05/31/2018: Summer Listening!

In this week’s episode, your host Dr Lynn Vartan shares music with you to inspire you for summer! Samples come from modern classical music, world music and jazz! Enjoy!

Transcript

[00:00:01] Hey everyone. This is Lynn Vartan and you are listening to the A.P.E.X Hour on KSUU Thunder 91.1. In this show you get more personal time with the guests who visit Southern Utah University from all over. Learning more about their stories and opinions beyond their presentations onstage. We will also give you some new music to listen to and hope to turn you on to new genres you can find us here every Thursday at 3pm on the web at suu.edu/apex or email us at suuapex@icloud.com But for now welcome to this week's show here Thunder 91.1.

[00:00:49] Right. Well hello everyone. This is the A.P.E.X Hour. My name is Lynn Vartan and you are listening to Thunder 91.1. It's great to be here. And it is summertime here in southern Utah. It is absolutely gorgeous outside. Hopefully those of you who are driving through town get a chance to see some of our awesome Southern Utah landscapes and for those of you who may be listening in other states or other part of the country come visit us. We have some of the most amazing outdoor landscapes in the world and we'd love to have you here. I'm excited to be here. I am just recently back from a week in Oregon where there is another Shakespeare Festival we talked about our Shakespeare Festival here a couple of weeks back. Last week I was in Ashland, Oregon playing some concerts and doing some master classes and working with a bunch of the musicians and the young college students there. And it was a fantastic time. But as always it's happy times to be home in the summer. So I'm excited to be back here doing the A.P.E.X Hour this week. What I'd like to do is share music with you many people who listen know that I am a musician. That's part of what I do here at Southern Utah University. In addition to running Apex events our weekly lecture series but once the radio show I thought I'd really love to kind of take some opportunities this Tarah some music with you. So this week we're going to do a whole look at different styles and different genres and hope to teach you something and maybe turn you on to some music that you might not know about. So we're going to start out with some contemporary classical music and first of all what does that mean. Well contemporary classical music is classical music but typically it's music that was written very recently. And so what it means is that instead of getting these large orchestral works which of course you can totally still have in the contemporary music world a lot of us musicians end up playing contemporary chamber music chamber music meaning small ensembles mixed ensembles where you have all kinds of different instruments playing together. And this is a huge genre that I've been fortunate enough to perform in and love performing in. And there are some really exciting things going on. One of the composers that I'm really excited about is a guy named Robert Honstein. And the piece I'm going to play for you is called Patter and he has a program note of the piece and it says his program note is a quick succession of lights soft tapping sounds the patter of rain on the rooftops to move with light softly audible steps the patter of little feet around the house. A conversation heard faintly through the door or through the floor the patter of sisters friends or neighbors speaking quietly. So that's how he describes hi his piece patter and let's have a listen.

[00:10:14] All right. Well that was Patter by Robert Honstein. This is Lynn Vartan and you're listening to the A.P.E.X Hour here on KSUU Thunder 91.1. This hour we're talking about music. Sometimes we have guests in the house and sometimes we have people coming in and talking about different parts of campus. But today we're talking about music and again that piece was called Patter and the composers Robert Honstein and definitely check it out. The instruments that you were hearing were marimba. One of my favorites. And cello and violin. So that was just a trio. He has a lot of different kinds of pieces and a lot of different kinds of sounds so you can definitely check it out. So I also wanted to remind you that the A.P.E.X Hour is subscribe-able on iTunes and also Google Play. So if you like what you hear or want to hear some of the guests from last semester all of those episodes are available and we would love for you to subscribe and leave us a review. It's a great way to get the podcast known and get the word of Suu and Apex out there. OK so continuing in our contemporary chamber music vein. We're going to talk about another composer who is super popular right now.

