Uncle Dave Lewis and his Shows

This segment covers some aspects the darker and more complex sides of the American Experience, yet focuses on matters more spiritual than social. One exception to that rule is composer William Thomas McKinley's "And The President Said," narrated by Ben Bradlee, a very different kind of presidential portrait from Copland's loving homage to Lincoln. There are three works of Charles Ives, one by Leroy Anderson and "Grandfather's Clock" by Henry Clay Work; a mix of the mundane, nostaligic and transcendent, all in a distinctly American voice. 57 minutes.

The main set piece here is a narrated account of the life of John Phillip Sousa, a composer who was an intensely serious American artist, though you wouldn't get that impression from the kitschy way his story is handled. However, it's all in good fun, and is framed by music of Charles Ives and eccentric military bandmaster Felix Vinatieri, attatched to the 76th Cavalry of George Armstrong Custer until he found himself in a position of being unemployed following the battle of Little Big Horn. Of the American Independence day themed program I did this year, this is the best segment for listening on the Fourth of July itself. 62 mins.

Man, why do I always foul up when it comes to the Arabic things I play? I couldn't read the pencil on the label of the test pressing pictured, so I announced the performer as "Eddie Adams." His name is Big Eddie Adamis, he was a Lebanese bandleader and this test is one side of his 1962 album "Middle East Goes Modern." However, I think I got the rest of it right in a world music set that includes Cuban music, Flamenco, Portuguese Fado, Bert Kaempfert, Turkish Oud, Cyril Stapleton, Camerata, his little friend Annette and others. Quite a varied goulash from around the globe at 52 minutes.

This seg is made up of rather long pieces, all "firsts" of one kind or another; Old Roman Chant, some very early music of Terry Riley, the first Audiocollage, executed in 1930 by German filmmaker Walther Ruttmann (pictured) and the earliest known computer music. Also stuck in there is music by Estonian avant-folk musicians Eesti Keeled, and something by the moderator called "Acrobats;" sorry about the glitches in the file. Length: 53 mins.

The featured work in this classical segment is a symphony by American composer Henry Cowell as recorded in 1949 by the Vienna Symphony under the legendary baton of conductor Dean Dixon (1915-1976). I did the transfer of this now rare recording myself. Also featured is the classic circus march "Entry of the Gladiators," some cheery Mantovani, some reflective and wistful George Antheil, and eighteenth century toe-tappers by Luigi Boccherini and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Just the sort of thing to get your summer off to a bang - though, if you're in Australia, it's winter. Length: 64 minutes.

This seg might titled "Burma on my Mind" - with the recent disaster in Myanmar and events at a crossroads in the region, I thought I'd pitch in my part to appeal for continued support; some of the nicest, most generous people I know will not even contribute a dollar in fear of lending support to the military junta that controls the country. Myanmar is represented by two state sanctioned traditional selection and one opera segment not so sanctioned. Towards the end we have a tribute to Annabella Lwin and her fabulous group Bow Wow Wow - Annabella is a native of Myanmar. In between we hear the happy 1920s music of the pseudonymous Dixie Daisies, expert xylophonists the Green Brothers, vintage street piano and an - appropriately failed - tribute to stage and screen legend Jack Smith. An action packed 65 minutes.

This episode begins with three beautiful medieval English songs by the equally beauteous German group Ensemble Belladonna; their pronunciation of Middle English is far better than mine! The rest of the program in American; Ives, Varèse, George Gershwin and a name you might not know, Johanna Beyer. A little early for July 4, but these are not so much flag-wavers as representative of the class of Americana that belongs to transcendence; a property, it seems, in all too short a supply these days. Length: 42 minutes.

It seems as tho Spring is the shortest month of the year, and summer is already beginning to beat its furrowed brow upon us. So this is a last call for Spring set, featuring a big-boned and well fed 1950s modern symphony by Dutch composer Henk Badings, a loud march by a "real" Turkish Janissary band, early, futuristic music by Wladislaw Szpilman (he of "The Piano"), and music by Offenbach and Liszt. Enjoy your blossoms before they droop. Length: 56 minutes,.

