Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Playlist for Tom Ossana – The Thin Edge – February 14, 2018 MST 7:00 to 9:00p.m.


http://www.kzmu.org/listen.m3u ~ Use this link to access the show online.




Drummer Phil Stewart joins us for the first time with a Messenger sounding cover of Bud Powell’s “Dance of the Infidels” from “Melodious Drum” (Cellar Live 2018). Three reeds, trumpet, piano, bass and the leader’s percussion have the earmarks of the Blakey group sans trombone. We haven’t heard from the quasi-radical pianist Andrew Hill lately. He follows with his “Flea Flop” from Blue Note’s 1964 “Judgment” that includes the vibes of Bobby Hutcherson, Richard Davis’ bass and Withee favorite, Elvin Jones on the drums. Newcomer saxophonist James Hughes follows with his quintet’s coverage of his “Intersections” from “Motion” (Self-produced 2018). Jim Kelly shows up on piano with Jimmy Smith’s trumpet. Keith O’Rourke closes this half-hour with his “Drifting” from his “Sketches from the Road” (Chronograph Records 2018). The group includes the leader’s tenor, Andre Wickenheiser (trumpet), Jon Day (piano), Kodi Hutchinson (bass), and Tyler Hornby (drums).

Pianist Lennie Tristano, the iconoclastic innovator of the late forties kicks off the second half with the wonderfully melodic Warne Marsh composition, “Marionette”, originally released by Capitol on shellac in 1949. Guitarist Billy Bauer improvises followed by Lennie while Lee Konitz’s alto and Warne’s tenor trade eights. With Tristano’s influence firmly in hand, guitarist Marcos Pin follows with a cover of his “I Love You” from “Broken Artist (Code Jazz Records 2016). The group mimics the Tristano configuration without a tenor. From Spain’s Juan we’re able to present Coltrane’s “Impressions” as imagined by Wes Montgomery’s “The Definitive ORTF Recording” (Resonance Records 2018) – the recording company responsible for resurrecting lost or forgotten recordings. Famed guitarist Wes’ ensemble includes young pianist Harold Mabern and Johnny Griffin’s tenor. John Surman, Nelson Ayres, Rob Waring return from last week in a performance of Surman’s “Autumn Nocturne” from “Invisible Threads” (ECM 2018). The trio includes in this cut: bass clarinet, vibes and piano.

“The Egyptian”, one of the greatest Curtis Fuller compositions, kicks off the third half from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’ “Indestructible” (Blue Note 1964). The exquisite variations begin with Curtis’s trombone, Shorter’s tenor, Lee Morgan’s trumpet and the otherworldly grand Cedar Walton piano. Percussionist Andrew Bain follows with his “Hope” from “Embodied Hope” (Whirlwind Recordings 2017) featuring George Colligan’s piano and Jon Irabagon’s tenor. Our favorite Swedish pianist, Bobo Stenson, and his partners, bassist Anders Jormin and drummer Jon Falt interpret Jormin’s “Doubt Thou The Stars” from Stenson’s “Contra la Indecisión” (ECM 2018). I’m guessing the song’s title came from a Hamlet soliloquy – a logical preparation for the romance to come. 

If you are – or have been – in love, The Romantic Half-Hour has never been more convincing. Spain’s Noa Lur gets us caressing with her take on James Moody/Jimmy McHugh/Eddie Jefferson’s “Moody’s Mood for Love” from Loa’s “Badakit” (Youkli Music S.I. 2013) with pianist Pepe Rivero leading the way. A brooding Chet Baker follows with his interpretation of Frank Signorelli and Matty Malneck’s “Stairway to the Stars” from Chet’s “Plays for Lovers” (Riverside 1952/Concord 2006). Our favorite girl from KARI-ON Productions, Audrey Silver, is next with hers and Gagne’s “The Cold Wind’s Embrace” from “Very Early”. Pianist Bruce Barth and Alex Pope Norris’ trumpet hover over Audrey’s voice. Frank Mantooth enlists vocalist Karrin Allyson in a performance of Tadd Dameron’s “If You Could See Now” from Frank’s “Ladies Sing for Lovers” (jazzmcg 2003/Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild). We’ll hear Sonny Hernandez’s trombone. Revered fifties vocalist, Helen Merrill, follows with her treatment of Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer’s “Dearly Beloved” from her stint with Bobby Jaspar’s Quintet’s “The Nearness of You” (EmArcy 1958). Soloists include pianist Dick Marx and bassist Johnny Frigo. Jane Monheit fashions Bernstein/Comden/Green’s “Some Other Time” from her “Platinum Select Set” (Starwin 2006). I asked Sassy to send us home with that loving feeling. Vaughan responded with her treatment of Cahn and Styne’s “It’s You or No One” from “Young Sassy” (Proper Box UK 2001). Sarah cut this recording in 1953 with the Richard Maltby Orchestra.

Behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife. Groucho Marx

Let's have some fun!

Thanks to Music Director Serah and friends around the world for the program's content.

Sunwatchers - II (TROUBLE IN MIND RECORDS 2018)

SUNWATCHERS STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE DISPOSSESSED, IMPOVERISHED AND EMBATTLED PEOPLE OF THE WORLD 

Albert Ayler — precious spiritual and sonic touchstone of ours to the degree that we named our band after one of his weirder totems — proclaimed it famously, affirmatively and with well-earned intelligence: MUSIC IS THE HEALING FORCE OF THE UNIVERSE. We believe this and preach this and do what we can to live this, but we understand that, now, amid our wrongheaded fascist tailspin, direct action is needed. 

We are musicians, and we will leave political specifics to those more qualified than we are. All the time and energy and passion we can muster we dedicate to writing, performing, recording and releasing music: instrumental music, released from the tyranny of semantics into the freedom and hopefulness of universality-of-connection. We thusly realize the need to become overt about our own intentions and our own mores; without the ease and accessibility of direct language, the onus is on us to express our principles in other ways. This is the reason we have chosen for our album cover the beautiful embroidery of our long-held Sunwatchers Mission Statement, included in lesser visual terms in every SW release thus far. This stunning version was made by our dear friend Catherine Wheeler, a surprise end-of-tour gift created as she traveled across Africa by bus. We couldn’t be more proud of it as a totem, an art object, and an album cover; it is significant in a multitude of ways. 

We have the unbelievable luck of playing with many amazing collaborators in NYC and beyond, but the core of our group — Peter Kerlin, Jim McHugh, Jason Robira and Jeff Tobias — are white males, American-born. It is an unassailable and deeply maddening fact that white males in this world are afforded a million times more bandwidth and infinitely more resources for communication and mobility than any other ethnic or gender group. Our comrades at Trouble In Mind did not choose to release our record because of this; but, as individuals, we have been emboldened since birth to speak out for what we desire, what we believe in, to express directly our goals. That others are discouraged, overtly and covertly, and are very often jailed, assaulted and murdered is a tragedy beyond measure. However, this is truth, and we view it as our responsibility to use our ill-gotten bully pulpit to espouse equality for the dispossessed and an end to our current exploitative ways of being. Unavoidably, this graphic iteration will be seen as seditious by the mainstream(if it is noticed at all; more punk-battered free-improv on FOX NEWS could start some sort of healing process, tho), and, perhaps, it will be judged as hypocritical by some of our peers in the underground music community — as a mere marketing-scheme, or empty sloganeering in the name of radical-chic. We promise you, it is as genuine as it can be. At our deepest core we desire that our efforts aid in the annihilation of state-supported inequality and the concept and importance of Whiteness altogether. 

