Celebration of Life... In observance of World Aids Day, head out to A the Fourth Demension, an Ann Arbor AIDS Awareness Benefit Concert featuring local acts. Tonight at the Leopold Bros. 7 p.m. $5 michigandaily.com /arts ARTS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2001 5 Quartet brings alluring jazz sounds to Ann Arbor UMS rings in the holiday season with Handel's, 'Messiah' By Denis Naranjo Daily Arts Writer The allure for improvisation has never waned for tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman. Even after a decade of popular acclaim, he's hardly one to rest on past laurels. Much preferred is the spirit of the moment, where his acoustic quartet skillfully sails into demanding jazz Joshua overdrive. Redman For the 32-year-old Red- man, playing jazz has Quartet become nearly a sacrosanct Michigan Theater exercise, a privilege and Tonight at 8 p.m. honor for respectfully extending jazz's hallowed acoustic tradition. Address- ing this urgency, his latest CD, Passage of Time, hits on personal reflections of where he's been and what musical mountain he's likely to scale next. Redman's composer- producer profile yields maturity and self-control, culminating his first decade as a jazz artist. Just as tantalizing as his lauded discography is his live persona, where Redman and pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Ruben Rogers and drum- mer Gregory Hutchinson take jazz soloing and interplay to incendiary heights at numerous instances. Friday at Ann Arbor's Michigan The- ater, Redman's short winter tour kicks up its heels in a double-bill with pianist and Warner Brothers label mate Brad Mehldau's trio opening. "With this record I was trying to creatively express myself both as an individual and part of a group," said Redman, by telephone from his New York home, fresh from a European tour. "The music really serves as a point of departure for group improvisation. It acts like one long piece of music. And it's the most ambitious music I've composed yet." On Iassage of Time, Redman delivers a musi- cal travelogue, weaving a storyline full of soloed introspection, spontaneity and bright moments for his band's zestful exuberance. Their collective kinesis is nothing short of invigorating. Now four years running, this is Redman's most seasoned quartet and their reactive sensibilities compliment his compositional 61an. "Jazz gives you an ability to respond sponta- neously. But this isn't necessarily a career mile- stone. I didn't intend it to be that way. It's a more complex project, and a culmination of everything I've done as a quartet bandleader," said Redman, the son of noted jazz saxophonist Dewey Red- man. Redman has fashioned glossy credentials both as a sideman (Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Roy Haynes, Herbie Hancock) and a solo artist (Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Competition winner, 1991). And his formative days back in home Berkeley, Calif., are what makes celebrity an enchanting yarn. Back at Berkeley High School, Redman was valedictorian of his class and counted soon-to-be- jazz stars Benny Green (piano) and Craig Handy (sax) as musical classmates in straight-ahead jazz. lie graduated Phi Beta Kappa, then sailed through Harvard ('91) with honors and was accepted to Yale Law School. But after opting to leisurely pursue jazz saxophone the next summer, he discovered an artistic calling. So far he's kept a professional degree at bay while garnering scores of annual jazz awards from Down Beat, The Gavin Report, Rolling Stone and JazzTimes, sax- ophone in hand. "The past few years I've realized that music and being a jazz musician is something I want to do for the rest of my life," Redman said. "If I can continue to do this and make a decent living and By Rachel Lewis Daily Arts Writer For some it's the lights lining the streets, for others it's the sound of "Jingle Bells" echoing from all the stores and radio stations or for many Ann Arbor residents, it's the annual University Musica Handel's Messiah Hill Auditorium Tomorrow and Sunday join forces at Hill1 al Society's perfor- mance of Han- del's "Messiah." No matter what signals the offi- cial start of the holiday season, there's no avoid- ing it - the time has defi- nitely arrived. This weekend the UMS Choral Union and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra will Auditorium to con- Joshua Redman and his magic sax. grow as a musician, this is it for me." Redman readily acknowledges the presence of a large number of accomplished, motivated musi- cians to play with in New York. It's fueled his fire as a jazz musician. "That's why New York has the best jazz scene because there's a higher concen- tration of talent. In Boston it's more on the educa- tional side." he said. Besides jazz merriment in the studio and on the road, his home life is more than casual. Married for four years, Redman's philosophy of life adheres to keeping things simple yet improvisa- tional. "The key is balancing music from the out- side and from the inside," he said. "The past four years I've balanced my tour schedule to spend more time at home and living a life. And I've been able to grow as a person through my music." Christopher Pfund and the hot up- and-coming bass, Eric Owens. These A-list singers are sure to attract audi- ences from far and wide. To back them up, the music direc- tor of the UMS Choral Union, Dr. Thomas Sheets, will conduct his choir dedicated singers for the ninth year in a row. "Messiah" is always one of his favorite performances of the year because the music tells such a powerful story. "It's really of epic proportions," he said. "And ultimately a very joyful program." His singers, many of whom have been involved in the UMS Choral Union for years, have a special fond- ness for "Messiah" because it's an annual tradition for them. Father Tim- othy Dombrowski will be enjoying his 33rd performance of "Messiah" this year. Sheets said, "The chorus loves singing this piece. They come into the performance with real zest." Their teaming with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra is one that has worked very well in the past. "There's a real strong sense of civic pride with our orchestra and oui choir. We col- laborate with them frequently and it's a fruitful collaboration," Sheets said. While "Messiah" is oftentimes associated with Christmas, its mes- sage can be appreciated universally. Such a timeless story, expressed through such timeless music, leaves its audience with an understanding of what's really important about the holi- day season - tradition, harmony and joy. As Sheets said, "You'll leave in a better mood than the one in which you came in with." Fairy tales can come true: Jack and the Beanstalk' proves innovative, fun tinue a tradition that spans 121 years of holiday music. This famous oratorio that is com- monly associated with Christmas actually premiered in the spring of 1742 in Dublin, Ireland. Now, the story that traces the birth, death and resurrection of Christ is a wintertime staple of orchestras and choirs around the country. Here in Ann Arbor, four church choirs first premiered "Messi- ah" in 1879. The popularity and excitement of those performances resulted in the organization that is now the University Music Society. Most popular for the Hallelujah Chorus, the music of "Messiah" is a combination of choral music, orches- tration and soloists. The featured soloists in the show are a great oppor- tunity for UMS to bring world-class talent to Ann Arbor. This year, the highly acclaimed soprano, Linda Mabbs will be gracing Hill Auditori- um with her rich, warm voice. In recent seasons, Mabbs has debuted with New York City Opera and the Washington Opera. The featured mezzo-soprano this weekend is a young Canadian, Susan Platts. Her previous engagement in Ann Arbor, singing Bach's St. Matthew Passion was a huge hit, so her performance in "Messiah" is highly anticipated. UMS has also invited the hugely talented tenor, By Melissa Gollob Daily Arts Writer The classic tale of a poor boy that traded his cow for a handful of magic beans comes to life this Sun- day at 9 p.m. The real story of "Jack a Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story CBS Sunday and Tuesday at 9 p.m. and the Beanstalk" is told as never before. This innovative tale of Jack, expands and transforms the fairy tale so much that no one will be able to read the story the same way again. Jack Robin- son (Matthew Modine, "Full Metal Jacket") is a present day tale of Jack and the Beanstalk to convince him that he is the direct descendent of the original Jack. The first Jack climbed the beanstalk and rescued the goose and harp from the giant named Thun- derdell (Bill Baretta). Present day Jack realizes his wealth stemmed from the goose that lays golden eggs named Gallaga, and the magic harp the first Jack took from Thun- derdell almost 400-years-ago. Jack then decides to break the curse set on the males of his family, and travels to the giant's world above by way of another beanstalk. There he encounters Ondine again and is taken to a court. Ondine describes the differences in their worlds, most importantly that time in the giant world works differently. One day on their world is one year on Earth. Since the goose and harp left, the giants' world was reduced to destitute conditions. With the giants, Jack learns the true events that lead to his ancestor gaining possession of Gallaga and the harp. To break the curse he must return the goose and harp to the giants so that their world can live once more. "Jack and The Beanstalk" pro- vides a totally innovative twist on a timeless story. This original re- telling of the fairy tale shows the evolution of time and demonstrates how myths and legends become dis- torted through the ages. The twists of the plot keep the story interesting and fresh. The beginning is abrupt, and in the first half hour there is no mention of the fairy tale at all, mak- ing this part. a little tedious. All the information is relevant to the story however, revealing its importance later in the movie. The creatures, created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, are out- standing. The puppets become more life-like in every scene. The scenes with the immense giants interacting with regular size humans appear to be real and not just special effects added on later. The other visual effects are incredible as well. The colossal beanstalk looks just authen- tic enough to believe in the impossi- ble. Vanessa Redgrave gives an impressive performance as Count- ess Wilamena. She includes charac- teristics of both the typical evil stepmother and fairy godmother in her performance. This dichotomy gives a new depth to the refreshed narrative and the mini-series as a whole. Tenor Christopher Pfund. 710,17, 171, .::: :.:.: . : D:::LY ART ti; Luw : ?:tiI ~t~ lO ~ 6 1.~ ~H* '~ W- ~ ~.- * :: ::: !.O iME W i?" i?;;:!'4I;.!: :;;N ;M MAT;.:R: IFI: NG MiAWAYIIR T~iWRND ISUP Join DM": :j'> ;j';;':"::;?'{A;[R ;jcttLj NOW:,' }:i 76.t v ;ti :ti ;{ CEO of an enormous conglomerate that has grown through 10 genera- tions in his family. The only catch to their infinite success is that Robinson men only live until their 40th birthday. One day Jack meets a mysterious young woman from the giant's world named Ondine (Mia Sara, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"), who places questions in his mind about the origins of his family's wealth. He goes home to his family's cas- tle and discovers builders have dug up the bones of a giant from the estate's yard. His aunt, the Countess Wilamena (Vanessa Redgrave, "Julia"), tells Jack the original fairy Courteyo, Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Oh wait, that's Matthew Modine. Milano - U . U- r-- - Casual dining at its best! REWARD YOURSELF! Corner of 1st and Huron St. ' Downtown AA (734) 623-7400 www.damatos.com ****Detroit Free Press 9 out of 10 Ann Arbor News Earn a Master of Science degree in: " Health Services Management and Policy " Human Resources Management " Nonprofit Management " Organizational Change Management " Urban Policy Analysis and Management Ph.D. degree: " Public f Urban Policy OPEN HOULSE December 5, 11 & 13 * "6:00 - 8:00 p.m. FULL KEGS (1/2 bbl) Coors Light $49.95 Killian's Red $69.95 Labatt's Blue $62.95 Milwauk. Best $42.95 Molson (all 1/2 bbl) $62.95 Natu~ral inht $29 TWELVE PACKS Amstel Light bottles $12.99 M- A 1 ;-~i k ++I- tA l m i I