Chi is a huge John Lennon fan and wrote this piece in honour of his idol 34 years ago just after John was assassinated.   "Majesty" is one of Chi's first compositions and is  slated to be the opening track on the Panache Orchestra's upcoming album "Victory Speech".  On this "working draft", the violin and guitar tracks were recorded on July 28, 2013 by Bryan Dobbs, with a bass line and drums/percussion tracks just added in January, 2014.  

Music composed by Chi Saito
6- and 12-string guitar tracks by Chi Saito
Violin tracks by Brenda K
Guitar and violin tracks engineered by Bryan Dobbs
Bass tracks by Chi Saito/engineered by Brenda K
Drum programs by Chi Saito/programmed by Brenda K
Chinese and Korean bells performed by Chi Saito/engineered by Brenda K
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA 2013
c.2008

Majesty - working draft updated January 2014

This quirky 5-beat march was conceived for these current, turbulent times, which are full of possibility.  This piece is slated for further development and inclusion in our upcoming album, "Victory Speech".  This updated version includes the original violin/guitar tracks recorded by Bryan Dobbs, and now has a bass track performed by Chi and engineered by Brenda K, plus a brand-new drum track composed by Chi and programmed by Brenda K in Los Angeles, CA in December 2013.  This is just a rough mix, and some additional development is being contemplated.  

Music composed by Chi Saito, c.1999
Guitar and bass tracks performed by Chi Saito/engineered by Brenda K
Violin tracks performed by Brenda K
Drum tracks programmed by Brenda K
VIolin/guitar tracks engineered by Bryan Dobbs

March For The 21st Century (working draft updated January 2014)

This dark, angst-filled rock piece that evokes mounting anger and frustration is slated for our upcoming album "Victory Speech", and will feature a full band sound.  We'll be testing various things from this version, then will multi-track it once we've settled on the final arrangement.

Music composed by Chi Saito
Guitar tracks by Chi Saito
Violin tracks by Brenda K
Engineered by Bryan Dobbs
c. 2010

I'm On The Run! (working draft)

This is a brand-new piece that we just started working on recently.  No plans at the moment for what album or EP it will find its way onto, but in the meantime it will be fun to play with various arrangements for it.  Chi composed this piece many years ago as a musical setting to lyrics his friend wrote, which unfortunately have since been lost.  The title is a double entendre, both a allegorical variation on the English translation of the original Japanese title (which Brenda hated as usual, so we changed it), and a piece to honour Pink, our youngest boy, who we lost last year to cancer. 

This updated version includes the original violin/guitar tracks recorded by Bryan Dobbs, and now has a bass track performed by Chi and engineered by Brenda K, plus a brand-new drum track composed by Chi and programmed by Brenda K in Los Angeles, CA in December 2013. This is just a rough mix, and some additional development is being contemplated.

Music composed by Chi Saito
Guitar and bass tracks performed by Chi Saito/engineered by Brenda K
Violin tracks performed by Brenda K
Drum tracks programmed by Brenda K
Violin/guitar tracks engineered by Bryan Dobbs
c.2013


Quintessentially Pink (Working Draft - Updated December 2013)

"Arakicho Street" was inspired by Chi and Brenda's experience living on Arakicho Street in the Yotsuya neighborhood, which is Tokyo's old geisha district, in 2003-04 prior to their move to California.    

This updated version includes the original violin/guitar tracks recorded by David Raven for TPO's "10 Strings" album released in 2008, and now has bass and percussion tracks featuring Japanese and NE Asian instruments performed by Chi and engineered by Brenda K in Los Angeles, CA in December 2013. This is just a rough mix, and some additional development is being contemplated.

Music composed by Chi Saito
Guitar tracks performed by Chi Saito
Violin tracks performed by Brenda K
VIolin/guitar tracks recorded by David Raven (2008)
Bass tracks performed by Chi Saito/engineered by Brenda K
Percussion tracks (hyoshigi, tingsha, tanggu, xiaobo) performed by Chi Saito/engineered by Brenda K
c.2008

Photo by T Enami http://www.t-enami.org

Arakicho Street (荒木町ストりート) Updated December 2013

This spirited, Latin jazz fusion piece is an example of the Panache Orchestra's repertoire in the "Latin-ish fusion" category.  We hope to eventually release an EP of our pieces in this style.  

Last Night

Chi composed this piece many years ago and brought it out to work on in mid-2012.  This is a “thumbnail sketch” of this piece that we plan on developing much further for a place on our upcoming album “Victory Speech”.  “Touch and Go” is representative of Chi’s old-school classic rock sensibility.  

Music composed by Chi Saito
Guitar tracks by Chi Saito
Violin tracks by Brenda K
Engineered by Brenda K
c. 2013


Touch And Go (rough sketch)

If the Mahavishnu Orchestra were to play the blues, it might sound something like this.  

Chi composed "First Strike" not long after we first moved to L.A. in early 2006.  He was struggling to get an insanely difficult bass part under his fingers for what was supposed to be an international touring gig that fell apart for some inexplicable reason as such things generally tend to and got frustrated with it, so he came up with a really fucked up bass line in a blues pattern with a quick tempo in an odd meter.  He worked out the guitar part and main melodies and overall architecture of the piece much later...very recently, in fact -- Oct. 2013.  

Brenda K nearly lost her mind using this piece to learn how to program drum tracks with their newly-acquired recording software (Pro Tools LE 8). 

Music composed by Chi Saito
Guitar & bass tracks performed by Chi Saito
Violin tracks performed by Brenda K
Drums programmed by Brenda K, composed by Chi
c. 2013

First Strike

The origin of this piece is from a gig we did at a European-owned Italian restaurant in Hollywood, and one of the patrons requested a tango, which we did not have, so Chi came home and wrote one after that show.  It's still in the Panache-characteristic "mutant sound".  