We are leftists; across the spectrum, yes — abolitionist syndicalist; democratic socialist; antiviolent-resistance advocate; horrified father with a sad eye for his child to the imperiled future — but leftists, all, and we feel that human existence is endangered by capitalism and its inexorably violent, exploitative and objectively harrowing means, methods and endgames. We have sensed this danger since well before the idiot fascistTrump and his confederacy of gangster anarcho-capitalists and racist-activists assumed control and unfurled their sloppy and lethal intent across the governance of the First World. We felt this before racist groups — paramilitary foot-soldiers of Capitalism, knowingly or unawares — were emboldened by our clown-mouthed president to make their violently bigoted intentionality overt and head-breaking as opposed to sublimated, coiled and altogether dominant, nonetheless. We understood this through years past, as our regime— under whatever equivocating leader our electorate supported — upheld foreign dictators and brigands that aided in our own government-for-profit-by-murder; as munitions corporations propagated endless and horrible war by keeping subservient lawmakers in power via their deep-pocketed lobbies; as police militarized their ranks with surplus weaponry and combat armor — justified ironically and nefariously as a “taxpayer money-saving plan” — and initiated assassinations of people of color and terrorized grassroots resistance movements. Capitalism is endangering humanity, and we must end it if we are to survive; this knowledge has devastated us and guided us for years. 

Now, things are critical: sabres are rattling, millions of people are dying needlessly in the name of capital, and the injuries and injustices accrue too quickly to inventory. We are on the precipice of our precarious worldwide disaster merging into full-blown “you will not be counting the dead, you will be counting the living”* catastrophe. 

As with our first album on Castle Face, we will be donating sales proceeds of this LP to prison abolitionist organizations. Money from the debut went to the Human Rights Coalition, a direct-advocacy group for inmates based in Philadelphia. This summer past, via our activist-umbrella organization Music Against Mass Incarceration, we organized a day-long festival benefitting JustLeadershipUSA and the Close Rikers Campaign; their input and participation was cogent and inspired, their expertise immensely valuable, and the day was edifying and strengthening for our community of progressives here in Brooklyn. Donations from this LP will go to JLUSA, as well. Again: it is on us to increase our Money/Mouth Ratio in these dire times. 

Enough of this. We hope you dig the sounds; we worked really hard on them. It also needs to be said that we nearly named this record “LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!!!” because, yeh, we like that too. But, as our radical scuzz-punk forbears No Trend once declared in seething voices indignant, drug-strangled and wholly pubescent: IF YOU STAND FOR NOTHING YOU’LL FALL FOR ANYTHING! 

LOVE AND RESPECT — JMM, JDT, JLR, PNK 

*A chilling, characteristic quote to embattled Sarajevens by Serbian leader Radovan Karadzic, proclaimed at the upswing of the Milosevic-led ethnic cleansing of the former Yugoslavia. There are many more details about these atrocities that ring true today, which is absolutely horrifying, to say the least.

1. Nose Beers 02:16
2. The Hot Eye 07:08
3. There Are Weapons You Can Bring To School 09:41
4. Silent Boogie 04:06
5. The Works 05:35
6. Flowers Of The Water (for Lou) 08:56

Sunwatchers are:
Peter Kerlin - bass guitar
Jim McHugh - electric & acoustic guitars, electric phin, keyboards, harmonica, Korg MS-20
Jeff Tobias - alto & baritone saxophones, Wurlitzer MLM, keyboards, recorder
Jason Robira - drumset & percussion

with:
Ryan Sawyer - second drumset on "The Hot Eye" & "Flowers of the Water"
Brigid Dawson - vocals on "Flowers of the Water"
Jonah Rapino - violin
Jeanann Dara - viola
Cory Bracken - vibraphone
Michael Wrasman - trombone

Recorded by Charles Burst at The Seaside Lounge - Brooklyn, NY, Aug 2016
Mastered by Sarah Register
Overdubs engineered in the homes of Peter Kerlin, Jonah Rapino & Jason Robira
Mixed by Charles Burst & Sunwatchers
Sunwatchers mission embroidered by Catherine Wheeler
Lettering, logo & layout by Chelsey Pettyjohn
Cover design by Peter Kerlin & Jim McHugh

Rudresh Mahanthappa named Best Alto Saxophonist in JazzTimes' 2017 Expanded Critics' Poll


Rudresh Mahanthappa named “Best Alto Saxophonist” in JazzTimes’ 2017 Expanded Critics’ Poll

Upcoming concerts:

• Friday, March 16 at McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, NJ

• Sunday, March 18 at the ICA, Boston

Mahanthappa’s 2017 Indo-Pak Coalition recording Agrima earned acclaim as one of the best albums of 2017 from Rolling Stone, JazzTimes, The New York Times, NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll,
Paste Magazine and more 

Saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa has been named “Best Alto Saxophonist” in the JazzTimes 2017 Expanded Critics Poll, published in the March 2018 issue.  For the poll, critics were asked to focus on artists’ achievements in 2017.  Mahanthappa also came in third in the “Electric/Jazz-Rock/Contemporary Group/Artist” category.

