Dakah. A good idea gone bad?

So the general idea behind Dakah is that Hip Hop, at it's core is very similar to Ochestral arrangements and symphonies. So, the Orchestra’s founder and conductor, Geoff “Double G” Gallegos, is a classically trained saxophonist who studied at tBerkeleylee College of Music. Gallegos began composing hip hop music for orchestra while working with the Colorado Symphony. In addition to his work with DaKah, he is an active studio composer, arranger, and conductor in Los Angeles. In 2002, the orchestra and Gallegos received a Durfee Foundation Artist Award that led to the release of DaKah’s first studio album, Unfinished Symphony. The orchestra recently released the live album, San Francisco Debut, and performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas.
Dakah gets to be 62 members deep when at full strength. They've recently reached the point where they can sell out venues that can handle that many musicians, AKA the Hollywood Bowl, but it amuses me to think about that many people trying to pack into small clubs around L.A. The patrons must have had to stand on the bars, and in bathroomromm stalls just to make room for all the instruments.

In order to create depth and meaning out of so many diverse and seemingly incongruent elements, one must have an overarching vision, which entails working on all quadrants and all levels. One must understand where each of these elements fits in to the big picture, both technically and aesthetically. Plus one must be able to navigate the daunting logistics of organizing so many people on little or no budget, finding the right venue in which to play, and forming a web of harmonious interpersonal relationships, not only within the orchestra, but also within the community at large. And I'm not sure that this gets accomplished.

Love the concept for the Dakah. Can't say I love the music though. Not being a very avid hip hop fan myself, I could be missing scriticaltcal point here, that makes the handful of people recommendednded Dakah to me, love them. But I feel like aside from the sheer massiveness of the group, there's nothing particularly fresh here. Yes hip hop does sound like classical music. All you have to do is listen to the strings sampled in 50% of all hip hop tracks. Well no shTheythey DO seem to have something in common when mixed over a 4/4 beat. How about that!

But I can imagine the live show would be impressiThe the dynamic of any music can be radically altered by the setting you witness it in. Songs that would normally suck coming through a stereo, sound inspired when seen live, and backed by the artists enthusiasm for their work. And I think that might be the case here. After all, why would a ton of classically trained symphomusiciansinas volunteer this much time and effort for relatively little or no pay, unless they were having a blast?
Pa lotalot of big names in Hip Hop have guest starred with them. The Roots, Breakestra, Black Eyed Peas, Macy Gray, Nikka Costa, etc. publiclyaapplaudluad Dakah as something new and exciting.

I just can't hear it.

Decide for yourself.
A Live show in the House of Blues