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patsfan Dec 13 2017 at 8:01 PM	Just happened to listen to ’ Sueno con Mexico’ from Orchestrion. Beautiful. Then I thought, what happened to the Orchestrion instruments and electronics etc ?? I immediately said to myself, it has to go to a museum sooner or later. And what better place than the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City , MO. And I could envision an Intelligent robot substituting for Pat . .. and entertaining young and old. What a resource ... let’s hope it happens !
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facing west Mar 31 2020 at 9:49 AM	Great description of ’Spirit of the Air’, thirdwind. That adds to my appreciation of the tune. Have to admit, it took a while for Orchestrion to grow on me. Now it’s a ’put on the headphones and bliss out’ while taking the dog for a walk kind of thing. The technology is astounding, but the musical payoff makes it more than an interesting experiment. I can kind of see why some don’t get it, but it may be the closest thing to what Pat hears in his head. Which kind of makes it essential listening.
thirdwind Feb 17 2020 at 1:00 AM	Try listening to "Spirit of the Air" once more. It’s the typical album-closer for Pat, an up-tempo whirlwind riding on a Motown-worth bass line. There’s the usual verse-chorus format, with strong counter-motion on the chorus. Then the bottle organ comes in, sounding like a cross between vocalists and a Lyle synth patch. It’s a delicious tune that, for me, always ends too soon.
naut Feb 04 2020 at 9:17 PM	The Orchestrion Project
Ghred47 Feb 03 2020 at 4:47 PM	I practically worship every album, composition, and performance which Pat has gifted us with. So naturally I dedicated considerable effort and time into listening to his Orchestrion CD over and over intent on finding the musical joy that I was certain simply had to be there. I failed. Utterly. It was extremely difficult to reconcile what I was hearing with the rest of Pat’s oeuvre. Certainly, every artist is going to have their occasional unsatisfactory experimental results. But with respect, I am shocked that others here see it as a success. This is inexplicable to me. But I’m certainly open to hearing other music employing the Orchestrion other than what’s on the eponymous CD. Where can I find some? Thank you
franksexton Jan 03 2019 at 10:21 AM	I really liked how he used the Orchestrion with the Unity band and would think he hasn’t retired it yet. Things have a way of cycling so there may be an Orchestrion 2 , who knows ?
molesoulsandal Dec 01 2018 at 1:35 PM	no naut, i don’t participate in FB, never have had a cell phone, still do the land line, don’t twit, nor tweet, or whatever . . . . . i just don’t care for it that much . . . . actually, the onliest reason i have a computer is because a friend of mine walked thissun up to me like room service about 9 years ago, claiming despite my protests, that i would really dig the email and utuber and wiki, etc., and she was correct, but i still try to maintain my independence from most things ’social media-like’ . . . that’s just me . . . my idea of a good time is a grand piano and laura dassow walls’ recent, incredible biography on thoreau . . . . to be true, what with the advent of the cell phone, i feel as if when i’m walking down the street that all i see is a sea of humans walking about glaring at their foxholes in their hands . . . . . everyone says we’re more ’connected’ than ever, however i say that we are much, much, mucho-much LESS ’connected’ than ever before in hooman history. . . . . . . but i don’t disparage those who do participate in these things - otherwise, i wouldn’t have any friends left - haha!!
naut Nov 30 2018 at 8:24 PM	You don’t do FB, mole? According to broadcast tv news, every radio station in Amerika, the internets, and our corporate overlords, EVERYBODY is on facebook! And everyone tweets, posts at insanegram, and shops on Amazon when not roaming the aisles at Wally World. So I guess it’s just you and I who don’t follow the norm. (And a score of others I know who avoid those platforms as well.) -- As for OP: I’ve said it elsewhere, but "Improvisation #2" is one helluva great piece of layering built on the orchestrion and other gizmos. Pat really made a tremendous composition with that one!
molesoulsandal Nov 30 2018 at 6:43 PM	looooove ’the orchestrion project’!! and hey, naut, tanks for the kind words - i always appreciate reading what you have to say also . . . . . as you prolly know, not as many folks get on the ’garage’ as they used to - i think everybody does the facebook now, but i don’t do FB, so i have to make do with this fine site. at any rate, it’s always great to commune w/fellow pat friends & fans! and yes, it was a royal treat to chit chat for a coupla super hours with lois metheny . . . . she was just one of those folks that didn’t know any ’strangers’ . . . .
