#nonesuch records

[nonesuchrecords]

Among the 70 Best Alt-Country Albums of All Time per Paste magazine are Hurray for the Riff Raff’s LIFE ON EARTH, Yola’s Walk Through Fire, Rhiannon Giddens’ Freedom Highway, k.d. lang’s Ingénue, Billy Bragg & Wilco's Mermaid Avenue, Carolina Chocolate Drops' Genuine Negro Jig, Emmylou Harris’s Wrecking Ball, and Wilco's Being There. You can see the full list here.

#alt-country #paste magazine #hurray for the riff raff #yola #rhiannon giddens #k.d. lang #billy bragg #wilco #carolina chocolate drops #genuine negro jig #emmylou harris #nonesuch #nonesuch records #americana music

[musicollage]

Bill Frisell – Gone, Just Like A Train. 1998 : Nonesuch.

#jazz #jazz guitar #jazz rock #bill frisell #1998 #nonesuch records #jim woodring #1990s #1990s jazz

[sinceileftyoublog]

Tom Skinner Interview: Vessels for Music to Be Heard

Photo by Alex Kurunis

BY JORDAN MAINZER

From the now-defunct jazz greats Sons of Kemet to best-ever Radiohead-adjacent project The Smile, Tom Skinner has not-so-quietly been one of the most versatile drummers of the past half-decade. Though he previously released his own music under the moniker Hello Skinny, earlier this month, Skinner shared his first album under his own name, Voices of Bishara (Brownswood/International Anthem/Nonesuch). The record doesn’t just exemplify Skinner as a player, but encapsulates his imaginative spirit as a listener and reinventor.

Throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns, Skinner listened repeatedly to Abdul Wadud’s 1978 solo album By Myself, privately pressed on Wadud’s label, Bishara. The Arabic name loosely translates to “the bringer of good news;” as lockdowns were lifted, vaccines administered, and live shows returned, it felt an appropriate word to reflect the genesis of what would become Voices of Bishara. A few years back, Skinner was invited to do a Played Twice session at London’s Brilliant Corners, wherein artists improvised in response to a classic album played through the venue’s audiophile system. That night, the album was Tony Williams’ Life Time; Skinner chose cellist Kareem Dayes, tenor saxophonists Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings, and bassist Tom Herbert. They had such natural chemistry that Skinner was inspired to write an album’s worth of new music, which he and the other four recorded live. 

Voices of Bishara is far from a traditional jazz album, though, as Skinner returned to the recordings and edited between the instruments like his favorite disco and house producers would do. The result is an album with a tremendous sense of clearance, contrast, and opportunity for the individual players to shine. The muted, melancholy “Bishara” starts with just cello and bass before saxophone and rolling drums enter. “Red 2″, a response to Williams’ “Two Pieces Of One: Red” from Life Time, is shadowy, though Garcia’s flute shines through. Cello and chirping saxophone converse on “The Day After Tomorrow”, with Skinner’s drum rolls underneath the sighs of the woodwinds. “The Journey” and “Voices (Of The Past)” have a bit more of a groove and sway to them, Skinner’s drumming limber and snapping like a more traditional jazz or even boom bap beat. Voices of Bishara is more a retrospective of Skinner’s artistry and curatorial voice than a debut, let alone an assured mid-career album.

I emailed Skinner some questions about Voices of Bishara last month, touching on the album(s) that inspired it, responding to existing music, and composition. Read his responses below, edited for clarity.

Photo by André Baumecker

Since I Left You: Why do you think you found yourself listening to Abdul Wadud's By Myself during COVID so much? What about it resonates with you?

Tom Skinner: There’s a purity to the record. It’s a very direct and deeply personal piece of work. When you’re listening to it, it’s just you and him, no overdubs or studio trickery beyond the odd edit here and there. He’s talking directly to you, and I found that very refreshing and inspiring. In terms of the pandemic, looking back on it, I think maybe I took some solace in that level of intimacy at a time when we weren’t able to interact with other people as much as we were accustomed to. It’s also just a fucking cool record, and his playing on it is absolutely incredible. It’s loose and free with some pretty far-out improv on there but also incredibly melodic and rhythmically very interesting and groovy, too. Somehow, he manages to encompass all of my favorite things about music in one clear and concise statement.

SILY: What was your first experience or relationship with Tony Williams' Life Time?

TS: I’ve been a fan of Tony’s playing from the first time I heard him on the classic Miles Davis quintet records of the 1960’s. His own records from that time, though, always seemed a little more challenging and experimental. I first heard Spring (his second for Blue Note), and it definitely took me a while to appreciate what was going on, but as an aspiring young jazz musician, it was inspiring to hear how he was pushing himself and the music into new directions on those recordings. The thing I love about Life Time in particular is the unusual instrumentation and the fact that each track features a different combination of players. Tony doesn’t even play on the final tune. Even by today’s standards, that feels ahead of its time.

