Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAIL
Sunday, September 10, 1972
Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAIL~' Sunday, September 10, 1972
Blues and jazz at its best
'Sam': A sympathetic Woody
By HERB BOWIE
Hound Dog Taylor and The
House Rockers kicked off yes-
terday afternoon's concert of the
Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Fes-
tival '72 with a pleasant set of
rocking, raucous blues. The band
ranged far and wide over the
blues spectrum but their staple
was a boogie style close to
Jimmy Reed's. Backed just by
drums and second guitar, the
Hound Dog treated the audience
to some sizzling slide guitar as
well as a fine early rock and
roll style.
The Art Ensemble of Chicago
followed, walking on stage wear-
ing what looked like war paint.
Their music consisted of a fairly
elementary combination of var-
ious jazz styles, including a lib-
iral use of variousrpercussion
instruments, upper register sax
playing, and assorted screams
and moans. The audience read
tion'ranged from plugged ears,
purpiexed looks that soon faded
as their bearers turned to activi-
ties other than listening to the
music, to restrained applause.
This reviewer's response, I must
confess, fell mainly in the middle!
category.
Mighty Joe Young switched the
program back to blues, playing
a mellow soulful style replete
with horns in the tradition of the
miaster B.B. King. But it wasn't
until the premeir blues singer
from Chicago, Koko Taylor,
joined them that they really be-
gan to burn.
Koko led the band with a blis-
tering vocal, with Mighty Joe
Young working with her perfectly
on guitar. They brought the
audience to their feet with a
burning performance of "Wang
Dang Doodle." They stayed there
when Lucille Spann, widow of
the late genius blues pianist Otis
Spann and guest of honor at the
festival, replaced Koko in the
band.
.Never has the blues sounded
any sweeter, any better or any
more honest. Every so often a
r a r e performance seemingly
transcends mere music and at-
tains the plane of pure emotion.
Lucille's performance was like
that. While she was at the mike,
no one could doubt that the blues
was present at the festival in
all its triumphant bittersweet
glory.
The dedication ceremony fol-
lowed, formally naming the fes-
tival site "The Otis ,Spann Me-
morial Field." John Sinclair, co-
producer of the festival, read
aloud the plaque's inscription,
which dedicates the festival and
its site to the memory of Otis
Spann, then handed it to Muddy
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___________- II
Waters, who presented it to a
tearful Lucille Spann.
Muddy Watels, long time friend
and employer of Otis Spann,
wound up the afternoon concert,
Muddy proving again that he's
the best damn blues singer in the
world. He ran through several
of his classics, as well as a long
version of "I'm a Man." The
audience, on its feet the entire
time, showed him the apprecia-
tion he so richly deserved.
Little Sonny, wailing on har-
monica, opened the evening's
program with a fine set, although
its conventionality paled it a
little in comparison with the
greatness of t h e preceeding
music.
Towards the close of Little
Sonny's show, it became dark
enough for the festival's fantas-
tic video system to do its magic
again. Thanks to this electronic
wizardry, the audience was able
to see enlarged black and white
views of selected action on the5
stage.
Doctor John came on stage
next, resplendent in a sequined
beard and other regalia right-
fully worn by the reigning king
of gris-gris. The Night Tripper,
using a subtle blend of incanta-
tion, voodo and New Orleans
R&B, threw his spell over the
audience. Especially effective
were Dr. John's female back-up
singers.
Pharoah Sanders followed with
a devastating set, the highlight
of the day. He began his number
with long slow phrases, descend-
ed into chaos while sliding into
the upper register of his saxo-
phone, came out on the other
side with phrases as beautiful
and perfectly formed as his op-
ening ones, but faster. Sander's
pianist brought the piece to a
quiet, stunning finish with a
series of dazzling runs.
Sander's second number was
simpler but ' equally beautiful.
Pharoah restricted himself to
singing, but the pianist proved
himself more than capable of
leading the group instrumental-
ly, constructing a wonderful dis-
cordant solo.
