Blair Shannon begins run at Mainstreet Comedy Showcase. Also a singer, Shannon combines music into his stand-up act. Tonight at 8:30 p.m. for $10. Friday at 8 & 10:30 p.m. and Saturday at 5:45, 8:15 & 10:45 p.m. for $12. Thursday April 8, 1999 U te HEInmi dg TomOrrow in Daily Arts: Daily Arts reviews the new young-Hollywood flick, "Go," which opens tomorrow. " Saxophonist Joshua Redman slides into Ark' By John Uhl Daily Arts Writer In its eternal quest to fill each day with 24 hours of humor, Comedy Central has, in questionable taste, begun re-airing relative- ly recent "Saturday Night Live" episodes. In one rerun that aired about a month ago, Jewel appeared as the musical guest. Most I viewers probably Joshua Redman Quartet The Ark Saturday at 7 & 9:30 p.m. gave little notice to the young tenor saxophon- ist who blew the hip squawks and intelligent phrases that filled the gaping musical holes in Jewel's yodeling blath- er. Perhaps more than any other jazz musician today, Joshua Redman has been able to incon- spicuously add flavor to a number of more main- stream groups. Within the last couple years, he has performed on the "These days jazz is gaining greater and greater cultural cache" he recently told Downbeat magazine. "People sure under- stand the dynamics and emotion," Redman said. Redman's own rise to jazz stardom has not been unlike the flux of the pop world he visits from time to time. Just eight years ago he graduated from Harvard with designs of nabbing a Yale law degree. Instead, he followed the path of his father Dewey Redman, eminent '60s tenor saxo- phonist, and stole the hearts of critics. His first place victory in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Competition caught the eye of the jazz community and garnered him a lucrative contract with Warner Bros. This sort of instant fame is virtually unheard of in the jazz community, as are the high record sales Redman has enjoyed. Legends about his apparently non-existent practice schedule began to pass between jealous musicians and were hidden from aspiring music students. A jazz enigma was born. It makes sense, then, for a musician who has brought jazz a taste of pop culture to list Prince (or whatever the kids are calling him these days) and the Beatles among his idols. It would also make sense for this musician to record the work of such idols. On his latest album "Timeless Tales (For Changing Times)," Redman does just that, as he interprets the music of Prince, Lennon and McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan in a jazz con- text. Yet Redman's connection to the trappings and expectations of a market concerned with output over input has caused some critics to doubt his artistic sincerity. In terms of his latest work, the concept of turning popular tunes into viable jazz mate- rial is not exactly new. Herbie Hancock's 1996 album "New Standards" noblely attempted to reveal the depth of Kurt Cobain among others, but failed to find it. Jazz-bluegrass-funk crossover delight Bela Fleck regularly covers Beatle material. On Redman's rendition of "Eleanor Rigby," the soprano saxophone lead and droning chime of its piano accompaniment are eerily rem- iniscent of John Coltrane's bold recreation of the popular tune "My Favorite Things" (but don't try to dance to the Beatles song; he arranged it in five instead of the original waltz time signature). Redman chose not to limit his album of pop- ular songs to those written since the Johnson administration. George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and other pre-War songwriters are featured alongside the baby and post-baby boomers. simply a collection of old and new stan- dards. One may have difficulty recognizing "The Times They Are A-Changin," a song that, with the raspy poetic inflections of Bob Dylan's voice, had only a vague sense of melody. It now sings resolutely, the herald of its own a-changin.' Redman turned Jerome Kern's "Yesterdays" into almost a funs groove. The imparity between the coexisting musical time periods is irrelevant, because Redman has made music of it all. Despite possessing critical acclaim and mass appeal, the saxophonist is not quick to sing his own praises. "I don't like a lot of my music myself," Redman said. Although he did begin his career without an obvious need or desire to practice, he sees things- differently now. Relentlessly criticizing hi own work, he searches for ways to improv "In order to remain inspired for the shows, I have to address the deficiencies of my playing. That means practice - me and the horn alone in a room." Saturday evening Joshua will bring the rest of his band, drummer Gregory Hutchinson, pianist Aaron Goldberg, and bassist Reuben Rogers, to The Ark. One can applaud Redman's efforts to bring the charm of pop to jazz, but some things are best left where they are. Hopefully he" leave his friend Jewel at home. Rolling Stones' "Bridges to Babylon" tour, with Dave Mathews Band and at the NARAS "Future Fest" showcase with The Roots. And the saxophonist/composer is excited about bringing jazz to a wider audience. courtesy of warner Bros. Joshua