One of the best radio stations in this or any town in the country is WHRB of Harvard University and one of the clearest examples of their superiority are the two Orgy Seasons each year. The orgies are multi-hour programs around a particular subject or artist with a goal of being as complete and comprehensive as possible. The orgies are sandwiched around and between the programming that remains when the student DJs go on break: Memorial Church services, the venerable Hillbilly at Harvard and Harvard Hockey. This has been going on for years now and has yielded innumerable fascinating must-hears for any music fan that could catch the shows (I still listen to tapes I made over 10 years ago during the 98-hour long John Coltrane Orgy). And if you aren't in the Boston area, you can listen online at WHRB.org.
Well, the 2006 WHRB Winter Orgy season (WHRB Program Guide - pdf) is underway through January and this year's crop of programs is as varied as ever. This winter's Orgy subjects include: Robert Schumann; Joe Morello, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber; Edward Elgar; Dmitri Shostakovich; Polvo; Wagon Christ Superstar; Hank Mobley; The Texas Orgy (all Texas performers); the Old Time Radio Orgy; Dietrich Buxtehude; Bruno Walter; the History of Hip-Hop; Orlande de Lassus; Jazz and Poetry, you get the idea.
One of this winter's orgies covers one of "our" performers, Either/Orchestra, the ten-piece band founded and run by Russ Gershon. E/O gets 12 hours of orgy-time starting at 11am on Tuesday, January 17. Here's the description from the WHRB program guide:
Come celebrate the Either/Orchestra’s 20th anniversary with the Jazz Spectrum. The Either/Orchestra is both a nationally recognized touring group and a local band with close ties to Cambridge. Started in 1985 by Russ Gershon, the band has produced ten albums in its many incarnations.The Either/Orchestra has helped rework the misconception of the big band as stodgy and traditionalist by introducing international influences and taking on jazz standards with interesting arrangements. In this Orgy, we will present the Either/Orchestra’s catalogue, interviews with its members, and work from the band’s alumni, including keyboardist John Medeski and saxophonist Charlie Kolhase.
Either/Orchestra performs January 28 at 8pm at the Berklee Performance Center in celebration of their 20th anniversary. Ethiopian guests join E/O for a concert of Ethio-jazz. The concert is presented by your friends at Bank of America Celebrity Series.
(E/O Photo: Eric Antoniou)
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