ft gi bk £ 1d 9 9tt Student showcase The department of film and video's term-end screening of student work will occur on campus this weekend. Check out student-produced films, videos and various digital productions created during the past few months. It's a rare chance to see the early work of budding Steven Spielbergs or Alfred Hitchcocks. The free presentation is at 7:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday nights at 1324 East Hall. Tuesday December 10, 1996 11 .Battle, jazz masters to thrill Hill By James Miller Daily Arts Writer Jazz is famous for being filled with impossi- ble personalities. Bird was a terror to work with, not to mention his penchant for junkie rages. Ray Charles is a relentless taskmaster and absolute perfectionist, as is pianist Marcus Roberts. All of this makes someone like Cyrus Chestnut a breath of tweet air. In a recent telephone PR l interview with Theo Michigan Daily, Chestnut spoke for a good 15 minutes from a pay phone at a mall Call 764-2 somnewhere in Florida as he shopped with his wife. To have a musician of his stature interrupt his day for a phone interview is one thing. To have him do it from a pay phone in such a gracious and relaxed manine is quite another. Chestnut is promoting his upcoming lill Auditorium show called "So Many Stars." In it, he will be performing with saxophonist James Carter, bassist Christian McBride and vocalist Kathleen Battle. "We're playing lullabies, spirituals. Brazilian music and Duke Ellington too," Chestnut said about the eclectic nature of his program. But even more eclectic than that is V E, Dl the selection of Battle as the ensemble's vocal- ist. Battle, a world-famous classical performer, is an unusual selection both because of her training and because of her reputation as a dif- ficult person to work with. "I found her a joy to work with," Chestnut when said asked about his collaborator. "She's very inspiring. She calls me up to a higher level of musicianship." Chestnut even refers VIEW to her as "a brilliant vocalist and musician." Many Stars Coming from him, to Friday at 8 p.m. describe a singer outside at ill Auditorium, the jazz genre in such 8 for more information glowing terms is no faint praise. Chestnut got his start at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating in 1985 with a degree in jazz composition and arranging. His gigs have included stints with singers Joe Williams, Jon Hendricks and Dizzy Gillispie. "But I think Betty Carter did a lot to launch my career," Chestnut said when pressed for one name. Carter, another brilliant vocalist, has a tradition of taking young talents under her 'watchful eye and turning them into the young lions we see today. In fact, throughout the interview Chestnut displayed a huge amount of respect and admi- ration for the people who influenced his music and started his career. He is so respectful, that sometimes it's easy to forget the caliber he is. Chestnut, along with his band mates McBride and Carter, as well as saxophonist Joshua Redman, form a core of talented young musicians that are revitalizing jazz. All of these new players combine stunning academy tech- nique with a reverence to the old music and the old styles. The result is a mixture of polished concert jazz and heart wrenching emotional- ism. Adding to his list of accolades, Chestnut also appeared in the Robert Altman film "Kansas City" as a member of the nightclub band. "I think I was supposed to be a kind of a Count Basie character. But to be honest, I haven't seen the movie yet," he said with a chuckle. He alluded to his busy schedule of late, which includes two albums, "So Many Stars" and the recently released "Blessed Quietness," plus his current tour. Chestnut is no stranger to Ann Arbor either. During his stint with Betty Carter he even jammed with the excellent and local Bird of Paradise Orchestra. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun in Ann Arbor," he said with sincerity. Those who are looking for a break from finals and would enjoy feeling the Holy Spirit are well advised to attend and have a little fun with Cyrus Chestnut and friends. Cyrus Chestnut and Kathleen Battle will perform at Hill Auditorium on Friday night. ... Pop artists contribute to CD benefiting clean water action Skilled essayist Didion explores intrigue in novel, comes up short Various Artists MOM: Music for Our Mother Ocean Surfdog/I nterscope Oh look, it's another annoyingly conceived environmentalist benefit album with a band or two for each alternative listener out there, just like iternative NRG" and that animal testing thirig. Well this one is for the Surfrider unlttion, a pressure group whose aims are o keep surfable waters and their environs clean. The music is largely thematic for this, as well, and only one song on the album was writ- ten by Brian Wilson. Pearl Jam delivers quite possibly the least annoying song they've ever recorded with "Gremmie Out of Control," a '64 surf tune. It's sung just about entirely through ' ..the nose and is the only fun work they'll probably ever do. A ton of other notables con- Pearl Jam is featured on tribute songs as "Mother Ocean." well. The Ramones, Porno For Pyros, Silverchair, The Reverend Horton Heat, Primus, No Doubt, the Beastie Boys. ell, Helmet's even on it doing a cover of ork's "Army of Me,' almost completely straight musically but laced with Page Hamilton's distressed vocals. This album dodges the bullet of being too full of itself, probably because of the rich resource of surfing-themed songs available to be drawn upon. Of course, you're likely to only want one or two songs on it. Oh well, at least tie other songs won't annoy you. Except for Soundgarden's contribution of "My Wave," hich is the exact same version as on 4superunknown." Like they couldn't have con- tributed a live version. - Ted Watts Bush Babees Gravity Warner Bros. Though it's titled "Gravity," Bush Babees' latest LP could just as well be named Maturity." The Brooklyn trio has made a few adjust- ments, both in record- ing production and lyrical delivery. The result, manifested in "Gravity," is a thoughtful and cir- cumspect effort, dis- tancing the band slightly from its for- mer popular identity as wild-child boy won- ders. Following the ram- bunctious 1994 debut As we all know, the B "Ambushed," Mr. fight for their rights o Man, Lee Major and album to keep surfab Light show their growth over the past two years. The frenzied choruses and blaring vocals - only occasionally interrupted by wiser, more eloquent verse in "Ambushed" - takes a definite back seat this time around. The Babees flip their approach this time, reserving their explosive energy only for the most intense moments of "Gravity." Those who doubt the group's sincerity, though, can be assured that the Babees haven't left the foundation of their infancy. With such songs as the title track and "Melting Plastic," it's clear that, despite their musical evolution, " they've preserved their Jamaican influence. Echoing throughout the recording is the voice of Light, a Jamaican native and dance hall MC in his own right. His deeply melodi- ous chants lend an introspective tone to the Babees' otherwise light- hearted presentation. "Maybe" and "The Love Song," on the other hand, showcase the lighthearted outlook and charismatic honesty the group is known for. Although Mr. Man doesn't flow on "Maybe," as he claims, "more fluidic than runnin' water," the bouncing, accessible beat are sure to move heads. But what truly marks the Babees' coming of age is the distinguished production staff. "3 MCs," produced by the Ummah, the A Tribe, Called Quest team of Ali Shaheed Beastie Boys are some really cool dudes. They n "Music for Our Mother Ocean," a benefit le waters clean. Muhammed and Q-Tip, is a fiery lyrical free- for-all. Q-Tip, who brings his own lyrics to the fray, seems to have mastered the ability of appearing on numerous other artists' albums and still not sounding tired. Then there's "The Love Song," deftly high- lighting the considerable production skills of De La Soul's Posdnuos. "Gravity" gets caught up in some spots, though, by the trio's limited, even simplistic lyrics. Their sound is really mundane only on a few tracks, like the repetitive "Wax" and "The Ruler," an unfocused homage to the Kurtis Blow classic "If I Ruled the World:" The Babees tend toward less complex lyrics, occasionally forsaking their potential for cleverness, But the strength and depth of "Gravity" carries through the group's sophomore album. Bush Babees' growth, as individuals and as MCs, is well represented in the thoughts of Lee Majors. Typically the group's most ram- bunctious member, Majors says on "S.O.S.," "It's hard to be prophet and stil make a prof- it." As the trio continues to improve, that profit may well be on its way. -Sam England See RECORDS, Page 12 Joan Didion The Last Thing He Wanted Alfred A. Knopf ** It is frustrating when you read an entire book but cannot come up with a better plot summary than what is contained on the inside jacket. It is even more frustrating to forget about the literary devices, themes or even the names of characters in the book. In her first novel in 12 years -a mediocre work Joan Didion produces yet another novel in her* trademark style. The novel only confirms my sus- picion that she is a much better essayist than most - she should stick to that form of w~rnmg. Didion is an outstanding essay- ist. She combines a journal-Q istic instinct with subtle, __ - condescending wit to - give her audience a better understanding of issues- without making any obvious conclusion or judgment either way. Previously, ii "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" and the "White Album," she addressed a myriad of complex issues ranging from feminism's second wave, to the Black Panthers, to junkies on Haight-Ashbury circa 1967 (in a much more succinct and powerful way than Wolfe's "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test"). She also touches on elements of her home life and obscure topics that only people from Los Angeles seem to understand. She balances her criticisms and praise so that she can neither be judged a cynic nor a shiny happy person. What sets Didion apart from other effective essayists - like Orwell, Bell or Russell -is her ability to write about a particular event or person as if she were writing about it 30 years later. Her foremost talent is perspective. However, Didion makes it clear that as time progresses we are taking a series of steps back from a past situa- tion. It is only through a bit a distance that any insight or wisdom can be grasped. Her new novel, however, falls short. Didion's combination of a Clancy-esque plot and her original writing style create a story that any political science major would enjoy. There are CIA / FBI cover-ups, international arms-running, ties to the Cuban Missile Crisis, eccentric federal bureaucrats, assassination attempts, CNN headline reports and Nicaraguan Contras. It is in this genre that Didion succeeds in quali- ty where Clancy attempts at sensationalism. The story twists and turns, jumping to and from differ- ent periods of time all on the same page. The dia- logue is often without quotes, a la "Possessing the Secret of Joy" (which can become annoying when people sitting near you are loudly discussing how to, become Jedi knights). Unfortunately, college lhas taught many of us to read inattentively. The heroine of the book is a female journalist named Elena McMahon. At the outset of the story, Elena is a staff reporter covering the 1984 presidential campaign. Soon afterward, Elena gets mixed up with an arms-run- ning deal that her father had been supervising for years. She is set up by the bad guys to take the "fall" or the "rap." The narrator of the story is also a journalist in the present,attempting to dis- cover what had happened to Elena in 1984 and why. if you wish to read Didion, you should consider reading her essays first. This novel is definitely well-written, but I have seen "Patriot Games" too many times to see it as anything truly new or excit- ing. As time progresses, "The Last Thing He Wanted" may just be the last thing you wish to read. - Davidde Stella This is last issue of the Daily for the term. Wel return on Jan. 8. 1997. Please drive safely. J. UM AnnoncBs 'oe Nobody prepares you like KAPLAN Kaplan has the most complete arsenal of test prep tools available. From videos to virtual reality practice tests, to software and on line services, nobody offers you more ways to practice. 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