links for the weekend of 2-3-24: starting with a sampling of listening before moving on to the shut-down of GetReligion, journalistic activism and its discontents, and other stuff

First we’ll do this links for the weekend post starting with all the musical stuff.  The other stuff will show up after the break.
 
I heard about this one from my brother, Kurena Ishikawa's bass and voice performance of Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlVpBTpaOU8
 
post-Esperanza Spaulding voice and bass performance.  Until I saw it done and heard it I would not have imagined it was possible to even do a voice and doublebass arrangement of a Michael Jackson song, let alone “Off the Wall”. 
 
Ishikawa has also done a version of Stevie Wonder’s “Bird of Beauty” (Fullfillngness’ First Finale was released in 1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK4DJ8y1GTI
 
I’m willing to say anyone who does covers of Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder is on a good musical path.
 
My brother and I (and several other of our relatives) have gotten into the manga/anime Spy x Family.  I only discovered it in late 2023 but swiftly caught up on the anime. My brother read the first 10 volumes of the manga in a mere three days.  During the holiday season with some family we watched the latest episode of season 2, which wrapped up.  There are a lot of things I enjoy about the series and one of them is the music.  The musical cues are fun and they are used in entertaining ways.  Some of them are earworms. 
 
(K)Now_NAME with "housework" from Spy x Family series soundtrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhYdrFTOfqY
 
Then another earworm for me is "Crisis of my home" from the same.  There is, for me, a gut-bustingly funny use of this musical cue in Episode 24 of season 1. Two caveats, first, episode 24 is really far into the season and like any good joke there's 24 episodes of set up for WHY the moment is so funny and, second, you've got to see it subtitled because the original Japanese voice cast cannot be beat.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ug7a2d3mg
 
I've made a point of learning about chamber works where the guitar is paired up with another instrument, be it woodwinds, strings, plucked strings or brass.  This one, Sonata for domra and guitar, is by Nikita Koshkin, whose work I've analyzed in moderate detail here in the past.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIKoH6DR-7E
 
Here's hoping the second half of his 24 Preludes and Fugues for solo guitar can be recorded sooner rather than later.
 
A bit of recycling but …
Ethan Iverson - Piano Sonata: Allegro Moderato
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbY3Vp3aTLU
Ethan Iverson - Piano Sonata: Andante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSI_bpQJDF8
Ethan Iverson - Piano Sonata: Rondo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPe_j-gnfko
Here’s the Kepler Quartet performing Ben Johnston’s String Quartet No. 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VX0tfFhkq8
 
I am not going to become a microtonalist myself but I admit I love Ben Johnston’s string quartets. Props to Kyle Gann for all the work he has done letting people know about Johnston’s music. 
 
Now we’ll get to the not-music element of the links for the weekend this weekend of February 3, 2024.

HT Ethan Hein, Ethan Iverson plays his Piano Sonata

1-28-2024 1 pm

This weekend I commend to your listening attention the new piano sonata by Ethan Iverson.  Thanks to Ethan Hein for mentioning in comments here at the blog recently.  I've listened to the sonata just a couple of times and want to listen to it more and read through the scores in-video before I write more but I did, at least, want to share it with readers of Wenatchee The Hatchet this weekend.

Ethan Iverson - Piano Sonata: Allegro Moderato

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbY3Vp3aTLU
Ethan Iverson - Piano Sonata: Andante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSI_bpQJDF8
Ethan Iverson - Piano Sonata: Rondo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPe_j-gnfko

I'll have more detailed thoughts after I've had more time to listen to it and read the scores but the short and quick impression is:  I like this sonata.  The second movement is touching and the third movement is funny,, in the zone of Haydn funny.  :)  I had to get my bearings a little on the first movement but I like it, too.  I hope Iverson writes more piano sonatas.  Often when jazz musician/composers tackle sonatas and "classical" forms the works don't always come off within those idioms, much like a lot of classical composers attempting jazz end up pretty cringe.  Iverson, however, is the kind of pianist who can interview (and did) George Walker and talked with him about his works.  I've got Iverson to thank for introducing me to George Walker's piano sonatas, which swiftly came to be among my favorite late 20th/early 21st century piano sonatas.  All that to say I repeat my hope that Ethan Iverson keeps writing more piano sonatas.  

More detailed comments may emerge at this post later.  For now I want to just get my initial thoughts into words and share the music with you.