The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, March 16, 2007 - 5
Second coming for
'Beautiful"70s gem
By DEREK BARBER
Daily Arts Writer
Catherine Howe's lush and
breathtaking debut album What
A Beautiful
Place never
even hit the ****
shelves before
Reflection Catherine
Records went Howe
* belly-up in
1971. As a What a
result, Howe Beautiful Place
was robbed of
recognition, Numero
going on to a
meager career
in music before finally retiring to
her hometown of Halifax, Nova
Scotia. Now, 35 years later, the
Numero Group has finally reis-
sued a fully remastered version
of Howe's first album. Second
chances are relatively nonexis-
tent in the music industry, and
when they do come along, it's
usually for good reason.
So why does a relative
unknown's debut record still
need to be heard? As Beauti-
ful Place's opening vibraphones
chime their ascending arpeg-
gios in "Prologue," Howe's trite-
seeming title transforms into an
appropriate label. Perhaps jazz
great Ornette Coleman said it
best: "Beauty is a rare thing."
And they don't come any more
rare than this.
Paired with American jazz
pianist Bobby Scott, simple folk
songs flourish within Scott's
sophisticated arrangements and
lavish production. Even the Lon-
don Symphony orchestra makes
an appearance as bassoon, flute,
flugelhorn and timpani flesh out
the skeletons of song. While the
arrangements are indeed intri-
cate, they never get in the way of
Howe's enchantingly pure folk
melodies. On "Up North," Howe's
voice, channeling Karen Car-
penter as much as Carole King,
sails over a sea of instrumenta-
tion while Scott's not-so-subtle
bluesy piano lines make for a fine
contrast.
Since many of the tracks are
modeled in this fashion - sweep-
ing instrumentation hidden
underneath Howe's whisper-soft
vocals and Scott's funky piano
fills - the record occasionally
teeters on redundancy. Thank-
fully, there's enough emotional
weight in songs like "What a
Beautiful Place" to keep things
interesting. The title track offers
a strongvocal attack and the driv-
ing rhythm evokes Carole King's
"I Feel the Earth Move." But the
earth doesn't move too far before
Howe returns to her soft-spoken
reflection on the following track
"The Innocence Of a Child."
Themelancholyof"OnAMisty
Morning" is especially poignant.
As strings and horn roll along as
slowly and steadily as a thick fog,
Howe's voice is confident. Never-
theless, there is sadness under-
cutting Howe's performance
- as if she already knows the fate
of the record.
It isn't until the final track,
however, that the listener fully
grasps Howe's dual nature - con-
fident and tragic. In a thick York-
shire accent, Howe speaks: "I
have said what I have said. That
is all. That is enough. The words
Bluesy folk with
lush orchestral
backing.
are different when thought in
red. And I don't expect to pay
for living and hiding in yellow
fields."
Howe isn't making any apolo-
gies for her bold and honest
record. Not to be mistaken as
art for art's sake, What A Beauti-
ful Place is as adventurous in its
production as it is comforting
in its folk simplicity. The only
real tragedy is that it's taken 36
years for this record to finally be
heard. The musical landscape
Howe created in 1971 is as alive
as it ever was and ready to be
rediscovered.
Crime
pays in
'Riches'
NEW FX SUBURBAN
DRAMEDY LOOKS LIKE A
PROMISING INVESTMENT
By BEN MEGARGEL
Daily Arts Writer
In the debut episode of FX's new dramedy
"The Riches," a recently paroled Minnie Driver
("Good Will Hunting") considers shooting her-
oin before deciding to throw
the needle out the window of
her stolen mini-mansion. In a ***
desperate fit of instant regret,
she runs outside and search- The Riches
es frantically through the
shrubbery, unintentionally Mondays at
attracting the maternal atten- 10 p.m.
tion of a plump, well-meaning FX
neighbor. Effortlessly blend-
ing hopeless addiction with
obvious comic undertones,
Driver displays some of the most nuanced act-
ing on television today.
