The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 30, 1995 - 9A el Gorhamis fever-hot Poets save best for last v Alexandra Twin aily Arts Editor Originally named after'50sglam-babe nd incendiary actress Marilyn Monroe, iere is very little about vivacious, Mi- mi-bom actress Mel Gorham that fails to pnite a reaction. How'd she get her campy part as the weet, sexy, over-the-top Violet in the ew "Smoke" spin-off, "Blue in the ace?" I did this version of (Peggy Lee's ) ever' at the party after we finished smoke' and it cracked everybody up so uch that they decided to have me come ack and sing it in the movie," said the ntress in a recent phone conversation. She was tired from having spent two eeks traveling and promoting the film, ut still remained upbeat and effusive roughout the conversation. Her aracter's unbridled energy flow is very bviously her own; although little else out the tempestuous Violet is a reflec- on of the actress. Violet is modeled on orham's mother: "My mother is a very rong-minded and sexual person and I lanted this to be a tribute to her." While not as successful or enjoyable s 'the laconically charming "Smoke," uch of the energy that "Blue in the ace" does emit can be attributed to orham. Born Marilyn Schnaer to a Jewish- rmerican father and a Cuban-American 'other in Miami, Florida, Gorham was ised an only child. Her ex-husband, a !an whose last name was Gorham, gave er the name Mel: "He thought I looked ,ore like a Mel than a Marilyn and it ed to fit." Her name has now been legally changed to accompany the per- sona. Her earliest memory of wanting to act took place some time around Junior High School. There was no great epiphany, as she recalls it, the desire just simply pre- sented itself: "I just stepped on stage." The play was 'Our Town,' by Thornton Wilder and it ended up being the first of many. A veteran of the New York and re- gional stage, Gorham was twice on Broad- way and is still a member of New York's "El Barrio" theater company. Like many before her, she feels that theater is an actor's best form of training: "The disci- pline it gives you is something that you can't get anywhere else. If you fuck up, when you are on stage, you can't go back. It gives you a certain authenticity that you can't get elsewhere." She is somewhat disparaging of "TV Actors" who often consistently lack that authenticity: "You can tellthat these mechanical actors,many of whom are on TV, have never done anything like theater before. It shows in the work." Yet, so does quality and it was the quality of her stage performances that helped Gorham make the transition into film. Strong, supporting roles in "Do the Right Thing," and "Carlito's Way" as well as the "Blue in the Face" companion piece "Smoke," earned her good reviews and respect for portraying a diverse bevy of characters. With major roles in two soon-to-be-released features ("Curdled" and "Wishful Thinking") as well as two possible projects with Tom Berenger, one in which they'd play herparents, she is definitely gearing up for the main- By Kimberly Howitt Daily Arts Writer In 1968 Gylan Kain, David Nelson, and Abiodun Oyewole united, fusing together powerful inspirational anger, rhythmically woven words and traditional African drum- ming. They electrified Malcolm X's birth- daycelebmtionwithanemotionallycharged performance at Harlem's Mt. Morris Park. This was the beginning of The Last Poets, a group of African-American men on a mis- sion to spread black pride, black love and black power. In 1970 the Last Poets released their first album, awakening those who had been sleeping through the rising black- nationalist movement. They created per- haps the most inflammatory union of art and politics, anger and inspiration and innovative delivery to emerge from the black power movement. The Last Poets condemn the political injustices that plague their people, cry out against the oppression of their communities and de- mand revolution. On Thursday the University was hon- ored to have The Last Poets perform, sharing their timely messages andintense energy. Three ofthe seven original Poets, Abiodun Oyewole, Umar Bin Hassan, and Don Babatunde Eaton, are still per- forming, teaching new generations old- school knowledge. Their performance hadahard-hitting, in- your-face style that revealed the grim truths of the black experience. In the wake of the harsh reality of their words is a magical rhythmic energy reminiscentoffreejazz. As the Poets