Abstract Index Live Recordings 2007-11

At long last I've compiled some live recordings from Abstract Index related performances over the past few years. It features great performances by Jesse 'Dubmatix' King, GuShee, MiMo, Odradek, Kyle Brenders/Scott Thompson/Susanna Hood, Daniel Nebiat, Alaniaris and an unreleased jam from Huelepega Sound System. 

The only way to get one is to become a member of CIUT ($25 donation) during the imminent Fall Fundrasing drive, preferably before my show on Thursday the 20th. Pledge at the CIUT website now & make sure to tell 'em The Abstract Index sent you.

MiMo Live Set During Fundraising

Next week is the Abstract Index fall fundraising drive. I'm still putting together the final program (YOU can be a part - both on air and in the phone room) but the main event is MiMo.

To be honest, I don't know much about Samuel Morganstein and Matthew Miller. But I'm intrigued by their forthcoming vinyl release of 96 'locked groove' compositions. They're doing a launch party on October 24 featuring Insideamind and many members of AIMToronto improvising with the vinyl source material. It seemed like a good idea to put that concept on the air and combine it with fundraising. Why? BECAUSE WE CAN. That's how we roll at CIUT, where presenting art, improvised music and turntablism is always a priority.

Hopefully you agree and will support us during the show with a membership. The Abstract Index needs 20 pledges of $25 or more to keep going. There will be giveaways - not just CDs this time - and guests, but this is a really special event and a true expression of the power of community radio. Please tune in.

If you would like to pledge in advance, please do so.

NO INDEX

Kicking out the live jams twice in two weeks? Unheard of! But I've got a few live events coming up.

Of critical importance is NO INDEX. I'm joining forces with the No Beat Radio crew to wreck shit at Teranga on Wednesday October 20.

Here are the details:

Beats, noise, cultural collisions, improvisation, major lasers.

CIUT's late night mixologists concoct a night of digiturntable madness and DJ bricolage. A fundraising event in support of CIUT FM

Wednesday October 20 - 9PM

Teranga
$5 - all proceeds go to CIUT FM

Featuring: Minesh Mandoda & Marco Landini of No Beat Radio
Mondays 10PM-midnight
(http://www.ciut.fm/index.php/shows-2/no-beat-radio/)

David Dacks of The Abstract Index
Thursdays 10PM-midnight
(http://www.ciut.fm/index.php/shows-2/the-abstract-index-2/)

Live bruit from JFM http://www.myspace.com/jessefrankmatthews

I'll keep updating this post as more people pile on.

At The Guelph Jazz Festival

interviewing John McLean of Mr. Something Something last year.

Just a quick post to let you know I'll be co-anchoring CIUT's coverage of the Guelph Jazz Festival once again this year.

Tune in tomorrow (Sat. September 11) from noon until midnight tomorrow for music and interviews from under the big top on Upper Wyndham St. Interviews will include Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground), Rich Brown, Jeremy Strachan & Andrew McPherson. Music sets include Canaille, SoulJazz Orchestra, Fanfare Pourpour and Sagapool.

I'll sneak off in the middle to perform with Huelepega Sound System featuring ace guitarist Colin Fisher at 7:45PM which will be broadcast live to air!

Huelepega is also participating in Guelph's first ever Nuit Blanche. We'll be reconvening for a 2AM at the Synnema! Hope to see you there.

Cause It's A New Day, A New Time

It's 420, so I'ma quote Sir Bob as much as I wanna.

But seriously, big tings a gwaan: the Abstract Index is moving.

As of May 13, I will be the proud resident of Thursday night 10-midnight. I look forward to the switch. The show will no doubt be a bit different. For starters, I won't be playing reggae and dub exclusively in the last half hour - it will be spread out amongst the other sets. Beyond that, the shift will be more subtle, but can probably be best described as the difference between how you feel at 6PM while stuck in traffic/making dinner and 10PM when you're sparking up spliff number two on the couch. The new timeslot comes with the additional appeal of one Jason Palma setting the table with top class grooves.

Thursday night feels right. I hosted a Thursday night show for 4 years in the late 80s/early 90s, which turned into Vibes And Stuff, and now Higher Ground.

I think this is going to be a good night for Toronto and environs to listen to CIUT.

