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The Michigan Doily-Tuesday, October 24, 1978-Page 7
GUITARISTS BREAM AND WILLIAMS A T HILL:
Solos spice up strung-out show
w
Keith Jarrett arrogant,
but better than ever
By GERARD PAPE
Seeing Keith, Jarrett in concert for
my third time, Sunday night at
Detroit's Ford Auditorium, I had the
following thoughts: 1) Since the first
time I saw him it was from five feet
away in asmall New York jazz club, I
have ended up sitting farther away
from him as he has played bigger halls;
still, emotionally, I felt closer to Jarrett
this time than ever before, for he was
more warmly communicative onstage
than he's ever been; 2) Keith Jarrett
expresses more original musical ideas
through his fingers in one- solo piano
concert than the average rock and
roller does in fifteen albums.
Jarrett is arrogant. One has to be just
a little arrogant to charge $9.50 for an
hour and a half of purely improvised
music. Also, he is releasing a ten-
record set of piano concerts he perfor-
ned in Japan. He is undoubtedly con-
fident that the set will sell, and with
justification. Jarrett is vain and self-
indulgent. He demands perfect silence-
from his audience for his playing and
takes himself seriously enough to stop
and order the audience, "Let's all
cough at the count of three. Although
he appears humbly appreciative of
audience approval, he will chide an
audience, that after two encores
demands more: "Would you do that at a
sporting event?"
KEITH JARRETT enjoys being ex-
cessively theatrical. He grunts and
groans and, after a fashion, sings, get-
ting into himself in an almost autistic
style. In addition, he seems to imagine
himself a stand-up comedian. One of his
jokes at the expense of Ford
Auditorium: ". ... the only place I've
ever played wher "exit' is spelled with
a small 'e'." In .response to the
seemingly endless stream of folks still
seating themselves after the lights
were turned down and he was on stage,
he asked, "Is there a prize for being the
last one in?" He has enough sense of
humor about himself to add: "The prize
for being late is that you get to miss my
first few notes."
Musical4, there iq little to say that
hasn't already been said about Jarrett.
One heard the fusion of piano styles that
is so uniquely his: the straight-ahead
gospel flavored jazz, the hauntingly
beautiful lyricism, the relentlessly
driving left-hand rhythm, the sense
that, as a friend of mine observed. This
man must have at least three hands to
have as much going on musically as he
does at once.
ALL THIS is not to say that Jarrett
doesn't have his faults; he does. At
times, he gets so involved in what he's
playing that he thinks nothing of
repeating a single phrase to the point of
tedium. Undoubtedly, he repeats with
the idea of creating a trance-like mood
and also creating a foundation for more
elaborate musical structures. Unfor-
tunately, it comes off as a lack of in-
spiration - a stalling for time while
ideas come to him. Yet, the other side of
the repeated phrases is how Jarrett
does succeed starting with the very
tiniest of ideas and building. When his
inspiration is at its peak, there is not a
jazz pianist who can touch him for the
richness and complexity of his thought
and the seemingly endless flow of fresh
ideas and variations on those ideas.
Keith Jarrett is a musical genius. He
has been regarded as special since he
first started playing at three years of
age, and now, at 33, he is universally
praised by critics as well. Keith Jarrett
has his faults, but the warmth and sen-
sitivity of the man and his music shine
through. His excesses may seem larger
than life, but so is his talent.
By MARK JOHANSSON
Stopping off in Ann Arbor during
their current U.S. tour, guitarists
Julian Bream and John Williams were
presented in concert last Saturday
night in Hill Auditorium by the Univer-
sity Musical Society. The two accom-
plished virtuosos combined their excep-
tional talents to make a gratifying
evening for guitar lovers.
FOR THE audience's benefit as well
as the artists', Rackham Auditorium,
where each person is relatively near
the stage, would have been a better
location. Also, the acoustics at
Julian Bream, guiwtarst
John Williams. 'itarist
Hill A uditorium
Pavan and Galliard ..................Johnson
Partie Polonaise ....................Telemann
Tombeau sur la mort de M. Comte
deLogy......................Weiss
Caprice, No. 24 .................. Paganini
Fantasie for Two Guitars,
op. 54.................................. Sor
Theme and Variations (from Op. 18) .... Brahms
Dolly, Op. 56 ......................... Faure
Four Studies........... .......... illa-Lobos
Three Sketches for Two Guitars ........ Brindle
Reverie
Golliwog's Cake-Walk
Clair de Lune.........................Debussy
Presented &r the University
Musical Societ,
Rackham are more appropriate for
soloists and small groups.
The program was made up both of
pieces written specifically for guitar
(or in some cases lute), and of some
unusual transcriptions which did not
sound nearly as awkward as I thought
they would. Despite the amount of
variety, the program was painfully long
(lasting over 21/2 hours), and near the
end a few dozing concert-goers were
heard restlessly snoring.
