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vocal stylings. Stanley Clarke on bass
(Continued from Page 9)
ts, they also raise questions of in-
novativeness within the scene.
Goldsmith responds, "The club
scene isn't as conducive to original
acts as in other places. Joe's, the
Blind Pig, and Rick's showcase local
acts, but as more of a sidelight to out-
of-town acts touring."
So just why isn't Ann Arbor another
Athens? First of all, it lacks the
overall commercialization of the well-
known scenes. There's no Enigma or
Landslide pumping Ann Arbor
material across the country. With
a few exceptions, (most notably the
Hysteric Narcotics and Vertical
Pillows) Ann Arbor and Detroit acts
are relatively unknown to the pages of
even such lesser national magazines
as the Boston-based U.S. Rock and
The Bob.
And on the other end, Ann Arbor
bands lack the commercial sound of
many of the new breaking bands.
Dare I say local acts have a little
more integrity than to mimic past
sounds as directly as some other
bands. Scott Vanderbilt of Enigma
agreed some bands have hit a more
deliberate commercial vein, like the
Byrds-isms of R.E.M., the Three
O'Clock's bubblegum-paisley image,
or the all-too-Velvetish sounds of the
early Dream Syndicate, and lest we
forget, the all-encompassing blun-
tness of the Replacements '70s rock
sound. But who needs this when
you've got the original coming at you
from Destroy All Monsters, featuring
ex-MC5 members who still kick out
the jams?
Ann Arbor's new music also lacks
the cultural unity of places like the
Georgia scene. A jangly-guitar, coun-
try-rock sound goes far down there.
Just ask R.E.M. and Guadalcanal
Diary. And the dB's. And Love Trac-
tor. And Zeitgeist. And.... You get the
point.
Second, Ann Arbor lacks the focus.
of the other scenes. Austin is East
Austin, and towns like Athens and
Marietta and Sacramento are tight
little scenes where everyone knows
each other, even from town to town.
Ann Arbor and Detroit are still too
disparate to have a unified scene. It's
a damn shame Map of the World has
never heard of Crossed Wire or
Common Chapter, though both bands
have been playing Detroit for almost
a year now with vinyl almost out.
Third, the Ann Arbor and Detroit
new music scene has been upstaged
by elements that have more readily
identified Detroit musically. Apart
from Motown, acts like the MC5 and
Stooges, Ted Nugent, and most recen-
tly, Negative Approach, with a tour
and full album before their '84
breakup, have given Ann Ar-
bor/Detroit a much rougher image as
a hard rock'n'roll town. Who's going
to look for new music acts in Heavy
Metal U.S.A.?
But beyond all these problems of
national recognition, lack of cen-
tralization, and overshadowing, the
Ann Arbor/Detroit scene is still very
strong. Just because nobody knows
about it certainly doesn't make it
worse. And though Ann Arbor hasn't
spawned an R.E.M. just yet, "Athens
has never come out with an MC5 or
Stooges either," says Goldsmith.
With new bands like the Detroit
Panic and Empty Set, formed from
Ann Arbor music veterans, coming to
light, and a strong '60's-flavored
scene already flourishing in Detroit
with Hysteric Narcotics in the lead,
not to mention new vinyl from Map of
the World and Crossed Wire, there's
hope yet.
Beginning next Friday,
Weekend magazine will feature an
article on a local band every week.
The saga
continues.
By Marc S. Taras
Chick Corea
The Michigan Theatre
Saturday, September 28
8p.m., $12.50
THERE ARE FEW jazz artists
that I admire as much as Chick
Corea. And even fewer for whom I
have the same feelings of personal
fondness. He is a musician's musician
whose music reflects his concern for
people. He loves folks, you know -
you can feel it when he plays. This is a
real gift. Sunday night at the
Michigan Theatre you can be there
with Chick Corea's Elektric band and
unwrap the newest batch of presents.
Like Christmas, only early.
Chick Corea was born in Boston in
1941. His father was a jazz musician
and Chick was studying piano at the
age of four. His earliest influences in-
cluded Horace Silver and Bud Powell.
Classical training expanded his
horizons to include Stravinsky and
Bartok while still a youth. In high
school he developed a love of Latin
music and later worked with the great
percussionist Mango Santamaria.
