0 i Best Music M U-M: The Best and Worst of T R.E.M.: Critics faves 0 z w0 Y C 0 D Marsalis: Has a sense of soul The Velvet Underground, The Who, Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan. Some of the most prominent forces in the history of popular music have passed through Ann Arbor in the years past. Though hardly a major metropolis, nor the sort of cornucopia of local talent that put Athens, Georgia on the map, Ann Arbor is nonetheless the cite of one of this coun- try's major universities and has enjoyed a privilege of being something of a haven/testing ground for new music. This year has had its share of bright moments, and anyone with an ear halfcocked to the grapevine and the adventurousness to trek a few blocks has had the opportunity to catch some of today's progressives in their prime. Here's a brief, albeit incomplete glance back at some of the highlights of the last nine months. R.E.M. Best Shows Wynton Marsalis Wynton Marsalis is a brilliant young jazz trumpeter whose technical proficiency makes him as comfortable with Handel as he is with Thelonius Monk. But more importantly, he has a keen sense of soul that makes his performances, such as last December's sold out concert at the Michigan Theater. Pat Metheny One of the more prominent and suc- cessful figures in popular jazz today, Pat Metheny and-ensemble enchanted a full house at Hill Auditorium last December. With ample assistance from collaborator-keyboardist Lyle Mayes, Metheny filled the cavernous space of Hill with the dreamy strains of his delicate, evocative instrumentals, bringing a few hours worth of summer warmth into the middle of the bitterly cold, dark winter night. Of all the concerts of the year, probably none generated more expec- tation than the combination of R.E.M. and the dB's at the Michigan Theater last October. R.E.M. ascended from being a unassuming quartet working the Athens, Georgia club circuit to a position at the very front of the progressive music scene in stunningly little time. Their compiling of in- trospective, suggestively obscure lyricism with beautifully stark, quasi-impressionistic music became the quintessential sound of the eighties New Wave of bands, though subsequen- tly frequently imitated, none of R.E.M.'s clones come close to the masters. R.E.M. on stage is essentially like R.E.M. on vinyl, warm, dynamic, and frequently quite haunting, without resorting to condescending stage histrionics, or elaborate, gimmicky special effects. Simple, unpretentious stage presence and pure craftsmanship are at the heart of R.E.M.'s success, qualities increasingly scarce in the wake of Las Vegas styles arena fiascos ala Prince and Michael Jackson. ca z 0. 0 Metheny: What a jazz artiste Nat. Sci. Aud: Bases loaded until school's out 20 Weekend/Friday;April 19, 1985 I Weekend!: