Present Sounds Recordings

Hunger: The Journey of Tamsen Donner

noreply@blogger.com (TB) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:27:00 +0000

The tragic western tale of the Donner Party gets a new frame in this chamber opera by composer Tom Baker. The CD is finally being released (after many setbacks) and we are excited to let you know about it. The show was produced in 2008 by the Seattle EXperimental Opera, with Maria Mannisto singing the lead role. The performances on this recording are really special, featuring some of Seattle's finest musicians.

"Powerful. A starkly beautiful, almost unbearably moving chamber opera."

-Paul de Barros, Seattle Times

Please click on the link to your left to go and listen to samples and buy the CD.

HUNGER tells the tragic tale of the Donner Party through the eyes of Tamsen Donner, the matriarch of that ill-fated group of pioneers. The Donner family and their fellow travelers were determined to make it to the promised land - the California territory. After struggling across the prairie and the desert, losing most of their oxen and cattle, and nearly dying of thirst, they were convinced to modify their route by a hired guide. They reached the Sierra mountains, just miles from their destination, only to be trapped for months by blinding snow and bitter storms. Many perished. Some survived by resorting to cannibalism. They all experienced unimaginable suffering. The music of Tom Baker and the poetry of Ruth Whitman combine to give a moving account of this journey, told through Tamsen Donner's re-imagined words, thoughts and songs.

Yiju

noreply@blogger.com (TB) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Hello Friends

Wanted to let you know of this beautiful new CD by Seattle composer Byron Au Yong, which just came out on Present Sounds Recordings. It is so great to have Byron aboard the PS ship, and looking forward to more from him in the future. For now, this CD should fulfill all of your wildest imaginings and strange dreams. You will definitely want to check this record out as soon as possible. Luckily, it is easy to do, just click on the album cover over there on your left. Go on, click it. You will feel better immediately.

Coming soon: Hunger - The Journey of Tamsen Donner

Happy February!
PS Recordings

Edge: Flute Music from the Periphery of Europe

noreply@blogger.com (TB) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 04:26:00 +0000

We are really pleased to announce the release of this new record by Seattle flute virtuoso Paul Taub. It is an honor to have Paul join Present Sounds Recordings for this new CD of music by composers from the former Soviet Union, with a new work for flute and string quartet by the new-music master composer Giya Kancheli.

With music from Armenia, Latvia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Russia, Taub takes us on a wonderful journey through a plethora of style and taste. He is joined on this recording by some of Seattle's finest musicians, and the masterful playing is well worth checking out.

An early review by the Seattle Times:

The music is alternately lyrical, eerie, rambunctious and prankish. It's always adventurous — and always approachable, whether in its beauty or in its stark drama.

For samples or to buy, click the album cover below or to your left.

Enjoy!

Portable Sanctuary NOW AVAILABLE

noreply@blogger.com (Present Sounds) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:04:00 +0000

Hello friends,

Wanted to let you know that the new record by Seattle drummer/composer Paul Kikuchi is available. We are really proud to welcome Paul to Present Sounds, as well as the amazing crew he assembled for this CD - Stuart Dempster, Bill Horist, Jesse Olsen Bay, and Alex Vittum.

From an early review: "With this release, Kikuchi proves once again that he's one of the most interesting composing drummers currently working. His ensembles consistently create some of the most varied and satisfying improvised music one can hear today." - The Stash Dauber

Check out the new record by clicking on the cover to the left... You won't be disappointed.

A busy summer...

noreply@blogger.com (TB) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:13:00 +0000

Present Sounds is in the midst of a very busy season -- SIX new albums out in 2011. We are very excited about some of our upcoming records, including:

- a new solo cd by violinist/singer/composer Hope Wechkin
- a chamber opera (about the Donner Party) by composer Tom Baker and the Seattle EXperimental Opera
- a new cd by Portable Sanctuary, featuring Paul Kikuchi and Stuart Dempster
- a new cd of modern Eastern European composers by flautist Paul Taub
- our newest upcoming: a cd by Seattle composer Byron Au Yong.

More details on each of these releases as they become available. Hope you can check them out, as well as our full catalogue (to your left...)

Happy Summer!

Present Sounds

PS1101 - Brian Cobb's Campfire Songs

noreply@blogger.com (TB) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:14:00 +0000

Present Sounds is very excited to release this new song cycle by Seattle composer Brian Cobb. The work transports us back to the pioneering days of the American west, but heard through a highly modernized filter. Featuring some of Seattle's finest performers, and recorded by Doug Haire at Jack Straw Studios, Campfire Songs is a unique CD well worth checking out.

LISTEN AND BUY

Also coming up this spring, a new chamber opera recording of Hunger, the Journey of Tamsen Donner, by Tom Baker and a new CD by Portable Sanctuary featuring Paul Kikuchi and Stuart Dempster.

Campfire Songs

noreply@blogger.com (Present Sounds) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 03:23:00 +0000

COMING SOON:

Brian Cobb's haunting CD "Campfire Songs" featuring some of Seattle's best musicians and singers. This song cycle brings the listener right down to the campfire, sitting around listening to music with banjo, guitar, violin, clarinet, percussion...

