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March 22, 1985 - Image 5

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The Michigan Daily, 1985-03-22

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ARTS

The Michigan Dailyx

Friday, March 22, 1985

Page 5

Dollar Brand spices life

By Marc Taras
WHAT CAN I say? I have been won-
dering... what can I tell you (yes,
you!) to let you know how important
tonight is? Tonight is the night that
Eclipse Jazz will present one of the
most important social and political
events in the history of Treetown.
Tonight is the night that South African
expatriate painist Abdullah Ibrahim
will appear at the Lydia Mendelssohn
Theatre of the Michigan League. Look
out! Open your eyes and ears and
believe it. Tonight is the night that Ab-
dullah Ibrahim will be administering to
finest of medicines with his all-star sep-
tet Ekaya. The healer has come to take
the children of the world home.
Perhaps the beginning is the best place
to start.
Abdullah Ibrahim was born Adolph
Johannos Brand in Capetown, South
Africa in 1934. Of Afrikaner, European,
and Malaysian background, Ibrahim's
father was a Basuto tribesman. His
mother was a pianist and choir leader'

of the Africa Methodist Episcopal
Church which his grandmother helped
to found. Here he was exposed to
American hymns and gospel music
alongside traditional African sounds,
Cape Malay songs, and of course
American jazz records. He has always
been adept at combining musical
idioms and synthesizing a uniquely per-
sonal amalgam from diverse sources.
As a boy he sang in the church choir
and began playing piano as there was
one in the house. He started lessons at
the age of seven and started composing
"sounds" at twelve. As a high school
student he led his first group, a dance
band which merged Western jazz and
African rhythms. Young Brand
acquired the nickname 'Dollar' as a
result of his love of things American.
He recalls reading all the books on
America at the local library at least
three times, especially the sections
about jazz music. Americans were
universally associated with 'the dollar',
hence the nickname Dollar Brand. His
early influences included '30's boogie
woogie pianists Pete Johnson and

South African born Abdullah Ibrahim will be wooing hearts with his mystical
keyboard magic tonight at the Michigan League.
Ros ropov vic proves
his genius wit baton'

Meade Lux Lewis. As a youth his left
hand was so hot that he would burn or
'"it' all the locals in any competition.
gut the real ascending star on Brand's
horizon of influence was the Master;
the incomparable Duke Ellington,
America's foremost composer.
By the age of 27 Ibrahim's local
reputation was well established. He had
tutored himself in Johannesburg with
the legendary Kippy Moketsi. The late
saxophonist was the South African
equivalent of Charlie Parker. Along
with Moketsi, Brand formed his first
major group, the 'Jazz Epistles.' This
group, which also featured trumpeter
Hugh Masekela, performed in
Capetown and Johannesburg for
several years, and was the band with,
which Dollar Brand made his first
recordings.
In 1962, Ibrahim exported his "town-
ship sound" to Switzerland where he
worked with his wife, vocalist Sathima
Bea Bejamin. One memorable night in
Zurich the pair met their idol, Duke
Ellington. The Duke was immediately
impressed with what he heard and
brought the pair to New York under his
own auspices to perform with the
Ellington Orchestra at the Newport
Festival in 1965 Brand played solo con-
certs including Carnegie Hall and
received the greatest of all possible
honors when Ellington insisted that he
take over the piano chair in his or-
chestra for a series of East Coast gigs.
By 1975 Dollar Brand had appeared all
around the world. He has penned over
700 songs and recorded over 45 albums.
He has worked with such luminaries as
Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Don Cherry,
and Archie Shepp. After returning to
Africa,'and an extended stay in Europe,
Dollar Brand returned to the United
States where he has set up his base of
operations in New York. He converted
to Islam in 1968 and took on the name
Abdullah Ibrahim.
The seed has grown over the years
and blossomed in numerous beautiful
blooms. Tonight at Lydia Mendelssohn
we have the opportunity to stop and
siell the roses. To pay tribute to a
great man, and a beautiful musician,
while reflecting upon the ideals of
human freedom which he cherishes.
Come children. Come out tonight and
play. Abdullah Ibrahim will heal you.
His music will make you whole again.
And Ekaya (his amazing band, which
given more space, could be adequately
described in a 200 page volume) will
take you home and welcome you to a
shelter rare beauty and strength. The
goal of Ibrahim's music is healing the

