The Relache Chronicles
THE RELACHE CHRONICLES is a podcast about musicians residing in what we call “the Margins of American Music.” In these 30-to-45-minute episodes, we’ll play recordings – primarily by The Relache Ensemble from Philadelphia - of complete musical works plus commentary by composers, performers, and others with insight to the music. Throughout the podcast, we’ll discuss the guest composers’ processes, how they utilized current and past technologies and how the acoustical properties of a given space informed the creation and performance of a musical work. Finally, we will discuss how the composers’ relationship with the musicians brought the music to life. Episodes feature music by John Cage, Robert Ashley, Joe Kasinskas, Pauline Oliveros, Guy Klucevsek, Eve Beglarian, Fred Ho, Phill Niblock, Romulus Franceschini, Bill Duckworth, and an overview of New Music America Festival 1987 - Philadelphia. THE RELACHE CHRONICLES is produced, directed, and edited, by Arthur Stidfole with Joseph Franklin, Joe Kasinskas, and Arthur Sabatini. Throughout their careers, they have been performing musicians, composers, executive and artistic directors, university teachers, radio hosts and authors, dedicated to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The Relache Chronicles
Episode Six Fred Ho
Baritone saxophonist, composer, band leader, recording artist, writer, and social activist, Fred Ho was a prodigious artist who created a large body of works for the concert hall and theater. By integrating Chinese folk songs and music from an African American diaspora, Fred created a unique and dynamic artistic legacy. Among the music in his legacy is titled “Contradiction Please! The Revenge of Charlie Chan,” composed for The Relache Ensemble. It was the first work that Fred composed for an ensemble other than for one of his own groups, The Afro-Asian Music Ensemble and The Monkey Orchestra. His passing at 57 in 2014 has left a void in American Music. We hope this episode will rekindle an interest in Fred Ho’s music. Duration is 45:06.
