ARTS I the Michigan Daily Wednesday, November 22, 1989 Performers stand, are Counted J BY BEN AQUINO FOR nearly five decades, William "Count" Basie commanded a jazz orchestra unmatched by any other. From 1935, when he took over as leader of Bennie Moten's jazz band, to his passing away in 1984, the Count wowed audiences all over the world. There have been other bands, but none can quite compare with the Count Basie Orchestra. Count Basic carved his own niche in the jazz world with such recordings as "Corner Pocket," "Jumpin' at the Woodside," "Shiny Stockings," and his signature piece, "One O'Clock Jump." He also gained recognition for being a fine arranger, with innovative charts for such songs as "April in Paris" and "Everyday I Have the Blues." As a pi- anist Basie was in a class by himself. His comp- ing and soloing were light and sparse, but the few notes he played always swung, and his band al- ways swung with him. Over the years, some of the finest instrumen- talists in jazz have been associated with the Count Basie Orchestra. The illustrious list includes such names as guitarist Freddie Green, tenor saxophon- ists Frank Foster and Frank Wess, trumpeters Harry "Sweets" Edison and Ed Lewis, trombonist Benny Morton, and drummer Louis Bellson. The list of vocalists who have sung or recorded with the band reads like a Hall of Fame: Joe Williams, Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rushing, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan, not to men- tion the man who will be here with the Orchestra this Saturday, Billy Eckstine. Billy Eckstine first found fame in the late 1930s, when the legendary Earl "Fatha" Hines asked him to sing with his band. Just a few years later, Eckstine set out on his own and formed a band that, as it turned out, became one of the most innovative ones of its day. It helped bring forth the bebop style, and many of its members were also leaders of the bebop movement, most notably Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1948, Billy Eckstine broke out on his own, and since then, he has remained one of jazz's premier vocalists. In recent years he has worked with the likes of Quincy Jones and Herb Alpert, but this Saturday, he finds himself back with the co-musical direcor of his band in the 1940s - John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie. People who know little about his music recognize him by his up- turned trumpet and puffed-out cheeks. Those who know his music know him as one of the pioneers of the bebop movement, and more importantly, as one of jazz's most tireless ambassadors of good- will. Gillespie started out in the late 1930s as well, earning a job in Cab Calloway's band. In the 1940s, he played briefly in bands with, among others, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter, and Fletcher Henderson, but his most notable musical cohort in those days was Charlie Parker. He and "Bird" were able to take the music to places it had never been before, and with their help, bebop was born. This Saturday night brings together these three great institutions of jazz in tribute to a man who meant a lot to all of them - Count Basie. Dizzy Gillespie and Billy Eckstine were both friends of Page 5 Donny Osmond sings song of himself BY PETER SHAPIRO YOU know you've definitely arrived on the music scene when you're recognized by your first name alone. Elvis, Fabian, and Yoko are such pop icons. But when you're known by a name as common as Donny, you've really made your mark. No, I'm not talking about Donny Ho, I'm talking about "The Last of the Red Hot Lovers," Donny Osmond. Like Elvis, Donny's mystique goes fair beyond his music. Donny is the epitome of the timeless symbol of transcendent youthfulness. Donny is a benefactor of the Dick Clark syndrome - he never grows old. Although he is way past puberty and his voice no longer cracks charm- ingly in the middle of a song, he is still the all-American teen idol. His boyish good looks, seeming naivete, and exuberance in new experiences' combine to form the embodiment of the American ideal. But like his spiritual soulmate, Walt Whitman, Donny refuses to re- main static. He constantly re-invents himself in a never-ending quest for identity. From cutesy prodigy to unshaven rebel, Donny has defined a style of bubblegum pop that goes deeper than market strategy packaging - it parallels his search for values and beliefs. In his music, he has al- ways attempted to reconcile his Mormon tenets with the passionate flame of rebellion in rock 'n' roll. Presently, it seems that Donny has followed the 20th century path of nihilistic rejection. Donny's new record, Soldier of Love, is filled with sexual references in its exploration of his personal role in relationships. Religion is never mentioned explicitly, but his pre- occupation with sensual themes seems to suggest that God is indeed dead in Donny's cosmology. Donny is bringing his anarchic sensibilities to the Palace at Auburn Hills tonight to sound his "barbaric yawp across the rooftops" of South- eastern Michigan. Hopefully the show will be a retrospective of his ca- reer that will act as a succinct summary of the cultural innovations of one of the most important figures in the American mythos. DONNY OSMOND, with opening act WATERFRONT, will perform at the Palace tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14.50. Dizzy Gillespie (above) joins Billy Eckstine and the Count Basie Orchestra in a tribute to Count Basie this Saturday in the Michigan Theater. the late bandleader, as well as Frank Foster, Basie's long standing tenor saxophonist who now directs the Count Basie Orchestra. The perfor- mance should include some of the band's signature numbers, as well as some standard charts and works by both Eckstine and Gillespie. BILLY