RT.S Wednesday, November 23, 1983 The Michigan Daily Page 5 Acoustic awe By Elliot Jackson HE VERY AIR inside the Ark was pregnant with expectation Monday right. A large crowd was packed into seats and crushed on cushions to hear Malcolm Dalgleish, Grey Larsen, and Pete Sutherland "do their thing" - whatever that was. Certainly if any one came into the Ark expecting any one type of music or arrangement, he went out with an in- creased respect for this band's vir- tuosity, if not its talent. Consider for a oment the fact that three men managed among 'em to play hammer dulcimer, bones, spoons, several fid- dles, guitar, banjo, concertina, wooden flute and whistles, and piano - and they still had time to sing. It gives one pause. The music itself was as eclectic as the range of instruments. Droll a capella pieces about monsters and firewood followed fully instrumental" arrangements of Kentucky fiddle tunes, Vrish jigs, French waltzes ("learned from Belgian hitchhikers in an Irish pub in Cincinnati"), and Greek hymns. Original tunes flowed between all these others, smoothing out the disparate elements in each style. A certain tune might capture the spirit of the Irish jig which had preceded it, while avoiding a slavish reproduction of its style. Uncommon or peculiarly "folkish" instruments lent their tone to the evening. Particularly beautiful was the Norwegian fiddle used by Grey Larsen. on "La Valse pour les Jeune Filles." This unusual instrument possesses eight strings, four on top and four below. When the four top strings are bowed, the four below "hum" sym- pathetically creating a richer, more resonant tone than is possible from your domestic fiddle. This made for an especially pleasing effect on "La Valse," with the wistful, haunting quality of its melody. Tying the whole evening together was the sound of Malcolm Dalgleish's ham- mer dulcimer. When the instrument was featured unaccompanied, the clarity of its tone approached but never crossed the bordgr into tinniness.'The same clarity, however, provided a sharply defined contrast to the breathy and sibilant sounds of a wooden flute. Somewhat less strong in terms of polish or mastery of craft was the group's singing. Dalgleish and Sutherland, who did most of it, had pleasant but rather light and uncom- pelling voices. Their arrangements of the humorous pieces, with more-or-less close harmonies, were amusing. Still, you have to admire the spirit of a man (Malcolm Dalgleish) who would even look at his newborn infant and note its resemblance to a new Idaho potato, much less write a song about it. Anyone who was lured into the Ark in the hope of hearing nothing but master dulcimer playing was bound to be disappointed. For those who expected no such, thing, the Dalgleish-Larsen- Sutherland band provided high times and good music. Beautifui By Knute Rife THE UNIVERSITY of Michigan Concert and Symphony Bands teamed up Monday night in Hill Auditorium to perform music, old and new. The first half of the program belonged to the Concert band. The per- formance opened with H. Robert Reynolds conducting Mendelssohn- Bartholdy's "Overture for Band." Then Larry Rachleff took the podium for Leslie Bassett's "Sounds, Shapes, and Symbols." This piece was reminiscent of W. Francis Macbeth, with blocks of sound building layer upon layer. Bassett is on the Michigan faculty and was in the audience. Rachleff called Bassett up to the front after the piece to share in the applause. The band then played four of Turina's "The Five Miniatures," a delicate little piece. The Concert Band closed its half of the performance with Fillmore's "His Honor." The top parts were, strong throughout, especially the soloists. The horn and flute solos in the Mendelssohn were lyrical and moving, and the oboe solo in the Fillmore was strong and pure. The band as a whole, though, started rather weakly in the Men- delssohn. There were ensemble and in- tonation troubles and the second and third parts did not carry their loads. Things shaped up in the Bassett piece, but the trumpets had serious difficulty producing square tones in the Turina. Everything came together on the Fillmore, which was of uniformly high quality. The ensemble proved tight, 1 bands throughout, impressively during the final accelerando. After intermission the Symphony Band took the stage. It opened with Schuman's "George Washington Bridge," then Reynolds returned to the podium to follow with Benson's "The Passing Bell," a memorial piece. Next the band played Grainger's "Irish Tune from County Derry," based on the old song "Danny Boy." Reynolds dedicated this piece to his new-born daughter. Then came the American premiere of Bedford's "The Sun Paints Rainbows on Vast Waves," a playful piece with 15/8 patterns and the percussion section playing tuned bottles including a Smir- noff's and a Mickey's Big-Mouth. The concert closed with Sousa's "The Loyal Legion," a standard Sousa show- stopper. The Benson piece was the weakest, with the clarinets painfully beyond their useful range, the flutes using far too much vibrato, and a general lack of crispness throughout. But the solo oboeist was good, and the low brass sounded impressive with its rich, dark tones. The band recovered well on the Grainger, and the brass ensemble at the beginning of the piece was simply luscious. The momentum carried overw to the Bedford and the Sousa, and the band delivered polished performances of both pieces. The concert was fun, entertaining, and generally professional. You could not beat the free admission. It was well worth the time. If these bands continue their quality musicianship, I recom- mend catching future concerts. Doonesbury dances - APPhoto Mike Doonesbury, as well as many of Garry Trudeau's other famous car- toon characters, will sing and dance in the brand-new Broadway musical Doonesbury.' Trudeau wrote the play that opens in New York on Monday. 