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ARTS
The Michigan Daily Friday, January 23, 1987 Page 7
Mr. B., J. C. Heard to cut live album
By Alan Paul
Local boogie woogie piano
sensation Mr. B. has wanted to
record with legendary drummer J.C.
Heard for years. So when the time
came for B. to cut his fourth
: album, he called Heard to see if he'd
be interested. He was.
Tomorrow night at the Ark the
two men will play together
formally for the first time as the
tapes roll and Mr. B. records a live
album.
Mr. B. (Mark Braun) is a
popular Ann Arbor performer, fast
gaining a national reputation on the
C' strength of three albums released
over the past four years. Heard is
practically a mythic figure who has
played With every name performer
in jazz and blues from Duke
Ellington to Billie Holliday to Cab
" Calloway, and virtually everyone in
between.
This live album requires of
Braun, who is financing and
producing the recording himself, a
substantial economic risk.
"I'm subsidizing this myself and
then shopping it around," the
affable Braun said, "Which is kind
of risky because I'm not rehearsing
with J.C. or anything. We're just
going to play and roll them tapes
and whatever happens is what I've
got."
Heard however is not the least
bit worried.
"Oh no, it's no problem at all,"
the veteran said matter-of-factly, "I
know how he plays. I've been
playing for 60 years and once
you've been in this business as
long as me, nothing's hard."
In fact, Heard has played with
many of Braun's idols, including
Pete Johnson and Oscar Peterson,
the men who inspired Braun as he
first became interested in boogie
woogie piano. Braun, who will be
30 next month, did not start
playing piano until he was 17 and
"wasn't any good" until the ripe old
age of 20, at which point he got
very serious about his playing.
Braun has lived in Ann Arbor
since 1975, and before that he made
weekly journeys to this city from
his home in Flint to hear his first
mentor, Boogie Woogie Red, play
Monday nights at the Blind Pig.
hours I'd just sit there and listen to
him."
When he was 21, Braun began
making regular visits to Chicago to
seek out some of his idols. He
developed close friendships with
Blind John Davis, Sunnyland Slim,
'I'm not rehearsing with J.C. or anything... whatever
happens is what I've got'
- Mr. B
Boogie-woogie pianist
and... it was really something."
This live album could help
Braun become more widely known,
and the piano man has some
expectations and hopes for it. It's
no accident that he chose to make a
live album.
"I want the crowd excited,"
Braun said, getting a little excited
himself. "I want to have the full
atmosphere of a crowd. I really
want people to come and have a
good time.
"It's not going to be as much
like a live record but more like
bringing an audience into a studio.
If there's something I really want to
do and I don't feel that I've gotten a
good take, we'll play it again
because I haven't even rehearsed
with J.C."
Though the two have never
played together formally they have
jammed together on a few
occassions when they just
happenned to be in the same place
at the same time. The results were
memorable for Braun.
"I played better than I ever
have," he eagerly reminisced, "It
was incredible. I just hope that
happens again."
Heard doesn't have any doubts
about the gig.
"I told him 'Just sit down and
play. It'll be good."'
As we at the Daily know, J.C.
Heard doesn'tfool around. So if he
says it's going to br good, well,
we'll take his word for it. Mr. B.
and Heard will play two shows
Saturday night at the Ark, scheduled
for 7:30 and 10 p.m. Tickets are
$8.00 at the door.
ART
CLASSES
Offered by the
Michigan Guild
For brochure stop by the
Michigan Unions CIC desk
or Ticket Office or call the
Michigan Guild at 662- 3382
"Honest to God, I must have
seen him nine out of ten Monday
nights for ten years," Braun said
with a laugh. "I'd come down here,
- drive down, hitchhike or
whatever to see him and after I
moved to Ann Arbor I'd never miss
him. Many times it was just me,
him, and maybe one or two other
people. For the first couple of
and Little Brother Montgomery
although they were reluctant at
first.
"They sort of thought 'Who the
hell is this knocking at my door?'.,
But once they saw how interested I
really was in learning from them,
they really opened up," Braun said.
"I'd hang out with them for days.
Little Brother was really generous.
I'd sit there and watch him play
xperimentaifims to be shown
UM News in
The Daily
764-0552
By Noelle Brower
Experimental filmmaker Richard
Myers is not yet a household name,
but perhaps he should be. Ann
v Arbor will have its chance to view
a selection of Myers's films this
weekend when the Ann Arbor Film
Festival, in conjunction with the
Performance Network, presents a
retrospective of this pioneer's
journey into the world of exper -
imental film.
Myers has been a prominent
figure in the close-knit world of
experiemtnal cinema since the early
'70s and has been compared by
various critics to such film
r luminaries as Godard and Fellini. It
is not so much that Myers's style
resembles that of Godard or Fellini
bUt -that likd them, Myers is an
artist who takes risks with each
new addition to his film oeuvre.
With each film, Myers digs
deeper into his own psyche while
exploring the world around him. He
currently teaches film in the Art
department at Kent State University
in Ohio; thus it is no surprise that
many of his shorter films have delt
with interpreting the tragedy that
engulfed the University in 1970 and
the outside world's sometimes
crass, sometimes indifferent
reaction to it. His films are
quintessentially autobiographical;
his domain is so-called middle
America where he projects a touch
of surrealism onto small town
U.S.A. This is a world that Myers
knows well and seems satisfied to
remain in; the fact that he is not as
well known, as he certainly de -
serves to be, outside of the film
community is a testament to his
decision to remain independent and
quietly pursue his visions.
This Friday at 7 p.m., The
Performance Network will show -
case three of Myers's shorts films:
First Time Here, Coronation, and
Deathstyles.
Saturday the Network will present
two of his full-length features,
Floorshow at 7 p.m. and Jungle
Girl at 9:30 p.m. For more
information call 663-0681.
MON"
Oti , V
GUS'S PIZZERIA
310 MAYNARD - (INSIDE DOOLEY'S)
665-5800
4 0EYA
V o ., o0
4, .
SMALL 10" PIZZA
with 4 items
AND 1 QUART of POP
$4.99
plus tax
exp. 3/1/87
i THE
CLUB
MUSICIANS
WANTED
TO PLAY AT SOUNDSTAGE
THURSDAYS IN THE U-CLUB
rock/jazz/blues/reggae
ALL TYPES OF BANDS and/or SOLOISTS WELCOME
Call 763-1107 for info and audition times
gsjoundstage
R
UNION
Arts & Programming
This week at the Michigan Union...
Jan. 23
Jan. 29
Banners Exhibit
Silkscreen prints on fabric
by artist Sue Moran.
The University Club
Arts at Midday
Eight Scottish Country
Dancers demonstrate reels,
jigs and strathspeys.
Pendleton Room, 12:15 pm
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TALLY HALL IS:
oRGns
A STATE EMPLOYEE'S SMALL
BUSINESS DREAMS COMING TRUE
IN A WORLD OF CHILDREN
LITERATURE.
A few years ago, Curt Irish - a security trainer at the Forensic Center- had the
chance to go into business. He found a great opportunity with Children's Book Mark-
an area franchise carrying children's literature, toys, educational games, school supplies (
and more.
Wanting a location outside a regional mall, Curt delayed his opening until
the completion of Tally Hall. Today, with an expert staff and more than 5000
titles in stock, Children's Book Mark has all the necessary ingredients for success.
Children's Book Mark is more than books. It's the commitment.
COMING TO BOYNE MOUNTAIN FEB. 11 th!
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