Otto Orany – “10 Blue-Penciled Stories”

Otto Orany is my new favorite artist, and he has a new record out, 10 Blue-Penciled Stories, via Protomaterial Records, which is a fascinating listen. He is a Czech composer and keyboardist who usually hangs out where jazz, contemporary classical, and electronics meet. For this project, he put together a hybrid ensemble that honestly shouldn’t work on paper but sounds incredible. You get woodwinds like saxophone, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon sitting right next to a harpsichord and a modern rhythm section.

The coolest part is how the album is structured. There are ten tracks, and each one is completely its own self-contained world with its own tempo and instrumentation rules. Nothing bleeds into the next track. It plays out like ten separate chapters in a book.

There is a really charming, almost childlike humor to the track names, like “Tiptoe Elephant” and “Running Unicorn”. He takes these playful names completely seriously when composing. The ensemble lets him jump between styles effortlessly. You might be listening to a delicate chamber miniature one minute, and then the bass and drums kick in and lock into a deep groove the next.

If you want to keep tabs on his music, make sure to follow Otto Orany on his social media pages to stay updated on new releases this year.