Twisted Toons Vol. 2

Stu Brown's first Twisted Toons album explored the music of maverick bandleader, composer, inventor and electronic music pioneer Raymond Scott, whose music featured heavily in the Warner Bros. cartoons of the 1940s onwards. His new release, Twisted Toons Vol. 2, delves deeper into the zany world of cartoon soundtracks, including the pioneering work of Carl Stalling, whose brilliantly detailed scores accompanied the antics of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and co., as well as the equally groundbreaking music of Scott Bradley, which underscored the slapstick violence of Tom & Jerry and Tex Avery cartoons. Most of this music has never been recorded or performed live since the original cartoons were made. Expect to hear complete Tom and Jerry, Droopy, Roadrunner and Porky Pig scores alongside new arrangements of Carl Stalling’s commonly used themes (including Raymond Scott’s ‘Powerhouse’ and his own ‘Screwball Theme’), a selection of kitsch 1950’s library music cues that appeared in Ren and Stimpy and Spongebob Squarepants, and some of Bill Frisell’s atmospheric writing for Gary Larson’s Tales From the Far Side.

Preorder the album here: http://stu-brown.com/album/383764/twisted-toons-vol-2-the-music-of-carl-stalling-scott-bradley-and-more

London Jazz Festival

The London Jazz Festival will feature a live set of Raymond Scott's tunes performed by the Stu Brown Sextet on November 20th:

Drummer Stu Brown and his sextet bring the music of the “mad professor of cartoon music” Raymond Scott to life — through the slapstick musical mayhem of all your favourite 1940s Looney Tunes cartoons, The Simpsons and Ren & Stimpy — with crowd-pleasing energy and wit.

"Mad March" Concerts: Mr McFall’s Chamber

"MAD MARCH: Six new works in two weeks, with a shot of ZAPPA, PIAZZOLLA, BRYARS, and RAYMOND SCOTT to help it all go down."

Described by The Herald as ‘the most important single development on the Scottish music scene,’ Mr McFall’s Chamber are joined in these programs by renowned clarinettist Maximiliano Martín, and jazz musicians Paul Harrison (piano) and Stuart Brown (drums). The concerts features two world premieres from two of the UK’s best-loved jazz composers Tim Garland (Chick Corea band) and Martin Kershaw (Trianglehead, Martin Kershaw Quartet), alongside numbers by ASTOR PIAZZOLLA, RAYMOND SCOTT and others.

Described recently in the Scotsman as ‘the jewel in the Scottish musical crown,’ Mr McFall’s Chamber are musical adventurers, traversing from a base camp in classical music into tango, progressive rock, traditional music, electronics and, on these occasions, jazz. These events brings together the distinct worlds of the string quartet and jazz trio (piano, drums, bass) with clarinet thrown in – an instrument which sits happily in either sound world. Two shows:

March 24th · 8:00pm

The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

100 Renfrew Street

Glasgow, United Kingdom

March 25th · 8:00pm

The Queen's Hall

85-89 Clerk Street

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Shetland Jazz Club & Arts presents:Stu Brown's Raymond Scott Project

Glasgow Film Festival:documentary screening + live music event

The new Raymond Scott documentary, DECONSTRUCTING DAD, will be screened during the Glasgow Film Festival on February 23rd at the Glasgow Film Theater, preceded by a live set of Scott's music performed by the Stu Brown Sextet. Details: here

"Glasgow Film Festival, the fastest growing film event in the UK, is dedicated to present the best of international and Scottish cinema to film lovers. GFF offers screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals within the festival, workshops and the chance to meet filmmakers from Scotland and around the world."

Live Tribute Concert in the UK

WIGAN Jazz Club's next concert celebrates the 'cartoon jazz' of Raymond Scott featuring Stu Brown's Raymond Scott Project.

The concert is on October 31st, from 12.30pm - 3.30pm (doors open at noon) at Whelley Ex-Servicemen's Club, Vauxhall Road, Wigan, WN13LU. Admission is £9 (£8.50 concessions, £8 members).

Further Information from Ian on 01942 243974 or Gordon on 01925 727408 or visit: www.wiganjazzclub.co.uk

Manchester Jazz Festival

Glasgow-based drummer Stu Brown formed his sextet in 2008 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Raymond Scott’s birth, and the group has performed to sell-out crowds across the UK. Each of their shows opens with a specially-commissioned eight minute film by Scott’s son, Stan Warnow, featuring material from his new documentary DECONSTRUCTING DAD: The Music, Machines, & Mystery of Raymond Scott. As the film ends, Scott’s original recording fades and The Stu Brown Sextet takes over. The second half of the concert brings the music further forward with new arrangements and compositions by the band which explore the ground-breaking electronic aspects to Scott’s music-making. Details & tickets for this Manchester Jazz Festival performance: here

