ARTS
Friday, January 15, 1988
The Michigan Daily
Heard
Page 8
swings
into
By Alan Paul
WEMU's winter Depot Town
Jazz Series returns with a vengeance
tomorrow night as J.C. Heard, De-
troit drummer extraordinaire, pounds
the skins with his 13 piece orches-
tra.
Heard, 70, has been swinging in
bands both big and small for 50
years. In 1938 the Detroit native
moved to New York to play behind
piano great Teddy Wilson. Heard
quickly rose to the top of the jazz
world, recording with Count Basie,
Duke Ellington, Bennie Goodman,
Billie Holliday, and Lester Young,
among many others.
"For big bands Duke and Basie
really stand out," the fast talking
Heard said in an interview with the
Daily last year. "They had the feel-
ing and they had people in the band
capable of bringing out what they
wrote... and they knew how to bring
out the individual. Duke didn't make
everyone copy each other."
Heard, who has played on over
1,500 albums and recently released
his latest album, Some. of This,
Some of That, continues to play
mostly traditional big band jazz, a
music he feels has ne
due acclaim in Americ
tinues to live on.
"It (jazz) has never
slowed down on accou
roll and all that shit.
died out...and never wi
America's greatest art
die out. But there's p
They copy stuff quick
the kids. It's just li
hamburgers. They've1
ing with hamburgers,f
pizza," Heard said with
"You know -make a 1
Though he felt u
here, Heard did find a
his talents were more r
1953, after an all-sta
Japan received an entht
tion including a ticker
Heard made Japan and
home for five years, t
sively and appearing in
"When I said I was
everyone thought I w
tried to talk me into r
them," Heard recalle
Japanese gave me a c
blank line and told me
amount. They had hug
us; they appreciated
everyone 'go back to
Depot
ver gotten its staying here."'
a. Yet it con- Eventually however, Hea
the lure of home and returned
died out, just Japanese wife and son to the]
nt of rock and area. His hatred for rock mu
But it never hiS belief that Americanst
J1 because it's have the patience necessary1
form. It can't preciating jazz remains stro
olitics today. clearly leaves a bad taste
and sell it to mouth.
ke fast food "You have to understandj
got a war go- it's more like classical1
fried chicken, You've got to listen to it. I
ia deep laugh. said a jazz musician can pla
buck fast." but a rock musician can't ph
nappreciated not unless (they've) had som
home where ing. See, (in) jazz you have
ecognized. In an imagination, feeling, a
r jazz tour of Rock you don't need all that,'
usiastic recep- said.
-tape parade, "Everything's been done1
the Orient his Things like backbeats and
ouring exten- beats that guys are doing
three films. drums. That's all they cal
goig to stay, Well, that stuff's been done
eturning with playing that shit when I was a
d. "Well, the Suzanne Lane, winner oft
ontract with a cal category of WEMU's 198
e to fill in the Competition, will open the si
e billboards of Heard tomorrow with her
us. So I told singing. Lane is from Muskeg
Harlem, I'm currently lives in Ann Arbor.
Town
The 1988 Depot Town Winter
ard felt Jazz Series begins at 7 p.m. tomor-
I with a row night with vocalist SUZANNE
Det-oit LANE AND TRIO. J.C. HEARD
sic and AND HIS ORCHESTRA take the
do not stage at 8 p.m. for a concert set and
for ap- two dance sets. The atmosphere is
ng and mellow, the people friendly, the food
in his cheap, and the music swinging. Call
WEMU at 487-2229 for directions,
jazz - or more information.
music.-
4
Join.
the
Daily
Arts
Page
Call: 763-0379
4
Detroiter J.C. Heard and his Orchestra will kick-off WEMU's winter
Depot Town Jazz Series tonight for one concert set and two dance
sets. AnnaArbor's own Suzanne Lane will open with her heart-felt
jazz vocals.
..'
The Alley
Door is
open to
new
alternatives
By Beth Fertig
To most students, the cramped,
cluttered alley between the State
Theater and Jason's is known as the
easiest shortcut from State Street to
the Modern Languages Building.
Within a few weeks it might be bet-
ter known as the site of Ann Arbor's
newest club.
