Poge Two

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

_.g w H MCIA ~L

Visibility good but
detracts from music

Oh happy day is happy night

By JOE PEHRSON
Last night's performance of
Contemporary Directions was a
return of the reminants of the
Once Group which, as many
reading this article probably
now realize, was originally cen-
tered in this city.
This was a marked event, not
due to the quality of the works,
but to the' establishment of the
fine line of distinction between
what for the sake of convenience
might be termed "popular" art
and contemporary art which is
more seriously directed.
"The Sonic Arts Union" (need
I say more than the title) is a
popular group, and the perform-
ance unfortunately took on
gladeatorial aspects as a strug-
gle was magnified between the
"real" artists who understood
the purpose in dragging on time
events to infinity and a dis-
gruntled audience.
The program, entitled "Turn
in the Road 1970"-a horrible
title which, when accompanied
by the subscript "assembled in
place," tended to aesthetically
placethe assemblage, took on
the character of -mediating be-
tween General Electric "Ideas
work in progress - and pieces
that go together" and NASA.
The extensive use of these cor-
porate or manufactured elements
(including an elaborate prop -
a screen constructed so as to dis-
play certain areas of a projected
slide, the remaining areas pro-
jected past the screen to the wall
behind) tends to focus the atten-
tion* on the mechanics-the mo-
tion or display of the presenta-
tion. A limited variability insures
that little but this display may
be communicated.
The first piece of this program,
"Amplifier" by David Behrman
exemplified this attention to the
spectacle. Anhextremely repeti-
tive tape "Three tends to go to
four, three tends to go to four
naah, naah" offered little relief
from the flashing orange light-
bulbs, by now an "ojet expec-
taire" of anything which is in-
tended to convey the characteris-
tics of the assemblage or hap-
pening.
"Biography", by Alvin Lucier
was a terrible listening experi-
ence. I believe categorizing this
work as unlistenable is a charity..
Subtitled "speech decisions",
this piece offered variable con-
trol of the spoken words deliver-
ed from a podium on stage-all
of which were intolerable to a
sensitive ear.
A piece by Mumma "School-
work" took on political over-
tones as a character on stage
attempted to teach the and-
ience, with a violin bow and
wood saw as accessories, the
craft of political exploitation.
One of the more memorable
sound instances in this concert
was the variable bowing of the
saw during the descriptive sec-
tion of the "British Isles". Some
of the sounds during this pro-
cess, which included a rapid tre-
molo of the saw by the kness of
the performer, were really in-
taresting.
The most interesting piece
For the first time in its seven
year history at U-M. the Cre-
ative Arts Festival will present
an entirely original student
musical. Written, composed, di-
i'ected, choreographed, perform-
ed and produced by students
with such varied majors as
music, theatre, engineering and
chemistry, "Sid Shrycock Goes
to Africa" will prove to be one
of the most exciting theatrical
events e v e r witnessed at the
University.
The book and lyrics are by
Marilyn S. Miller, music by Dale
Gonyea, direction by Stephen
Zuckerman, a n d choreography
is done by Wendy Shankin. "Sid

Shrycock Goes to Africa" will
be presented in the new Resi-
dential C o 11 e g e Auditorium
March 25-27. Tickets are on
sale at the door only for $1.25.
Curtain times are Thursday 8
p.m. and Friday and Saturday
7 and 10 p.m.

on the program was a work by
Lucier entitled "In a Rdbm".
This work contained an ex-
tremely interesting visual slide
presentation which transform-
ed a black and white photograph
gradually to only the outlines of
the general shapes and finally
to a complete darkness.
With this, and over the same
period of, time, a tape which
contained a repetitive speech
pattern was slowly transformed
- finally to contain only the!
supposed "resonance of the
room" triggered by the speech
!stimulus.
The interesting aspect of this
piece was the relationship be-
tween the slide progression and
the repetitive tape cycles. Each
of these media existed in part-
the slides were distinct f r o m
one another, although the slight
immediate alteration suggest-
ed a continuum.
Kuumbi
By GAYNELLE CLEMENT
and CASSANDRA MEDLEY
"Black art is black life," as-
serted Val Gray Ward Thursday
evening at the Union ballroom.
She was the second black thea-
ter artist to participate in Black
Liberation week. Her Kuumba
Workshop was a culmination of
an entire evening devoted to the
exaltation of the black f o I k
tradition in America.
The only institution that the
blacks were able to form that
salvaged and incorporated their
African traditions was the black
"Christian" church. The b l a c k
church perpetuated the African
forms of music and dance t h a t
were later to provide the struc-
tural basis forblues and jazz.
The "youth choir of Ann Ar-
bor's Bethel A.M.E. Church es-
tablished the mood of a black
religious revival meeting t h a t
was to continue and intensify in
spirit throughout the evening.
The choir sang the traditional
songs of the black church in
the traditional manner. O u r
people use the entire body to
express our music: as the choir
leader explained, "Black people
don't just walk in, they march
in." Hand clapping, dancing,
shouting are as much a part of
the music as the notes, the sing-
ing and the musical instruments