Redman will appear Saturday at the Ark. Each song on the album is followed by an interval, composed for the purpose of merg- ing the pieces together. This effective unifi- cation and the creativity of Redman's re- imaginings constitute a recording that is not Michael Moore TV show to air on Bmavo M JG shows side of South By Jonah Victor Daily Arts Writer According to Michael Moore, not since Joe McCarthy has there been a good old witch-hunt in Washington, D.C., and so Moore thinks it's high time to create his own. Hailing from Flint, Michigan, Moore takes his guerilla-video style TV show, "The Awful Truth," across America in an attempt to fight the injustices he sees in society. With his populist anti-politics opinions, Moore pre- sents his battles on video to a live studio audi- ence. The Awful Moore found Truth fame after he *** directed the Bravo movie "Roger °Sunday at 9p.m. and Me," the top-grossing non - concert documentary ever produced. Continuing in his advocate- for-the-people style, Moore tackles a wide range of current concerns getting right in the faces of those Moore believes are responsible for cheating Middle America. As host, Moore appears to be the star of the show which is similar to his{ "TV Nation," but it's his zany video segments that convince us of "The Awful Truth." In the premiere episode, Moore assaults Washington during the impeachment hearings. Beginning the day early on Kenneth Starr's front lawn, he stations a screaming throng of 17th century Puritans who vehemently wave copies of "The Starr Report" over their heads and call for the start of an old-fashioned witch hunt. With his fervent followers he tramps through the Capitol building, storm- ing the offices of Senators and beguiling unwitting congressmen. Moore somehow ends up on the dais of the House Judiciary Committee, wearing his odiously green Michigan State hat and proceeds to stare down prosecutor Starr. In the second half of the show he sets up a mock-funeral outside the headquar- ters of an HMO for a man who claims he was cheated out of a pan- creas transplant. "The Awful Truth" is genuinely candid, which has caused Moore to run into trouble while making his irreverent video attacks. While try- ing to expose the pollution caused by a wealthy industrialist, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had a restraining order placed against Moore and banned him from film- ing anywhere in the city. Members of Moore's crew including Crackers, the Corporate Crime Fighting By Quan Willnams Daily Arts Wnter There is no denying that one of the groups that played the biggest part in the rise of the South to hip-hop prominence was the Tennessee-based duo of Eightball and MJG. The two have shown the world what life is like in the underside of the "Dirty South, and now, after finishing successful solo projects, they reunite for "In our Lifetimes," their most ambitious project yet. "This is going to be a platinum hit," said MJG, "It's something to sum up our careers, and to catch people's attention." This album is a milestone for the group, who have always been followers and performers of hip-hop music. "We've been rapping since we were 13-years-old, in school and at talent shows, MJG said about the group's history, "We were hits underground for a long time before we got recognized nationwide" MJG also pointed out that although they started off as separate acts, the two gained the most momentum as a duo. One of the reasons it took so long for the group to get any respect from the hip- hop world is that at the time oftheir debut, the south wasn't respected as a hip-hop region. MJG stated negligence from the major hip-hop markets as the cause of that. "The major influences are in the East and West coasts, where all the major rap labels are" he said. "Since there were no major labels in the South, it was harder to get a start in the South. You would have to go to another area to get signed." That is obviously changing, with independent labels like No Limit, Cash Money and Eightball and MJG's label, Suave, gaining nationwide respect. In this renaissance created with New Orleans, Atlanta and Texas hip-hop, MJG warns not to forget about Tennessee. "Hip-hop has a large underground base in Tennessee;'he quipped. "t's getting larger and faster, so there are more labels, and more artists. Our scene is still crawling, and trying to learn how to walk." He points out that it is only a matter of time before Tennessee will become well- known in the scene. When that happens, it will be Eightball and MJG who led the way. They have grown from underground rappers t being featured on projects with MC Breed, the Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes, Puff Daddy and Ma$e, Master P and Funkmaster Flex, with Outkast and the Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo appearing on their latest project. MJG stated that this is only the beginning for them. "Hopefully in five years, we'll have a production company off the ground," he said. "Keep an eye out for P-TAB (Planning To Act Bad) Productions which will allow us to groom up-anc coming artists. We're out to prove that we don't always have to rap to show off our talents." Of course, this in no way means they are through rapping, MJG pointed out. "Eightball and MJG have got much love for our fans" he said. "We plan to keep networking in entertainment, and do this for a lot longer. This album is definitely not the end of Eightball and MJG." courtesy o miramax Michael Moore wears a Tiger's cap. Chicken, were arrested in Walt Disney World after harassing Mickey Mouse about ABC/Disney labor contracts. Shows down the road include such intriguing concepts as an arm- wrestling match between Moore and Secretary of Defense William Cohen; a choir composed of people who lost their voices to smoking, singing Christmas carols in front of the offices of R.J. Reynolds; and a Winnebago full of gay men driving through states where sodomy is ille- gal. Like Moore's other works, "The Awful Truth" is sure to gain a cult following. Most people will be amused by his home-video style film segments while others will eat up every minute of the show. Moore has started an adventurous project. If the first episode is any indication, it may be hard to resist the unpre- dictability of "The Awful Truth." Japanese Tenchi' cartoon intrigues Read Daily Arts Online at http://www.michigandadly.com By JuQuan Williams Daily Arts Wnter Anyone who knows the popular Japanese cartoon "Tenchi Muyo" knows the story: Boy meets girl. Boy finds out girl is intergalactic space pirate. Boy's great-aunts hunt space pirate girl down from another galaxy. One of boy's great- aunts falls in love with boy. Boy is revealed to be most powerful being in galaxy. Boy stumbles into incompetent- but-lovable space police girl who also falls for boy. Boy meets mad scientist genius who claims to be space pirate girl's mother. Typical love story, right? For those that don't know, "Tenchi Muyo"is a wildly popular cartoon series about a boy and his alien girlfiiends. To date, the concept has inspired 11 animat- ed videos, a syndicated cartoon series, specials, two movies, and two American comic books. The title of the show helps explain what makes it so popular. The "Muyo" in "Tenchi Muyo" means "no need."At first, it's confusing to ask why a show about a boy named Tenchi would be called "No need forTenchi," but the boy isn't the only Tenchi in "Tenchi."Tenchi's sword (which is also called Tenchi) is the Tenchi that the phrase "Tenchi Muyo" probably address- es. At first glance, the show seems to be another action/sci-fi cartoon in the same vein as American counterparts "X-men," "Galaxy Rangers," and "Thundercats." But the action is sporadic, and a lot of the show features the domestic lives of the main characters. An action show like this is a refreshing break from the hordes of shows with heroes fighting in every episode. "Tenchi Muyo" isn't afraid to depict the times when the hero isn't off fighting evil, and these scenes are actual- hy more entertaining than the fights them- selves. The Tenchi sword may symbolize the show's superheroic action content, but the show really doesn't need it to be enter- taining. Another factor helping to create the show's popularity is the design of the characters themselves. The 10 main char- acters of "Tenchi Muyo" all fit into stereotypical categories. Tenchi (the boy) is the hero, strong of character, and naive- ly chaste. Ryoko (the space pirate girl) is the bad girl with a good heart. Ayeka (one of the boy's great-aunts) is the good girl who's a spoiled brat. Sasami (the boy's other great-aunt) is the perfect little girl and the voice of reason. Mihoshi (the space police girl) is the dumb blonde. Kiyone (the space police girl's partner) ' the overachiever. Washu (the space pirat girl's mother) is the mad genius. Yoshu (the boy's grandfather) is the wise old man. Nobayuki (the boy's dad) is the dirty old man. Ryo-oki (the space pirate girl's pet spaceship) is the cute, lovable mascot. "Tenchi Muyo" is a breath of fresh air into the congested world of action car- toons By taking simple characters and concepts and adding levels of depth and unexpected twists never before seen i* this genre, "Tenchi" is a stroke of genius in a field where mediocrity is the norm. What other action/adventure show treats its characters like members of a sitcom? "Tenchi Muyo" is arguably less an action show and more of a slapstick comedy or romantic show - it can easily fit into either category. This is a show that defies categorization and appeals to a much broader audience than its counterparts in any other genre. I Sprint PCS Phone"' By Qualcomm- (Model QCP-1 920) $9983 " Up to 4 hrs. talk time and 60 hrs. stand-by time - Only 7.4 oz It's Clearer. 100% Digital Nationwide Network it crawL flft Students and Recent Grads Lwnd an internship or job Join us at an Employer Forum, sponsored by Pro-Detroit. A variety of employers will be there to prepare you for success. Come and hear: What employers look for in an intern/job candidate. Where the great opportunities are. Why an internship gives you the competitive edge. !. AII.s'.n 4n nniv fur i yu..kmvrsc nvea in at. r aan e rm. a w ee nor .I ..- .