The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, November 2, 2012 - 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, November 2, 2012 - 7
EVENT PREVIEW
Film series to show
Romanian culture
Jazz to fill Kerrytown
during annual Edgefest
Screenings and
lectures to explore
cinematic diversity
By CARLINA DUAN
For the Daily
As November hits, so does the
crunch of leaves, bulky sweaters,
the seasonal flair for pumpkin-*
themed drinks.
Add to this Fourth
year's autumn: Annual
Romanian film.
The Fourth Romanian
Annual Roma- Film Series
nian Film
Series, which Saturdayand
begins Saturday, Sunday and
will spotlight Nov.17 and
four Romanian- 18at4 p.m.
produced films Helmut Stern
over the course Auditorum
of two week-
ends. As a part Free
of the American
RomanianFestival, the film series
intends to illuminate aspects of
modern Romanian culture and its
art forms to audiences.
According to Ramona Urites-
cu-Lombard, a lecturer in the
Comparative Literature and Ger-
manic Languages & Literatures
Departments, filmgoers this sea-
son might be drawn to new Roma-
nian cinema - a field wrapped
in avid curiosity and trademark
"Romanian black humor," which
she described as "a sort of wit that
manifested itself during commu-
nism."
According to Uritescu-Lom-
bard, the film coordinator for
the series, the films, which fea-
ture emerging filmmakers and
critically acclaimed films by more
established Romanian directors,
were chosen in order to portray
Romania as operating within the
larger global community.
"It isn't so much the feeling
that Romania is still a world apart,
that it's still cut off," she said. "No.
Now, Romania is one country
among other cultures, and so the
issues that some of our films deal
with are international issues."
Uritescu-Lombard added,
"There is still a Romanian con-
text, but there's no longer the feel-
ing that this is an isolated world
apart."
The four films being shown
- "Outbound" (Nov. 3), "Tues-
By JOHN BOHN
DailyArts Writer
MK2 NTER
In "Outbound," showing Saturday, Ana Ularu plays an escaped convict.
day After Christmas" (Nov. 4),
"Philantrophy" (Nov. 17) and
"The Phantom Father" (Nov. i8)
- will be accompanied by post-
screeninglectures inorder tohelp
audiences enhance their compre-
hension of the films. All films will
be shown in Romanian with Eng-
lish subtitles.
Lecturers include "Outbound"
director Bogdan George Ape-
tri, LSA Comparative Literature
Professor Dr. Corina Kesler and
Uritescu-Lombard.
"As a member of the audience
myself, I like a bit of introduction
after a film," Uritescu-Lombard
said. "It helps me understand
things better, and makes the
experience of viewing a film or
seeing a film more pleasurable
because I get more of it."
In addition, she said films seem
to appeal more to audiences, cre-
ating a fresh channel for audienc-
es to delve into.
"We live in a. visual culture.
That's what has immediate
appeal," she said. "A lot of people
are maybe better readers of film,
or better viewers of film than
they are viewers of books, and
are more frequent readers of film
than they are of books."
The American Romanian Fes-
tival itself is a larger nonprofit
organization based in southeast-
ern Michigan. The festival hosts
annual events, aimed to encour-
age an appreciation of Romanian
culture for the larger community
in the U.S.
"As with anysmaller culture or
lesser well-known culture, such
as Romania, we all hope to gain a
wider audience and appreciation
and whatever cultural products
we put out there," Uritescu-Lom-
bard said. "Perhaps by showing
these films we might pique peo-
ples' interests."
American Romanian Festival
president Marian Tanau began
the group in 2005 as a way to
build interaction and apprecia-
tionforthe Romanian community
and its culture.
"The way we accomplish
understanding (of Romanian cul-
ture) is by presenting a wide vari-
ety of events - such as classical
music by Romanian composers
that have not been heard of here
in the U.S., or we have an artist
that we feature," Tanau said. "The
goal is to present an ensemble, a
picture of the culture."-
The festival presents annu-
al orchestral concerts, lecture
series, cooking. lessons and a
film series, spreading its events
throughout the course of each
year in order to raise awareness of
Romanian culture.
Tanau commended the role of
film as an ideal medium to com-
municate aspects of. Romanian
culture.
"A film has musical elements, it
has habitual elements, and it has
literature elements," he said. "So
all of a sudden, in two hours, you
expose the audience to many sides
of a culture presented in a film."
Sixteen years ago, Kerrytown
Concert House staffer David
Lynch founded Edgefest, a fes-
tival dedicated
to bringing for- Edgefest
ward-thinking -
jazz artists to Through
the Ann Arbor Saturday at
area. The first 10 p.m.
concert was Kerrytown
performed Concert House
in Holland-
ers, the paper
making store
across from the concert hall on
North Fifth Street. From there,
it grew in size and reputation
and has since garnered a loyal.
following.
"It grew organically out of
a movement in town amongst
young people and older people
who were missing the avant-
garde part of jazz - the new
music jazz - that was really
beginning to flourish in New
York at the time," said Edgefest
Director Deanna Relyea.
In addition to the concert
house performances, the festi-
val has always been dedicated
to community engagement.
In years past, Ann Arbor resi-
dents may have come across
their favorite cafe or record.
shop, transformed into a perfor-
mance venue by an internation-
ally renowned musician. This
year, the theme of the event is
"Worldly Measures."
While the standard jazz for-
mat may be present, non-tradi-
tional elements such as the banjo,
violin or native flute can also be
heard. Many of the musicians
playing this year have looked to
their rich cultural roots, giving
their music an eclectic feel.
