Shawn Lee’s Ping-Pong Orchestra: Hooked-Up Classics (Ubiquity, 12/7/10)
Shawn Lee’s Ping-Pong Orchestra: “Swan Lake”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Shawn_Lee_Swan_Lake.mp3|titles=Shawn Lee: “Swan Lake”]
Shawn Lee is a highly productive multi-instrumentalist and producer known for applying his funky, soulful style in myriad ways, and as Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra, he has tackled assorted world styles, famous pop songs, cinematic string pieces, and even Christmas songs.
His latest release, Hooked Up Classics, is a collection of rock, funk, and dub covers of classical favorites, including Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Swan Lake,” Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries,” Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” and Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra.” If you love these classical hits and want to hear them in a new way, or if you’re not familiar and want an entry point to the expansive genre, pick this up.