The voting came on the heels of Mahanthappa’s October 2017 recording Agrima with the Indo-Pak Coalition featuring Rez Abbasi on guitar and Dan Weiss on tabla. The recording earned numerous 4-star reviews and wide acclaim as one of the best albums of 2017 from Rolling Stone, The New York Times, NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll, Paste Magazine, JazzTimes and many others. The recording was released as a $2.50 download as well as a limited edition deluxe double LP via rudreshm.com.

“It is both humbling and rewarding to have my music recognized by some of the top jazz journalists in the world,” says Mahanthappa who in addition to performing and recording widely with his own bands, is the Director of Jazz at Princeton University.


Mahanthappa and the Indo-Pak Coalition will present two performances in March

609.258.2787

617.478.3103


Agrima is the long-awaited follow-up to the Indo-Pak Coalition’s 2008 recording Apti, which won praise from The Guardian for its “irresistible urgency.” The recording finds Mahanthappa and the group expanding aesthetic horizons: adding a modified drum set, incorporating effects and electronics, and working with a broader audio canvas overall.  The core of the band’s sound, the vibrant presence of Indian rhythmic and melodic elements in a charged, modern improvisational framework born of the New York jazz scene, remains firmly in place.

"Agrima is a knockout. The Indo-Pak Coalition stack harmonies, textures, dynamics, and peerless rhythmic maneuvering throughout in dazzling combinations. They extend the rich history of Indo-jazz fusion beyond its historical conversational and dialogic boundaries to create a new meta-musical language of their own design.” AllMusic, Thom Jurek 

“Influenced by both Indian folk and American rock, this blazing jazz trio creates an interplay that's immediate with a texture that's unique: Mahanthappa on sax, Rez Abassi on guitar and Dan Weiss splitting his time between tabla and drum kit, burning through glistening melodies. Mahanthappa plays in starts and stops, slow winds and bursts of tricky flurries, but he'll also provide a harmonium-like drone when it's time for Abassi to solo. With its hard-driving feel and a bit of distortion, the group's latest record is just as quick to feel like indie-rock moodmakers Morphine ("Showcase") or punk guitar heroes Television ("Agrima").” Rolling Stone, Christopher R. Weingarten

“Mr. Mahanthappa writes along the divide between contemporary jazz and South Asian classical, always with a sense of acute direction and well-hewn architecture. But it’s his trio’s synergy that gives Agrima what it needs: possibility, irony, tenderness.” NY Times, Giovanni Russonello

“The excitement here is large and wildly contagious.” The Buffalo News, Jeff Simon

“I’m going to spare you the comparisons to other jazz sax players and just flat-out say that Rudresh Mahanthappa is one of the best players today in terms of creativity and having a distinctive voice… Over the last 50 years, many artists have combined Indian music with jazz and rock, but nobody has done it quite like this. No matter what section of the store you file it in, Agrima is an outstanding release.” Expose, Jon Davis

“Mahanthappa uses his knife-like alto saxophone in many different contexts, but on this project he returns to that of an immigrant’s son trying to integrate his South Asian heritage into his beloved American jazz and rock. Working with guitarist Rez Abbasi and percussionist Dan Weiss, Mahanthappa employs his Charlie Parker-like speed, a tasteful dose of electronica and chameleonic themes that could thrive on either continent to fashion a triumphant fusion.” JazzTimes, Geoffrey Himes

“Mahanthappa achieves a remarkably orchestral palette with this session, featuring Rez Abbasi’s guitar and the drum/ table multiplicity of Dan Weiss. Certainly one of the most consistently exciting discs to emerge in the past year.” The World According to Rob, Robert Bush

“Indian music and NYC jazz isn’t a typical match of influences, and yet with his 2017 release Agrima, it’s as if the saxophonist has achieved a certain normalcy of presentation, to the point where an unconventional sound is as embraceable as taking your next breath. The core of Agrima is Indian music, sometimes as a melodic influence and other times imposing its will upon a piece rhythmically. But the house of the album is built with the raw materials of an indie-rock edge and contemporary grooves and electronic effects, and it’s why Agrima sits plumb with previous Mahanthappa recordings while also representing something new…Everything about this album is wonderful. And what it says about Mahanthappa’s willingness to refuse to sit still is promising as hell.” Bird is the Worm, Dave Sumner

“The core of the band's sound, the vibrant presence of Indian rhythmic and melodic elements in a charged, modern improvisational framework born of the New York jazz scene, remains firmly in place, but Mahanthappa's alto is transformed in places by software-driven effects to create strange processed timbres, echoes, decays and soundscapes.” Nextbop.com, Sébastien Hélary


“The alto saxophonist’s wind-tunnel control and technique are as breathtaking as always. The themes are more distinctly Indian, and darker, and more ambitious. Guitarist Rez Abbasi takes his tunefulness to new levels. And let’s not stop with the music: let’s say the hell with imperialist historical smog and unite India with Pakistan.” New York Music Daily. Alan Young

“There isn’t another band quite like this…These are three distinct talents, unfettered in pursuit of the brutish beauty of their collective vision, like the Indo-jazz version of Cream. Nearly a decade between albums, but worth the wait.” JazzTimes, Britt Robson

“There is individual virtuosity, at almost every turn. But the larger point of this album is the transformation of materials in a process of real-time exchange—a meeting of minds and methods that takes no possibilities for granted.” NPR Music, Nate Chinen

“…The second recording by alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa and his Indo-Pak Coalition goes beyond South-Asian/Jazz fusion, incorporating drums, electronics, and a greater sense of power and adventure… As a result, the group reunites with a fresh attack and broader range of tools, not recreating the excellent debut but creating something wider and, to my ears, richer… Agrima is a remarkable step in Mahanthappa's music because it takes his Indo-Pak Coalition and its music and makes us hear it and feel it as much more than an experiment in cross-cultural fusion. It is a pleasure to listen to these tracks and forget about the source of the melodies or the intelligence behind the musical melding of cultures. It impacts you more elementally than that: as great music that gives individual expression to three compelling personalities. And that's what great jazz does every time out.” Pop Matters, Will Layman

“With Agrima, Mahanthappa continues his penchant for creating sounds that are forward-leaning yet highly accessible, all while honoring various traditions.” Jazziz, John Frederick Moore

“The music is often fierce, sometimes hypnotic. Mahanthappa's searing saxophone careens over Weiss' rock solid rhythm and Abbasi's mesmeric guitar on "Rasikapriya."  "Alap," the brief opener, begins with Abbasi's electro-sacred tone. Weiss' tabla bubbles in, a luminescent sparkle of electronics paints a bright backdrop, and Mahanthappa's saxophone offers up a tranquil prayer. Then it's off into an insistent, cutting-edge, twenty-first century foray into the sounds of southern Asia—the deep roots—blended with the newer, growing roots of American jazz improvisation.” Allaboutjazz, Don McClenaghan

“Under the banner the Indo-Pak Coalition, the group intensely communicates joy and multi-textured sophistication. This is arresting music that takes plenty of chances yet feels entirely accessible, particularly for fans of jazz-rock fusion seeking something extraordinary.” The Denver Post, Bret Saunders

“If you’re a jazz fan who embraces music which has few boundaries, Mahanthappa, Weiss and Abbasi have created something you should hear.” Audiophile Audition, Doug Simpson