'Hill Street' cop Conrad dies LOS ANGELES (AP) - Michael Con- rad, who won two Emmys for his por- trayal of the fatherly and eloquent desk sergeant on television's acclaimed "Hill Street Blues," has died after a long struggle against cancer, an NBC- TV spokesman said yesterday. The tall, balding actor played Sgt. Phillip Freemason Esterhaus, who began each show with a checklist of or- ders for his patrol officers that ended with the adminition: "Hey, Let's be. careful out there!" CONRAD, 58, had been treated for cancer over the past two years. However, NBC spokesman Brian Robinette said the family would not disclose the cause of death. He died Monday night. Robinette said he believed Conrad died in Southern California, where the actor recently was working on the television series. "He was a very strong man, always positive and marvelous," said Rene Enriquez, who plays Lt. Ray Calletano on the award-winning series. Enriquez said Conrad knew he was suffering from cancer, but "he came to work up to the,,last minute. He thought he was going to conquer it." "MICHAEL Conrad died in the sad- dle," said Charles Haid, who plays of- ficer Andy "Cowboy" Renko on the show. "He worked up until the end. He was with us until the last possible minute and for that we have great respect and admiration for him." Enriquez said private funeral ser- vices were planned today. Robinette said he did not know how Conrad's death would affect the show, which was halfway through shooting its fourth season. Twenty-two episodes were planned. Conrad, a native of New York City, was the eldest son of a career army man, served in the Artillery during World War II before attending New York City College. Hestudied drama, found roles in summer stock and joined the national tours of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Mr. Roberts." Conrad, who stood 6-foot-4, was known early in his career for "physical" and bad guy roles. But he found his greatest success on "Hill Street Blues," where his soft-spoken and elegant expressions made him an island of serenity amidst the chaos of the big-city police station. Conrad ...dies at 58 Canning the state Minnesota resident Stephan Jahn sent a box filled with soft drink cans to Gov. James Blanchard to complain about paying ten cent deposits when he visited Michigan. Monday, Blanchard said he mailed a $1.20 check and a letter tojahn inviting him to save the money for his next trip to the state. Crime commission gets boost Unique Volunteer Opportunities Available at Childrens' Psychiatric Hospital, Call Dinah Arnold -t 763-0115 or 763-1580 I . WASHINGTON (AP) - The Reagan administration wants Congress to give the President's Commission on Organized Crime power to issue sub- poenas and grant immunity from prosecution to obtain testimony. The request, which went to Congress last Friday, was announced yesterday by Justice Department spokesman Art Brill. BRILL ALSO announced that the 20- member commission named by President Reagan on July 28 will hold its first public hearing in Washington on Nov.29. The commission's chairman, Irving Kaufman of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said that witnesses would E include Attorney General William French Smith, FBI Director William Webster, and Drug Enforcement Ad- ministrator Francis Mullen. Brill said that the subpoena powers sought for the commission are "given to the Warren Commission, which in- vestigated the assassination . of President John F. Kennedy, and to the commission which investigated the 'Organized crime has changed over the years and this will give us a fresh view, particularly into....motorcycle and prison gangs. - Judge Irving Kaufman THE TURKEY IS WAITING nuclear accident in 1979 at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. The commission would be em- powered to ask a federal court to hold any person who refused to comply with a subpoena in contempt and to jail any such person for up to 18 months. If Congress approves, the commission also could, with the approval of the at- torney general, grant witnesses im- munity from prosecution for the testimony. The commission which is due to report on March 1, 1986, is supposed to outline the current organization of organized crime, disclose the sources and amoun- ts. of organized crime's income and to recommend any needed changes in law or administrative procedures to com- bat organized crime. Brill said the new commission was necessary because "organized crime has changed over the years and this will give us a fresh view, particularly into emerging organized crime networks like motorcycle gangs and prison gangs." Judge Kaufman said, - "Organized crime today is a more dangerous and pervasive force than ever before. It af- fects virtually every aspect of our nation and its economy, and our current laws are proving inadequate." THE TREE WILL BE TRIMMED w WILL YQUBE THERE? NOT WITHOUT A RIDE! -,r3S W-7- $1 May Find You One .