The Everyone Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Everyone Orchestra is an American improvisational musical project that features a constantly revolving roster of musicians. The Everyone Orchestra creates completely different music every time it appears through conducted improvisational musical exploration and audience participation.
The Everyone Orchestra is lead and conducted by musician, multi-instrumentalist and activist Matt Butler. Butler conceived the project in 2001 after traveling the country extensively in the 1990s as the drummer and percussionist for the touring band Jambay.
The Everyone Orchestra has appeared at top-level summer music festivals as well as individual shows and benefit performances around the country. Shows almost always include live painters, and often feature performance art
ists alongside the musicians. Performances by The Everyone Orchestra have featured members of The Grateful Dead, Phish
, moe.
, The String Cheese Incident, The Flecktones, ALO
, and Tea Leaf Green
, among others.
Through benefit events for charitable causes, The Everyone Orchestra has raised more than $100,000 in contributions for non-profit and environmental organizations around the nation.
. While in the country on vacation, he attended a multi-national open-mic night, and was exposed to a large number of different musicians, most of whom didn't speak the same language, playing together and communicating purely through music and improvisation.
Upon returning home to the San Francisco bay area, Butler began hosting open-mic nights aimed at achieving the same kind of purely musical communication. Inviting various musicians to come down to take part in large-scale improvisational evenings, Butler refined the process of conducted improvisation, eventually taking the concept beyond open-mic night jam sessions
, booking the first official The Everyone Orchestra concert for New Years Eve in 2001.
The Everyone Orchestra is lead and conducted by musician, multi-instrumentalist and activist Matt Butler. Butler conceived the project in 2001 after traveling the country extensively in the 1990s as the drummer and percussionist for the touring band Jambay.
The Everyone Orchestra has appeared at top-level summer music festivals as well as individual shows and benefit performances around the country. Shows almost always include live painters, and often feature performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
ists alongside the musicians. Performances by The Everyone Orchestra have featured members of The Grateful Dead, Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
, moe.
Moe.
moe. is an American jam band, formed at the University at Buffalo in 1989. The band members are: Rob Derhak , Al Schnier , Chuck Garvey , Vinnie Amico , and Jim Loughlin ....
, The String Cheese Incident, The Flecktones, ALO
Alo
Alo or ALO can refer to:* Afghanistan Liberation Organization* Ahwaz Liberation Organisation * Air liaison officer* Alloa railway station in Clackmannanshire, Scotland* Alo , also known as Tu`a...
, and Tea Leaf Green
Tea Leaf Green
Tea Leaf Green is a five-piece jam band from San Francisco Bay Area, comprising Josh Clark , Trevor Garrod , Reed Mathis , Scott Rager , and Cochrane McMillan .-History:Tea Leaf Green began in the fall of 1996, when Scott Rager met Ben Chambers on the...
, among others.
Through benefit events for charitable causes, The Everyone Orchestra has raised more than $100,000 in contributions for non-profit and environmental organizations around the nation.
Beginnings
Matt Butler got the idea for what has become The Everyone Orchestra while traveling in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. While in the country on vacation, he attended a multi-national open-mic night, and was exposed to a large number of different musicians, most of whom didn't speak the same language, playing together and communicating purely through music and improvisation.
Jam Sessions
Jam Sessions is a guitar simulation software title and music game for the Nintendo DS based on the Japan-only title Sing & Play DS Guitar M-06 originally developed by Plato. It was brought to North America and Europe, courtesy of Ubisoft...
, booking the first official The Everyone Orchestra concert for New Years Eve in 2001.