CIUT Spring Fundraising Drive - April 7

CIUT's spring fundraising drive starts tomorrow, April 7. For a change, the Abstract Index is on day one. Please consider becoming a member with a donation of $25.

Why support the Abstract Index? I devote my life to music promotion, and of all the work I do, I’m most proud of this radio show. Every week I challenge myself to tell a new story with music. It’s a tremendous privilege to have the opportunity to improvise over the airwaves every week – how often does an individual have the chance to pilot a mass medium?

CIUT prides itself on being a source for all kinds of music not heard on commercial radio in Toronto. As regular listeners know, I don’t specialize in one genre, this show is about making connections with a mix with breadth and depth.

On Wednesday, I will be joined in the studio by Exclaim’s hip hop editor Del Cowie, Editor In Chief of Musicworks Magazine Micheline Roi, local electro dancehall heroes Bonjay, and superfan Marcel Strohmeier, among others. There will be plenty of CDs to be given away as well.

Please don’t hesitate to make a donation right away – I have a special early bird prize of a year’s subscription to Musicworks Magazine. This prize will be drawn from those who become members of CIUT before Wednesday’s broadcast. It’s much easier to raise funds on air if there are a few pledges already in the bank.

You can email me back if you want me to fill out a pledge form, or pledge online and make sure you indicate that you're supporting the Abstract Index.

I'm still looking for another phone volunteer. If that appeals, just let me know.

Fall Membership Drive - Wed November 4

CIUT's Fall Membership drive begins tomorrow and I'm in the hot seat on Wednesday November 4.

My guests for the affair will be the Simmer Down DJ crew, trumpeter Nicole Rampersaud and Uma Nota/Samba Elegua's Jonathan Rothman - maybe more if I can really get my shit together.

One thing you can count on is a massive, crazy diverse selection of CDs to be given away over the course of two draws during the show (7 and 8PM). To be eligible for the draw, you must become a member with a pledge of $25.

I need to attract 20 members to stay on the air... and it's always a battle. Why? Traditionally, open format radio shows are a harder sell than themed shows. Don't agree? Make a pledge and prove me wrong. I dare you.

Here's a partial list of the highlights, just to pique your interest...

Divine Brown - The Love Chronicles
Tinariwen - Imidiwan
The Warsaw Village Band - Infinity
Maher Shalal Hash Baz - C'est La Derniere Chanson
Anthony Braxton/Kyle Brenders - Toronto (duets) 2007
Noel Ellis - Noel Ellis
Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid - NYC
Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Mishka - Above The Bones
Souljazz Orchestra - Manifesto
Blah Blah 666 - It's Only Life!
Blaze - Spiritually Speaking
Ganelin Trio - Live At The Lithuanian Philharmony, 2005
Sara Tavares - Xinti
The Tony Wilson Sextet - The People Look Like Flowers At Last
Lina Allemano - Gridjam

You don't have to wait until Wednesday to contribute, you can go to http://ciut.fm right now and pledge securely. Tell 'em the Abstract Index sent you.

Thanks for your support!

The End Of 91 St. George St.

image courtesy of Andrew Louis

Mid October Notes & Interviews

For those of you who religiously follow the podcasts, it'll be a bumpy ride over the next few weeks as CIUT continues to get set up in its new facilities. Right now, I don't have direct access to the archives, so I have to rely on others to get the show recordings to me so I can upload them. Also, the sound quality is a bit distorted as well in spots - that has to do with working the new on-air mixing board, which doesn't sound like it's fully optimized yet. These issues will be resolved soon.

In upcoming interviews, tune in next week (October 21) for a conversation with electric harpist Zeena Parkins who's in Toronto for a performance with Phantom Orchard, her collaboration with Ikue Mori.

The following week, October 28, Jeremy Strachan will stop by to talk about his new powerfully grooving skronk jazz outfit Canaille, which releases their debut CD the following night at the Music Gallery.

First Impressions

Here are some snaps of my first night in CIUT's new studios in Hart House.

For those of you outside Toronto, here's some background on the context of this move. Hart House is one of the key buildings on the University of Toronto campus. It was established in 1919 as one of the first student activity centers in North America. It's a gorgeous, iconic Gothic revival structure kitty-corner to the university's most famous building, University College. Hart House includes a top-flight restaurant, a professional caliber theatre, athletic facilities, a swimming pool, and a barbershop. It is a central part of the University of Toronto experience. The rationale behind the move is that CIUT's presence will increase and diversify student traffic and engagement with the radio station and the building in general.

