One Alternative, an extraordinary group with great musical prowess, is set to perform tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester. The entire family is encouraged to come be a part of this great night featuring the vibrant mix of jazz, rock, classical and folk sounds unique to One Alternative.
The quintet of violin, oboe, guitar, bass and drums covers a lot of musical territory, from unique original compositions to covers of Yes and Frank Zappa. This opportunity is one that you will not want to miss. The joyful and dynamic performance by One Alternative will have the crowd at Uptown! remembering their performance for a long time.
This group has enjoyed a long lifespan due to its ongoing dedication to make the best instrumental music possible while not being deterred by changing trends. The sound of One Alternative can be best described as an acoustic fusion, blending the compositional form of classical music with the spontaneity of jazz, rock and folk. The resulting mixture is a vibrant and joyful listening experience.
One Alternative has shared the stage with a diverse group of artists, including Oregon, Renaissance, Spyro Gyra, Bill Bruford, Billy Cobham, Larry Coryell and the Dixie Dregs. Eight albums have been released, with the most recent being “Twilight” in 2017.
Through the years, One Alternative has seen personnel and instrument changes. Bass guitar and drums were added in the early 2000s. In 2018, the thought came to mind that the violin would work well replacing the second guitar.
The addition of violinist Dana Allaband to the lineup has helped transform the essence of One Alternative into something completely new and refreshing. The group’s music has been reworked for the quintet, and the result is an even more realized sound that music lovers will enjoy.
One Alternative is made up of many unique artists: are Jill Haley on oboe and English horn, Allaband on violin, Mark Oppenlander on guitar, Chico Huff on bass guitar and Tony DeAngelis on the drums.
At its inception, One Alternative was a trio of oboe and two guitars. Haley and Oppenlander were founding members along with guitarist Frank McDermott. As well as writing original compositions, the trio played various folk, jazz, rock and classical venues in the Philadelphia area.
As they started to establish themselves in the music community, they decided to record an album. The self-released “Greenlawn” received a great amount of airplay on college/FM radio around the country in 1985. Jon Takiff of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote that Greenlawn was the “tastiest independent record project to come out of these parts in many moons”.
Ticket prices start at $35. For more information, go to uptownwestchester.org/.
