Pushbutton Parfait

The debut CD of the Raymond Scott Orchestrette, Pushbuttom Parfait, demonstrates both the imaginative nature of composer/arranger Raymond Scott's idiosyncratic compositions and the adventurous new arrangements of the RSO. Scott, who rose to prominence in the 1930s leading a sextet, achieved immortality when Warner Brothers began adapting his looney tunes to underscore the mayhem of many of its cartoon characters. The seven-piece orchestrette, formed in 1999 by Irwin Chusid, performs such animated favorites as "Powerhouse" (which is used on the Cartoon Network as a promotional theme), "The Penguin," and "Twilight in Turkey," as well as lesser-known non-cartoon works as "Coming Down to Earth,""Naked City," and "A Street Corner in Paris." The latter captures the excitement and whirlwind characteristics of a busy Parisian corner by using an up-tempo arrangement of strings, accordion, horns, and crashing cymbals to exemplify the sights and sounds of the city. The feistiness and splashy colors of the originals remain, but these new takes on an old master offer a new generation more than a blast from the past. They offer a brilliant new insight into one of America's most gifted composers.