The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 1, 1996 - 9A
Musicians showcase talent and creativity
eekly jazz program highlights School of Music's finest jazz performers
By James P. Miller cert, the show possessed style and taste that far exceeded sound belie a strong Russell Malone influence.
Daily Arts Writer the age of the players. The rest of the rhythm section shone in the second set.
One ofthe greatest neglected resources at the Univer- Establishing their maturity early on, the first set con- Bassist John Ballou intertwined impressively with Na-
sitare its own students. The vaunted "Fiske" college sisted of such diverse elements as two Ornette Coleman poleon to give the group a looser, breezy sound, some-
; tic says, "If a meteor landed in tunes and the old war horse "There times impossible with apiano. The set contained more of
'11 ttiddle of the campus, the Uni- Will Never Be Another You." Im- the hard-bop rockers that endear a group to the public
rtty of Michigan could not radi- REVIEW mediately noticeable was Andrew ear, giving Ballou and drummer Steven Aho a chance to
more power." Nowhere is this Jazz Combo Bishop on tenor and soprano sax. show off their foundation building abilities. Napoleon
more true than in the School of Listing such people as Ray Charles and Bishop turned in well-crafted solos heretoo, flirting
Music. ~ Leonardo s and The Temptations on his re- with both the blues and more abstract approaches.
£very Thursday, Leonardo's in March 25, 1996 sume, his approach was full and The Coltrane number "Impressions" and other no-
the'North Campus Commons fea- vigorous without being brash or tables closed the set, highlighting the group's fond-
tures players from the University's discordant. Taking an aggressive ness for the more acerbic in the jazz palette. It is rare
Jazz Studies program. In an ongoing engagement last but measured approach to the Coleman pieces, Bishop's to find a young group (Bishop, the elder statesman
Monday, a group of music students led by guitarist solo drifted between short tortured phrases and long, excepted) that can tackle this kind of music with
Randy Napoleon stretched their developing muscles in perambulating free jazz lines. Counterbalancing this understanding and grace. Musicians of this caliber
the commons. Far from being a laborious student con- was Napoleon, whose furious technique and rounded make the School of Music proud.
MFA students combine art fons in'?ortraits'
School of Music students perform each week at Leonardos.JENNIFER BRADLEYsWIFT/Daily
I!Chrys geQ
For the Daily
Four graduating Masters of Fine Arts
students came together this past week-
end to present their personal "Portraits
and Dreams" at the University dance
,department's Betty Pease Studio The-
r.
Not only did the concert highlight the
reative abilities of these individuals as
performers and choreographers, but it
blurred the boundaries between dance,
music, photography and politics. The
audience was presented with a stage
where musicians danced and dancers
sang.
William Crowley presented
"Yawabata Suite," an epic work with a
Japanese sensibility. Performed in en-
semble, duet and solo sections, Crowley
carefully constructed an intriguing col-
lage of movements and emotions in-
spired by the writings of Nobel Prize
winner Yasumari Yabatawa. Dealing
with the outer importance of having a
romantic relationship, no matter on what
terms, "Yawabata Suite" portrayed
loves lost, relationships on the brink
and longing, lonely hearts.
Perhaps the dance's most power-
ful aspect was how it drew upon the
audience's emotions. Consistently,
the dancers' movements and expres-
sions stayed under tight -reign until
the ending moments of each sec-
tion.
At the moment when the audience
would start to feel that lump in one's
throat that can
rapidly turn to
tears, the lights b
would fade allow-
ing the tension to
resume in the nexta
scene. The result
was a dramatic
contrast between S
outer serenity,
playfulness and __
inner turmoil.
Mark Broomfield presented two em-
powering but seemingly different
works, "Deep Beauty" and
"Brotherman." Both portrayed a fierce
activist and revealed athoughtful,brave
artist willing to tackle personal and
social issues.
"Brotherman" had the choreogra-
pher dance alongside two "non-
dancers" in an affirming redefini-
tion of black manhood.
Broomfield's choreography sati-
rized historical stereotypes of black
men. While, at times, the powerful
text, images and message of the
piece seemed quite dogmatic, its
justification was clear. Perhaps be-
cause his performers were not pro-
fessionally trained, their movement
came from an honest and raw place
from within themselves.
"Open Exchange" was an amusing
dialogue between dancer/choreogra-
pher Terry Wilson and musician/com-
RC
poser John Robbins. This light study
reflected both partners' confidence as
performers, while still hinting at
Wilson's playful nature. Challenging
each others roles on stage, Wilson
and Robbins played with the roles of
dancer and musician.
The greatest contrast in "Open Ex-
change" was the ease of their actions.
For Wilson, deftness of movement
was apparent. Robbins role was to
covet her ease of motion. A chase
scene developed that concluded with
a "dead" Wilson whose dancing slip-
pers were spirited
away by Robbins.
EEVIEW Pamela Lutkow-
ski created a sen-
sual presentation,
I Dreams "Transparencies
from Within," in
Betty Pease collaboration with
xdio Theater photographer Ann
March 30, 1996 Blackwell and jazz
composer Mark
Kirschenmann.
This dance effectively portrayed an
ever-changingtapestry ofdynamic, pho-
tographic, dance images with quieter,
pensive movement. Paradoxically, the
photographs became more compelling
than the rest of the performance.
Lutkowski's ability to fuse dance with
other art forms was clear.
Truly a varied and stimulating
evening, "Portraits and Dreams" re-
vealed four unique, emerging art-
ists.
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Get A Piece Of The Peace...
...Come See For Yourself
Spend this summer in Israel
on the program that is right for you
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Art forms mixed at the MFA dance recital this weekend.
RECORDS
John Bullard comparison.
A
mwmmwmm
The Classical Banjo
Dargason Music
That said, this album is something
less than a revelation. In addition to
Bach, it features music by Handel,
Scarlatti, Albeniz and others, most of
it very well-known. Hearing it per-
formed on a banjo, accompanied, vari-
ously, by guitar, vibraphone and cello,
doesn't really give me any new in-
sights into the music and, though it
may just be a matter of personal taste,
I don't really find the sound of the
instrument particularly compelling in
this setting.
The performances, though, are first-
rate; Bullard's timing and intonation
are just right. The recording is clean
and well-mixed, with a good sense of
stereo placement. Banjo fanatics will,
no doubt, want to snap it up. The rest of
us can live without it.
WHEN & WHERE.
April3, 7:30pm
Ann Arbor Theater
WHAT.
Cardmembers get tw compli-
mentary passes to Universal
Pictures' blockbuster Fear.
HOW.
Just bring the American Express
Card or Optima® Card and your
student ID to the location listed
below to pick up your passes.
NOW.
If you're not yet a Cardmember
and would like to take part in
our exclusive previews, it's easy
to apply for the Card. Just call
1-800-942-AMEX, ext. 4114.
MORE TO COME.
Fear is one in a series of five
major motion pictures to
be previewed on your campus
this year; compliments of
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