Hear an hour where [celebratory] brass bands, Ethiogroove, and the heaviness of Black Sabbath, or well…Meshuggah overlap: with music from Romania’s Fanfare Ciocarlia, Ethiojazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke with the Hoodna Orchestra, Brooklyn bhangra party band Red Baraat, along with music by Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah, as adapted by the Bang on a Can’s street band, Asphalt Orchestra (whose Pixies adaptations are STILL unparalleled.) [Note from Producer Caryn: The music in this show came about in response to an album preview of the release "Evil Plan" that we received from the Ethiopian band Ukandanz on which they covered Black Sabbath's "War Pigs". Naturally, the team (er...OK, I did) set about finding like-minded tunes that suggested heavy metal, perhaps using the close intervals of Ethiopian scales, and happened to also be brass bands. John contributed his favorites and here we are.] Listen to the irresistible brass of Brooklyn’s own Bhangra dance band, Red Baraat, from their latest release, Bhangra Rangeela, on a track where distorted guitar riffs and feisty drum rhythms pound the listener. Also, hear heavy music from Ethiopian band uKanDanZ, with their “swells of boisterous sax, flights of exalted keyboard and a few gems of guitar” (Bandcamp). Hear some recent swinging collaborative music featuring the “father of Ethio-jazz,” Mulatu Astatke on vibraphone with the Tel Aviv-based Hoodna Orchestra. Then, listen to a cover of the Flamingos tune “I Only Have Eyes for You” from Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy - high-spirited music with a nod to doo-wop horns. (Bowie was also known for his work with influential avant-garde jazzers Art Ensemble of Chicago, a fusion of jazz with European art music and indigenous African music.) A brass band program wouldn’t be complete [NSAPA really can’t help it] without legendary Romanian brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia, and their suggested romp with uh…evil in a tune called “Demon Dance”. Also, because it IS John Schaefer’s show, there is a King Crimson tune, “Red”, done up by the “small big band”, Either/Orchestra, formed by Russ Gershon in Cambridge, MA. Then, hear the street marching band Asphalt Orchestra, a talented group of instrumentalists, composers, and arrangers [who have released two albums on Bang on a Can's imprint, Cantaloupe], as they take on “Electric Red” by Swedish extreme metal band, Meshuggah. That, and more. - Caryn Havlik Program #5001, Brass Bands (First aired 4/25/2025) ARTIST: Lester Bowie's Brass FantasyWORK: I Only have Eyes For You [1:11]RECORDING: I Only have Eyes For YouSOURCE: ECM 1296INFO: ecmrecords.com ARTIST: Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna OrchestraWORK: Major [3:54]RECORDING: TensionSOURCE: Batov RecordsINFO: https://mulatuastatke.bandcamp.com/album/tension ARTIST: Red BaraatWORK: Crown of Spades [4:28]RECORDING: Bhangra RangeelaSOURCE: Sinj Records INFO: https://sunnyjain.bandcamp.com/album/bhangra-rangeela ARTIST: Fanfare CiocarliaWORK: Demon Dance (dedicated to Ivan Nikolaev) [2:23]RECORDING: It Wasn't Hard To Love YouSOURCE: Asphalt Tango RecordsINFO: https://fanfareciocarlia.bandcamp.com/album/it-wasnt-hard-to-love-you ARTIST: UKANDANZWORK: 4 Against the Odds [2:42]RECORDING: Evil PlanSOURCE: Compaigne 4000INFO: https://ukandanz.bandcamp.com/album/evil-plan ARTIST: UKANDANZWORK: 4 Against the Odds [2:42]RECORDING: Evil PlanSOURCE: Compaigne 4000INFO: https://ukandanz.bandcamp.com/album/evil-plan ARTIST: Lester Bowie's Brass FantasyWORK: I Only have Eyes For You (Flamingos) [8:12]RECORDING: I Only have Eyes For YouSOURCE: ECM 1296INFO: ecmrecords.com ARTIST: Either/OrchestraWORK: Red (King Crimson) [11:12]RECORDING: The Half-Life of DesireSOURCE: Accurate RecordsINFO: Available at AppleMusic, Amazon.com, Spotify ARTIST: Asphalt OrchestraWORK: Electric Red (Meshuggah) [5:49]RECORDING: Asphalt OrchestraSOURCE: CantaloupeINFO: https://asphaltorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/electric-red ARTIST: EthiodaWORK: Ambassel Blues [4:52]RECORDING: TimkatSOURCE: Gaia MusicINFO: ethiodamusic.bandcamp.com
Hear an hour where [celebratory] brass bands, Ethiogroove, and the heaviness of Black Sabbath, or well…Meshuggah overlap: with music from Romania’s Fanfare Ciocarlia, Ethiojazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke with the Hoodna Orchestra, Brooklyn bhangra party band Red Baraat, along with music by Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah, as adapted by the Bang on a Can’s street band, Asphalt Orchestra (whose Pixies adaptations are STILL unparalleled.)
