friday, january 23, 1976
daily nebraskan
page 1 1
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Alburn of- c hilling, siark images
belongs to music of the future
Keith
album
images.
Photo by Sttv Boanwr
Jarre tt, composer of Luminescence, an
that evokes cold, empty and beautiful
Keith JarrettJan Garbarek: Luminessence. ECM
Luminessence strikes me immediately as a destined
classic, but there is nothing classic about it yet. It seems
rather to be music of the future.
Jarrett composed the cold, desolate forms played by
Garbarek on tenor and soprano sax and the strings of the
Sudfunk Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart.
The strings are chilling. Icy, empty images are evoked,
but behind all the desolation lies a pulse, asymetrical and
life-like. It's disturbing, but you cannot deny its probing,
deeply personal vision.
Having been listening with interest to Jarrett for many
years, I am not very surprised at this achievement. His
own musical style, which for many years was conventional
but acceptable, has evolved into a probing, sometimes au
stere, but always beautiful style. The albums produced
from his German concerts in Bremen and Koln, and a Lau
sanne, Switzerland, concert are evidence of this searching.
The images and philosophies behind Luminessence are
unsettling, transcending what we are accustomed to. If
you think you're interested, buy the album. It has the
plus of excellent musicianship. Diane Wanek
Tanya Tucker: Lovin' and Learnin', MCA
You can't be too hard on Tanya Tucker. After all, she
is only 16-years-old. One can't expect her to have the
emotional depth that only a few added years can produce.
Considering the power of Tucker's voice, this is a re
strained release-country mus'c of the Olivia Newton-John
variety. This is a wise choice on her management's part.
Tucker has not learned to master her instrument. The
rockers-such as "Ain't That a Shame'-overwhelm her.
But the main problem here is the artistic merit of the
material. Most of this package is a collection of obsequi
ous songs, except for the Eagles's "The Thrill Is Gone"
a strong rendition that proves Tucker's undeniable vocal
talent. Given solid country-flavored material (it seems
very unlikely that Tucker will ever be able to un-countrify
her voice), the world will hear of Tanya Tucker for many
years. Deb Gray
Bill EvansEddie Gomez: Intuition, Fantasy Records
Intuition marks the first recorded duet album of Bill
Evans (acoustic and electric piano) and Eddie Gomez, his
bassist for nearly a decade, and it is a joy to the ear of the
behearer.
Having played together for such a long time, it comes
as no surprise that these two are so finely attuned to one
out of
Dimly rooted Hillbilly Jazz
alive, strumming once more
By Diane Wanek
It's been called Western Swing, Honky Tonk Hillbilly
Jazz and Switched-on Nashville. No matter what it's
called, the ultimate product, born out of bluegrass, jazz,
blues and Cajun music, currently is enjoying quite a
revival nationwide.
The origins of Western Swing music are dim and
disputed. The most likely suggestion is that it grew out cf
Louisiana's French, black and Creole music and fused with
Czech, German and Mexican music from Texas.
Before the advent cf radio, the musician's role was that
of entertainer at church picnics, barn raisings, harvests,
weddings, reunions and dances. If the musician established
a reputation, he might advance to a traveling medicine
show and journey the phenomenal distance of a hundred
miles.
Radio changed all that in the late 1920s and early
1930s. Enabling the musician to affect large numbers of
people, it broadened his influence and made him a com
mercial product.
After the Chicago station WLS, then owned by Scars
Roebuck & Co., popularized the National Barn Dance in
1924, southwestern cities established large dance halls
from which shows were broadcast.
Stations rarely paid performers on these early radio
shows. Usually the musicians were salesmen for one of the
show's sponsors. Bob Wills's first broadcast for the Burris
Mills Company, and later for his own Playboy Flour, and
the Hoosier Hotshots sold AlkaSeltzcr.
A number of performers influenced the evolution of
Hillbilly Jazz. On the guitar, Eddie Lang, Lonnle Johnson,
Scrapper Blackwell, Charlie Christian and Django Rein
hardt each played a part In the transition of the instru
ment's role from a rhythm to a melodic single-string
function.
Lang and "hot" violinist Joe Venutl teamed to produce
some important and innovative music in the 1920s.
Charlie Christian left an Oklahoma territory blues band to
join Benny Goodman's big band swing group in the late
1930s.
Considered by many as the major influence on be-bop,
Christian explored and elevated the electric guitar to new
heights. ,
Early Hillbilly Jazz fiddlers created their style by
combining jazz ideas from Venuti and jazz violinist
Stephane Grappelly with older Cajun and Texas fiddle
tunes derived from Scots-Anglo-Irish traditions. Vassar
Clements h probably today's leading jazz-oriented fiddler.
