Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Tuesday, October 27, 1970
Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, October 27, 1970
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music
A
Think of Iceland
... and warmth
little here...a
little there
READ
-JAMES WECHSLER-
in
By JOE PEHRSON
The presentation of "Black
Angels" by George Crumb could
not completely compensate the
overall drab effect of the first
concert in the Contemporary
Music Festival series.
The first piece on the pro-
gram, "Animus" by Jacob Druk-
man, is a work for trombone and
electronic t a p e. Occasionally,
Drukman would find a blend of
e l e c t r o n i c and instrumental
sounds-moments worth hoard-
ing in a work which essentially
consists only of separate and
tinrelated gestures.
"Fantasy in Two Movements"
by Ross Lee Finney is a beau-
tifully crafted piece, even though
the form of presentation (solo
violin in pretentious maestioso)
reminded one more of Mann-
heim than the current century.
The first "Statement" of this
work begins on a rather plead-
ing note, and Finney is able to
state this emotion in phrase-
expanding and contrasting indi-
vidual segments of what is es-
sentially similar material.
In short, a very good piece,
but with interest more on per-
fection of form than on the in-
terest of spontaneity.
"Magic Music for Woodwind
Quintet," by Gregory Kosteck is
not really worth mentioning, al-
though in some sort of perverse
continuity, the performance of
this work/ by the University
Woodwind Quintet was as bad
as the composition itself.
"Divertimento" for t h r e e
string basses by Peter Phillips
was presentedat the Contem-
porary Directions concert two
weeks ago. It hasn't changed
much.
In summation, the first part
of this concert was a bore and
not even good academia. This
was unfortunate, since the pres-
entation of "Black Angels" by
George Crumb, a really fantastic
piece, had something to com-
pensate.
"Black Angels" was commis-
sioned by the University of
M i c h i g a n and dedicated by
Crumb to the Stanley Quartet,
whose performance of the work
was heard Friday night.
Crumb takes us on a voyage.
Amplified instruments serve to
carry the listener on a path of
"Departure," "Absence" and for-
tunate "Return."
The piece began with a force-
ful vibrato-glissando, with only
areas of pitch specified. This
first section, entitled "Night of
the Electric Insects," served as
an original focus of energy and
attention. The audience knew,
at this point, t h a t something
was present - a fact which was
not altogethei obvious in some
of the other works presented on
the program.
Immediate attention, spon-
taneity: from there to the
"Sounds of Bones and Flutes,'
"Lost Bells," "Devil Music" -
in which the solo violin does
an astonishingly }ugly "phantas-
ia" (in "vox diaboli"). and a
concluding "Dance Macabre."
I needn't add that Crumb's
music is at least as interesting
as his titles, which do well to
capture attention. His particular
emphasis is on the syntax of
sound, rather than on an at-
tempt to reconcile the particu-
lars of some instrumental com-
bination to a formalistic pat-
tern (so indicative of the rest
of the program).
Crumb is not reluctant to use
novel means of sound produc-
tion. The performers will be ob-
served tapping and scratching
their instruments according to
score, and occasionally Crumb
invents some really astonishing
types of sound:
-"Return," the third section
of the piece, has a first part en-
titled "God-Music" in which the
performers are required to bow
partially filled pieces of crystal.
The effect is amazing, somewhat
similar to the sound of an On-
des Martenot, but without the
depth in pitch.
-"Absence," the center sec-
tion of this sound voyage, in-
cludes an amazing "Threnody
II" which is as interesting vis-
ually (the score is a surprising
visual tangle) as it is acousti-
cally.
The piece ends with a "Thre-
nody III," another "Night of the
Electric Insects": Crumb's ex-
perience is brought to a close.
This music has interest: it is
a creative experience both for
the audience and the perform-
ers. A good example of this at-
titude involves the actions of
the audience soon after the pre-
sentation. Members of the au-
dience were seen exploring the
various sound-producing devic-
es on stage. In spirit, this was
part of the work itself. Crumb's
interest in sound (and what is
music if it doesn't include this)
was shared by members of the
audience to the point of phys-
ical participation. Crumb has
designed a music which is so
sponta neously interesting
it causes the creative involve-
ment of the audience after the
performance has concluded.
By DEBORAH MOORE
There are probably very few
people in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
who have thought seriously
about Iceland during the past
three months. Which is not to
say that one should decry the
narrow horizons of the citizens
of Ann Arbor nor the unob-
trusiveness of the island nation.
Today, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.,
this lapse of awareness is being
rectified by Jacobson's depart-
ment store, which is sponsoring
an Icelandic Fair to acquaint
the residents of mid-America
with the culture, geography,
crafts, fashions, home-furnish-
ings, food and industry of Ice-
land.
While viewing the exhibits, it
might be interesting to bear in
mind how these aspects of a
nation's culture, life-styles, or
institutions came into being as
adaptations to Iceland's rather
unique location and climate.
Isolated in the inhospitable
North Atlantic just beneath the
Arctic Circle, live 200,000 people
on an island the size of Ken-
tucky. Caught between the
winds of the Arctic and the cur-
rents of the Gulf Stream, the
temperatures range from an
average of 30* F in the coldest
month of winter to an average
of 52* F in the heat of the sum-
mer. It is understandable, there-
fore, that wool is central to the
Icelandic economy as well as the
peoples' lives.
Sheep outnumber the human
inhabitants of the country 5
to 1.
And the people aren't the on-
ly ones who have adapted to
Iceland's consistently cold cli-
mate. The sheep come equipped
with long, silky fur, which
makes the world's greatest, be-
fore-a-cozy-fire rug. But one
can't lie on a rug all day, so for
the hearty souls who venture
outside, the Icelanders have
fashioned their wooly benefac-
tors into parkas, ponchos, skirts,
socks, vests, mittens and Scan-
dinavian-style sweaters. Their
most unique item is the sheep-
skin coat which-literally engulfs
the wearer in a mountain of fur.
