i The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, February 28, 1978-Page 5 Corea Hancock: Acousic jazz masery By PAUL SHAPIRO CHICK COREA and Herbie Han- cock offered three-and-one-half hours of consummate acoustic jazz in Hill Auditorium Sunday afternoon, with a performance that will long be re- membered by the Ann Arbor jazz com- munity. In the final stop of their twenty- one concert program, Corea and Han- cock were simply overwhelming. They received no less than five standing ova- tions from the sell-out crpwd, ending their unique tour on a very high note. There is little doubt that Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock are the most out- standing masters of jazz piano today, and although both of their efforts have strayed from acoustic piano in the last few years, there was no evidence of this during Sunday's show. The two pianists have had similar careers, both making their names with Miles Davis, and both moving on to leadership positions within commercially successful "fusion" groups. Hancock's Headhunt- ers sold over a million -copies, and Corea's Return To Forever LP's have fared almost as well. But their great- ness most certainly lies with their vir- tuoso abilities on the acoustic piano, and after years of unsuccessfully working out a touring schedule, Corea and Hancock have finally arrived in the public eye together. THE KINSHIP that has grown be- tween these two men in years of lis- tening to one another and on their mon- th of performing together was clearly expressed in the musical understanding together was clearly expressed in the musical understanding and sensitivity with which they performed Sunday. There was great joy, in the perform-' ance, and whether playing jazz compo- sitions, improvisational music, or a classical piece, the'two musicians com- municated with an uncanny degree of precision. Working their way through composi- tions by Miles David, George Gershwin, and Bela Bartok, Corea and Hancock performed the first set entirely in duet, their music embodying a dream-like beauty. Returning for a lengthy second PHILADELPHIA EXHIBIT PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Forty-five works of art are included in a current exhibit, "The Last Three Years: A Se- lection of Recent Acquisitions," at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts here. The exhibition features oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, preparatory sketches, tapestries and a stained glass window, by artists such as Anshutz, Calder, Kline, Lafarge and Parrish. Closing date for the exhibit is April 19. set, each played a solo improvisational piece. Although their styles are quite different at times, the results were surely the same: pure magic. Corea's intricate, winding solo piece was heavily infused with the Latin in- fluence that has become his trademark. Combining pulsating Latin rhythms with a relentlessly strong right hand, Corea's work was reminiscent of his two solo albums, Improvisations I and II, recordings which have greatly influ- enced jazz pianists of this decade. HANCOCK'S PLAYING was based to a great extent on the blues, featuring the gentle and graceful touch that has made him the most pronlinent jazz musician since his arrival with the legendary Miles Davis Quintet of 1963. Never have the fine acoustical qualities of Hill Auditorium been put to such good use. The performance reached a peak as ' the two returned together playing Han- cock's "Maiden Voyage" and Corea's "La Fiesta." During these two num- bers the extraordinary talents of these two men, their lightening fast hands, powerful and distinctive styles, and ultimately their great love for the piano, mesmerized the 4,600 plus audi- ence into a total silence. A short encore of blues followed, as did a final, thun- derous ovation marking the close of a very special series of jazz perform- ances. Max Morath revives Ragtime with style By BILL BARBOUR THE EARLY twentieth century seems very distant from today; it came before video tapes could preserve its images perfectly, and records could capture its sound precisely. To learn about this period, one can either go to a library, or observe the song, dance, and humor of someone who understands the era. Max Morath is such a person and on Sunday afternoon he led an enthusi- astic full house at the Mendelssohn Theater on a joyous romp through the period he calls The Ragtime Years. The Ragtime Years is a one-man show with a simple set: a hat rack, an old style phonograph, a piano, and Morath on stage. The show is a history lesson concerning the early part of this century. The Ragtime years, as defined by Morath, extended from 1893 to the beginning of World War I. They were the years when ragtime, "the first popular music," was king. The show chronicles the period by following the development of ragtime and its relation to historical events. The music was quite well-performed, with Morath playing a variety of songs, some familiar and oth s unfamiliar. Many of the tunes, such as "The Enter- tainer," "New Rag," and "Maple Leaf Rag," are by Scott Joplin, the king of ragtime; others, like "Pickles and Poppers" (used as a campaign song by presidential candidate, William Jen- nings Bryan in 1908) and "Cannonball Rag," are by lesser known ragtime composers. THREE TUNES, however, stood above all the rest. The first of these was an untitled number which featured Morath siuiging a duet with the previ-a ously mentioned phonograph. This re- quired precise timing and coordination, both of which were there. The second memorable song was "Nobody," by Burt Williams, a black minstrel singer who performed with the Ziegfield Follies. The lyrics of this tune were brilliant, crafted in such a way that made me laugh and cry inside at virtually the same time. The final num- ber was a rare treat; although it has never been written down, the song - a funeral number - has survived to this day through the oral tradition. THE CONCEPTION of the show was very good, but it was Morath himself who made it a true success. The one- man show was kept alive every minute by Morath's constant and unrelenting energy. He is a performer of rare quality, and possesses talents missing in many performers today: profession- alism, verve, and pizzazz. His wit is sharp, and his stare magnetizing. Above all, he has brought a glimpse of a period which is otherwise hard for today's audiences to appreciate. "The legacy is a strange one," Morath said. "It will never happen again." Hopefully, the same cannot be said of Max Morath and The Ragtime