THREE NIGHTS OF JAZZ: The Michigon Daily-Tuesday, October 2, 1979-Page 7 Two or three shades of Mingus prevail Saturday Night By R. J. SMITH There are two central theories about Charles Mingus' music and career: A) In the words of former Mingus sideman John Handy, "He is definitely, in the true sense, a giant and maybe even a genius. He has all the qualities." B) As has been said by Village Voice writer Robert Christgau, Mingus was as much a simple jokester and an "eccentric" as he was a great man. The truth is somewhere in between. Mingus could be destructively, incom- municably wnird, and he certainly released more than his share of poor music. But the fact remains - when Mingus was hot, he was as sharp and bfeautiful as anybody. S'aturday evening's Jazz Festival show, the one most purely of Mingus music by virtue of the presence of one- time Mingus sideman Larry Coryell and the headlining band of Mingus alumni, the Mingus Dynasty Band, was similarly as jagged and uneven as the whole of Mingus music. FOR YEARS Mingus had in various ways railed against amplified music, and thus it was a surprise to find him recording with the electric Coryell in his last years. Except for a finale "Take the A Train" performed with the Dynasty Band, Coryell performed alone, both on electric and acoustic guitars. The problems with Coryell's set were problems Mingus worked en- dlessly to erase. The difficulty with the goryell performance was that as a strictly solo artist, he has a hard time organizing and unifying his im- provisations. IN his Jazz Workshop, Mingus would dften tell his band to stop playing, and then order a soloist to perform for the audience unaccompanied. "He had a theory that if you couldn't play alone first, you couldn't play with anyone else," Mingus drummer Danny Rich- iond said in a recent issue of Down- h eat. Although Coryell has garnered a certain following on the basis of his solo work, it seems to me he could do with some old-fashioned Mingus rage. p It was not for the fact that Coryell's palette was limited that the set failed. His tone poems were based on his own melodies, as well as Jimmy Webb songs, and standards such as "My Fun- ny Valentine" and Chick Corea 's :Spain. " : The man is definitely a masterful 4iusician, capable of staggering runs 4nd eruptively melodic single-note statements. But to build a solid song, one doesn't need just fine mortar, but ilso a knowledgeable architect. And clearly, Coryell is at a loss when he tries to construct his improvisations -. they are angular, disjointed messes. - IF FOR NO other reason than they were playing arrangements, the Mingus Dynasty Band was easier to get a handle on. But song structures aside, yhat was by far most interesting about the unit was how the musicians, familiar with many different eras of iingus music, did or didn't relate to each other. Occasionally, the various born players seemed to be stepping on each others' toes: there was the shout and squawk alto lyricism of John Han- dy vs. the rock and roll bappisms of both trumpeter Randy Brecker and tenor sax Joe Farrell vs. the studied and 4iodest coolness of trombonist Jimmy Knepper. Sometimes it worked, and oc- easionally it didn't. TTHE HIGHLIGHT of the show was the rhythm section's performance. Pianist Don Pullen, bassist Charlie Laden and drummer Danny Richmond formed this wonderful, intense unit that by far seemed most purely "into" every song. If the Dynasty Band had in- stead been billed as the Dynasty Trio, there is a good chance the show would have been even better. I have always thought Haden looked like Poindexter from Felix the Cat, and in fact, his playing is nothing if not schoolish and intellectual. Saturday night the other two acted as perfect foils; Pullen was intense but comical, and Richmond exuded as much exuberance as a kindergarten class - and certainly enough to counter Haden's sobriety. But although the attention was focused on him (because he was filling the great bass player's shoes and gSAT ad It J K AP" because he may well be the greatest bass player alive), Pullen and Rich- mond stole the show. Pullen's brillian- tly Monkish chiaroscuro musical question marks, notably in the solos to "Boogie Stop Shuffle" and the mobius strip that is "Sue's Changes" time and again caused gasps. From the start, Richmond was a joy to watch. His style is somewhat restric- tive, but he listens to the others like nobody else in the band, and he con- stantly came up with wonderfully creative fills. What an imposing shadow it must be to work under - it is not just tih n i-h of Charles Mingus that these guys labor beneath: They have to face the multiplicity of Mingus myths. With quite a range of years and styles, and most of all, a range of personalities, the Mingus Dynasty Band does a fine job of perpetuating a great man's music. Moye enter the small stage playing an African wind instrument and hand drum, respectively. The essential African mode of wind and percussion is stretched to include Jarman on tenor and alto sax, clarinet, flute, and a variety of smaller winds playing off Moyer exhaustive array of African and western percussion. The limitations of the duo setting are overcome by sheer diversity and extemporaneous brillian- ce. FAMOUDOU DON Moye is a fascinating drummer; engrossing in his rhythmic dexterity and discipline, en- tertaining through his deployment of sound for its own sake. An assortment of