4 ARTS The Michigan Daily Hey, hey, Tuesday, October 4, 1988 Page 8 it's Bley BY MARK SWARTZ 4 YES, as a matter of fact, you are interrupting me," jazz composer, keyboardist, and bandleader Carla Bley tells the bumbling Daily reporter. Panic and a flurry of apologies follow, then a worrisome silence over the telephone. "That's OK," she finally offers in consolation, "Everybody always ,does, because composing is all I do." S:Composing jazz music is all Bley has done for over 25 years, and she seems to have gotten pretty good at it. Her work has been interpreted by all the greats, in- eluding such names as Keith Jarrett, John McLaughlin, and Charlie Haden. Ranging from subtly expressive pieces for piano all the way up to explosive pro- d'ctions for big bands, she demonstrates a unique mu- -sical sensibility as well as a constantly interesting variety. Her explanation of her methods shows a modest, work-ethic outlook on what she does. "Composing in the jazz field is one of the service occupations. It isn't the compositions that sound great, it's the players that sound great," she philosophizes. In refreshing contrast to the stereotypical egomania of a composer who will never be satisfied with the performers who mangle their Precious Works of Art in front of misunderstanding audiences, Bley writes with the musician in mind. "I think of who I'm writing for," Bley said. "That's what's important. I ask myself, 'What are the talents and peculiarities of the player?"' Her dedication to the noble cause of uniting composers and musicians is evident in her founding of the New Music Distribution Service and the Jazz Composers Guild. Recently, virtuoso bassist Steve Swallow is the one she's been writing for. "I was looking for a soloist to write an entire record for," she explains, referring to the recent Night Glow, Swallow's album of Bley material. "I thought I'd write for one great trumpet player, or one great saxophone player. But I never could find that person, and then I realized it was my bass player." Swallow appears with Carla Bley at the Ark tonight to perform two sets of mostly Bley's compositions. "No pop tunes, and no standards," she warns. CARLA BLEY and STEVE SWALLOW soar into the Ark for two shows at 8 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $10.50. Twain rolls into town 4 BY JENNIFER BERMAN "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot." - Mark Twain,The Adventures of .Huckleberry Finn Don't panic; you probably won't be shot, but you probably should be if you miss Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight. Holbrook conveys not only a narrative, but a motive, moral, and plot as well. As Twain, he performs selections from a list of over 57 excerpts from Twain's novels and writings. His repertoire includes over 12 hours of material allowing Holbrook to design each night's program differently. This spontaneity is what makes each performance so exciting. But Holbrook doesn't just change the program at random; rather, he selects the excerpts according to their Mark Twain Tonight is Hol- brook's original creation that began as an honors project at Denison University in the '40s. In addition to his Mark Twain character, Holbrook has been involved in numerous (Holbrook) selects the excerpts according to their current relevancy, using Twain's timeless 19th century commentary to shed light on timely 20th Century issues. Critics' Circle Special Citation for the production. Need more convincing? Mark Twain Tonight is a virtual popular classic: funny, moving, and insight- ful commentary on today's world. Holbrook appeals to our sense of humor, our sense of life, and our concern for today's wofld. Tonight's performance marks Holbrook's third visit to Ann Arbor in his 34 years of production. Percentage wise, an immediate encore seems unlikely. Holbook, like Twain himself, is a virtual legend in his own time. leonards: Not country, really :BY BRIAN BERGER current relevancy, using Twain's timeless 19th century commentary to shed light on timely 20th Century issues. As Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post states, "What makes the portrait so remarkable is that as the world changes, Holbrook changes his Twain with it." television, theatre, and film perform- ances, including The Great White Hope, All The President's Men, Capricorn One, and Wall Street. But, Mark Twain Tonight has continued to be his trademark. Ho&, brook has been awarded both a Tony Award and a New York Drama MARK TWAIN TONIGHT will be performed tonight, October 4 at 8 p.m. at the Michigan Theatre, 603 East Liberty. Tickets are $22.50 and $18. 4 4 4 SO I'm just chillin' one day and the Grand Poobah Music Editor of this here bitchin' rag tells me that he's got a tape and press kit from some Los Angeles band called the leonards. Yeah, I was skeptical. I mean, really, who the hell are the leonards and who the hell cares? I flipped through the press release and asked, "What are they, some kind of country act?" "No, even though they are on Rock Ranch Records and the label's logo is a horseshoe, the leonards aren't some saccharine country-politan crapola. Rather, they are supposed to be kinda like the Replacements," said the Grand Poobah. Well, I went home with a "special advance copy" of the leonards' self-titled debut album. As soon as I pumped up the volume, I was struck by the catchy choruses and hard, driving guitars - yeah, kinda like the Replacements, just like the Grand Poobah said. Also kinda like the Pontiac Brothers, Soul Asylum, and the Rolling Stones, which is good company to be in with for a hard-rocking, melodic band like the leonards. I hung out with the leonards Saturday evening and I can honestly say that they are very friendly and nice guys. The leonards are John Pozza (guitar, vocals), Lenny Grassa (lead guitar), Thomas Payne (bass), and Tom Million (drums). The band's manager, a true fashion plate in his navy waistcoat, is Rich Robinson. Over some Killian's Red and Brown Jug nachos, the leonards and I discussed their drunken flight from Los Angeles, drive by shootings, bestiality as an alternative lifestyle, Hunter S. Thompson, Guns'- n'Roses, the L.A. club scene, day jobs, groupies, drugs, skate-boarders, leonardsheads, the weather, punk rock, the "real" names of the band members (the Pizza Brothers, a Patriot, and a Millionaire), cover songs, and much, much more. After this stimulating discussion, I went out with the guys to post some of their fliers. If you look closely, you'll notice that each flier is hand written. Either this is a true testimony to the personal care and devotion the leonards give to each and every member of their audience or Lenny carelessly ran off the copies before they thought to put the time and place of the gig on them. You figure it out. So... as good as the leonards are on vinyl, I think that they'll be even better live. I'm confident that the sometimes too-clean sound of the record will get dirtied up right once the beer starts flowing, the people start dancing, and the amps are cranked up to 11. The leonards will play two sets tonight at Rick's American Cafe. The first set starts at 10 p.m. No opening act; but what do you want for two bucks? CAMPUS OPEN AUDITIONS for Johann Strauss' operetta A NIGHT IN VENICE TUES., OCT. 4, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. First Baptist Church - Washington near State 2 rehearsals/week " Principal and Chorus roles *Production runs Feb. 9 - 11 & 18, Michigan Theater CALL COMIC OPERA GUILD (973-3264) FOR INFO Lin~j~mJLm The Critic A play in one act The setting: The arts office of the Michigan Daily. A theater editor sits pensively at her desk. The lighting is somber; a lone bird warbles mournfully from outside the window. The editor sighs wistfully. She is missing something: a group of people to write articles and reviews about theater... Join the cast. If you're interested r in writing theater, contact the Arts office at 763-0379. e '0' 4 "One more chance to own a MACINTOSH at Kickoff Prices!" Even though it's past deadline, you can still take advantage of the Computer Kickoff '88 prices on a Macintosh if you order before October 5. No 7IT77 Prices are Going UP! Apple Computer, Inc. announced product price increases which will affect certain CPUs, peripherals and upgrade kits. U of M's Computer Kickoff '88 is your opportunity to purchase a Macintosh BEFORE prices are increased. Equipment ordered after October 15th willr eflect the following increases. Macintosh II (single floppy)..................30% Macintosh SE (dual floppy)..............15% Macintosh SE w/ 20 mb hard drive......6%