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AN EMU PLAYERS SERIES PRODUCTION
THE PRIME OF
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Rolback the rug-and dance!
TONITE
Christopher
Detoach
v
I
By AL SHACKELFORD
Nestled on Main Street in
downtown Ann Arbor, just a few
blocks south of the foreboding
Washtenaw County Jail, is a
delightful little store known as
Al Nalli Music.
To Michigan music fanatics,
the name Al Nalli is synonomous
with. the name Brownsville Sta-
tion, and if you didn't know al-
ready, Brownsville Station is
one of the most exciting young
bands, both visually and music-
ally, in rockdom today.
The Station plays a glorious,
timeless kind of rock which has
been alternately described as
either "pizza" or "party" music.
Meaning when you put the Sta-
tion's first album No BS on your
stereo, you'd better roll back the
rugs too, cause you'll wanna
dance.
Pick up the album and check
out the songs: "Be-Bop Confi-
dential," "Rockin' Robin," "Do
the Bosco," "My Boy-Flat Top."
Sound like dated rock 'n roll?
Maybe the Station is just a local
version of Sha-Na-Na? But it
ain't so, because while Sha-Na-
Na is pure parody and a musical
failure, the Station plays great
music, and No BS comes blast-
ing off a stereo like a souped-up
Ford.
"Be-Bop Confidential," the
band's follow-up single to "Rock
and Roll Holiday," start the al-
bum off at a rocking, bopping
pace. Just don't listen to the
words, which are a mish-mash
of every old rock song ever re-
corded: "Be-bop-a-Lula, she's
my baby.. ." etc. But the music
itself is great: Tony Driggins on
bass and Cubby Koda on lead
move at double-time, T. J. Cro-
nely rocks on the drums, Mi-
chael Lutz shouts out the hoarse
Presleyesque vocal, and non-
Station member Pat McCaffrey
throws in some Little Richard-
style piano to make the song
cook.
The rest of side one is good
but inferior to "Be-Bop" until
the needle passes onto the final
track, a little number called "Do
the Bosco." This is the dance-
song-to-end-all-dance-songs, a
parody which succeeds because
it really rocks and stands on its
own musically. The words say
it all: "Rockin with my baby
on a Saturday night/Dancin till
the morning comes/Movin and
a-groovin till the broad day-
light/Just a laughin and a-
having fun."
Flip the album over and you
get some more fine rock and
roll; "My Boy-Flat Top" and
"Rumble" are especially worthy
of mention. "Flat Top" features,
to quote the album credits, "the
high-energy accordion" of Al
Nalli, Sr., who also finds time
to run that little store down-
town that I mentioned before.
Al's son Al Junior is also con-
nected to the Station, as their
manager.
Anyway, "Flat Top" is about
a typical guy who has all the
necessary equipment for getting
it on today's world: "big broad
shoulders and a top that's flat"
in addition to "Dreamy eyes and
those crazy lips." All things con-
sidered, he is "a real hep cat."
Lutz on vocal even throws in the
old Rudy Vallee megaphone bit
to add a little authenticity to
the tune.
Listen to "Rumble" and see
if you don't imagine greasy le-
gions of Jets and Sharks danc-
ing around in the alley, flash-
ing their shivs. I kept expecting
to hear police sirens and some-
body screaming "Cheese it, fel-
las-it's the cops!"
Every song on the album, with
the exception of "Flat Top," is
spiced with Cubby's fine guitar
solos. He doesn't play with his
teeth or make airplane noises,
and he never served an appren-
ticeship with either the Yard-
birds or John Mayall, but his
solos have a happy, rocking
sound that is unique. Only on
"I'm a Roadrunner" does he re-
sort to any gimmickry, and from
Cubby it sounds fresh.
The Station's rhythm section
is tight, with Cronely on drums
especially rocking hard. The
percussion work on "Cadillac
Express," a song dedicated to
necking in your car ("We're
gonna move out on the high-
way/Highway 69)," is especial-
ly fine. McCaffrey on the key-
boards adds a fuller sound to
the Station, as demonstrated on
"Do the Bosco" and other songs.
Bill Madison
one of the mainstrean
the Boston city folk scene
'0
of
Ij
As great as No BS is, it can-
not hold a strobe candle to ex-
periencing the Station live.
Driggins flops around like a
black Peter Townshend, Cronely
twirls his sticks in a blur. Lutz
belts out his sandpaper vocals,
and Cubby stamps each Station
song with the indelible mark of
his liquid guitar. The Station
live are reminiscent of the Who,.
but their music is more fun and
less pretentious.
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Department of Speech
Student Laboratory Theatre
PRESENTS
Act I of SNACKS
by STEVEN COFFMAN
AND
DUTCHMAN
by LE ROI JONES
ARENA THEATRE, Frieze Building
promptly at 4:10 P.M.
ADMISSION FREE
ann arbor film cooperative
presents
beftedavis
In
whatever
happened to
tonight !
tuesday, oct. 27th
auditorium a, angell hall
75c 7 and 9:30
4i
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Corner State & Liberty Sts.
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Shows at 1,3, 5, 7, 9 P.M.
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For the student body:
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PEA COATS
COMING, FRIDAY, NOV. 6
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Men's Glee Club
WILLIS PATTERSON, Conductor
and
THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Men's Glee Club
Fiat 85O3pider
When you drive the Fiat 850 Spider the anin is the fun You feel tha
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