Composed by and guitar tracks performed by: Chi Saito
Violin tracks by Brenda K
c. 2010

TANGO (from live performance in San Diego in March 2011)

This angst-ridden gypsy jazz-rock fusion number was worked up last year (2010), and another strong candidate for our upcoming album "Victory Speech".  This recording was taken during a performance at the Plaza Theatre in Santa Clarita (NE Los Angeles area) on June 10, 2011.  

Composed by Chi Saito
Guitar tracks performed by Chi Saito
Violin tracks performed by Brenda K
c. 2010

Coming or Not?

"Encendido" is a fiery Flamenco fusion piece we worked up this year.  Chi had actually composed it decades ago in Japan as part of a suite of Latin-inspired pieces for a major label. This is a live take with percussion by drummer Michael Agorrilla.  

Music by Chi Saito, c.2011
Guitar: Chi Saito
Violin: Brenda K
Percussion: Michael Agorrilla


Encendido (Live in Beverly Hills with percussion by Michael Agorrilla

"I Will Say 'I Love You' Again"  This romantic ballad honors the spirit of eternal love and forgiveness, and the special bond between two people. 


I Will Say I Love You Again

"Arakicho Street" was inspired by Chi and Brenda's experience living on Arakicho Street in the Yotsuya neighborhood, which is Tokyo's old geisha district, prior to their move to California.  The piece has a percussion intro featuring the traditional Japanese instrument "hyoshi-gi", which is performed live, but omitted from this recording.  

Photo by T Enami http://www.t-enami.org

Arakicho Street (荒木町ストりート)

This dreamy, meditative track was inspired by the sight of Halley's Comet appearing in the night sky. 

Halley's Comet

"Neo" is the title track of the first recording project Chi and Brenda did when they began their collaboration in Tokyo, Japan in early 1998.  Chi composed this peaceful, Japanese-influenced piece (note the violin imitating the sound of the "sho", an indigenous instrument used in traditional Japanese court music, during the solo section) for a character in an anime story he wrote many years ago, but unfortunately the manuscript was lost.  

This is a clip from the rough mix of this piece.  The drum and bass tracks were recorded by Chi Saito.  Various other musicians recorded parts on the finished track that is available for sale on iTunes, CD Baby and various other sales points.  This piece is NOT the intellectual property of Chi Saito or the Panache Orchestra.  It belongs to BMI songwriter Al Polito.  It is uploaded here for demonstration purposes only.  

Temple Door (brief clip) from album "The Fall of Man" c&p 2007 by Al Polito

The bass tracks were recorded by Chi Saito.  Various other musicians recorded parts on the finished track that is available for sale on iTunes, CD Baby and various other sales points.  This piece is NOT the intellectual property of Chi Saito or the Panache Orchestra.  It belongs to BMI songwriter Hector de-Souza.  It is uploaded here for demonstration purposes only.  

"Overtime" from album "Together" by Hector-de-Souza c&p 2007

The Panache Orchestra suggests turning off your cell phones and your useless genres. If you must have labels, perhaps Brenda K’s classical violin and Chi Saito’s rhythm-driven acoustic guitar and dramatic instrumental compositions are “Rattling the Chamber-Music Cage.” Or “Anime Beatnik Combo.” Another label might be simply “Beautiful.”  Woven into TPO's DNA are strands of The Beatles, Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli , Mahavishnu Orchestra, and traditional music of Europe and Japan shaken up with a shot of vintage rock ‘n roll, and as the night grows longer and the cocktails accumulate, a dynamic, swashbuckling romanticism emerges.  

The Panache Orchestra, whose music and creative process is a study of polarity and extremes, came about through a totally implausible combination of events and people: a random encounter in a Tokyo sushi bar in 1998 of two semi-retired professional instrumentalists: Brenda K of San Diego, CA and Chi Saito of Tokyo, Japan, and a strange dream.   

Neither Brenda nor Chi had any idea how they thought they could make The Panache Orchestra work as a viable ensemble while they worked through the inherent incompatibility of classical and rock, and it took awhile for the two to realize that their radical differences might make for a marketable, if volatile chemistry.  TPO’s brand of Insurgent Melody is perhaps reflected in one characteristic that Brenda K and Chi do share: a rebel, anti-authority streak, along with irrepressible originality and a lack of interest in creating music that mimics established styles and conventions.  

However unusual their music is, it is far from inaccessible, as witnessed by the following quotes:

"Brenda & Chi are incredible musical performers. Their blended notes and creative weaving in & out of each others’ music is just something you've got to hear for yourself. It really takes your breath away...."

"You guys were INCREDIBLE!! Your music was all people could talk about!"

Their double album “10 Strings” released in late 2008 was lauded as follows:

“10 Strings is an eye-opening album for music lovers that don’t believe classical and pop
music can be as one.  The way the music of the guitar and violin blend is stunning, and the two
instruments share the stage with grace.“  

Since their U.S. launch in 2008, The Panache Orchestra’s resume has been graced with performances such as the following: Several ArtWalks and artist receptions, including LACMA/Miracle Mile, Downtown L.A. and Chinatown; a couple celebrity galas at Skirball Cultural Center, and appearances at major regional festivals in San Diego and L.A.  They currently have a few collaborative projects with other artists in the works, and plan on increasing their regional footprint as they prepare to record their third album.  

For additional information and current performance schedule, visit TPO at http://www.panacheorchestra.com/

thepanacheorchestra

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