This balance between drama and comedy
drives "The Riches," which follows a family
of "white gypsies" who move into the recently
purchased home of a family they inadvertent-
ly killed in a car accident. The series forgoes
the emphasis on style that several other FX
programs focus on - none of the dramatics
of "Dirt" or the high-gloss and style of "Nip/
Tuck."
Instead, "The Riches" focuses on the com-
plex dynamic of drifters and the cultural
adjustments they have to make.
courtesy of FX
More criminal comedy? It's OK, "The Riches" is actually funny.
The series stars British comedian Eddie
Izzard ("Dress to Kill") and Driver as Wayne
and Dahlia, parents of three children. For this
role, Izzard undergoes one of the greatest per-
sonal transformations in recent memory, shift-
ing from his flamboyant stage personality as
a standup (with a propensity for cross-dress-
ing) to that of a wily patriarch with a taste for
conflict. Driver is equally impressive, portray-
ing a refreshing lack of vanity as she's forced
to leave her vagabond extended family for her
new faux-riche existence.
The onscreen relationship between Wayne
and Dahlia is believably complicated. Although
they often argue and have intense screaming
matches, the two are able to express a certain
compassion for one another, and it's difficult
not to root for their dysfunctional relationship
- or their unique brand of humanistic crime.
Izzard and Driver transcend their illegal activ-
ities and abnormal lifestyle to somehow appear
wonderfully ordinary.
Although the debut episode's background
story is choppy and awkwardly paced, confused
over whether it wants to be a serious drama or
an irreverent dark comedy, the narrative hits
its stride once the family assumes their false
identity as the Riches.
At times the small, intimate moments
between the characters take center stage,
while in other instances the focus is firmly on
a spree of plot-advancing action. Is this a "Big
Love"-style series about quirky family circum-
stances or a post-"O.C." story of rags to riches'
Bob Dylan's "Shelter From the Storm" serves as
a cliche finale song which doesn't help the case
for either.
Ultimately, "The Riches" has enough acting
credentials and dramatic spunk to compensate
for its initial uncertainty of tone. The series i
well worth the usual TV development periodio
fully bloom and realize its potential.
If it finally learns to blend together its dra-
matic and comedic components (Driver's hero
in scene, e.g.) consistently, "The Riches" could
find the same level of success as "Desperate
Housewives."
A fusion of folk melodies and opera
f
F
By PRIYA BALI
Daily Arts Writer
Today,the exchange ofgoods and
services formoneyideally maintains
the satisfaction of
both consumer
and producer: The
"I'll sell you this B
iPod for $300." In e
the 19th century Bride
Czech Republic,
you might find Today,
this: "I'll sell this tomorrow
woman as your and Sunday
bride if you give at8 p.m.
me 300 guilders."
The iPod isn't free At the Power
to choose if the Center
exchange should $9
take place. Nei-
ther is the bride.
Bedrich Smetana's Czech opera
"The Bartered Bride," now playing
at the Power Center through Sun-
day, tells the story of a woman who
decides to speak up.
Marenka and Jenik are in love,
but the soon-to-be-bartered bride's
parents have arranged her a mar-
riage with the landowner's son
Vasek. What ensues is a cunning
agreement on Jenik's part with
the marriage broker so that he may
attempt to win Marenka's hand in
marriage.
With all its deception and humor
the opera seems somewhat Shake-
spearean. "The fusion of folk music
and folk melodywith classical styles
makes it particularly Czech," Music
Prof. Joshua Major said.
Probably the greatest chal-
lenge for the cast was learning
how to speak and sing in a foreign
language, encountered less often
in opera than, say, Italian. Major
directed them in an expression of
the Czech language. Coaching them
was assistant School of Music pro-
fessor, Timothy Cheek who is fluent
in the language. Two hundred pre-
rehearsal hours followed by more
than 30 hours per week of dedica-
tion allowed the crew to tackle the
Czech language.
"It was a lot of work to make the
action specific and understandable
with a language that is foreign to all
who are involved," Major said.
Smetana's opera is very par-
ticular to the Czech Republic and
to Eastern Europe. According to
conductor and school of music prof
Andrew George, the 19th century
Czech music bears a "nationalis-
tic" sound. Smetana draws on rural
Eastern European folk melodies as
a basis for his own interpretation.
