MMOR Friday October 17, 2003 michigandaily.com artseditor@michigandaily.com AFTS 8A 8A By Archana Ravi Daily Arts Writer In a perfect world, all people would live in a democracy cre- ated by Wynton Marsalis. While this is unlikely to ever happen, Marsalis has created a perfect democratic world within the realm of jazz music. In fact, Marsalis claims that what you hear in a good jazz band is the sound of democracy: "The jazz band, like our democracy, works best when participation is shaped by intelligent communica- tion." Wy nto0n Marsalis has b e e n referred to as the most outstanding jazz musi- - Wynton Marsalls Quintet Tonight at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Early show $18- $40 Late show $22 - $44 At the Michigan Theater devote to composition as well, and proved himself a brilliant composer. Hewassespecially *well-received by the dance community. He has composed for such companies as Garth Fagan Dance, the New York City Ballet, Twyla Tharp for the American Ballet Theatre and for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. He then went on to compose his most ambitious work to date, "All Rise," which was performed by the New York Philharmonic. Marsalis also manages to incorporate his love for classical music in his life. He has won nine Grammy Awards and earned the distinction of being the only artist ever to win for both jazz and classical recording. In spite of his demanding career, Marsalis devotes a large part of himself to educational programs for the arts. In 1987, he started a jazz program at Lincoln Center which includes performances, debates, forums, dances, television broadcasts and educational activities. He has also launched educational broadcast series on PBS and NPR. Without a doubt, Marsalis is most recognized among musi- cians of his caliber for his s extraordinary character. He has selflessly donated his time to non-profits all over the nation and has worked to promote social change in many different ways. Wynton Marsalis can be described as an American musi- cian for whom greatness is not merely possible but inevitable. The Wynton Marsalis Quintet will be performing in two sets at the Michigan Theater this evening. The sets will begin at 7 p.m. and 9:30 pm. respectively. cian and trumpeter of his gener- ation. In addition, he is a big-band leader, a talented com- poser, a tireless advocator for the arts, and an inspiring educa- tor. Marsalis's inventive union of jazz and democracy is a testa- ment to his creativity, brilliance and wisdom.H Marsalis became involved with music at a very young age. He proved his aptitude and dili- gence very early on, and was accepted, at the age of 17, to Tanglewood's Berkshire Music Center as their youngest mem- ber. He eventually went on to work with the Jazz Messengers and played with such jazz greats as Sara Vaughan, Sweets Edison and Clark Terry. Eventually, Marsalis started his Comedy Central talent brings laughs on tour By Douglas Wemnert Daily Arts Writer "I feel like the youth of America needs to be educated, and I'm the man to do it," said Ed Helms, the 29-year-old comedian and one of the stars of the "Comedy Central No Class Tour" which will roll into the University this week- end. Helms, a correspondent on the Emmy-winning "The Daily Show," teams with Doug Comedy Stanhope ("The Central No Man Show") and Class Tour Christian Finnegan Satrday at 8 p.m. ( " P r e m i u m $Satude ts ~ Blend") for a night $22NonStudents $2 on Students of laughs at the Atthe Michigan Michigan Theater. Theater A Georgia native, Helms admits he "was kind of a nerd" during his college days at Oberlin College. While performing stand-up in New York, he also began doing voiceovers for advertisements, ranging from "Say What Karaoke" to product commercials for Efferdent, Turns and Doritos. His favorite, however, was being the voice of an animatronic lobster in a Snuggles commercial. "I named him Smuggly,"he fondly recalls. Now, still living what he calls "the crazy bachelor lifestyle," Helms admits, "I couldn't be happier (to work for "The Daily Show")." Calling colleagues Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert and Rob Corddry "damn funny," Helms has great respect for his fellow comedians, nam- ing Jerry Seinfeld and David Cross as some of his favorites. Doug Stanhope, one of Helms' coun- terparts, has enjoyed much success as. well. Releasing his third live CD last year, Stanhope has been called one of Courtesy of UM; We respect your brother Branford for leaving Leno when he did. DEMOCRATIC TUNE MARSALIS QUINTET JAZZES UP A 2 Courtesy of Comedy Central Brian Unger, without the cool. the Top Ten Comedians to Watch by The Hollywood Reporter. Despite his brutal- ly honest and uninhibited material, he is widely adored, making appearances on many comedy shows. Last summer, he wrote and produced "Invasion of the Hidden Cameras" on FOX, and now, with his new gig on "The Man Show" Stanhope looks to be a steady performer for years to come. Christian Finnegan has had his share of experience in comedy. With countless appearances on programs such as "The Chappelle Show," Finnegan brings a cut- ting-edge style to his comedy. His status as a mainstay on VHl's "Movie Obses- sion" can only mean bigger and better things for this New York City native. When Helms' clever, cynical observa- tions are mixed with Stanhope's brash- ness and vulgarity and Finnegan's savvy and experience, the end result will be a fun night of comedy for all who attend. "College kids are such an awesome audience," says Helms. "It couldn't be more fun to perform at colleges." 4 own band, with which he per- formed over 120 concerts every year for 10 years. Through this experience, he gained recognition from the older generation of jazz musicians and prompted the re- issuance of jazz catalogs by record companies worldwide. While immersing himself in the jazz world, Marsalis found time to Ludacris buys some stale Beer By Brandon Harig For the DlEy IY i No longer solo, Day primed for VH1 success By Laurence J. Freedman Daily Arts Writer One of the most outspoken artists in the rap industry, Ludacris has always made it known through his songs just what he thinks. With songs like "What's Your Fantasy?" and "Ho" from his Def Jam debut Ludacris album Back for the First Time, Chicken-N- Ludacris showed Beer he was not on the Def Jam scene to sing about loving his mother. With the release of Chicken-N-Beer, Ludacris searches for a formula that works but instead puts out an album which feels imbalanced and awkward. With the album's first song, "Southern Fried Intro," Ludacris shows a rapping ability reminiscent of Busta Rhymes on "Gimme Some More." This speedy and dexterous delivery showcases Ludacris' impressive ability to spit lyrics while following an impossible beat. The album's recurring flaw, though, emerges in the next track, the disap- pointingly slow and repetitive "Blow It Out," which dives from mediocre Bill O'Reilly cuts to an uninspiring chorus. Such a contrast makes the listener wonder how such a large disparity in talent display can be possible between the first two songs, but it continues throughout the disc creat- ing a pattern of hit and miss. Fea- tured guest Snoop Dogg raps on "Hoes in My Room" but is com- pletely wasted on a mediocre song that sounds more like a drunken sing-along than something he should have ever attached him name to. Lead single "Stand Up" showcases Ludacris' ability to create a chorus that doesn't nag, much like his earli- er "Southern Hospitality." The prob- lem is that a track like this, which has a unique sound and is extremely catchy, gets followed up by skits too annoying to even attempt to suffer through. During the album's skits, Ludacris loses any momentum built in songs such as "Hip Hop Quota- bles," a freestyle track that proves he's capable of making jokes without any scripts or bad actors. A staple of each of his records, Ludacris' skits have only gotten worse with time and need to be replaced with exhibi- tions of talent. Listened straight through, Chick- en-N-Beer is constantly changing direction. At times Ludacris show- cases his natural ability on the mic, but the lame skits weigh the album down so much that in order to review the songs, the skits must be entirely ignored. That done, the album is your average hit-or-miss disc that could have been a lot of better, but also a lot worse. Twenty-two-year-old singer-songwriter Howie Day is aware how much he's changed in the past four years. Recently riding in Ohio to a stop on his latest tour, Day pondered his personal development: "I think any- one would agree that you grow up more between 18 and 22 than any other four years." Certainly this is true, and Day's new record Stop All the World Now is proof that one's musical evolution is a reflection of one's self-evolution. Like John Mayer and Jason Mraz, Howie Day has made a career for himself coming from the Dave Matthews school of sensitive and sophisticated gui- tar-playing every-guys. Until the release of Stop All the World Now and its tour (which stopped at Detroit's St. Andrew's Hall last Wednesday night) Day lacked something which these two other trouba- dours already had: a band. For Day this was indeed a kind of blessing. His excellent reputation is based in large part on his dynamic one-man show. With pedals and effects Day would become his own band underneath his particu- larly passionate vocals. His promising debut record Australia was a relatively stripped-down affair. For Stop All the World Now Day tapped Jump, Little Children guitarist/songwriter Jay Clifford among oth- ers, and the resulting record will likely propel Day to the top of VH-l's Countdown and into the CD players of women both middle and college-aged. Given the company Day has shared in the past two years, his more grown-up vibe does not come as a surprise. Opening dates for yuppie favorites Sting, Sheryl Crow and Tori Amos, his evolution into a more mature artist was accelerated. He now has the record to prove it. Stop All the World Now features Day's fluid and expansive tunes, given even more room to breathe. by his band's full sound, complete with keyboards and lush arrangements (he is joined by an orchestra on five tracks). Many of the tracks recall U2, but with an acoustic guitar front and center. The key to this comparison is the presence of steady rhythms and echoing, ringing electric guitar that Bono and the Edge have built their music around. "Perfect Time of Day" is the' best example, its sweeping sound punctuated by the pounding of a bass drum under textured guitars. Despite this solid studio achievement, Day's per- formance in Detroit last week accompanied by his band was not nearly as impressive as his past solo shows. Day did in fact perform with only his guitar and effects for the middle portion of his set, captivat- ing the sold-out club with raw musicianship. The rest of the show seemed generic in contrast, Day rather unenthusiastically leading his unremarkable band to each song's pinnacle. The ride up is much more inter- esting when it is entirely in Day's hands, dependent completely on his guitar and emotiveness. Judging by the crowd's reaction, however, the entire concert was a complete success. The swaying couples savored every note and passive stare Day dished out, many guys appearing as though they wanted to com- fort the seemingly lovesick singer after the show as much as the girls. Though many new Howie Day fans are thrilled to have their man perform at all, it would- n't be surprising if the performances most coveted and enjoyed by fans in the future are those where Day appears all by his lonesome. Until then, watch for Howie Day and his band on VH-1. I Courtesy of Epic Stereo Not from Australia, just writing about It. WB's'Ta rzan' is not the king of pnmetime jungle By Douglas Wernert Daily Arts Writer tells of a plane crash in the wilderness many years ago that young John Clayton Jr. (Tarzan) somehow survived. After WORK FOR ThE DAILY'S ONUNE STAFF. E-MML GINK@UMICH.ED.U Anyone who expects "Tarzan," the new WB drama, to take place in the jun- gle and feature some big muscular guy beating his chest while saying, "Me hungry" is sadly mistaken. Confusing storylines, a lack of realism and a bizarre premise set the stage for another typical WB Sunday night of television. Travis Fimmel plays Tarzan, who now resides in Manhattan. The back-story years of jungle life, this beefier Leonar- do DiCaprio can climb walls, take on entire police squadrons in cheesy slow- Tarzan Sundays at 9P.M. The WB successful Greystroke Industries, is try- ing to lock him up. This is a new twist on an old tale, and although far-fetched, it still has some value. However, the other major storyline comes out of nowhere, as the show takes on an "NYPD Blue." The actual lead character is Jane Porter, a sensible cop who is teamed with self-assured, quick- witted Sam Sullivan (Miguel A. Nunez Jr.) as they try to uncover a serial arson- ist. Somehow, Tarzan constantly inter- venes on Jane's behalf, even saving her life at one point, ala Superman. Tarzan like Jane. Jane have detective boyfriend. Love trouble ensue. The show's focus is the poorly-por- trayed officers, where Tarzan's only function is to run in, make the save, hit on Jane and run away to avoid capture. The ongoing storyline between Tarzan and Jane, coupled with Lucy Lawless' debut in the coming weeks as Richard's sister could be interesting, but the irrational police plot will distract audiences, take up unnecessary time and offer nothing new. This show is already a damsel-in-distress, and don't expect any hero to come swinging in on vines to save it. 4 motion fight sequences and break out of prison no less than two times in the first episode. Meanwhile, Tarzan's uncle Richard (Mitch Peleggi, "X-Files), who runs the III1 11 III For those who think a "good job" means 90-hour work weeks and pin stripe suits ... 111 The Middle East and Civil Liberties Post-9/11 October 17 from 2-5 pm at Rackham Auditorium Presentations and Q&A session on civil liberties and the impact on perceptions about the U.S. after 9/11. Hussein Ibish-communications director, American-Arab ...McMaster-Carr. Our company is a leader in the distribution of industrial products all over the world. Located in Chicago, our Information Systems department offers a balanced work-life, a casual atmosphere, and ample opportunity to demonstrate your abilities to analyze processes, solve problems, and implement change. 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