I didn't take any pictures of the Map Room studio, which is still under construction (looks great though...). All programming between 8AM and 6PM will take place there - come gawk at Medicineman while he's doing his show! These pics are taken in the main CIUT facilities on the third floor. This was the former, spectacular apartment of the Warden of Hart House. It was completely off-limits to the public for most of Hart House's existence, and should be a revelation to all past and present U of T students. Truly a candidate for Doors Open Toronto.

The studio ("Studio 3") overlooks Tower Rd's 'back campus' playing fields. its west view should provide some memorable sunset experiences during my timeslot. It was already incredibly beautiful last night.

Things are far from complete, but I still can't believe this is all happening...

1. The studio is three flights of stairs from the main entrance, but the elevator works well too.

2. Skylights abound.

3. A big hallway full of stuff in boxes

4. Catwoman at the controls

5. The interview booth

6. View from behind the mic, sitting in a brand new chair. Note the perfect levels on the board - Abstract Index comes correct everytime, seen?

7. Sunset over back campus, taken from the interview booth window. Wednesday Night Lights.

Abstract Index Playlist - September 23/09

one last snapshot of 91 St. George St. as I left the building...

Indulge me for a moment.

Rock bands build entire careers on mythologizing the four to five years of high school's pressure cooked social dynamics. I spent 23 years at the building I first entered three short months after high school ended, so I feel justified in a little rose-coloured reminiscence.

CIUT blew apart my high school state of mind. Immediately, this 17 year old found himself hanging out with the architects of the soon to be launched radio station, most of whom were about a decade older than me and had deeeeeep collections. 20,000 albums, hundreds of 7" singles and walls of cassettes also contributed to warping my young mind.

As important as the musical bonanza was, it was the volunteers who made the place different than anything I'd experienced up to that time. I would meet Rasta militants, grizzled veterans of Toronto's jazz scene (re: Dick Wattam), ethnomusicologists and activists of every description - all of whom shaped my perspective on what the word "community" could encompass in this huge, diverse city.

91 St. George St. shaped me as a person as well as a musical entrepreneur. It taught me that being the singular person at the controls of 15,000 watts is an incredible thrill and a serious responsibility. It taught me to challenge myself every time I stepped up to the mic; to make spontaneous art which drew from a constant quest for knowledge and insight. At this point, I welcome the opportunity to pass on that enthusiasm to those who say "damn, I wasn't even BORN back then...". Each one teach one.

We're moving to Hart House, which has the potential to become an even more memorable physical manifestation of what CIUT can deliver. The facilities will be more accessible to students and the general public than ever before, and the technical setup more versatile. For someone who's always loved to push the limits of the form with live dub sessions and multi-studio broadcasts, this will hopefully unlock new creative initiatives.

In some ways, like the aforementioned rock bands, CIUT has been an extended adolescence - although it's been more like a never-ending undergraduate degree than high school. I've done other work in radio and audio programming jobs which has been fascinating and far better paid, but these experiences have made me appreciate the specific virtues of CIUT rather than make it seem juvenile or bush-league.

I remain a true believer: radio still represents the lowest-cost, most accessible and most massive of mass media. At its best, campus radio is a brilliant combination of physical facilities, vast musical resources, and most of all, an internal/external community spirit which powers personal and passionate statements by committed individuals.

Onwards and South-Eastward.

Podcast - for those of you who claim that nobody listens to radio anymore...

the alchemy of scott lafaro - ornette coleman (atlantic)
if i took your hand - fire! (rune gramofon)
here comes the family - the family of percussion and archie shepp (nagara)
nirvana - shafiq husayn (plug research)
alchemy - tasa (no label)
druid jazz - cymbali (music gallery)
butchenska ratchenitsa - ivo papasov & his bulgarian wedding band (hannibal)
somalia - k'naan (a&m)
be thankful - bunny clarke (trojan)
i will sing unto jah - squidly cole (no label)
chemical specialist - creation rebel/new age steppers (cherry red)
king tubbys badness - king tubby (trojan)
try love from zion - natto & mountain edge band (no label)
woman dub - chezidek (tabou 1)
tribute to drumbago - king tubby & the dynamics (pressure sounds)
east west north and south - vin gordon (shelter rock)

Upcoming Interviews On The Abstract Index

I've been negligent at promoting upcoming interviews on this blog... Not this time, though. There are two you should definitely know about:

image by Geoff George/Exclaim

Next week (September 23) I'll be joined by author and Harbourfront booking agent Dalton Higgins.

