The Michigan Daily- -Page 5

ARTS
The Michigan-Daily Tuesday, February 9, 1982 Page 5

SOntoy:
By Ben Ticho
THOSE FORTUNATE, enough to
,have attended Carlos Montoya's
February 6 performance at Hill.
Auditorium witnessed a rare show of
unique entertainment, Playing to a
good-sized and appreciative audience,
Montoya, born in Madrid, Spain,
proved once again why his special
brand of Flamenco guitar is virtually
unparalleled within the realm of
modern music.
In a world of two hundred-piece or-
chestras, multi-frequency amplifiers,
and all manner of electronic syn-
thesizers, -Montoya creates his in-
dividual sound using only a simple
wooden guitar. No instrumental ac-
companiment, not even a human voice
distracts the listener. This artist needs
nothing but his strong, calloused, yet
amazingly nimble fingers to achieve
exciting runs of remarkable technical
complexity as well as beautiful

R is magnifcent
lullabies of gently swaying harmonies. dalusian lightness of a Southern
Flamenco music originated with the Throughout the concert, Moi
Spanish Gypsies, with individual per- showed great flexibility in empha.
formers each adding to the lively the subtle differences between sty]
tradition. Formerly, the guitar was
used only in an accompanying role for Technically, the sheer numb
singers and dancers. As the first full notes Montoya managed to pr(
Flamenco concert soloist in 1948, Mon- (with several minor errors) contin
toya brought the guitar form into the amazed even the expert ai
forefront in masterly and innovative classical guitar listeners. Fror
fashion. opening "Fandango" to the
Montoya borrows from a number of "Vasiaciones" and closing en
traditional sources to bring variety to Montoya defied conventional lim
his compositions. Saturday night, he the guitar, normally a rather unm
used such Spanish dances as the instrument unsuited to solo perfo
"Zgpateao" and "Jaleo" to further his ce. In the closing passages of "J
own improvisational interpretations. and "Granaina" the artist's strum
During the Moorish "Zambra," the hand becomes a virtual blur, pr
guitarist employed extensive use of ting strong conclusions to.alrea(
finger and hand tapping on the in- joyable playing.
strumental frame to simulate the tap-
ping of dancers' heels and eastanets. Though he did not speak at all d
,Different regions of Spain also played the scheduled pieces, Montoya'sr
a prominent role in Montoya's selec- nevertheless generated a genuin
tions. "Cancion del Norte" displayed pathy between performer and at
the fiery excitement of the North, while ce. Good-humored even when mnte
"Aires,. de Genil" featured the An- ted by late-corners or by faulty to

n air.
ntoya
sizing
les.
er of
oduce
nually
mong
m the
final
cores,
nits to
wieldy
rman-
erez"
nming
roduc-
dy en-
during
music
e em-
udien-
errup-
uning,

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this genial man burst into enormous
smiles following each selection. He rose
from his stool and raised his arms
thankfully during the enthusiastic ap-
plause.
As one enthralled listener remarked,
"The second he walked on stage, you
knew you were going to like him." And
his music.

Carlos Montoya performed Saturday night at Hill
Auditorium.


Ensemble honors
Ross Lee Finney

By Robert Maki
W ORKS BY retired University
composition teacher Ross Lee
Finney were performed by the Con-
temporary Directions Ensemble under
the direction of Carl St. Clair last
Saturday.
In honor of Finney's seventy-fifth bir-
thday, the ensemble played three of his
compositions, as well as pieces by
University composition majors Byung-
Eun Yoo and Jim Needles, and 1981
David Bates prize winner Suzanne
Sheppard..
The three works by Finney,
"Variations on a Memory," "Two Acts
for Three Players," and "Chamber
Concerto" were technically flawless.
The often demanding music made none
of the players seem ill at ease. In "Two
Acts," the constantly playing clarinet
never sounded forced, and the per-
cussionist, who at one point was called
to perform a difficult passage with his
hands, played unerringly.
But despite the faultless performan-
ce, the players seem to have ignored
Finney's remark that there was "a
great deal of humor in the three
works." Apparently, concern for
technical aspects left little room for
merriment. Except for "Two Acts for
Three Players," a difficult score played
without a conductor, the main reason
for the absence of a light-hearted touch
in the other works was because of St..
Clair's conducting.-
"Variations on a Memory" was' ap-
proached pretentiously, revealing little
but surface brilliance. The humor of a
frequently recurring theme by Rossini
was lost as a result of St. Clair's
technically marvelous but musically
absent notions.
"Fantasy For Piano," by New
England Conservatory student

