The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, April 20, 1988-Page 11
Gonzales brothers
from the Bronx bring
Latin-influenced
jazz
By Brian Bonet
Eclipse's third and final work-
shop, honoring the culturally and
musically rich tradition of Latin
jazz, will feature brothers Jerry
(congas, trumpet) and A n d y
Gonzales (bass) demonstrating the
special sounds of Puerto Rican
jazz.
The Bronx natives are in town
for this Saturday's Memorial Con-
cert in honor of Machito, the great
Cuban-born percussionist and Big
Band leader whose music left a per-
manent mark on American jazz.
According to Andy, this was the
music the Gonzales brothers grew
up with and were influenced by.
"We grew up around music all the
time. All the hip stuff - Machito,
Tito Puente ... ," says the 37-year-
old bassist, adding that his father, a
vocalist, was also a musical influ-
ence.
The Gonzales' first professional
gig was with the Latin Jazz Quintet
at the New York World's Fair in
1964 when Andy was 13 and Jerry
was 15. After playing with the
quintet for two years, both broth-
ers, whether playing together or
apart, were establishing quite a
name for themselves.
"My first recording was at the
age of 16, 22 years ago," says
Andy. "I've recorded over 400 al-
bums with just about everyone in
the business, Latin music and
jazz." A short, varied list of musi-
cians that the Gonzales' have col-
laborated with includes Dizzy
Gillespie, Machito, McCoy Tyner,
Tony Williams, Ray Barretto,
Ruben Blades, and Tito Puente.
By playing with such diverse
musicians, the Gonzales' have ex-
posed the magic intricacies of Latin
rhythm to the jazz world. "Latin
music has given quite a bit of
different colors and a world of dif-
ferent rhythms (to jazz)," says
Andy. "The rhythms are quite so-
phisticated and quite complex. It
takes years of study just to get
close to it."
According to Andy, this is why
Latin influences are so compatible
with jazz. "Latin jazz is a perfect
blend of the two. The complexity
of the rhythm merges with com-
plexity of jazz."
Andy says tomorrow's work-
shop will present an "all around
general view of Latin rhythm and
Latin music." He adds, "We will
examine how the music comes to-
gether - Jazz and Latin music -
how the trend started and what's
happening today." And as far as
hands-on participation is concerned,
they "insist upon it."
JERRY AND ANDY GONZA-
LES will hold a workshop tomor-
row at the Michigan Union's
Kuenzel room. The workshop be-
gins at 7:30 p.m. and admission is
$3. THE MACHITO MEMORIAL
CONCERT is Saturday night at
Detroit's Orchestra Hall. Showtime
is 8 p.m. and tickets are $20 re-
served and $10 general admission.
For further information call Eclipse
at 763-0046.
Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos) is a high school teacher fighting student apathy in
'Stand and Deliver.'
Movie
stands and
delivers
its
meaningful
message
I,
By Lisa Pollak
In 1982, math teacher Jaime Es-
calante took a job at an East Los
Angeles high school where math
was taught by gym teachers, and
gangs had more influence than in-
structors. While the principal wor-
ried that the predominantly Hispanic
school would lose its accreditation,
Escalante dispelled doubts and
amazed his Garfield High colleagues
- not only by inspiring his stu-
dents to enjoy math - but by
preparing 18 of them to pass the
difficult Advanced Placement calcu-
lus exam.
It's not so much that Stand and
Deliver, directed by Ramon Menen-
dez, is inspirational, or well-made,
or that it's beautifully performed by
a talented ensemble. It's that Stand
and Deliver , a true story, proves
that truth is not only stranger than
fiction, but can be more insightful
and moving as well.
Watch Escalante (Miami Vice's
Edward James Olmos) as he cajoles,
entertains, and threatens his students
("tough guys don't do math; tough
guys fry chicken for a living") with
math training so intense that inte-
grals and derivatives fill their days,
nights, and summers. Watch the en-
dearing acquiescence of students,
some for the first time, committing
themselves to their educations and
futures. Watch Olmos, whose con-
sistent performance is one of the
year's best. Watch the thorough
characterization, the careful expres-
sion, the silent but telling reaction
of every other actor in the film
And then listen - as Escalante
impassionately responds to the
teacher who tells him that "higher
test scores come only from raising
the economic level of a commu-
nity."
"Students will rise to the level of
expectations," he protests. "Math is
the great equalizer." .
Fiction could have produced the
film's rowdy students, the cynical
and frustrated teachers, the gang
fights, the class clowns - this we
recognize; we have seen before. But
in Fact the Educational Testing Ser-
vice was so suspicious about the
Jerry and Andy Gonzales
... influenced by the hip stuff
Garfield students' similar high scores
and mistakes that they accused them
of cheating and cancelled their re-
sults.
The film's turning point - the
one* which sets up its ultimately
victorious end - comes when Es-
calante confronts the accusatory ETS
officials. "These scores would never
have been questioned if my kids did
not have Spanish surnames and
come from barrio schools," he says.
There are some parts of Stand and
Deliver we may want, to forget:
the lack of demonstrated motivation
by many of the students, the o44n-
confusing time lapses, and thete
Inspiration Movie moments ( iries-
santly uplifting music, the person
who asks "do you really think grey
can do it?", a scene where the cuss
dropout beamingly reappears in-the
classroom doorway.)
But there is one part of the !im
we do not want to forget - the un-
founded prejudice that racial and eco-
nomic minorities will not "stand and
deliver" the intelligence and
achievements that more privileged
See Stan4 Pa$o,3
.O B
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THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION
CONGRATULATES ITS GRADUATING
CONCENTRATIONS AND
All Senior
Honor Students, Kappa Tau Alpha Inductees,
Scholarship Recipients and
Creative Awards winners for 1987-88
Kappa Tau Alpha Inductees
(Communication Honor Society)
David J. Allen (Senior Honors)
Lisa Failer
Victoria E. Green (Senior Honors)
Kurt B. Hein (Senior Honors)
Carol Howard
Leon Lynn .
Christopher Moore (Senior Honors)
Stephanie Simon
Kappa Tau Alpha Top Scholar Award
Douglas Wolfe
J. Evens Campbell Scholarship
Alyssa Lustigman
Mary Lou Butcher Scholarship
Sheala Durant
John Rich Scholarship
Don Solosan
Douglas Wolfe
Michael Luckoff Sholarship
Christopher Moore
Sports Writing Award
Bernie deGroat
Garnet R. Garrison Research Awards
David Allen
I
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