I’m so glad I went to see Moe!kestra last night at The Uptown in Oakland. Moe! Staiano is a percussionist/composer. Last night he conducted a performance of his Piece No 9, When Terrie Had Six (a composition dedicated to the Ex). There were about 30 musicians on (and off) the stage playing his graphical score while paying attention to his cues via a baton, index cards, and a small hand held stop sign. Moments of repeated pattern were countered by spontaneous solos and silences. Once in a while he would step down from his conducting post(a wobbly folding chair) and run into a section of the band cueing individual members to come forward in the sound mix. Listening to a recording of this is almost missing the point – there is no substitute for experiencing this kind of music live.
Moe!kestra - there wasn't enough room on stage for all of them. There were 7 electric guitarists.
Moe! Staiano (yes, the exclamation mark is part of his name).
Index cards used to cue the orchestra to play certain parts of the score.
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