SILY: When playing for the Played Twice session and this album, why did you specifically choose Kareem, Nubya, Tom Herbert, and Shabaka?

TS: The personal connections and friendships between myself and the people I work with are at the heart of all my projects and collaborations, and this record is no exception. I have known everybody on the record for a long time, and we have a deep and rich history of performing together in different contexts. Getting this specific group together came at a time when we were all playing regularly at Brilliant Corners in various combinations, often for the Played Twice sessions. What attracted me to this particular combination of personalities and players was the scope for orchestration that it presented: Kareem’s cello and Tom’s double bass is a small string section, and Shabaka and Nubya’s tenor saxophones are the wind section, with the added possibility of them doubling on either clarinets or flutes, respectively, and then me on percussion. I also wanted to allow the musicians as much space and freedom as possible within the framework of the songs and, although there are “featured” players on certain tracks, the music was written with a collective and egalitarian approach to improvisation in mind.

SILY: "Red 2" is about a quarter of the length of "Two Pieces of One: Red" and a bit more shadowy in spirit. How did you go about coming up with your version of it, and how did you approach the differences with the original?

TS: I wasn’t approaching it with the original piece in mind at all, and I definitely didn’t want to recreate what had already been done. I wouldn’t really call it a cover, either. With our "version" of “Two Pieces of One: Red”, I wanted to try to break it down to its base elements and focus on only a very small section of the original piece, almost like a sample or a loop that you might find on a hip-hop record. In that sense, the repetition of it becomes a compositional device, too. We then used this as a jumping off point for improvisation. In addition to this idea, I wanted to play around with the sound of the recording, using hard edits between the different instruments and microphones to accentuate an almost jarring sense of space and perspective in the music.

SILY: "Voices (Of The Past)" certainly has a more retro jazz feel to it, and the drums could almost be a part of a boom bap 90's hip hop song. What voices of the past were you referencing on this track?

TS: That’s a very good question and, if I’m honest, I’m not sure I really know. Perhaps I was referencing the music I grew up listening to? Specifically a steady diet of early 90’s hip hop during my teen-age years. That’s when I got heavily into jazz, too: Miles, Coltrane, Ornette, Monk, all the classics. When you’re young, you learn very quickly and soak up so much information. All that music is digested and becomes part of your DNA. So, in a way, I feel that, subconsciously, all those things are probably filtering through. 

On a deeper level, though, as musicians, when we play, we are channeling the spirits of our ancestors and forefathers. The music exists all around us, and we are vessels for it to be heard.

SILY: "Quiet As It's Kept" is the most stark track on here, comparatively speaking. How important is it for you to use empty space in your compositions?

TS: Extremely important. Silence, a rest, or a pause are as important, if not more important, than any note that’s written or played. I’m trying to tap into that more and more with my approach to playing the drums and compositionally, too. Space is the place.

SILY: Why did you decide to release this album under your name as opposed to Hello Skinny?

TS: Initially it wasn’t the plan to release it under my own name. I was just going to call it Voices of Bishara. But, for various reasons, it made more sense to release it as Tom Skinner. At first, I wasn’t keen on the idea. I’m used to hiding behind another name--like Hello Skinny or whatever--and stepping out like that felt a bit daunting. But gradually, I came around to the idea and soon came to realize that releasing music under my own name actually gives me a lot more artistic freedom. This way, I’m not tied to any particular sound, style, or group. From one release to the next, I can essentially do what I want. That feels very liberating for me going forward.

SILY: What's the story behind the album art?

TS: The album artwork and design are by the supremely talented Paul Camo. We’ve known each other for many years but only started working on projects together quite recently. This is the second sleeve he’s designed for one of my projects, the first being the Okumu, Herbert, Skinner Trio album Undone: Live at The Crypt released via Vinyl Factory in 2019. 

I didn’t give Paul any specific direction; rather, I was more interested in him having complete freedom, to see how he reacted to the music creatively and allowing that to dictate the direction we took. Talking regularly with him and throwing ideas around was a very important part of the process as a whole in creating this record, and I feel like the artwork informs the music as much as vice versa, to the point where he’s now become a part of the group! Paul is a fantastic DJ and selector with a vast knowledge of all music but with a keen ear for deep jazz and improvised music. He performed with us on CDJs and samples at Church of Sound back in September. He has a regular show on NTS called We Are… which is well worth checking out. In addition to that, he runs Margate Radio (Margate is a town on the Kent coast where he is based) and is very active in the local music and art scene there.  

