[Dixielandjazz] New Musical Taste

[G. William Oakley]

Herr Meinharter was heard to say to his conductor, "I've got a leek in my
violin."
To which the maestro replied, "Go ahead, it's your violin."

----- Original Message -----
From: "Charlie Hooks" <charliehooks@earthlink.net>
To: "DJML Dixieland Jazz" <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, September 02, 2002 10:00 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] New Musical Taste


>
> A new Viennese ensemble has been playing on instruments made from
> vegetables.
>
> The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra can play everything from the Radetzky March
> to jazz on their carved-out carrots, aubergines and pumpkins.
>
> They came up with the idea after studying the sounds of vegetables being
> chopped.
>
> Jorg Piringer, the lead musician, plays a "gurkophone" horn which is made
> from a hollowed cucumber, a green pepper and a carrot reed.
>
> Fresh vegetables are used at each performance and afterwards a cook makes
a
> big pot of soup or stew for the musicians and audience to eat.
>
> "We have to buy new vegetables before each rehearsal and performance as
the
> sound needs to be fresh. It takes a few hours to make the instruments,"
said
> Nikolaus Gansterer, another player.
>
> Matthias Meinharter, who invented and plays the leek violin, said: "When I
> was young I was told not to play with my food. Now we're playing with
food,
> but we still eat it afterwards."
>
> The ensemble uses between 10 and 20 players, depending on the venue and
> composer, and its performances have received mixed reviews.
>
> "Needs more salt," sniffed one Viennese critic.
>
> --Charlie
>
>
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