The Michigan Daily
ARTS
Tuesday, October 26, 1982 Page 7
Jazz on the front lines
Daily Photo by BRIAN MASCK
Gemini plays at the Michigan Nuclear Weapons Freeze's Folk Music Concert in the Union Ballroom.
Bagging
*by Tom McDonald
DESPITE A small turnout, the
Michigan Nuclear Weapons
Freeze's Folk Music Concert at the
Michigan Union Ballroom last Thur-
sday night proved to be a delightful
listening experience. The show; presen-
ting a diversity of folk music styles,
featured performances by the Ann Ar-
bor Bag Band, Gemini, and Footloose,
A11 of whom are locally based bands.
he small audience didn't appear to af-
fect or inhibit the groups, as the in-
timate atmosphere allowed them to
create an illusory relationship between
themselves and their listeners.
Folk music has enjoyed an upsurge in
popularity in recent years, with Ann
Arbor contributing to this dilation by
cultivating a number of successful folk
bands. Exemplary of this cultivation
was opening act The Brown Bag Band
*wich includes, interestingly enough,
two University faculty members who
have extended their talents from the
front of the classroom to the elevated
stage. Bruce Sagan composes the
nucleus of the band, known to math
students as a teacher of graph theory
among other disciplines. Sagan,
musical director of the seven member
localfio
group, is also recognized as one of the
fiddlers of Scandinavian music in the
country, a difficult style that he has
meticulously refined. Also in the group
is Dan Gudhus of the Physics Depar-
tment, a dexterous musician who
reserves his evenings to wirld a
clarinet.
Included in the Brown Bag's multi-
faceted presentation were songs en-
compassing traditions ranging from
Balkan and Macedonian to Russian and
Scandinavian. The dance-oriented in-
strumental music is performed with in-
tricate rhythms,. lively progressions,
and surprising time changes; qualities
which appeared to challenge the skills
of the enthusiastic band. The demand
was well met, as there was hardly
heard an ill-times note.
The Brown Bag Band expresses an
acute desire to broaden and restore folk
dancing to the local area and appears
monthly at the open parties of the
Michigan Folk Dance Club. Brown Bag
will provide area music listeners with
another opportunity to broaden musical
diets by showcasing their craft in an
exclusive appearance at the Ark Coffee
House on October 28. If you get a chan-
ce, give them a listen; it will be well
worth your time.
Also on the benefit bill was Gemini, a
versatile duet comprised of two
1k bands
Hungarian-born brothers, Sandor and
Lazlo Slomovits-hence their group
title. Gemini has established a
following in Ann Arbor as well as
building upa reputation on the East
Coast for their myriad-minded mastery
over a number of instruments.
Thursday night, Gemini captivated
listeners with their entertaining folk
compositions which featured an
amazing display of the bones and lim-
berjack by Sandor, and notable guitar
and pennywhistle work by Lazlo. The
most striking thing about the duet is the
strength of the vocals, which at times
sounded like eight identical voices in
unison as their resonance permeated
and swept through the hall much as it
would waft through the mountains,
where folk music was born. Gemini is a
very likable band and worth catching
again at the Ark over Thanksgiving
weekend.
Rounding out the show was footloose,
an energetic country-grass band whose
program left the appetites of the folk
listeners well satisfied.
The benefit concert may not have
swelled the coffers of the Weapons
Freeze Group, but it swelled my in-
terest in folk music, and I encourage
you to go out and head one of these ban-
ds, for exposure to a fresh sounding
musical style.
By C.E. Krell
(Saturday night, Michigan Union).
IT WAS A WAR. And rumors of
war.
'I just try to make good
music.'-Jack DeJohnette
First battle: Reporter vs. Ticket
Lady. I'm sorry, I thought I said the
late show. She said that the man on the
telephone wrote down exactly what I
said. I said all I wanted to do was write
a review of her concert. She let me in.
Thanks Ticket Lady.
'It's improrisation.'-Jack again.
Back to the war. Second battle:
Reporter vs. crowd. There wasn't a
goddamn chair to sit in. I stood at the
back. A nice man offered me his seat.
After standing, leaning, flooring,
barring (ice water only), more leaning,
pacing, I took the chair. Thanks nice
man.
Let's not forget the talk. Incessant
inance, shallow, rude chatter never
stopped. Really bugged the shit out of
me. The musicians didn't seem to mind.
Battle three: Gateway Trio vs. sound
of U-club. Pyrrhic victory for the U-
club. Sound as not as good as a glazed
donut, not as bad as a Mounds bar. Solo
equal more volume. And Jack didn't
need it. Jack no need help.
"I don't think an vone can lire on
the planet and not he in/luenced b-y
anyithing around them.. '-That Jack
guy.
The main war at hand was the
musicians vs. their instruments, who
together then ganged up on the Repor-
ter.
Dave Holland's bass was not ther-
monuclear enough to kill me. Lack of
kilohorses. He's good. Skilled in every
way. Must have had classical training.
But I survived.
John Abe, crombie was killed. I did it.
So arrest me, pig. Neat noises on oc-
casion. Funned the heck of of me at
least twice. But most of the time was
just plain yogurt. Plain yogurt is ok, but
I prefer lemon. Plain yogurt never
caused a battle casualty.