We'll be speaking about his new book "Hip Hop World", which came out last month. The book surveys the growth and state of hip hop culture in North America and around the world. As you know, I don't play a tremendous amount of hip hop on my show, but it's part of my musical DNA and affects a wide range of music I represent more frequently. By the same token, Dalton's book delves into these hip hop tangents - I think this is going to be a fascinating discussion.



The following week (September 30), I'll air an edited interview with singjay extraordinaire Jahdan Blakkamoore. His album Buzzrock Warrior dropped this week and oh my it's quite the aural treat. Dancehall, hip hop, dubstep, cumbia, even mambo influences figure into the latest and greatest statement from the Dutty Artz crew. Jahdan has an expansive outlook on music, and will be talking about how he's gotten to where he is today.

Both interviews take place at interview o'clock - 7PM.

The Big Tent Of Jazz

rocking the 'corporate swag' at last year's festival

Once again, CIUT will be broadcasting from the Guelph Jazz Festival.

On Saturday, join me and the gang either virtually (89.5FM in the GTA or www.ciut.fm) or in person at the Upper Wyndham St. jazz tent. We're on from noon til midnight!

It's a big tent both literally and figuratively. As usual this event is designed to welcome one and all to a series of crowd pleasing and musically stimulating performances. Here's the lineup:

• Jane Bunnett and the KidsAbility Youth Ensemble
  11:30 am
  

• Michael Occhipinti’s Sicilian Jazz Project
  2 pm
  

• Shuffle Demons
  4 pm
  

• Rebel Rhythm
  5:45 pm
  

• Jean Derome Évidence Trio +3
  7:15 pm
  

• Odessa/Havana
  9:00 pm
  

• Mr. Something Something
  10:45 pm
  

Expect interviews with many of the musicians playing under the big top, and throughout the festival.

Midsummer A Gwaan

Batman Samini & yours truly at Afrofest, photo courtesy of Donna Gee

It's been a minute since I posted about my activities in print and in non-Abstract Index related stuff on the radio.

Eye Weekly has run a few features lately. I wrote a duo of West African articles about Femi Kuti and Oumou Sangare (absolutely killer at Afrofest). Last month I caught what might hold up as my fave show of the year: Goran Bregovic.

In Exclaim, I wrote about Major Lazer in July, and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble in June. Also in the July issue is a feature/review with MC Zulu and David Last. The interview with Zulu was one of my favourite conversations of the year, unfortunately the sound quality wasn't good enough for broadcast.

Also in Exclaim, I've become one of the Click Hear team. Every week, I post about one or more new or new-ish tracks available for free somewhere in the interweb. Some entries are fairly out of the way, some are merely crucial. It's a fun assignment.

Coming up this Saturday, tune in to CIUT to catch our broadcast of Jamaica Day, live from its new location at Downsview Park. I'll be participating in the conversation, but mostly I'm going to be scouting out all the fried dough at the vendors' booths - that's why they call summertime the "festival" season. Oy, terrible joke....

One last thing: check in to the Abstract Index radio show tomorrow for an interview with Ghanaian hiplife/"raglife" star Batman Samini at 7:30PM. He's been hanging out in Toronto since his triumphant performance at Afrofest, and has a gig coming up at the Fusion Lounge on July 25.

Abstract Index Playlist - July 1/09

Right after I decided to schedule my interview with Diplo on July 1, I realized that Canada Day wasn't going to be 100% domestic. Maybe the ghost of Sir John A made all three CD players freeze up on my disc, then kill the on-air computer's disc drive a mere 90 seconds into the interview (disc worked like a charm at home, natch). In any case, you'll be hearing more from me and Diplo on July 17.

Since Canada Day is historical by nature, I'll take a trip back to some of our founding fathers (& mothers)... of rap. Cold Front was a milestone in Canadian hip hop history, only the second full length hip hop album in this country's history (neck and neck with Kish's first album). The first? Maestro Fresh Wes' Symphony In Effect, also released by Attic Records, who for a while looked like they could become a major player 'in this rap game'.