Chuck became Stan Getz' pianist
during some of the sax players finest
years. He worked with flautist Herbie
Mann and many others during the
'60s. He also began recording under
his own name, leading a fantastic
quintet (circa 1966) with Woody
Shaw, Joe Farrell, and Joe Cham-
bers. And then of course there was
Miles.
Working with Miles Davis is always
a great learning and expanding
situation for younger players and
Chick Corea was no different. He
learned and he stretched and he star-
ted to come into his own voice. He and
bassist Dave Holland joined Miles at
the time that the classic '60s quintet
was just beginning to splinter and
mutate. It had been Herbie Hancock,
Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony
Williams. Then on the LP Filles de
Kilimanjaro, Holland and Corea ap-
pear in place of Carter and Hancock.
Shortly we had the Bitches Brew LP
between our ears and the way of the
future was realized.
While acknowledging personal in-
difference to several of Chick Corea's
seemingly infinite post-Miles.sessions
I would argue that nobody has
covered so much ground so well over
the past 15 years. Chick left Miles and
formed the wildly exciting Circle.
This was a free music band that
featured Anthony Braxton, Dave
Holland, and drummer Barry Alt-
schul. Circle was a tremendous en-
semble. Startling.
In 1971 Chick left Circle, and
perhaps the best of his outside music
behind him. Never fear. He turned to
the fledgling ECM record label in
Germany to record a series of
brilliant recording. Loving piano
improvisations. Two volumes. Must
have/hear stuff! Did the classic
Crystal Silence duel LP with vibes
maestro Gary Burton. Plus: He for-
med the first legendary Return to
Forever Group. Their two albums,
Return to Forever and Light As A
Feather, are desert island dists. Stuff
is vital! The band featured Chick in a
new flowering of compositional
ability and piano techniques. Un-
paralleled facility at the keyboard.
Old pal Joe Farrell on reeds and
flutes. The breathtaking Flora Purim
vocal stylings. Stanley Clarke on bass
and Airto Moreira powerhousing
spicy Brazilian rhythms. MM-
MMGOOD !
To the delight of some and the
dismay of others the original RTF
lineup folded and reemerged with a
searing electric sound borrowed from
the Mahavishnu Orchestra counh-d
with Chick's romantic melodies.^A
sparkling young guitarist named Bill
Connors was introduced to the world
but it was his replacements, Earl
Klugh and Al DiMeola, who went on to
the international acclaim and com-
mercial success.
Chick has been active in Scien-
tology for years. He feels that this
philosophy has helped him to find his
own voice and realize the music in-
side. He applies his learning to his
music and his relationship with his
audiences. Whatever. It has paid off
in years of great recordings in an in-
credible variety of settings.
In the past 10 years Chick has
worked with large RTF-type groups
and small. He continues to work and
record with Gary Burton. Solo LPs
electric and non. A great two LP trio
set with Miroslav Vitous and Roy
Haynes. Pop Jazz. He has recorded on
other folks' sessions too often to
itemize. The guy is a kettle of great
hooch continually bubblin' over. Get
it? This is one cat who always was
and will be a progressive musician. In
the truest sense of the word - moving
onward. Enhancing.
Now Chick Corea is returning to
Ann Arbor (one of his favorite places
to play) for the first time in several
years and bringing his first electric,
no, elektric band in even more years.
Bassist John Patatucci has worked
with Chick's former mentor Stan Getz-
as well as Freddie Hubbard and Bob
James. Chick is already heralding
Guess the scene. It's not Athens.
THE BEST SELECTION AT THE BEST PRICE
JOHN COUGAR MFLI.ENCMP
FEATURING
LONELY OL NIGHT, SMALL TOWN
& RAIN ON THE SCARECROW
STOP
ON BY
CHICK COREA: Elektric post-Miles sound.
John as "the next Stanley Clarke."
The drummer is a St. Louis cat with
plenty of experience with the toast of
that r
of the
for su
preserving our tradition. Maintaining Club Date. plent
TEARS FOR FEARS
Songs From The Big Chair
INCLUDES THE HITS
EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD,
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Past,'
present,
future
By Marc S. Taras
Eclipse Jazz
10th Anniversary
celebration
TEN YEARS ARE GONE. And
Eclipse Jazz hopes there will be
many more to come. Long live jazz!
The American classical music! And
long live Eclipse Jazz! The
homegrown Treetown support group
for visionary musicians of the first
order.
