Raymond Scott Orchestrette @ Lake George

The Raymond Scott Orchestrette takes their namesake's inspired eccentricities into the 21st century, reinventing the Scott catalog for modern ears. They're based in New York City, but rarely play in their hometown. Your soonest opportunity to see this marvelous septet is at the Lake George Jazz Festival, at which they'll offer the closing set on Sunday, September 14 at 4:30.

Also appearing at the festival will be Steven Bernstein's Sexmob, who hail from NYC as well. Both ensembles got a nice advance writeup in the Lake George Mirror.

Full disclosure: Raymond Scott is NOT in the Orchestrette. (He passed away in 1994.) But we think he'd be honored to know his music continues to captivate audiences 75 years after he wrote it.

RS Orchestrette/Ghost Train Orchestra concert videos

If you missed the Raymond Scott Orchestrette/Ghost Train Orchestra double bill at Subculture on October 26, we have video with decent audio thanks to Mike Nogami, a well-known Japanese photographer who sat near the stage. Our mutual friend, Takashi Okada, has posted 14 clips (seven of each band) on YouTube for your enjoyment. (Links below by title.) Not captured was GTO's grand finale, a spectacular nine-minute-plus arrangement of Scott's "Celebration on the Planet Mars," which closes the band's new album, Book of Rhapsodies. Incidentally, the respective RSO and GTO drummers look remarkably similar. They are, in fact, one and the same: GTO's Rob Garcia filled for the RSO's Clem Waldmann, who had a prior commitment.

The Raymond Scott Orchestrette

(all titles by Raymond Scott)

Twilight in Turkey / Oil Gusher

Tobacco Auctioneer

Peter Tambourine

Manhattan Minuet

Little Miss Echo

Square Dance for Eight Egyptian Mummies

Powerhouse

The Ghost Train Orchestra

(all arrangements by Brian Carpenter)

Charlie's Prelude (Louis Singer)

Beethoven Riffs On (Louis Singer)

Volcanic (Reginald Foresythe)

Dawn on the Desert (Charlie Shavers)

It's Silk, Feel It! (Alec Wilder)

Her Old Man Was at Times Suspicious (Alec Wilder)

At An Arabian House Party  (Raymond Scott)

Raymond Orchestrette & Ghost Train OCT 26

Illustration/design by James Weinberg

The Orchestrette boards a Ghost Train

Raymond Scott Orchestrette gigs have been few and far between (they have a lousy—cough, cough—booking agent). Now, following their triumphant August 8 Lincoln Center Out of Doors stint accompanying the John Heginbotham dance ensemble, the RSO has been invited to open for the Ghost Train Orchestra's CD release party on October 26. The GTO also features Raymond repertoire (along with Alec Wilder, John Kirby and Reginald Foresythe), so the evening offers a double shot of Scott. The concert takes place at a new downtown Manhattan venue, SubCulture, at 45 Bleecker Street.

GTO is led by Brian Carpenter, who has been studying Scott scores and creating new arrangements over the past five years. His previous band, Beat Circus, released a 2008 CD entitled Dreamland, whose cover was illustrated by Orchestrette multi-instrumentalist Brian Dewan.

Would Daffy Approve?

The New York Times reviews the Dance Heginbotham/Raymond Scott Orchestrette collaborative choreographic premiere of Manhattan Research at Lincoln Center Out of Doors this past Thursday.

Excerpt:

Mr. Heginbotham — who founded his company, Dance Heginbotham, two years ago — comes with his own associations, primarily the 14 years he spent in the Mark Morris Dance Group. As a choreographer, his most obvious connection to Mr. Morris is a fidelity to music. With antic groupings, Egyptian arm bends and vaudeville steps, “Manhattan Research” doesn’t just capture the spirit of [Raymond] Scott; it makes visual the music’s form and offers an apt move or gesture for nearly every sound. Also, Mr. Heginbotham is funny.

Our take? Brilliant, exciting, vivacious, animated. We look forward to further collaborative projects between Heginbotham's young troupe and the RSO.

The Scott works performed by the RSO were: "Manhattan Minuet" (premiere), "Powerhouse," "Snake Woman" (premiere), "Blue Blue Blue Blue Blue," and "Siberian Sleighride."

LINCOLN CENTER presents Free Concert

Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park Bandshell

LINCOLN CENTER Free "Out Of Doors" Concert Series Presents:

Dance Heginbotham creates highly structured, technically rigorous, and theatrical choreography, frequently set to the music of contemporary composers. Along with signature pieces "Twins" and "Blown Away," Dance Heginbotham will present a world premiere of "Manhattan Research," a new work based on the music of midcentury maverick Raymond Scott. Best known for his Loony Tunes ditties, the composer, bandleader, and musical inventor’s spirit — leaping from zany to sultry — lives on thanks to The Raymond Scott Orchestrette, whose dynamic performance of pieces like “Powerhouse” will provide the spark for Dance Heginbotham’s trademark vigor and humor. Athletic, meticulously rhythmic movement will run alongside cool, witty nods to the subject matter in Scott's melodies, instrumentation, and song titles. Admission is free. Details: here

"Manhattan Research" commissioned by Lincoln Center for "Lincoln Center Out of Doors."