I got a complaint about the cylinder that opens this seg as being too noisy - you be the jusge. I guess the best thing about a 2 minute cylinder is that it only lasts two minutes. A bunch of 1920s dance band stuff follows, including the love theme from the silent film "The Man Who Laughs," featuring Conrad Veidt - in the photo - whose visage, as you can surmise, inspired the character of The Joker in the Batman comic strip. There's early Benny Goodman, early Glenn Miller, early Three Suns, a pumpin' groove by Italian film composer Claudio Simonetti and just plain weirdness from France's team of Gainsbourg and Columbier. A nice, early morning set lasting exactly 40 minutes.

The last poetry reading I did on the show really stunk to tell you the truth, so this time I decided to make sure the Lord was on my side in choosing a work by Dallapiccola set a text by Saint Paul. That is followed by a beautifully transparent Chinese Xiao solo played by Chen Yue and a Chinese themed work by Western composer Stephen Goss interpreted by the ever amazing Xuefei Yang. Of course, naturally a 14th century Estampie has to follow, plus Stravinsky and William Bolcom as played by the late, great and legendary pianist Paul Jacobs. 62 minutes for this one.

Glad to be back - decided to delay uploading the new show a bit to allow PodOmatic to right itself in the wake of its recent overhaul - congrats to them. The main event in this seg is "The Rhythm of Life" by brilliant but ill-fated composer Isotaro Sugata, Japan's answer to Stravinsky. Along the way we hear similarly pictorial pieces by Johann Vanhal, Leroy Anderson and a dry little sonatina by Gottfried von Einem that has ice in it's veins. Just the thing to curl up to the fireplace with a loved one at 61 minutes.

This is an off week for the Uncle Dave Show, and I decided to post an episode of a program that I did not host, but I admired very much and thought would be of interest to listeners of this Podcast. I share my program slot with Mr. Hunchback (e.g, Keith Larsen) whose tastes and standards for radio are similar to mine. "Dead Planet Radio" is a particularly inspired effort; about it, Mr. Hunchback writes, "The main point is to show that animals, plants, weather and rocks don't necessarily make tranquil sounds to relax by. They often make great abstract intellectually engaging music, by themselves and in ensemble. It's still something musicians can learn from - which is a good reason to keep it around." When I asked for an illustration, Mr. Hunchback submitted this image with this comment, "Here's a photo of rafflesia pricei, the world's biggest flower. It's also the stinkiest. It attracts loads of flies because it smells like rotting flesh. Not exactly something you'd want to pin on your prom date's shoulder." Length: 60 minutes, with a spoken intro and outro delivered by my daughter, Remy Lewis, who is likewise very concerned with the preservation of the natural world.

The secret agenda behind this seg is "The Frivolous and the Profound," and it is mostly based out of 45s of artists from the 1950s and 60s that are either obscure or pseudonymous. Although she did not play the harp, Martha Lou Harp was the real name of the singer in the picture - she was from Georgia. She's followed by Georgia Gibbs, Patty Duke and a host of other female singers, then after that the fellows take a turn - figures of such reknown as Crazy Elephant and the Ever-Green Blues Band. Plus an appropriate benediction from Glen Campbell, all in the tightly controlled space of only 41 minutes.

Of course, this is that time of year to remember your mother - or have you forgotten? We haven't, and offer a tribute to mother that is both sentimental and spicy. After that, some music by notable "fathers" as well - Raymond Scott, and memorial tributes to Henry Brant and Jimmy Giuffre. Length: 50 minutes

This is a high voltage caffiene set for early morning listening; after all, the show itself begins at 6 in the morning. Things get off with a jolt thanks to some noisy pipes; along the way we hear some equally noisy Arthur Honneger symphonic poems plus an uncompromisingly beautiful psalm setting by him. Add keyboard sonatas by Nikolai Kapustin and Anna Bon di Venezia, a spot of pseudo-Janissary music by Louis Spohr and a rtighteous jam by violinist Jennifer Koh (pictured) and pianist Reiko Uchida - for more info on Koh, please visit http://jenniferkoh.com/
This should keep you awake for hours, although it's only 75 minutes.