The disc's compiler, Johnbronski host of the Master Plan on CIUT, wrote excellent liner notes which provide an overview of the beginnings of hip hop culture in Toronto. The entire compilation is framed as a community effort, complete with promos for hip hop shows on campus radio at the time - The Master Plan, CKLN's Powermove and CHRY's Jam Factor.

The compilation is a brilliant snapshot of the times, featuring players who would be extremely influential in Toronto (and the world!) over the next decade and beyond: The Dream Warriors, Main Source, Nu Black Nation (feat. Motion), KGB (feat. Thrust & produced by Scam and DJX). The music ranges from the D.A.I.S.Y. age sound of Base Poet's Pucho-sampling "When I Went To Buy Milk" to more minimal joints like "With This" by Sweet Ebony (who was in jail at the time of the album's release, as I recall).

It brings back fond memories for me. Probably the reason I'm writing about it now is due to album designiner DeMuth Flake (aka D-Fluke, who also lent his skills to the Live At The BBQ parties of the early 90s) having just re/befriended me on Facebook. I was tight with the extended family of campus radio hip hop at the time - John namechecks my one-time radio show "(I Got) A Bag Of My Own" in the liners, along with fellow CIUTers DB Hawkes' First Take and Thursday Morning With Ras Rico I (which was Reggae Riddims' Patrick Roots' first gig)- and the aesthetics of this period of hip hop, community spirit and all around fearless creativity have been fundamental to everything I do now, even though hip hop is only a minor part of my musical pursuits these days.

Special mention goes out to CKLN's Oblivion Express (can't find a link of any significance!!), whose radio spot is the last thing heard on the disc. That overnight show on CKLN was an all night party where DJs would spin groove music that crossed all genres, eras and sometimes technical specs (ain't nuthin but a party...) - you might hear the Ragga Twins next to Lonnie Liston Smith next to Meat Beat Manifesto. At a time when I was developing my music programming sensibility, the spirit of hip hop being the sum of many different parts, then transcending them, was a powerful one. Big ups to everyone from that era.

BTW - how did John Adams become known as Johnbronski? Originally, it was "Johnbrowski" after the Jungle Brothers "Jimbrowski", but a typo in an early CIUT program guide made him 50% more Polish by naming him "Johnbronski" and it stuck.

Podcast

introducing carl cocks - tim hecker (alien 8)
once held a lighter high in the sky - mike hansen (etude)
expanse - john kameel farah (dross:tik)
sunset sorcery - insideamind (ptr)
if our love - galt mcdermott (kilmarnock)
in a green space - koushik (stones throw)
neg chante - nomadic massive (ptr)
12 sided dice - dream warriors (attic)
apache - incredible bongo band rmx. by grandmaster flash (mr. bongo)
close our eyes - robert strauss feat saidah baba talibah (bbe)
lazer theme - major lazer feat future trouble (downtown)
steppa shock dub - dubmatix (7 arts)
fifty two incorporated - tinkertoy (noise factory)
my home recordings - last step (planet mu)
valley of jehosephat - willi williams (blood and fire)
bord plate - twilight circus (m)
drive by dub - dub trio (roir)
darker shade of black - jackie mittoo (sonic sounds)
repatriation - leroy brown (dakarai)
jahovah - jah beng (kornerstone)
free the herb - courtney stone (no label)

Freedom Of Community - An Audio Manifesto

On Wednesday June 3, the Abstract Index, CIUT and AIMToronto present Freedom Of Community.

Toronto’s free improvisers have been internationally renowned for their skillful musical exploration for more than four decades. Coincidentally, CIUT also has a four decade history of boundary breaking musical programming.

Freedom Of Community brings these two important, community-based cultural institutions together for the first time.

AIMToronto was formed in 2005. It was conceived as an umbrella under which each of the city’s disparate pockets of improvising musicians could all organize, providing increased visibility for the community as a whole while maintaining its diversity. It is an organization of global significance, hosting the world’s finest improvisers such as William Parker, Joe McPhee and Les Poules in quarterly Interfaces. Its next such presentation features Swiss saxophonist Urs Leimgruber from June 5-7.

