

The 2011/12 season features new works and new collaborations from many of New York’s most respected and innovative artists.  The varied cast includes influential improviser/composers George Lewis, Joe McPhee, Jin Hi Kim, Wadada Leo Smith, Jason Kao Hwang, and 2011 Guggenheim fellow Earl Howard; new music ensembles Wet Ink Ensemble and the Canadian saxophone quartet Quasar; dynamic performers Ralph Samuelson, Thomas Buckner, Yoko Hiraoka, Monique Buzzarté, and Melvyn Poore; and composers Bun-Ching Lam, Annea Lockwood, Matthias Kaul, Narong Prangcharoen, Ann Guthrie, and Robert Ashley, who presents his new opera "CONCRETE, the Next Generation"

This season also marks an exciting new beginning at Roueltte's new location in Downtown Brooklyn.

Interpretations 2011/12 kicks off Thursday September 22nd with Morton Subotnick + Tony Martin / George Lewis & Wet Ink Ensemble. In the meantime, enjoy a preview excerpt of George Lewis' 2008 installation along with highlights from the vast Interpretations archives curated by James Ilgenfritz (10khrs).

Stay tuned to Interpretations' FMA Curator Portal and the newly revamped website: interpretations.info

Here are the frist few tracks we have available.  These tracks are all recorded live at Roulette as part of the last few seasons of Interpretations.  The one exception is the track from Geroge Lewis, an excerpt from an installation he created in 2008. 

Enjoy the music! There are wonderful The concerts from which these tracks were excerpted were all amazing performances.  Many more tracks to come!