Hard Rubber Orchestra
“The Hard Rubber Orchestra is the “Godzilla of the Vancouver jazz scene, a big, goofy monster that stomps through complex charts with the swagger of a big swing band and the heat of a thermonuclear explosion.” – The Georgia Straight (Vancouver, Canada)
Hard Rubber Orchestra
This 18-piece, post-modern, new music ensemble, consisting of many of Vancouver’s finest musicians under the leadership of composer, conductor and trumpeter, John Korsrud, plays daring, unpredictable, high energy music that draws on the influences of John Zorn, Krzysztof Penderecki, Public Enemy, John Cage and Miles Davis. The Hard Rubber Orchestra has been performing its wild and eclectic brand of music since its premiere performance at Vancouver’s Glass Slipper in 1990. It has been said that there is no other ensemble of its kind on the planet.
Korsrud and the Orchestra specialize in large-scale, highly entertaining, multimedia events such as The Ice Age: The World’s First New Music Ice Show (Kerrisdale Arena, 2000), The Elvis Cantata and Elvis Cantata II (St. Andrews-Wesley Church, 1994 and 1996) and White Hot Core (Vancouver International Jazz Festival, 1995). White Hot Core, a sensual and provocative collaboration with Kokoro Dance, drew high praise from audience and critics alike. The Elvis Cantata was an ambitious and highly successful creation involving commissioned work of 10 composers, a 27-piece orchestra including a 15-piece Hard Rubber Orchestra, a 9-piece Joe Orchestra, soprano Liz Skillings, singer Sook Yin Lee and actor/singer Ian Ross McDonald. Cantata for the King, a television version of The Elvis Cantata, premiered on CBC Television in March, 2005.
The Hard Rubber Orchestra has performed annually at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival since 1991, as well as at a variety of national and international venues and events including BIMhuis in Amsterdam, the Festival International du Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, Sala Rossa in Montreal and the National Arts Centre’s BC Scene in Ottawa.
“The performance was one of the most exhilarating I’ve been to in ages. I’ve rarely encountered such a magical combination of terrific musicians exploring well-crafted new repertoire with wit and intelligence. The sheer energy and commitment that went into the event was staggering…it was one of the most impressive musical events I’ve experienced in Vancouver in several years.” – CBC Radio (Canada)
Recordings:
Rub Harder (2000, Les Disques VICTO)
Cruel Yet Fair (1998, Les Disques VICTO)