naut Nov 30 2018 at 8:18 AM	Don’t overlook the "live" revisits of the Orchestrion tunes on Orchestrion Project, which, to me, have a somewhat sharper, more fully realized dimension to them than what Pat cut on the first studio incarnation. I think other listeners mentioned this enhancement long ago, when the double album first appeared. -- mole, been wanting to tell you that I appreciate and get a kick out of your down-home, folksy manner of talking here at the Garage. It’s Just Talk, ain’t it? (Oh, and thanks for filling me in some time ago on how you ended up talking with Pat’s mom. Never acknowledged so at the time.)
molesoulsandal Nov 29 2018 at 5:07 AM	naut - thanks for reminding all of us what a shimmering masterpiece ’orchestrion’ is . . . . . sometimes, people almost treat that record like some ’novelty’ thing, or whatever, but as you pointed out, those tunes on that album are some of the best writing that pat’s ever done . . . . . ’entry point’ alone is a glowing example of diving the depths of delicacy to the 12th bloody power . . . . . . . yes indeed, i think today shall be an ’orchestrion’ kind of day around here!!!
naut Nov 28 2018 at 5:22 PM	Orchestrion = the source, the place from which being springs / Entry Point = birth / Expansion = life / Soul Search = seeking, discovery, knowledge / Spirit of the Air = death, passing, transition into pure being
Chris Digger Dec 31 2017 at 8:21 AM	At the latest tour no orchestrionics were involved.
MarcNebo Dec 21 2017 at 9:47 AM	I saw Pat with Larry Grenadier several years ago at The Old Town School of Folk Music. Mostly duo but Pat had a mini-Orchestrion setup onstage. He made a comment about his wife asking him to get the stuff out of the house. I imagine it takes up a lot of space as they had a large truck to transport it for that tour.
franksexton Dec 21 2017 at 9:31 AM	I was watching a youtube video of KIN performed live and noticed orchestrion instruments playing along. It seems that Pat has evolved the concept into is other projects. Does anyone know if he used them on his latest tour at all?
drum523 Dec 20 2017 at 10:13 PM	I feel that there may be an Orchestrion part two in the near future as I remember speaking to Pat in New York and he really enjoyed the project. My favorite is Improvisation 2.
patsfan Dec 20 2017 at 9:00 PM	Patbot or not, have a Merry Xmas guys ! And may we see Pat perform in the New Year !
hman01 Dec 19 2017 at 8:09 AM	Sueno con Mexico-Sublime
naut Dec 18 2017 at 4:29 PM	Hey patsfan, thanks for taking my orneriness for what is intended: playful contrariness. Nothing personal, mate. As far as AI goes, I think it’s already taken over. So many people walking around with their little screen toys that many don’t think much for themselves anymore. Their little machines are much smarter than most of them as it is. / As far as the orchestrion goes, Pat & co. were using an abbreviated version on the Unity Group tour. I don’t know about the last tour with Simcock, Oh, and Antonio, as I unfortunately missed that one.
molesoulsandal Dec 18 2017 at 1:04 PM	stephen hawking saying that artificial intelligence may ’replace mankind’ is not the point . . . . . mankind is here to ’realize’ and if that’s not going to be done, then it’s much more meaningless than we may have thought. . . . . robots don’t matter . . . toys are ’fun’, yah, but basically, and push to shove, it just doesn’t ’do it’, does it? humans were placed here for that one reason, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to ever take up the baton - now that they’re all so ’smart’, and all, they can just invent machines to do their heavy lifting . . . . onliest thing is, ’artificial intelligence’ ain’t got no soul. best o’ luck to all of us.
patsfan Dec 17 2017 at 8:01 PM	Naut, ole buddy, no, I don’t smoke .... just edibles ... and if there were a ’Patbot edible I be a raving addict ! I agree with you, sort of a sacrilege to substitute a robot, but Artificial Intellgence is so powerful Steven Hawking is saying it could replace mankind... oh well, just didn’t want the Orchestrion to sit in a room forever...
naut Dec 14 2017 at 10:52 AM	What’re you smokin’, patsfan? A Patbot?! Impossible. It’s like expecting Zuckerberg to play like Miles. Ain’t gonna happen, thank the goddess! I do agree with you about "Sueno" from Orchestrion Project, however. Divine.
franksexton Dec 14 2017 at 9:56 AM	how about "The Way Up"- Orchestrion
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