Say Yes with Know
Dead-serious about not being too-serious, Know Orchestra combines high-skill musicianship with a playful energy that’s sure to put a smile on your face. On April 23rd, the group’s calling on creative performers from across MetroWest to share original work in a supportive, fun atmosphere. Know Orchestra’s current lineup is Valerie Thompson, cello and voice; Ima Jonsdottir, violin and voice; Gary Fieldman, percussion; Todd Brunel, woodwinds; Dan Shaud, horn, piano, voice. In advance of the show, we had a little chat with Dan.
For those who don’t know the Know…
Know Orchestra is a quintet of musical misfits, though we are all music school graduates of one kind or another. Gary, Ima, and Dan were all at New England Conservatory around the same time - Gary for jazz drums, Ima for contemporary improvisation on violin, and Dan for classical French horn. We all were interested in blending genres and at that time did a lot of free improvisation, becoming known as The Know Trio.
And then the trio expanded?
Know Trio became Know Orchestra in the mid 2000s when fellow musical traveler Todd Brunel joined the band on woodwinds and finally all the families of orchestral instruments were represented. In 2019 our ranks grew further, with the addition of Valerie Thompson on cello and voice.
When improvising, are you working from prompts, with games, all intuition?
A lot of times we just start a rehearsal with an unstructured free improvisation to get on each other's wavelengths. I was also thinking we might try a little group improv at the open mic if people are interested! In the past, One of our favorites was to take three line haikus by Jack Keroauc and take turns improvising around them. Another project early on was a kind of magnum jazz opera by Gary, about a rat that sings Mahler and then discovers jazz.
Above: Everyone likes Know Orchestra
Can you elaborate a bit on what literary jazz-rat music sounds like?
Collectively, we love chamber music, jazz, free improvisation, rock, neo-soul, hip-hop, and folk of all sorts. We try to put all that together in free, silly, and playful ways. We do almost all originals, with everyone contributing creatively in both composition and improvisation. The songs tend to be kind of light hearted on the surface but underneath explore the human condition. The sound is a quirky chamber-pop fusion of classical instruments with more experimental and jazz-influenced song structures.
Key-influences time! Can you each pick a must-listen work?
Dan - Nellie McKay, Get Away from Me
Gary - Joni Mitchell, Hejira
Ima - Natalie Prass, The Future and The Past
Todd - Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II
Valerie - Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill, Live in Seattle
Love us some Joni over here! I understand there was a break in playing together for a bit?
We had kind of gone our separate ways, but Dan had a mid-life crisis and suddenly began writing all these “chamber pop” songs that brought the gang back together. In some ways it’s a culmination of things we’ve worked on for a long time - blending genres, storytelling and incorporating words, and mixing improvisation with written material to add energy and spontaneity while still working with a “chamber music” sound.
Above: Know Orchestra as a trio in the early 2000sWhilst on Know-break, were you all working on other projects?
Yes! A lot of life happened during that time. Ima beat cancer and became a professional web designer. Gary recorded a beautiful pandemic solo project. Valerie toured (and continues touring) with her incredible band, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards. Todd maintained connections with many groups and projects, including his own Vortex New Music concert series, Jerome Deupree’s Listen To This, Tom Casale’s No Bad Parts, and the Kit Demos Big Band. Finally, Dan taught middle and high school music while also installing tree swings in the backyard for his own kids.
Speaking of kids, your music is very kid-friendly. Can you talk about that a bit?
Probably our most successful run was in our children’s music ensemble era. We would introduce our instruments, play original educational music, and have kids move around and make up lyrics as part of our shows. We definitely got a lot of practice in how to think on our feet and how to keep a show moving! Kids are an honest audience and will let you know right away if you're losing them. It was fun!
What can people expect for your gig at atac?
As a resident of The ‘Ham, Dan has been coming to the open mic off and on for years, and loves it. Our concert will be part Know Orchestra concert and part community open mic, in an effort to celebrate that open mic tradition. We deeply value creative expression and want to invite everyone to join in sharing and enjoying original work, and connecting with our local community of artists.
Any final words?
Keep creating, and we can’t wait to see you and hear you at the upcoming show on April 23rd!
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Creative Open Mic with Know Orchestra takes place on Sunday April 23rd from 2pm–4:30pm. Grab tickets here.