Dance Heginbotham: Manhattan Research (August 8, 2013)

Dance Heginbotham, led by choreographer John Heginbotham, creates highly structured, technically rigorous, and theatrical dance works. On August 8, at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the troupe presents the world premiere of Manhattan Research, a new work based on the music of Raymond Scott. LCOD describes the performance:

Best known for his Loony Tunes ditties, the composer, bandleader, and musical inventor’s spirit—leaping from zany to sultry—lives on with the Raymond Scott Orchestrette, whose dynamic performances of works like “Powerhouse” will provide the spark for Heginbotham’s vigor and humor. Athletic, meticulously rhythmic movement will run alongside cool, witty nods to the subject matter in Scott's melodies, instrumentation, and song titles.

The free concert takes place Thursday, August 8, 7:30 pm, at Damrosch Park Bandshell.

Hear the Orchestrette's album Pushbutton Parfait on Soundcloud.

The Raymond Scott Orchestrette

THE ORCHESTRETTE brings Raymond Scott's

controlled lunacy into the 21st century!


When producer and Scott authority Irwin Chusid formed the 7-piece RAYMOND SCOTT ORCHESTRETTE in 1999, his only stipulation to the musicians was: 'don't replicate the original Quintette.' The late control-freak composer might not approve, but the Orchestrette has performed radical reconstruction on his compositions. 

Besides such animated favorites as "Powerhouse," "The Penguin," and "Twilight in Turkey," the Orchestrette repertoire includes lesser-known, non-cartoon works such as "Coming Down to Earth," "Naked City," and "A Street Corner in Paris." The Orchestrette also performs acoustic renditions of Scott's later electronic works — such as Soothing Sounds for Baby's "Little Miss Echo" — rarely heard artifacts the composer himself never performed outside the studio.

 The impishness and splashy colors of the originals remain, but these are all-new takes on an old master.

Watch this video slideshow of photos with music that tells the story of The Orchetrette's concert at LINCOLN CENTER in NYC in December of 2011, to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Raymond Scott's classic tunes. >>> See it on: YouTube (or browse the photo album: here) And listen to 2 tunes here:

The ORCHESTRETTE:

WAYNE BARKER (piano, melodica, arrangements) composed the Tony Award-winning Peter and the Starcatcher, which earned him a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award nomination. He performed and toured worldwide with Dame Edna Everage for over five years; he wrote music and appeared as Master of the Dame’s Musik for Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance, and contributed to All About Me, starring Dame Edna and Michael Feinstein. Barker composed for The Three Musketeers and Twelfth Night at Seattle Rep and The Great Gatsby and The Primrose Path at the Guthrie Theater, and orchestrated Mark Bennett’s score for A Midsummer Night’s Dream at La Jolla Playhouse. He has written dozens of symphonic pops arrangements for New York Pops, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra and the Baltimore, Chicago, San Francisco and St. Louis symphonies. He was music director for Shakespeare and the American Songbook (92nd St. Y); Into the Woods and She Loves Me (Westport Country Playhouse); and A Little Night Music,  Caroline or Change, and The Boys from Syracuse (Center Stage, Baltimore). Barker is artistic associate for new musicals and composer–in–residence at New York Theatre Workshop.
BRIAN DEWAN (electric zither, koto, piano, accordion, vocals, arrangements) has worked with the Liverpool Cathedral Bell Ringers, the Pagoda Chinese Children's Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and Kris Perry's Machines. His albums include Tells the Story, The Operating Theater, Words of Wisdom, and Ringing at the Speed of Prayer. 
MICHAEL HASHIM (alto & soprano sax) studied with Albert Regni and Phil Woods, and was mentored by Benny Carter and Jimmy Rowles. He was the Widespread Depression Jazz Orchestra's music director and star soloist, and has played and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Muddy Waters, Nancy Wilson, The Village People, Gatemouth Brown,  Sonny Greer, and others.  Hashim was awarded an NEA Performance grant and toured China and the Middle East, playing most of the world's major Jazz and Music Festivals in 20 countries on five continents. His credits include ten recordings as a leader and nearly 100 as a sideman. As a composer he has earned commissions from PBS Playhouse, Oberlin Conservatory, and the NY Times OnLine.
WILL HOLSHOUSER (accordion, arrangements) When Will was a young music student, a friend gave him a musty old accordion, for which he soon began transcribing and learning various types of music. Over the next twenty years he developed his own sound as a player, improviser and composer. Three CDs of Will’s trio music have been released by the Portuguese label Clean Feed. He leads the band Musette Explosion, which revisits French accordion and guitar music, and composes for film, dance and various ensembles. He has performed on several continents and recorded with violinist Regina Carter and with clarinetist David Krakauer. Will has also worked with Antony and the Johnsons, Matt Munisteri, Martha Wainwright, Andy Statman, Mark Morris Dance, New York City Ballet, and others.
GEORGE RUSH (upright bass, tuba) has performed and recorded with such rock artists as Lloyd Cole, Ben E. King, David Johansen, Natalie Merchant, Amy Rigby, Dr. John, Martha Redbone, Vernon Reid, Richard Davies, Hem, and Japan’s Pizzicato 5. Rush's jazz credits include performing with Randy Brecker, Don Byron, Craig Handy, and Steven Bernstein. As a tuba player, Rush has performed on critically acclaimed children’s albums by ex-Del Fuego Dan Zanes. George's Broadway pit credits include The Full Monty, Jesus Christ Superstar, Caroline or Change, Chicago, The Color Purple, and the off-Broadway cult smash Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  He was charter bassist for the Losers Lounge pop tribute series, has worked extensively with the Big Apple Circus, and his studio work is heard in the Sundance Channel documentary series Iconoclasts.
ROB THOMAS (violin) occupies the violin chair in The String Trio of New York. He has toured and recorded extensively with that venerable jazz chamber ensemble, as well as The Mahavishnu Project and the Jazz Passengers. He also appears on recordings by Lee Konitz, Andy Summers and Marc Ribot.  Rob is a professor of jazz strings at Boston's Berklee College of Music
CLEM WALDMANN (drums) has long been the house drummer for the popular New York-based Loser's Lounge tribute series. He has performed and/or recorded with the bands They Might Be Giants, the Kustard Kings, Ui and Baby Steps, and for solo artists Laura Dawn, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Richard Davies. Clem also served as percussionist in (and recording artist with) the long-running theatrical production Blue Man Group.

