The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, October 11, 1978-Page 5
Two Smiths at Second Chance
By MIKE TAYLOR
It seemed likse an ordinary enough
occurence at first. Towards the end of a
devastating set of carefree rock'n'roll
by Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Fred
"Sonic" Smith announced:
"There was a single released tonight
called 'City Slang.' I know it's true
'cause they showed me a copy down-
stairs."
SUDDENLY, a disheveled young
woman was called Fred from the side.
"Fred, Fred, Fred, you fucking
asshole!" she bawled, but Fred did not
seem to hear her. Finally, he woke up
and shouted, "There she is herself." It
was Patti Smith.
Hanging from a post, Patti yelled, "If
'City Slang' is a single why ain't it on
the fucking radio?" Someone in the
crowd answered ): "radio sucks."
"That's right," Fred echoed. "It's
because radio sucks. They don't know
what the fuck to play. A lot of Foreigner
records and bullshit like that."
And with that, the band cut loose with
some more fiery rock'n'roll, ending
with an ecstatic version of "City
Slang," a song that may never be a hit,
but will always be remembered by the
crowd at Second Chance Monday night
as a killer tune.
THOUGH THE bill included a
o by MAUREEN O'MALLEY "poetry reading" by Patti Smith and
hance Monday night with reggae by the Black Eagles, from
Jamaica, Sonic's Rendezvous Band
Sastonish Hill
Daily Phot
Patti Smith amused and annoyed the folks at Second C
her chaotic blend of mirth and madness.
were unquestionably the stars of Mon-
day night's show.
The band puts out a primitive, yet in-
credibly urgent wall-of-sound. The
vocals, provided by Fred and rhythm
guitarist Scott Morgan, can rarely be
heard above this lovely din, but so
what? The excitement lies in the inter-
play between Sonic's lead guitar and
Scotty's solid rhythm guitar. Though
they were very sloppy Monday night,
they deserved trophies for the levels of
energy and release they reached, and
they did it song after song'after song.
Highlights included "Sweet Nuthin'"
mesmerizing as ever, "You're So
great," a short, dense show-stopper,
and "City Slang." Buy the single.
THE EVENING opened with what
seemed to me the ultimate warm-up
act, the Black Eagles. For almost an
hour, this eight-man band kept us en-
tertained with enchanting melodies and
soulful rhythms. A saxophone player
added depth and mystery to the music,
Sensuous and invigorating, it left us
feeling warm and happy.
After a long wait, Patti Smith walked
on stage.
"I want everybody to stand up and
we're going to do the pledge of allegian.
ce to our flag," she commanded. With
many joining her, she repeated:s
I pledge allegiance s.p
to the flag.
of the United States of America
ar d to the republic m,-
for which it standsb
one nation, under God, indivisible
withSliberty, andostice, and free
radio for all.
UNFORTUNA TELY, that's about as
close to "poetry" as Patti got that
nIght. A rowdy crowd put her in a
defensive mood that led to a half hour of
quips, traded isults, a few of songs,
and very little more.
"READ THE STONE!" chanted
several folks until she read a stone one
of them had handed her. "It's just a
stupid old stone that says 'swallow
me'." Then there were more catcalls,
subsiding for only seconds each time
Patti yelled "SHAADUP! !"
She told us it was John Lennon's bir-
thday. In honor of the occasion, she was
going to sing a George Harrison song.
"FUCK YOU!" someone called.
"You never will," she answered, and
then sang "If I Needed Someone."
She brought Richard Sohl on to play
electric piano, picked up a clarinet, and
sang a slow song. Then she said, "I'd
like to do an old Detroit song." After a
couple of false starts, the pair turned in
an amusing version of Smokey Robin-
son's "The Hunter Gets Captured By
the Game."
"I guess it's time to read some
Career Planning & Placement presents
Summer Business Istern Program
in New York " Detroit e Chicago
MASS MEMiN
Thursday, Oct.12
Rackham Aud., 7p. m.
Paid positions in accounting, marketing, finance,
advertising, public relations, and general business.
Sorry, LS8A sophs, jrs. and srs. only
poetry," she said at last. But the
remark brought only new vocal violen-
ce from the crowd.
"All right! Settle down!" she
shouted. "You sound like the locusts'
coming. Now I know why I didn't want
to be a schoolteacher. You're all a bun-
ch of snot-nosed kids who won't shut
up.
A few minutes later, a roadie handed
her a guitar, and she ended the set with,
what she obviously considered some
very cosmic guitar doodling. And then
she was gone.
New Hampshire, which has th6
greatest number of legislative seat§
of any state, also has the highest.
percentage of women holding legisla-
tive positions. Of the 424-seats in that
state, women occupy 25 per cent.
'Jazzsta
By ALAN RUBENFELD
It came as no surprise. The Milestone
Jazzstars performed two hours of state
f the art acoustic jazz to a highly
eceptive audience at Hill Auditorium
onday night. Bassist Ron Carter,
enor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, and
ianist McCoy Tyner, all backed by
mmer Al Foster, thrilled the crowd
o a taste of jazz heaven.
The four musicians performed in
various duos, trios, and as soloists, as
well as in the standard quartet format.
The group opened up together, playing
Rollins' "The Cutting Edge," from the
lbum of the same title. Sonny led the
roup with his patented razor-edged
tacatto solos. Notes flowed fluidly and
eemingly effortlessly from the sax,
reating his famous hard driving
ound. Rollins joyously held his tenor
ax high up towards the ceiling in an
xultant gesture as he wailed to the ex-
cited' listeners 'Then he gave way to
Tyner's ethereal, floating chord patter-
s. Instead of'sharply toned riffs, Mc-
"oy served dense polytonal chord
equences that heavily relied on pen-
tatonic scales. Ron Carter then gave a
lesson in understatement as he said
much through his demure style of gen-
tly caressing the bass strings to get a
soft, joyous melody that he improvised
in and out of. His timbre is so unique
that his passive virtuosity can never be
istaken for anyone else's sound.
