Recapping some of what you heard on this week's show.
Von Freeman – “Lost in a Fog” – Doin’ it Right Now (Rhino Atlantic)
Chicago native, father of saxophonist Chico Freeman, early member of Sun Ra’s band, and notorious homebody Von Freeman passed away on August 13th. In need of fairly constant noodging to do anything involving leaving Chicago, he made this, his debut album, in 1972 at the age of 50. He always blamed his disdain for leaving home on his need to take care of his ailing Mom. When she died at age 100, he then began blaming it on his ailing dog. Y’gotta love this guy. (Audio below.)
Antony and the Johnsons – “Cut the World” – Cut the World (Secretly Canadian)
This is the sole studio recording on this new largely applause-free live release, which consists mostly of orchestral arrangements of previous Antony and the Johnsons songs, recorded last September in Copenhagen with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra. The album also includes a charming monologue by the transgender Antony Hegarty on female superiority and applying feminism to the ecological health of the planet. “Cut the World” was written for The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, a stage play about the Serbian performance artist, starring Ms. Abramovic, who is in fact still with us. Other players include Willem Dafoe and Hegarty, himself. The accompanying video (which includes Abramovic in a cameo) stars Dafoe and Dutch stage and film actress Carice Van Houten (of HBO’s Game of Thrones) and is punctuated by a grizzly but oddly poetic bit of violence. Challenging but beautiful. While I’m normally one to steer clear of depictions of violence in entertainment, I find this piece a wildly thought-provoking work. Is it about retaliation? Self protection? Justice? Mass psychosis? You’re left with your assumptions. But that’s the reward. That, and being haunted by it for days. Please heed my warning about the brief but pivotal moment of gore, and don’t view it if you believe you’d be disturbed by it. (Video below.)
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