Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra

Take a new music opera, reduce the instrumentation to a manageable and mobile five-piece group and play bars, not stuffy, self-important venues for the self-appointed intelligentsia, and you’ve got a handle on the "revolutionary” part of the Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra. Founded in 2006 by composer/lyricist Benjamin Mueller-Heaslip, the group have three strings, soprano saxophone, drums and soprano vocalist Kristin Mueller-Heaslip. The eponymous EP features four representative pieces from the ensemble’s considerable repertoire. The first song, "Impostor,” based on lyrics by Karl Mohr, features a melodic line passionately delivered by Kristin over Reich/Glass-like ostinato string lines. Soprano saxophonist Jennifer Wardle’s crystal clear tone imbues "Recurrents” with a glistening sheen, as string lines form a tapestry of shimmering patterns. In a musical genre known for feeding from government grant troughs, the Parkdale Revolutionary Orchestra are making a bold and courageous statement by bypassing established outlets and playing for audiences where they go to have fun and a little adventure. What a concept!