spilledtheirknowledge, you could feel the strength of their wisdom, but never a sense of superiority. Instead, they inter- acted with the crowd, drawing them in as an integral part oftheirperformance. The Poets The Last Poets The U-Club, Michigan Union October 25, 1995 respect the power ofthe crowd and incorpo-. rate their voices into chants. The connection they form with the- crowd is born out of the energy of their words and is strengthened by their desire to interact and communicate with the; crowd on a personal level. The Poets tell; stories about when they were coming up, and how they formed. They speak about the circumstances of the times, and what inspired them to become poetic pioneers in the black-nationalist movement. Their peformance of "This is Madness" reflected the turmoil and inadequacy of our. society. The Poets' chaotic screams of"This is madness!" are laced within the poetic: verse of the poem, reminding the audience of the bitter anger and frustration that in- spired the lyrical and visionary words. The Last Poets fusion of rhyme and rhythm, jazzy fluidity and pulsating drum- ming laid the foundation for the hip-hop nation. Ice Cube claimsthat"The Last Poets were the forefathers of rap." "The main difference between hip-hop and what we were doing back in the day, is that rap music has amessagebutdoesn'thaveamovement: We had a movement," Umar says. The Last Poets continue their mission - raising consciousness, influencing music and spreading love. Their newest release "Holy Terror" keeps their mes- sage alive, in hopes that the revolution will soon come. Mel Gorham, looking spiffy In the "Blue In the Face" press photos. stream. Yet, that is not necessarily her objec- tive; her experiences have lent her a tre- mendous amount of respect for indepen- dent cinema andcompanies like Miramax films, "Blue in the Face" and "Smoke"'s distributor. "(Miramax co-chairman) Harvey Weinstein is a genius. He's mak- ing 100 good films a year for what Holly- wood spends to make one big bomb." Fairly outspoken and unquestionably vi- brant, Ms. Gorham may not be a Marilyn figurebutshecertainlyhasall themakingsof a fresh, new screen presence. Call it fever. aco de Lucia' y Matthew Steinhauser any Arts Writer Last Friday evening at the Power Center, aco de Lucia and his flamenco sextet in- aded the ears, hearts, minds and bodies of il in attendance, enthralling the sold-out rowd with their special brand of flamenco ausic. They balance the traditional folk gusic of southern Spain with a variety of iusical influences, including jazz and pop, reating an intensely sensual experience. Flamenco music itself reflects a long story,havingbeeninfluencedbythepeople holivddinpresent-day Spainasfarbackas e first century A.D. Beginning in the 14th entury, the Spanish Gypsies assimilated tany of these influences including those of xe Moors, spawning the folk music and ance now called flamenco. In 1981, de Lucia created the group of amencomasters,consistingofthreeguitar- s fantastic flamenco lights up Power Center KrEVIIEW Paco de Lucia Power Center For the Performing Arts October 27, 1995 ists, a singer, a percussionist, a dancer and a flutist/saxophonist. After nearly 15 years of collaboration, the sextet finds near perfect harmony together. Friday evening, theirjoy in playing and performing together created an electric aura that permeated throughout the auditorium. De Lucia opened the evening with the solo piece, "Mi Nino Curro," showing off his technical prowess and his impassioned insights into the life-beat of flamenco. The guitarist played the fast, fluttering arpeggios and scales and finger-picked speedy, complex melodic themes and bass lines simultaneously, creating the effect of two or three guitars playing in unison. Various combinations of the sextet performed most of the first half of the program. The full sextet didn't play to- gether until the sixth and last song before intermission. In "Alcazar de Sevilla," the group melded all the elements from the first five songs into a beautiful plethora of sound. The dancing of Joaquin Grilo was also featured for the first time that night. The audience voiced its approval as Grilo's feet stamped out the fast rhythmic pat- terns in perfect synchrony with the music. The dancer not only provided awesome visual effects, but his feet hitting the dance floor acted much like another per- cussion instrument. Often during the second half of the evening, the group revealed itsjazz