ARTS Wednesday, November 20, 1985 The Michigan Daily Page 7 Shorter comes up short By Marc S. Taras t was really not the triumphant return that I had hoped for when saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter came to town last weekend. In Sunday night's first show at the Ark, Shorter unveiled his new quartet and confidently led them through a slick set of material taken mostly from his new LP Atlantis. Though the audience was wildly en- thusiastic at this Eclipse Jazz event, I must admit to excitement and disap- pointment in equal measure. I mean I was troubled. Here was this cat - a genius - blowing liquid gold in acts *of alchemy all night with a band that was (in a lively way, I guess) simply going through the motions. The music was structurally reminiscent of Wayne's work with Weather Report. On the one hand this bugged me. It was a review period. On the other hand Wayne played more horn than I have ever heard from him and he was in top form. Mesmerizing. He was joined on stage by three young white kids - and they played like it. Sorry, folks, I call 'em as I see 'em. Pianist Tom Canning has sounded less cliched on album dates. Bassist Gary Willis had every hair licked into place. Drummer Tom Brechtlein played rock 'n' roll with lots of notes. The music was well rehearsed and Wayne was his usual supple self yet there was something lacking. The band provided a backdrop rather than a motivating support. I experienced an alienating flash in the middle of the set. .. before the show had even begun I spoke with a glowing Colleen Clancy. She excitedly reported Wayne's delight at meeting her! Wayne is a long time West Coast con- sumer of Ann Arbors home-grown- finest-in-the-universe Clancy's Fancy Hot Sauce. Later, it struck me how comfor- table Wayne looked. How happy he seemed to be here. This is genuine. I took his experience with Colleen as a a sort of metaphor. The band was playing to the Ann Arbor kind of crowd. As I observed to a friend, this was jazz for the CD generation. It was appropriate, geared to fans of Windham Hill and Pat Metheny LP's. Soft touch fusion that was astute rather than commer- cial. Geez, Wayne, what topicality! It was a struggle for me between content and context. Read: content vs. contest. Wayne was simmering with as much grist for the mill as ever . . . but the band ... yeesh! The same old some old sameoldsameold. Oh well. There were highlights; moments where everything seemed to click and blossom. "On the Eve of Departure" featured Wayne as a Kung Fu master of soft fiery sword speak. Power is Zen art of silent tongues. When he blows soft and breathy it is often stronger than other folks' screaching. Seemingly drunken funk leanings thinly disguising the power within. There was plenty of grit in Wayne's playing. Lots of sweet slippery soprano and fullsome tenor. The horn and the sound have lost none of the fabled patina. At one point the lights went out in the room and Wayne pulled the whole audience into the maelstrom. It was hypnotic. I almost bleived that it was Cecil McBee and Roy Haynes with him on stage. The familiar licks the young folk offered broke the spell again and again. Oh well. Happy and sad. Plenty to think about. I wish that Wayne would recoup his gris-gris. He is a witch doc- tor who can minister to all of us if he only has the proper (con)texts. 'Nigh tm are. Farce or By Katherine Hansen " POOR PRETTY-BOY Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton), a teenager any girl would love to introduce to the folks if not for one small quirk: Fred- dy Krueger, a psychopathic, spear- clawed killer resides in the dank boiler room of Jesse's new home. Of course, Jesse becomes even less ap- pealing when Freddy decides to move into Jesse's body. Aside from this *nienace, Jesse is a sweet kid - you would hug him if you could. His story is A Nightmare On Elm Streeet 2: Freddy's Revenge, and the film monotonously delivers just what the title promises - a nightmare that drags on and on . .. and on. There seems to be no end to the tor- ture that Jesse must endure. He's stuck not only with the same night- mare night after night, but also an unsympathic, nerdy father (Clu *Galager) who can only conclude that his son's frightful dreamy episodes are drug-induced. Thank God for Jesse's mom (Hope Lange), a kind lady who semi-compensates for her callous husband. Sure, Mom is caring and Dad is jerk; stereotypes we've come to wearily accept but neither role has any semblance of dimension. Apparently Chaskin saw more impor- tance in centering the tale on Jesse and his Annette O'Toole look-alike girlfriend, Lisa (Kim Myers). Myers and Patton comprise a less than convincing team. When the pair discovers the essence of Jesse's recurring nightmares and somnam- bulist tendencies, they are drawn together in lukewarm love. Ah, so sweet, but more often, downright laughable. Jesse and Lisa's union becomes far too contrived, and the tale turns from an emotionally draining horror show to a series of boringly predictable