[00:11:31] His name is Nico Muhly and I don't know if anybody out there watches Mozart in the jungle but he actually had a guest appearance on there as himself. He's one of these composers that is just super famous for collaborating and doing all kinds of things. He was born in Vermont. He studied composition at Juilliard with Chris Rouse Christopher Rouse and John Corigliano. And then he was working as an editor and a conductor for Philip Glass who is probably one of the most well known 20th century composers. He's part of a couple of different record labels one most notably called the bedroom community and a couple of his albums are out on that label. He lives in New York. He works with film TV different all kinds of different collaborations and his music is super varied. There's a lot of variety in the piece that I want to play for you is called typing and it's actually from a motion picture soundtrack. So it's kind of interesting. It's one of these crossover but it's definitely contemporary classical music or contemporary chamber music. The motion picture is called Kill Your Darlins and and this is "typing" by Nico Muhly here on the A.P.E.X Hour. All right that's just a short snippet again. Nico Muhly that piece is called typing and the the movie that it's from is called Kill Your Darlins. And again if you haven't heard Nico Muhly's music definitely check it out. I mean it's really he's just really cool and just definitely one of the hot composers right now.

[00:14:24] So one more in this contemporary classical genre here on Thunder 91.1 with the A.P.E.X Hour had to play a friend of mine a composer who's actually just really well-known also her name is Gabriela Frank and she is just an absolute doll and she has a really interesting background. She has several different nationalities and all different things in her heritage and she kind of embraces all of them. I had an opportunity to work with her several years ago and not only is her music just an absolute blast to play but she as a composer is just super passionate and engaging and just a wonderful person. We had a very memorable kind of residency working together that included making some really amazing pumpkin soup if you can believe that. So Gabi if you hear this I definitely want you to know that I remember that pumpkin soup. This is part of an album that's been recorded by the Silk Road Ensemble. Another amazing group. If you haven't heard of them or don't know about them. This is the the ensemble of virtuosic musicians from all over the world that is curated and directed by Yo-Yo Ma. The acclaimed cellist but he has collected really special and unique musicians from all different places so he has folk musicians from different parts of the world playing folk instruments. And he brings them together and their traditional Western instruments and all of that and they do projects where they not only commission but they also do folk work. And all of this kind of thing. This particular piece Ritmos Anchinos is by Gabi Frank, Gabrielle Lena Frank and it is done by the Silk Road Ensemble. And this is the second movement from this piece. Ritmos Anchinos and check out see what you think.

[00:16:27] And again you're listening to the A.P.E.X Hour All right so that was Ritmos Anchinos by Gabrielle Lina Frank and that was the second movement that I just love how right at the very end it sounds actually like strings like sort of traditional strings after the whole bit of the movement was all kind of wild and crazy. That was the Silk Road Ensemble and that album of the Silk Road Ensemble is titled off the map if you want to check out the rest of it. Great Composer Gabi Frank Gabriela Lena Frank that piece Ritmos Anchinos and the group the Silk Road Ensemble is just absolutely phenomenal. So definitely check them out. OK. This is the A.P.E.X Hour KSUU Thunder 91.1 I'm Lynn Vartan I'm your host and now it's time to go to a different genre. We were in the contemporary classical chamber music realm and now I want to turn to world music which is another one of my passions. The first piece that I want to play you is it's a piece called concrete jungle and it's a crossover but it's definitely in the Brazilian realm and the artist is Ceu Ceu. Her name is spelled C E U and this is from her album entitled Ceu Ceu you and I really like. I think she's really an interesting singer songwriter. She's Brazilian. She's been releasing albums I think her first album was in 2007. She's born in Sao Paulo. One of the interesting things about her is she had a huge set of influences because her father was a composer musicologist and just really active musician both in the academic realm and in the performing realm composer arranger musicologist. And from him she really got a steady dose of the Brazilian classical music composers.

[00:23:45] So we're talking about Villa-Lobos Nazare and Orlando Silva. People like that she grew up listening to classical Brazilian music. And then she kind of got really involved in American music and really passionate about that. And she quotes that some of her major influences which you can really hear in her music are people like Billie Holiday Ella Fitzgerald Lauryn Hill Erykah Badu. And so she's got this wide range of influence that that stretches all the way from the classical but yet Brazilian classical all the way to American jazz. And I think you can really hear that in her music. She has several albums but this song concrete jungle I think is a great way into her music so have a listen. Chick chick my. Now to space itself you've got to go around. No I get my well that was say you the artist C eu Ceu off the album Ceu Ceu and the piece is called concrete jungle. I just think that groove is so cool it's so slinky somehow and it's just got this great blend. And I definitely hear her influences in there and hopefully due to her that whole album Ceu Ceu is really really awesome. OK so moving on I want to talk about another style of music that may not be as well known. It's a world music style called fado. And let me tell you a little bit about fato. So the origins of fado are difficult to trace and I have this really great kind of definition when you talk to people but fado people have heard it and they're like oh yeah fado but nobody quite knows how to describe it.