By DONALD SOSIN
The U of M Men's Glee Club,
under Willis Patterson, will soon
be off to Europe for a six-week
tour, culminating in the Llangol-
len International Music Eistedd-
fod in Wales, where it has won
first prize on two occasions. If
its concert in Hill Auditorium last
night is any indication, the club
should come out on top again this
year.
In a typical program of classi-
cal numbers mixed with some
spirituals and traditional Michi-
gan songs, the Club proved capa-
ble of a wide variety of emotions,
ranging from serene in L'Amour
de Moy, an old French air, to
light and whimsical in Verdi's
Zitti, Zitti, from Rigoletto. This
was given a crisp rendition that
would put any male opera chorus
to shame, so precise was the
diction and so controlled the dy-
namic levels.
There were stirring moments,
too. Randall Thompson's "The
Last Words of David," a well-

known work for both male and
mixed choirs, began with fire
and then died away in the cpol
Alleluia section to a mere wisp
of a pianissimo. Similarly strik-
ing was Gustav Holst's Dirge for
Two Veterans. Holst, best-known
for his orchestral work, The
Planets, has otherwise been
largely ignored, which is a
shame, for he composed a body
of marvelous pieces that deserve
more attention. The Dirge is
even more powerful, set to a
poem by Whitman about a fath-
er and son who are carried home
from the battlefield. The Club
gave the song everything it had,
and the result was a true emo-
tional experience.
The evening had its rumorous
notes. "Old King Cole," an old
favorite with the Club, was en-
thusiastically performed, getting
more boisterous as it went along,
and pulling out all stops at the
end with a bugle and an Ameri-
can flag that sent the house into
fits of laughter. And '*Gee, Of-

ficer Krupke", from West Side
Story, proved as successful as it
had earlier in the year when the
Club added it to its repertoire.
As in all Glee Club concerts,
the Friars were on hand for a
handful of songs. The octet
opened with "Ding Dong Daddy,"
a patter featuring Skip Kruse,
and moved on to a gentle bal-
lad, "Once Upon a Time." ,The
ensemble gave out with a favor-
ite of theirs, "My Girl," with
Mike Gordon; this number seems
to get sillier every time it is
performed. Finally the low man
on the totem pole, Greg Weid-
ler, got his chance with "Mr.
Bass Man," -a real treat and a
new addition to the Friar's re-
pertoire.
Earlier in the evening a spec-
ial attraction was the Chopin
b flat minor Scherzo, played by
Frank Wiens, former Glee Club
accompanist and president.
Weins, who earlier in the week.
gave a fine performance of the
first movement of the Emperor

Concerto of Beethoven, with the
University Symphony Orchestra,
again demonstrated his pro-
ficiency in both technical pas-
sages and in more lyrical places,
where his refined tone was al-
ways apparent.
The theme of the concert was
Oh, Happy Day, and this w a s
performed by the Club, arang-
ed by Patterson. The spirit. and
the fine solo by tenor Gary Reed
made this a highlight of the
evening, as well as a far more
interesting rendition than the
original by the Edwin Hawkins

Sunday, March 21, 1971
presents
ARS MUSICA
BAROQUE ORCHESTRA
5 -HANDEL, VIVALDI, BIBER-
8 p.m., doors open 7:30 $1.50
330 MAYNARD ST.
NEXT FRI.-MON.-MAR. 26-29
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
cI
Peopole's Peacej%
' is here
new 24-page color newspaper of the recent
student and youth conference in Ann Arbor,
and ongoing organizing and action nation-
ally for the PEOPLE'S PEACE TREATY
Asian Political Alliance

Singers.
Patterson was
vailed upon to
umpteenth time
Man River."

soon after pre-
sing, for the
this year, "Old

tOBERT mI(HREL J
R(DFORD POLLARD
LITTL FAUSS
MAD $IGHHRLSY
2ND
HIT
WEEK

W0orkshop:

Black life

themselves. As young black men
and women in a new age of mili-
tancy, pride and dignity, the
youth choir sought and found
renewed meaning and relevance
in the old songs. "God is my
blackness," sang the choir, ex-
eniplifying a trend among black
Christians to unit strong relig-
ious conviction with the new
sense of black awareness.
Black Jewel is a multi-media
collage of music, poetry and
dance devoted to the black wo-
man. A preview of the show,
directed by Barry K. Pugh of
the Ann Arbor Black Theater,
was the second presentation of
the evening. From all indica-
tions the brothers and sisters
of the Ann Arbor Black theater
promise a most exciting and vo-
latile theatrical event. Black
Jewel will be presented in its
entirety March 25-28 at Slaus-
on Junior High.
The Bethel choir had inad-
vertently prepared the audience
for the Kuumba Workshop. Ku-
umba introduced the audience
to a prophetic transformation of
black theater based on the tradi-
tional forms of the black church.
The atmosphere of a revival
meeting had already been creat-
ed. Kuumba provided the min-
isters, the congregation, the ser-
mon, and testimonials.