whistles, shakers, metal clangers, and bells provide a sense of humor to otherwise seriously performed music. Relaxed yet expressionless behind the traps, Moye combines a facile den- seness with a lightening touch in an Sunday Night BY R. J. SMITH Saturday evening we saw Larry Coryell, an artist unable to mold the fountain-like eruption of ideas in his head into something cohesive and coherent. The Sunday evening show was quite the opposite, for McCoy Tyner is nothing if not a pianist able to create long musical improvisations as fascinating and involved as a novel by Dostoevski. Tyner and his six-man band became the sole act on the bill after Oscar Peterson cancelled out when his wife became seriously ill that afternoon. (Tickets from Sunday's show will be honored at a soon-to-be-scheduled Peterson performance). tyner has a finely developed sense of the dramatic, one which moves in slowly- orchestrated sweeps with tremendous1 impact. And of course, Sunday night Tyner displayed his truly personal lyrical approach to the keyboard, a warm and rich interpretation of the1 organic nature of the acoustic piano. So how come his show became more tedious as the evening went on? What was involved and introspective when he played solo became frustratingly ponderous and bullying with the unit. There was no escape from the constant tumult of the group - and it wasn't an enriching tumult to find one's self in. Tyner played a set of essentially six- ties-minded freak-out music; the band dug a groove deep into the recesses of our memory, and lots of loud noises were made. Many of the solos in the group were at least in parts enthralling - and of course, there was always the The Middle English Dictionary, com- piled at the University since 1930, is in use throughout the world. The dic- tionary, defining meanings of all English words preserved in documents written between 1100 and 1500, has been published through a portion of the letter "N." piano of Tyner. Still, it was by and large a wearying set. And for Tyner, a giant of the keyboards and a strong, silent jazz statesman, this was all unfor- tunate. ENERGY. We can't afford to waste it Attention Graduating Seniors MINING ENGINEERS METALLURGICAL ENGRS. E.E. & MECH. ENGRS. CHEM. & CIVIL ENGRS. Before accepting an offerrthis fall, let us refer your job interest to our extensive mining industry contacts. Excellent growth opportunities now available in the mining industry throughout the USA. Employer pays all fees. Please rush your resume or qualifications sheet to: MINING PLACEMENTS, INC. Market Tower One-Suite 200 3033 South Parker Road Aurora, Colorado 80014 His Holiness The DALA! LAMA of TIBET will speak in HILL AUDITORIUM Sunday, October 7-4:00 p.m. on "fie Buddhist Way to wodld Peace" Daily Photo by PAUL ENGSTROM Participating in a wild, elongated musical performance called Egwu-anwu, Joseph Jarman and Don Moye take their audience to the fringes of Aro-American music. The performance took place at the second annual Ann Arbor Jazz Festival, sponsored by Eclipse Jazz. Sunday Afternoon By MARK COLEMAN Aside from all the excitement at Hill Auditorium this weekend, perhaps the most interesting performance of this year's jazz festival went unnoticed by the majority of patrons. Joseph Jarman and Famoudou Don Moye - two-fifths of the infamous Art Ensemble of Chicago - performed two sets of duets in the tiny Residential College Auditorium in East Quad. As members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music (AACM), these men are committed to the exploration of new musical forms in a spontaneous, free atmosphere. THEY ARE vanguards with a remarkably clear view of their past, ex- tending from recent jazz influences to their primary source, African music. This perception is political as well as musical; the AACM is an aesthetic response to the heightened black con- sciousness of the last decade. The African influence is the key to under- standing the sonic fury of this duo. Traditional and familiar jazz elements are integrated into a continual spon- taneous flow of percussion. One can feel the mutual sensitivity and cooperation as soon as Jarman and unerring flow of improvisation. Ador- ned with bells and'the like, his every movement blends into the rhythm. Joseph Jarman does a great deal more than simply compliment or con- trast this overwhelming beat. He is the duo's melodic direction, blowing soothing flute over the playful ex- traneous percussion, or driving Moye's rhythmic business with inventive sax soloing. Like -Moye, Jarman is in- trigued by the basic sonic properties of his instruments, experimenting with breathing techniques and pitch quality in a sometimes violently expressive sax style. On clarinet he copped a subtle Eastern influence, sounding like a cross between Benny Goodman and a manic snake charmer. ALTHOUGH ostensibly divided into three segments, Sunday afternoon's first performance was an exhaustive 90-minute jam. Like most all truly original music, the work of Jarman and Moye is alternately boring and unset- tling to a new listener. Willing suspen- sion of disbelief and the relaxation of musical expectations are required for even the most casual listening. For one's trouble, one is included in a cultural and emotional communication that is as much fun as it is meaningful. And that's what jazz is all about, right? IH offers yuoua ll 4 reasons! 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