Pat Metheny Orchestrion project -glad to do my part

The theme song from Mambo Kings...Dulce Maria. We have had the honor to have designed and built more thatn 18 of the instruments used in the Pat Metheny Orchestrion project on tour now. I ave recently been interviewed by the New York Times and Jazz Times. CBS Sunday morning has called to come here from New York to interview and film RagtimeWest for there show airing in March, 2010. This robotic orchestra contains around 60 instruments including Steel Drums, guitar, banjo, flute, accordion, bass, xylophone, piano and 40 percussion. Made by ragtimewest.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• orchestra
• robot
• automated
• pan
• steeldrums
• pat
• metheny
• orchestrion

[PaperClipShows]

The Trons are way better!

[moersenice]

This is some scary shit

[beasst94]

i know u prob told me already - where is this and can i visit it?

[jyciusvid]

Okay... in the hut with the drums and keyboard percussion... what are the flashing lines of blue light? Surely the keys of the instrument aren't being played by sparks of electricity...?

[milleb]

Yeah! More Cowbell!!

[KawhackitaRag]

pretty inflammatory... let's take this argument somewhere off this page since it doesn't have much to do with this video. Basically, there are around 3000+ rags and they are certainly not all the same. Some are similar to each other, many use similar harmonic progressions and musical textures, but there are little differences. Also, the individual way performers played ragtime back in the day was different than the attitude many have today where everything "must be played as-written".

[drummernezzy]

You seem like quite an authority on this stuff. I watched a couple of your rag videos.

I like ragtime & even own a Scott Joplin cd, but it seems like there only needs to be about 10 rags in the world. They're all pretty much the same-like reggae music. How's that for an inflamatory statement???

[KawhackitaRag]

You're right! cylinder-operated pipe organs and carillons (bell towers) date back at least to the 1500s in existing examples, and we have historical evidence that they were made hundreds of years before this as well. Check out the Nationaal Museum Van Speelklok Tot Pierement (from musical clock to street organ) in Utrecht, Netherlands. They're nearly the best anywhere, have a great tour and awesome stuff! There's videos of the museum on Youtube.

[KawhackitaRag]

If you think that's scary... check out the Blessing Robot Band sold by Cooley's Olde Tyme Piano Shoppe in Delaware. This device has three fairly realistic figures: one pretends to play the piano (a player piano), another pretends to play the accordion (a reproducing player accordion a little more sophisticated than the one typically found in dance organs and orchestrions) and the third figure actually plays a real set of drums! They are cool but really creepy! This santa figure doesn't scare me!

[KawhackitaRag]

Actually, I believe this was recorded at one of the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) shows. This particular firm's instruments are for sale to the general public... if you're REALLY rich! Most of the big steel-drum ones like this get sold to casinos who use them for an added attraction and for background music.

[KawhackitaRag]

Actually, it's a real working version of some of the instruments at HOTR. Many of the ones there are pretend (and were ALWAYS pretend) and use synthesizers to actually make the music. These instruments are the real deal. HOWEVER, HOTR has some great real working antique automatic instruments as well (such as the Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina violin player and the Gebruder Bruder fairground organ). These antiques are better made and have better arrangements than many modern automatic instruments.

[Ring2me1]

Great Vid!