The Making of a Baron

“An unknown and hitherto untold story of one of the true pioneers of the international oil industry.” William McGarvey was crowned the “Petroleum King of Austria,” dubbed “Europe’s Rockefeller,” advised the British government in the great debate over converting its naval fleet to oil fuel in preparation for World War I.

Avant garde. Eccentric. A maniac. Wild and adventurous. Off the wall. Extraordinary. No marketing hyperbole - this is how the players of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment describe Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach and his music. One of the many children of JS Bach, CPE Bach always lived in his father’s shadow, and now is an almost unknown figure at least beyond the classical cogniscenti. How can such an unknown be considered a gamechanger? A listen to his music reveals just why – it constantly shifts, wrongfooting the listener when they least expect it with wild changes of direction and colour – it is bright, effervescent, and is a fascinating link between the music of his father (and the Baroque era) and Joseph Haydn (and the Classical era).

The original motion picture soundtrack of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was composed by Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna who had previously worked on Gilliam's Tideland (2005). Gilliam wrote lyrics for the two songs "We Love Violence" and "We Are The Children of the World", the latter of which spoofed Michael Jackson's famous "We Are the World" and was nominated for a 2009 Satellite Award in the category "Best Original Song".

Robyn Schulkowsky, New Music's high priestess of percussion, and Joey Baron, one of the liveliest and most creative drummers in New York's Downtown scene, come from very different avant-garde traditions. Yet in meshing their talents when they play, categories blur – or rather dissolve. What they bring with them is a kind of oceanic experience. Joey Baron is at home in contemporary jazz. He is one of John Zorn's favorite drummers and can often be heard alongside Bill Frisell; he played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Jim Hall and Carmen McRae; and has also spanned the Atlantic in his recent work with Jakob Bro as well as made a CD in duet with Irène Schweizer on Intakt Records.