CONEY ISLAND

Greek and American Cuisine
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

154 S. Woodward, Birmingham
(248) 540-8780

Halsted Village
(37580 W. 12 Mile Rd.)
Farmington Hills
(248) 553-2360

6527 Telegraph Rd.
Corner of Maple (15 Mile)
Bloomfield Township
(248) 646-8568

4763 Haggerty Rd. at Pontiac Trail
West Wind Village Shopping Center
West Bloomfield
(248) 669-2295

841 East Big Beaver, Troy
(248) 680-0094

SOUTHFIELD SOUVLAKI
CONEY ISLAND
Nine Mile & Greenfield
15647 West Nine Mile, Southfield
(248) 569-5229

FARMINGTON SOUVLAKI
CONEY ISLAND
Between 13 & 14 on
Orchard Lake Road
30985 Orchard Lake Rd.
Farmington Hills
(248) 626-9732

NEW LOCATION:
525 N. Main
Milford
(248) 684-1772

UPTOWN PARTHENON
4301 Orchard Lake Rd.
West Bloomfield
(248) 538-6000

HERCULES FAMILY RESTAURANT
33292 West 12 Mile
Farmington Hills
(248) 489-9777
Serving whitefish, Iamb shank,
pastitsio and moussaka

NMI NM MIMI NMI MIN 111111 EMI MA =II MINI

! Receive !

Off

Entire Bill

9/29
2000

R50

I not to go with any other offer I
with.couptin
I
1
Expires 12/3W2000

NM NM UM NM Mill IOW MIMI NMI MN NIMIN

Having A `Blast!'

Young performers demonstrate musicianship,
showmanship and dynamic choreography in a new
theatrical show at the Masonic Temple Theatre.

SUZANNE CHESSLER

Special to the Jewish News

IC

Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps,
which was founded in 1984 in
Bloomington, Ind., by businessman
Bill Cook to benefit young people in
music education.
Artistic Director James Mason, a life-
long drum and bugle corps enthusiast,
led the first group to place among the
top 10 corps at the Drum Corps
International World Championships.
Mason's 1991 ensemble earned the title
World Champion, competing against
other organizations from the United
States, Japan, Canada and Europe.
Since 1993, Mason has been shap-

imberly Baron performed
in marching bands while
attending high school and
college in Florida, but she
didn't stop her musical stepping after
graduation.
With experience in the Disney
Collegiate All-Star Band '98 and the
Disneyland Paris International Student
Show Band in '99, she landed a job in
Blast! and will be marching and play-
ing at the Masonic Temple Theatre
Oct. 3-22.
Baron and 59 other
young musicians are
part of an international
tour that combines
athleticism, instrumen-
tal talent and kaleido-
scopic movement in a
new kind of theater
piece. Developed from
the drum and bugle
corps concept, which
spotlights brass and
percussion instru-
ments, the show fea-
tures numbers that
range from light classi-
cal to techno pop.
"We're all musicians
and dancers, and
instead of being in a
pit, we're on stage,"
"Blase": Music in motion.
explains Baron, 24,
who plays the French
horn and mellophone.
ing the evolution of Star of Indiana
"We do drill-like movements and syn-
from a competitive drum corps to a
chronized choreography to the
theatrical show that brings outdoor
melodies that we play. We also have
pageantry to the stage. There was a
special lighting and sound effects to go
North American tour with the
with the moods of the music.
Canadian Brass and later the develop-
"We play original music and music
ment of Brass Theatre, which also
that people would be familiar with.
toured to many venues, including the
We start off with Bolero, which is
Interlochen Center for the Arts. Blast!
familiar, and go into a couple of origi-
had its world premiere in London at
nal pieces. In the middle of Act I, we
the end of 1999 and its American pre-
by
go into Appalachian Spring
miere in August, the same month the
Copland. In Act II, we play 'Land of
troupe became the subject of a public
Make Believe,' which is a popular jazz
television special and its CD was
tune, and `Malaguena; which is a
released.
Latin tune."
"We get a range of people from
evolved
from
the
Star
of
Blast!

small children to the elderly in our
audiences, and there's just something
for everyone," says Baron, who is
adjusting to the touring life and enjoy-
ing the sightseeing that goes along
with it. "It seems that everyone comes
away from the show with something
special to remember."
Baron, who was active in temple
activities before getting into college
and away-from-home work, learned
dance basics as part of her Blast! rou-
tine. The troupe appears in jumpsuits
that can be altered in simple ways to fit
in with different parts of the program.
The instrumental skills Baron will
bring to Detroit are built on choices
that came gradually.
Although wanting to play drums, she
agreed to the clarinet at age 9 when her
mother thought practicing on percus-
sions would be too noisy. A switch to
the French horn came in high school,
when she again wanted to try drums
but was told by the school band direc-
tor that he didn't need more drummers.
"I seemed to have a natural tal-
ent for the French horn," Baron
says. "The mellophone is what a
French horn player uses in a
marching band or drum corps so,
by default, I played the mel-
lophone as well.
"The French horn has a wide
range of pitches, and it's also a
very mellow sound. It adds color
to the brass section. We rarely
have the melody. Most of the
time we play harmony and count-
er melody"
Baron, whose contract runs
until June and will tour to
England after the U.S., audi-
tioned for Blast! on the recom-
mendation of a musician she
knew during her work for Disney.
"I've learned a lot about con-
necting with audiences," she says.
"In college ensembles, I didn't
concern myself with that at all. I
concerned myself with sitting
behind a stand and playing the music
on the page. With Disney and Blast!,
the whole point is to make a connec-
tion with the audience." Ci

Blast! will be performed 8 p.m.
Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m.
Saturdays-Sundays and 7:30 p.m.
Sundays, Oct. 3-22, at the
Masonic Temple Theatre in
Detroit. $35-$55. For information
on the Detroit shows, call (313)
832-2232. For more about Blast!,
go to www.BlastOnTour.com .