ARTS
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The Michigan Daily
Masters meet at Hill
By Craig Varterian
What happens when the old
meets the new; when the the
avant-garde of yesteryear meets
the cutting edge of today? Well, in
one word, magic. The old guard of
jazz here is one Ornette Coleman,
the seasoned mentor of the
younger new-age apprentice Pat
Metheny.
Stunning is the only word that
fits the current ensemble that in-
cludes ECM bassist Charlie Haden
and drummer Jack Dejohnette.
Although not permanent as a
group they will surely make a
mark on the jazz world with the
album Song X. It is clearly one of
the most exciting, and in some
ways controversial, albums by
Metheny produced to date.
It's clear that the controversy
here is directed at Metheny more
than at Coleman. To many long
term fans, Metheny has been most
recognized for his melodic, subtle
tunes, but Coleman has carried a
host of differing opinions about
since he broke onto the music
scene in the late '50s in Los
Angeles and '60s in New York. His
exuberent alto sax and violin im-
provisations have caused many a
music lover to take a few steps
back. But at the same time
Coleman has influenced a whole
generation of musicians, Metheny
included. The attendance of his
Detroit show last year at Chene
Park is evidence of his still
popular sound. The technical
knockout Coleman packs is the
side of the multi-faceted Metheny
that has shown in such albums as
Bright As Life and Rejoicing. To
some people, the present album
displays Metheny's ability in
many ways better than on others.
The tone is more daring and
wilder than the other, more
melodic side of Metheny. This
periphrastic side of Pat Metheny
seems almost opposite of what
he's doing on upcoming Pat
Metheny Group albums. Wtih his
regular band, he plans to go in a
more pop-oriented direction.
Where Ornette Coleman seems to
be an expert at what he has done in
his singular direction, Metheny
has become a master of a diverse
repetoire of intergrated yet diver-
se styles.
One of the first steps leading to
the present effort with Ornette
Coleman was cutting an album
and subsequent tour with Coleman
sideman Charlie Haden and
drummer Billy Higgens. The
albun Rejoicing was promoted by
playing clubs like New York's
Village Vanguard and Boston's
Paradise. At the time, Rejoicing
promised to be a first in a forth-
coming series of recordings
showing the more club oriented,
improvisational side of Metheny.
In December '85, Metheny finally
recorded with Coleman "live" at
the Power station in New York, in
which the outcome was Song X.
Metheny has described jazz as a
reflection of the times and jazz
musicians as reporters of their
times. He subscribes to this and
adds that there is a certain point
where he's not just reflecting the
way things are, but crosses the
line into the way he wishes they
were. This philosophy and
idealistic view are one of the many
common bonds that are reflected
in his and Coleman's music.
Metheny first came in contact
with Coleman's music as he was
growing up in Lee's Summit, Mo.
The music produced by this Fort
Worth-born sax player was some
of the most controversial in the
improv wars of the '60s. Only two
other musicians have had such a
great effect on fundamentally
changing the direction of this art
- Louis Armstrong and Charlie
Parker. What made Coleman
significant was his ability to
create a music that was not
tonally grounded, did not rely on
constant tempos, and made in-
tonation more a matter of per-
sonal choice than regimented
standards. At the same time all of
it was rooted in melody, rhythm
and group interplay.
Coleman played through a
series of early gigs in Los Angeles
only to be met with constant rejec-
tion from peers at the time. When
he finally got fed-up with not being
able to play his tunes, he formed
his own band. From 1954 when he
got his first record contract with
Contemporary to 1958, Coleman's
career started to advance rapidly.
Finally in 1959 with a move to
New York, he formed the Ornette
Coleman Quartet and landed a
record deal with Atlantic.
Though Coleman's music was
met with hostility and confusion,
in the early years because of his
unique style, the notes that came
from the band changed music
forever.
4
Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and saxophonist Ornette Coleman will
perform at Hill Auditorium Saturday.
But Coleman did not stop there.
In 1960 with eight players he
recorded Free Jazz an album that
gave a name to the music and that
brought group improvisation to a
new order.
In 1972 he showed up at Freeport
for a New York premier of Skies of
America, his orchestral work.
After a few years of trying to get
Coleman and Metheny together,
Charlie Haden, one of the orginals
in Coleman's first classic band,
finally got them together last
year. Haden who has had his own
success recording on the ECM
label, gives the necessary back-
bone to the current group on the
bass.
Also Jack Dejohnette adds his
solid drumwork to the band.
Dejohnette like Haden has had an
extremely successful career
spanning numerous works as a
leader and a number of others
backing a virtual who's who in
jazz, including John Abercrombie,
Keith Jarret, Miles Davis and
Charles Lloyd among others.
It's fairly obvious that when you
-ook at what this co-op of
musicians are trying to do it is
clear. They are out to create some
unique music on the one hand, and
get a couple of long mutually
respected players together. But on
the other hand, they are out to
break some new ground, trying to
see what they can do which nobody
else has.
Many have predicted this
inevitable meeting of these super-
talented players. Coleman has
watched Metheny for years and
vice-versa. Playing with Coleman
on this particular effort has
brought out the best in Metheny;
he seems more inspired than
usual. The circumstances setting
up this meeting followed as
naturally as the music they play.
Haden's strong influence on bass,
Dejohnette's explosive drums, and
percussionist Denardo Coleman,
Ornette's son, add the finishing
touches to this supergroup.
The show Saturday night at Hill
promises to be one of the most ex-
citing to date. The question is can
Metheny disciples, conditioned
with the easy going First Circle
type of music, exist for an evening
with Coleman buffs. Certainly the
later will approve, but the answer
will only come after the smoke has
cleared. To the more open-minded
it should be an enjoyable and un-
forgettable experience.
A
Dance Theatre Studio
Classes in ballet,,
modern, jazz, tap,
and ballroom.
New classes begin
May12.
.
Windbreakers set new course
For current class
schedule and
more information t n
call 995-4242.
711 N. University (near State Street) " Ann Arbor
By Julie Jurrjens
The Windbreakers will per-
form at the Blind Pig Tuesday
night in support of their most
recent LP, Run. The Jackson,
Mississippi natives have
received critical raves for their
several independent recordin-
gs and back up their studio
achievements with energetic
live shows. Devotees of the
band, however, may be sur-
prised to find a significant
change in lineup after the
departure of original co-leader
Bobby Sutliff. The new Win-
dbreakers featuresfounder Tim
Lee on vocals and guitar,
Sherry Cothren on bass, David
Minchew on guitar, and Joey
Partridge on drums. Lee spoke
to the Daily last weekend about
his high hopes for the new and
improved lineup.
"We're making a lot of breaks
with the past, period. The new
people exemplify a more hard
rocking approach. Where Bobby
would bring in nice melodic pop
songs the new band can produce
more rocking pop songs... we still
have plenty of 'nice' songs, it's
just a more defiant approach... I
look at this band as a solid rock
band with pop sensibilities. Our
next record is probably going to
sound like a Badfinger record.
They had loud guitars but great
melodies."
Lee notes a change in the WB's
recording aesthetic after several
years of working with noted indie
pop producers Mitch Easter and
Randy Everett:
"Working with people like Mitch
and Randy, we learned a lot. But I
found it's real easy to go into the
studio, record something, and then
put a lot of funny sounds over it.
And that's just not a very honest
way of doing it. I want (the recor-
ding) to showcase the songs,
rather than 'Wow, listen to those
cool sounds. I want things more
See WINDBREAKERS,.PageS
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