Ken Arlen Orchestra Saves the Kentucky Derby Museum Gala!

We'll let this client's testimonial tell the story:

"In 2010 the Gala committee contracted the services of the Ken Arlen Orchestra for the event entertainment. Ken had previously provided the entertainment for the Gala in 2006 so, we were aware of his professionalism and the quality of his work. We know that the evening would be fun and high energy. But we didn't know that the services supplied by Ken and his group would be so much more.

"The evening of the event, severe storms hit our area and sent rain water flooding through the tent. It looked like at the very worst the event would be cancelled and at the very least that people would be angry with the situation. Once the band came on stage and started to play, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. The band played as if the evening was perfect and completely changed the mood of the event. The guests stayed, partying and dancing until 12:30 a.m. We have had numerous compliments on the event and our choice of entertainment.

"We can't thank Ken and his band enough for the professionalism and great attitude that they displayed that evening. They refused to let a little water interfere with giving our guests the best performance they could and in fact, by doing so helped save our event."

Roger That!: Getting to Know Ken Arlen Orchestra Guitarist, Roger Adler

While band leading and playing in the busy Chicago cruise industry years ago, Roger Adler met Ken Arlen, another musician and band contractor on the scene. Ken noticed Adler “always took care of business,” delivering consistently excellent music. When Ken needed a guitarist for his orchestra, Adler signed on and has been an integral member of the Ken Arlen Orchestra for nearly twenty years.

As a lifelong musician, Roger has worn many hats throughout his career. He’s been nominated four times for an Emmy Award, including for his work at Wild Chicago on WTTW, a television show he co-created. He wrote all of the music for the program which exceeds 1,000 independent pieces. Most notably, he scored the “Best of Comic Relief,” a selection of the Comic Relief charity shows which starred Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Billy Crystal.

While he has played and continues to play as a session guitarist for television commercials and films, his most famously titled project was when he played on the soundtrack for the film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. He is also pictured in the film while playing a guitar solo as requested by director (and Ghostbusters co-writer & star) Harold Ramis. On set, Ramis, somewhat a musician himself, would ask Adler for pointers. Years later, he returned the favor by hosting an episode of Wild Chicago, visiting his old Chicago haunts and friends, including the classic stars of Second City.

Groundhog Day was shot in the far northwest Chicago suburb Woodstock, adjacent to Crystal Lake, where Adler lives and has a recording studio. “Roger Adler Music” is located in a historic building known as the Dole Mansion where he has engineered recordings for vocalists such as Kimberly Wolff and Jori Parys. His studio also features a fantastic guitar collection, which over time he has whittled from 45 to the current dozen. “Like a carpenter, I see each as an effective tool. I respect what’s different and beautiful about each of them.”

Roger officially endorses Brian Moore Guitars whose guitars include USB and MIDI outputs. He also endorses Leslie speaker cabinets, made famous by their combination with the Hammond Organ. Leslie speakers have moving parts that use the “Doppler effect” to create vibrato, tremolo, and chorus effects. Both endorsed products are included in the pictures below.

Next up for Adler, in addition to contributing regularly to the Ken Arlen Orchestra, he will be working on the music for an upcoming horror film Extraction.