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Here is a mystery DVD. It is subtitled A Musical Prophecy in 7 Scenes for Vocalist, Actors & Musicians, but there is no information on either the box or the notes as to what role any one plays in the production. The notes consist of a four-page memo from the desk of Deacon Cheney Dogsbody, IV, former Chief Scribe of the Inquisitor General's Office of Doctrinal Purity, Dated: The Year of Our Lord 2220, month of Bush, 11th day. This document contains a history of the USA from the rise of the theocracy in the 2000 presidential election to its eventual fall in the year 2190, owing to the forces of evil, namely a group of musicians. It is their story that is told here.
The text is by John Chenault. The scenes alternate between the story of Maestro Jones, who started the ecological revolution that resulted in the fall of the Ministerium, and those who remained to carry it out after Jones was arrested by the Inquisition, represented by Miriam Condolezza. Carmen Aria, Rick Horn, and Frankie G String eventually manage to restore the world's ecology, symbolized by a recurrent butterfly. At the last reference to this symbol, just before the final song, I found myself unexpectedly in tears. There is a lot of deep feeling in this work as well as some amusement and some good playing and singing, in a variety of styles, jazz the most predominant. For a basically static production with no scenery, the imagination shown in the photography is remarkable.
I am often surprised at how strongly the present state of this country affects me. The recent lack of respect for music, musicians, and unions in general represented by the new management at Radio City Music Hall (where I wrote my first reviews on my old Remington typewriter back in the 1960s) is only the latest of the effects of our new theocracy. Chenault and Proto's presentation of the situation seems no further from possibility than the impressively realistic Science Fiction scenarios of Harry Harrison. At any rate, I enjoyed this strange production.
David Moore
American Record Guide
Frank Proto began working with playwright and author John Chenault in 1993 and this is their seventh collaboration. For those that caught the highly entertaining Profanation of Hubert J. Fort at the 2003 International Society of Bassists Conference in Richmond, Virginia this new work expands the format significantly. Working with the interplay between the singer, actor and instrumentalists. Proto is really forging a new and highly entertaining kind of musical drama. This performance of The Tuner was recorded at the 2005 ISB Convention and the DVD leaves a real sense of the live performance, adding some effects, close up and changing camera angles but still leaving one with a sense of being there at the performance. The sound quality on the DVD is excellent and the insert gives some detailed background to the story.
This Drama is again set in the future, in this case "between the years 2135-2138". A group of radical musicians (Rick Horn, Frankie G-string and Carmen Aria) led by Maestro Jones seek to confront the suppressive ruling theocratic regime known as the Ministerium (whose Inquisition and church police stoned the entire string section of the last orchestra to death!), using music to tap into the earth's magnetic field, realigning it's axis and reversing the near environmental collapse of the planet, toppling the Ministerium in the process. It's pure Sci-fi with enough witty interludes both political and musical to make for a highly entertaining and successful production.
Compositionally and dramatically this seems a much more serious and developed work than Hubert J. Fort. The acting is really first rate and Proto has composed a wide range of music, from the beauty of the song "in my dark imagination" and the opening vocalise to the excellent night club "Lounge Act" scene with Proto on piano and a great guest spot of Tom Knific (Tommy Terrific) on bass. There are also sections of both more supportive and accompanied music and times where the bass and saxophone use their interludes as an actual part of the dialogue (explained in the story by Frankie's tongue having been torn out in the inquisition and Rick Horn only 'speaking saxophone').
Overall a highly successful production of an entertaining Convention highlight. One can only look forward to what Proto will produce for the 2007 Convention!
Robert Narin
Bassworld
Frank Proto's latest foray into political satire through musical theatre follows the journey of a small band of musician eco-warriors as they journey through a nightmare future world ravaged and ruled by a crazed, anti-intellectual theocracy. With planet earth close to environmental disaster, the group seeks to tune in to the earth's magnetic field at key 'crossroads', shift the planet's axis and thereby initiate a global-warming-reversing mini-ice age (with the added advantage that it will destabilise the ruling regime and lead to its eventual overthrow). The intrepid group is harried constantly by the mullahs' murderous henchmen.
Satirising US politics right now may be like shoothing fish in a barrel, but Proto and author John Chenault collaborate in a heart-felt cry of anguish and derision at the madness enveloping the world's decision makers. The narrative may not by particularly original, but the strong music - performed by the composer on bass and piano, saxophonist-clarinetist Rick Van Matre, vocalist Carmen Balthrop and actor Reginald Willis - and the humour in Chenault's text carry it off. This is a DVD of the 'live' world premiere directed by Charles Holmond and presented by the International Society of Bassists at its June, 2005 Convention in Kalamazoo.
Iain Crawford
Double Bassist