[Note from Producer Caryn: The music in this show came about in response to an album preview of the release "Evil Plan" that we received from the Ethiopian band Ukandanz on which they covered Black Sabbath's "War Pigs". Naturally, the team (er...OK, I did) set about finding like-minded tunes that suggested heavy metal, perhaps using the close intervals of Ethiopian scales, and happened to also be brass bands. John contributed his favorites and here we are.]
Listen to the irresistible brass of Brooklyn’s own Bhangra dance band, Red Baraat, from their latest release, Bhangra Rangeela, on a track where distorted guitar riffs and feisty drum rhythms pound the listener. Also, hear heavy music from Ethiopian band uKanDanZ, with their “swells of boisterous sax, flights of exalted keyboard and a few gems of guitar” (Bandcamp).
Hear some recent swinging collaborative music featuring the “father of Ethio-jazz,” Mulatu Astatke on vibraphone with the Tel Aviv-based Hoodna Orchestra. Then, listen to a cover of the Flamingos tune “I Only Have Eyes for You” from Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy - high-spirited music with a nod to doo-wop horns. (Bowie was also known for his work with influential avant-garde jazzers Art Ensemble of Chicago, a fusion of jazz with European art music and indigenous African music.)
A brass band program wouldn’t be complete [NSAPA really can’t help it] without legendary Romanian brass band Fanfare Ciocarlia, and their suggested romp with uh…evil in a tune called “Demon Dance”. Also, because it IS John Schaefer’s show, there is a King Crimson tune, “Red”, done up by the “small big band”, Either/Orchestra, formed by Russ Gershon in Cambridge, MA. Then, hear the street marching band Asphalt Orchestra, a talented group of instrumentalists, composers, and arrangers [who have released two albums on Bang on a Can's imprint, Cantaloupe], as they take on “Electric Red” by Swedish extreme metal band, Meshuggah. That, and more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #5001, Brass Bands (First aired 4/25/2025)
ARTIST: Lester Bowie's Brass FantasyWORK: I Only have Eyes For You [1:11]RECORDING: I Only have Eyes For YouSOURCE: ECM 1296INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna OrchestraWORK: Major [3:54]RECORDING: TensionSOURCE: Batov RecordsINFO: https://mulatuastatke.bandcamp.com/album/tension
ARTIST: Red BaraatWORK: Crown of Spades [4:28]RECORDING: Bhangra RangeelaSOURCE: Sinj Records INFO: https://sunnyjain.bandcamp.com/album/bhangra-rangeela
ARTIST: Fanfare CiocarliaWORK: Demon Dance (dedicated to Ivan Nikolaev) [2:23]RECORDING: It Wasn't Hard To Love YouSOURCE: Asphalt Tango RecordsINFO: https://fanfareciocarlia.bandcamp.com/album/it-wasnt-hard-to-love-you
ARTIST: UKANDANZWORK: 4 Against the Odds [2:42]RECORDING: Evil PlanSOURCE: Compaigne 4000INFO: https://ukandanz.bandcamp.com/album/evil-plan
ARTIST: UKANDANZWORK: 4 Against the Odds [2:42]RECORDING: Evil PlanSOURCE: Compaigne 4000INFO: https://ukandanz.bandcamp.com/album/evil-plan
ARTIST: Lester Bowie's Brass FantasyWORK: I Only have Eyes For You (Flamingos) [8:12]RECORDING: I Only have Eyes For YouSOURCE: ECM 1296INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Either/OrchestraWORK: Red (King Crimson) [11:12]RECORDING: The Half-Life of DesireSOURCE: Accurate RecordsINFO: Available at AppleMusic, Amazon.com, Spotify
ARTIST: Asphalt OrchestraWORK: Electric Red (Meshuggah) [5:49]RECORDING: Asphalt OrchestraSOURCE: CantaloupeINFO: https://asphaltorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/electric-red
ARTIST: EthiodaWORK: Ambassel Blues [4:52]RECORDING: TimkatSOURCE: Gaia MusicINFO: ethiodamusic.bandcamp.com