listener. He raises social consciousness
while generating a sense of well being.
This too, is the goal of martial arts. It is
the tao. For Abdullah Ibrahim it is
"the way which encompasses all aspec-
ts of being." So come Children. Hear
and be made well.
Editor's note: The workshop
scheduled for tomorrow has been
cancelled.
THE DAILY
CLASSIFIEDS
ARE A GREAT
WAY TO GET
FAST RESULTS
CALL 764-0557
KERASOTES THEATRES
MOVIE DIRECTORY
WAYSIDE 1 & 2
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1214 S. University - Phone 668-6416
1984
fri5:15,7:15,9:15
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LOCATED IN THE HEART OF A2 THEATRE DISTRICT
231 S. State - Phone 662-6264
TICKETS ON SALE 30 MIN, BEFORE SHOW TIME
FRIDAY THE 13th, PART 5
A NEW BEGINNING
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ALL SHOWS START AT 12:00-ALL SEATS $2.00
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4. INTO THE NIGHT

By Mike Gallatin
( RITICAL ACCLAIM for
Rostropovich has never been what
one might call understated. "He is
passionate, brilliant, extroverted, tem-
permental. All of which are reflected in
his interpretations" raved Madrid's
ABC. The National Symphony Or-
chestra, often referred to as the "or-
chestra of the Presidents," has its
home base situated in Washington,
D.C.; the ideological opposite of
Moscow where Rostropovich's roots lie.
Yet, under his direction, music, and
Russian music in particular, is tran-
sformed into a glorious and unsur-
e "passed universal language which cuts
across geographical distinctions and
cultural boundaries.
Wednesday evening at Hill
Auditorium, Rostropovich proved once
again that he possesses a magic baton
which is capable of creating' not only
the illusion of beauty, but of sincerity
which penetrates to the very core of any
composer's creative intentions.
Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 was once
described by Robert Schumann as "a
slender Greek maiden between two
Norse giants." The Third Symphony
and the Fifth have always eclipsed the
monumental grandeur of the Fourth
Symphony though not necessarily with
good cause.
The National Symphony iOrchestra
played with such precision and such
perfectly sculptured phrases that few in
the audience failed to be supremely im-
pressed with the classical symmetry
and exquisite form of the sadly neglec-
ted 4th symphony.

Mstislav Rostropovich is a name with
a reputation which is larger than life.
As a cellist, along with Pablo Casals, he
has achieved the status of a legend in
his own time. He is one of the many
famous exiles of the Soviet Union,
which includes Solzhenitsyn and such
defectors as dancer Baryshnikov, chess
master Korchnoi, and pianist Vladimir
Ashkenazy (who performed in Ann
Arbor in early January). Having
studied composition at the Moscow
Conservatory under Shostakovich,
Rostropovich has always championed
his mentor as well as encouraged the
performance of other Russian masters
such as Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.
Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 was
an attempt with the powers that were in
1938. In his preface to the score he
proclaims that the "finale resolves the
tragically tense impulses of the earlier
movements into optimism and joy."
Originally, the first movement was
seen as the struggling masses and the
last movement as the victory of a
triumphant five-year plan. The sym-
phony is modern and romantic at the
same time as it looks forward to music
of the future and also looks back to fun-
damental classical roots.
The orchestra played magnificently
and Rostropovich conducted with the
stamp of a genius. The third movement,
marked "largo," with its elegiac
lyricism and resigned passion, showed
the touches of total control. In-
terestingly enough, this was the only
movement of the entire program in
which Rostropovich conducted without
his baton and it is a credit to his com-
munication and rapport with the or-
chestra that such perfect discipline was

* * E
" " " '

0 * 0 *

C SAT. & SUN. FIRST SHOW ONLY$2.00

7

0

$1.00
OFF

With This Entire Ad $1.00 Off Any $4.00
Admission. 1 or 2 Tickets; Good All
Features thru 4/5/8 5

"

Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich magnificently conducted the National Sym-
phony Orchestra Wednesday night at Hill Auditorium.
maintained. In a time of social celebration of the glorious democracy
upheaval and global misunderstan- of music without the interference of
dings, Wednesday evening was a politics.