scenarios. Of course, the couple's ensuing sexual interlude is ludicrous. Lisa's Fan tasy Dlside barbeque swarms with chic, apely, and horny teens while she d Jesse cavort in the cabana. Why his film rated R? Certainly not by rit of its sex scene, which is, at t, a joke that failed. here are other joke-ridden scenes well. Jesse's wandering about in sleepwalker's aura and finds nself in a punk bar inhabited by istic, bigger-than-life characters, is fusing. How about Jesse's slimy een tongue used to, shall we say, oke Lisa's romantic endearments? d let's not forget Freddy's handy- ndy orange peel skin, which he uses reveal his "brain." Vhat shall we make of this en- rage of slimy sex and ridiculous agery (or is it ridiculous sex and my imagery?) Who knows, or more ingly, who cares? Obviously, mething funny happened when eddy hit town. No wonder, since A ghtmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's venge is far more rib-tickling than ne-chilling. Austin's Zeitgeist bring their own brand of southern rock to the Pig Wed. night. Not just anothertwangy guitar band baritone depths to produce some serious harmony, as By Hobey Echlin in "Translate Slowly," and make the case for the ILTAR oriented Southern rock is a touchy subject band's original approach to some of the older musical Ithese days. As soon as you've plugged in your themes that their contemporaries get so bogged down thes das. s son s yo veplugedin our with. Rickenbacher cutaway and spoken your first drawled Diversity scores another plus, as the album proves words, you've got "R.E.M. clones" hung all over you, amply. Plenty of Byrds went into baking the "Araby" and even if it does sound a little different, well, pie, but the twist is indescribably refreshing. somebody'll come along and have something bad to Back that with the melodramatic "Things don't say. Change," throw in some emotional confessions with Zeitgeist is out to change all that and defy your "Legendary Man," and put it all alongside the six- monikers. And while they're at it, they have a helluva string chaos of "Sound and Fury," and you jsut may time. have the next superband. The Austin-based fouresome, the fun-child of The sound may be hook-filled, but they're Zeitgeist singer/guitarists Jeff Croslin and Kim Longacre, is hooks. And with the Who-ish-at-times rhythm section of nearing their second year of existence, and their new drummer Garret Williams and bassist Cindy Toth Translate Slowly LP (DB recs) is climbing up college (staying home this tour to give birth) providing the air-play charts faster than you can say "New South." powerful backdrop to the layered vocal harmonies and Asking why, you're not going to get many easy an- guitar hooks of Croslin and Longacre, Zeitgeist defies swers. Hell, they don't even really know. the simplistic clich of their jangly contemporaries. "We had no idea any of this would happen," con- And the name? Literally translated; "Spirit of the fesses Croslin. "There are trademarks to our sound, times." In a world where pretensions only go so far but I can't write twelve songs that sound alike in the before everybody gives up and goes out for a beer, sense that U2 songs sound alike, and we're just going to Zeitgeist is just the thing. have to live with that." Where else can you hear Beat-tinges lyrics with And it's all the better for us. In fact, Zeitgeist is one brooding melodies right along side the Peanuts theme? of the first bands to come along that don't wear their brongmlderihaogsdetePnushm? influences on their sleeves. Or upbeat Willie Nelson covers, so good you can sing If it sounds Velvety at first, and it seems Croslin is right along, paired with the incredible surface-to-air pulin hisbstLuVeedralondcomesea eslCosynds vocal harmonies of Croslin and Longacre? Not in my pulling his best Lou Reed, along comes a melody and garage. timed lyric that puts Lou back in his place. Zeitgeist, tonight at the Blind Pig. See if Texas is Homage paid, but talent, too, as when Kim good for more than cheesy football teams. Music will Longacre's voice brings Croslin's voice up from its happen about 10 p.m. I "to I - Michigan Daily ARTS 763-0379 -..j w v . \". COOKIES NIGHT OWLS TAKE A STUDY BREAK! Buy 2 or more of Mrs. Peabody's cookies or brownies after 9:00 p.m. and get a FREE beverage! Records The Alarm-Strength (I.R.S.) Back in the days when U2 were touring to promote their album War, it seemed that they were constantly trying to sell us this new act, The Alarm. The Alarm were U2's favorite band, and were touted as something fresh, pure, compelling, and let's not forget political. They frequently opened for the Irish band, and their anthematic, energetic songs, highlighted by acoustic guitar playing - not electric - helped create The Alarm Image. Well, times have changed, just like U2's sound. But the Alarm seem to be trying to rediscover that band's original fiery style (which producer Brian Eno helped diffuse on their last album), tossing out the acoustic guitars in favor of a heavy-duty, all out electric