Wednesday, January 4, 2006

Episode 005 - Hosted by violinist Jon Rose

Amy Domingues - "West Green Hollow"
Erik Friedlander & Teho Teardo - improv
Paul Giger - "Oogoogajoo"
Rob Thomas - "Four In One"
Mark Feldman & Sylvie Courvoisier - "Rigal"
Montana Skies - "Gringo Flamenco"
áthas - traditional Irish polkas and jigs
Michel van der Aa - Memo

http://www.bowed.org/005/005.mp3


Hosted by violinist Jon Rose

I am very pleased to present some of my absolute favorite performers - notably Paul Giger and Mark Feldman - appearing on this program for the first time. I had been hoping to get each of these guys on since Day 1 - and now, with perserverence, some mangled German emails, and basic gumshoe detective work, here they are. And if that weren't enough, another of my favorite players - Jon Rose - is this episode's guest host/peanut gallery. He brings to this episode an Aeolian fence, a lesson in British naval history, and a fairly weak John Lennon impersonation.

Paul Giger, in my opinion, is about the most amazing player I have ever heard. His most recent recordings Vindonissa and Ignis spotlight his compositional prowess. But if you really want to hear him show off, check out Schattenwelt or Chartres - both on ECM.

I first heard Mark Feldman & Sylvie Courvoisier in 1999 with their amazing recording Music For Violin and Piano. These two play like they are dancing together - perfectly in step - with a sound that goes from dolcissimo to torto scheggiato in less than five seconds. I had a bit of a struggle picking a track for these two - whether to feature their wilder, more chaotic sound or their sweeter, prettier sound. I went with "pretty" for this program, but be careful when you pick up the disc -- it's a wild ride.

I have had numerous requests from listeners for some good quality string jazz - and was able to find some in Rob Thomas - presented here with a fun rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Four In One". More jazz to come...

This also is the first episode where I feature traditional music - in this case traditional Irish polkas and jigs from Milwaukee's athas (note the au-courrant small á). I've actually been hunting for traditional Irish fiddle tunes from real Irish people in Ireland for some time. Most of them apparently don't check their email all that often. More traditional fiddle to come (though not the traditional traditional fiddle you might be thinking of...)

Thanks for listening!

AMK
string@bowed.org
www.bowed.org