Date:   Thursday, July 29, 2010

Time:   7:30pm - 10:00pm

Location:   Royal Northern College of Music

Street:   124 Oxford Rd

City:   Manchester, United Kingdom

"Half the triumph is the way the Brown's sextet brings Scott's carefully written notes off the page with such zest and spontaneity -- the other half is that it’s just so damned enjoyable." —Rob Adams, JAZZWISE

Glasgow Jazz Festival

The Glasgow Jazz Festival presents: THE STU BROWN SEXTET PLAY RAYMOND SCOTT. Musical mayhem is brought to life by Stu Brown’s brilliantly orchestrated Sextet who will perform Raymond Scott’s cartoon compositions in sync with animation created by the children at this year's Flutter Echo workshop. The concert will also feature new arrangements of Scott's music commissioned by the Scottish Arts Council.

• TICKETS: Here
• WHEN: Sunday, June 27th, 2010, 2pm
• WHERE: Platform@The Bridge
, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, Glasgow

Update: review from Scotland's The Big Issue here:

Thanks to these fresh arrangements, the contemporary value of Scott’s work, so far ahead of its time, is plain. The slinking bassy throb of ‘Snake Woman’ wouldn’t be out of place on a Tom Waits record, while the timings, especially of the drums, on some of the Electronium sessions that have been reinterpreted by Stu and his merry men are something you might hear on a Roni Size track. The work Stu Brown is doing here is genuinely impressive, and if the starker new arrangements of Scott’s bold/odd Electronium works premiered today hook the more serious jazz aficionados, then fairweather listeners can remain happy with the kickabout cartoon capers of that first album.

Cheltenham Festivals

Stu Brown is bringing his Raymond Scott Project to the Cheltenham Festivals on April 29th:

Since the launch of the Music Festival in 1945, Cheltenham has been at the forefront of contemporary British culture. With combined ticket sales of over 150,000 the festivals have justly earned their place at the centre of the UK’s cultural scene.

Box office number is 0844-576-7979, & more details: here

Sage Jazz Festival

Stu Brown's Raymond Scott Project plays the Sage Jazz Fest in Gateshead, England, on March 28. Filmmaker Stan Warnow will appear as a special guest, presenting a preview of his documentary, Deconstructing Dad. The Brown band's set-list includes intriguing new arrangements of the following RS compositions:

• "Wheels That Go" — a Jazz version with wind synthesizer
• "When Will It End?" — Drum & Bass style
• "Celebration On The Planet Mars" — in Klezmer style
• "Portofino" — re-imagined in 1930s style
• "Lightworks" — as a Latin/Hip-Hop/Tango mish-mash
• "The Penguin" — in The Meters meets Miles Davis style

>>> Tickets & info: here

>>> And a review: here ("Stu Brown's Raymond Scott Project was a mini-festival in itself.")

Reel News

Raymond Scott's son, Stan Warnow, with updates on his documentary about his father:

My film is now basically finished, and I will be in Amsterdam this week as it's been accepted into the International Documentary Film Festival (the 'Docs For Sale' component). It has shown in a few other festivals already, including Biografilm in Bologna last June, and the HHM Film & Music fest in Bay City, MI in September.

It gained world-wide publicity through the BBC — they've interviewed me three times in the past year — the most recent being a Front Row piece a couple of weeks ago, and a segment from BBC World Service last August.

Excerpts will be shown at the Northern Lights Film Festival in England as part of a linked event with Stu Brown's group, performing at the Sage Gateshead Jazz Festival, which runs concurrently. And the official UK premiere will be at the Sensoria Festival the following month in Sheffield.

Also, it is scheduled for a screening next April as part of the Jazz Film Series at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

Another relevant development — I recently sent Leonard Maltin, one of the country’s most recognized and respected movie critics and historians, a preview DVD in hopes he would screen the documentary. Very gratified to report that he has, and here’s his reaction:

''A fascinating look at a musical genius and the way he lived his life. Stan Warnow allows us to share his journey of discovery as he pieces together the story of his father. I throughly enjoyed it.''

It’s a real thrill for me to get such positive feedback from one of the best-known film critics in America!

—Stan Warnow

www.scottdoc.com

jungle drums, slapped bass & squeaky toys

Stu Brown's Raymond Scott Project CD draws celebratory ink from the UK's Mojo magazine. It's also "Disc of the Day" (Nov 2) at The Jazz Breakfast.

Raymond Scott Project site updated

Stu Brown, whose UK Raymond Scott Project we've written about previously, has updated his website, including new press shots and a video clip from the Glasgow Jazz Fest. He intends to add more video over the next few days.

gig alert: Stu Brown's Scott Project9/24 in Glasgow

Stu Brown's six-piece Raymond Scott Project has a gig this Thursday in Glasgow, at the Europe Jazz Network Conference. If you're just coming on board, more info about Stu's barnstorming RSP here and here.

