Ludo Ft. Sir Mix-A-Lot is Uproarious Fun at Seattle Symphony

#SymphonySelfies and a self-proclaimed “Orchestral Movements from the Hood Night?” Yes, please. Seattle Symphony’s Sonic Evolution delivered a packed hall and a fun program featuring new works based on and performed by Seattle music legends. So honored were Ray Charles, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, pop group Pickwick and star of the show, Sir Mix-A-Lot.

New works from Gabriel Prokofiev, Luis Tinoco and Chinese composer Du Yun provided just the right amount of deconstructed classical to compliment Pickwick and Mix-A-Lot’s all out jam sessions. The program began with the world premiere of Luis Tinoco’s Frisland, a piece which captured fragments of Seattle-based jazz guitarist, Bill Frisell. The work was quite varied but enjoyable, moving from growly and tense, as if imitating trains and sirens, to quiet and lonesome, with passages of well-executed solo cello. I found the work not only progressive, but also accessible.

The same could not be said for the world premiere of Du Yun’s Hundred Heads. The piece was a tribute to Ray Charles and incorporated moments of “Georgia on My Mind” as if being tuned in on a bizarre and fuzzy radio dial. Particularly of note were the piano passages, which skillfully made reference to both Ray Charles’ melodies as well as delved into the sounds 0f jazz at large. However, I honestly think that I just didn’t get this piece, because it felt like 99 heads too many to me. That being said, I’m sure new music fans appreciated the deconstructed and pastiche nature of the work – I just couldn’t make sense of its many twists and turns.

Gabriel Prokofiev on the other hand, turned the rhythms and phrases of Sir Mix-A-Lot into a clever orchestra piece entitled “Dial 1-900 Mix-A Lot” which captured the artist’s essence without being overly referential or acoustically confusing. His inventive use of the percussion section (including a “scratcher,” aka, credit card on plastic) as well as his interesting orchestration (triangle and woodwind duet) made this fun to listen to. His comments before the piece were also progressive and added well-needed context; he noted that Bartok used folk tunes in his pieces and Prokofiev expressed his desire to follow suite, using the ubiquitous hip hop music of the public in his works.

Pickwick hit the stage with a truly Seattle sound – a kind of funky gospel folkish mix of music that was enhanced by the presence of the Symphony. Although the Symphony didn’t have anything particularly complex to play, the collaboration was successful because it is so rare to hear a full production between modern singer and orchestra. I’m probably way behind the times, having never heard of them, bit after hearing a few songs, I wanted to run out and buy a copy of Myths as well as Can’t Talk Medicine.

Sir Mix-A-Lot was obviously the star of the evening, and he instantly stole the show with his “Posse on Broadway” and later the insanely popular “Baby Got Back.” Mix-A-Lot was just fun – he invited the audience to sing with him and even invited all ladies in the audience to be his dance crew onstage. Thus, we learned that Seattle still knows how to boogie and the Symphony is clearly, not dead.

In  “Baby Got Back,” much of Mix-A-Lot’s success comes from his clean and savvy break from convention:

“Some brothers wanna play that “hard” role

And tell you that the butt ain’t gold

So they toss it and leave it

And I pull up quick to retrieve it

So Cosmo says you’re fat

Well I ain’t down with that!”

To a certain extent, the Symphony pulled up and retrieved those folks who ordinarily wouldn’t go to the orchestra by similarly bucking convention of what the typical audience “should” look like.  While “Baby Got Back” tells the truth about butts (Mix-A-Lot likes them and he cannot lie) and the Seattle Symphony in this program similarly tells the truth about orchestral audiences: other organizations may concentrate on the stereotype of tuxedo-wearing white people and little blue haired ladies, but the Seattle Symphony is attracting a younger, more diverse audience through the music of the people. Rather than packing a season full of nothing but the works of Gabriel Prokofiev’s grandfather, they invited him in to be the DJ for the night. And when Morlot asked the audience who was new to the Seattle Symphony, the audience was liberally peppered with n00bs, which is such a good and healthy thing for an arts organization.

So, with that said, and in spirit of the concert itself, here’s my rap review:

Other orchestras are way too snobby

Ridin’ limos from the hotel lobby

Moet & Chandon & Dom Perignon

Listenin’ to blue-haired ladies just prattle on

Well, excuse me I forgot my Rolex-a-dex

Cause this is a real live audience: diverse, complex

We be lean and keen and about to come in unforeseen

Hey-o, Ludo knows it’s 2014!

 

We be cats but we’re not just grumpy

Jammin’ with DJ Prokofiev’s fun and funky

We gonna get up off of that high horse

Deliver music that’s relevant to the work force

Seattle Symphony’s woken up to the modern age

Bringing the music of the people up on stage

Give us our songs so fresh we can’t disengage

Hundred years later we still screamin’ like it’s Rite of Spring

Audiences from Rainier and down with ML King

Celebratin’ Ray Charles and Bill Frisell

With Mix-A-Lot’s church of the mod mademoiselle

Pickwick’s deliverin’ a broody pop vibe

And, hell we didn’t even subscribe!