This seg is very springlike in mood: it begins with two French songs, followed by two erased medieval liturgical settings reconstructed from a "palimpsest" like the one in the picture, Henry Cowell's Japanese flavored "Music 1957" from an old CRI Lp, an additional smattering of Smetana and a neglected mini-masterwork by English composer Gavin Bryars, topped off by the homegrown mystery bonus track. Just the sort of thing to keep your spring swinging. Length: 53 minutes.

Rare and rousing works by Smetana, the father of Czech nationalism, including a march and a romantic symphonic poem illustrating events in the Thirty Years War, a sweet vintage bon bon from the leader of the A&P Gypsies, a wild roller coaster ride of a piano sonata by Welsh composer William Mathias, and Swedish composer Franz Berwald's divine Grand Septet, These are Czech playing cards from the eighteenth century, as seen on the fascinating website Andy's Playing Cards http://a_pollett.tripod.com/cards.htm Length: 68 minutes

"I wish my brother George were here..." Well, he is along with Bunk Johnson, Collins & Harlan, Harry Yerkes, Dolly Kay, Freddie Keppard, Will Osborne, The Sandpipers, some gifted amateurs and others - a very springlike set. I'm awful tired, so I'm not describing this too well; there was a severe technical problem with this seg, leading to its long delay. The problem is fixed, and I guess in a few words it made me think of satanic bunnies, but I couldn't find any good pictures of satanic bunnies, so this picture of George Liberace will have to do. Length: 45 minutes.

More posh romanticism and asceticism with a poem by St. John of the Cross, followed by a musical setting of same by Carlos Surinach, John Marsh's "Conversation Symphony," several pieces by giga-obscure Americanist Eastwood Lane (whose work is a little like the Maxfield Parrish seen here) and some sentimental favorites like "Whispering Hope." Hyper-emotional types and little old ladies welcome. Length: 50 minutes.

Spring arrives a couple of weeks late in Michigan, so this is my somewhat reserved celebration of its first stirrings in my raher Northerly part of the world. Two featured works dominate - lush romaticism from Philipp Scharwenka and chamber music by Mauel Ponce, a beautiful brace of piano solos from Leopold Godowsky's "Java Suite," a vintage Gounod "Ave Maria," and pieces by Raymond Scott and Franz Schreker. Hope springs eternal. Length: 72 minutes.

WARNING! This is not radio; this is an original, avant-ambient classical composition, and is not for all tastes. I haven't done a radio show in awhile, and I decided this electronic piece is long enough to be a "Podcast" of a kind.
While hunting around in my audio files to remind myself of what I had done lately, I came upon two short samples for the piece “Dead Bird No. 2,” dated 3/14. As it was the last day of the month, I decided to finish the piece rather than to continue writing this. I finished it literally between ordering and picking up a pizza, plus emptied a bag of garbage during – it took me longer to collect the two samples used as the source.

Basic formula: Two Mono source loops of organ music, remixed into four channels. First two channels in identical phase, the third makes an interrupted entrance at about the fifth note in the identical pattern, with the fourth shortly behind the third. First loop is overlapped with the second briefly through replacing the first two identical tracks at about 3 minutes. Pan channels 1-2 about three quarters of the way out on either side, with channels 3-4 remaining dead center.
I think the introductory material – the first loop - is pleasant, but inferior to the second section, which is pretty exciting. It a series of augmented chords, and as they pull apart and recombine the chords in the outside of the picture is effected by the two tracks in the center, making different chord cycles, intersecting in various sections of the loop. In the mp3 I have added the source samples at the beginning, separated by an exact second of silence, so that the listener can see what I mean. There’s a bigass, 19 seconds long delay on the whole thing. I love the ending; it’s just the spent signal in the delay dying away for a long time.
Thanks for reading this far. Enjoy it, although to some this might be one of those “Uncle Dave – you lost me…” kind of pieces. It is very slow and VERY repetitive; don’t feel bad if you have to ditch after five minutes. Concentration IS rewarded; this piece is dedicated to fellow Podcastor Belinda Subramin. Length: 9 minutes, 8 sec.

World Music: This wrapper upper starts with a sedate historic recording of the Coptic Church in Egypt, but launches into rockin' track by Mohammad El-Bakkar followed by a sad Finnish ditty. There is an ample sampling of giga-obscure Haitain-diva Emy de Pradines (pictured; Emy. where did you go?) and music from French Equatorial Africa. Then it switches to oddball 60s-70s pop - a memorial to Mort Garson, a 70s hot as rendered by Michigan's own Familiar Faces and a really, really weird one by the team of Peter Smith and Gary McFarland. 59 minutes of near bliss; or at least sometime bliss.