This fall term marks the beginning
of the Eclipse Jazz 10th anniversary
season. What a time it has been and
what a time it will be! Eclipse
operates under the auspices of the
University Office of Major Events as
a student-run non-profit organization
promoting jazz in the Ann Arbor
community. Over the years it has
blossomed into one of the finest and
best respected jazz booking agencies
in the world. In the process Eclipse
has offered valuable workshop ex-
perience to students and community
members interest in all facets of con-
cert promotion. It has also served as a
vehicle for bringing numerous
unusual musical acts to the attention
of the community.
Concerts. Big and little. I'm talking
BIG like Ray Charles and Sarah
Vaughan. And little, like Jerome
Cooper and David Eyges. But Eclipse
has always dedicated itself to the
unusual and the exciting. They try to
bring artists that might not be seen
otherwise, or major acts that deserve
our attention, often in exciting set-
tings. This season's festivities are
really exceptional and no exception
to this format. As you will see and
hear...
The Past: Over the years Eclipse
has offered outstanding concert
programs featuring the greatest ar-
tists of their time. On time. Eclipse
has always taken rightful pride in
being topical, if not a step or two
ahead of the rest of our ears! They
brought us the great Charles Mingus
and the alarming and hevrtwarming
Rahsaan Roland Kirk at tie height of
their powers.
Eclipse has treated u to the
puckish pleasures of the clown prin-
cess of jazz, Carla Bley. Remember!
When Mingus died and split to the
next phase, Eclipse brought us the
Mingus Dynasty Band, joyfully
keeping our memories alive and
preserving our tradition. Maintaining
continuity. Remember Rahsaan! And
they do. Offering us the Bright
Moments series of smaller concerts
featuring brilliant musicians, deser-
ving and rewarding our attention.
They help these cats to earn a living,
you dig?
Eclipse brought Steve and Iqua
Coulson from Chicago's Association
for the Advancement of Creative
Musicians. When Iqua finished
singing"Lush Life" before the small
crowd in the Pendleton Room you
could have heard a pin drop. If you
weren't crying.
Eclipse also takes an occasional
bath in the name of Art and Integrity.
The concert from the volcanic pianist
Cecil Taylor comes to mind. The tres
petit audience was struck dumb! So
were Eclipse folks as they counted the
revenues. It has always been a
delightfully ingenuous attitude on the
part of Eclipse directors that the
proceeds from the BIG shows (Pat
Metheny, Jean Luc Ponty, et. al.)
should help to subsidize the equally
important shows by artists who lack
the commercial acclaim (Olu Dara,
Odean Pope et. al.).
Eclipse has also done its share on
behalf of the bevy of world class local
musicians in the area. They spon-
sored a beautiful reunion gig for
Toshiko Akiyoshi and legendary
drummer J.C. Heard. They gave us
the Grio Galaxy in a heart-stopping U-
Club Date.
Fondest Memories Department:
Abbey Lincoln at the Ballroom; David
Murray Octet at the U-Club; Abdullah
Ibrahim last year; Ronald Shannon
Jackson's first U-Club date. Etc. Etc.
Etc.
The Present: The 10th anniversary
banner unfurled in all its glory!
Here's a brief rundown of the Fall 1985
season. This is really the present as in
gift. For Eclipse's 10th birthday they
are bringing you only the best. The
festivities kicked off (and how!) last
week with the parade and pulse-
pounding concert from the Dirty
Dozen Brass Band. This Saturday
September 22nd you can see and hear
Chick Corea with his new electric
band (see article in this issue).
The Willem Breuker Kollektif is an
outrageous 10-piece group from Am-
sterdam that is easily the most outre
date on the schedule. This thrilling
band has been rightly compared to
Mingus and Carla Bley. They'll be
here in October - watch this space.
Saturday November 2nd is the date
scheduled for a rare (this is the first!)
duet recital from warm-hearted funk
'n' fire-breathing saxophonist David
Murray and the beautiful pianist
Stanley Cowell. Murray leads his own
all-star bands as well as being one-
fourth of the World Saxophone Quar-
tet. Cowell is an alumnus of the
University and an impeccable player.
New Agers and Yuppies will have
plenty
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523 E. LIBERTY
ANN ARBOR
1
. 10 Weekend/Friday, September 27, 1985.
Weekend/Fri(