Event

Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra

New York trumpeter Steven Bernstein's all-star cast of Bay Area musicians, which typically explores the largely-lost music of the bluesy, loose-territory bands, performs in accompaniment to three Laurel and Hardy silent film classics.

Steven Bernstein likes to have his cake and eat it too. The Grammy-nominated trumpeter is one of the hardest-working musicians to come out of New York's "downtown scene." He recently released three critically-acclaimed CDs on John Zorn's Tzadik label and has had his music featured on MTV, Saturday Night Live, and National Public Radio.

His ensemble, the Millennial Territory Orchestra West, is an outgrowth of his immersion in the sound of the Midwestern swing bands from Robert Altman's movie Kansas City. The ensemble was formed in 1999 for a series of midnight shows at New York's Tonic nightclub, and they subsequently spent a year and a half in residency at the Jazz Standard. The group, a collection of distinctive musical personalities, recently released its debut recording, MTO Vol. 1, on Sunnyside Records. This is sure to be an edge-of-your-seat performance, featuring swing band adaptations of several rock and soul genre classics, led by this wonderfully "left of center" musician.

Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra West
Live original scores for three Laurel & Hardy shorts
Personnel ("The Bay Area All-Stars"):
Steven Bernstein - trumpet, composer, conductor
Jeff Cressman - trombone
Carla Kihlstedt - violin
Ben Goldberg - clarinet
Dayna Stephens - tenor, soprano saxophone
Sheldon Brown - baritone, soprano saxophone
John Schott - guitar
Devin Hoff - bass
Scott Amendola - drums

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