ENSEMBLE MODERN: IKUE MORI, ZEENA PARKINS, FRED FRITH – Traffic Continues | Fvll albvm (2000)

Traffic Continues is an album by composer and guitarist Fred Frith featuring the Ensemble Modern, Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori, which was released on the Winter & Winter label. The album features a suite dedicated to cellist Tom Cora built around samples of his playing from Etymology (Rarefaction, 1997).

Fred Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. He was also a member of the groups Art Bears, Massacre, and Skeleton Crew. He has collaborated with a number of prominent musicians, including Robert Wyatt, Derek Bailey, the Residents, Lol Coxhill, John Zorn, Brian Eno, Mike Patton, Lars Hollmer, Bill Laswell, Iva Bittová, Jad Fair, Kramer, the ARTE Quartett, and Bob Ostertag. He has also composed several long works, including Traffic Continues (1996, performed 1998 by Frith and Ensemble Modern) and Freedom in Fragments (1993, performed 1999 by Rova Saxophone Quartet). Frith produces most of his own music, and has also produced many albums by other musicians, including Curlew, the Muffins, Etron Fou Leloublan, and Orthotonics.

Zeena Parkins (born 1956) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist active in experimental, free improvised, contemporary classical, and avant-jazz music; she is known for having “reinvented the harp”. Parkins performs on standard harps, several custom electric harps, piano, and accordion. She is a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow and professor in the Music Department at Mills College.

Ikue Mori (born 17 December 1953), also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, electronic musician, composer, and graphic designer. Mori was awarded a “Genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation in 2022.

“Traffic Continues” (1996) consists of a number of cells of composed music which can be juxtaposed with improvisation of various kinds. The structure and precise content are determined spontaneously by the conductor, with the help of the players, during the course of each performance. Commissioned by the Klangspuren Festival in Schwaz, Austria, it was first performed in September 1996.

“Traffic Continues II: Gusto (For Tom Cora)” (1998) was constructed, in the immediate aftermath of his death, around samples of the late Tom Cora’s unique and extraordinary cello playing. Interpolated with great sensitivity by Hermann Kretzschmar, these quotations were taken from “Etymology”, a record for sampling enthusiasts made by Skeleton Crew for the Rarefaction label in 1995. Commissioned by the Ensemble Modern, and premiered in the Philharmonie Köln in June 1998

Ensemble Modern with Ikue Mori | Zeena Parkins | Fred Frith ‎– Traffic Continues (2000)

Traffic Continues : 00:00 Inadvertent Introduction 00:53 First Riddle 03:24 Traffic II 07:50 Third Riddle 10:04 Lourdement Gai 11:11 Traffic III / Traffic I 13:28 Freeway / Shadow Of A Tree On Sand 18:57 Fragile Finale

Traffic Continues II: Gusto (For Tom Cora) : 28:53 Introduction : Limbo 30:48 Adage A / At Your Earliest Hesitation 35:33 Gyrate / Adage B 38:59 Not If I See You First 40:17 Any Other World 41:44 A Good Top Tongue 42:01 Nose At Nose 42:58 Will Cast Some Light On 44:31 Adage D / Neither Fire Nor Place 45:17 Monkey Lens Dipthong String 48:50 Howdywhoola 49:08 No Convenient Time 52:39 One Never Knows Do One? / Adage Coda / Long Fade

Accordion – Heinz Huber (tracks: 9 to 21) Bassoon, Contrabassoon – Noriko Shimada Cello – Michael Kasper Clarinet – Roland Diry Co-producer [Co-Production] – Markus Heuger, Dr. Ulrich Kurth, Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln Conductor – Franck Ollu (tracks: 1 to 8) Double Bass, Electric Bass – Thomas Fichter Drum Machine [Drum Machines] – Ikue Mori (tracks: 9 to 21) Engineer – Stefan Hackspiel Engineer [Head] – Carlos Albrecht Engineer [Mastering] – Adrian von Ripka Engineer [Mixing Assistant] – Sebastian Stein Engineer [Recording Assistant] – Jahn Nehring, Sebastian Stein Engineer [Technical] – Martin Cichy Executive-Producer – Stefan Winter Flute, Flute [Bass], Piccolo Flute – Dietmar Wiesner Guitar, Directed By [Music Director], Composed By, Producer – Fred Frith Harp, Harp [Electric] – Zeena Parkins (tracks: 9 to 21) Horns – Franck Ollu Layout – Günter Mattei Oboe, English Horn – Catherine Milliken Percussion – Rainer Römer Percussion, Cimbalom [Cymbalom] – Rumi Ogawa-Helferich Photography By – Heike Liss Piano, Sampler – Hermann Kretzschmar Producer [A Production Of] – Winter&Winter Recorded By [A Recording By] – WDR Köln Saxophone, Contrabass Clarinet – Wolfgang Stryi Trombone – Uwe Dierksen Trumpet – Bruce Nockles Viola – Susan Knight Violin – Freya Kirby, Hilary Sturt