Friday February 13, 2004 arts.michigandaily.com * artseditor@michigandaily.com RSe £cigwnlaI 5 By Andrew Horowitz Daily Arts Writer It's been a while since Hank Jones was last in Ann Arbor. His last visit, as matter of fact, was more than 50 years ago. The up-and-coming pianist was in town with his younger brother, trumpeter/composer/arranger Thad, who was per- forming "Flight of the Bumble Bee" in a compe- tition. This week, Hank Jones returns as a jazz legend. Born in 1918, Hank Jones Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets available at the Michigan League Ticket Office At the Power Center Hank grew up in a conservative Bap- tist household in Pontiac. The eldest male of five siblings (which include Thad and legendary drummer Elvin), Hank was encouraged to pursue music from an early age. By his teenage years, he was playing in clubs, but was not allowed to play "past midnight on Sundays," as his father forbid it. He was active in the Detroit music scene, paving the way for the wave of great Detroit pianists that included Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris and Sir Roland Hanna. In 1944, he moved to New York to perform with swing trumpeter Oran "Hot Lips" Page. While there, Jones played with various groups and learned the developing lan- guage of bebop. Three years later, Hank Jones was invited to tour with Norman Granz's "Jazz at the Philharmonic," and found himself playing alongside the who's who of jazz, "the guys that were my musical idols." Jones also recorded with, among others, Charlie Parker. "I had the good fortune of working with Charlie ... His talent and ingenuity knew no bounds. He played anything you could think of, and he thought of of shows, The Garry Moore Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, two radio shows ... " During this time, unfortunately, his club career suffered. "Trying to work nights was just a little bit too tough." Jones left the job, unwilling to compromise further ambition: "When you reach the point where you say, 'Gee, I'd rather be doing something else,' you have to make your move." This refusal to compromise has allowed Hank to appear in numerous settings with everyone from the avant- garde saxophonist Anthony Braxton to trumpeter Miles Davis. One of his favorite experiences was playing with Davis on alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley's "Something Else." On that recording, Hank recalls, "The date itself was very relaxing. Miles came up with most of the ideas. In effect, he was the leader of the group. It was interest- ing because everything went really smoothly. There were no glitches." Recently, Hank's been busy. Before arriving in Ann Arbor, he had spent five days in Japan. The trip included four Blue Note club dates and two solo piano recording sessions. For any musician, this is grueling. For an 85- year-old who recently underwent sur- gery for an aortic aneurysm, this is remarkable. Jones, a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, has spent the past week mentoring students as part of the University's Rhythm Section Institute. He performed two trio sets at the Firefly Club last night and he will play with the Count Basie Orchestra tomorrow. What's left for a musician who has done it all? According to Jones, plenty. "Music's a lifetime study. At least in my experience, I feel that I haven't reached a point where I can say that I've really accomplished what I want- ed to accomplish, because there's always something that you wanted to do, but you haven't done it. And that's where I am at this point in time. I think there's more for me to do, and whatev- er it is, I'm going to try to do it." courtesy of massfcs Chock full o' jazz. ' festival offers weekend of jazz By Jared Newman Daily Arts Writer Courtesy of Concord Jazz, Play It again, Sam. STILL AT IT JONES TICKLES THE IVORIES plenty of things to play." Over the years, Hank played many roles: soloist, accompanist, sideman, leader and big band pianist. As an accompanist, he played with almost everyone, including nearly five years with Ella Fitzgerald and a recording date with Sarah Vaughn. According to Hank, "Accompanying -is very tricky. You can't get too far ahead of the soloist, and you can't be too close to them, too loud, or too soft. It's very certain." Jones also spent 17 years at CBS. "My schedule at CBS was tough; I worked six days a week. We did a lot -..j FIN E ARTs PREVIEW When listening to a 70-year-old recording of Count Basie's big band music, one can't help but notice how good it sounds. Like it or not, jazz stands the test of time, maintaining recognition even in the face of main- stream rock and pop. Of course, there are some who dis- agree, thinking that jazz is a style of the past, reserved only for those who can remember its popularity. These unen- lightened individuals need only to check out tomorrow's University of Michigan Jazz Festival to be shown otherwise. Here, they can observe students, teach- ers and professionals alike honing their craft in an all-day affair. This year's celebration, which will be proclaimed "Count Basie Day" by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, marks the 100th birthday of the late master of swing. The festival will span the duration of the day, beginning with a bagel and jazz breakfast at the School of Music and culminating with a concert at the Power Center. Learning about jazz is arguably just as important as listening to it, so the bulk of the day will take place at the School of Music. Visitors can attend instrument clinics, listen to historical lectures and hear University students perform the music that they have spent so much time studying. Most notable is the lecture series in which special guest and legendary pianist Hank Saturday, Feb. 14 7:30 a.m. - Registration begins at the University's School of Music 12 p.m. - Personal music clinics led by members of the School of Music 1 p.m. - Historical Lecture Series with Hank Jones 4:30 p.m. - Festival Awards Concert at Rackham Auditorium 8 p.m. - Festival Feature Concert with the Count Basie Orchestra, HankJones, Manhattan Transfer and the University Jazz Ensemble at the Power Center Sunday, Feb. 15 8 p.m. - Festival Jazz Vespers at St. Luke Lutheran Church Jones will host a discussion on the music of Count Basie. After a day of sharing and learning, the Power Center stage will be set for the evening's concert. Headlining the event is the Count Basie Orchestra which, under the lead of Grover Mitchell, continue making music in the tradition of Basie's renowned style. Hank Jones will join the band onstage in addition to giving a performance of his own. The concert will also feature performances by the University of Michigan Jazz Ensemble, vocal quintet Manhattan Transfer and jazz vocalist Jon Hendricks. 'Simple' DVD appeals to simple minds By Jaya Soni Daily Arts Writer FOX's "The Simple Life" set yet another low for reality television. Paris Hilton, heiress to the Hilton hotel for- tune, and Nicole Richie, daughter of pop singer Lionel Richie, were uprooted from the luxury of their California abodes to the natural plainness of an Arkansas farm. The recently concluded, abridged sea- son is now available on DVD. The five episodes follow the two spoiled women as they slowly adjust from mingling with the rich and famous to rubbing elbow - literally - with four-legged farm animals. Taking residence with the hard-working, no-nonsense Leding fam- ily, the girls constantly forget their chores and try their _____________ best to have a good The Simple time in a dull Southern city. Life: Season The special fea- One tures are shallow FOX and offer little in terms of actual content, much like Paris and Nicole themselves. The outtakes are comparable to video footage of a family vacation, as they are entirely too long, and the laughs are few and far between. For example, one of the features shows the brain-dead Nicole fumbling to use a can opener. Aside from one entertaining feature that follows the girls as they shop for clothes in a hunting store and collect carcasses for the local taxider- mist, the "outrageous bonus footage" is entirely pointless. The DVD feature section also includes a longer episode-length trial show of the girls cleaning dogs in the less upscale neighborhoods of Califor- nia's valley. "The Simple Life" DVD is simple in itself, but that's to be expected when you're working with Paris and Nicole. Show: ** Picture/Sound: ** Features: * DAILY AIRS: PLAYiN' WHIFFLE BALL WITH YOUR HEART. U U Would you still consider Psych 111 the Best Blow-Off Class if you got a B minus? Feel free to discuss amongst your multiple-personalities.