THE OBITUARY OF A REPORTER
When I was in (physically) high
school, I actually took a physics course.
When we started talking about friction, I
asked what caused it. My teacher said
quite simply (a Harvard graduate yet)
demons. He didn't go any further than
that, but I was sated.
I haven't thought about those demons
in a long time, but at the concert I
thought about fleas. I thought about
what it would be like to be one. I wanted
to be a flea. I wanted to fly in Jack
DeJohnette's ear and look for demons.
That is the only explanation I can
muster, but I know it's wrong. There
was nothing demonic about Jack
DeJohnette. What there was, I don't
know. He was like a lava lamp, but with
a tiny hole in each hand for the pressure
to be released. Flowed, that's what he
did, it flowed out of him. Occasionally,
the psi would get to be too much, and
whoop! was the result. Whoop! as a
release was also popular with the crowd,
as was screaming. Necks craned to
watch, and I stood up from Mr. Nice
Man's chair.
War,'is not forgotten. DeJohnette
decimated those drums. He beat the
beat and beat the splash, the ride, the
kick, the snare (and even the piano).
The drum kit and DeJohnette danced.
Divinely so. The Earth was percussion.
Applause!! Boy, I'm not feeling well at
this point. Shot with his own drum. Old
bad music writers don't fade away,
they just get beaten to death. Thanks
Jack.
The Gateway Trio fortunately were
not shmoo-like. They didn't try to be all
things to all people (Gawd, cliches are
just so overneat). They just played
music like universal joints-bending
different directions. The group as a
whole was entertaining. Unwonderful,
yet walk out never entered my mind. I
guess it's a death wish. The Gateway
Trio were fine. Less no more no. I lied,
though. I think shmoos are great, but
only when they look like shmoos, and
nothing else.
"I'm making a liring, doing
something I enjoy. In that way I'm
successful. "-the Murder Musician,
more drums of passion.
The quotes here may not be accurate
to the letter, but these are Jack's
thoughts. Some of the words may have
been changed in war and translation.
The thoughts are all that counted.
Every note, described in detail, is
fucking irrelevant. Relevant is that
those drums stayed with me.
"My consciousness lags behind
me. "-The Marriager of Maria Braun.
The Reporter ressurected himself,
and picked up a pen.
- -
0
To greet Halloween goblins and ghosts
Calls for treats that are worthy of boasts,
But before your bells ring,
To the League yourselves bring Lunch 1130 to 1:15
For a feast from the town's perfect hosts. Dinner 5 0 tO 715
SPECIAL LOW PRICES FOR
STUDENTS
Send your League Limerick to:
Th_ Manager. Michigan League
fLic ig n d-- 227 South Ingalls
Next to Hill Auditorium You will receive 2 free dinner
Located in the heart of the campus tickets if your limerick is used in
it/s the heart of the campus one of our ads.
;Paul Geremia breathes life
into Blind
By Jeff Gibson
PAUL GEREMIA was a weary man
indeed. Having_ travelled from
Rhode Island for the opening date of his
tour, this country blues singer's first set
*at the Blind Pig Friday night was a
journeyman's nightmare. The capacity
crowd was inattentive and excessiyely
chatty. This, in combination with the
annoying creak of footsteps from the
floorboards above, made it impossible
for Geremia to find his groove.
His second set started out marginally
better. The crowd had thinned
noticeably, so he no longer had to battle
unseen voices. Halfway through,
something remarkable happened.
Drawing the microphone close to him
with a sly smile on his face and a glint
in his eye, Geremia introduced his next
number, a Blind Willie Johnson
favorite.
"Y'know, Samson killed 10,000 people
with the jawbone of an ass," he began,
"but look at our President. I have never
seen so much damage done with the
jawbone of an ass!" He let out a whoop
and the crowd was finally his. He tore
into "Samson and Delilah," and the
blues came tumbling down.
By the third set, Geremia seemed to
have forgotten how tired he was. As he
ANN ARBOR
L2 INDIVIDUAL THEATRES
5 A v o i b e rty 7 6 1 97 0
y -
TUES-4:50, 7:10, 9:30
WED-12:20, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10
9:30
1TUESDAYI
Pig blues
breathed life into the blues, so the blues
reciprocated, revitalizing him. The
handful of people who chose to stay
were treated to a blues tour de force.
Geremia weaved his way effortlessly
through classic renditions of "Sweet
Georgia Brown," "Come On In My Kit-
chen," and "That's All Right." He han-
dled requests (Robert Johnson's "Little
Queen of Spades") and belted out fresh
originals.
While those who departed after the
first set may have been disappointed,
the fortunate few who remained wit-
nessed the metamorphosis of an
exhausted journeyman into a vibrant
bluesman. As he closed out the evening
with a searing version of "Bright
Lights, Big City," Geremia appeared
satisfied with his work. He had won the
first-night struggle to capture the spirit
of the blues. So had we.
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.. . the storm of applause and cheering
broke into a first class hurricane.
-Atlantic City Press
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THURS., OCT.8at 8:50
Hill Auditorium
Tickets at $5, $7, $8, $9
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