KBCS

A mix of familiar and less-familiar names mingle in this cavalcade of new releases as we sample the latest from Gabriel Prokofiev, Unsuk Chin, Vivian Fung, Philip Zoubek, Sara Glojnarić and Seattle’s own Melia Watras. We also celebrate the 90th birthday of Christian Wolff (the last surviving member of John Cage's inner circle from the 1950s) with a classic work performed by pianist Frederic Rzewski (who sings and accompanies himself with a hi-hat and kick drum while playing). We also celebrate the 50th anniversary of Peter Maxwell Davies’ chamber opera Miss Donnithorne's Maggot, wherein a old woman sings of a broken heart and a rotting, uneaten wedding cake. Fred Frith marks his own 75th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his Guitar Solos album with a reannotated reissue of that classic of English avant-guitarism. And we preview Tim Berne’s upcoming appearance at The Royal Room, noting his and John Zorn’s common debt to Ornette Coleman and Julius Hemphill. We close with a long look at Zorn the organist via the just-released recording of his 70th birthday performance at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, which he dedicated to Terry Riley.