Shephard was given ,a wonderful
reading by pianist Jonathon Shames.
With his exaggerated body motions he
obviously enjoyed the performance.
Needle's "Octet for Double String
Quartet" was probably the weakest
piece of the six presented. The playing
was often out of tune, and, especially
toward the end, a lot of extraneous
sounds were heard.
One wonders why the "Five Moods
for Flute" by Yoo was played at this
concert as it had recently been presen-
ted at another University performance.
Notwithstanding, the" fact that,
technique overshadowed; content, the
ensemble program in honor of Finney
was a treat for the audience. In spite of
its length, the performance offered a
chance to hear works by the retired
teacher and various students at the
University.


There was an alumnus named Stein,
Whose visage was most saturine.
But when he'd eat here
He'd shout with good cheer:
"The League is a great place to din-I"
TheMichiganI
Next to Hill Auditorium
Located in the heart of the campus.
it is the heart of the campus.

- Lunch 11:30Oto 1:;15 ~
Dinner 5:00 to 7:15
SPECIAL LOW PRICES FOR
STU DENTS
Send your League Limerick to:
Manager, Michigan League
227 South Ingalls
You will receive 2 free dinner
tickets if your limerick is used in
one of our ads.

Jamie James and the Kingbees will perform tonight
'at the Second Chance.
Make no imistake,
'The, Kin gbees return.

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Rated R H.JlT ® .

By Michael Huget
ti PON FIRST hearing "My Mis-
take," I thought the Kingbees
'were headed straight for "Knackdom";
'bne hit song and then a quick fade into
*blivion.
But after a lengthy absence from the
area, the Kingbees are back on tour
Xthey will be at the Second Chance
toiight) trying to stave off obscurity.
And Jamie James, top Kingbee,
couldn't be happier. "It feels so good to
-be back on the road. We didn't tour at
:all last year."
If you happen to be wondering why
-the Kingbees didn't tour last year, well,
let's just say that the band didn't have a
-good year.
In April they released their second
LP on RSO records-Robert Stigwood's
company. "The Bft Rock came out on a
Monday, hit the charts, and was listed
by many as a fast mover. On Friday,
Stigwood's offices closed down. Only a
couple of secretaries remained. The
only band the label kept was the Bee
Gees," said James. (Imagine that, the
Bee Gees). The album did not get any
promotion, and coupled with the band's
inactivity, did not sell well.
Inf that unfortunate turn of events
wasn't enough, two-thirds of the band,
drummer Rex Roberts and bassist
Michael Rummans, decided to leave
shortly thereafter.
James wasn't all that dismayed by
the split, however, and he is optimistic
about the future. "The group (bassist
Lloyd Stoult and drummer Jeff
Donovan) is better than ever; the sting

of summers ago). I didn't want to.go
from our normal audience of 500 or so to
12,000, but the record company
president pressured us into doing it. It
turned out all right, but I wouldn't want
to do it again."
Although many dismiss the Kingbees
as just another rockabilly revival band,
'I get categorized as
rockabilly. I'm not, into
that revival shit, I think
I've discovered a pure
seed I can grow from...
-Jamie James
James vehemently disagrees with that
assessment. "'I get categorized as
rockabilly. I'm not into that revival
shit, I think I've discovered a pure seed
I can grow from. ...
And for James, that seed spurs dan-
cing. He claims the Kingbees are "Nor-
th America's number one rock 'n' roll
dance band." But what about the Bee
Gees?
,pe a~

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