Black poets Langston Hughes,
Gwendolyn Brooks, James Weld-
on Johnson, Margaret Walker,
etc. were treated as prophets
and their works read as incant-
ed biblical texts. Kuumba
players seated throughout t h e
audience, were the theatrical
congregation giving the spon-
taneous devotional responses, a
role readily assumed by the aud-
ience at large. Each player in
turn "received the spirit" pro-
pelling him to stand before the
"congregation" and bear wit-
ness. This testimony was ex-
pressed in poetry, song, a n d
dance in exaltation of facets of
blackness both traditional a n d
2 SHOWS! M
1 NIERIT

"revolutionary", and exortation
to Black unity.
Kuumba works within the pre-
sentational, ritualistic mode
used by many black experiment-
al theater groups. This struc-
tural form, based on the folk-
religious traditions that all black
people share, is one that allows
for spontaneity of response and
improvisational technique on the
on the part of the actor within
a highly formalized structure.
The group possesses the ener-
gy, committment and technical
facility to both communicate to
and commune with their fellow
black people.

"A ROARING
VISUAL DELIGHT!"
-L.A. TIMES

Robert Williams
Bobby Seale
Ericka Huggins

Winter Soldiers
G1-Vets Solidarity
D.C. Mayday Collective

"A MUST"

-PLAYBOY

r k
I
I

Aon. and Tues.!

U

OPEN 12:45
SHOWS AT 1:15-3-5-7-9 p.m.
Corner of State and Liberty Sts.
DIAL 662-6264
NEXT
Dustin Hoffman
as
"LITTLE BIG MAN"

Jay Craven, NSA delegate to Vietnam
Allyne Rosenthal on women's role
Mme. Nguyen Thi Binh, chief negotiator
for Provisional Revo. Gov't. in Paris
ON SALE NOW
10OC at U. Cellar, Centicore South U.
UM Film Society screenings
info on street sales 761-9751
an American Revolutionary Media production

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MAR. 22 and 23
"A BEAUTIFUL.PLAY. COM-
PASSIONATE AND FUNNY."
-Richard Watts.k. , XwYokPoit
TAMEOBAIS.
IN
THE INTERNATIONAL SMASH HIT
Tickets at PTP Ticket Office
HILL AUDITORIUM-8:30 p.m.

6m


mommommoli

I

i

Free Concert
U of Mv Laboratory Jazz Band
Guest Soloists: New Heavenly Blue
Rackham Aud., Tues. 8:00 p.m.

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{

SHALOM HOUSE presents.
THE AWARD-WINNING FILM
"THE FIXER'"
ON: SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 7 & 9 P.M.
AT: 1429 HILL ST. 25c
HONORING UJA WEEk, MARCH 18-23

Sunday-March 21
HOWARD HAWKS FESTIVAL
ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS
YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SEE THE HOWARD HAWKS FESTIVAL
Magnificent adventure film about a group of pilots
who must fly mail through a dangerous mountain
pass. Crystal clear character relationships play out
questions of love, sexual pride, fear, and duty. Hun-
dreds of films have tried to answer these questions,
but Hawks' handling is as perfect as they come.
"Rain and snow can't keep these boys from getting
through."

°-
"This.Mm....i et,.
IN.E OF.TH.E:0 YEARTH.PANO
.0............S
BE STLFL.SIH"
k0' I
04. PPTH V r FM 5u -- 00 , 00-I00 Y"HPHATO
PIPYW IUNUS AT LIUEIY
DOWNTOWN ANN ARU0 } ('( OLBO H
INFORMATION 761-3700Mo . --0 ,9:0

1

4;


7 & 9:05
662-8871

75c

Architecture
Auditorium


'

.STEREO


1

MONDAY
NIGHT
SPECIAL
TAPE
HEADPHONES
ACCESSORIES
SPEAKERS

111

s HIGHEST"
w**AT1NG
DOORS OPEN 12:45P.
SHOWS AT 1 -3-5-7-P.M. Wanda Halt. New York Daiy News
NEXT: "GOING DOWN THE ROAD"

V. .2
N w °- y . lz "
r Jeremy

i

University of Michigan Film Society (ARM)
presents
a vengeful dollar double bill
PETER USTINOV'S ARTHUR PENN'S
BILLY BUDD LEFT-HANDED GUN
with Terence Stomp with Paul Newman
Robert Ryan Lito Milan
7:30 & 11:00p.m. 9:00 p.m.

Steig/Energy

11

I

Jeremy Steig is a flutist. His artistry is masterful and without
gimmicks. In this album, his first for Capitol, Jeremy is backed by his
new 5-man touring quintet. Together, Jeremy and his band, blend jazz

It's not whether you win or lose ...


!11

' I