Posted Fri February 24, 2006
Through performances that range from grand European concert halls to intimate community outreach performances in hometown Portland, the band Pink Martini has cultivated a diverse, transcontinental following. The 12-piece ensemble’s music is cosmopolitan, contagious and often difficult to categorize: the group suggests its style lies somewhere between 1930s Cuban dance orchestra, a classical chamber music ensemble, a Brazilian marching street band and Japanese film noir.
In this premiere television special produced by OPB for PBS, Pink Martini shares the stage at Portland's Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall with the Harvey Rosencrantz orchestra and featured guest artists. The program features the band’s signature melodies interspersed with candid interviews and backstage antics. Founding member and bandleader Thomas Lauderdale considers Pink Martini "musical archaeologists bringing melodies and rhythms from different parts of the world to create something that is modern." He says that the multitalented and multilingual band offers "an urban musical travelogue … demonstrating that Americans are indeed serious about engaging in a dialogue with the rest of the world."
Airing on OPB TV Thursday, March 2 at 8:00pm and Sunday, March 5 at 1pm.
Oregon Public Broadcasting is a statewide network of community-supported learning resources, including OPB Television, an affiliate of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and OPB Radio, presenting local news coverage and the programs of National Public Radio (NPR), Public Radio International (PRI) and American Public Media (APM). The OPB Web site is opb.org.
Last Modified Thu August 10 2006 14:30PM
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