As the son of Indian immi- this project in 1977," Smith said.
grants, Rudresh Mahanthappa "About five years ago, I had 10
has drawn on such influences compilations already fixed, but
in his Indo Pak Coalition, a sax, I didn't think of it in terms of a
tabla and guitar trio, which will collection until about four or five
be playing this year. years ago. At that time, I got new
"(The Indo Pak Coalition) commissions to complete the
deals with both South Indian and pieces, I finished the last piece
North Indian music in a jazz con- in October of 2011. So from 1977
text," Mahanthappa said. to2011, that's 34 years of musical
This will be his third year at activity looking over this piece."
Edgefest, though he has played Ten Freedom Summers will
the Kerrytown Concert House be split into two performances
many times before. - the first part on Friday eve-
"We've always had positive ning and the second on Saturday
response there," Mahanthappa afternoon.
said. "There's always a loyal fol- "We knew Wadada would
lowing for what I do so that's probably draw a few people, so
always nice." we made him play twice," Relyea
said.
Barely seating 100 people, the
space aims to provide the audi-
ence and performers with an
include Wtadada intinnateexrin. topa
"It's definitely fun to play
Leo Smith. there," Mahanthappa said. "It's
different. I'm over in-Europe
playing500-800 seathalls with a
very loud jazz fusion band so it's
One of the main events of a very different scenario. I think
Edgefest in 2012 will be perfor- it will be good for the music we
mances by Wadada Leo Smith, will be playing."
one of the pioneers in this new "Everybody loves it," Relyea
approach to jazz. In addition to added. "Because you're right on
working with the University's top of them, you're in the living
Creative Arts Orchestra, as well room with them."
as a solo appearance at Encore The festival runs from Oct.
Records, Smith will be perform- 31 to Nov. 3. In addition to per-
ing his Ten Freedom Summers in formances, there will be talks
its entirety. and classes given by the musi-
Ten Freedom Summers is a cians, and on the last day, Smith
tribute to the Civil Rights Move- and other performers will lead
ment with each part of the cycle the Edgefest Parade through
meditating on a particular aspect the Kerrytown area. The parade
of this monumental experience allows anyone to bring a musical
in the African-American com- instrument and play along with
munity. A complete performance the performers.
of the project runs nearly five "This is not a commercial ven-
hours. tore," Relyea said. "This is a kind
"The whole collection has 21 of event pushing this music for-
pieces in it. I started to compose ward."
PERFORMANCE PREVIEW
'U' bands to come together
for patriotic concert at Hill
By LAURA KAYE
Daily Arts Writer
Elections are impending, bring-
ing with them further conflict
within Congress, between candi-
dates and among
voters. Band-O-
But instead
of heated politi- Ram: The.
cal discourse, Anerican
the School of Salh
Music, Theatre
& Dance wants Saturday at
to bring the Uni- 7:30 p.m.
versity together
to experience Hill Auditorium
"Band=O-Rama: From $5
The American
Salute" with the hopes of bridg-
ing, through music, the gap this
election has produced.
The marching band, concert
band and symphony band are con-
gregating at Hill Auditorium for
this annual production. This is the
only time during the year these
three bands join for a united con-
cert, featuring songs from their
seasons with patriotic aims.
Theconcertbandwillplay"The
March" by John Williams, from
the movie "1941," which depicts
Pearl Harbor during the begin-
ning of WWII. The band will also
present a work by Frank Picheli,
a well-known composer of band
music. The symphony band will
then take the stage with music
includingthewell-knownfavorite,
"The Stars and Stripes Forever."
The marching band's reper-
toire is distinctive, with selections
includi
Boy," a
'40s, a
favorit
The
Michig
as "Ha
Go Blu
"We
of thef
and ma
sica Pa
the a
the fo
way in
everyo
the sho
audien
(
Am
Dire
and At
explain
concer
- who
- are1
tic exp
showcx
of theh
their p
ng "Boogey Woogie Bugle may be different, but the practice
popular piece during.the strategy remains the same: articu-
s well as some Gershwin lation of notes, playing in tune,
es like "I've Got Rhythm." matching tone qualities and play-
band will also include ing as a group.
an traditional pieces such "At Hill, you are looking for
iI to the Victors" and "Lets the highest degree of subtleties
e."' and nuances and musical phras-
are not only the support ing, and it's all about the craft of
football team," LSA junior. music making," Boerma said. "Art
arching band member Jes- is often entertaining but art is
cholski said. "But we lead often intellectual. At the stadium,
dience to want to support the audience doesn't necessarily
otball- team. It's the same want an intellectual experience
'Band-O-Rama.' We get but wants a fun exciting Michigan
ne riled up and excited for football experience."
w, and this registers to the Even though the performance
ce." is separated by the distinct music
of the three bands, the Ameri-
can theme encourages cohesion
among all the players.
"The 'Band-o-Rama' concert
terica in song. is kind of a greatest hits of the
fall performance for all of these
bands," Boerma said. "We took
pieces that highlight our season
ctor of Michigan Marching with a theme that ties the ensem-
hletic Bands Scott Boerma bles together. This year it is patri-
ted that members of the otic music or music by American
t and symphony bands composers. You can see it as a
are mostly music majors night to put aside our differences
looking to create an artis- and just be proud to be Ameri-
erience for the audience, cans."
sing a musical repertoire The marching band plans to
highest caliber and honing conclude the show "by marching
nerformance skills in the on stage to energize the audi-
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process.
In the Big House, the band has
to be big, boisterous and enter-
taining. Therefore, the band has
to tone down its volume, but not
excitement, to accommodate the
smaller space. The environment
ence.
"I want them leaving tapping
their toes," Boerma said. "And
if they're whistling the last tune
we play which is probably going
to be 'The Victors,' then we have
achieved our purpose."