The two guitarists, dressed in black,
performed together like good, old frien-
ds. Williams, however, seemed the
more nervous of the two, and as a
result, appeared to take his playing
more seriously. Since he was making
his Ann Arbor debut, Williams may
have been somewhat awed by both the
crowd and the hall. This probably
helped him though, as he consistently
played with fewer wrong notes and a
better tone than Bream.
THE BEST moments of the long
evening came during the two solo
segments, one before and one after in-
termission. The first solos, played by
Mr. Williams in the middle of the first
half, gave a good opportunity for the
audience to witness his ability.
In the Tombeau by Weiss, Williams'
interpretation made the sense of loss ad
contemplation in this mournful,
minor melody sound very real. He fur-
ther displayed his versatility by ex-
ploring the full range of his instrument,
using a variety of tones, dynamics and
rhythms in a transcription of Caprice,
No.24 by Paganini. -
Other notable moments in the first
half included Telemann's Partie
Polonaise, during which the movemen-
ts soon began to sound alike and rather
silly. In jest Williams played straight-
forwardly (getting a better tone) while
Bream was maniacally rolling his eyes,
wagging his tongue and spastically
jerking his head. Meanwhile, the
audience clapped after each movement
and further made a joke of the piece.
THE ONLY really meaningful piece
before intermission was Sor's Fantasie
for Two Guitars. The work is Spanish,
and the rich harmonies, complex
changes in tonality, and beautifully or-
namented melody were moving.
In the second half, like the first, the
best portion was the solo effort. This
time Julian Bream took his turn
playing Four Studies by Villa-Lobos.
The Studies are short but difficult, and
Guitarists Julian Bream (left) and John Williams performed Saturday night in Hill Auditorium.
VISTA
is coming
alive again.,.
How about
coming
alive
with us?
Here's your chance to
do something for America.
We need all kinds of VISTA
volunteers. All kinds of skills.
People eighteen or eighty, we
don't care. High income or low
income. We don't care as long
as you come. Come to VISTA
for the most important experi-
ence of your life. VISTA needs
you. VISTA is coming alive
again. Call toll free:
800-424-8580. V A
The Center For Afraosmerican
and African Studies
presents
PROF. JON ONYE LOCKARD
LECTURING ON
"AFRO-BRAZILIAN
RELATIONSHIPS WITH
AFRICAN AND
AFROAMERICAN ART"
Wednesday. Oct.25.;1978
12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m.
Center for Afroamerican and
African Studies
1100 S. UNIVERSITY
All Welcome! e Refreshments
EIUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD
3 Minutes from the Union
Not fast food--Just great food served quickly
Eat In or Carry Out
I a.mI I p.m. Mon-Thurs, ! p m.-1 p im Sun, tI a.m.-12 a.1m. Fri. & Sat..
Located at Thompson and William
LOOK FOR THE
EM PAGE
of
1be 3tdi~wgn Eailg
EVERY THURSDAY
for:
. Important IM Dates
* IM Sports News
* IM Sports Results
and morelt
The Ann Arbor Film Copreative presents at AUD. A
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24
BUNUEL IN MEXICO
LOS OLVIDADOS (The Young and the Damned)
(Luis Bunuel, 1950) 7 & 10:15-AUD. A
Sad and lyrical, this is a monumental movie which explores the retched poverty that causes juvenile
delinquency. Based entirely on real cases, Bunuel's film is a love poem to those deprived of love. Prize-
winner at the Cannes Film Festival for Best Direction. "LOS OLVIDADOS is, perhaps, my favorite
film."-Luis Bunuel. In Spanish, with subtitles.
ILLUSION TRAVELS BY STREETCAR
(Luis Bunuel, 1954) 8:40 only-AUD. A
A driver and a conductor steal a streetcar and take a wild, anarchic trip through town. This results in
a number of hilarious incidents and unexpected adventures. "Bunuel takes this opportunity to describe
certain aspects of the streets of Mexico City that are not to be found in travel brochures."-THE CINEMA
OF LUIS BUNUEL.
Tomorrow: THE EXILE & MARIUS
MANN THEATRES Wed. Matinees
F} AGE TWE All seats $1.50
MAPLE VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER
769-1300 Ountil 4:30
F h r rsSHOW
" d n 1 n E sTIMES
Sat-Sun-Wed
1:30
4:00
6:30
9:05
Mon-Tues-
Thurs-Fri
6:30
9:05
do it DAILY
Last film in Cuban Film Festival!
I
Octavio Cortazar's
1977
THE TEACHER
A charmina and caotivatina tale of a young teacher's experiences in the