SILY: Are you playing these songs live?

TS: We played one show in London at Church of Sound in September, and hopefully, we’ll get a chance to play some more shows next year. There are some potential opportunities on the horizon.

SILY: What's next for you?

TS: A tour across the US with The Smile that will take us right up to Christmas. I’ve started writing material for a second Bishara record. Plus, there are a few other album projects and collaborations in the works.

SILY: What have you been listening to, reading, and watching lately?

TS: Music (in no particular order): Sam Gendel, Armand Hammer, billy woods, Elucid, Low, Ingram Marshall, Robert Stillman, Loraine James, Joe Lovano’s Trio Tapestry, Julius Hemphill, Earl Sweatshirt, Coby Sey, Mica Levi, Moin, Aaron Dilloway, Lucrecia Dalt, Ohbliv, Jaimie Branch, keiyaA, Henry Threadgill, Tara Clerkin Trio, Charles Stepney, Rotary Connection, Jeanne Lee, The Beatles, Broadcast… I could go on, but we’d be here all day. 

Books: The History of Bones by John Lurie and The Passengers by Will Ashon.

Film: The Hand of God by Paolo Sorrentino.

#tom skinner #interviews #brownswood #international anthem #nonesuch #brilliant corners #shabaka hutchings #voices of bishara #alex kurunis #sons of kemet #the smile #hello skinny #brownswood recordings #nonesuch records #abdul wadud #by myself #played twice #tony williams #life time #nubya garcia #kareem dayes #tom herbert #André Baumecker #bishara #miles davis #spring #blue note #john coltrane #ornette coleman #thelonious monk

[everydayescapist]

#laurie anderson #nonesuch records #Youtube

[burlveneer-music]

Steve Reich - Runner / Music for Ensemble and Orchestra - Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Susanna Mälkki

Recorded live at Walt Disney Concert Hall in November 2018 and November 2021, in performances conducted by LA Phil Principal Guest Conductor Susanna Mälkki, Runner / Music for Ensemble and Orchestra is the first recording of these two works by minimalist master Steve Reich.

Reich says Runner is written “for a large ensemble of winds, percussion, pianos, and strings. While the tempo remains more or less constant, there are five movements, played without pause, that are based on different note durations. First even sixteenths, then irregularly accented eighths, then a very slowed down version of the standard bell pattern from Ghana in quarters, fourth a return to the irregularly accented eighths, and finally a return to the sixteenths but now played as pulses by the winds for as long as a breath will comfortably sustain them. The title was suggested by the rapid opening and my awareness that, like a runner, I would have to pace the piece to reach a successful conclusion.”

“Music for Ensemble and Orchestra is an extension of the Baroque concerto grosso where there is more than one soloist,” the composer continues. “Here there are 20 soloists — all regular members of the orchestra, including the first stand strings and winds, as well as two vibraphones and two pianos. The piece is in five movements, though the tempo never changes, only the note value of the constant pulse in the pianos. Thus, an arch form: sixteenths, eighths, quarters, eighths, sixteenths. Music for Ensemble and Orchestra is modeled on my Runner, which has the same five-movement form.”

#steve reich #los angeles philharmonic #Susanna Mälkki #modern classical #minimalism #orchestral #2022 #nonesuch records

[donospl]

Ambrose Akinmusire “Owl Song”

Nonesuch Records, 2023 Kompozytor i trębacz Ambrose Akinmusire debiutuje w Nonesuch Records albumem “Owl Song” zapowiadając jednocześnie na najbliższy rok kolejne dwa albumy –  z których każdy prezentować będzie inne obszary stylistyczne, inne instrumentarium, a także zróżnicowane podejście do kwestii producenckich. “Owl Song” nagrany został w triu, a Akinmusire’owi towarzyszyli dwaj znakomici…

View On WordPress

#Ambrose Akinmusire #Bill Frisell #Herlin Riley #Nonesuch Records

[lisamarie-vee]

#audio #cassette #nonesuch records

[reubenhernandez]

Grammy Award Nomination for Dynamic Maximum Tension

Congrats to Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society for their fourth Grammy Award nomination for Dynamic Maximum Tension in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album category! Reuben directed both the behind the scenes video for Dynamic Maximum Tension and the music video for “Dymaxion”, the opening track on the album. We’re so honored to have worked on this project and you can watch both videos below. The Grammy Awards will take place Sunday, February 4, 2024.

#Darcy James Argue #Darcy James Argue's Secret Society #Nonesuch #Nonesuch Records #DarcyJamesArgue #DarcyJamesArguesSecretSociety #Dymaxion #Dynamic Maximum Tension #DynamicMaximumTension #Jazz #Grammy #Grammy Awards #GrammyAwards #Grammys #Grammy Award Nomination #Grammy nomination #grammynomination #jazz band #Power Station at BerkleeNYC #Power Station #PowerStationAtBerkleeNYC #reubenhernandezstudios #ReubenHernandez #reuben hernandez #Reuben Hernandez Studios #directed by Reuben Hernandez #music video #musicvideo #music video director #musicvideodirector

[abductionradiation]

New York, NY -- Vagabon, the project of Lætitia Tamko, will be releasing her new album Sorry I Haven't Called on September 15 via Nonesuch Records. Last week, she released the newest single lifted from the record "Do Your Worst," a track that spans 3.5 minutes long and takes listeners through a dark, edgy soundscape. From the rolling jungle beats to moody instrumental, "Do Your Worst" that captures an urgency that'll have you running at breakneck speed. Vagabon's soft vocals offset the intensity of the song beautifully, creating a beautiful dynamic between the two.

Sorry I Haven't Called by Vagabon

TOUR DATES:

10/21 - Detroit, MI @ El Club * 10/22 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground * 10/24 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * 10/26 - Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre * 10/27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts * 10/28 - Hamden, CT @ Set Space Ballroom * 10/29 - Washington, DC @ The Atlantis * 10/31 - Barcelona, ES @ Sala Apolo ^ 11/2 - Lyon, FR @ Le Transbordeur ^ 11/3 - Milan, IT @ Alcatraz ^ 11/4 - Lausanne, CH @ Les Docks ^ 11/6 - Berlin, DE @ Astra Kulturhaus ^ 11/7 - Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg - Grote Zaal ^ 11/8 - Paris, FR @ Pitchfork Music Festival 11/9 - Antwerp, BE @ De Roma ^ 11/11 - Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket ^ 11/12 - Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy ^ 11/13 - London, UK @ Pitchfork Music Festival 11/14 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City ^ 12/6 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent * 12/8 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s * 12/9 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret * 12/10 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios * 12/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room *

^ w/ Weyes Blood * w/ Nourished By Time

Connect with Vagabon:

Official Site | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

#vagabon #sorry i haven't called #Lætitia Tamko #nonesuch #nonesuch records #new york #alternative #electronic #Youtube

[twitchytyrant]

#cecile mclorin salvant #melusine #nonesuch records #2020s #m

[revkilltaker]

Natalie Merchant – Keep Your Courage - 2xLP - Nonesuch Records - 075597907872

Pressing Stats

Pressing #: First Press

Color:  Black (Auto’d)

Qty Pressed: ???

Additional Info: Other Pressings Available

Track Listing

Big Girls

Come On, Aphrodite

Sister Tilly

Narcissus

Hunting The Wren

Guardian Angel

Eye Of The Storm

Tower Of Babel

Song Of Himself

The Feast Of Saint Valentine

Spring & Fall: To A Young Child

Butterfly

Giving Up Everything

Frozen Charlotte

8/10

#Natalie Merchant #Nonesuch Records #10000 Maniacs

[nonesuchrecords]

"As hypnotic as anything she’s written, 'Dawning' is a revelation," Rob Thormeyer says of the new song from guitarist/composer Yasmin Williams, his guest on the latest episode of his For Songs podcast. "It signals a re-awakening of life after a catastrophic pandemic, new love, hope, and, well, pretty much whatever you want." The track—featuring Aoife O'Donovan on vocals, Kafari on rhythm bones, and Nic Gareiss’ percussive dancing—provides an early peek at her Nonesuch debut album, due in 2024. You can hear their conversation here.

#yasmin williams #dawning #for songs #aoife o'donovan #kafari #nic gareiss #guitar #nonesuch #nonesuch records

[musicollage]

Jackson Browne – Late For The Sky. 1974 : Asylum.

! acquire the album ★ attach a coffee !

#rock music #pop rock #folk rock #jackson browne #1974 #asylum records #elektra records #nonesuch records #singer songwriter #1970s #1970s rock

[sinceileftyoublog]

Hurray For The Riff Raff Album Review: The Past is Still Alive

(Nonesuch)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

On The Past is Still Alive, the latest and best studio album from Hurray For The Riff Raff, Alynda Segarra looks back at a specific era of their life to pay tribute to chaos and imagine what could come from it. Their seemingly legendary but very real past is well-known by now: At age 17, Segarra left their home in the Bronx and hopped freight trains, played in a hobo band, and settled in New Orleans, a formative period of simultaneous struggle and freedom. That combined ethos has pervaded all Hurray For The Riff Raff records, but on The Past is Still Alive, Segarra's finally telling the tale, applying what they learned to the present day.

