Frogtown...where the bugs are juicy
and the water is blue
Learning
Diversity Through Music
Philip Pelletier´s new musical storybook, "One
Night In Frogtown", brings together Portland´s
multi-faceted music community, from the worlds
of classical, jazz, r&b, and hip-hop to tell
a unique story of the value of cultural diversity.
Beautiful illustrations by Portland artist Verne
Lindner and soulful narration by Curtis Salgado
bring the musical pond of instrument-playing
frogs to vibrant life.
Pelletier, an award-winning
writer & composer,
handpicked Portland´s A-List, including
Linda Hornbuckle, Curtis Salgado, and Andy Stokes;
and features rising star Devin Phillips on tenor
sax, playing the part of the lead character Tad-a
tiny saxophone-playing tadpole. The performers
shine on each of the strikingly original songs
on this great-sounding disc, which features the
entire 25 minute narrated story, (so children
can read along by themselves), as well as each
song individually, (so parents can read aloud
and enjoy the songs too).
Cultural & racial
tolerance message
How did Pelletier
pull together all these
people? "As
soon as I showed them what Frogtown was about,
everyone wanted to do it.", he explains. "I
think the themes resonate with alot of people
in our post 9/11 world. Creating a message of
cultural & racial understanding in a fun
way was something that everyone wanted to be
a part of. Plus it´s not every day that
you get to go into a professional recording studio
and make frog noises."
A
Concept Album for Kids
Pelletier,
who has experience
producing children´s
music, having composed the score for the Emmy-award
winning ABC children´s series "Rapmatazz",
as well as projects for Disney and Pixar, says, "An
all-ages concept project appealed to me because
children are so open. I felt kids could relate
to the natural innocence and curiosity that Tad´s
character shows. As a composer, I enjoy working
with different musical genres and making them
accessible to kids who may have no experience
with them; often making them come alive for the
first time."
Music
as Metaphor
"One Night In Frogtown"´s wide-ranging
musical canvas exposes kids to different kinds
of music, from R&B, to Classical, to Hip-Hop.
The different styles of music symbolize the differences
between the social groups of frogs, while the
pond itself acts as a metaphor for the world.
Pelletier was working in LA during the LA Riots,
and the memory still haunts him. "It´s
probably one of the reasons I wanted to do this.",
he says. "When I showed Frogtown to Curtis,
he echoed the other performers when he said, "Of
course I´ll do it. The world needs this
right now"..