The illustration is "Sin from God" by my daughter Remy, who is 14; her explanation of the picture is that if God is capable of creating all things, it can create "sins" also. Some may take exception to that theological view, however it kind of fits my somewhat irreverant Easter show heard here. We hear luscious mass sections by 17th century nun Chiara Maria Cozzolani, Dufay and the "Funeral March" from Alkan's piano symphony, in addition to a bawdy cabaret song sung by Ute Lemper (one of my daughter's faves) and Fauré's "Crucifixus" from a recording made in 1909. Length: 43 minutes.

I was on the fence as to whether to post this one - our radio studio is being renovated and we broadcasters have moved into a closet-like space. This was my first hour learning, on air of course, about the new setup and the curve resulted in a show that was technically less than perfect. I was finally swayed in discovering the work of Pittsburgh-based artist and musician Ali Spagnola, whose "Gardenbot" chimes in with the spirit of the main work presented in this seg, Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu's "Stellar Dream Dances" Ari's proflific and inspired work may viewed at http://www.alispagnola.com/ this seg also includes music of Adolphe Adam, Fritz Kreisler and Albertus Bryne. Length: 62 minutes.

Pardon my ignorance - the "Ouled Nails" were not something one would hammer into a board; they are a Berber tribe whose territory extends from Biskra to Jelfa in Algeria. They are quite prosperous due to the manner in which the women of the tribe earn their living: by dancing and prostitution. The "Street of Ouled Nails" refers to a red light district in Algeria frequented by European sailors and it was basically the birthplace of belly dancing; this is what Holst's piece was attempting to convey at the beginning. Also towards the end I neglected to back announce several pieces; these are: Martin Denny Group - Frankie and Johnny (from a single), The Monkees - I Wanna Be Free, Ruth White - Spleen, Oskar Sala - Improvisation No. 4 and Edgar Varèse - Interpolation No. 1 from "Déserts" (first version). In between you'll hear dance music and some jazz; excuse me while I flog myself for being so careless. Length: 70 minutes, though it doesn't seem that long.

This segment, like the Schwitters illustration, is a "construction for noble ladies" consisting of pieces by Vivaldi, Zarlino, Machaut, Charles Ives, Agustin Gonzales de Acilu (performed by the redoubtable Esperanza Abad) and Puccini. Short but sweet at 38 minutes.

This is posted in response to the many requests I get to put up a "vintage, ordinary and very old Art Damage show" from WAIF Radio in Cincinnati. This was a show I co-hosted with Dan Williams from 1985-87, ran pretty much myself from 1987-89, then shared with Chris Lockhart and Iovae in 1989-91, rejoining from 1998-2001. It was still on the air when WAIF finally dumped it in 2005. I don't have many very old Art Damage tapes, and a lot of the ones I do have are undocumented. This one was one that I found and documented just before posting. To my delight it contains an 11,000 Switches piece that was certainly lost till now, as the last time I saw that tape was back in the 80s in a condition like what's in the picture. The rest of it's pretty worthwhile too, if you like weird - the song "Swallow Your Load" (aka "La Foutramanie") is decidedly explicit tho. Length: 58 minutes.

I think I've fixed the problem with this episode - let me know if I haven't. --Fun Stuff: Hal Kemp's band playing Ravel's "Bolero" kicks off a set of 1930s and 1940s English dance bands playing both fun and edgy stuff - Reginald Foresythe, Reginald Pursglove, Harold Collins, and the Savoy Orpheans. This veddy British set is interrupted by brash American Red McKenzie (and some mention of smiling clams), non-Cubans Dave Barbour and the Havana Novelty Orchestra, real Cuban Machito, a visit with Dorothy and Raymond and yet more surprises. Though not many, as the show only runs 55 minutes.

Well, whaddya know? I did have a show before the fundraisier, and I did realize that in time not to make it a "quickie." This one features the Stabat mater, a medieval poem about the sufferings of the Virgin Mary, and a transparent set consisting of choral transcriptions by Clytus Gottwald and music of Charles Tournemire. The earlier section is "happier," with music by Leroy Anderson, Franz von Suppé, a piece played in error (though still a happy one) and some gorgeous Ravel played by Florida-based piano virtuoso Yoko Sata Kothari. Length: 65 minutes.

The Encore Feature reflects the illustration here; in "Fresh Window," Duchamp sought to emphasize the "eightness" of these widows. The sense of "eight" is what Edgar Varèse was shooting for in Octandre, which is heard in an historic 1950 recording, If Varèse is not your cup of tea, fur-lined or no, advance the program 10 minutes and you will encounter a particularly warm and joyous bit of Belgian Café-Concert music. The rest is a "good one" - a James P. Johnson piano roll, Raymond Scott's first commercially recorded composition, folky fin, wacky instrumentals and some righteous rockers flanked by the inimitable artistry of the Firehouse Five Plus Two.
Next new program will be during the station's fundraiser, and I don't think the PodOMatic audience will appreciate hearing all of my pledge rapping. I have been asked to add a couple of "Golden Oldies," which I will probably put up in the meantime, lest ye think I've abandoned ship. Length: 62 minutes.

The main event in this broadcast is the stunning performance of "The Sound of Big Waves" by dynamic young pianist Jie Chen, shown here is a photograph credited to S. Riansrivilai. On the way, we hear Civil War marches played on Calliope, an overture by "The Spanish Mozart," a Baroque chamber sonata by David Pohle, a bit of ballet from Gounod's "Faust," some medieval New Year's carols, an organ prelude by Franz Tunder and a sinfonia by Franz Xaver Richter, not Hasse. Sorry for the long delay in getting up a new episode; I didn't think my Xmas program was successful, and I missed my first show of '08 due to illness. Length: 77 minutes.

This one starts off with a motet by J. S. Bach's cousin J. L. (not bad), some dance music ranging from the late Gothic period to Dutch composer Cheil Meijering's portrait of Madonna, the ten-year-old Vanessa Mae, Stravinsky's last work (which was a setting of the poem that fits this image) and a bargain basement encapsulation of "The Nutcracker." Length: 41 mins.

The main work in this segment is nineteenth-century Swedish composer Franz Berwald's Sinfonie Singulière, one of my favorite symphonies as it evokes the kind of cold and snowy Nordic imagery that one associates with canvases like this one by Edvard Munch. Not all of the selections are chilly; J.C.F. Fischer's "La Journal de Printemps" is concerned with spring, and Johann Strauss II's operetta "The Apple Festival" seems concerned with fall. So I guess this seg is like "the year without a summer." Length: 62 minutes.

From lute songs to Atomic bombs: This seg opens with a lengthy selection of recordings made in 1949 by early music pioneer Suzanne Bloch (1907-2002; pictured). Then we cruise through some big-band 78s by Hal Kemp, Tony Pastor, Artie Shaw, Perez Prado and even a little Tango music. The show ends with more "contemporary" fare (i.e. 1960s and 70s) and ends with "Future History," a recent hit by the moderator. Length: exactly 60 minutes.

This is another guest shot, and here I honor the memory of Bing Crosby in a sort of fabricated radio show made up of bits and pieces of his radio programs; it is in observance of thirtieth anniversary of his passing. The rest is made from some great recordings made by Latin bandleader Enric Madriguera in the 1940s; somewhere in there Yvonne DeCarlo is in there singing as well. Length: 60 minutes.

Sorry for the long delay in posting again, but I was waiting out PodOMatic's difficulties of late, and it appears now that we are back on track. This one should be worth the wait - I appear on Dan Shoup's program "On Some Faraway Beach" as a guest, not host, recalling the early glory days when I looked like the fellow in this picture. (In my mind's eye, I still look like him - the pudgy, balding figure in the mirror is someone that I'm barely acquainted with yet.) I recall some of my work as sound engineer at the On Broadway Theater in San Francisco, the influence of Northern Ohio groups of the 70s like Devo and Pere Ubu and recount the very early days of Hospital Records groups like BPA, Dementia Precox and the (non-electronic) 11,000 Switches. 58 minutes.