It's hard to accurately describe the music of the Bang-On-A-Can All Stars for those who haven't heard them. They come out of the classical tradition, but can resemble a hard-core rock band. The group features Robert Black on bass, Lisa Moore on piano and keyboards, Mark Stewart on electric guitar, Evan Ziporyn on clarinets and saxophones, Susannah Chapman on cello and David Cossin on percussion.
The instrumentation suggests anything from a rock group to a chamber ensemble. They take the best qualities of both types, and have formed a fiercely original and openly emotive classical ensemble that plays avant-garde music without all the pretension.
Similarly, the pieces they perform draw from more than just the classical tradition. One piece might contain a Hendrix guitar soundscape and a Japanese folk melody juxtaposed with a Cecil Taylor-like piano burst. Atonality and dissonance are common in their songs, but the All Stars' music is by no means inaccessible. The music isn't just meant to be appreciated, it's meant to be enjoyed.
The All Stars play the works of mostly unknown avant-garde composers who have no outlets for their music. According to the Conservatory's Public Relations director, Linda Shockley, the first three pieces performed this Saturday will include the dark and rhythmic "Cheating, Lying, Stealing" by David Lang, the abrupt, John Zorn-like "Lick" by Julia Wolf, and Steve Reich's "Electric Counterpoint." These pieces are not just progressive and original, but actually provide for good listening.
The highlight of the evening, however, will be the live performance of ex-Talking Head Brian Eno's studio masterpiece, "Music For Airports." "Music For Airports" was the first piece ever written in the ambient style, which has exploded into an entire genre. Eno never actually intended the piece to be reproduced live, but the All Stars have arranged the piece for live performance. The result is a piece that is beautiful and ominous, subtle and glorious.
Bang on a Can All Stars will perform Saturday at 9 p.m. at Warner Concert Hall. Admission is $4 with OCID. Tickets are available in Wilder.
Fasten your seatbelts: The innovative Bang on a Can All-Stars reinterpret the classics. (photo courtesy Conservatory Public Relations)
Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 127, Number 6, October 9, 1998
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