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Reel
Time
By
David Greenberger
The Millennial Territory Orchestra, accompanying films of
Laurel and Hardy
MASS
MoCA, Aug. 18
Continuing in the their series of silent films with new scores
performed live, Mass MoCA presented an evening of three Laurel
and Hardy shorts, selected and scored by Steven Bernstein
for his Millennial Territory Orchestra.
Bernstein has been a prolific mainstay of the New York City
scene, founding the bands Spanish Fly and Sex Mob, and working
on assorted Hal Willner projects, as well as creating music
for films, dance and television. The nine-piece Millennial
Territory Orchestra is flush with top-shelf players, many
of whom are leaders in their own right and all of whom have
resumes that would clog a Web portal.
The evening opened sans film, with a piece that Bernstein
introduced as an overture of sorts, clarifying that it wasn’t
technically an overture—but spiritually it was. You’ve got
to respect fine artists who aren’t afraid to color outside
the lines. The rousing piece got the night off to a galloping
start, showcasing trombonist Art Baron (who, in 1973, at the
age of 23, became the last trombonist hired by Duke Ellington
in his final year as bandleader).
The three Laurel and Hardy shorts were shown in chronological
order; all were from 1927 to 1929. It was remarkable to see
just how hugely popular they became in that brief time. In
1927’s Sugar Daddies, their familiar personas were
not as clearly delineated. A riotously funny 20 minutes, the
pair are almost bursting out of the pratfalls and physical
comedy. Two years later, in Wrong Again, their stature
was such that things could slow down. Oliver Hardy’s entrance
in the first minute is a prolonged close-up on his face, making
a series of looks that vacillated between coy and sly, hilarious
every moment.
Bernstein’s compositions and arrangements underscore an essential
truth about Laurel and Hardy: This is timeless material, as
alive now as it was 80 years ago. In fact, it’s brought all
the more into the present by drawing from the whole of the
past century’s musical possibilities. Groove-based vamps rubbed
shoulders with parlor-specific melodic passages. Bernstein
also deftly inserted specific musical events to coincide with
screen shenanigans, such as baritone saxophonist Erik Lawrence’s
accompanying a hyperactive dog in one scene.
Under the worthy banner of Laurel and Hardy, the night was
a celebration of the endurance of art and the power of community,
as the band interacted with the screen, and the generationally
diverse audience responded to what was seen and heard, further
fueled by the laughter encircling the room.
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| PHOTO:
Shannon DeCelle |
Big
Band Boom
Either/Orchestra performed in Troy’s Prospect Park on
Tuesday evening. The 10-piece group, called “one of the jazz
world’s most gifted and adventurous big bands” by the Washington
Post, consists of two trumpets, three saxes, trombone,
piano, bass, congas and drums. Tuesday’s free concert was
part of Prospect Park’s centennial celebration.
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