Asphalt Orchestra

Intrigued by Tyondai Braxton's debut album and by his work with Battles, when searching for more of his music I found the excellent 'Pulse March' that he'd written for the Asphalt Orchestra. Record-buying funds weren't freely available at that point, so it wasn't until a good ten years later that I eventually acquired the Orchestra's self-titled album on CD.

"Created by the founders of the 'relentlessly inventive' new music presenter Bang on a Can, Asphalt Orchestra unleashes innovative music from concert halls, rock clubs and jazz basements and takes it to the streets and beyond." So goes the blurb - they're a marching band with the usual brass and percussion-heavy instrumentation that implies, albeit with virtuoso players and a determinedly wide-ranging, artsy repertoire.

As well as Braxton's piece, there are arrangements of pieces by the likes of Frank Zappa, Charles Mingus and Björk, which translate to the brass-band medium with varying degrees of success (though none are outright failures). Another favourite track of mine is the rousing 'Champagne', the work of Bosnian bandleader and composer Goran Bregović, in which the band are called upon to sing as well as play.

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All Wrapped Up

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Bananas Are Not Created Equal

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