The Alley Door opened last
weekend and occupies what was for-
merly Escoffier's interiors. It doesn't
serve alcohol, but it does carry just
about every type of juice and carbon-
ated beverage you can imagine, as
well as alcohol-free malt liquors,
popcorn, and nachos. The Alley Door
is also open all night - an impor-
tant attribute in the Pan Tree-Free
after hours.
The club is owned by Mark His-
elman, a graduate of the University
Engineering school who also owns
the clothing store at the front of the
building. Its manager and promoter,
Archie O'Connor, is an enterprising
1985 graduate of Community High
School.
"We're trying to make a place
where people who live in the com-
munity can go," explains Hiselman.
"To create an Ann Arbor scene, kind
of like an artistic brain-trust so we
can possibly emanate from this area
new things... film, poetry readings...
Where people can go, unwind, and
dance for a little while after the bars
close. We want to concentrate on lo-
cal talent, too."
The Alley Door may succeed on
its schedule alone, as it's open from
11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday
through Saturday. Its calendar spot-
lights film and video nights, cultural
music specials, and dance nights.
Local bands will be showcased on
Fridays and Saturdays.
"Rather than go to Denny's or
Grandma Lee's and eat their grand
slam breakfast, (patrons) can see
artists," O'Connor explains, outlin-
ing the void he hopes to fill. "This is
a place for students, artists, the town
in general. There won't be pressure
from the bar scene either 'cause we're
non-alcoholic."
O'Connor might be young, but he
says his experience with the local
music scene has given him valuable
insights for promoting a new club.
Like Hiselman, he's enthusiastic
about the Alley Door's prospects.
With his lanky build and long curly
hair, he resembles a healthy Peter
Buck. He paces, nervously, aware of
the difficulties of opening a new
business in the Ann Arbor of today.
"All my close friends, my brother
- have been in bands," he says, de-
tailing his background. "I've been
surrounded by music. I've arranged
shows for people, whether a club or
party. This is just a stepping stone
for me to start my own production
company some day."
Word spread quickly last weekend
about the Alley Door's opening
night, and on Friday the place was
packed to its 190-capacity, forcing
the management to turn people away
at the door. The next night things
were considerably calmer; in fact the
place was barely filled as the Eels
took the stage. But then again, this
is only the beginning in an industry
that has its share of peaks and val-
leys.
From State Street it's hard to get
an idea of how big the club is - that
is, until you walk into the alley and
begin to pick up the sounds of a
band. Its interior is larger than the
Halfway Inn, but smaller than the
Pig. Escoffier's lattices remain intact
just over the steps, along with the
circular structure where a cork tree
once grew. The sound system is still
in the works, and band members are
not elevated on any sort of stage but
are free to mingle within the
"audience" realm. Candle-lit tables
are off on the sides and up the steps
in back and provide for a cozy set-
ting.
The Alley Door has been closed
all week to finish its renovations,
but its regular schedule starts this
weekend. The Groove Biscuits and
Flashback will play tonight and to-
morrow, respectively; Monday will
feature films and videos by local
artists; and cultural music, dance
night, and open mikes will follow in
the weekly schedule.
I
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*
MICHIGRAS
W Hud a
-~ 1~~J
15
COUPON
$1.50
OFD{
\dult lening
1TICKET.
Good thru1121188'
COUPON
Doily Photo by JOHN MUNSON
new club The Alley Door,
artists, and the town in
BRING IN THIS AD FOR
A GREAT MOVIE DEAL!
(ONE TICKET PER COUPON)
Archie O'Connor, manager of Ann Arbor's
hopes to create a place "for students,
general" to relax after hours.
Immediate Occupancy
For Winter Term
All apartments located on central campus
Flexable Terms
Maximum Space for Minimum Price
Lots of Parking
721 S. Forest, Ann Arbor We Pay Heat
1700 Geddes, Ann Arbor (313) 761-152
1215 Hill, Ann Arbor 543 Church Stree1
and others... Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Barbra Streisand
Richard Dreyfuss
NUTS(R)
I'VE HEARD THE
MERMAIDS SINGING
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MAURICE
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Mass Meeting
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.--- Mon. Jan. 18 7pm
IThe University of Michigan
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
71
4:
uweo0dc c7
14r
Sat.,
Jan. 16
Chamber Music Concert
featuring Robert Bloom (oboist of NBC
Symphony under Toscanini), conductor,
and University Wind Ensemble
Telemann: Concerto for flute, oboe,
Our three-year and
two-year scholarships won't
make college easier.
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