Years. Quality performers and per- formances are hard to find. Daily Photo by ANDY FREEBERG Jazz virtuosos Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock received an overwhelming response during their concert at Hill Auditorium Sunday afternoon. Pictured above are Corea, top left; Hancock, top right; and both performers during an interlude where they performed on the inside of the pianos. Promising young pianist debuts t By MARK JOHANSSON A N ASPIRING young musician re- -ceived a peculiar introduction to Ann Arbor during the third concert of the Musical Society's Debut Recital Series, Saturday night in Rackham Auditorium. Currently on his seventh United States tour, Aleksander Slobodyanik gave his first performance here to a reserved and cautious audi- ence which only filled two-thirds of the hall. Aleksander Slobodyanik Rackhan A uditoriumn February 25, 1978 Twenty-four Preludes, Op.28............... Chopin Sonata No. 6, Op.62,...................... Scriabin Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka ....... Stravinsky The first half of Saturday night's program consisted of the Twenty-four Preludes, Op. 28, by Frederic Chopin. The Preludes, rarely performed as a set, were written by Chopin during a Majorcan holiday with George Sand when he was immersed even more deeply than usual in the music of Bach. These brief mood pictures, like those in Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, go through all of 'the major and minor keys. SLOBODYANIK'S performance of the Preludes was good, but -not over- whelming. The best aspect of his play- ing was -his great control over both dynamics. and tempo through the myriad of meters, volumes, harmonies, and melodies contained in the Preludes. In Prelude No. 4 in E minor, the tone was firm and strong, yet beautifully mellow and full.sThegartist seemed in complete control. No. 17 in A-flat major was also outstanding, as the melody was kept clearly above the complex chordal accompaniment, and even with considerable emotion it was still deli- cate and floating. Slobodyanik proved he could play left hand octaves in No. 22, and in No. 24, he played with the right hand, where a strong melody was played in octaves over thundering left hand arpeggios. After intermission, the Sonata No. 6, Op. 62 by Alexander Scriabin was played. Slobodyanik gave a good per- formance, again having unusual, con- trol over the wide range of rhythms and dynamics, as well as the slowly shifting melodies and textures. The emotions were intense, from the shimmering broken chords where the sounds seemed to melt together, to the crashing, violent chords when Slobody- anik rose from the bench, really moving the piano. THE LAST PIECE on the program was Trois mouvements de Petrouchka by Igor Stravinsky. The complex rhy- thms of the Danse Russe were played forcefully and with excitement. Here Slobodyanik displayed his fantastic technical ability, as many times his hands were moving too fast for the eye to follow. In the mysterious and sus- penseful Chez -Petrouchka, all of the notes were clear and precise, even in the complex middle section. Slobydy- anik's hands were flying again in La Semaine grasso where more complex rhythms and incredibly fast octaves excited the audience. Overall, Slobodyanik gave a smooth, enjoyable performance of three dis- tinctively different keyboard master- works. Technically, his playing was outstanding and very precise. All notes, including ornamentation, were heard clearly and fell nearly into tempo and his control was strong. Just by listening to his sound and watching his hands, one could tell he was a young musician. While playing the Stravinsky has hands were moving unbelievably fast - faster than almost any older pianist could manage. WHILE COMPARING his technique to older artists, Slobodyanik's interpre- tations must also be compared, because his technical perfection also con- tributed to some uninspiring emotions. During the most expressive portions of COUPON Dissertation F 74 Tand his program, the sound needs to be full and-grand, but this did not happen, due mostly to poor phrasing and pedaling. Often the sound was just too clear - the individual parts were played nearly perfectly, but the overall sound lacked fullness, leading to some unnatural and forced interpretations. These problems are not unusual for a young musician, however, as most pianists give their most sensitive per- formances in later life. Slobodyanik, fortunately has a lot of time to develop his skills, and with his already out- standing technique we can expect much from him. Chartres Cathedral celebrated its 700th anniversary in1960. Tired of Michigan 's long Wintersp RELOCATE with the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps Seniors B.S.N. students are eligible to apply. CALL COLLECT (313) 22b-7795/7845 , , Guest Artist Series Featuring JAMES H.HAWTHORNE, Guest Artist-in-Residence Wed. Sat., March 1-4, 8pm Sun., March 5, 2pm Power Center NEWS FROM THE MAJOR EVENTS OFFICE The long wait is over-the Starship's latest release, "Jefferson Starship Earth," is due in the record stores shortly. Look for 'a lot of promo, because it's their first album since the Starship signed with RCA .st Jimmy Buffett's laid-back anthem called "Margaritaville" finished as the number eight song for all of 1977. Tickets are still available for his appearance on the night of March 24 at Hill Auditorium. Please call 763-2071 for more informa- tion .. . The Eagles have sold 18 million albums (world-wide) in the last 18 months (that's right, a million per month). It's an amazing compliment to their manager, Irving Azoff, who recently masterminded Steely Dan's "Aja," and is now on tour with client Jimmy Buffett .. .Tidbits:Little Feat has released a live double album . . . Bob Dylond,, George Benson, and the Beach Boys are all on tours in Australia and New Zealand five of the top-ten tunes, this week, are Bee Gee-related . . . Neil and Marsha Diamond became the proud parents of a son, Micha Joseph, on Valentine's Day . 4- I HARRY'S ARMY SURPLUS SAqLE'U LEVI STRAIGHT LEGS, BELL-BOTTOMS NOW $12.98 & CORDUROY BELLS 20 f .o ' Theses Special Featuring the XEROX 9200 REG. 3.9t4 -.5a SORT 4.4ยข NOW 3.75C . DOLLAR BILL COPYING 611 CHURCH ' 665-4200 Above BLUE FROGGE Why Settle For Less Quality Than The "SUPER" XEROX 9200! Offer Good On All Types of Copying Bring Coupon Expires4/10 DOWN AND FIBER-FILLED JACKETS 25 % OFF HERMAN WATER-PROOF BOOTS STYLE 1-103 REG. $63.98 NOW $52.00 SUSPENDER PAINTER PANTS STRIPED AND WHITE 30 /OFF All lCWATd DC. 'a*/.. a Y Y AM CN