Question: What happens when you get more than 60 L.A.-based musicians playing hip-hop in the context of a classical symphony orchestra with the spontaneity of a jazz group? Answer: daKAH - a hybrid ensemble of strings, brass, woodwinds, MCs and DJs, among others.
Conceived by its conductor and primary composer Geoff Gallegos a.k.a. "Double G," daKAH and its music fuse the grooves and swing of Duke Ellington's songs, the compositional influence of Charles Mingus and Igor Stravinsky, and the dynamism of hip-hop with the wide palette of sounds common to classical instrumentation.
Not only does daKAH consist of woodwinds (alto to baritone saxophones and a bassoon), brass (trumpets and trombones), cellos, violas and violins, but also a harp, two guitars, bass, percussion, drums, keys, turntables, singers and MCs.