HsIlblUy Jizz piano
Barrel house, Baptist and honky tonk with boogie
woogie comprise trie piano style in Hillbilly Jazz, Influ
enced by Pinetop Smith's boogie-woogie and the blues of
LeroyCarr.
America fell in love with Hawaiian music in the mid
1920s, and the ukulele, tipple and Hawaiian guitar became
popular. The Hawaiian guitar was modified in 1925 by the
addition of a metal resonator to make the notes sustain
longer. Developed by the Dopera brothers, it was given
the name Dobro. By 1935 it had evolved into the electric
steel guitar, and was played by Bob Dunn of the Musical
Brownies in Texas.
When the depression forced the cities' trained jazz
musicians out of work, many drifted the country play
ing in rural bands. This contributed considerably to crea
tion of Hillbilly Jazz.
About that time, Jimmie Rodgers, from Meridian,
Miss., was discovered at a record audition in Birstol, Tenn.
His "blue yodels" became big sellers for the Victor Re
cording Company, and had an enormous impact on hill
billy music. The rural poor could easily identify with
Rodgers, the son of a section hand on tlie Gulf, Mobile
and Ohio Railroad.
He combined popular, jazz and blues elements to form
a simple, direct style that seemed unhurried, yet held the
listener's attention. Though his audience was predomi
nately white, black jazz players such as Louis Armstrong
and Earl "Fatha" Hines musically accompanied him.
Driving instrumental!
In 1930 Bob Wills, destined to become the most
famous Western Swing performer, formed his first group,
the Bob Wills Fiddle Band. When they first recorded in
1932 for Victor, the band's music ranged from sacred to
sentimental to comic. Yet they were perhaps best known
for their driving instrumentals, including "El Rancho
Grande" and the hocdown, "Old Joe Clark.
Wills bought a Tulsa, Okla. ballroom shortly thereafter.
There he regularly played to crowds of 2,000 to 4,000,
sold his Playboy Flour (his band now was known as Bob
Wills and the Texas Playboys) and enjoyed profits from
such hits as "Take Me Back to Tulsa," "San Antonio
Rose" and "Yearning."
Bob Wills's Western Swing was a synthesis of Cajun
music, big band jazz, Texas and delta blues, Dixieland
and jug band. He was first to use the concept of instru
ments playing in sections, outside the swing bands of
Duke Ellington and Count Basic.
World War II, a turning point in music, marked the
Swing Era's end. By 1945 Western Swing had been assim
ilated into the styles of a large number of country and
western performers.
Today, Doug Kershaw, Vassar Clements, Asleep at the
Wheel and other musicians have revived Hillbilly Jazz, and
the number of devotees is increasing. Perhaps this great
musical style once again will influence other forms of
music. . "
another. But the absence of the drummer gives us the
opportunity to discover the crystal clear sound and
rhythmic flexibility of their music.
Bee Gees: Main Course, RSO Records
Of all the British groups which have lasted into the '70s
the Bee Gees probably are the least inventive. They are
primarily imitator's, not initiators. The Gibb brothers rely
more on the studio than on their own vocal power to pro
duce their full-bodied sound.
The Bee Gees have integrated some 1970s idioms, pri
marily funk, into their style with less than satisfying re
sults here. "Jive Talkin'," which relies on a weak melodic
theme, is endlessly repetitive.
But the group succeeds on cuts that adhere to the
standard Bee Gees mold: Love ballads that are heavily
produced, creamy harmonies, strings and whatever else
is available to produce a lush blanket of sound. It's ex
cessive, but, somehow, the Bee Gees make this excess
work.
"Nights on Broadway" is a perfect example. There's
syrup here, but it's well done, even exciting, and arguably
the best Bee Gee recording ever. "Fanny (Be Tender with
My Love)., is patterned after Thorn Bell and his relaxed
Philadelphia sound. "Songbird" also works; strong
melodically, pleasant harmonically.
, These high points are on side one. Side two deterio
rates rapidly, either because of hokey lyrics ("I get plea
sure, I get pain, it's a gravy train", for example), melodies
that jump about spastically or indiscriminate noodling
about on the synthesizer. -Deb Gray
The interplay between Gomez and Evans is brilliant;
that's what this record is all about. The serene joy with
which each tune is rendered makes the album a real
delight. Even the brooding Ellington tune "Blue Serge"
comes across in a refreshing manner.
"Show-Type," written by Evans, "Blue Serge" and
"Nature" feature Evans on both electric and acoustic
piano. Gomez gets his licks in on "Invitation" and fellow
bassist Steve Swallow's "Grace." The above probably are
the best cuts on the album, though it's hard to decide
since there isn't a bad, or even a mediocre, cut on the
album.
The recording itself is superb. Every nuance of the
sound of the instruments is captured and in perfect
balance. Everything about this album makes it more than
worth the price. Diane Wanek
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Switched-ca Nashville is fiddkr Vassar uements. . .