Bobby "Blue" Bland closed
last night's show with a warm,
comfortable set. Backed by a
four-piece horn section, he sang
a smooth blues reminiscent of
B. B. King's vocal style.
By RICHARD GLATZER
In spite of what a grouchy,
self-consciously iconoclastic An-
drew Sarris may write in the
Arts section of the Sunday Times,
I feel Woody Allen is the fun-
niest guy in movies today, and I
doubt that I'm in the minority.
So naturally I had expected Play
It Again Sam to be the funniest
movie so far this year. And,
naturally, it is.
Which is not to say that Sam
is one of Allen's most laughable
comedies. None of those peaks of
neuroticism and crazy hilarity
here. No parents' wearing
Groucho Marx disguises, no
Jesus having a parking problem,
no Howard Cosell covering a
couple's wedding night for Wide
Worldof Sports. Woody Allen is
up to something somewhat dif-
ferent in Play It Again Sam,
something more traditional and
more coherent; and consequent-
ly, less insanely funny.
So instead of Banana's absurd
plot concerning one Fielding Mel-
lish and his career as a Cuban
revolutionary, we get the much
more mundane story of Allan
Felix (Woody Allen). Allan is a
writer for a film magazine and
an all around nebbish. After two
years of wedded bliss ("I won-
der if she ever had orgasm dur-
ing our marriage . . . or did she
fake it that night?"), Allan's
wife Nancy (Susan Anspach)
abandons him, leaving him to
fend for himself in a sexual jun-
gle. His best friends, Linda and
Dick Christie (Diane Keaton and
Tony Roberts), desperately try
to find a girl with whom Allan
might be compatible. All to no.
purpose. Allan knows he lives in
a culture that values style, not
substance. So, as tutored by the
spirit of his idol, Humphrey Bo-
gart (Jerry Lacy), Allan tries to
impress any available girl with
his masculinity and sexiness ...
all, of course, while tripping
over tables and choking on
bourbon.
Allan's predicament provides
Woody Allen with a taking off
point for all sorts of fine gags-
the nymphomaniac who screams
when Felix finally tries to touch
her, the date who jilts Allan for
two greasers, the friend of
Linda's who quietly asks what
the anxious-to-please Allan is on.
Most of the gags are directly
connected with the main char-
acter's personality - an unusual
fact for a Woody Allen movie.
And, more unusual, the protag-
onist's situation is a pretty uni-
versal one. Yes, folks I actually
found Allan Felix a very sym-
pathetic character.
So naturally I was very grati-
fied to see Felix slowly falling
for the only woman he has not
played a role to impress, Linda.
And I was more gratified to see
Linda (really appealingly played
by Diane Keaton) falling for
Allan. Yes folks, Play It Again
Sam's messqge is that, despite
our macho society, anyone can
find somebody if he'll only be
himself. Even Allan Felix has
poetry in him if; he just has to
let it show.
Not a message of great pro-
fundity perhaps. And probably
untrue. But Sam is the perfect
antidote for a Straw Dogs phi-
losophy. And during an era
characterized by what David
Denby calls, "Pop Nihilism,"
Play It Again Sam is almost .. .
Hell, it's downright touching.
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University of Michigan
Professio na l Theatre Prog ra m
PRESENTS
2 COMPANIES in
4 PRODUCTIONS in the
POWER CENTER
IUILD/
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
THE GREAT
WHITE HOPE
JAMES EARL JONES
and JANE ALEXANDER
Story of Jack Johnson,
first black heavyweight
champion. Johnson lived
in scorn of Puritan con-
ventions-and paid bit-
terly.
MONDAY
MR. HULOT'S
HOLIDAY
A Film By ROBERT J. SIEGEL
I WELCOME
GSF PRESENTS
A HENRY L. HOFFMAN PRODUCTION PARADES Featuring RUSS THACKER
Fri.
7:10, 9:00, 10:50
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