KBCS

Flotation Device brings treats for violists—and fans of that historically marginalized instrument—in the form of a major 20th century composition that’s just been recorded for the first time as a viola solo. As a bonus, we’ll hear Mat Maneri jamming on this oversized fiddle in a unique quartet configuration with Ches Smith, Bill Frisell and Craig Taborn.

Meanwhile Whettman Chelmets (from Joplin, Missouri) and Alina Błońska (Poland by way of Spain) offer two unique approaches to musical nostalgia: Chelmets straddling the border between audio art and dark ambient in memory of his late grandmother, Błońska drawing on Baroque instruments and spiritual minimalism to fashion a postmodern Easter cantata. Our 50 years ago in the avant-garde feature looks back on a transitional album by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, while Matthew Shipp channels Nina Simone and the Ullén/Bergman/Lund trio channels Matthew Shipp. A sampling of tracks from Mick Barr in his Ocrillim guise and the new retrospective album by Liang YiYuan (a key figure in China’s musical underground) round out the playlist.