[00:28:55] It's definitely a Portuguese style that's the first thing to know about it. Portuguese music style and it's a singing style. And this is what the definition says and I think it's one of the better ones out there and the origins of fado are difficult to trace. It's commonly regarded as simply a form of song which can be about anything but must follow a certain traditional structure in popular belief fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics often about the sea or life of the poor infused with the sentiment of resignation faithfulness and melancholy. This is loosely captured by the portuguese words sadad or longing symbolizing a feeling of loss a permanent irreparable loss and it's consequent lifelong damage. It definitely has it but it's not. I mean that sounds so intense. It's not an intense or depressing music to listen to. If any people have traveled to Portugal or plan on travel to Portugal I'd definitely recommend checking out some of it live. I was really lucky to see some of it at a fairly young age as a teenager and I was completely enamored with it in this restaurant where this singer came out and just had this very strong and yes mournful but just powerful and passionate voice and song so that's kind of the style of fato. And if it turns you on. Definitely check out more of it it's really strong and an impassioned and powerful song style from Portugal. The sample that we're going to hear is a song called Barco Negro and the artist is Mariza. And the album is fado em mim.

[00:30:47] She was born to a Portuguese father and a partially African mother and moved to sort of central Portugal when she was three and was raised in kind of the historic center of Lisbon. She began singing really young and she was started by singing gospel and soul and jazz and then her father really got her was really strong about trying to get her into fato he really thought that the traditional music would really suit her and also kind of skyrocket her success in the Portuguese community and he was absolutely right she has sold over a million albums worldwide. And it's it's just incredible music. And again you're listening here to A.P.E.X Hour on KSUU but let's have a little taste of some fado by Mariza. That's a bit of fado there. And again that artist it's so cool you can hear some of that. The way she sort of slides or bends her voice and gives that little bit of that mournful quality. So again her name is Mariza and that album is called fado em mim. That song was called Barco Negro a great example of fado music and you're here listening to the A.P.E.X Hour. This is Lynn Vartan and it's KSUU Thunder 91.1. We're going to move to a little bit of Colombia now. This artist I'm really I really like.

[00:36:25] Of course I'm saying that about everybody today because I like all the music today but I'm going to play you a little bit of kind of crazy jazz folk virtuosic harp. Yes I said harp and this guy is amazing. His name is Edmar Castaneda and he started by being a collaborator. He does write his own work and and this song that you're going to be hearing is from his own album. But he sort of got to be known by by collaborating with people like Paquito D'Rivera Lila Downs Giovanni Dago Joe Locke Wynton Marsalis John Patitucci John Scofield. I mean just tons and tons of people and I think everybody was just transfixed by what this guy does. And now he you know has his own compositions and his music is this blend of kind of native Colombian but also jazz but also sort of just intense coolness. And he's just really great. This album is called carto Dickel Laurus and the song that we're going to listen to is called El Camino. And again this is Edmar Castaneda and harpist and you're listening to the A.P.E.X Hour Welcome back to the A.P.E.X Hour. This is Lynn Vartan and you're listening to KSUU Thunder 91.1. Today's A.P.E.X Hour is all about music and that was kind of part of my world music segment kind of inner to everyone to some different world music styles and sounds that song you just heard was El Camino. And the artist is Edmar Castaneda. And the album is Cuarto de Colores and he is a harpist and an instrument that you we're hearing is the harp. I have one more World Music piece that I want to share with you. And this is along the same lines.

