ARTS Friday, January 8, 1988 The Michigan Daily Page 7 Bryant to make pitstop in Ann Arbor 3y Brian Bonet "Ann Arbor isn't a popular stopover for travellers on their way from Japan to New York, but don't tell that to jazz piano giant Ray Bryant. BAter a short solo stint far, far out east, the Toronto native will travel to Ann Arbor this Saturday night for two cozy shows at the Kerrytown Concert House. On Tuesday, Bryant and his trio will travel not so far east for an engagement in the Big Apple. Bryant will grace the Kerrytown stage how he likes to best - alone. "Piano players always like to play alone... You're free to express your- self without any diversions," says Bryant. "When you play solo there's no argument about who's on the bandstand." Expressive freedom and perform- ing with a personal touch are partic- ularly important to Bryant who feels crowded in band formats that exceed a trio. "Up to trio, you are in com- plete control. After the trio you are W an accompaniment role... you have to follow someone." Bryant's soloing is infectious. Ed Berg, curator of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University wrote that Bryant is "unsurpassed at this demanding art (soloing)." His style has been described as a versatile blend of stride, bebop, and boogie- woogie. He is a pianist who can play the blues as well as a ballad. However, Bryant prefers that la- bel-taggers stray from his music. "I'm only going to play one style- my own style. That's the only style I know. I guess I've been influenced by (Art) Tatum but I've been play- ing so many years I think that these things have boiled down to my own style. I can't describe it. I've never even tried. They (critics) describe it as the Ray Bryant style." Despite his love for having a stage and an audience all to himself, Bryant didn't hesitate to share the stage as a house pianist at a Philadelphia jazz club in the mid-. 1950s with such greats as Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, and Charlie Shavers. These performers didn't hesitate to share the stage with Bryant, either. Davis and Rollins were so impressed by the 24 year old pianist that they each brought him to New York for recording dates in 1955. Bryant gained invaluable experi- ence from these performances, but says he never felt awed by the leg- ends. "I just felt honored - and lucky. I never felt awed. If they felt I was good enough to be up there, I wasn't going to argue." Bryant says the last time he per- formed in the area was approxi- mately 10 years ago at the Detroit Institute of Art and is anxious to re- turn. Likewise, jazz fans anxiously await his return and despite the weather, his reception should be warm. As for his reception in Japan? "I couldn't have wished or asked for a better reception. They don't see you (jazz performers) every day. They re- ally pay attention." Bryant stresses that his more- than-welcome reception in Japan had nothing to do with western culture versus far eastern culture. "One lan- guage was being spoken - music. And jazz is a dialect that Ray Bryant is truly fluent in. RAY BRYANT will be perform- ing at the Kerrytown Concert House for two shows on Saturday night.,7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Admission is $15 and $12. Reservations are suggested (769-2999). Read Waeq Jazz pianist Ray Bryant made his first recording with Betty 'Bebop' Carter in the early 1950s. It was Carter's first recording, also. You'll have to wait until next week to see Carter at the Bird of Paradise. However, you can experience the infectious soloing of Ray Bryant Saturday night at Kerrytown. Eclipse' s Java and Jazz series I continues with Detroit's By Alan Paul The truth, the truth, what is the truth and where can it be found? It's the name of a jazz band ap- pearing Sunday for two sets at the Michigan Union. Eclipse's Java & Jazz series con- tinues to bring Detroit's finest jazz imusicians to campus with Hubie Crawford, Mike Gutierrez, and Ttuth. Crawford and Gutierrez are highly versatile musicians who have -played with a wide range of musi- ans and the quartet's repertoire roams from straight ahead bop to fusion to Latin jazz. Percussionist and bandleader Gutierrez is well versed in a variety of styles, having studied with top percussionists in several different musical genres. Among those with whom he has worked are Norm Fickett, principle percussionist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the legendary bopper Art Blakey, and fusion percussion kingpin Billy Cobham. "I try to incorporate a bit of it all into my playing," Gutierrez says. "I'd like to give (my) music a differ- ent title than jazz. I'm into all pro- gressive music, not just jazz and the title's stifling to a certain extent." However, bassist Crawford, who played with Earl Klugh for seven years, doesn't necessarily agree. "There are so many types of jazz that it isn't stifling," Crawford says. "To a lot of people the word jazz means straight ahead, but a lot of words don't really mean anything. You shouldn't take a title too seri- ously." The music of Gutierrez and Crawford certainly defies titles or categorization. Like Gutierrez, Crawford's playing blends various styles. "Hubie has different influences (than me) which he brings to the music and it pushes me," Gutierrez said. Crawford is equally adept at stand up and electric bass and before hooking up with Klugh, the Detroit native performed with artists as di- verse as Mel Torme, Buddy Mont- gomery, Mose Allison, and "Mr. Superfly" himself, Curtis Mayfield. He also played in a psychedelic rock band. Crawford brings all these in- fluences into his jazz playing and "it all sort of happens." Call it what you will, the Truth does happen. Trumpeter Walt Szy- manski and keyboardist Gary Haver- Truth cate round out the honest quartet. This is the third of four perfor- mances in the monthly program. The atmosphere is mellow, the mu- sic unamplified, the coffee strong, and the jazz hot. Previous perfor- mances by the Darryl Duncan Quar- tet on November 15, and The Doc Holladay Trio on December 6 were well attended artistic successes. Hol- laday wowed the hushed crowd with his cosmic wanderings, exploring the limits of the imagination as well as his baritone sax. Who knows what may happen this weekend. Java & Jazz will be happening again Sunday in the Union's Tap Room. Gutierrez and Crawford will hold a workshop at 4:30 and the performance begins at 5:00. Both are free as is the java. Welcomes Thne Eleventh Ann Arbor Folk Festival Saturday, January 30 at 6 pm Hill Auditorium Holly Near & Ronnie Gilbert Tom Paxton David Bromberg Jonathan Edwards Christine Lavin Archie Fisher & Garnet Rodgers Jackie Torrence Maura O'Connell Kitty Donohoe RFD Boys & Ken Whitely Tickets on sale at the Michigan Union Ticket Office, Herb David Guitar Studio, and all TicketMaster Outlets now; and at SchoolKids Records after January 1st of this year. Charge by Phone 763-TKTS A Fundraiser for the Ark Accommodations by Ann Arbor Inn A Major Events Presentation p 04 ews. No The TI-95 PROCALC" is our most powerful, top of the line advanced scientific with a full range of scientific, mathematic and statistical functions. It uses redefinable function keys to provide easy access to functions with menu-like windows and has a flexible file management system to conveniently store programs and data. 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