BBC Radio Interview

The BBC World Service radio arts program, The Strand, recently aired an interview with Raymond Scott's son, Stan Warnow, about his forthcoming documentary film, DECONSTRUCTING DAD. Listen to the feature, which also utilizes generous portions of Stu Brown's new CD: here<<

photo of Stan Warnow

by: Gert-Jan Blom

Stu Brown's Scott Project gig alert

Stu Brown's virtuosic Raymond Scott repertory sextet will be performing at the: on August 8 as part of the festival's Scottish (no pun intended, but appreciated nonetheless) Jazz Expo. Don't forget the band has a great new CD which is fully endorsed by the Raymond Scott mavenhood.

Twisted Toons

We've been covering the development of Stu Brown's Raymond Scott Project for over a year. The CD is now OUT. Stu has posted some tunes from the album on his website in the Audio section. He'll soon be updating his ƒ@ceb()()k and m¥$på¢e pages. The album can be pre-ordered directly via Stu's site in the Store section, or via the my§p@¢e page.

The striking cover was designed by Ali Whitty, developed from an original idea by Stu, who says: "The old photo album look continues throughout the inside of the sleeve and on the back cover." Stu adds that later this month the album will be available in the US via digital etailers, CD Baby, Amazon and as a special order via record stores.

TRACK LISTING: 1. Square Dance For Eight Egyptian Mummies 2. Devil Drums 3. The Penguin 4. New Year's Eve In A Haunted House 5. The Toy Trumpet 6. Boy Scout In Switzerland 7. Suicide Cliff 8. In an 18th Century Drawing Room 9. Moment Musical 10. Powerhouse 11. Egyptian Barn Dance 12. Hypnotist In Hawaii 13. Dinner Music For Pack of Hungry Cannibals 14. At an Arabian House Party 15. Tobacco Auctioneer 16. Twilight In Turkey 17. War Dance For Wooden Indians 18. The Bass-Line Generator 19. Toy Typewriter

"Animated By His New Project"

Stu Brown presents his Raymond Scott Project in Glasgow (Friday Feb 13) and Edinburgh (Saturday Feb 14). An article in The Herald provides some background:

A student of electronics by day and a drummer around Glasgow by night, Brown transcribed some of Scott's work for a band he was then playing with and promised himself that he would one day organise a fully-fledged project playing Scott's music, of which, he was discovering, there was rather a lot, and in different styles, too. "The problem with the Quintette is that Scott didn't write stuff down at that time," says Brown. "There's the odd sketch but mostly what he'd do was play his ideas at the piano, get the band to learn the pieces by ear and then record them. The music was never actually written with these instruments in mind and he'd basically cut and paste his ideas into compositions. So I had to transcribe a lot of old recordings and arrange them for the band we now call the Raymond Scott Project."

Watch the band perform "Devil Drums" in London last October.

Scott comes to London

As a bandleader, Raymond Scott demanded perfection from his sidemen. His standards were so lofty he once said he wouldn't hire himself to play in his own bands. In his pursuit of musical perfection, he eventually did away with human players, and built electronic devices to generate music. With Stu Brown's Raymond Scott Project, talented musicians are restoring the human touch to Scott's music, and doing it with elán. The composer would be impressed. He might have hired these guys.

Brown brings his RSP to London's elegant new Kings Place cultural centre on October 14. The program, Cartoons and Weirdness, presents a combined performance by Brown's sextet and experimental London duo Falco Subbuteo, exploring new interpretations of Scott's electronic and acoustic work.

The evening includes excerpts from Stan Warnow's documentary-in-progress, some cartoon-related short films, DJ sets featuring Scott's electronica and derivative works that sample Scott.

Current Buzz

Stu Brown's Raymond Scott Project has launched a website. The group's mission is to introduce the original RSQ repertoire to a new generation of Euro audiences. Stu (at drumkit, left) recently began adding RS electronica into the mix, but his program largely offers an updating of early Scott Quintette tunes. He is also prospecting for an album deal.

The plunderphonically mischievous Bran Flakes have been given free reign to scavenge the Scott catalog and mash up a centennial remix album for 2009 release. More on this as-yet untitled project as it develops.

The U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point will present an all-Scott recital on September 14. Admission is FREE. I'll be on hand to offer an introductory talk about RS and screen the trailer for Stan Warnow's work-in-progress documentary about his father, the composer.

The student band at the Manhattan School of Music will perform "Powerhouse" on October 14.

"Powerhouse" also makes two cameos in the soundtrack of a new film, RockNRolla, directed by Guy Ritchie, slated for Oct. 8 release. View trailer here. (Spoiler alert: "Powerhouse" ain't in it.)