Page 6--The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 20, 1985 McFerrin lets kids play By Marc Taras THE BOBBY MCFERRIN solo vocal recital at the Ark Saturday night was a special treat. I haven't had this much fun since I was seven or eight. Winning hearts seems to be Mc- Ferrin's stock and trade. The audience at the Ark was no exception. McFerrin carefully and lovingly created an at- mosphere so secure that a room full of adults were able to liberate the child within in complete safety. The crowd was only staid in the sense of sitting in place-you know-a concert rather, than a dance situation. I was sitting on the floor rocking and squealing. When it came to easy laughter and song, Mc- Ferrin and his audience were equally prepared. The show began with a special sur- prise as virtuoso violinist Randy Sabien took to the stage for a brief solo flight. Beginning with the Ellington standard "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", Sabien was utterly compelling from jumpstreet. Maybe it was the room. It was as if I had never heard the violin before. Really heard the voice. His phrasing and technique were spellbin- ding. The brief set included a wonderful version of the charming "Nature Boy" and climaxed with a heart rending in- terpretation of Charles Mingus' eulogy for Lester Young, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." I was so glad that Randy would pause to remind us all of Pres' beauty in this way. A gem. But Bobby McFerrin was the real star of Saturday's minstrel show, His first set was mostly comprised of spon- taneous vocal improvisations. He didn't offer titles but the meaning was clear. I made up my own names. He warmed up with "Heartbeat Chest Thump Hum Chant". McFerrin may be the master of the human instrument. Here he demonstrated uncanny rhyth- mic sense, beating his chest as a resonant drum while simultaneously modulating his voice as the breath is af- fected by the thumping. You had to be there. Next he did the "Full of Love Sing Along", encouraging the audience to repeat increasingly complex scat lines until he would take it right to the sky and out of our throats. His Chest Drum version of 'Got the Feelin' (Baby! Baby! Baby!) was warm and raw and incredibly sexy. He offered a brief rendition of "B & W", the duet he recorded with Wynton Marsalis but resisted audience requests for "I Feel Good" and "I'm My Own Walkman" kindly enough, saying, "Some things you only wanna do once, man!" Instead he offered an im- provisation- I call "Breathing Lessons From Ghana". This piece began with breathing rhythms and before it was over McFerrin was literally speaking in tongues, and the audience understood every word. Bobby encourages audience par- ticipation and the individual realization of the human voice as the primary in- strument. We all sang along like children as he urged us to "Sing For Your Life." A group rendition of "Amazing Grace" reminded us of all we had forgotten. His cover of Lennon and McCartney's "Blackbird" let the bird take flight. But it wasn't until the children's songs that we really all came out to play. The "Wizard of Oz" medley was tremendous. Imagine a crowd of adults chanting "Yo-eee-yo. Yooo." in unison while some crazy cat acts out the death of the wicked witch of the west! Wild. And how about the TV theme from "The Beverly Hillbillies". Big Fun. The audience chants the asides as one; I Daily Photo by KATE O'LEARY "MinSCUNMFFEy AMERICAN AND FOREIGN CAR SPECIALIST Installed By LOW AS Trwined Specialists INSTALLED Featuring SMALL CARS PARTICIPATING One of the finest names DEALERS Jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin was right on the mark at the Ark last Saturday. "Black gold. Texas tea." But the highlight was joining in on "The Itsy- Bitsy Spider" complete with the visual hand motions. It was a real trip. Bobby McFerrin is a magical heart with love to spare. My advice is that the next time that Bobby McFerrin is in town and wants to know if you can come out to play, say "yes" children and sing out loud for . _ ' Starbound amateurs str By Jacqueline Raznik L IGHTS FLOODED the Lydia Men- delssohn Theatre at intermission revealing a house filled to capacity and charged with excitement. It was only half way thtrough the show, but producers Carol Allis and Allison Roberts could exhale at last. Their many long weeks of frustration and diligence had culminated February 16, in Starbound '85, a success story and an extravaganza at that. Sponsored by the University Activities Center and American Express, the Starbound '85 Talent Search Finals showcased the cream of student talent at the Univer- sity of Michigan. Although the sequel seldom matches the original, this year's Starbound in many ways sur- passed its sole predecessor, Starbound '84. Starbound '85 incorporated the MTV Rock-Alike contest, a campus wide in automotive parts!. YPSILANTI 2606 Washtenaw Ave......572-9177 (1/2 mile East of US 23) educational program and fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, into the evening's celebration. The sixteen emcees, contestants in the Rock-Alike competition, have been im-.. personating their favorite rock stars hoping to win a summer internship at MTV. As part of the "Millions Against Multiple Sclerosis Movement" all proceeds from Starbound '85 will benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society. As for the Starbound finalists them- selves-it eludes me how the judges could have reached a decision. How ludicrous it seems to compare the lightness of touch and folksy originality of pianist David Flippo in his variations on "Aria" by Bach, to the zany circus antics of Dexterous Dan the Juggling Man, This is the inherent flaw of any, "talent show", a flaw which many shining performers painfully came to realize as they listened to the judges' verdict. Dexterous Dan swept up third prize, a fifty dollar travellers check. The audience devoured his high spirited and daring routine, and screamed "Atta boy, Dan!" at the juggler's en- couragement (more often when Dan dropped a ball). His comical rapport enabled the audience to overlook and even enjoy Dan's few slip-ups. Alicia Hunter, one of the many powerful female vocalists featured belted out the gospel number "Because of Whose I Am" with her unique brand of charisma. She 'received a one hun- dred dollar travellers check. First prize, a five hundred dollar check, was awarded to the well loved "Friars", an octet within the Men's Glee Club. Their choreography was classic and impeccable as they perfor- med a finely polished rendition of "Blue Moon", featuring soloist Adam parker. These were the winners, but I would like to make a few honorable mentions of my own: Dave Crossland's gorgeous voice and moving lyrics enabled the singer's natural warmth and honest emotion to captivate the audience during his original song, "Seija". The multi- talented Renae Morway flaunted her versatility as she combined her exuberant flair for comedy with a powerful singing voice in a masterful performance of "I Felt Nothing", and "Somewhere That's Green". As the closing act, Johnny Jones and the Phones entered the limelight over three hours after the opening number. Nevertheless, the band revamped the ike gold spirits of a fatigued and restless audience with a great deal of jazzy showmanship. Assuredly, the judges tried to fight off their weariness and maintain a fresh and objective outlook throughout this three and a half hour competition-but they are only human. One must question the justice in comparing a vocalist who strutted on the stage at 8:15 before a highly energized audien- ce, to a singer of equal talent, who per- formed at 11:15 before a fidgety crowd, following four other vocal numbers. Undoubtedly, the energy level of the, audience affects performance quality. Unfortunately, that's showbiz. Despite its lengthiness, I'm sure Starbound '85 gave many a new ap- preciation for the vast array of talent within the Uniyersity of Michigan student body. It is hard to imagine a future Starbound surpassing this year's artistic celebration. I Individually Owned & Operated IN AND OUT IN 30 MINUTES IN MOST CASES W~m IFENDAILY AND SAT.8-6 PM Copyright 0 1984 Meineke 4 ENGINEERING STUDENTS. Records GEORGE ASHBY and CARL CONUN will play Exhibition Game of Three Cushion Billiards To be followed by a trick shot demonstration by Mr. Ashby Thursday, February 21 8:00pm. Billiards and Games Room, Michigan Union GEORGE ASHBY IS THE CURRENT U.S., champion in three cushion billiards, a six time partici- pant in world's three cushion championships, and is the best three cushion illiards player in the U.S. today. CARL CONLIN Ann Arbor's own Carl Conlin is a world reknowned three cushion billiards player. FOObf- ADDICrTION BULIMIA " COMPULSIVE OVEREATING Are You Suffering From Any Three of The Following: The Nails-Mood (RCA Records) Swing i I cash in on your hard work before graduation' and open the door to a top Career in Engineering Management. . . Those of you distraught over the fact that Minneapolis' Suburbs got dropped by their national label may take some consolation in this LP by an often soun- dalike NY fivesome. The Nails have not yet achieved the degree. of musieal variety that the 'Burbs found in th'air near-classics Credit in Heaven and Love is the Law, nor have they, cultivated anything near broad a range of deadpan humor-The Nails often seem stuck in a groove of semi-self- mocking, semi-snide Battle of the Sexes action that's too insistent no to be a bit sexist. Their toil may all be for ' naught in any case, since The Nails may well suffer the Suburbs' fate of being a near- ultimate power-pop wave group at least three years too late for anyone to seriously care. On the other hand...a good purist pop band is always welcome in my camp, and the Nails are getting there. The performance and production (Gregg Winter) are very confident, the general sound swinging if not particularly moody-the basic combo plus keyboards and a well- employed two-man horn section. The songs range from the merely OK to the nearly swell, with "Dark' Brown" and "Let It All Hang Out" frustratingly just-about-there in the latter group. The most addictive, and potentially most annoying, cut is "88 Lines About 44 Women," which is a cutesy but fairly unselfconscious rap about past conquests-a noxious idea to be sure, with roughly the 2-to-1 odds on bad to good lines that the title might lead you to expect. It's just one light, extended melodic riff, hardly a "song" at all, but you know how these things have a way of planting themselves in your head. There's rather more calculation going on here than one might like, (you can tell the singer's feeling deliciously naughty every time he says fuck), but Mood Swing is overall pretty solidly en- joyable. -Dennis Harvey For highly qualified students in Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics or hard sciences, the Navy's Nuclear Power Pro- gram offers the opportunity to earn over $1000 per month during your final year in college. For especially quali ied persons, this Ibenefit may be available for the final two year of college. After graduation, you will receive graduate level training valued at $30,000 and begin work as a technical manager with immediate responsibility and authority. This is the only program of its kind in the world. To qualify you must be between the ages of nineteen and twenty-six, a U.S. Citizen, be in good health and meet stringent academic requirements. Minimum educational requirements in- clude at least one year of Calculus and one year of Calculus- based Physics. You must also have at least a 3.0 G.P.A. overall with a 3.0 in major. The Navy Engineering Representative will be on campus Monday, Mar. 18, and Tuesday, Mar. 19, 1985. Sign up at the Engineering Place- ment Office during the week of March the 4th to be interviewed by our Navy Representative, or call us at 1-800-922-1702 for more information. Q Q Binge on high calorie food. Inconspicuous eating (hidden eating). Constant attempts at dieting. Frequent weight fluctuations. Eating to discomfort. Use of laxatives or diuretics NAPLES RESEARCH & COUNSEL G CENTER " A Complete Confidential Medical and Psychiatric Evaluation. " Private, Confidential, and Individual Treatment. " 24-Hour Medical Supervision and Support. " Modern Residential Setting. " Special Familization Program. . Individual and Group Therapy. . Covered by Most Insurance Plans. 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