Concert Review the Philadelphia Inquirer Warned That Essay

Concert Review

The Philadelphia Inquirer warned that Asphalt Orchestra is "not your mother's marching band" (www.asphaltorchestra.com). Those who entered Keene State College's Redfern Arts Center on the evening of October 5, 2011, were in for a surprise if they had hoped to hear "Louie, Louie" or other high school halftime standards. From the opening notes, it was clear Asphalt Orchestra was on stage to bring innovative musical entertainment to an enthusiastic and mostly college-aged crowd.

Asphalt Orchestra is a 12-member ensemble of brass, woodwind and percussion players. All are excellent musicians who can coax weird and wonderful melodies and sounds from their respective instruments. The musicians hail from diverse backgrounds, including rock, jazz and classical, and come together in a street band that has no contemporary rival. The band made its debut over a series of performances at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival in New York over the summers of 2009 and 2010. Since then, they have performed throughout the United States and Canada with a repertoire that includes music from Scandinavian pop sensation Bjork, jazz legend Charles Mingus, rock innovator Frank Zappa, and the Swedish metal band Meshuggah as well as new pieces written for the band by such notables as Yoko Ono and Talking Heads' David Byrne.It takes a uniquely talented group of performers to take such diverse material and bring to it their own style and sound, but Asphalt Orchestra does so in their own spectacular, inimitable way.

The band's self-titled album, released last year, is available through iTunes. Tracks such as "Hyper-Ballad" let band members show off their considerable jazz chops, while "Electric Red" lets the listener hear some of….....