The album documents two fine performances at the former performance venue, the Oakland Black Box.
Moe! Staiano the premier director and industrial percussionist of large new music ensembles presents groups ranging from 10 to 50 musicians for a spectacular second release of masterful orchestral improvisations through Edgetone Records.

This album documents two live performances at the former venue, the Oakland Box Theater, in Oakland California. The first show was a fun, fast and quick performance with a small group of about 10 musicians, small by standards, compared to the more desired 25-40+ ensemble the Moe!kestra! is known for. The evening was part of a benefit show ‘LET'S USE OUR CRANIUM AND LEARN ABOUT DEPLETED URANIUM’ back in May of 2003. The event called attention to the health and environmental effects of depleted uranium (DU) weaponry being used by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The performance featured a few notations Moe! had composed a few hours before the show that he handed to all the musicians, which as always puzzled and concerned the performers prompting them to ask if they need to play their parts perfect and note-for-note. Moe!’s answer to that is normally a coy shrug.
One of Moe! Staiano’s most challenging performances to date, the second part of this CD were recorded in two separate rooms connected by a short hallway conducted simultaneously. Each room is assigned to either the left or right channel giving the listener a true live sound experience.
Overall, the end result is a directed improvisation composition that, with two separate, yet combined orchestras, produced clusters of sound interlocked with each other. If one was to walk anywhere during the live performance an experienced in fragments would have been the result. Here on this record you get to experience the unity of Moe!’s creation with all the individual groupings from each corner of the performance space performing as one.

Conductor: Moe! Staiano

Musicians for Conducted Improvisation Piece No.6:
Depleted Uranium:
Guitars: Myles Boisen , Lucio Menegon
Bass: Vicky Grossi, Allen Whitman
Violin: Jeff Hobbs
Cello: Marika Hughes
Contrabass: Devon Hoff
Drums: Ches Smith
Voice: Carla Kihlstedt

Musicians for Conducted Improvisation Piece No.11:
Two Orchestras in Separate Rooms:
Tenor Saxophones: Alan Anzalone, Michael Perlmutter
C-melody Saxophone: Rent Romus
Clarinet: Aaron Bennett, Chris Broderick
Bass clarinet: Scott Rosenberg, David Slusser
Trumpet: Darren Johnston
Trombone: Jennifer Baker
Violins: Jeff Hobbs, John Shuirba (+ banjo)
Cellos: Robin Reynolds, Theresa Wong
Contrabass: Christopher Brown, George Cremaschi, Lisa Mezzacappa
Guitars: Lucio Menegon, Pat Moran, Daryl Shawn, Robin Hiroko Walsh, Bill Wolter
Bass: Vicky Grossi
Drums: David Mairs
Mini drum set: Allen Whitman
Percussion: Michael Guarino, Jason Levis (+ bowls), Sam Ospovat
Cymbal, dumbek: Peter Valsamis
Marimba: Suki O'Kane
Hand percussion: David Leikam
Accordion, tap shoes: Bob Marsh
Turntable: Matt Davignon