All three sets of Freedom Of Community feature members of AIMToronto.

Set 1) a FREE CONCERT from 6:00-6:45PM on the front lawn of 91 St. George St. (weather permitting) with Alaniaris, (fractured Greek rembetika stylings) - Michael Kaler - bass, Ken Aldcroft -, guitar, Mark Zurawinski - drums

Set 2) Michael Keith - guitar, Scott Thomson - trombone

Set 3) Odradek (electro/acoustic small objects) - William Davison - electronics small instruments, Jim Bailey - electronics, small instruments, Andy Yue – synth

Free For All, All For Free

Please accept our springtime gift:

En Los Ojos De Dios, Todos Somos Ilegales - Huelepega Sound System

If you'd rather have a disc with better sound quality, get in touch with our friends at Inyrdisk.

If you'd like to give some love to the amazing facility which gave birth to this project, head on over to CIUT and make a donation (make sure you support your favourite shows, Dos Mundos or Abstract Index!)

CIUT Fundraising Next Week!

This radio no doubt only receives AM signals, so this image isn't entirely appropriate. But check out that Edison wax cylinder player on top! photo taken at the Mississagi Lighthouse, Meldrum Bay, Manitoulin Island.

CIUT's Fall Fundraising Drive is coming up from November 3-7, and I'll be in the hot seat on Nov. 5 from 6-8PM.

I actually enjoy fundraising because it gives me the opportunity to speak about how important CIUT is to me and to the GTA's mediascape. One of the basic virtues of CIUT is its balance between the individual expression of a programmer within a community supported/oriented organization - it's a duality which is seldom in evidence anywhere else, and with CIUT's range encompassing 8 million people in the Golden Horseshoe and New York state, it's writ large. At a time when so much of our views of media are either as large conglomerates or as tiny, niche oriented blogs (and both have their virtues), CIUT represents a true alternative.

I have worked harder than ever over the last six months volunteering at CIUT. Since the end of June, I have volunteered than 50 hours above and beyond my regular show to help out CIUT's special broadcasts from Afrofest, Jamaica Day, Harbourfront, the Guelph Jazz Festival, and most recently Nuit Blanche. I have also interviewed a wide variety of guests since our last fundraiser, including Leroy Sibbles, Ernest Ranglin, Pee Wee Ellis, Myk Freedman, Rei Alvarez and Stephen Lyons. I've given away lots of tickets and other prizes.

Most of all, though, it's about the music, and I'm constantly sourcing new material and putting older music into fresh new contexts, challenging myself each and every week. Though I have volunteered at CIUT for 22 years, I do not take the privilege of having a radio show for granted.

Won't you please help me fulfill my goal of attracting 20 membership level donations of $25 this November 5? I'll be straight with you - fundraising is always a hard time for me, and open format programmers in general. But the kinds of musical relationships found in open format programming are so important to this otherwise narrowcasted world.

Anyways, tl, dr, perhaps... but please help out. Troubled times will only get more troubled if a FREE resource of alternative, multicultural, grassroots information goes off the air. If you would like to pledge online, do so here, and don't forget to indicate that you're supporting the Abstract Index!

To Market, To Market

It's not Kensington, but it is a market... actually Jean Talon in Montreal

I've been doing a lot of extracurricular work for CIUT lately, but this is a little different.

This will be a treat - I'm subbing for Sergio Elmir's Dos Mundos this Tuesday October 14. That's fun in itself, but as a bonus I'll be jamming down live from Kensington Market in a little spot called Cafe Bocafo at 253 Augusta Av.

The timeslot is 12-2PM, which is a lovely lunchtime slot. Swing by and say hi, have a coffee or a bite to eat and chill...

I mean, what else could Torontonians possibly have going on next Tuesday?

Nuit Blanche - Live Blog!

It begins. Tune in to CIUT 89.5FM in Toronto and surroundings, http://www.ciut.fm/ everywhere else.

naw - 8:45PM

dubmatix - 10:10PM.


















paint the white house weird - 10:20PM


















amadeo ventura, huelepega soundsystem - 11:10


















insideamind - 12:30




















no beat 2:10

ryan driver - 3:15AM

christine duncan 4:05AM

danny nebiat 4:55AM

Gurpreet Chana 5:40AM

Tradition 6:25AM