NEXT, ROLLINS and Tyner perfor-
med "Sentimental Mood" as a duo.
ere Sonny blew a melancholy melody
p and down the entire fingerboard. His
bittersweet motif then faded to an
equally sublime Tyner solo that con-
veyed the sensitive theme of one of
Duke Ellington's precious pieces. The
song ended with a tranquil chord pat-
tern from McCoy as the appreciative
Rollins stood by silently, grinning
widely.
Rollins then exited and Tyner, Car-
ter, and, Foster performed Antonio
Carlos Jobim's "Once I Loved." The
musicians worked this piece as if it
were an adventure into the unknown,
giving the song a feeling of mystery,
power, and grace. Each musician
seemed self-contained and confident as
they created a group sound filled with
power and verve.
Ron Carter was then left alone to per-
form Thelonius Monk's "Blue Monk."
If people did not see in person what the
tall, lanky bassist did with his in-
strument, it would be quite hard to
believe his dexterity. It was not an at-
tack of cascading notes played in rapid-
fire succession, but rather a soft, well
planned exercise in beauty and
emotion. Carter played the melody in
four-part harmony, vamping the theme
like craftsmen carving a fine piece of
ornament. The solo left the audience
enamored.
Lrs I
THE FULL quartet then performed a
new Tyner piece, "Rubia." Rollins'
sharp, piercing soprano sax solos were
cushioned by Tyner's hazy, multi-
layered chord patterns. Here drummer
Foster demonstrated a vigor to his
playing that was somewhat lacking in
previous numbers.
The first half of the Jazzstars was en-
joyable, but, in fact, the second portion
of the show contained the night's most
memorable pieces. Tyner began with
what was probably the most moving
piece of the evening. He performed a
solo work that generated an emotion
that transcended the music the listener
heard. It was as if the keyboard was an
extension of his soul, delivering the
pain, love, and essence of his spirit. The
piece was more emotion than melody, a
search for meaning, a striving for
truth.
McCoy left the stage to inspired ap-
plause to give way to a hard bopping
Sonny Rollins, who accompanied by
Carter and Foster, performed the title:
cut from his new album, "Don't Stop
the Carnival. Scorching riffs emanated
effortlessly from his tenor, infusing the
calypso melody with a bright, easy air
of ebullience. There was a heavy R&B
tinge to Rollins' playing as he again
shuffled across the stage, raising his
sax triumphantly in the air. Sonny
could not contain his smiling
demeanor; his audience stood in ap-
preciation of his stomping effort.
TYNER THEN joined Ron Carter for
a duet called "All Together." The soft
piece featured Ron's walking bass
notes and McCoy's equally docile chord
combinations. The piece ended ever so
gracefully with a series of sweet har-
monics from Carter's bass.
The stage was then given to Rollins,
as he again thrilled the crowd with a
selection of pieces from his long and
notable career. One cannot realize the
seemingly effortless appearance of
Rollins when he blows his sax. The joy
he brings to the stage, the pleasure he
derived from the audience's ap-
preciation goes beyond perfunctory
"Thank you." Instead it is a complete
joy.
The program ended with a piece from
Ron Carter's new album, A Song For
You, entitled "N.O. (New Orleans)
Blues." The sedate, evenly paced
Monkish motif gave each performer
opportunity for individual im-
provisation. Rollins played his tenor as
if it were a soprano sax, achieving a
piercing' sharpness from his in-
strument, as the other musicians
wailed in support.
The group returned to perform as an
encore the immortal John Coltrane's
"Impressions." Tyner led the group in
See JAZZST.ARS, Page 7
k
THOMAS ALEA'S CUBAN FILM FESTIVAL 1976
THE LAST SUPPER
Director of MEMORIES OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT, Alea further enhances his
reputation by this markedly different new film. During Holy Week, a
wealthy religious count tries to set a Christian example by selecting
twelve slaves to dine with him. Thus encouraged, they try to be good
Christians by not working on Good Friday. When a vicious overseer com-
mands them to work, a riot ensues. ". . . a political parable told entirely
in religious terms." Vincent Canby Grand Prize, Chicago International Film
Festival. ANN ARBOR PREMIERE.
Triple Science-Fiction Treat-STAR TREK!,
H. G. Wells TIME MACHINE, & HARDWARE WARS
SAT. & SUN. 1900 (A- Premiere)
WED. (18th): Next Cuban Film-CANTADA DE CHILE
CINEMA I
TONIGHT AT
7A9
MLB 3
$1.50
L-.
.
Graduating seniors, graduate and professional
school students, and recent alumni of the Uni-
versity of Michigan are eligible to enter the 1979
Luce Scholars competition now underway. For
further information, contact Dr. Vincent P. McCar-
ren, 160A Rackham Building, 764-2218.
The Dept. of Near Eastern Studies
is sponsoring a lecture by:
G9ERSHIONV SHAKED
Professor of Modern Hebrew Literature
at Hebrew University
on
"JEWISH THEMES IN
MODERN ISRAELI THEATRE"
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12 at 4:00 p.m.
in 3050 FRIEZE BUILDING
PUBLIC INVITED
fiTTENTION NURSES
R.N.'S-full time and part time positions available
L.P.N.'S-full time positions available
This acute care hospital affiliated with the University of Michigan Medical
Center is looking for nurses for our medicine, surgery and psychiatry wards.
-These are permanent positions
-Full Civil Service Benefits
Starting Salary: R.N.'s-$12,986 to $18,258