approach which is a lot more than similar to that of old U2. Imagine The Edge's playing without the characteristic added effects to his guitar. The result is a tight, somewhat American sounding, clearly derivative attempt at the jugular of AOR. It might (unfor- tunately) succeed, too. The album opens with the pounding, radio-geared assault "Knife Edge," The Alarm seem to have gone for a heavier keyboard sound, as well-and this helps hurl the piece through its driving power chords. But that an- themic lyrical style is still om- ipresent inthe band's songs - lthough it's dubious as to what sort of revolution these guys would like to see, if any. This song out-lives its usefulness after about five chords, and seems to pound on forever with Mike Peters lamely repeating, The important thing is I've got to sur- vive. "Strength" pummels its way through an especially obvious attem- pt to swipe The Edge's distinctive Auitar plaving, straight out of "New blance, to, of all things, "I'll Get By With a Little Help From My Friends" of Beatles fame. Well, at least the opening does. There's some more U2-isms on the actually redeemable "The Day the Ravens Left the Tower," a pretty melody with some genuinely affecting lyrics of devastation. It's got a nice sense of passion to it, but unfor- tunately one can't get away from its complete lack of originality. The song almost belongs on October. The Alarm want to be cranked on your radio and there's absolutely no doubt of it after listening to this record. Strength contains shards of just about everything that's "hot" and "marketable" AOR, as well as a sickening overdose of the licks straight from the previously men- tioned U2. Their revolution - which was abstract enough before, but at least sounded convincing when set to acoustic guitars - sounds cheap and silly when taken to grand arena rock proportions. But, then again, grand arena rock seems to be what The Alarm have chosen to conquer. Elec- tric guitars certainly pack more space. But funny as it may be, The Alarm do a better U2 than U2 does, lately. -Beth Fertig. Gene Loves Jezebel- Immigrant (Relativity) Gene Loves Jezebel, one of the many distinctive and consequential British bands finally getting domestic distribution and record deals, have a sound that is a combination of tribal and thrasing drums, smooth bass lines, assorted razor-edged and fire- siren guitars, and two of the most in- describable wailing calls coming from the mouths of instigators Michael J. (identical twins, no less). Yet under all the barrage is a very traditional feel, something that is very Keltic. It gives their sound an added substance, something lacking in most of their contemporaries. It is a haunting and beautiful manifestation, putting them somewhere between U2 and Bauhaus, but it rocks in a dif- ferent way. "Always A Flame" starts the album off, building with a slow, hazy and lazy Keltic intro. Then it rocks. It features a compounding of jagged and string-bending guitar and some nicely placed whistling. "Shame" is a rocker with chanted vocalsaand searing guitars augmented by a bouncy but sinister beat. "'Stephen" is a slowed down Keltic waltz with assorted soaring guitar chords. "The title track finishes the side, feeling like a cool England morning as the waves slowly wash up on the shore. Side Two begins with the two best tracks, the current single, "Cow," and the scorching and sensual, "Wor- th Waiting For." The former has a real loose arrangement, an amazing guitar line and chanted chorus, while the latter has an incredible bent and is as catchy as hell, to boot. GLJ are an unassuming and thoughtful item..They use a consistent framework, but interject numerous nuances that give them something they can call their own. -By Richard Williams Open till 11 p.m. daily 715 N. University 761-CHIP COUPON MUST BE PRESENTED WITH PURCHASE OFFER VALID THROUGH DECEMBER 1, 1985 I.or ( ) "N" (*vI ." Earn 8 Credits This Spring in NEW HAMPSHIRE THE NEW ENGLAND LITERATURE PROGRAM MASS MEETING & SLIDE SHOW THURS., NOV. 21 8 p.m. AUDITORIUM D, ANGELL HALL for more information PROF. WALTER CLARK Dept. of English 761-9579 I U ~'Bird Pnuiise . JAZZ CLUB The Bird of Paradise Ann Arbor's On/v Jazz Club Located at 207 South Ashley 662-8310 Featuring: LIVE JAZZ ENTERTAINMENT Seven nights a week 9:00 P.M. - 1:30 A.M. BUT We're not just a nightclub. Come join us Monday-Friday, 5 P.M.- 8 P.M. for " Happy Hour Drink Specials " After work Snacks ALSO Wed.-Friday & Football Saturdays Live Music 5:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. r take a day off from smoking . . . join the Great American SMOKE 019 Thursday, November 21, 1985 " 10 AM-2 PM "Fishbowl". (Mason Hall) I I A Grand Tale of High Adventure as Thrilling as Raiders of The Lost Ark or King Solomon's Mines If you smoke, donate a cigarette for a chance to win prizes. Non-smokers are eligible to win too, if they pledge to adopt a smoker and help him/her quit for the day. Thinking about quitting for good? "Say No to Nicotine"-University Health Ser- i I