Third River Rangoon (May 31, 2011)

Cover of the Third River Rangoon album

Our Quartet's Debut Album

Top 10 CDs for 2011 - …just about all the original stars of exotica…are gone -- here, at last, is their successor."—Huffington Post

"… a perfect cocktail of mid-century 'space age bachelor pad' music deliciously accented with chamber, jazz, classical, and world music…"—Boston Globe

“Top 25 Jazz Albums for 2011” —Lucid Culture

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Buy from orchestrotica.com | iTunes | Amazon | Bandcamp
Title Listen Composer Length
1. Third River Rangoon Mr. Ho 4:36 Get it free!
2. Thor's Arrival Mr. Ho 4:55 Get it free!
3. Maika Milt Raskin 3:23
4. Colorado Waltz Cal Tjader 4:22 Get it free!
5. Arab Dance Tchaikovsky 4:29
6. Phoenix Goodbye Mr. Ho 5:12
7. Terre Exotique Mr. Ho 4:03
8. Autumn Digging Dance Mr. Ho 3:12
9. Moai Thief Mr. Ho 3:58
10. Lonesome Aku of Alewife Mr. Ho 3:51
11. Lyman '59 Mr. Ho 2:02

Check out the store for more CDs in the Exotica for Modern Living Series.

All prices subject to change without notice. All items are non-refundable although if you really don't like a CD, we'll let you return it if it's in brand-new condition.

More about the album:

Tiki Magazine

“2 absolute must-haves for any exotica fan...a welcome addition to the pantheon of modern exotica classics” —Tiki Magazine

An original and modern exploration of chamber, jazz, classical, and world sounds inspired by the escapism of the 1950s exotica genre, led by composer, vibraphonist, and multi-percussionist Brian "Mr. Ho" O'Neill

Feauturing Albanian flute and bass flute specialist Geni Skendo, Japanese percussionist Noriko Terada (Flangia, Women of the World), bassist Jason Davis (Earthsound, Choro Democratico), and special guest Tev Stevig (Klezwoods, Kafana) on oud

Full press release (PDF) | About the quartet

From the recording sessions

Press release for Third River Rangoon

May 2011

Boston Globe logo

"… a perfect cocktail of mid-century 'space age bachelor pad' music deliciously accented with chamber, jazz, classical, and world music…"—Jonathan Perry

June 2011

Boston Phoenix logo

"…borrowing themes from Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, Mr. Ho has created his own rigorous classical-jazz hybrid. Are you listening, Keith Lockhart?…"

June 2011: Express Milwaukee

"…The Orchestrotica, however, are crack musicians and bring a chamber jazz sensibility suggesting what the Modern Jazz Quartet might have sounded like had they lightened up and ordered a round of mai tais…"

June 2011

The Boston Herald logo

"…[Third River Rangoon] shows off O'Neill's serious jazz and chamber-music writing"—Bob Young

July 2011: Roots World

“…[The] Orchestrotica, whether in quartet or 23-piece big-band formation, leaves other retro ensembles in the fairy stardust…”—Cliff Furnald

June,Dec. 2011: Lucid Culture

Top 25 Jazz Albums for 2011

"… Mr. Ho's new album Third River Rangoon, by his shapeshifting ensemble Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica may have been inspired by that subgenre, but it's considerably more magical. It leaves far more to the imagination, a lushly nocturnal collection whose most impressive feat of sorcery is getting a simple lineup of vibraphone, bass flute, bass and percussion to create the sweep of a hundred-piece orchestra. The production is genius…"

Full review

Dec 2011

10 Favourite New Releases from 2011—Project Moonbase

Dec 2011

:…the exotica sound of the 50's has been updated, restyled, and lovingly rebooted into a freer new age of now…this quartet has style…"—Flute Focus

May 2011

logo_allaboutjazz

"…a serenely intoxicating blend of third stream chamber sounds…" -Dan McClenaghan

Full review

May 2011: Quiet Village Podcast

“…so spot on…mind-blowing…so impressive…” (about The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel

“…a really nice mood piece…I'm in love with it…” (about Third River Rangoon

Spring 2011

Tiki Magazine

“2 absolute must-haves for any exotica fan, these first CDs in Mr. Ho's new series, "Exotica For Modern living", make a welcome addition to the pantheon of modern exotica classics”—Tiki Magazine

More press quotes - Downbeat, London Sunday Times, Boston Globe, and more!

Exotica for Modern Living

In 2010, Mr. Ho decided to release a series of albums over the next few years under the title "Exotica for Modern Living." These records will attempt to take the best elements of mid-century living, music, and culture and merge them with modern life to provide listeners with a "retro futuristic" listening experience. The old sounds of space-age pop meet the new sounds of global jazz, and exotic chamber music influenced by jazz, world music, and orchestral/classical works too. We hope you enjoy these new recordings (and the beautiful series of artwork by Javier Garcia)!

The series opened with The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel featuring 23 musicians playing Mr. Ho's transcriptions of the lost arrangements of Mexico's king of space-age pop. Following this on May 31, 2011 was the quartet's debut CD Third River Rangoon.

We hope you these albums, and the ones to come!

Third River Rangoon The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel

The Orchestrotica quartet features:

Production

Recorded by John Weston at Futura Productions (Roslindale, MA). Mixed by Ducky Carlisle at Ice Station Zebra (Medford, MA) and John Weston. Mastered by Mark Donahue at SoundMirror in Jamaica Plain, MA. Produced by Brother Cleve and Mr. Ho (Brian O'Neill) with help from Tev Stevig (Kafana, Klezwoods, Fa Diyez Ensemble). Artwork by Javier Garcia (see his great mid-century modern design blog: No Barcode).

SKU #

884502892024

Recording session and touring photos

More photos