"It's fascinating how much varlo
ety of sound composers create with
different instrument combination
- like a painter who has access to
the same colors, but combines them
You think Spanish
presentations
are hard?-
in different ways for their unique
and distinctive art," George said.
You probably don't speak Czech,
but the story can be easily grasped.
Its relatable themes speak a com-
mon language known to all and has
the ability to pull its audience into a
19th century Czech Republic.
'Tenacious D' on DVD?
Murray Perahia?
michigandaily.com.
'Ultimate Gift'has good intentions, little else
By IMRAN SYED
Daily Arts Writer
A few minutes into "The Ultimate
Gift," a sea of rigid black umbrellas
shielding a funeral party from pour-
ing Carolina rains parts to reveal
a swaying pink
umbrella. The
young; pale girl
beneath it puts it
aside, closes her The
eyes and bliss-
fully lifts her face Ultimate
upwards toward Gift
the downpour.
The moment At the
brims with the Showcase and
simple, extraor- Quality 6
dinary beauty
the film wants us Fox Faith
to find in every
moment of life, to
consider in our every decision.
But falling prey to tedious dia-
tribes, truncated morals and a sput-
teringplotline,neveragaindoes"The
UltimateGift" manage the authentic
charm of that one moment.
The funeral is for Red Stevens, a
self-made billionaire whose pass-
ing has brought every corner of the
greedy Stevens clan together in
hopes of taking home a chunk of his
considerable inheritance. Besides
his rich, ungrateful sons and their
rich, ungrateful families, there's
also Red's punky grandson, Jason
(Drew Fuller, TV's "Charmed"),
who shows up characteristically
late, with jeans, loud music and all.
The coffin is barely in the ground
when the family meets with Red's
lawyer to witness the reading of his
will. They all get money, land and
entire oil companies, but still leave
grumbling and dissatisfied. Bratty
Jason, however, only gets instruc-
tions. His grandfather regrets spoil-
ing him and making him incapable
of doing work or appreciating life.
For Jason to get his cut, Red decrees,
he must perform a series of tasks
involving manual labor, humil-
ity and even some interaction with
other people.
The lessons "The Ultimate Gift"
seeks to impart are clear, and even
commendable: modesty and an ear-
nestgratitude forthe gifts oflife. But
following the funeral, the film goes
to such lengths to hit us over the
head with the evils of materialism
and selfishness that it's often diffi-
cult not to laugh. Jason's rich play-
boy ways, for example, are almost a
parody you might find on "Saturday
Night Live."
Dressed in the urban hipster's
bread and butter, Jason stalks the
screen with a smug vanity worthy of
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. But while
emulating one of Hollywood's most
The 'Gift' that
won't stop
giving. Ever.
detestable personas may solidify
Jason's initial cold indifference, it
does very little to humanize the
inevitably reformed man we are
supposed to love by the end of the
film.
Even the plot ends up somewhat
incapable of deciding whether or not
he has learned his lesson. No soon-
er has a seemingly cordial Jason
befriended young Emily, the wielder
of that pink umbrella (recent Acad-
emy Award nominee Abigail Bres-
lin, "Little Miss Sunshine") then he
casts her aside, even while knowing
that she is terminally ill.
Before we know it Jason is sud-
denly in Ecuador, still testy though
supposedly wiser. A kidnapping
by drug lords, mortal endanger-
ment of peaceful villagers and an
explanation of how libraries work
subsequently follow for no appar-
ent reason. Near the end, even as
Emily's innocent insecurities mus-
ter emotion, we're still not sure if we
want Jason to getthis ultimate gift.
But then he does - or at least
you think he does. The film's initial
wealth of charmis long depleted; the
sparse moments of genuine grace
and touching candor contributed by
the superb Breslin are thoroughly
effaced. And yet the film is still not
over. This gift doesn't stop giving
long after its message has already
been received.
I
The limits of creating parables with angsty teens will never be reached.
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