Campfire Songs will be available mid-February. Stay tuned.

Happy listening...

Present Sounds

Vertigo

noreply@blogger.com (Present Sounds) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:38:00 +0000

Composer and clarinetist Jesse Canterbury will be discussing his new album VERTIGO at a talk at Jack Straw Studios on Wed, Dec 8. Details below.

To check out Jesse's new CD, click here.

More info: Composer Spotlight

Composer Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Present Sounds) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:46:00 +0000

PS Artist Ryan Hare will be giving a talk about his music at the Composer Spotlight series at Jack Straw. Will include the premiere performance of his Quasi Improfisando for solo cello. Details can be found here.

Also check out Ryan's solo bassoon CD released on Present Sounds Recordings in 2004. Here samples here.

GOAT!

noreply@blogger.com (Present Sounds) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:01:00 +0000

GOAT

Present Sounds artist GOAT is playing here in Seattle this week at the Comet Tavern.

Check out the GIG details here.

AND hear Goat's debut CD - Special Agent - released in 2008. A great record. Listen to samples here.

TRIPTET CD-Release Party and Show

noreply@blogger.com (Present Sounds) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:05:00 +0000

Present Sounds is happy to announce a CD-Release party and show by TRIPTET this Saturday, 9:00 PM at Egan's in Ballard, in Seattle.

This intergalactic trio is celebrating the release of their new CD - You Can See the Bottom - on the PS label.

For details on the party, click here.

To hear samples of the new CD, click here.

Jesse Canterbury's Vertigo

noreply@blogger.com (Present Sounds) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:10:00 +0000

Jesse Canterbury's Vertigo is officially available through CDBABY, take a listen and pick one up if you like it!

Vertigo

Ryan Hare's Chamber Concerto

noreply@blogger.com (Present Sounds) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:02:00 +0000

Present Sounds artist Ryan Hare is having his Chamber Concerto performed tonight by Northwestern University's Contemporary Music Ensemble, conducted by Tim Robblee. Ryan recorded a CD for Present Sounds in 2004 called Intrada, which is all new music for solo bassoon, composed for him. It is quite a record and a virtuosic performance.

You can check it out here to listen to samples: Intrada

Earshot Jazz Fest

noreply@blogger.com (Present Sounds) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:27:00 +0000

Hey Friends

So be sure to check out all the shows that Earshot is offering this year. You can see their full schedule at Earshot.

And speaking of Earshot, they gave a great review to Present Sounds artists Jesse Canterbury, Greg Campbell, Brian Cobb and Tom Baker, whose recent record SAVE hit the streets a few months ago. Check out the review.

Check out SAVE at cdbaby.com.

Be sure to check out our other albums, all listed to your left!

New Website!

noreply@blogger.com (TB) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:18:00 +0000

Hello Friends and Happy Fall!

Welcome to the new website for Present Sounds Recordings. We are very excited for our new blog-style website, hopefully you will want to follow us and see what we are up to now and then. Feel free to chime in, or to take a stroll through the catalogue to your right (click on any album cover to preview or purchase).

We appreciate your support of new-music, and hope that you will find something here that you like. More to come...

Three New Releases

noreply@blogger.com (TB) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 23:14:00 +0000

Hello again,

Present Sounds is very proud to announce three new record releases, all coming within a few weeks of each other. We hope you will check out some sounds and maybe buy a CD or two. The catalogue is located to your right, you can order by mail on the link or you can click on any album cover to hear samples and purchase a CD. Let us know what you think.

First up: Seattle Percussion Collective, Volume 1 (PS1001)

This isa new record bya fantastically talented group from Seattle, led by percussion wizard Dale Speicher. This group has been working together for a couple of years, and has gotten an amazing amount of critical acclaim for their concerts of very difficult and modern repertoire. This disc includes works by John Cage, Christian Wolff, Tom Baker and Roger Zahab, as well as a work by Speicher. With several world premiere recordings, this is a disc not to be missed.

Next out is a new record by Triptet, You Can See the Bottom (PS1002)

A record from outer-space, or outer-outer-space. This improvising trio of Michael Monhart on saxophone, Greg Campbell on percussion and french horn, and Tom Baker on fretless guitar first played together in a Sun Ra Tribute band. Since then, they have been exploring the far cosmos and limits of free-jazz. The group recently had a very successful debut in NYC for an east-coast CD-release, and will be playing on the IsThatJazz? music festival in January of 2011. Watch for an announcement of their upcoming CD-release concert in Seattle.

Finally, our newest record: Vertigo (PS1003) - COMING SOON

Vertigo is a group led by the amazing clarinetist and composer Jesse Canterbury, and includes Chris Stover on trombone; Joanne deMars on Cello; and Tom Baker on acoustic guitar. A strange and wonderful combination of instrumental timbres, these players create a sound that is very new and unlike any other ensemble out there. With quirky and groove-based compositions by Canterbury, this record feels completely familiar and totally disorienting at the same time.