“This excellent album is like an elegant railway system linking jazz, folk, Hindustani, Pakistani Qawwali, Middle Eastern music and the chamber music style of the post-serialist and the avant-garde, 21st century conservatoire. If this sounds like quite a mouthful listeners will be delighted that despite the matrix of sound, the music is quite the distillation of it all in the singular voice of this Indo-Pak Coalition. Still, to describe it as such gives the impression of overcooking when in fact the whole project is a masterpiece of subtlety… Agrima is definitely worth its weight in gold.” JazzdaGama, Raul da Gama



Few musicians share the ability of alto saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa to embody the expansive possibilities of his music with his culture. What has materialized is a sound that hybridizes progressive jazz and South Indian classical music in a fluid and forward-looking form that reflects Mahanthappa’s own experience growing up a second-generation Indian-American. 

Hailed by the New York Times as possessing “a roving intellect and a bladelike articulation,” Mahanthappa has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and commissions from the Rockefeller Foundation MAP Fund, Chamber Music America and the American Composers Forum. He has been named alto saxophonist of the year for six of seven years running in DownBeat Magazine’s International Critics’ Polls (2011-2013, 2015-2017), and for five consecutive years by the Jazz Journalists’ Association (2009-2013) and again in 2016. He won alto saxophonist of the year in the 2016 and 2017 JazzTimes Magazine Critics’ Poll. In April 2013, he received a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, one of the most prominent arts awards in the world. In 2015, he was named a United States Artists Fellow. In 2016, he was named the Director of Jazz and the Associate Director of the Program in Musical Performance at Princeton University. 

Mahanthappa is a Yamaha artist and uses Vandoren reeds exclusively.


Menagerie - Evolution (The Arrow Of Time) FREESTYLE RECORDS 2018


Lance Ferguson must surely qualify as a polymath, his varied musical skills & abilities reach across genres multiple projects. The Bamboos, Cookin' On 3 Burners, Lanu, Black Feeling are just some of the projects he has brought to the publics' ears, not forgetting of course his record producing, DJ-ing, radio presenting, songwriting and highly admired guitar playing.

The first incarnation of Lances' Menagerie project 'They Shall Inherit' saw the light of day in 2012 (Tru Thoughts Recordings) and established the simple fact that jazz of the contemporary type could reach back to it's essential roots and present itself, refreshed and vital for a contemporary audience. As Lance himself explains;

'The Arrow Of Time' draws its inspiration conceptually from the themes of space exploration, human evolution and the future of humankind. It's all pretty big stuff to be underpinning an album of modal Jazz tunes - but the main message is one of hope, and I hope that message and feeling comes across in the music. The post-Coltrane generation of musicians going into the 1970's and the sound of record labels like Strata East, Tribe and Black Jazz has been a massive influence on the music I write for Menagerie. To me that sound is timeless, exciting and just as vibrant as a musical format in 2017 - and the proof is that we're hearing more and more young musicians embracing it. 'The Freedom Principle' by definition has no limits and no use-by date

2018 will see 'The Arrow of Time', the second installment of the venture released on Freestyle Records - the UK label rapidly establishing itself as a major force in today's jazz and related musics, being the home also for Courtney Pine, Jessica Lauren, and keyboard legend Brian Auger.

As a scintillating taster for the full length album - this 2 track sampler provides an exciting glimpse of the full project - Evolution features Lances' spoken word lyrics as voiced by Fallon Williams over a simply beautiful ensemble piece and The Arrow Of Time allows the collectives various enviously gifted soloists space to stretch out.


Scratchophone Orchestra - Plaisir Moderne (March 2, 2018)


The Scratchophone Orchestra fusionne swing et musiques actuelles. Les quatre membres du groupe composent un electro-swing raffiné où la voix d’Aurélien teintée d’une couleur pop se mélange habilement aux samples vocaux de chanteurs Jazz de légende et où clarinette et  violon se mêlent aux vieilles sonorités des orchestres News Orleans des années trente.

C’est en live que The Scratchophone Orchestra prend toute son ampleur avec un set saupoudré de scratchs et rythmé par des beats à la production soignée. Le dancefloor est mis à l’épreuve tout au long du spectacle!