ECKSTINE, DIZZY GILLESPIE, and COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA perform Saturday at the Michigan Theater at 8:30 Tickets are $18.50. THE this p.m. " Sworn to obscurity Harlem Nights dir. Eddie Murphy BY TONY SILBER There are two kinds of awful films. One kind has no potential, no promise, and no intention of being anything resembling a quality mo- "tion picture, such as Rambo I1. The other has potential and promise, but is unable to achieve it and thus goes backwards from the start, such as Heaven's Gate. Harlem Nights has the dubious distinction of achieving both of these. Let me explain. It is perhaps one of the worst films to appear on the big screen in recent years. Thoroughly abysmal from start to finish, the film head- lines two major talents in the world of comedy, Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, who have now dug a large crater with Harlem Nights. Consequently, it may take them sev- eral years and several films to escape from the stigma that they have now I inflicted on themselves. Terrible, disappointing, disas- trous - these are all words that come to mind after a screening of this cinematic refuse. It is a film with Black stars, a Black writer and director who have mercilessly un- covered every harmful Black stereo- type and attempted to poke fun at them in a tasteless and completely embarrassing manner. Harlem Nights has no virtue whatsoever. It is a testimony to cheap, racist "comedy" which is anything but humorous. The fact that this "film" was conceived of and produced by Blacks is particularly disturbing. Harlem Nights is nothing more than a shoddy Black rendition of The Sting as the two heroes try to put one over on a ruthless gangster named Bugsy (of course). The differ- ence is that Murphy and Pryor's ver- sion is predictable, dull, and worthy of hateful epithets. The dialogue especially strikes a brutal chord as TH ESPOTLIGHT For all of us not leaving town for that white imperialist celebration, there's a lot of good stuff in town this weekend, anyway. Dave Brom- berg, of the melodious guitar and the (endearingly) squeaky voice, is play- ing two shows at the Ark in support of his first record in more than a decade. Sideman Serenade, boasting a "city side" and a "country side," showcases the multifarious talents of Bromberg and features some of his nearest and dearest: Jackson Browne, Dr. John, Jorma Kaukonen, and more. The shows are at 7:30 and 10 p.m.; tickets are $10.75. You can also catch the 25th anniversary of Disney's most ideologically sound movie, Mary Poppins, at the Michi- gan Theater. Julie Andrews subverts the repressed lifestyle of the Edwar- dian bourgeoisie, broadens our vo- cabulary, and puts up with Dick Van Dyke's incredible Cockney accent. There are some songs too. RIDE ,TIE WAVE Use and Read gft ficig attIV Classifieds CNiEMA DIRECTORY Eddie Murphy, Richard Piyor and Redd Foxx each made a bad career de- cision and wound up in Harlem Nights, a leading candidate for film fiasco of the year. the constant four-letter "expressions" of these two comedians are tiresome at best, repulsive at worst. There is more swearing in this film than Scarface and Blazing Saddles com- bined. Murphy and Pryor are backed up in the film by their merry band of swearing night club employees like Redd Foxx and Della Reese, whose motion picture and comedy experi- ence is invisible within the drivel which writer/director Eddie Murphy has provided for them. The other cast members are quite forgettable; they merely dress up the ornate sets that have been created by Paramount Pic- tures at great expense, but which will probably have to be liquidated so that the film can show something in the assets column when they de- Clare a huge loss on this mess. Harlem Nights is a comedy that is more loathsome than humorous. The film reinforces derogatory clich6s, regressive cultural values, and racist stereotypes of Blacks. An overabundance of revolting sex jokes and graphic violence also adds to this totally unpleasant moviegoing expe- rience. Though some may argue that this film has promise and potential in its established cast, a look at the finished product will clearly reveal that this is a film so devoid of any merit and so abundant in despicable material that a reconsideration of values at Paramount and with Eddie Murphy is demanded. HARLEM NIGHTS is playing at Showcase Cinemas. -Auditions for the RC Players pro- duction of Chekhov's The Three Sis- ters will be held December 6 and 7, 6-11 p.m. Sign-up in the Green Room, 1505 Frieze Bldg. Bring a short prepared 1-3 minute mono- logue and be familiar with Ronald Hingley's translation (available at any campus bookstore). Auditions and Opportunities runs Wednesdays on the Daily Arts page. If you have items for the column, call 763-0379. " IN I C OKIES 4. IBuy 3 Cookies1 OI 1iGet I Free -- (Good from 11/17-11/22) 1 Mrs. Peabody's Mini Gift Boxes are i Now Available! 1 1 761-CHIP 715 N. University 1 .--..--.--. - . ---------.---.---.. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . .J== TIEW OF FEELINGLIKE A4 514WMIE ? Big, beautiful 2 bedroom apartments available now for as little as $550.00/month. This includes heat for the long, icy winter, hot water for cooking and bathing, parking, and laundry facilities. Convenient and secure campus locations. 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The Washington program is offered during the fall and spring. p,5 BOSl z ya r ' 1 Boston University International Programs 725 Commonwealth Avenue 82 Boston, MA 02215 617/353-9888 BOSTON UNIVERSITY An equal opportunity affirmative action institution Application deadline for Spring '90 London and Wash- ington Programs has been extended to December 1, 1989. Call Greg today at 617/353-9888 for an Informa- I ,,..r .-,. A M /7 I II I