Otto are a chamber ensemble, with a totally unique approach and sound. Based in Nashville, home of country music, the band play arrangements of short classical works, pop standards and original compositions by the group’s leader, Jim Hoke. So the album contains songs by the fabled Frank Zappa and Brian Wilson alongside Fauré, Satie and Milhaud, performed on the unusual but perfectly harmonious combination of flute/clarinet, cello, vibraphone and pedal steel.

‘Little Pieces’ marks the first release by our US based sister company, Diversions LLC.

The new Nashville-based chamber quartet Otto is singular for both its unique lineup of vibraphone, pedal steel, cello and woodwinds, and for its broad repertoire. This includes French impressionistic composers Faure, Satie and Milhaud, rock musicians David Byrne and Frank Zappa, and original pieces by Otto leader and arranger Jim Hoke. Well-known music like Fauré’s “Pavane” take on freshness with the rare and atmospheric blend of steel guitar and vibes. Likewise, Zappa aficionados will hear a new world of nuance within the expressive textures of cello and clarinet on familiar works.