De là est né Plaisir Moderne, un album douze titres résolument ancré dans le style électro swing. Mixant samples et sonorités vintage, dans un format contemporain teinté de hip hop et de house, le groupe a trouvé le plein équilibre entre musique instrumentale et production électronique.

On découvre Mon Héroine, le premier extrait de Plaisir Moderne dont l'énergie se partage entre un swing ravageur et une douce nostalgie. Dans le clip, une battle de danse s'installe entre deux bandes rivales au bord de la scène. Hommage appuyé au film West Side Story, on comprend rapidement que chacune des bandes défend sa propre danse et provoque joyeusement l'autre avec des pas typiques du Lindy Hop et du Hip-Hop. Une belle occasion pour découvrir les rythmes irrésistibles de The Scratchophone Orchestra.

Le Scratchophone Orchestra est un groupe qui tient en une équation simple : des mélodies taillées dans la matière brute du swing des années 30 qui croisent les influences très actuelles irriguant le mouvement électro-swing. Des beats rejouant dans ce siècle-ci les rythmiques les plus dansantes du précédent. Des compositions aux productions soignées structurées autour du chant. L' énergie d'un quartet qui électrise de façon systématique la piste de danse.


Le Scratchophone Orchestra voit le jour à l'été 2015 et compose en vingt jours ses 10 premiers morceaux en vue de son premier concert. Pour l'anecdote ce concert fût contracté au culot alors que le groupe n'avait encore ni trouvé son nom ni commencé à composer.

En 2016 le Scratchophone Orchestra réalise ses premiers concerts d'envergure (Jazz sous les pommiers, Musique à la Rue) au milieu d'une tournée d' une quarantaine de dates et se frotte par la même occasion à des noms respectés de la scène électro et chanson. En parallèle les membres du Scratchophone enregistrent leur 2ème EP et réalisent plusieurs clips vidéo auto-produits qui signeront l'esthétique du groupe.

Après cette première année explosive le groupe consacre les quelques mois d'hiver à la création d'un nouveau répertoire et il démarre en 2017 une série de 70 dates, des clubs parisiens jusqu'aux festivals de jazz . La tournée s'axe sur la France principalement mais aussi sur l'Allemagne, la Suisse, l' Italie, le Luxembourg - le répertoire est neuf, la scénographie travaillée, et le scratch fait une apparition remarquée sur scène sous la houlette de DJ Royo.

Fin 2017 le groupe signe avec l' éditeur WOOF-WTPL Music et le label Crystal Record. Ces collaborations donne naissance au premier album du Scratchophone Orchestra qui sortira en Mars 2018; "Plaisir Moderne". 

Dans cet album, on retrouve douze titres dont dix chansons, en francais et en anglais, résolument ancrées dans le style éléctro swing. Mixant samples et sonorités vintage dans un format aux accents Hip Hop et House, le groupe à tout particulièrement soigné l'équilibre entre musique instrumentale et production électronique.
Le Scratchophone Orchestra est composé d' Aurélien Mourocq dit "Le Gitan" (Chant & Clarinette), de Gabriel Bonnin (Violon),  de Clément Royo alias Dj Royo (Beats, drums & guitare), et Armand Delaval  "Le Baron" (Contrebasse).


En tournée :
Le 3 Mars 2018 au Temps Machine –Tours(37)
Le 9 Mars 2018 aux Nuits de la Roulotte –Chambery(73)
Le 16 Mars 2018 à L’Archipel –Granville(50)
Le 13 Avril 2018 au Cosmix–Férel(56)
Le 18 Mai 2018 au Festival Musiques Métisses –Colmar (68)
Le 26 Mai 2018 aux Rendez-Vous de Saint-Lyphard–La Ferté Bernard (72)
Le 2 Juin 2018 à Festicolor–Meung-sur-Loire (45)
Le 23 Juin 2018 au Chant des Groles –Vivonne(86)
Le 7 Juillet 2018 au Festival Tous sur le Pont –Argentat(19)
Le 26 Juillet 2018 aux 4 Sons Cardinaux –La Bourboule(63)