monday, October 15, 1979
page 8
daily nebraskan
ster of jazz casts spell upon Lincoln
Ma
The October Pops and All That Jazz, starring Jay
McShann and his trio, along with The Lincoln Symphony
Orchestra was best described by McShann when he de
clared. "It's a gas."
McShann, a master of Kansas-City-style jazz for more
than four decades, demonstrated once again that his
ability at the piano still holds the magic that helped his
band surge to the top of the Kansas City jazz scene in the
late 30s.
The Lincoln Symphony Orchestra opened its Friday
night show at Pershing Auditorium with the overture from
"Bartered Bride".
Then, joined by McShann and his trio, the orchestra
performed a piece written especially for McShann by UNL
music Professor Robert Beadell. Titled "Variations for
Jazz Trio, Fluegel Horn and Strings", it creates a wonder
ful mixture of fusion, jazz, blues and boogie-woogie.
McShann, who rarely plays with an orchestra, let out
a low, mirthful laugh and said that playing Beadell's
composition, "is exciting, so exciting I was scared to
death."
The orchestra finished off the set by playing three
dances from the "Gayaneh" ballet.
McSHANN AND his trio, Claude Williams on fiddle,
Paul Gunther on drums and Randy Snyder on bass, played
the entire second set, giving Pershing the atmosphere of a
funky jukebox in the heart of depression-era Kansas City.
The show was more than an opportunity to hear fine
musicians.
When McShann played the blues, the audience felt the
blues. The feeling created an aura that had the crowd,
which included many of Lincoln's social elite, swaying in
their chairs or yelling out approval in response to the
band's hot licks.
The set included favorite jazz standards like the super
cooking "Jumping at the Woodside" as well as the
smooth, bluesy, "Georgia on my Mind."
McShann's last tune of the set, "Confessing the Blues"
had the crowd clapping in time. When it was ended, the
calls for an encore were loud and lasting,
They returned and did "Smooth Sailing" featuring
Claude Williams on a red-hot fiddle.
ALSO CONTRIBUTING to the club-like atmosphere
were the table seating arrangements, a lower stage, a little
greenery and alcohol sales.
However, after the second set, the funky atmosphere
was turned into a "Big Red" rally.
Under the direction of Robert Emile, the Lincoln
Symphony Orchestra filled parts of the third and fourth
sets with selections from "Hair" and a medley made up
of "Blue Moon", "Singing in the Rain", "Moonlight
Serenade", "Hi-Lilli Hi-Low" and "Love is a Many
Splendored Thing".
The chance to conduct the reamining tunes were
auctioned off. "Stars and Stripes" brought $500, "Hail
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Photo by Mary Anns Colon
The intensity of Jay McShann's Kansas City style jazz is evident by his expression. McShann played at the October
pops concert Friday night at Pershing Auditorium.
Varsity" $500 and "There Is No Place Like Nebraska"
$650, ;
The concert was meant to be a fund-raiser for the
symphony. And the orchestra did deliver a letter-perfect
performance. But it would have been nice if McShann and
his trio would have been allowed to play more than one
set.
COMMENTING ABOUT the renaissance of Kansas-City-Style
jazz, McShann said the 50s and 60s weren't
boom years for himself and his music. But, after another
deep throated laugh, he said, "It's gojng again."
He said he and his band are playing "all over". They
played a number of jazz festivals in Europe last winter and
spring.
He added that he usually spends August in New York,
and the rest of the time is either in Kansas City taking it
easy, or he's on the road. However, he said he likes to
"space off the road when I can."
"Used to be we'd play 80 one-nighters without a break.
We got pretty ruffled."
McShann said he got his start in 1936. "I was in Tulsa
looking for a job. You know, that was pretty tough back
then."
"I'd never studied music. I was just fooling around. I
heard music and I followed the sound to the building
where it was coming. Upstairs was a band practicing so I
sat there and listened to them play. Later I asked if they
needed a piano player. They did and so they brought out
all this sheet music. I couldn't read music at that time but
I'd been listening to them so I just played along. They
thought It sounded great. .
"But later I was to play a tune that had a piano intro. I
was waiting for them to start when they told me the piano
was supposed to start it off. It was then that I told them I
couldn't read music."