[00:42:55] It's very virtuosic but it's guitar and this is a duo that's become quite well-known in the last several years and you've probably actually heard them even though you don't know it. And the group is called Rodrigo and Gabriela and their guitar duo. Originally from Mexico and actually still living in Mexico and they have a lot of different influences flamenco rock and also heavy metal. I think they're sort of crossover genres that have made them are one of the things that's made them so popular. Their recordings are a lot of instrumental duets on flamenco style guitars and they actually started out in Ireland and they were staying in Ireland for eight years. They currently live in Mexico City and are back in Mexico but they started in Dublin which is kind of interesting. They have five albums three live albums one E.P.. And the reason you might have heard them is that in 2011 they collaborated with Hans Zimmer on Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides soundtrack and then they also were on the Shrek prequel the Puss in Boots prequel so you may have heard them. They have a very distinctive virtuosic guitar sound. They've toured all over the place they've performed at the White House. They've done just all kinds of stuff. The song that I'm in a play for you is from one of their earlier albums. This album is called 11 11 and the song is Hanumaan. And again this is the duo Rodrigo Gabriela and the great Mexican classical guitar duo so check it out.

[00:44:45] The well that was Rodrigo Gabriela and the song is called Hanuman and the album is 11 11 and that's sort of my last of my world music tastings so it took you a little bit to Brazil and then I took you to Portugal for fado and then a little bit of Colombian harp and then finally finishing up with some Mexican classical guitar but it's sort of flamenco but it's sort of like metal guitar. I mean it's super virtuosic they're just actually actually amazing. So hopefully you got a nice taste of of some new and interesting things for you that you might want to check out some time and listen to some more just for money. This is the A.P.E.X Hour if you like the podcast definitely subscribe on iTunes or Google Play wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a review if you think of it. We'd love to get sort of more known and get more people listening. Well I've got one more song that I want to play for you and we're going to move into the jazz idiom for just a little bit. And I say jazz very loosely because I think and you know it's kind of what is jazz really these days. And it's such a wide genre. Maybe sometime later in the summer I'll do a whole show on different styles of jazz and different kinds of music but I'm going to finish out by playing a song by one of my favorite jazz pianist and I've played him once before maybe even twice before on the show. And that is Tigran Hamasyan. I just love his playing. He is an Armenian jazz pianist. He plays mostly original compositions and they have a lot of folk in them but definitely have the jazz style too.

[00:50:04] He's got a lot of jazz traditions and somehow even a little progressive rock and they're one of the things I'm really excited about in music right now these days is this sort of blending and mixing that we can do. I mean many of the artists that I played for you today are not any one thing and I really love that about the time that we're living in with music that you you are just one thing you can bring all of your influences together be it folk or jazz or classical or rock or progressive rock or whatever you want. So Tigran is definitely one of those. And this album is called Mockroot. But the song that I want to play for you is called entertain me and it just really shows off his amazing touch and his style. It's a short number but really can kind of bring things back down and relax you as you move into your day. So this is entertain me. And again it's the artist ti Tigran Hamasyan so that was not one of his more relaxing tunes. I should have said it's going to energize you into the rest of your day. Yeah that was a Tigran Hamasyan. The song is called entertain me and I in my mind had this other song of his life that I forgot that I had changed it to entertain me to kind of power you through your upcoming hour. But that's all the time we have today and I hope you've enjoyed this kind of musical tour. I'll try to do these every once in a while in the summer and again this is the A.P.E.X Hour I'm Lynn Vartan This is KSUU Thunder 91.1.

[00:54:57] And you know we will be on every single week. We may be live. We may be playing best of but it'll always be on the radio at 3pm and then you can definitely find the podcast either on iTunes or on Google Play on that we will have the transcription of everything on the website as always so if you're interested in some of these musicians and want to check them out you absolutely can and the website is suu.edu/apex So I'm signing off for now and we're going to get you back to the music and our normal playlist here on KSUU Thunder 91.1. We're listening to the A.P.E.X Hour here on KSUU Thunder 91.1. Come find us again next Thursday at 3pm for more conversations with the visiting guests at Southern Utah University and new music to discover for your next playlist. And in the meantime we would love to see you at our events on campus to find out more. Check out suu.edu/apex or email us at suuapex@icloud.com. Until next week this is Lynn Vartan saying goodbye from the A.P.E.X Hour here on Thunder 91.1.