THE MICHIGAN DAILY Smusic in review Wednesday, December 3, 1975 Page Five iii Jon'sla es L offers JEAN RENOIR FESTIVAL 1954 FRENCH CAN-CAN Film critic Andrew Sarris called this the great- est cusical ever made. A colorful film that is highlighted by lavish scenes. It is certainly the best can-can film of all time. Jean Gabin plays a night club owner who stages the most spec- tocular cabaret conceivable - The Moulin Rouge. JEAN RENOIR FESTIVAL Thursday: THE SOUTHERNER TONIGHT AT OLD ARCH Cinema Guild 7:00 and 9:05 AUD. Adm. $1.25 Subscribe to The Daily-Phone 764-0558 free-spiritee By KURT HARJU attitude she is adopting on the On The Hissing Of Summer new album. She is less the love- Lawns (Asylum 7E-1051), Joni sick lady mourning the end of Mitchell takes an ambitious and an affair and more the woman perceptive look at the type of of the world observing the life American society offers to changing scene. a free-spirited artist like herself.' In "Shades Of Scarlet Con- While she does not totally reject quering," her cinematic, south- or condemn the AmericanI ern belle declares "a woman Dream, she yearns for some- ' must have everything" and she thing more. means more than just Clark "Conceived graphically, mu-t Gable. sically, lyrically and accidental- ly-as a whole," this package HER MUSIC too has grown is the first major collection of more confident-she's now a new material to be released by first-class composer of sophisti- Joni in two years. Hissing shows cated musical structures, ar- a creative mind working in full rangements and sound effects; gear on a thematic song cycle. judging by the album's impres- that is the most challenging sive sonics. It's a considerable effort of her illustrious career. achievement as Mitchell is now working without the guidance SUPERFICALLY, the record of Tom Scott who originally is an extension of the electronic, helped shape the group sound jazz-influenced compositions she on her last three albums. initiated on Court And Spark On this release, Joni is trying and, most recently, Miles Of to establish her place in the Aisles. ranks of pop music's elite. She's But there are striking dif- a star but success is turning out ferences in the mood and the'to be less than she expected. jazzrock The first song, "In France gowns. They Kiss On Main Street," celebrates freedom, romance The aspect of contemporary and creation as the human and living that she really dislikes is artistic ideals to which she I the bureaucratic and techno- aspires. But, in "The Boho lagical maze. "Harry's House' Dance," she realizes that she's effectively destroys the myth of still much the same person as suburban bliss by including the |when she was a struggling folk- classic Johnny Mandel-Jon Hen- singer from Canada: dricks tune of unrequitted love "Centerpiece," within the pes- Nothing is capsulized in me simistic context of her song. On eithe ci e4An£, fcrn '1 ° . STAR TS TOMORROW The streets were never really mine te ga r Not mine these glamour INSTRUMENTAL s u p p o r t varies from solo guitar to full See JONI'S, Page 8 CHANUKAH DINNER PARTY at H I LLEL WED., DEC. 3 -5:30 - 7:30 50c -SINGING AND DANCING- '4j V Daly Photo by STUART HOLLANDER Joni Mitchell 1429 HiLL ST. Ph. 663-3336 i Clarke scarce on 'Journey' By STEPHEN HERSH QTANLEY CLARKE is one of the more conspicuous of the new wave of electric jazz heav- ies. He's a dazzling bassist-this he demonstrated at Hill Audi- torium a couple of months ago as a member of Chick Corea's band, Return to Forever. His playing is the fastest and most fluent around, and the. wierd metallic tones he gets out of his Alembic brand bass mark his sound as completely distinctive. But Clarke's own playing un- fortunately isn't spotlighted on his latest album, Journey to Love (Nemperor NE 433). As an arranger, he employs a va-I riety of jazz and rock styles to build effective compositions. A solo recording, though, is the best place for a back-up musi- background-but they're scarce. Still, Duke's synthesizer solos cian to showcase his talents as And in the tunes featuring are a telling contrast to Beck's, a soloist. And on this album, guitarist Jeff Beck, Clarke is because they're so agile and though we hear a lot from hardly in evidence. Those num- forceful. Duke is right at home George Duke and Jeff Beck, we bers show Beck to be just a playing fast, furious, warbling don't hear enough of Clarke. mite out of his element in a solos. And that fast, furious ONE OF Clarke's bass lines jazz group, as he seemed to be playing is the essence of this is the first thing we do hear on in the Eddie Harris album of a electric jazz. the opening tune, "Silly Putty." couple years ago, E.H. in the He plucks out a springy riff, U.K. IT ISN'T only the electric based on a set of descending BOTH ON Journey to Love stuff that's fast. "Song to chord changes, and when he and on the Harris record, Beck's John," dedicated to John Col- finally hits bottom he thumps solos are slightly more hesitant trane, is a two-part acoustic out a short, funky lick which and less fluid than those of the composition featuring John Mc- leads into a keyboard burst. other musicians-the musicians Laughlin on guitar and Chick It's keyboard player George schooled in jazz-participating Corea on piano. It starts off Duke who dominates the rest in the sessions. slowly, with Clarke gently bow- of the song. It sounds a lot like But his solos are good be- ing a double bass. the song "Funny - Funk" on cause the notes are well-chosen. Later, the pace picks up. All Duke's album Feel. It's syn- And the tough, loud rock 'n' roll the instruments state a speedy copated and spirited, and some chords he plays on "Hello Jeff" unison theme, and then they of Clarke's bass riffs do occa- i add a nice touch, reminiscent take turns playing rapid-fire sionally bubble up from the of his album Beck Ola. solos. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE UNION BOX OFFICE FOR MORE INFO CALL 763-1107 W'AbJ1n kAVCT.IPY1W;.: ARE YOU TIRED OF THE SAME SEXIST STORY LINE IN MUSICAL COMEDIES? Well Here's a change of pace . Free To Be You and Me Musselwhite plays traditional It's here that some of his best album, pluckingl rumbling riffs. Clarke does work on the lightning-fast, I blues wit By JOAN BORUS JT DOESN'T seem like many, people have heard of Charlie Musselwhite, save for hard core blues freaks, and that's a shame. When he decided to title his latest album Leave the, Blues to Us, (Capitol ST-11450) he wasn't boasting by any means. Just listen to the LP once and you'll be content to leave the blues to Charlie and the other fine musicians on this album. Few harp players are able to match Charlie's performance. His harmonica style is mellow, throaty, and incisively honed. He can bend a blue note on the harp the way B.B. King does on the guitar and is also able to skillfully weave and interact his solos within the context of the song. Scott-Heron concert scheduled This Friday night, December 5, blackpoet and musician Gil Scott-Heron will appear in con- cert with The Midnight Band at the Michigan Theatre as part of the After Midnight Concert Series. Hailed by Clive Davis as a star for the seventies, Scott- Heron made his first mark on mass consciousness by penning. "The Revolution Will Not Be; Televised," which was later picked up the group LaBelle.1 Reserved tickets for the per- formance will be sold at the door or before showtime at the Michigan Union. Who's to bless and who's to blame? W 4 8OLAME a7 ixfuding EdsyCome On i i I !' 1 { } {t C punctuated with a few loud, A an elecric ouch"CONCERTO for J a z z / Or- crashing, pompous blasts which sound like some Return to For- A STUNNING example of this bluesmen like Big Bill Broonzy. ever songs. is the first cut on side two,' Similarly, Musselwhite pays That n u m b e r would have "Candy Kitchen," where Mus- respect to the past with "Early worked better had it been cut selwhite's wailing harp plays in the Mornin'," song that dates to the length of the few sting- around Mike Bloomfield's imi- to the inception of the blues. ing solos, by Clarke, Duke, and tative, high pitched guitar, in In updating the tune, Mussel- the former guitarist for Bruce a call-and-response pattern that white alters the instrumentation Springsteen, David Sancious. compliments the interplay be- but works within the three-chord When the spotlights at Return tween the two instruments. structure of elemental blues to to Forever concerts turn to The overall musical effect of create one of the best songs Clarke, the bassist invariably Leave the Blues to Us could on the LP. kicks ass. On Journey to Love, best be labeled urban blues in: \IUSSELWHITE'S earthy sing- he seems modest. He shouldn't that it features a brass sec-i. r s earyt g-srelegate himself to the back tion, electric guitars and piano, ing provides the basic stimulus ground f h r t 1h ibm grnd and slick, tight arrangements.F Yet, as the liner notes point, out, the difference between ur- ba n and country blures is diffi-' cult to define - the basic dif-r ference being usually one of: sophistication in the arrange- mpntc nnl d in t, i tti-, o~r In ene gy L I IUI.j His style of vocal inflections on a cut like Willie Dixon's "Business Man" shows a thorough understanding of the nuances necessary to properly sing the blues. Credit must also be given to ments ana nst rumen~aUOn. Musslewhite's superb back -up; DESPITE IllS tendency for a musicians. In addition to per- higher energy treatment of the; formances by Bloomfield and' blues, Musselwhite never for- Goldberg, he is augmented by' gets the tradition from which the King Bee Band, a group of he came. Side one for example studio musicians whose driving closes with the traditional bal- rhythm adds a special touch of; lad, "Key to the Highway," a'polish to Musselwhite's arrange-. song associated with great ments. FLICK of the FOOT a multi-art dance conceit Dec. 4,5, & 8 p.m. Schorling Aud $1.50 A children's musical based on non-sexist, non- stereotypic writings . . with original music and song. It's Beautiful . . . for children and the child" in all of us.., OPENING TOMORROW NIGHT 7:30-ARENA THEATRE, Frieze Bldg. FOR MORE PERFORMANCE TIMES AND TICKET INFO CALL 763-1107 AC TRAVEL MICH. UNION 763-214 CHRISTMAS SPECIALS VACATION PACKAGES SKI PARK CITY UTAH $285/$299 DECEMBER 30-JANUARY 6 DOMESTIC FLIGHTS * NEW YORK (LaGuardi)-$79.73 DEPART DEC. 18, 19,20 o DALLAS-$123.73 DEPART DEC. 19 BOSTON-$90.73 DEPART DEC. 19 & 20 SIGN-UP DEADLINE DECEMBER 5TH For More Information, Call Us at 763-2147 or Come to 2nd Floor--Michigan Union THURS., FRI., SAT. 6th Annual MIN I-FOLK FESTIVAL *. $3.00 with Michael Cooney Maggie Pierce Joe Hickerson Davey Jones Owen McBride 30 761-1451 I A THREE-DAY MUSICAL PARTY I!\t * MO Vitt: AT BRIARWOOD ADJACENT T0 J.C. PENNEY 0769-87800 1-94 $ S.STATE. ANN ARBOR 1421 HILL 8:3 U Ui TONIGHT WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, DEC. 3 & 4 DAY FOR NIGHT (FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT, 1973) Aud. A-7 & 9 Mm DAILY EARLY BIRD MATINEES - Adults $1oo MON. thru SAT. 10 A.M. ti 1':30 P.M. SUN. & HOLS. 12 Noon til 1:30 P.M. STUDENT & SENIOR CITIZENS DISCOUNTS (Except Friday and Saturday Evenings) BARBRA STREISAND 2ROBERT REDFORD 10:30 f *" "1 6W12:35 2E40 ,E 7:00 +__ , 9:30h _' ryf,-s I U Fi,-.i