The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, October 30, 1979-Page 5
A weekend one base hit
By MARK COLEMAN
Even among jazz fans. the bass is not
°commonly regarded as a solo in-
strument. Percussion and bass are
-traditionally relegated to the
i background in most ensemble playing,
oproviding rhythmic propulsion for the
_ther instruments. Drum solos and less-
common bass solos often seem to be as,
,much a pause for the other musicians
as a dramatic break in inprovisation.
' Most bass players wouldn't attempt a
dolo bass concert, but then most bass
players don't have shops like,
.Dave Holland. His playing experience
is usually diverse, even in jazz. It ex-
tends from his recent work with Sam
nxRivers to session work with Doc Watson
-and Bonnie Raitt, and is exemplified by
his pioneering appearance on Miles
;'Davis' Bitches Brew.
HOLLAND'S stupefying mastery of
'his instrument justifies his solo sm-
bition. He never falters over the space
of two unaccompanied half-hour sets
"when few musicians can carry out an
iextended improvisation successfully;
,they either get bogged down in
repetitive riffing or drag slow passages
,into pauses for fresh ideas. Saturday
night Dave Holland didn't even stop to
catrch his breath and never played the
1same note the same way twice.
ck Shee
Starting with the crisp, nelodic lines
one would expect from a respected jazz
bassist, Holland built btsy, complex
solos on the high strings without aban-
doning the rhythmic monentum of the
lower register, While he nay lack the
emotional expressiveness of say,
Charlie Haden, his pervading sense of
sure-handed direction ai seemingly
limitless repertoire of nusical ideas
(quoting everything frormthe blues to
modern European chanber styles)
make watching and listeiing to him
equally fascinating.
BUT THIS fascination is qualified by'
a vital interest in musicianship for its
own sake. As awesone as Holland's
technical virtuosity a, it probably is
satisfying listening pily for the well-
versed or patently erious enthusiast.
For most jazz fans, tie bass range is too
limited to sustain interest in an exten-
ded solo, even in the hands of a genius
like Dave Holland. , the absence of a
supporting musicalcontext, Holland's
musical excursions can easily be per-
ceived as stiff, academic readings of
his cirtuosity and musical knowledge.
The air of absolute seriousness in the
Residential College auditorium (which
seemed to be enhanced if not imposed
by the promoters) only added to this
aura of stiffness. When Holland hit the
familiar riff of "Backwoods Song," a
few crazed concert goers snapped
fingers and tapped feet, incuring scowls
of disapproval from fellow members of
the audience. As well-disciplined as
Holland's improvisations can be, they
are spontaneous; that is an ironic con-
trast to the constipated awe of most of
the audience. Saturday night's
performance was supposed to
be a jazz concert, not a chamber
recital.
While-Eclipe Jazz is to be saluted for
bringing a musician of Dave Holand's
caliber to Ann Arbor, this presentation
also points up an alarming trend in con-
cert programming. There is con-
siderable void left between esoteric ex-
ercises like Saturday night and the at-
tempted mass appeal of the major
Eclipse shows. With the exception of
the Mingus band, the remainder of this
season's performers have appeared
before locally within the last two years,
almost all under the auspices of Eclip-
se. There is a real need to make adven-
turous, relatively unfamiliar music
available to a larger audience (like the
upcoming Carla Bley concert) along
with the presentation of "old
favorites."
ONE CAN appreciate Eclipse's
precarious financial position, but do
they need to hedge their bets this
much? Eclipse Jazz is still the best
promotional organization of its kind,
but the spirit of adventurousness one
presumes to be traditional within the
organization is confined to the tiny East
Quad auditorium and a few hundred
diehard fans. It's time to put jazz, the
people's music, back on the streets
where it belongs.
Daily Photo by CYRENA CHANG
The four-person ensemble known as Pablo Cruise commanded the stage at Hill Auditorium Saturday evening for the
University homecoming concert. Local band Vantage Point warmed up for the California foursome, and both groups
were warmly received by the audience.
p's badly
SEMINAR
Michael Doherty
limed Same Time'
By GILLIAN BOLLING
There is a line in Same Time, Next
Year where Doris says to George, "Do
ryou ever feel that our lives are out of
[nych?" The same question could be
asked of the acting in the production of
Bernard Slade's comedy now playing at
the Black Sheep Repertory Theatre in
Ianchester.
The play gives us Doris and George,
two people happily married-but not to
each other. They engage in an annual
one-night stand at an inn in Northern
California. The play highlights their
trysts, showing their gettogethers
-every five years from 1951 to 1975.°
When well-acted, Same Time, Next
Year can be quite a smart little play, of-
fering a capsulized view of a relation-
ship and thus commenting on
male/female interaction in general.
However, if played unenthusiastically'
"by two actors whose stage presencef
don't quite click, it becomes a tiresorn
-rage of trite sexual one-liners. T
a Yft oint' The Black Sheep co4S6
psei to the second description.
]!Dethany Morrison Carpenter's D(is
is very energetic and charming in ;he
'beginning but runs out of steam arthe
'play progresses. George (Rdert
-geaupre) has the opposite prolem,
with his acting very dull at'the opning,
irmplte with cliche movementran an
irritating lack of variety in his spaking
"tone. "Out of synch" indeed.
When Doris is at her b'st,'George
,esponds as if he were giviig tie script
its first read-through. s Beaupre
grows to be a more comlete George,
'Carpenter grows tired ofJoris and the
effort necessary to keep er interesting
to the audience.
In all fairness, this ist difficult play,
in that we view Dori] and George as
"they age and go throti life transitions
over a drawn-out 2c'ears, Carpenter
does a good job phystally as Doris goes
from naive young girl to hippie to
,sophisticated busiesswoman. Doris
circa 1961-and eight mon
is especi lly well dor
movement solidly plant
image ofa woman about
fourth cild. ;
Geors doesn't fare asv
aging rocess; Beaupre is
in the later years. The
Georgs comes when he a
midd-aged groovy type s
analsis theories and th
natlfal foods. As his chara
up, is acting grows warm
coimunicative. Too bad
dos not possess nearly s
spality in the other scenes
The set is deliciously tacl
Pith pink stucco walls an
ish over the doorway. A
touch is the music during t
helpful in setting the mood.
a feeling for the year weR
witness.
One element added by Bl
a maid (Carolyn Tjon) wbh
See SAME, Page
ths pregnant
ne, as her
the amusing
to have her
well with the
far too spry
best of his
appears as a
pouting pop-
e merits of
acted loosens
er and more
ENERGY.
We can't
afford to
waste it.
Bowling Green University
Speaks on
"Pseudo-Diagnosticicy
Evidence in an Uncertain World"
THURSDAY, November 1-3:45 p.m.
Room 1057 MHRI
Seminar Tea at 3:15 at MHRI Lounge
3 al nrfinn'
that George AI1L0% mE
o much per- 11, Free Pregnancy Testing
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Ir f
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TAKE YOUR-RESEARCH
OJT OF THE LIBRARY
Ralph nader's Public Scholars Research Bank is offer-
ing $30 to select students who are doing their theses
or moor research papers on public interest topics.
Get cut of the library. Investigate existing social,
economic, and political research topics and stipend
appications, contact your departmant chairman or
Susch Lillis, PSRB, PO BOX 19404, Washington, D.C.
200 6 (202/293-9142).
this WEDNESDAY NIGHT-
at
Rick's "Funhouse"
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