Co-op opens inexpensive recording studio

By Hobey Echlin
O YOU WANNA be a rock and roll
star? Well, thanks to Bill Potter and
his East Quad Music Co-Op, you're
gonna have an easier time than you
ever thought possible. At $15 an hour for
studio/engineer time, and will free tech
seminars open to the public, the Co-Op
has brought music production and
recording to its most asccessible level
ever. But it hasn't always been that
way, as a little history lesson will show.
The Co-Op itself was formed in Sep-
tember of 1982 by Potter. Upon coming
to U of M, Potter found the area a
myriad of musical talent and equip-
tment. This unfocused and dispersed
energy needed some bond, he reasoned,
and thus was born the Co-Op.
Potter built a reputation for the Co-
Op by first doing sound mixing for live
performances. Late in '82, he acquired
4-track recording equipment and the
Co-Op began its shift to studio produc-
tion.
The next year Potter, along with
Scott Lipsitz and Jake London, (the
"core" group, as Potter dubbed them)
began the educational phase of the
rapidly realizing Co-Op dream.
Through education, Potter stresses, the
true cooperational spirit is achieved as
all members become equally involved
with the Co-Op's production techniques
and workings.
Last November, a Co-Op member
lent his 8-track recording equipment to
the Co-Op's cause, and after the ususal
red-tape and hassle, a two-room studio
was constructed in the East Quad
basement by the University to make the

term, and more-than-able enginers
running some of the hottest recording
sessions this campus has ever seen.
The studio itself is available for a
mere $10 an hour plus $5 an hour for an
engineer (literally a third the cost of
any other studio). Already the studio
has produced material for an upcoming
EP by Civilian Fun Group, recordings
of fusion pianist Scott Wilke, and Map
of the World's first single.
Potter adds that the Co-Op has bran-
ched considerably from an East Quad
underground organization with for-
midable involvements from UAC to
WCBN to Eclipse Jazz. .
Though Potter is graduating this

spring, the Co-Op will definitely thrive
in the capable hands of his disciples, as
he promises next year will feature
regular administration meetings along
with more fund-raising activities, like
the successful blank tape sale held on
the diag every term.
Tonight, the Co-Op will be holding a
benefit featuring all the talent the Co-
Op can amass for a single night of ar-
tistry with three bands (including It's
Raining) and various acts between
band sets. Doors open at 9 p.m. at East
Quad's Halfway Inn (use the Church St.
entrance), and the music will continue
until 1:30 a.m. WCBN will be broad-
casting the event live and there will be
an 8-track recording made, a la Cruisin'

Ann Arbor. All this will cost but.$2, so it
will definitely be worth it. Money from
the benefit will be used to improve the
studio with the addition of a drum
booth. If a benefit sounds too tame, try
the Time Machine on the 30th, which
Potter promises to be a multi-media
event of audience participation.
If you want to book studio time, or see
about getting involved with the Co-Op,
or just want to find out more about this
worthy and talented organization, the
office phone is 764-3456. If you get the
answering machine, don't worry,
they'll get back to you. After all, they
could be producing the next super-
album.

" 7 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS
Indc.... BEST PICTURE
SAM WATERSON THE KILLING
A FIELDS I®1
FRI., MON. 4:15,7:00,93 SORRY NOTUES DISCOUNT PRICES
"SAT., SUN. 1:00, 4:00,7:00,9:35 FRI. & SAT. AT MIDNIGHT "
" NEW TWILIGHT SHOWS MON. THRU FRI. $2.50 TIL 6 P.M. "
* CHER " SAM ELLIOT "
* They Told 16 Year Old Rocky Dennis He Could
Never Be Like Anyone Else, So He Was Deter-
" mined To Be Better.
" BASED ON A TRUE STORY
FRI., MON. 5:00, 7:10, 9:30
SATSUN 12:30,245,500, 7:10, 9:30
FRI. & SAT. AT MIDNIGHT-(PG-13)
ANN ARBOR EXTRA SHOWS FRI. & SAT. NIGHT-REGULAR PRICE

* AT MIDNIGHT
"THE KILLING FIELDS'(R)

AT MIDNIGHT
"MASK" (PG-13)

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