Notably, Segarra started recording The Past is Still Alive a month after their father died; while his voice appears literally on the album's final track "Kiko Forever", his musical uplift acts as a buoy for Segarra throughout the whole thing. Though they had worked with producer Brad Cook and drummer Yan Westerlund prior, Segarra had never recorded with the rest of the album's laundry list of stellar contributors, from Meg Duffy of Hand Habits, and Mike Mogis to guest vocalists Anjimile, Conor Oberst, and S.G. Goodman. That Segarra conquered a period of vulnerability to record the album with bonafide strangers is a terrific feat, but not necessarily surprising: This is a person who has the ability to treat even their fellow band members like the audience, recipients of some remarkable stories full of biography and symbolism alike.

Throughout The Past is Still Alive, Segarra alternates between timeless metaphor and hyper-specific details. On "Buffalo", they remark, simply, that "Some things take time," whether presently forming love or society's death-by-1000-cuts treatment of the oppressed. Segarra sings over strummed acoustic guitar and Mogis' pedal steel, the perfect accompaniment to earned wisdom. "Hawkmoon", on the other hand, is more electric, full of Duffy's bluesy riffing, akin to the epic sound of The Navigator, fitting for a song inspired by a lasting figure: the first trans woman Segarra ever met. As if to project to a stadium full of folks looking to honor Ms. Jonathan, Segarra sings a heartland rock-style salute: "She opened up my mind in the holes of her fishnet tights / Dildo waving on her car antenna and / I could've ridden shotgun forever." Pseudo title track "Snakeplant (The Past Is Still Alive)" juxtaposes both memories of chaos and lessons learned. As Segarra recounts shoplifting and having sex on top of an island of trash, they make sure to tell you what they took from a life among "the barrel of freaks": "Test your drugs / Remember Narcan / There's a war on people, don't you understand?" Duffy's distorted guitar and Matt Douglas's skronking saxophone create beauty from Segarra's warnings of disorder.

Some of the best songs on The Past is Still Alive are incredibly life-affirming. Opener "Alibi" is a plea to drug-addicted childhood friends, a promise that, "Maybe we'll start a band," on a song that introduces the swath of instrumentation present throughout the record, like gentle piano, steady drums, echoing guitar, and pedal steel. "Ogallala" and "Colossus of Roads" prioritize survival in a harsh world--Segarra compares themselves to the musicians still playing on the deck of a sinking Titanic--but not without a wish that the world itself would burn. Westerlund's crashing drums take the former to its logical conclusion, while the latter, inspired by the 2022 Club Q shooting in Colorado springs, makes the case for empathy along the way to the apocalypse. "Wrap you up in the bomb shelter of my feather bed," Segarra sings, fighting cruelty with compassion atop Phil Cook's mournful dobro and organ and Westerlund's funereal drum rolls.

It's a line in "Hourglass" that sticks with me the most among the lyrical and instrumental brilliance of The Past is Still Alive. Recounting feeling out-of-place among the status-obsessed, Segarra shifts their perspective. "Suddenly, a boulder's just sand in an hourglass," they sing. Though they spend much of the album concentrating on time and place, they recognize that our mark on earth is statistically insignificant, something we can use to our advantage rather than something that makes us feel small. What many in society consider important--celebrity, power, money--is volatile compared to the power of your own agency, of giving life to the past.

#album review #hurray for the riff raff #nonesuch #yan westerlund #anjimile chithambo #matt douglas #the past is still alive #nonesuch records #alynda segarra #brad cook #meg duffy #hand habits #mike mogis #anjimile #conor oberst #s.g. goodman #the navigator #phil cook

[adsmusiconstellations]

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

https://wilcoworld.net / https://www.nonesuch.com/

#wilco #yankee hotel foxtrot #2002 #2000s #rock #nonesuch records #usa #jeff tweedy #jim o'rourke #john stirratt #glenn kotche #jay bennett #ken coomer #craig christiansen #fred lonberg holm #leroy bach #jessy greene #audio #alternative rock

[burlveneer-music]

Mary Halvorson - Amaryllis - one of two new albums; on this one she leads a sextet (plus string quartet on half the tracks)

Amaryllis is a six-song suite performed by a newly formed sextet of master improvisers, including Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). The Mivos string quartet joins for three of the songs, making this the largest ensemble for which Halvorson has written to date. The suite showcases Halvorson’s many musical influences from jazz, experimental, new music, and beyond.

#Mary Halvorson #guitar #jazz #new york #2022 #nonesuch records