influ- ences. Jorge Pardo's saxophone in "Zyryab" explored the full scope of the flamenco/jazz relationship. As Pardo jammed on sax, the percussion and gui- tars anchored the song to the flamenco spirit with more traditional beats and note progressions. Paco de Lucia proved to all in attendance Friday evening that his pioneering, new styleofflamencomusicrunstrue,likeaclear stream through the green hills of Spain. The artist holds firmly to the traditional history, sound, and spirit of flamenco, while recog- nizing his own musical influences from different genres. The product of de Lucia's fusion of flamenco, jazz, and pop captures the soul and spirit of nearly 2000 years of musical roots. Bolshoi Orchestra returns from long absence with a flourish The Poets, back at last with a great live performance and a new album. y Emily Lambert 'ily Fine Arts Editor, It's a shame that it took nearly 220 years bring the Bolshoi Symphony to Ann sior,butSaturday'sconcertwaswellworth le wait. The warm and generous reception ie orchestra received left little doubt that :iductor Peter Feranec and his Russian tusicians will be back before another 220 ears go by. With luck, pianist Boris erezovsky will return also, to charm and light the growing number of fans he is aking in this city. Berezovsky is a masterful musician who ade his Ann Arbor debut last March, as a placementforailingMaurizioPollini. The "s'sperformancethisweekendofSergei aninoft'sthirdpianoconcertobrought audienceto their feetbeforethe orchestra even been acknowledged. Some critics veberated Rachmaninoff's work as over- tic and musically insubstantial, while have applauded it as creative and ive. Its success or failure rests in the orner'sinterpretation,andBerezovsky's v olshoi Symphony Orchestra Hill Auditorium Saturday, October 28 performance was a success. The pianist's fast fingerwork made for dramatic highlights. Sweet, soulful playing captured the audience in the piece's quieter moments, and Berezovskymilkedthe senti- mental cadenzas for all they were worth. The size of the large accompanying or- chestra did not detract from Berezovsky's playing. Surprisingly, it was the wind play- ers who were somewhat distracting and did not mesh well with the music's sound or, occasionally pace. The French horn solos were beautiful, however, and tutti sections were unarguably exciting. The orchestra's final sprint cemented a great performance. The first halfposed a hard act to follow, but the Bolshoi tackled "Symphony No. 2" by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius with verve. Conductor Feranec, who took the position as the Bolshoi's director ear- lier this year, infused the string players with explosive thrill. The orchestra was at' its best in moments of full, unified play- ing. In soloisticpassages, orchestral unity was lacking. Much of the chamber-like section lost direction and intensity, though fine playing was heard. A trumpet and flute conversation was believable, and the bassoon and oboe solos - among others - were beautiful. The orchestra's wrinkles were ironed out by the fourth movement, when the Bolshoi unleasheditspowerful sound. Anexhilarat- ing fanfare propelled the piece to a vigorous close, inspiring two energetic encores and another standing ovation. The audience wasgenerous with applause and admiration, but not unreasonably so. The Bolshoi Symphony was exciting, enliv- ening and displayed amazing potential. NC ti z Ptii -e~~ez. Pu i s 1'f b4ar JCovnY r ' a tti ~ar w Don't Panic!! If you think you're pregnant... call us-we listen, we care. PROBLEM PREGNANCY HELP 769-7283 Any time, any day, 24 hours. Fully confidential. Serving Students since 1970. " Lecture Notes " Course Packets " Resume Services " Copy & Bindery " Fax Services BOOKSTORE 5-Tmi $ 0 this coupon. One couponpev $.00 aya er customer. Grade A Notes at Ulrichs Bookstore Second Floor * 549 E. University " 741-9669 dnesde' L vje MON" 1/2 Off Everything p Hump Day From L.A. Sunshine Spider " Cover * All Drinks All Beer Department of Communication Studies Howard I. Marsh Center for the Study of Journalistic Performance ___.....__. 1 IW announces a one credit mini-course for Fall Term, 1995 Communication 502, section 002 Covering Presidential Politics Tuesdays, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. 4054 Frieze Building October 24th through December 5th (no class November 21st) r Ak' I Live in historic Greenwich Village: ' UP ! l ,. f l l 'iI w .wz ~I i I I