0 20 - The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2006 Creative Arts " improvises By AndrewKlein Mar. 31, 20046 y The phrase "free jazz" carries a certain stigma for the knowledgeable as well as those uninitiated. Random, abrasive, unmusical - free jazz is no strangerto these descriptors.C . But for the University's Crative Creative Arts Arts Orchestra, an improvisation Orchestra group performing at Rackham Performance Auditorium tonight at 8 p.m., free At Rackham Auditorium jazz is a misleading phrase. Co-director Mark Kirschen- -nann said he doesn't think of CAO as "free jazz" because the group is not limited to jazz musicians. "Our improvisations often venture away from what one might think of as jazz, though still filtered through a jazz lens," Kirschenmann said. "I think a more relevant term to describe what we do is creative improvisation." The group's makeup is a clear indicator of the cre- ativity he described. There are cellists, pianists, per- cussionists, a guitarist and violinists (to name a few), and each member brings an individual and relevant >background to the group. This dynamic allows for a wide range of sonic possibilities. "For instance, a particular passage may sound like contemporary classical music, rock, funk or ambient sound, or we might start singing, narrating or yelling, et cetera," Kirschenmann said. The group's flexibility extends beyond its own com- positions to include innovative collaborations. This year alone, the CAO has performed with esteemed avant-garde alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe, the Hot 8 Brass Band from New Orleans and The Golden Age, an improvisation-based hip-hop group. While the term "creative improvisation" can evoke a less-than-favorable impression (something along the lines of randomly generated music), it's clear that both Kirschenmann and the group are extremely knowledgeable and conscious of their music. Through "creative improvisation," the CAO attempts to break down the constraints of composed music. According to Kirschenmann, "a successful performance goes beyond music into the realms of the democratic, social and spiritual." Those aspects can be hard to absorb through a casu- al listening. "We're also very deep listeners, which we advise our audience to be as well," he said. "Normal" jazz might be described as having one, maybe two musicians improvising over a given struc- ture. In the CAO, there is no structure. "On a certain level, it's utterly simple and intui- tive, but it's also deeply complex to get a large ensemble to do this together as a unit or team," Kirschenmann said. Don't expect to hear something along the lines of Wynton Marsalis's interpretation of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. The CAO, an orga- nization with virtually no parallel at the Univer- sity, provides a unique reexamination of musical improvisation. "We hope the audience understands that a given performance may include passages of musi- cal transcendence or disaster at any given moment," Kirschenmann said. "It's the nature of what we do." Local group scores on latest release F.O.K.U.S. uses art to confront AIDS crisis By Anthony Baber Nov. 25,2005 All over the world, the AIDS epidemic is taking lives every day; small children and grown men and women with no idea as to what it means. In African countries, stopping the AIDS epidemic faces even more problems - the people have no edu- cation as to what it is and how to prevent it. Because of that lack of education some Africans unknowingly bear children with HIV, and others, fooled by myths of sex with virgins as a Hear Me cure for AIDS, con- Sponsored by tinue to spread it to F.O.K.U.S. others.Inan attempt to slow the spread of this disease locally, Fighting Obstacles Knowing Ultimate Success (F.O.K.U.S.), in collaboration with AIDS in Black & Brown and the Black Student Union, is hosting "Hear Me," a night dedicated to honoringremembering and educating the University community about the world- wide AIDS/HIV epidemic today at 9 p.m. at the Michigan League Underground. F.O.K.U.S. is an organization founded at the University, creating a community for students using the arts as a common medium. They expose the student body to various art forms for education and entertainment as well as providing vari- ous opportunities for artists to display and enhance their talents. They've hosted events showcasing performances in poet- ry, dancing, singing and the arts. Friday's show will involve all of these components in a way that commemorates the lives of AIDS victims. Continuing the "Knowing is Beautiful" campaign, F.O.K.U.S. hopes to help educate and inform students of the struggles of AIDS/HIV