LINCOLN CENTER concert report & photos: The Raymond Scott Orchestrette

Watch the new video slideshow of photos with music that tells the story of The Orchetrette's concert at LINCOLN CENTER in NYC, last month, to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Raymond Scott's classic tunes. >>> See it on: YouTube (or browse the photo album: here)

Lincoln Center and Target® present:75th Anniversary concert celebration

Raymond Scott's original "Quintette" made its debut in December of 1936 (performing Scott's composition, "The Toy Trumpet"). On December 1st of 2011, the New York-based "Raymond Scott Orchestrette" will perform at the David Rubenstein Atrium at LINCOLN CENTER. This concert, which is part of the Target® Free Thursday Series, will begin the year-long series of events to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Scott's seminal band — and their classic tunes, like "Powerhouse," that launched his 50-year recording career. More info: here

Irwin adds: This is the first performance by the Orchestrette since 2004, and features the original line-up. The evening will include a cameo by Beth Sorrentino singing "The Toy Trumpet" and accompanying herself on piano. Lyrics to Scott's composition were added for the 1938 movie, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

The Sleepwalker

In 1991 I was passing around cassettes of Raymond Scott 78 rpm transfers, trying to get anyone who would listen interested in the man's music. At the time, Scott was just another entrant in the "Where Are They Now?" sweepstakes. His recordings were out of print; he was obscure, a music history footnote.

Journalist/historian Will Friedwald got the message and collaborated with me on the first CD release of Scott recordings, The Man Who Made Cartoons Swing—Powerhouse: Volume 1 (Stash Records).

A few months later, I received an unsolicited call from a character named Wayne Barker. After gushing eloquently about his discovery of Scott's music via the CD, Barker put the phone down and played a note-perfect rendition of Scott's "The Sleepwalker." He had learned the tune by ear from the CD—he had no sheet music to work with.

Wayne and I became great pals. In 1999 he helped establish the Raymond Scott Orchestrette, an adventurous repertory septet devoted to re-inventing Scott's compositions. Barker served as the group's co-director, co-arranger and pianist.

In 2007, classical pianist Jenny Lin approached me about hiring an arranger for her projected recording of"Sleepwalker." There was one obvious choice.

Lin's recording of Barker's new arrangement is now available on a just-released CD, InsomniMania. The album's program consists of works with a nocturnal mood: dreams and nightmares; sleeplessness; lullabies. Her press kit observes that "some of the works on this recording were even written during that illusive phase somewhere between consciousness and sleep, which some claim to be an extremely creative period." Scott's is the earliest work in the program. A CD release recital is scheduled for July 10 at Le Poisson Rouge on Bleecker Street.