Lost idealism portrayed in new Vonnegfit book 'Jailbird'
By Scott Kleager
In nearly all respects Jailbird, by Kurt Vpnnegut, is a
novel of lost idealism. The protagonist, Walter F. Star
buck, moves through tragedy after unescapable tragedy,
losing faith in most of the things that had, in his youth,
seemed universally good.
The catch, of course, is he feels that since these people,
ideologies and institutions are superior to all others, they
somehow are incorruptible.
The book includes a prologue that explains, more or
less, the inspiration which led to the story and its charac
ters. It is autobiographically interesting and includes inti
mate sections about Vonnegut's parents. Not surprising is
his plaintive attitude toward them, as he seems to have
taken the same disposition in previous works.
His father, because he takes to sensations more than
ideas, seems to be "throwing his, knowledge and intelli
gence away, just as a retreating soldier might throw away
his rifle and pack."
His mother, (Vonnegut readers are well acquainted
with her), reaffirms what one suspects: "My mother, as I
have said ad nauseum in other books, had declined to go
oh living."
unrM TVw 2nvnn fc-nmv rtr Mr ulm ttiw urarlt nu.
w aww miww v vut v miu uivj nvtv mij
more? No." This kind of rueful introspection permeates
the work.
Play respins old tale
Theatergoers attending The Good Woman of
Setzuan at the UNL Howell Theater will be treated
as if they were American dignitaries touring a
temple reconstruction site in China.
The play, to be presented at 8 pm. Oct 19-20
" and Oct. 23-27 is Bertolt Brecht's reconstruction of
an old Chinese tale about three gods who have come
to earth in search of one really good person. Sen Te,
a prostitute, is that person and the gods award her
- with gold, only to force her to deal with spongers
" trying to consume her modest riches.
Tickets are $3 for students and $4 for non stu
: dents and wiU be on sale from 1 to 5 p jn. weekdays
and from 5 to 8:30 pjn. on performance nights.
IfcwcH season tickets are itm available.
We are also told of a man who aroused the creation of
an idealistic character, known in life and in the story for
his "derring-do in strikes and at the protests about the
executions of Sacco and Vanzetti, and so on."
True to its thematic hue, Kenneth Whistler, as he is
known in the story, eventually gives-up his struggle for
labor and social equality. What happened to this man
historically is not included.
WHICH BRINGS US to a possible fourth premise on
which the novel could be based: Sacco and Vanzetti.
After numerous mentions of their trial, specifically re
garding Kenneth Whistler's involvement, Walter Starbuck
finally gets around to pointing out his cynicism toward its
outcome.
It seems that when he wai young he felt that their
executions would , . . cause an irresisuble mania for
justice to the common people to spread throughout the
Myiisticauy, the novel is true hearted and one will hot!
be disappointed. To those who relallv care ahnnt nrH"
things, and hopefully most do, Kurt-Vonnegut has jiot
soul oui. me numor is romcKing, as usual, ana in both the
fictional and non-fictional sections of the book, unforget
table, ludicrous gems reoccur.
This does not mean that Vonnegut repeats himself. He
seems, instead, to have an endless faculty for looking at all
things, whether good or bad, in a comical vein. This adds
another dimension to his works, making an otherwise
cheerless novel into a self-ironic, and therefore enlighten
ing, piece of fiction.
VONNEGUT AGAIN successfully demonstrates his
distinctive, conspicuous method of narration. He consis
tently begins a paragraph on a subject, then takes it to a
refreshing conclusion. One never knows where a paragraph
will end up. Just as one never really knows where Kurt
Vonnegut will end up, or a character of his will end.
v'
This distinguishing facet of his writing contributes to
the light-heartedness of all his stories. Readers consistent
ly find themselves delighting In artistic tendencies.
pe reading of Kurt Vonnegut never fails to usher the
l?-?10 .terminating situations, and, in this respect
Jailbird is an outstanding effort by one of America's best
writers. His combinations of humor and sadness will have
everyone laughing at occurrences which should not be
laughed at. And somehow the reader b made to be more
aware of the message because of it