victims. Also, they plan to acknowledge those lost to AIDS and people whose homes, families, lives and countries are being destroyed by this epidemic. Executive member of F.O.K.U.S. and the show's organizer Allison Maritza Lasky said the group's main goal is to encourage people to share their art among peers as a means to bridge various gaps. "We will be featuring poets, members of our U of M community who have been directly affected by the epidemic, music and speakers who will be shedding light on research and the realities of life with these diseases;' Lasky said. "If anybody has been touched by this epidemic or has gone through an experience with a friend, family member or the like, we invite you to share your story on this night of honor- ing, remembering and educating others on the worldwide HIV/AIDS struggle' This week is AIDS Awareness Week, which means people all-over the world are doing their part to spread awareness. "I expect (the show) to be able to give us a better understanding of how AIDS is rapidly destroying our communities," F.O.K.U.S. member Senesi Blake said. By Lloyd Cargo Mar. 15, 2006 In the early 1970s, Detroit was at somewhat of a cultural and economic crossroads. Motown had left for Los Angeles, and the Motor City was slow- ly reduced to a shell of its former self. But the Nm heart of the underground omo1 jazz scene remained, New Tones and brilliant artists such ubiquity as Phil Ranelin, Marcus Belgrave and Wendell Harrison stood ground to fill the void, forming Tribe Records to showcase their deep jazz and funk roots. Local musicians captured the soul of a city, printing a progressive magazine and promoting the message "Music is the healing force of the universe." Nomo, with their latest, New Tones, continue in that tradition by evoking the essence of Ann Arbor and celebrating the vibrancy of our diverse city. Formed in 2003 through jamming in the basement of a Kerrytown house, Nomo, comprised of School of Music alumni, shake, rattle and roll in the spirit of John Coltrane, Fela Kuti and Sly Stone. The group is the vision of band leader, keyboardist and saxo- phonist Elliot Bergman, the heart of an extremely talented bunch. Nomo is more than the sum of its considerable parts, though, since every member is indispensable. Nomo couldn't groove without percussionists Dan Piccolo and Olman Piedra, and couldn't wail without the frontline of trumpeters Ingrid Racine and Justin Walter, alto sax Dean Moore or bari- tone sax Dan Bennett. Nor would the carefully crafted polyrhythms be com- plete without the tasteful guitar of Erik Hall and the bottom end boost of bass- ist/vocalist Jaime Register. In addition to the stellar lineup, Bergman has an ace in the hole with Warn Defever behind the mixing board. Defever, founder of His Name is Alive, produced this affair and did a terrific job capturing the excitement of a Nomo performance at The Blind Pig, while giving every instrument space and deftly integrating exotic sounds and ideas. The disc leads off with "Nu Tones," TH AI CBESINE TI , 4896 Washtenaw 528-5588 DINE IN+CARRY-OUT Crispy LDurk ith Tmarind Sauce + Panang Curry Cafish Pad Phed + Madras Shrimp Som-lam and more and boy do those handclaps hit hard. The distorted thumb piano carves out a riff before the swaggering horns take over. Bergman's tenor reminds that not only does he write beautifully intricate melodies and powerful arrangements, but he can also blow some fire as well. The album is a whirl of energy with each track melting into the next. It's music for dancing down South Divi- sion St., for celebrating Ann Arbor in the spring with a toss on the Diag or a jog through the Arb. "Hand to Mouth" introduces an indomitable Fender Rhodes (the classic electric piano sound) to the fracas, as the band careens through corners, turning on the face of a dime, stretching a motif until the breaking point and ending right back where they started. The album is so joyous because New Tones is injected with the same quirky spirit as the place that spawned it. The space, the texture, the tension, the depth of it all - are as nuanced as Ann Arbor. The booming baritone on "The Reason" sounds like the horn of a train roaring down the tracks, and carries as much weight in its delivery. New Tones is a grand success and its release on the esteemed Los Ange- les label Ubiquity Records will make Nomo Ann Arbor's most important musical export since Defever's own His Name is Alive signed to 4AD more than 15 years ago. There can be no better representative, no one more passionate or earnest than Bergman and his crew. This record is some- thing for Ann Arbor to be proud of, a healing force to move the spirit and shake the body.